Cutting Costs in the Budget

I've spent the week working on our budget. Well, I've done other things, too! :-) I have one week left of work and then our income will drop by $400 a month.

We talked about dropping our internet but we use it for a land line with Magic Jack. Magic Jack has been great but it has some problems occasionally. The cell phone is our back up in case the Magic Jack is not working. I'm still hoping to find a way to drop that bill from $25 to $15 a month.  I'm  looking for a lower cell phone plan for $10 a month or less.  I'm considering 'pay as you go' phones but have heard some bad reviews.

The utility and grocery budget are flexible so they continue to be a focal point.

Strawberry patch

 Last winter I kept the heat off as much as possible. I closed off the rooms we were not using but ended up with mold because it got too cold. My husband and I slept with hats and gloves on at night and a ton of blankets.  We were a cute pair! Ha! I was cozy warm once I got under the covers. But,  it ended up being too hard on my husband physically.  He suffers with pain continually so I didn't want to add to his discomfort. I can usually keep my electric and gas bill below $100 a month. This month it's right at $70. My water bill fluctuates anywhere from $90-120 depending on how much we are watering in the garden. I've budgeted for $200 total for all utilities.

I still believe my grocery budget holds the greatest potential for saving money. I have been spending a minimum of $360 a month. I am budgeting for $60 less than I have been spending.  I was using $100 of my part time income to pay for the higher grocery bill. There is no buffer now.  Saving money in the grocery budget involves more cooking and choosing simple and inexpensive recipes and shopping 'loss leaders'.  I did a lot of cooking this week to stretch the food and we ate a lot of chicken.

Fall crop of broccoli

 
The bottom line of my new budget is $11 leftover at the end of the month. This is after putting $50 into savings. Any KNOWN future expenses (DMV fees, accounting, Christmas, birthdays,etc.)  are divided by the year and the monthly allotted amount is saved. I wondered how many of you live on a budget that tight? Is it unrealistic?

I found myself confronted with waves of anxiousness this week mingled with gusts of faith. The anxiousness came as a result of looking into the future and fearing what 'might' happen without my extra salary. The faith came when I renewed my mind in God's Word and trusted that He is my provider.

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.  Romans 10:17 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Matthew 6:34 ESV


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Here are a few ways I saved money or stretched what we had this week:

1.  I've been freezing meat and vegetable scraps for over a month. I finally had enough to make dog food. We mix it in with the dried dog food to stretch it.

2.  I made soap all by myself! It 'traced' but when I checked on it the second day it seemed too soft. Each time I check it firms up a little more. I'm hoping it will turn out so I can use it for gifts.

3.  I was given a free Aloe plant. I haven't had one since we sold our last home. I like to use Aloe for burns so I was happy to receive two small plants. The same sweet lady gave me a food dehydrator. It was a desire of my heart that God met.

4. I harvested my Stevia leaves. I left about 5 inches on the plant. I was going to make a tincture using glycerin  until I discovered that it's full of sugar.  Instead, I  tied the branches in bunches and they're hanging in the garage. They should be thoroughly dried in 7-10 days. I'll put the leaves in a blender to make powder. I hope this works. Hopefully husband won't mind that the color will be green instead of the bleached white color. The Stevia I purchase from Amazon costs nearly $20 for a small bottle but it last a long, long time.

5. I harvested the eggplant. I blanched it for a few minutes and then froze it between wax paper and then put the layers in a freezer bag.

6.  I spent an afternoon taking in some pants and tops on my sewing machine so I don't have to buy new clothes.

Seedlings of onion, broccoli, swiss chard and cabbage

7.  A lot of research  went into finding an alternative to our current satellite and internet packages. Our contract for satellite will not be up until June. If we cancel early they will charge $275. (Note to self: No more contracts!)  I think we came to a conclusion to downgrade our satellite package until the contract is up in June. This will save us $30 a month. If I can find a good cell phone solution then we may end up cancelling the internet since there is not contract.

8. I needed cat litter this week. I decided to 'look around' on the shelves by the cat litter I normally buy instead of just purchasing the old standby.  I found a bag that was half as much. My plan is to mix it in with the expensive stuff and cut my costs. I hope it works.

9.  I made a homemade recipe for Shake and Bake. It tasted almost identical. I don't know if I can share the recipe here since it's copyrighted. Can I? Here is the link:

Over Fried Chicken 111

 "Snow on the Mountain"

10.  Things I didn't throw away this week:

• Old clothes (rug making)
• Toilet paper cardboard (compost)
• Tinfoil cardboard (compost)
• Tin cans (cut up and used to fertilize Azalea and Hydrangea)
• Plastic  and glass jar containers (recycle)
• Egg cartons (compost) 
• Reused washed Seran wrap that had been used on fruit.

I'm thinking a lot about Christmas lately. I'd love to find some new gift ideas to make at home. What are you making for Christmas?

Georgene

Making extra money

What happens when the paycheck doesn't seem to meet all of your needs and wants? Do you look for more work or do you tighten your expenses? This is a topic we've (myself and those who have responded)  been chatting about the past few weeks. I imagine there are many different answers depending on a person's situation.

My husband's paychecks have ALWAYS met our needs and many of our 'wants', too.  Even now that we are living on his disability income (and my VERY small part time paycheck) all of our 'needs' and quite a few of our 'wants' are being met.

Homemade Coconut Milk Berry Ice Cream

But, sometimes it 'feels' very tight and if I'm not careful with my thoughts I can sense resentment rearing it's ugly head. I think it's when my 'wants' get transferred to the 'needs' list. It doesn't take long before the Lord will bring others to my attention who are living with much less. This week the Syrians dreadful situation has sparked gratitude in my heart for all I do have. I read that 6,000 people are fleeing Syria daily. Imagine uprooting your family and fleeing to another country with no prospect for a job.. Perspective makes a huge difference in my thinking and it initiates appreciate for all I do have today.


A few of my blessings:

A few of the grandones spent the night last weekend! They are so much fun! We played Upwords, Headbands, made cookies, watched movies and played video games. Thankfully they seem to still enjoy visiting even with our outdated technology. This is only 2 of the 4 that visited.

~~~

 Here are a few things I did this week to save money:

1.  We were invited to a family birthday party and I was asked to bring a dish. Instead of trying to 'wow' them with a great recipe I decided to check what I had in my pantry. I had all the ingredients on hand to make a broccoli casserole (which is a great recipe, too!). YAY!!!

2.  I have quite a few eggplants in the garden. My neighbor told me to check ALLRECIPES for a recipe called Hot and Sour Chinese Eggplant. It was really good. I would peel the eggplant next time. I used stevia to replace the sugar. It's fun to try new recipes!

3. I made a batch of enchilada sauce for a recipe I plan to make soon. I had a bag of dried chilies on hand. Next time I'll make a larger batch and freeze the leftovers. Here is the recipe:

Enchilada Sauce

6 dried ancho chilies (I used New Mexico chilies)

2 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

3 cups beef or chicken broth

2 tbsp. flour to thicken

Bake chilies on a cookie sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 2-4 minutes. Watch closely so they don't burn. You just want to warm them to help bring out the flavor. Remove the seeds. Put the chilies in a bowl and completely cover with hot water. Cover. Allow to soak for 1 hour. Combine all the other ingredients together and about 1 cup of broth over medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove and put in blender until it's smooth. Put in skillet on stove and add the rest of the broth. Put  2 tbsp. of flour  in jar with a little water and shake till smooth and then add to skillet. Simmer until it thickens. Add more broth if needed.

4.   I made some Roasted Tomato Basil Soup for lunch.  Here is a link to the recipe I used. I only had 2 cups of basil in the garden but it still tasted wonderful! I plan on making at least one batch of soup a week to help cut the cost of my lunches.

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

My son saved us $150 by chopping down our tree.

5. I found  hamburger on sale for $1.99 a pound. It was the kind with a high fat content. I rinsed it with hot water once it was cooked and drained well.  The leaner hamburger has gone up to over $3.00 a pound which has put it out of my price range.

6. I started another potholder for Christmas. I also have a potholder started in the car bag. My car bag has little projects I do while I sit in the Drs. office or wait in a long line. I normally have a book in the bag, too.  I have finished a lot of gifts (and books) this way.

7. I pulled out a quilt top that I want to make for a second nephew for Christmas. I measured for the seam binding and put the measurements in my purse. I'll purchase contrast material for the binding next paycheck but definitely will check the local thrift stores first. 

8.  I saved, washed, dried and will reuse a bread wrapper, brown sugar wrapper and a frozen vegetable bag. My mother saves her comics for me which I use as wrapping paper for the grandchildren's gifts.  I also save my jars to pour fat and grease into so it doesn't go down my drain.  I saved more of the tea bag strings. I know some of you think I'm going too far by saving those strings but they are STRONG and I can use it to prop up my plants in the yard.

9.  I made Sugar Fee Snow Cone Syrup. It will be a LOT cheaper than buying the DaVinci SF syrup in the store. It's made with 2 packets of Koolaid, 1 1/2 cps. Splenda and 3 cups of water. Stir and refrigerate. Next time I'm going to try making it with Stevia since I really don't like using Splenda for health reasons.

10. I put my small sewing box in the living room next to my chair with some socks that need mending. I also have a few Christmas projects to work on . It's convenient and a good reminder when I sit down with husband in the evenings. "A stitch in time saves nine".  *smile*

11. We were told it would cost $150 to chop down a tree in the backyard that was shading 1/4 of our vegetable garden. We've had some dental bills which have taken most of our extra income so we haven't been able to save the $150. My son came over on Saturday and sawed down the tree and then hauled off the heavy pieces to the dump. So extremely thankful for his help!

What did you do this week?  Were you busy or busy as a 'backward bee'?  So what do you make for lunches that is inexpensive? And how do you entertain your older grandchildren?

May God's grace amaze you!

Georgene

Frugal Friday & Diatomaceous Earth

A year ago we lived in a 300 ft. studio at an elderly ladies home while waiting for my husband to get disability. I cared for her (Miss Alice) and took care of her home in exchange for free rent and a part time salary. Miss Alice has a big heart and had been feeding stray cats for nearly 10 years. I took over feeding the cats and fell in love with one of the mama cats and her baby. Well, need I say more? When we moved we brought them with us.

"Snoopy"



I found out recently that the mama cat has worms. Poor baby! I treated her with over the counter medication but it didn't work completely. I checked with the vet and it would end up costing nearly $100 dollars to treat both cats. I started researching alternative methods and came across a lot of good testimonies on Diatomaceous Earth (D.E.).

 Diatomaceous Earth (food grade, not the one used for pools) are tiny, hard sharp diatoms (major group of algae) which work by cutting through the insects exoskeleton. I researched it for days and could find nothing dangerous. The only caution was to use a mask if you have asthma. I don't have asthma but use a mask when using quite a bit of it such as dusting for fleas or in the garden.

I found a large bag (about the size of a 5 pound bag of sugar) at my local feed store for $3. The manager of the feed store takes the product himself in a shake and shared a lot of good information. I found several charts that recommended 1 tsp. for cats and 1 tbsp. for my dog's size. It needs to be taken for  at least 60 days to kill all cycles of the worms. I plan on giving it indefinitely. I mixed 1 tsp. into wet cat food and they didn't hesitate to eat it. I also have been giving 1 tbsp. to my dog even though she doesn't have worms. Taking it internally is also supposed to help with flea control.  I am daily seeing 'evidence' that it's working on the worms. Yuck! A million times YUCK!

It is also supposed to kill fleas so I dipped the pet brush in the D.E. and combed it into all the animal's fur. I'll do this once a week.

Lastly, I read that it works on pests in the garden. I took a jar and put nail holes in the lid to use as a shaker and then applied the D.E. around the plant and even on the leaves.

I will be one excited lady if this stuff does everything it promises! I won't have to spend a fortune on flea meds and it will be much safer for my animals. 

"Sassy" & she IS! 

***

Here are a few things I did to save money recently:

1. I needed a taco seasoning so I made my own. I had all these ingredients on hand. Here is the recipe. It turned out great!

4 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

Pinch cayenne or 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. paprika

4 tsp. salt

2-4 tsp. black pepper

6 tsp. cumin (opt).

Use 3 Tbsp. per 1 pound of meat.

2. I've been using large Rubbermaid totes for my composting material. I read this past week to only use food grade containers when you compost so the poisons in the plastic will not leach into the soil. Uh oh! Mine were not food grade.  I called a few bakeries in the area and found several 5 & 7 gallon food grade containers that they gave away free. I just can't decide if it would be okay to use the 2 big totes of wonderful compost this one time. Any suggestions?

3.  I've been reading a few testimonies of people who lived during the depression. One common practice was to not throw anything away without evaluating whether it could be re-used. So, this week I'm really watching what I throw in the trash. One new thing I saved was the packaging from a bag of sugar. There was a nice large piece of sturdy paper (similar to the material of a paper trash bag). I plan on using it as packaging material to mail items to my grandchildren. I also started saving the string from the tea bag. I'm thinking I'll tie them together and use them for my flowers and veggies that need to be supported to a pole.

4. I made another batch of  spicy tomato sauce from our home grown tomatoes. I have a large bag of green beans I need to preserve, too. I've been freezing okra and have enough to fry for dinner. We've enjoyed cantaloupe this past week and our spaghetti squash and eggplant are ready to eat this next week. I will need to find a way to store the squash because I have close to 10.

5.  I used my Price Book to see what I had paid for Dawn dish soap at Walmart and then compared it to the sale item in the ads. I couldn't remember what I paid for it so the price book came in so handy. That motivated me to record more receipts.

6. I am saving the empty dog food cans to bury at the roots of my grape vines and also my Hydrangea. I'm told that when they rust they provide nutrients for the plants. I'll also make a 'tea' out of a few cans to pour at the base of the plants.

7.  I saved the inner cardboard tubing from a paper towel roll. I'm using it to wrap washed and re-used baggies around to keep them neat in the drawer. I use a rubber band to hold them in place.

8. I made too many veggies this week so I kept looking for ways to use them so they wouldn't go to waste. I put the cauliflower in our scrambled eggs this morning and I used the green beans to make a cold salad with tomatoes and red onion and Italian Dressing.

9.  I saved my bread wrapper and washed it out and then dried it to use another time.

10. I had left over milk from my in-laws visit so I froze it. I used it to make homemade ice cream for our company. 

11. We watched a movie I borrowed from the library. 

What did you girls do this week? Everyone's day will look different.. and that is very okay!

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few day so his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Eccl. 5: 18

Mending: A Frugal Duty

I don't know a lot of younger people that mend these days. It's a shame because it really can save a family a lot of money. I remember my mother sitting at the kitchen table doing her mending. It was just part of her household routine.

I am not nearly as diligent about my mending as my mother. I have a mending drawer in my sewing room. If something needs to be mended or darned I just throw it in that drawer until mending day. I've been in this home since last June and mending day has not come.. until this week.

I enjoy mending once I start the task. It's just setting aside the time. My mending drawer was full so the time had come to tackle the job.

Mending really is a necessity for a frugal household. This is what I found in my mending drawer:

• 2 pants (I bought them at a thrift store. They needed to be shortened into capris). 
• Hanky (Hem needs to be sewn)
• Skirt (Like new, needs to be taken in).
• 2 undergarments (Mend a tear)
• A new blouse ( I've only worn it a few times because it's too big). 
• Blouse (Needs a snap sewn on)
• Dress (Needs to be taken in)
• 4 socks (Holes need darning)
• Apron (needs the tie sewn back on)

I would eventually have to replace these items if I gave them away.   I believe there is at least $80-100 worth of clothing in the list above. I'll save myself a lot of money once these items are mended.

I had planned on purchasing some new capris at the thrift store for summer. I had forgotten I had 2 pair waiting for me in the mending drawer.

A few months ago I mended my granddaughter's pants. She had a hole in the knee. You couldn't even tell it had been mended once I finished. She was so surprised.  I used to save old jeans to use for patches on my boys pants when they were young. I'd use a zig zag stitch to make a solid stitch over the patch. The patched jeans then became their play pants.

Here is a great video on how to do a 'blind stitch'.  This stitch can be done by hand. I did a search on You Tube for mending videos and there were a lot of them.

   
Hand sewn items go next to my chair in the living room so I can work on them in the evenings.

Do you mend your clothes? Do you have any tips to offer?

Frugal Friday: How I saved money this week (Nov. 1)

 Lots of saving going on in my home this week! I've been a busy girl!

1. I was given a couple sacks of green tomatoes so I made green tomato salsa and a Green Tomato Pie. I used Stevia in place of the sugar which turned out pretty good.

Green Tomato Salsa

2. I'm trying new ways  to get our water bill down. I came up with a couple more ideas. I purchased two small buckets from the dollar store and put one in the kitchen and one in the bathtub. I'm saving my kitchen rinse water into a dishpan and once I'm finished washing dishes I pour it into the bucket which then gets poured into the bucket in the shower which then can be used for 'flushing'.  I also put a small, shallow plastic container in the bathroom sink to catch the water when we wash our hands which then goes into the shower bucket. Lastly, we put a bucket under the tub faucet to catch water when we take a shower. I'm amazed at how much water has been just going down the drain.. along with my money. :-)

3. I love aprons and wear them all the time to protect my clothes when I'm working in the kitchen. I think this is a very frugal practice because it keeps my clothes free from stains (which saves stain remover) and also helps my clothes last longer.

4. I made egg drop soup this week which is super easy and super cheap.

5. The window air conditioners have now been covered with plastic on the outside to keep the cold air from coming into the house. This should help on our heating bill this winter. I'm imagining that since the house was built in 1917 it will be quite drafty. :-)

6. I put my shampoo into a pump style hand soap dispenser. I used a fraction of what I normally do and it did the job just fine.

7. I'm saving the remnants from our meat that we normally don't eat such as the skin, grissle and small leftover pieces. I placed these in a bag in the freezer for a recipe I found to make dog food which I will end up canning. I also saved some leftover rice which will also go in the recipe. This is food that I would normally have just thrown away.

8. A neighbor asked if I'd like her pumpkin. I plan to cook it for pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving and to eat like squash with our meals. I kept putting off buying a pumpkin until after Halloween hoping the prices would drop.

9. I order some foam inserts for the inside of our air conditioner to help with drafts. I did a search online using (SWAGBUCKS) (which helps me earn money)  to see if there were any discount codes for free shipping,etc. I did find one and didn't have to pay the shipping.

10. I'm still cleaning out old business files. I kept the paper that only had print on one side. I'll use it for my computer. Most of the things I print from my computer are for personal use so it doesn't matter if there is print on one side or not.

What did you do in your home this week to save money? I love to learn from other women. Oh, and hop over to Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday ideas.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.    Matthew 6:33 ESV

Use it up: Compost

We live on a pretty low income (compared to US standards) so my goal is to stretch whatever we buy and get as much use out of it as possible.  I will be the first to admit that I'm not always successful in this area. But, I'm determined. (Does that count?). I'm always looking at what I have on hand and thinking about what I can do to stretch it, reinvent it or re-use it.

I really wanted to put in a winter vegetable garden but my husband (still worn out from our move) asked that I wait until spring so we would have a chance to prepare over the winter. So, I've begun collecting toilet paper rolls and saving cardboard egg cartons for seed starters along with newspaper to lay on the vegetable rows to keep the weeds down. Pinterest had some great pictures and my daughter in love has been using this method of seed starting with great success.

We also decided to start composting. This will enrich our soil and save the cost of buying bagged compost.

I did some research online and read that you need equal amounts of leaves, kitchen scraps and  lawn clippings.

I've been saving all my vegetable and fruit scraps and meal leftovers and frankly anything that will break down. I've read not to use grease or meat products. My kitchen compost container is not very pretty but it will work for now. (I try to hide it on the side of the counter). Best of all..it was free. The lid is tight so there is no chance of drawing insects. 

Kitchen top container to hold scraps for compost

2 Container for compost. Large can for extra lawn clippings and tub for composting.

 We're adding water and turning the 'ingredients' regularly. Hopefully, within a few months we will have some wonderful compost to add to our soil to enrich it this coming spring. 

All from items that we would have thrown away.