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Archive for December, 2004

Last day of the year spending

December 31st, 2004 at 07:38 pm

Today I have spent
$38 at walmart for hba and a couple christmas clearance items
$26.47 at kmart for notebook paper, shoes for dson and trash bags

I won't be spending anything else today. Tomorrow starts tracking for new year.

goals for the new year

December 31st, 2004 at 03:23 am

~learn to stay within our zero based budget and not borrow from other categories
~learn to make menu plans, shop only with a list
~cut out all unnecessary expenses
~switch long distance over to a calling card
~keep adding change to the change jar
~start christmas club - done today! just keep adding to it
~pay off some old medical bills

~consider selling baby diapers again!?!?!
~continue with flylady routines and keep house in order
~increase fico score by 41 points or sure gonna try


There are other goals but those are ones I want to do that pertain to frugality. Smile

Spending log 12/30

December 30th, 2004 at 07:39 pm

I spent $178.00 at the grocery store.
I also took dson to wendys and we spent 3.99

I need to get a few school supplies and schools for another dson sometime before next week.........

Kwh were 45!!Coming down from 67 a day -just a week ago! That's almost $2 a day - or $60 a month!!!!! I am so excited. Just the few little things I have started doing are really paying off.

Went grocery shopping with a menu and a list and budgeted 250.00 so I still have $68 for anything we may need before next payday. If all of it doesn't get used then I will divide it in half and put half in a stock up fund (pantry) and the other half to the EF.

Also had to go to the bank, while there I opened a christmas club account for 2005. We will be having $25 taken out on the 1st and 15th of every month. This way in Dec. we will have saved $600 to go towards christmas.

Thrifty thursday 12/30

December 30th, 2004 at 01:51 pm

Well actually today won't be real thrifty - I need to go grocery shopping. Also need to pay the electric bill.

I will update with totals later but am hoping to keep the grocery shopping down to $250 for 2 weeks. Not sure I can do that. But am sure gonna try. That may be high for some of you - but this will be for 9 people and a dog. Smile

We use the zero based budget from Dave Ramsey to tell each $ where to go, before spending. This has been done already.

Will be adding $20 in quarters to my change jar. Know what? If it is in change I won't spend it, but if it's a $20 bill - we will. Frown So this is the best way for us to save right now.

Need to do a couple minor house repairs - allotted $55 for that, whatever isn't spent will be cashed in for the change jar.

Also decided for the new year that dh and I need money to just blow on whatever we want. It's not much, but it's in the budget.

Well off to make the grocery list out. Smile

Saving Electricity

December 29th, 2004 at 06:05 pm

I have come down another 5 kwh yesterday for a total of 16 daily now!

Things I have done so far:
~unplug things when not in use
~line dry all but 2 loads of laundry in the last 2 days (total of 8 loads done)
~wash everything but one load of whites in cold, white were washed in hot.
~stopped using the dishwasher - washing dishes by hand
~keep heat off or when it is on set it at 68

Ways I will continue to work on the electric use going down are:
~resetting the hot water heater timer - we already have one on there, we just don't have it running at this time. I was actually trying an experiment.
~continue doing all the above
~cook using the crockpot more


**Something that I tried last night - I left the computer on all night, in sleep mode and the kwh actually went down. So I am gonna do that again tonight and see what happens. Could it actually be cheaper to put the computer in sleep mode versus turning it off?!?! I didn't think so , but now not sure.

Ways to save on Wednesday

December 29th, 2004 at 12:34 pm

Calling the phone company this morning - have dsl (the most expensive plan - they have 3) will downgrade to the lowest plan. Will report back with what that will save me.


Canceled att cell phone - contract already up, so no cancellation fee. Smile Decided for my use all I needed was a tracfone. Att was costing $48 a month - the new phone was $35 got 10 free minutes with the phone, 10 for activating it online and and then had a friend email me a refer a friend deal for 100 free minutes. (she got 100 too! Smile ) So for 120 minutes, new phone and no more minutes needed to buy until the end of March - I saved over $150!!! I am not one to use the phone just to chit chat. It's for my dh or older children to reach me in an emergency.


Laundry is being washed in cold water, and hung outside to dry.
Dinner will be something from the freezer and pantry.
no heat/ac on.

12/29 spending log

December 29th, 2004 at 12:25 pm

$6.35 spent today on pepsi. Frown My one *main* downfall with frugality. I really want to quit drinking it, and am starting to wean off of it. I know that sounds bad - but I can easily drink 4 to 6 a day by myself. Frown Know how much money I could save if I quit? LOTS! LOL

I have decided to cut down to 3 a day for a week - then I will cut down further the following week. I really want to save any money we can!

Other than that no $ spent today.

Tightwad Tuesday

December 28th, 2004 at 04:08 pm

Just checked KWH for today and am down another 5. WOOHOO! Which means I am actually down 11 per day right now.

Cleaned out the truck and vacuumed it out and found some quarters. Smile Cleaned my purse out and between the truck and purse added about $18.00 in change to the changejar. Another WOOHOO!! My container is about half full now.

Washed all laundry today in cold water. Put one in the dryer and will hang the other 2 that I have to wash on the line.

Cleaned and organized pantry - dinner will be from pantry and freezer.

All lights are off, things are unplugged when not in use.

dson will be driving himself to work today, so it will save some gas $ - as I won't be making double trips.

12/28 spending log

December 28th, 2004 at 01:47 pm

No $$ spent today. WOOHOO!

Will run to the video store and get anchorman - but have a gift cert for that so it won't cost me anything.

Also need to run to bank and cash dson's check for him. The video store and bank are in same parking lot. Smile So saves me gas too.

Other than that, no going anywhere else. Smile

Today's ways to save

December 28th, 2004 at 01:14 am

I have been tracking kwh (electric use) daily. I have been able to lower the kwh by 6 each day for the last 3 = 18 kwh saved - only $1.44 saved so far. Just unplugging a few things has done this.

I will continue to keep lights turned out during the day. Unplug things when not using - except alarm clocks.

Tomorrow I will start hanging laundry out, to try and get the kwh to come down even more.

I will be working on the budget tomorrow and a grocery/menu list.
I made chili yesterday and it was really good - half went into freezer for another meal.


Combined silver change and pennies into a change jar - once it's full I will cash it out and start our Emergency fund - yet again!

12/27 spending log

December 28th, 2004 at 01:07 am

Today I spent $33.00 at Walmart for groceries and 4 fitted twin sheets - something that will make my life so much easier!

Also had to put gas in dh's van - $20. and gas in the truck $10.

Total spending today was 63.00 Frown But the next few days should be better.

12/26 checkin

December 26th, 2004 at 09:42 pm

Well today we took the kids to Toys r us to spend their christmas money. Then we went to the mall.

At tru - I spent .59 of our money - tax for my dd who is 3.

At the mall, I spent $3 on cookies - they smelled sooooooo good!!
Then I went into the $store and spent $11.

Then I went to walgreens for a few sale items and milk - $21 there so total of 32.59 for today.

Thinking alot last night about our goals and how we might reach them - I have decided to work on groceries and eating more frugally. We spent about $800 in the last month. Frown This is NOT good!! There has got to be a way to cut this down. Off to search for some quick, easy and frugal meals. Smile

Guerilla Frugality

December 26th, 2004 at 02:27 am

Today starts the next year of guerilla frugality. There are so many things we need to do and the only way to accomplish it is to get right down to it.

We are aiming for 20 no spend days monthly. Prefer a little more, but will be happy with that amount. I will use this journal to keep our progress updated.

Will start thinking of ideas to get our guerilla frugality in high gear. Tracking all spending, also keeping a silver change jar and a pennies challenge jar.

The month of January (actually starting 12/28 payday) I will work on our grocery spending for this month. I want to learn to cook new things that are healthy but also frugal. Scratch cooking, learning to make convenience foods and so on.

Wish us luck!! Smile


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