February Summary

February was a really great month for us, especially financially speaking. It really is amazing the things you can do and the motivation you find when you aren't paying a "stupid tax" on a credit card. We were blessed with getting a larger tax return then we planned on, and with that we were able to almost pay off the bike loan!
In addition to our regular income, we got back $1,556 from Uncle Sam. That is actually a LOT more then we anticipated. Usually our returns are small, about $500. But with the extra $800 stimulus whatever it was (I seriously do not understand all of that!) we got back a larger amount. And wouldn't you know, it was enough to cover all but about $170 on the Bike Loan! We were thrilled, this was out last debt to pay off before saving to buy a house next year. (More on that in the coming months-SO exciting!)

So all combined, here are the numbers for the month:
$351 toward the Truck (regular payment, but still lowering the balance!)
$1,617 to PAY OFF the Bike Loan
$60 Vehicle Savings and Maintenance

Total: We increased our net worth by $2,028

2/24/10: Living Frugally

Today started rainy and cold here, so not too much happened. I went to Walmart early this morning to get some grocery items I didn't get at the commissary. I spent $25, and only saved $3 but I bought a lot of things that don't have coupons like eggs, fruit and seafood.

I also marinated 2 pounds of meat I will be making jerky out of tomorrow. David is leaving the country soon for work and I'm trying to get a bunch ready for him to take with him. All together it cost about $6. I don't know how much it would have cost to buy store bought, but I know it would be more the $6, plus it wouldn't be the quality I can get from making it myself.

For supper I made fish tacos, and dessert was strawberries with whipped topping. After dinner entertainment is a walk around the neighborhood and American Idol, of course.

Also, my seeds that are planted in the "green house tray" have started to sprout!! I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start planting outside!

**One thing I forgot to mention is that I am trying to cut down on my crazy soda addiction. Not only is it super unhealthy, but soda is not cheap! Today I only had 2 cans, which is much, much less then I normally drink, so that was pretty frugal, not to mention healthy!

2/23/10: Living Frugally

I've decided that in order to keep motivated and amp up my efforts, I'm going to try and keep track of frugal choices I've made for the day. In a perfect world, I would post my amazing frugality everyday. But the reality is, some days there just isn't much frugal-ness going on, and the some days I won't get around to posting. But I'm really going to try! I love reading about how everyone lives frugally on a daily basis. I get so many ideas, and I realize that in some ways I am making frugal choices and didn't know it, while other times I see that I can do so much more!

Yesterday I went with a friend to the commissary an hour away. It takes about 7 gallons of gas to drive there, and at the current price of $2.45 a gallon, it's a total of $17.15 to drive there. That sounds like a small fortune just to drive to a grocery store, but I easily made up for it in savings. Also, my friend and I switch out weeks, so every other week she drives. I spent a total of $105 (including a $2 bagger tip), and my total savings was $65! I am very happy with that, since I didn't go grocery shopping last pay period and we were low and just about everything. In reality, I saved much more then that, because the commissary is an average of 30% cheaper then Walmart.

On the way to the commissary we stopped by McD's where I ordered a biscuit from the Dollar Menu. I spent $1.09 but saved another $1 by bringing my own soda from home.

Our next stop was Old Navy to see what deals we could find. Sadly, there weren't many. I did buy a pair of pants for $10 and 2 pair of flip flops. Total spent: $16

On the way back to our town we picked up lunch at Chik-fil-A. I know! Eating at 2 fast food places in one day is neither frugal nor healthy. But we had a great time, and we don't have a Chik-fil-A in our town so it was a real treat. Total spent: $6

Then we stopped by the local grocery store for a few things. I got a couple grocery items, and used several Marcal Tissue Paper coupons. Total spent: $12, Savings $6

For dinner, David grilled some steaks for him and shrimp for me. I made hush puppies from scratch and a side of green beans. Total cost of the meal was about $7 compared to $30+ at a restaurant.

Staying Motivated

Good news! With the exception of the truck loan, we are DEBT FREE. Bad news? Now that we're not focused on paying off unsecured debt, we have lost some steam. It was easy to be motivated to get rid of that "evil credit card" and the motocycle loan. But now that we're saving to fully fund an emergency account, we're finding it to be harder. Yes, it's thrilling to be putting away money each pay check instead of sending it away, but at the same time, now we feel like we have "wiggle room" to cash flow things and frankly, we've been doing too much wiggling! We (mainly me!) have been justifying buying thats because I was putting so much stuff off when we were focusing on credit card debt. Now that we have cash in hand, I have been spending a lot on things we were putting off for the last few months. And I guess that fine, things have to be replaced, and now we have the cash to do it. But I am so scared that I'll get into the habit of spending and we'll one step forward, two steps back.

Also, I think another reason for my lack on motivation is because of my lack of posts! Now that the credit debt is gone, I feel like I have nothing to post about anymore. I've been thinking about branching out into other topics, and definitely adding a monthly summary so I can see how much we've been able to save. I've made a couple posts about cheap date/entertainment ideas, and I'd like to continue with those. I need to do something to get my focus back into saving and being finacially smart!

1/31-2/6 Menu

Mardi Gras is in full swing here, and with the Saints going to the Super Bowl next Sunday it's even bigger then ever! We've been to a couple parades already, and have several more in the next few weeks. This Friday is the Mona Lisa Moon Pie Parade, and I'm really excited about it. But that's really all that on the agenda for this week, it should be pretty quite until the weekend. So here's the menu for the week:

Sunday: Chili

Monday: Cola Chicken, Rice, Brussel Sprouts

Tuesday: Burgers, Cajun Potato Wedges

Wednesday: Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon

Thursday: Grilled Chicken, Macaroni, Peas

Friday: Parade, and out with friends.

Saturday: Spaghetti, Garlic Bread

1/25-1/30 Menu

A day late, but here it is! I have really been having a hard time sticking to my menu lately, which causes me to run out to the local store for a few things every couple days. And our local store is NOT cheap. I don't normally leave there for under $10, and that adds up fast. The main struggle is that we have been having friends over or going over to a friends house a lot lately and I have to adjust my menu at the last minute. I think this week I've planned pretty well and I'm also making a couple dinners that will feed a crowd and freezing them, so I am always ready. That's my challenge for this week-STICK TO THE MENU. Or at least make something with ingredients I have on hand. Wish me luck!

Sunday: Chips and Dip while watching the Saint's/Viking's Game.
Monday: Garlic Chicken Pasta, Rolls
Tuesday: Meatball Subs
Wednesday: French Onion Soup with Sausage and Bread
Thursday: BBQ Sandwiches, Cajun Potato Wedges
Friday: Pork Chops, Potatoes, Peas and Rolls
Saturday: South Western Burgers, Rice

I am also making a lasagna, Broccoli Potato Soup, and some extra meatballs to freeze, as well as some deer jerky.

Hope you all have a great week! Can you believe it's the last week of January already!?

$2 Date

Have you ever heard the old wives tale that what you do on New Years Day is what you'll do all year long? Well this year I didn't want to take any chances! And what do I want to do this year? Spend time enjoying my family, and save more money! So we spent the day at out local state park, including a picnic lunch. We had a great time, David had never been to this park and it's one of Bear's favorites. Going to State Parks are a wonderful time. Not only are they cheap-in our case just $1 a person!-but the are so informative. You can learn so much about the history of your area. And the monies made on admission go back into the parks to help with up keep so others can enjoy. Add in that going for a walk and "exploring" is healthy and it's a total winner!

You can go here to find more information on State Parks in your area: http://www.nps.gov/index.htm