July Re-Cap

July had more expenses than we would have liked. We had a big family wedding and with that always comes a few incidentals. Most wedding expenses were planned ahead (gifts, primping, ect) And that was helpful.
We have another family wedding (on a much much smaller scale) in September, but we are not involved in that one.

We did rather well, all things considered. We were not able to put as much to debt as we had hoped, but we did manage to pay more than the minimum, and the balance is slowly dwindling. Robert's preschool tuition was paid in full by the end of the month which earned us a 5% discount and less worry throughout the school year, as well.

Unfortunately, I am at a stand still right now with the freelance work I have been doing. It is guaranteed to pick up again in the fall and through the holidays, but for now, I hate not having that extra income to put towards debt.

We'll continue to put as much as we can to our debt and NOT create more debt. Its still so helpful to know where our money is going.

On that note, a brand new Target just opened down the road... we might be in some trouble after all....

Home from vacation

We had an incredible vacation last week! I was so sad to leave the beach and get back to reality.
We took $500 in cash with us to spend.
We had a bit of culture (tourist) shock when we arrived... I sent B out for pizza with a 20 dollar bill. Two pizzas were 34 bucks! Whoa! He had to hit the atm and we got slammed with a FOUR dollar atm charge AND 1.50 charge from our bank. We usually try to avoid these charges. I let it slide. After pizza we went out for ice cream. It cost 16.50 for ice cream for the family. Eek.
We just weren't prepared for those tourist prices.

I had to hit the grocery store early in the week for some essentials. We brought most of our food from home. I planned meals out ahead of time, knowing that we wouldn't be going out to eat too much. I was appalled at the grocery store prices! Everything was nearly twice the price of what it was at home! However, the sale prices were nothing to complain about. I bought 2 cartons of ice cream and we enjoyed ice cream at home most nights instead of at the boardwalk.
We went out to breakfast mid week, which was a nice treat and much cheaper than going out to dinner. Bobby and I had a nice date (alone!) early in the week as well. The 34 dollar pizza ended up being our first and last night's dinner (I froze the leftovers and heated them up on Friday)

We came home with $75. Not bad, if you ask me. Vacationing on a budget is not as hard as we thought! We stretched every dollar, but didn't feel deprived. I've reconciled all purchases and I don't think I'd change a thing - except maybe that darn atm fee!
I realize that as the kids get older, it won't be as easy to cut corners. Knowing how expensive vacation can be, we'll just have to save a few extra bucks to take with us next year!

June recap - Month 4

June was relatively quiet. Almost all expenses happened as planned. We came across a really good deal on a TV for the kid's playroom (been looking for a year now) and we jumped on it. It's no nice to know that it's paid for in full and there is no 'credit card statement' looming overhead. In June, we put $400 to debt, and once we get through July we'll be able to contribute a much more significant amount on a monthly basis.
We found out that friends of ours have stopped using their credit cards too. And when we were out to dinner with friends, they commented on how weird it was for Bobby to be carrying cash since he's always been a credit card guy.

I was able to buy a few beach necessities at Kohl's this past week. Kohl's is one of those stores that you have to use your Kohl's card to get the really good deals. I was in there about a month ago, and bought a few items with cash. When the cashier asked if I had a Kohl's card I told her "Yes, but I don't use it anymore" Then I asked if there was a way I could use my card and then run right back to customer service and pay the balance with cash right there. I was astonished to hear that I didn't even have to go back to CS - they'd let me use the card at the register and then pay in cash. How cool is that???
So on my most recent trip, I spent $71 and saved $108. How's that for bargain shopping? AND I earned $10 in Kohl's cash too!

Looking forward, I really feel like we have more money than we ever did before. But we're just spending it wiser than we ever did.

If my math is right, we should have our debt paid off by the Spring and my mini van paid off before summer. We've also built into the budget to put a deck on the back of the house in early spring.

That's all for this month. We leave for vacation on July 4th. We're so excited!

Vacation!

We're going to the beach - July 4-11! And we're paying for it in cash! (Are you really surprised?)
I came across a great little condo in a prime location. When I inquired, the week that we wanted was no longer available. But they offered us the week of July 4th at a discount (minus $200 - which is basically just getting a night for free.)
I've already started budgeting vacation costs (going out to eat, beach tags, amusements, etc) and we can totally have a great vacation.

I keep telling everyone that I feel like a grown up - taking my kids on vacation and paying for it myself. I hope this becomes a great tradition!

This does mean that our debt payments might take a hit over the next month or two, but a week away is worth it to us- making memories for our kids and really enjoying ourselves.
Maybe next year we'll go for 2 weeks! :)

FREE ICE CREAM!

If you have a Sonic nearby, make sure you stop by this Wednesday night from 8-midnight. They are giving away FREE Root Beer Floats!

Friendly's will be serving FREE 4oz ice cream cups on June 7th from noon-5pm.

May - month 3

May was... well, May was tough. We had a few unexpected/unplanned things come up - 2 birthday parties, Mother's Day gifts (forgot to plan for that!), End of school year teacher gifts, a death, some births, kids were sick - I was sick! So, we (carefully) spent more than we had planned (thank goodness for the cash cushion in the checking acct) But I was able to move some stuff around and eliminate some of our planned spending in order to accommodate this month's purchases. So, it's all good!
We still put $500 to debt, purchased bunk beds for the boys AND completed a landscaping project in the front of our house. ALL on CASH.
I did great on groceries this month and scored a few great purchases at the thrift shop too! I sold a few items on craigslist, to help bring in some cash.
On top of it all, I took a part time/work from home job doing branding/marketing for my sister's PR firm. The extra money will definitely help us tackle our debt faster, which is the ultimate goal.
June should be relatively calm. Robert will attend camp and we'll spend a few days at my parent's house relaxing by the pool and perhaps (and that is a strong perhaps) plan a long weekend getaway to the beach for late July. We will be going to eat with friends at Emeril's Chop House, which just opened at the nearby Sand's Casino. We don't go out to eat much and this will be a special treat. We're really excited about it.
Some days I think we'll never get rid of this debt. I fear that it will be looming over us forever. But then I remember the important thing - we are not creating more debt. We are living comfortably, and I really appreciate the things we are buying on cash - more so than I ever would with plastic!

Just an aside... I told a friend that I sometimes feel like a poor person using cash for everything. She told me RICH people use cash. POOR people need credit cards. Interesting thought.

Two weeks of groceries

Last week was stellar... I SAVED MORE than I SPENT. I LOVE when that happens!
Total: 85.30
After coupons and bonuscard: 40.66
The best deal was the ice cream. they were 3/6 IF you buy 3. I had 3 $1 coupons and that made each carton $1 each. I had a rain check for the ground turkey AND a $2/meat coupon - each pack came to $2. Giant also had 4 $1 doublers in the ad, so that was an additional $4 off my order in addition to a $5/50 coupon.



Total: 89.65
After Coupons/bonuscard: 47.72
Freebies this week: Joint Juice 10/10 - FREE after $1 off coupon, A1 Marinade 1.99 - FREE after $2 coupon. I had some great Giant coupons too... $1 off produce, $2 off meat and $5 off 50.

A Credit Card Broke my Heart

The following is quoted from an American Greetings card that my mother gave me. The card is intended to be a birthday card, but she used for a Mother's Day card. Its very cute and I felt it needed to be shared. OH - and she signed it "Your Friend, Dave Ramsey."

A Credit Card Broke my Heart

"I first saw him when I was in college. We met through one of those computer services, and I was told he was generous and the type who would be there whenever I needed him.
He was bright and a real card, but my friends warned me he was nothing but plastic. Nevertheless, we began to go everywhere together... CC bought me dinners, jewelry, expensive clothes - almost everything I desired.

A month later, I met Bill, who was waiting for me when I went to pick up my mail. He seemed nice at first, but when I asked him what his interests were, he said 21.6%... It was evident he was after my money. To make matters worse, Bill said CC would never go out with me again if I didn't pay - the two had their little trick planned all along."

Canceling your credit cards can be like a bad break up. Just last week, we canceled our oldest and most used Visa card. We hadn't used the card since February and we were being charged an annual membership fee. Bobby refused to pay it and threatened to cancel the card. The credit card people didn't even put up a fight so now the card is gone. That card, with a zero balance, was our crutch. Cash has been working well for us, and it was time for the crutch to go. We can stand on our own... with cash.

Month 2 Re-cap (April)

We had our budget meeting last night and planned all expenses for the month of May and reconciled those from April. We came in under budget on most expenses, but had a few unexpected events come our way. Bobby didn't realize his car was due for inspection, so he had to have that done when he went for a planned oil change. Luckily, we came in $100 under budget in gas this month and it all worked out. Also, the kids were sick, which meant co-pays and prescriptions. Most of our medical expenses are reimbursed, so it was just a matter of paying up front (check card) until the money was put back into our account. I keep a cushion in the checking acct for unexpected events like these.
We had Easter dinner at our house, and the kid's baskets were filled to the brim. We even took the kids out for ice cream a few times and we were able to make a donation to the MDA for a fundraiser at Robert's school.
Our yard sale was a HUGE success. We brought in close to $350 in one weekend. I was left with a few things that I will likely list online to make a few extra bucks.
In May, we have budgeted to do some yard work. I have hopes and dreams of building a deck out back, but it's a big expense that will have to wait until the debt is gone. I am helping to throw a bridal shower for Bobby's sister this month and also taking her for a spa day at the end of the month.
May will be busy. It will also be a challenge for our budget. But we will get through it. Most importantly we are not creating any more debt and living within our means. The plan for May is to pay the same amount to debt as last month. This may or may not be possible depending on how the month goes. We have been super-strict since we started this program, and it's paying off - literally.

As an aside... today Robert saw me making a purchase online with my debit card. He said "ohhh, a credit card. Mommy, you are very lucky." It was then that I had my first financial talk with my 4 year old son. I explained to him that credit cards can get you in trouble and Cash is King! He seemed confused. I am sure he'll understand once he starts getting an allowance.

Super Saving Saturday/ half way through month 2

This week at Gaint, my bill came to 80.37
After Bonus Club and coupons I spent 50.87.
(24 bucks under budget)

Apple and Eve Juice was a good deal - after coupons, they were 1.17 each.
Barilla pasta was .09 after coupon.
Vitamin waters were FREE - priced 10/10 and I had 3 $1 coupons.

Other good deals without coupons: Shredded cheese was 3/4 (1.34 each) which is an excellent price. OJ was also 3/4. We go through one of these a day in this house.

******
This week, I made split pea and ham soup with the leftover bone from Easter Dinner. I kind of concocted my own recipe, but it came out delicious and cheap and is something I will surely make again - probably soon!

I also made my own whole wheat pizza crust - from scratch. It was quite tasty.
I tend to shy away from recipes involving yeast (not sure why, but it just seems like one of those things that I would mess up without much effort) but 'kneading my own dough' made me feel domestic and kind of "Donna Reid-ish." For a minute I thought I might try to make my own bread sometime, but I'm highly doubtful that will happen.
We have been trying to make our own pizza whenever we can, but I have some cash put aside in case we're in a pinch and need to order out. I noticed that our favorite pizza place offers a special during the week - 2 large pies for 16 bucks! The catch? It's M-Th only. So, we just moved our regularly scheduled pizza night from Friday to earlier in the week and we can save a few bucks.

I also stopped to think how cost effective it might be for me to make my own cookies, rather than buy them - and when I can get the ingredients for next to nothing, it only makes sense for me to bake them myself. The only problem is, I'll probably eat more than my fair share.

I'm still planning our meals according to what is on sale, and usually making enough to freeze for future meals. I've learned that Bobby really loves to cook, so I've been letting him take over in the kitchen - mostly on the weekends. He can make an incredible pork roast and very yummy chicken soup from scratch.

*******
The month is more than half over. We have only spent $60 on gas so far this month - which boggles my mind! I am below budget on groceries as well. Month 2 has been a good month so far. We will be having a garage sale next weekend, and we're hoping to bring in at least $200. We've got a quite a few big ticket items and as long as we sell them, we should meet our goal easily.

This month, we paid $500 to our debt. That's $200 more than last month and 15 TIMES the minimum payment!
Next month, we are already budgeting for some gardening and golfing for Bobby. The kids will have their portraits done and were having the upholstery professionally cleaned - with cash - ALL with cash!

I better quit blabbing so I have something to post about at the end of the month!

Wahoo!

Electric bill came today. It's under 80 bucks! Hasn't been that low since before the twins were born - back in 2006!

I can't believe I am about to say this, but I actually look forward to getting utility bills now! How crazy is that???

Last week - Easter

No grocery picture from last week. I did my big shopping on Saturday, but due to the Easter holiday, I found myself making several trips to different stores throughout the weekend. (This was also so that I was able to use my Giant meat, produce, bakery and eggs coupons in multiple times in different transactions)

I added up my receipts.
My total spent on groceries for the week came to 114.57.
After coupons/Bonus Club my total was 55.39.

Not too shabby. Twenty bucks under budget last week.

We got eggs for .49, 2 lbs of ground turkey for 4 bucks, 5 lbs of chicken breasts for 5 bucks, and a TON of produce for about 6 bucks. LOVE those $2 off coupons that Giant puts out. Giant also have 4 $1 doublers in their ad (again) this week. Those can only be used once/household, but they always help.

I stopped at Target to pick up some Dunkin Donuts coffee. It was $6/bag. I picked up 2 and used two .75/1 Target coupons and one 1.50/2 coupons from the newspaper. That is an excellent deal for DD coffee. I can't even get it that cheap from the wholesale club.

I also filled the kids Easter baskets for about 30 bucks. I had put $40 aside at the beginning of the month for that purpose and felt no guilt when I had to use it. I just wish I didn't wait until the last minute - the selection was slim!

Super Saving Saturday

I waited ALL WEEK to grocery shop. Bobby was away and I was trying to avoid taking all three kids out to the store. We did pretty good all week, but by Friday we were out of milk. It was wind and rainy that day and a friend offered to run out and pick some up for me. Thank goodness for good neighbors.
Waiting until the end of the week to shop gives me plenty of time to finalize my list and match my coupons. I used to get my ad on Sundays and run out right away to shop. That usually resulted in multiple trips to the store throughout the week to pick up the stuff I forgot or needed 'all of a sudden.'
Gaint put out some great coupons this week! They had some coupons 'hidden' on the website - $2 off $5 meat purchase, $2 off $5 produce purchase and $2 off a $5 bakery purchase. I also had a coupon for $5 off $50 that was in my ad last week.

So, without futher ado, here is this weeks grocery picture:
Total: $124.17
Total after bonus card and coupons: $53.92
I split my order into 2 so that I was able to use 2 of the meat and produce coupons. I came in $10 under budget this week - including my trip to Wegman's earlier in the week for a apples, oj, and ravioli.

Freebies this week: Hall cough drops were 10/10. I had coupons for $1 off 1. FREE! Colgate toothbrushes and tooth pastes were .99. I scooped up 2 of each and had .50 coupons that doubled. Stride gum was still on sale 3 packs for $2. I had one coupons left for $2 off 3packs. More FREE gum.
Other good deals: LOL butter was 2/5, minus $1q. Lysol wipes were 2/4 minus $1q/ Giant eggs were 1.19 and I had a coupon for .50 off eggs.
After I got home I noticed that I did not get my $4 instant savings for buying 4 general mills cereals. Guess I'll have to go back and get my money back on that one.

After Giant, I headed to CVS. I got everything below for .11 and made $2 in extra bucks.

Month One Re-cap

We have completed our first month on our journey to being debt free. It was a long month, but we made it. We made it completely on cash and we made it with cash left over. Some of our expenses ended up costing less than we had planned and we were left with a surplus this month. hooray!

ALL of our credit cards are at a zero balance and our emergency fund is in place and making interest. Baby Step 2 is in full swing.

Bobby did a great job taking his van-pool to work as much as possible. He deserves a huge pat on the back. Because of his hard work, we spent $100 less in gas than we had budgeted.

We spent more time together as a family this month. I have been planning our meals and grocery shopping accordingly. This means family time at the dinner table - eating home cooked meals. Friday night is always pizza night. Bobby has been making our pizzas instead of ordering them. They taste better, and it costs less. We have been freezing left overs and really utilizing what we have in the pantry. We've been going to the library and playing at the park and we are not spending money we don't have.
As crazy as it sounds, we really have wanted for nothing... because really there is nothing extra that we need. We entertained guests for dinner, celebrated 2 birthdays and paid a hefty medical bill - all on cash. And because we have been living within our means, we were able to pay over 5 times the minimum payment on our HELOC this month. Next month we will be able to pay twice as much as this month.

April's expenses are all planned and we are looking forward to month two of our journey. We will be having a garage sale in April, and all profits will go to debt.

This week's Groceries

Total: 94.78
After Bonus Club and Coupons: 45.13

Giant had 4 dollar doubler in the ad this week. This meant FREE stuff!
Marcal napkins were 2/4. I had a coupon for $1 off and I doubled it for free napkins. I matched the others with Juicy juice (2/$5) Olive oil and fig newtons. Also free after coupons were 4 boxes of band aids, and 6 packs of Stride gum. It doesn't look like a lot this week, but I bought some pricey items: 51oz Olive oil, Vanilla extract, a pot roast and some chicken quarters. The solo cups were clearanced to 1.29 with a .55 on package coupon that doubled.

I came in $5 under our budget this week. We do need diapers, but I couldn't work them into this trip since Giant doesn't carry the size/brand I wanted. (ie had a coupon for).

Bobby will be away next week and we had to have our monthly budget meeting today instead of early next week.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I will re-cap our first month on our way to being debt free!

Super Saving Saturday

Giant had 6 triplers in their ad this week. I had to make a trip for milk on Tuesday, but had not yet perfected my list, so I waited until Saturday to make my big trip. I did pretty good...
At Giant my total was: 82.20
After coupons and bonus card: 44.89
At Wegmans I spent $14.99 for bananas, apples, 2 bags of salad, tomatoes, cucumbers and a whole roasting chicken.

Freebies this week: 4 packs of dental floss. Other cheepies: minute rice .39, Betty Crocker frosting .09, Cheerios snack mix .69, frosted mini wheats 1.50, veggies for .19 and a 10 lb (!!!) pork shoulder for 7 bucks!

I ended up with $4 left over in this week's food budget. We have $55 left for next week.


At CVS this week I got everything you see for 2.51 and I earned over $15 in Extra Bucks.

Ways to cut your electric bill

I thought I'd share a few ways we have adopted to try to keep our electric costs down.

I have trained Robert to turn the lights/tv off when he leaves a room. He still needs some reminding, but he is doing a good job. Bobby, however needs more reminding than Robert.

We have dual thermostats and we have replaced the ones that came with house with timed units. We turn the downstairs heat off at night and the upstairs heat off during the day. This works out well. We have gas as our source of heat, so this helps keep the gas bill at a decent cost as well.

I use only cold water in the washing machine. But I refuse to give up my scalding hot showers!

We have stopped using the heated dry and hot wash start on the dishwasher. Instead, I open the dishwasher when it's finished washing and let the dishes air dry.

I saw a woman on Oprah a few weeks ago who had cut her electric bill by over half by unplugging her electronics when she was not using them. (this wasn't the only thing she did - she was pretty extreme) We forget that if something is plugged into the wall, it is still using electricity - even when it's not turned on. This prompted me to go around the house and unplug things we don't use often. We are hardly ever in our living room and dining room so I unplugged the lights in that room and also in our guest bed room.

By being mindful of our electricity over the past 6 weeks, I have managed to cut the electric costs. We just got our statement and it went from $119 last month to $89!

Now that daylight savings time is here, I am hopeful that we can get our costs even lower.

Over the hump and on our way to being debt free!

Today was the day there was money in the bank again! Bobby got paid and I was able to replenish our envelopes. We are on day 12 and we're over the hump. Last month's bills are all paid and so are all the charge cards. We are on our way to being debt free - at last!

I hit the bank first thing and made a withdraw. I felt like I won the lottery - all that cash between my fingers. REAL money! I brought my envelopes with me and filled them right there in parking lot - well, in my car, in the parking lot.
Surprisingly, some of them still had cash in them. (actually this was not a surprise since we now know where all of our money is going) My initial draw of $225 on the first of the month, was all we had 'to get by' until today. We made it to day 12 with $120 left! I am amazed at our restraint. Really, I am! We only spent money on gas and groceries and Bobby had a work function that required $50. I sold one of our cribs on craigslist and got 50 bucks. That was 50 less bucks I need to withdraw today.

After the bank,we headed to BJs. I put gas in my mini-van - used a single twenty dollar bill and filled my tank 3/4 of the way.
I had planned my BJs trip carefully. I only buy items there if I have a coupon. I got my BJs coupon booklet in the mail a few days ago and clipped what I needed. Diapers, wipes, Orange Juice, chicken nuggets, Bread, oatmeal, apple juice, eggs and cheese. (LandoLakes American cheese is $3.49 at our BJs. It's 6.99 at Giant. Sometimes I even have a coupon and I can get it for 2.49!) My bill was $93.03. I had $18 in store coupons. I added my items up before I got to the register and knew that I needed $75.03. My BJs envelope had $75 in it and I happened to have 3 pennies in my wallet. Easy Come, Easy go.... but - success. I was pleased.

Later, I went to Giant. I had been busy planning this trip all week. I had a coupon for every item except for 4. (I need to make a dessert for a party this weekend and needed $4 worth of ingedients.) I wish there were coupons for lunchmeat!
I had only taken $60 cash with me, so I had to stick to my list. When I ordered my ham at the deli counter, the deli guy said "is it okay that I went a little over?" To which I replied "no. well, how much does it come out to be?" It was only a few cents more than what I had planned, so I took it. He aplogized, and I told him I'm on a strict budget. Take that, deli man!

My bill came to 105.39.
After coupons and bonuscard savings I paid 57.42. I got 4 candy bars and a can of fruit for free, a bag of veggies for .34 and some dishwasher tablets for .84. It was a good trip.

So, our envelopes are full again (except for BJs, which was short lived) We even have an envelope for 'fun' This is our 'blow money.' ya know in case we decide we want to go out for ice cream or buy a magazine.

We're already looking ahead to next month where there will be new expenses... lawn care, swim lessons, and oil changes. It's fun to have a plan and even more fun when the plan comes together.

A few setbacks...

Robert lost his first tooth over the weekend. I didn't exactly budget for the tooth fairy to visit, and luckily at nearly 4 years old, he doesn't quite appreciate money like he would at 5 or 6, when his tooth was supposed to fall out. I have heard of some kids getting upwards of 25 bucks for losing a tooth. For real. That's just absurd.
I pulled a dollar from the grocery envelope and Robert was happy as a clam - "a WHOLE dollar" he said and he was really excited. The Tooth Fairy also left Chutes and Ladders since it was her first visit.
Ironically, on the very same day that Robert's tooth fell out, within hours actually, one of Bobby's molars 'broke' while he was eating a tootsie roll. Sheer irony. Like father, like son.
We both cringed at the thought of what it was going to cost to get it fixed. Our dental insurance only covers cleanings and check-ups and and we anticipated this was going to be a pricey fix.

Our emergency fund is still not completely established. I am waiting on payment for some work I have been doing, and the check has been delayed. That check IS our emergency fund.

Fortunately, we are getting a nice tax return. Initially, the plan was to put the entire amount to debt, but we will be refinancing in the next month or so and need some money for closing costs. And now we will need to take a nice chunk to pay for Bobby's root canal.

Today I got a letter in the mail that our escrow account with our mortgage company will have a shortage by May. I am disgusted by this, as our mortgage guy assured us last time this happened that it would never happen again. Regardless, we'll need to replenish that account by May 1st - and that means another chunk of tax return will fill that void.
**Came back to edit this part - Bobby informed me of my own ignorance. Our taxes went up, so of course our escrow will need more funds. I didn't anticipate this, but we have decided that we will be adding some extra escrow to our monthly payments from now on so that we aren't hit with this again next year.**

Bobby just took out a million dollar life insurance policy- something we have talked about for years. We need to pay this quarterly and it's not cheap. Thank you again, tax return.

As expected, LIFE goes on around us, and we've been thrown a few curve balls. Funds get moved around, and we can still pay for things that need to be paid for. This just means less debt paydown then we anticipated. bummer.

The important thing is, we are not accumulating more debt. The envelope system is working well so far. I am anxious for Thursday when there will be money in our bank account and I can replenish the envelopes and do some shopping. I have been busy planning our shopping trips all week and will account for each and every dollar and make sure I am getting the best deals out there.

I made a trip to Walmart this week to do some price checking. I took a notebook and wrote down the prices of many of the items that we buy regularly. I am currently working on a spreadsheet to compare Walmart's prices with those at my local grocery stores to ensure that I am not ever paying more than necessary - for anything.
Interestingly, Luvs diapers are over $2 cheaper at our grocery store than at Walmart. Can you believe that?

We have really had to 'do without' over the past 2 weeks. By that I mean 'do without' certain things that used to be luxuries for us. We really are needing nothing and it feels good to be living simply.

living simply is humbling

This first week on cash has been eye opening.

I needed to return a few things before we closed out our visa card. I packed up the kids and ventured to the mall on Wednesday - with no cash in my wallet, and no credit cards. I had a card from Victoria's Secret for free panties. I actually came home with something and didn't spend any money.
BUT... if I had my credit card, I know I could have done some major damage. Really, we don't need anything. And I had to remind myself of that. Still, it was nice to get out and have a change of scenery.

On Thursday, I needed to go to the store for a few items for dinner. I took just enough cash for exactly what we needed. "Do not pass go, do not collect (or should I say "spend") 200 dollars." I used a few coupons and 8 bucks later, we had dinner for 2 nights.

Alex had a follow up for the tubes in his ears this week. I intended to pay the co-pay in cash, but he needed new ear plugs which were an additional 10 bucks. I didn't have enough cash on me. The receptionist said she'd bill us - which is great because we have a Health Savings account and we'll be reimbursed before I have to pay the bill.

I feel like a poor person on cash. I feel like we are struggling. And we are - for now. We're trying to pay last months bills on this month's budget, some of which used to be paid on our credit cards.

It's humbling... this cash thing. And I kind of like it.

Our Total Money Makeover

Let me preface this by saying I am not one to share my financial situation with anyone. I don't (usually) think that it is anyone's business and I don't give financial advice.

That said:

Hello World! We are in debt.

Here is our story.

Once upon a time, (5 years ago) we had it all. We had a nice townhouse, one car payment and my student loans as our only debt. We both worked and I was able to make double payments on my loans. We had one credit card and we paid it off every month. We had a budget and stuck to it.

Then LIFE happened. We had a baby. We built a bigger house. Then we had twins. We needed to trade in a car for a mini-van and we bought more 'stuff' - more stuff than we needed. Then came preschool tuition, twice the diapers, swim lessons, swing sets, Christmas and double the bills in our new, bigger house.

We have managed to rack up some pretty heavy credit card bills over the past 2 years. More than once, when couldn't pay the balance, we opened a 0% interest card where we let the balance sit, making minimum payments wih no real plan to get rid of it. We even took out a Home Equity Line with the intention of making home improvements. That has only become a place to 'store' our debt.

Enter: The Total Money Makeover. I have been reading about and listening to Dave Ramsey for a few months. His debt reduction plan made sense to me. After hearing that a few friends were on his plan, and it was working for them, I decided that this is what we needed to do.

I went to the library to check out The Total Money Makeover, and was disappointed to hear that they did not have it in circulation. They were going to locate it for me from another library. In the meantime, my mom (also a Ramsey fan) bought me the book. I started it on a Saturday and finished it by Sunday. It was an easy read. The concepts were not foreign to me and its a plan we can live with.

As of March 1st, We have started the The Total Money Makeover and we plan to completely eliminate our debt over the next 2 years. That means NO more student loan payments, NO car payments and NO credit card bills. We will be debt free (except for our mortgage.) We'll have an emergency fund in place as well as college funds for our kids (even though I am fairly certain they will all get scholarships to great schools!) :)

Ramsey's plan includes 7 baby steps to becoming debt free.
Step one is to establish an emergency fund. This fund is a minimum $1000. For us, this was an easy step and we were able to dive headfirst into Baby Step 2: The Debt Snowball.
This step will take much longer to accomplish. It entails strict budgeting and planning - and a cash only budget. We tried the cash thing for a few months about a year ago, except that time I left my credit cards in my wallet to 'fall back on.' This time, the credit cards are gone. We have both emptied them from our wallets and sealed them in an envelope - until I think of a creative way to dispose of them. We have implemented a cash envelope system.

Each month the envelopes (labeled Grocery, Gas, Dining Out, Medical, Haircuts, Wholesale Club, Dry Cleaning, Entertainment, Gifts, Clothing, Misc.) are filled with an allotted amount of cash. Depending on the month, the amount in each envelope will vary. Planning is key. For example, we know we have two family weddings this summer. We already know that those months will require extra cash. We must plan accordingly, which may even mean that we contribute less to our debt that month.
If we want to make a purchase, we'll need to save each month. No more spending money we don't have. No more impulse buying. Every purchase is planned.

I was able to use Microsoft Money's Cashflow forecaster (a tool I have used to help keep track of our expenses since 2005) to help predict approximately how much we will be able to contribute to our debt each month. These first few months will be the hardest as we make the complete transition to cash. Once our cash habits are established, the debt snowball will begin. By the end of May we should have $500 to put to debt and by early July we'll have and additional $1200.00 to snowball.
All 'found money' will go directly to debt. This includes our garage sale profits, bonuses and tax returns.

You're invited to watch as we crawl out from under our debt - so we can live a life of no payments, no money stress. This journey for us is so much more that just getting out of debt. My hope is that as a family we can learn to live only with what we really need and appreciate what we already have. That we can simplify and have less 'stuff.'
After All, "Having the best things is no substitute for having the Best Life."

I heard that quote on Oprah yesterday. It hit home for me.

My new coat!

I've been looking for a new coat all Winter. As the season went on, I was having less luck.
Today, I scored!

My new Columbia parka - original price $120.

The coat was marked down 80% t0 $24. I got additional savings at the register (85%) which brought it down to $18. I had a Birthday Coupon for $10 0ff any purchase AND I was able to use a scratch off at the register which gave me an additional 15% off.


Final cost of my $120 parka ---- $6.80. over 95% off.

Hope it stays cold long enough for me to enjoy it!

Giant 2/5/09

Been so busy - I didn't post the past 2 weeks!
This week is my first week using gift cards for my purchased. I have $150 in giftcards, but I think I might need to up it to $200. Since this is the first month, I am still trying to figure it out. Still $200 for a month of groceries is not much, so I am okay with that.

Total BEFORE savings: 86.09
Total Savings: 33.22
Total AFTER savings: 52.87

Bonus Card savings: 21.08
Manuf coupons: 10.15
Doubled coupons: 1.99

Giant had 4 $1 doublers in their ad this week. I was able to turn 4 of my $1 coupons into $2 coupons. LOVE that!
I also got a printable coupons in my email for $5 off a $50 order. Score.

I used my $1 doubler coupons on the following:

Dannon yogurt was 10/5. I doubled a $1/10 and got them for .30/cup.

Viva Paper towels were 6.99. I doubles a $1 q and got them for 4.99. (I don't usually like to 'buy my papertowels - I usually 'get ' them at CVS w/ ECB, but we were out and I needed them, so this was a good deal.

Orville Redenbacher Natural popcorn was 3/5. I had a $1 q which doubled to $2 and I got an overage.

Tropicana OJ was 2/5. I doubled a q that was 1/2 and got them for 1.50 each. Not bad for OJ. I hate that it costs so much, but its all my 3yo will drink!

I also scored 2 Reese's Whips candy bars for FREE! They were 2/$1. I had a coupon for $1 off 2. FREE candy!

Other deals:
Hefty plates - 50 ct 3/$5. I used a .50q that doubled and got em for .67.
Del Monte No salt Green Beans - .94. I used a .75/1 q that doubled to .99. FREE veggies!
Little Debbie 100 calorie brownies 2/3 - Used a 1.00q and got em for .50.
Land o Lakes Butter Spread 1.89. Used a .50q that doubled to 1.00 = .89
Eggland's Best Eggs 1.99. Used a .35q that doubled to .70 and got eggs for 1.29.
Yoplait kids: 2.19 - used a q for 1.50 = yogurt for .69.
Kleenex - 3 boxes @ 1.50/each. Had a q for $1 off 3. So, just over a buck each.

I also grabbed:
2 loaves of whole wheat bread - on sale for 1.29 each
2 packs of Gaint multi grain english muffins - clearanced to 1.30 each
1 lb of 90/10 ground beef reduced to 1.99/lb.
Bananas
Strawberries
4 pk avocados
Egg substitute (store brand, on sale)
Butter (I can not believe I ran out of real butter!)

Lunch meat... this takes up TOO MUCH of my budget, but I simply CAN NOT skimp. I buy Boar's Head lunchmeats. It's the BEST and at 8-10 bucks a pound, it better be! I buy in half pound increments so none gets wasted. But still, I am spending $15-$20/week on lunchmeat. se la vie.

All in all, a good week. Next week is not looking promising, not many good deals out there. I need to stock up on meat, so maybe that is where most of the week's grocery budget will go.

HINT: Shop for meats in the morning. Many items from the previous day are marked down - simply for the date. I usually freeze my meats immediately anyway, so its not big deal to me to by something that might be a day older than its allowed to be.
(My dad is a butcher -I don't want to have to pay any more for meat than I have to!)

Giant 1/22/09

Not many deals to be had at Giant this week...

My total bill was 60.39 before savings and 36.10 AFTER savings.
I saved 14.04 with my bonus card and used 10.25 in coupons.

Kellogg's cereals were 2/5. I got 3 boxes of Rice Krispies and used 3 $1 coupons. I paid 4.50 for 3 boxes.

Strawberries were BOGO at 4.49. I picked up 2 of those and some bananas. I had an internet coupon for $2 off a $5 produce purchase, so I got all produce for about 3 bucks.

Skippy peanut butter was 3/5. I had 2 $1/2 coupons, so I picked up 4 for just over a dollar each. I was running low on peanut butter, so I was glad to replenish the stockpile.

Eggo Muffin Tops were 2/4. I had a catalina (The coupons that the register spits out) for 1.25/1 - making them .75.

Daisy sour cream was 3/5. I picked up one for 1.67 and used a .50/1 coupon which doubled and got me my sour cream for .67.

Coffeemate liquid creamer was 3/5. I had a catalina for $1/2. AND the register spit out another one at the end of my order.

Sunmaid raisins were 1.59. I used a coupon for $1/2 and got them for just over a buck each. My twins just discovered raisins so these were a pleaser.

The rest of my order included staples: milk, bread, eggs and OJ.

Not a bad week, but I can do better.

Giant 1/15/09

Today at Giant, my bill came to $87.39.

minus Bonus Card Savings: 18.21
minus Manuf. coupons: 25.64
minus Doubled coupons: .45
Total Savings: 44.30

When all was said and done I spent $43.32 for 42 items.

I got a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and a box of Kashi Cereal Bars for FREE with coupons.

Also, 2 bottles of Endust that were marked down to 1.87. I had a coupon for $2, and got them for FREE also.

Last week, I got a rain check for Smuckers Grape Jam which was $10/10. I purchased 3 jars and used a $1/3 coupon and got all three jars for $2.00 - That's .67/each. We eat a lot of PB&J around here, so that was a steal.

I purchased 6 boxes of Life Cereal and 4 bottles of Aunt Jemima syrup which gave me an additional .20 off each gallon of gas I purchase. The cereal was 2/4 and I used 3 $1/2 coupons and the syrup was 2/5 - I used 2 1/2 coupons.

Yoplait yogurt was .60 each. I bought 12 and had 2 coupons for a free cup when you buy 4. I was unable to use my $1/8 coupon with that deal. oh well.

Lean Cuisine meals were 5/10. I bought just one. I had a coupons for $1 off 1, so I got it for a buck.

Nabisco 100 calorie packs are 2/4. I got 2 and had a coupon for $1 off milk when you buy 2. I needed milk anyway, so this was a good deal.

Have you tried the new Truvia sweetener? I gt a sample of it in the mail with a .55/off coupon. I liked it when I tried it, so I went ahead and made the purchase. The 40 packet box was 2.50. My coupon was doubled, so I got it for $1.50.

Over all, a good day. I stuck to my list and came out on top - I always like it when I SAVE more than I SPEND!

New Grocery Shopping Plan

I have this great idea! I am going to purchase gift cards to the Grocery Stores that I shop at to help me budget my groceries even better!

I average about $30-$50 on groceries each week. I plan to purchase $150 in gift cards from Giant and $50 from Wegmans at the beginning of each month. (this won't get me very far at Wegman's - it will be a very good test, tho!)
The important part is that we will still earn miles on our credit card with the purchase of the giftcards, but we will be held to a strict budget by using the giftcards Once the gift cards are gone, I can't shop any more. I'll have to make them stretch.

This will replace my old method - cash. Cash for groceries worked for us, but this new plan will cut out a trip to ATM each week and will save me from the frivolous purchases I'd make just because I had cash in my wallet.

CVS 1/4-1/10

Got everything above for under $3 oop at CVS this past weekend. I tripled my extra bucks on my secondary card and made about 10 bucks on my main card.
Thanks to CVS for the 5/25 coupon in my email and the 3/15 coupon they put out recently. Both were a huge help!

I plan to go back tomorrow to scoop up whatever items I haven't exceeded my limit on.

I'm back!

I have been so lax about posting my deals! But, I'm back!

I want to start off this year by announcing that I saved $1445.46 in 2008 using my Giant Bonus Card. In 2009, I will tally up how much I have saved using coupons, as well.

My End of Year savings from CVS was $2153.50 on my main card and $676.11 on my secondary card. This year I will use my secondary card more consistently. I am already off to a good start in '09. The CVS deals this week were pretty sweet. In my next post, I will picture everything I got this week for under 3 bucks!