Time to challenge myself

I've been on this mission for 8 months now and expect to have paid off around $8,500 by the end of the month which is something that I'm very happy about.  However, I think I can do better... some of the changes I've made have been easy like making a better meal plan, reducing energy consumption, and hunting for better deals on the stuff I have to buy.  Other changes have been tougher, like curbing my creative/ crafting/ home improvement spending and reducing the amount of meals and snacks I eat out.  I am consistently being more conscious about what I spend money on and how much it costs and I've come a long way but I've yet to "put it all together".

In other words, I still don't think I've pulled off a significant number of days in a row where I use ALL of my new found skills.  Some weeks I bargain hunt, some weeks I don't.  Some weeks I'm better at saying no to myself when I want to start a new project, most weeks I'm not.  And I don't think there has been even one whole week were I ate every meal from home.  So it's time for me to challenge myself.  For the rest of June (all 19 days of it) I will be adhering to the following:

• Every meal must be from home (or from the office if someone brings something in) and this includes all snacks and drinks!  
• Make a thrifty meal plan and bargain hunt for savings, use coupons
• All errands done either on the way home from work or in a group... no single stop errand trips.
• Hang all laundry to dry
• Shorter, cooler showers
• No new home improvement or crafts projects 
• Take on a new sewing job or two
• Push the Etsy shop

I'm sure I will think of other things to add to the list but for now it looks challenging enough, the first one on the list alone will be a huge challenge for me!  Wish me luck...

Thrifty shoppping trip

I've been getting better and better about making a shopping plan for our weekly needs.  Making lists comes pretty naturally to me so for years I've made a weekly meal plan.  I've done well at cutting the grocery expenses just by making a thrifty meal plan.  The part I have trouble with is hunting down the best deals for the items on my list.  I usually end up at the most convenient grocery store, which is not the cheapest one near me, and just pick up everything I need at once because I'm always rushed for time.  I do buy store generics but the weekly grocery tab has really been nagging at me.  I know I can do better at reducing what we spend on groceries and toiletries by getting better deals.

This weekend I put together the meal plan and wrote out the grocery list, added all of the other household items and pet supplies we were running out of, then sat down at the computer to deal hunt.  I'm amazed at how easy it was to find good deals for almost everything on my list!  Just by going to multiple stores (all within a very reasonable distance from one another) I was able to pick up everything we needed for at least 30% less than I would normally spend!  I even ended up with a $10 gas card from CVS for spending $30... and those $30 only went to items on my list.  It did take significantly more time to get the weekly shopping done but I'm hopeful that once this sort of pre-planning will become second-nature and I'll get better at cutting down the time.


I know I've got a long way to go in changing my spending habits so I can get out of debt but it's shopping days like today that I realize that I've already made a lot of progress in my attitude towards the money I have to spend.  Just because I have to buy something essential doesn't mean I can't spend a lot less on it than I used to!

Small triumph at the grocery

In previous posts I've shared my personal struggle with my soda addiction, namely Mountain Dew which I've been drinking daily for the last 15 years.  It's bad for my wallet and my health so with this whole get-rid-of-my-debt, change-my-life, the Dew has to go.  When I realized that going cold turkey off was not an option (I can't stand coffee and tea wasn't satisfying the craving) I decided that I could at least switch to a diet soda and buy 12 packs instead of the expensive single serving from the convenient store.  


This morning, when I realized I was out of soda, my first instinct was to just stop at the gas station on the way to work and pick up a 20 ounce which would probably be MD because I obviously lack self control.  Instead I reminded myself of the purpose of my mission and decided to take the extra 10 minutes to stop at the grocery.  I'm glad I did because 12 packs were on sale, 3 for $10 (which they are usually $5.99 each up here in Boston).  Proud of myself I went to the u-scan register to check out... but for whatever reason the total was over $16!  If it was a year ago, I probably would have just paid this amount so I could be on my way and just grumble about being ripped off.  Not today!  I called over the cashier who re-scanned the order, when it was still over $16 she tried to convince me that once I ran my card the additional amount would come off.  Um, no, who's ever heard of the total being reduced after you run your card?!


I told her to void the order and I would go through the regular lane.  Again the total was too high so a manager had to get involved... who decided to give me the discount AND give me a free 12 pack for my trouble!  So in the end I walked out with three 12 packs for less than $9 and a new understanding of why it pays off to be patient and watch out for the bottom line.  It might be silly but it's these types of things that keep me motivated to stay on track... small manageable changes over time will add up and in the end I'll have a much better life!

Read the fine print

In my efforts to cut household costs I’m going to be making a concentrated attempt at utilizing coupons and watching for sales on regularly used items.  My first opportunity to try out my new thrifty attitude came last night when I walked into CVS get some Halloween candy and saw that the laundry detergent we use was on sale for cheaper than I’d ever seen it.  This was followed by noticing a sign that said something along the lines of spend $30 and get a $10 gift card.  What luck!  I loaded up my basket with all sorts of “on sale” items that we always need at the house including some first aid items that were advertised as buy one, get one 50% off.

Upon leaving the store with all of my great buys, I started scanning my receipt to see what my total savings were and realized in my quest for great savings I may have missed some of the finer details of the sale!  Firstly, my first aid items were all full showing as full price, apparently there was no mix and match on the 50% deal.  As if that wasn't enough, when I got home I realized my boyfriend must have bought some first aid stuff recently so we now have way more than we need!  Lastly, only $7 of my $40 purchase applied to the gift card deal!  I suppose I could have gone in and returned most of it but I was too embarrassed by my blunder.  This morning I stopped in again (it’s right across from my job) and picked up the store circular for an explanation of where I went wrong…  I had to comb through it a bit but all of my mistakes could have been avoided had I read the ad first.  At least I had earned a few extra care bucks on the purchase so it wasn’t a complete wash!

Although my first attempt at leading a more money-savvy lifestyle was not a success per se.  I did learn some valuable lessons.  One, a little advance planning would probably be a better approach to sale shopping to figure out what we really do need. Two, I need to stop and read the fine print!