This has been a mixed week of saving, stretching and oh no … additional
expenses. It seems like every time we turned around there was an unexpected
small expense that popped up.
It was just that kind of week.
The good news is that all of it fit in and under one of our budget categories for the month, so we are still good.
More good news, we are still on target to meet both our
debt payoff and savings goal for February.
When we work to stay under our budget categories overall, it allows us to have
wiggle room for the unexpected things like happened this week without blowing
the budget. Whatever is left from our budget categories at the end of the month will be applied towards our goals
regardless of how small of an amount it may or may not be. It’s the continuation of forming ‘saving’
habits that leads to progress, the amount is important and at the same time, it’s
not … we’re learning and forming new saving habits and if it doesn’t
add to our savings or debt payoff this month, the habit will continue on to
next month where it might make a big difference. Every little thing we can do helps, even when
it’s only working on learning new money saving habits.
Here’s what hunkering down looked like at our house this week …
Hubby continued to take his lunch to work this week when applicable. He was required to eat out more this week
than normal, but it’s all still good.
I continue to cook our meals from scratch using what we have
on hand.
Our next power bill will be coming within the next week, we
are still working hard to bring it down!
Yes, we are anxious to see if our efforts will make a difference.
We asked our doctor to write our prescriptions for a 3-month
supply instead of one, for some of them, a 3-month supply is the same cost as a
one-month supply. This doesn’t apply to
all of them, but we’ll gladly take the savings for the ones it does apply to!
I revived my sourdough starter and started making breads,
rolls, pizza dough, etc for the purpose of eliminating or greatly reducing
buying these items from the grocery store.
I’m also making my own spice blends for the same reason.
Item by item, one at a time, I’m trying to come up with a
home-made replacement that we will be satisfied to accept as a
replacement. Every item that I can make
at home or grow at home, will save us money and that’s my ‘why’ for doing it …
saving money, hunkering down and saving everything we can!
We remain focused and serious!
Hubby and I were talking earlier in the week about a particular sandwich he is taking to work for lunch. I mentioned that I was surprised that he was taking this same sandwich to work so often as he gets food fatigue rather quickly. His answer made me realize how hard he is trying to do his part! Yes, I absolutely know how blessed I am that we are both on the same page and are working hard toward a common goal. His answer to my inquiry was, “I’m just trying to do my part to save as much money as I can.” You bet, I told him how much I appreciated and loved him for his efforts.
One more thing, for the ladies who are following our book of Esther ladies Bible study, lesson 18 has been posted HERE!
Okay, one more, one more thing ... I am loving the way everyone is commenting and helping each other with questions and information! Thank you to everyone who is contributing and making this the best little hard-working community of 'hunkering down' frugalities I know! I am learning so much from everyone's comments and interactions!
How did you do this week, I can't wait to read your comments!
until next time,
mrs. patsi @ A Working
Pantry
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs
31:27
Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal,
prudent living and pantry building
My second blog: From This
Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word
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at From This
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Good morning Patsi,
ReplyDeleteIt's been a busy week. We got news this week that our health insurance will be going up this year. Yet another reason to stay focused and hunkered down. It seems like Social Security gives with one hand and Medicare takes with the other. This as well as our health insurance from hubby's pension. So much for the benefit of COLAs.
There was no grocery shopping this week and all meals were made from scratch using what was on hand. We are ahead of schedule in building back our emergency fund for February. I made 4 pints of no'mato sauce . Instead of buying gluten free flours I make my own by grinding up the various ingredients in a high speed blender. This is so cost effective and saves a ton of money. I made hubby a months worth of English Muffins. This alone saves about $50 a month compared to what it would cost in the store. I, too, make my own seasoning mixes. I found this lovely gluten free website that has all kinds of gf bread recipes. The one for pita bread caught my eye and it's made on the top of the stove. I will be making this today or tomorrow. Some of it will be sliced up and made into pita chips. I transferred some more herb patterns onto feedsack towels and have been embroidering using the thread that I have. All in all it's been a good week. Cookie
I am sorry about the news of your health insurance going up, Cookie. Last October, Colton got a small raise, which we had been looking forward to. Unfortunately, the health insurance he gets through his work went up at the exact same time. Our take home pay ended up being even less than it was before the raise. They sure have it figured out, don't they? 🤦♀️
DeleteKelsey, they sure do have it all figured out. The cost for our FD health insurance wilil be deducted from his retirement so we maybe will see less than $10 extra from the COLA. Blessedly, we have no co-pays for anything. Hope that you're feelling better soon. Cookie
DeleteCookie, the same insurance thing happened to me this year. When all was said and done, my ss check is $18 less this year than last and I still have co-pays on meds. Instead of getting ahead, we took a step back through no fault of our own! This kind of thing is happening to lots of people. Everything is going up except income and people are left to scramble.
DeleteI want to learn how to make pita bread as pita chips and yogurt is a favorite snack at our house.
Can you share the gluten free website you were referring too?
Patsi, the website is theloopywhisk.com. it's made with millet flour. I always have whole millet here so I'll be milling it in the Vitamin. Cookie
DeleteCookie, thank you, I'll check it out!
DeleteWe have been committed to eating at home rather than grabbing takeout food when we’ve been busy and our food budget shows it! Rather than $75/week, , we are averaging $20/week and much of that is Flashfood discounted foods and adding to our pantry shelves! I bought BL chicken breast for $1.25/pound and pressure canned 5 pints from it! I did the same with stew beef chunks that I got for $2.25/pound and added 6 pints of it to my shelf! Those are prices that I am willing to pay.
ReplyDeleteOur water bill came this past week (it comes every 3 months) and the cost was lower than it had been over a year ago, even though rates have gone up considerably. And it dropped almost half from 6 months ago because we discovered a couple toilets were quietly running all the time and for about $7 each, Hubs replaced a part and they are no longer wasting water!
Our monthly property taxes have more than doubled since last month and so we are pulling out all the stops we can think of to keep our budget at a level that we still have extra money at the end of the month that we can put into savings!
We have made it into a game to see how we can use what we already have to solve anything that comes up or that we need! It’s amazing how when you change your perspective that you become happier and more at peace with your situation! Thanks for the encouragement!
Gardenpat in Ohio
Pat it is amazing to what we can do to save in one area to spend in another. You always find a way to do things. You got this!
DeleteGardenpat, our perspective is half the battle, isn't it and when we can challenge ourselves to do better and look for more frugal ways, we really get invested in the process don't we?
DeleteWe do the same thing you do when we find meats on a good sale. Whether we need it at the moment or not, we purchase it and preserve it.
Garden Pat,
DeleteWe had the same thing with our toilets. Our city offered dye kits to place in the toilet tank to check for leaks. Sure enough 2 of our 3 toilets were leaking. It cost me an extra $30 a month for a couple months before I caught it. I just figured it was from watering in the summer. It’s worth checking into. Sue in MN
Sue in Mn- Unfortunately, because ours is a 3 month bill and it had gone unnoticed, it raised our bill by about $300!! 😳😳 That more than doubled what our normal 3 month bill was! Hard lesson to learn! 🥹
DeleteGarden Pat. Son1 and Son 2 that lived in Columbus said they would put food coloring once a month in their toilet tank. If the dye was there before they flushed they knew it was leaking. Both do that now even though they don't live in Columbus.
Delete"Every little thing we can do helps, even when it’s only working on learning new money saving habits." YES!!! Thank you so much for saying that! How very sweet of your husband. It's wonderful to be on the same page, working together towards meaningful goals.
ReplyDeleteOkay, this week was a physically and emotionally painful one for me. Please know I DON'T say that for any sympathy or attention. I say it because that's a big temptation trigger for me. Almost fell off the wagon. Almost. Let me tell you, a lot of temptation was thrown my way. I've been an Amazon Prime member since 2000 because we've always lived a distance from shopping. Now it also provides streaming service for our house. I've got an Amazon CC with a high limit. More temptation! God is good; He reminded me of goals. When I NEED something, I've asked Him to remind me to use your link, Patsy. I don't say that for any kudos. In times like this week I can be scatterbrained, too, and if there's a product I NEED unavailable locally, why not? Upshot is, I was kept from falling. We're still on track.
It looks like you are, too, which is why I so appreciate your encouragement. A community provides support. Thanks to you and all who answer my questions. --Elise
Elise, thank you for using my link when you shop with Amazon, I so appreciate your thoughtfulness.
DeleteYes, we stayed on track but there were times when I wondered if this was going to be the week, we derailed ... temporarily!
Elise I use the wish list and wait a week before ordering, we have things we can't get in this area.
DeleteGood idea, Chef Owings. I'll start doing that! --Elise
DeleteI agree so much with what you said about forming habits. Hunkering down has really helped me to exercise the art of contentment. Even though we are reaching towards a goal, we are also learning to work with what we have, be thankful for it, and enjoy life as it is right now. This has value far beyond money for me.
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit of a spending week here, too. I started feeling poorly a couple days ago and used my "get out of jail free" card, meaning Colton picked up supper on his way home. This put us $4 over budget in our eating out category (which I keep low and I'm pretty sure the cafe has gone up in prices since we last ate there), but I am still significantly under budget in all other categories. Unfortunately it looks like that was just the beginning of coming down with a cold.
We did a big grocery shop, as the middle of the month is here, ending my spending freeze. I was able to get some things for next month's company on sale, and I indulged in some 50% off Valentine's candy as a treat. I have a weakness for truffles.
Some good news is that I started my herb seeds and they have started germinating! This is a victory for me as I've never been able to start herbs successfully. I am happy that my investment in the seeds and seed starting trays is paying off.
Hoping next week sees more success and progress...keep up the momentum, everyone!
Kelsey, hope you're feeling better soon! My herb seeds arrived today. I'll have to container garden them here as the soil is heavy clay/ Do you mind if I asked how you started yours? Are they indoors? Thanks. --Elise
DeleteThank you, Elise! It's not nearly as bad as last month's flu. I am taking the leftover elderberry syrup.
DeleteI started my seeds indoors using seed starter trays (with a clear lid to lock in moisture) which I have on a heating mat. I know there are more frugal ways to do it, but I've never had success so I decided the small investment of $12 for the trays was worth it to, at least, not waste all the seeds I bought with more failed attempts. I soaked my seeds overnight before planting as I read that speeds up germination. That proved a little tricky with some of the smaller seeds, but I do think it helped, as they are germinating after only 2 days of being in the soil. I've taken the lids off now, and even more seeds have come up since I commented this morning. This is very exciting! I hope you have success with your herbs too!
Kelsey, I hope you feel better soon. Those 'get out of jail free' cards are wonderful especially when you're a mom of small children.
DeleteYour investment in your herb growing set up will pay off in spades with lots of good herbs. Sometimes, we have to spend a little money in order to save money.
Thanks for sharing how you did your herb seeds, I'm taking notes! I got my herb seeds out today and will start planting them next week. I'll be sure to keep in mind your tips.
I'm taking notes, too, Kelsey. I'm going to look into seed starter trays and heating mats, because our growing season doesn't start until late May/early June. We can have snow through April. I did look at herb (nursery) plants last year, but they looked... sad. I'd like healthy plants. Thank you! Now I'm getting excited. We have 5 large kitchen windows across from the work island/sink. West facing. :-)
Delete--Elise
I got my seed starter trays at Tractor Supply, but I imagine Walmart has them too. The kind I bought already have the soil in them. The heat mats came from Amazon. Some people simply set their trays in a warm place, such as on top of the refrigerator, but that would be a bit of a chore for me to water and watch. With herbs running anywhere from $3-$6 per potted plant (depending on the nursery), the trays and mats are proving a worthwhile investment because I am growing a LOT. Since I am having so much success, I'm thinking I might put together an "instant" herb garden for my mom's birthday in April with what I'm able to grow.
DeleteOh, I forgot to mention...I went to our local grocery store last week while the nursery truck was unloading and setting up the herb and vegetable plants outside. One of the cashiers walked up and said to the other, "Look, they brought us more plants to kill." I laughed and said, "Well give me a call when you mark them half off and I'll come help you." 😂 Really, they might sell a few more if they weren't so expensive to begin with! Still beats the cost of produce, I guess.
DeleteYour kitchen windows will be a great light source for your seedlings.
There IS a Tractor Supply in town. I'll check there this coming week. Thank you, Kelsey. Our Walmart has a tiny garden section and even smaller canning section. Youngest son lives about 1/2 hour up the mountain and said there's a mercantile store geared towards the LDS community that sells bulk supplies. I need to check them out, too. --Elise
Deletethank you all for such wonderful comments and ideas. i will be making your collard greens and canned carmelized onions this year. have started some cabbage and broccoli seeds inside and they sprouted really quickly. a friend gave me a countertop roaster, which i have been looking for for a long time and i was able to roast a frozen turkey then can the remaining meat and broth to add to my pantry. also have been sewing up some comforters for the homeless using fabric squares that others save for me. keeps me busy when we can't get out in the winter. have been hunkering down and trying to be resourceful with all things the Lord has provided to us. blessings to you all and stay safe. bonnie
ReplyDeleteBonnie, I love your comment! We too are hunkering down and trying to be resourceful with the things the Lord has provided to us.
DeleteBonnie, one of my BIG goals this year is learning how to can. Until coming across this blog, I didn't know one could can meat. [blush] 10 lbs. of Idaho potatoes are waiting to be washed, diced and processed. Love the idea of using scrap fabric squares to make comforters for donation, too. What a great way to use up scraps!
Delete--Elise
Kelsey, as soon as I feel a sore throat coming on I use a Vicks Inhaler stick and it hit it on the head every time.
ReplyDeleteDaddy did the same with inhaler stick. I keep one in my purse and by the bed.
DeleteThank you for the tip!
DeletePatsi, I was browsing around Mediterrean Dish.com and they had a very similar recipe for pita bread that uses regular flour that looked really quick and easy. Cookie
ReplyDeleteCookie, thank you, I'll check it out!
Delete