1. Groceries: We spent a whopping $44.94 at Kroger, plus another $2.50 at Kroger later in the week. You can see what I bought below:
Later in the week I paid the additional $2.50 for ice cream, plus I brought home four (!!) freebies! Three were Free Friday deals, and one was a "Best Customer Bonus" coupon... whatever that is. Well, I guess this time it was free cereal:
Even though I spent WAY more than our allotted $30.00 per week, our total for the month is only at $80.51, or 62% of the March grocery budget. I've been trying to clean out the freezer, so I'm doing less bulk buying and more no-spend weeks. The weeks in between no-spend are a little higher than usual. I might switch to an every-other-week shopping trip for a while because that seems to be what's happening anyway.
2. Cooking: I made brownies for a potluck this week (from two of my $0.25 brownie mixes... YAY). I also made boiled eggs, quiche, french toast, egg salad sandwiches, and fried eggs. We, uh, have lots of eggs to work with. The french toast was great because it helped me use up stale bread from last week. I also tried out several recipes I want to put in my book on frugal fruits and vegetables; a cabbage/beef stir-fry, and gnocchi, a potato-based pasta.
3. Clothing: I finished patching the pants I started last week; FIVE more pairs of jeans, back into commission! I'm just wondering though, at what point do you stop patching and just buy a new (used) pair of pants. Some of these jeans were on their second patch already, and I'm wondering how many times I can run them through the washer before they start to develop holes in other areas. I decided to do the second patches because it costs almost nothing for the patch and just about 15-20 minutes to sew around the piece, depending on its size. So I figured that was worth it if I could get a few more weeks or months out of the jeans.
Another frugal thing I did was make Baby Girl a cute little tutu for her 6-month pictures. I'd initially thought about buying a special outfit for the pictures, then buying supplies to make the tutu (all I had for the outfit was a certain hair bow that I wanted her to wear). We had scheduled pictures for the next day, so I knew that the more time I spent shopping, the less time I would have to alter/fix/sew an outfit from scratch if the thrift stores or Walmart didn't have exactly what I wanted. So instead of spending precious time shopping, I dug through my sewing supplies. I had some white tulle!! And I had plenty to make a tutu for Baby, plus some blue bias tape for a waistband to match her hair bow. I'm delighted with the way her whole outfit turned out. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share with you all soon.
What I liked best about the tutu was 1) it was free, but 2) it also used up some of those dumb sewing supplies that I've been hoarding since I was 15. Instead of sitting in the sewing room gathering dust, the tulle is now a pretty, usable item for our baby that saved us money.
4. Cloth diapers: I picked up some more aluminum cans to recycle and also sold some bits and pieces of my cloth diaper stash on eBay. I had some prefolds, diaper fasteners, vinyl pants and other items sitting in storage. Now that I've found a diaper system that works for us, I know I'll never, ever use the prefolds or other items again. So instead of them using up all of my storage space, gathering dust, I hope to sell them and use the money to buy more of what I do want; trimmer hemp inserts for our pocket diapers.
Again, what I love about spending limits is that they force you to be creative. Items that are just taking up space can be used, enjoyed and not wasted.
5. Books: Got more books from the library!! These are the two I brought home:
2. Cooking: I made brownies for a potluck this week (from two of my $0.25 brownie mixes... YAY). I also made boiled eggs, quiche, french toast, egg salad sandwiches, and fried eggs. We, uh, have lots of eggs to work with. The french toast was great because it helped me use up stale bread from last week. I also tried out several recipes I want to put in my book on frugal fruits and vegetables; a cabbage/beef stir-fry, and gnocchi, a potato-based pasta.
3. Clothing: I finished patching the pants I started last week; FIVE more pairs of jeans, back into commission! I'm just wondering though, at what point do you stop patching and just buy a new (used) pair of pants. Some of these jeans were on their second patch already, and I'm wondering how many times I can run them through the washer before they start to develop holes in other areas. I decided to do the second patches because it costs almost nothing for the patch and just about 15-20 minutes to sew around the piece, depending on its size. So I figured that was worth it if I could get a few more weeks or months out of the jeans.
Another frugal thing I did was make Baby Girl a cute little tutu for her 6-month pictures. I'd initially thought about buying a special outfit for the pictures, then buying supplies to make the tutu (all I had for the outfit was a certain hair bow that I wanted her to wear). We had scheduled pictures for the next day, so I knew that the more time I spent shopping, the less time I would have to alter/fix/sew an outfit from scratch if the thrift stores or Walmart didn't have exactly what I wanted. So instead of spending precious time shopping, I dug through my sewing supplies. I had some white tulle!! And I had plenty to make a tutu for Baby, plus some blue bias tape for a waistband to match her hair bow. I'm delighted with the way her whole outfit turned out. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share with you all soon.
What I liked best about the tutu was 1) it was free, but 2) it also used up some of those dumb sewing supplies that I've been hoarding since I was 15. Instead of sitting in the sewing room gathering dust, the tulle is now a pretty, usable item for our baby that saved us money.
4. Cloth diapers: I picked up some more aluminum cans to recycle and also sold some bits and pieces of my cloth diaper stash on eBay. I had some prefolds, diaper fasteners, vinyl pants and other items sitting in storage. Now that I've found a diaper system that works for us, I know I'll never, ever use the prefolds or other items again. So instead of them using up all of my storage space, gathering dust, I hope to sell them and use the money to buy more of what I do want; trimmer hemp inserts for our pocket diapers.
Again, what I love about spending limits is that they force you to be creative. Items that are just taking up space can be used, enjoyed and not wasted.
5. Books: Got more books from the library!! These are the two I brought home:
I'm excited about trying the Montessori approach to (home) preschool for Baby. It seems to align with our goals as a family and as parents. There is a lot of emphasis on self-sufficiency and learning practical skills. Reading through the book, I was blown away by some of the incredibly simple tricks and tips; for example, how little kids can put on a coat all by themselves, how to explain addition or introduce letters. One fascinating idea was the "Montessori birthday party," "birthday walk" or "celebration of life ceremony" (the last one sounds like a funeral... just saying!). It involves your child holding a globe while walking around a candle (the sun). Each walk around the "sun" represents a year of life. This is the Montessori approach to showing kids how time and age works. I've never given a thought to most of these things. The DK book has so many ideas, which I'm afraid I will forget most of them by the time Baby is preschool age. I may just have to buy the book. :)
I also borrowed Ross Poldark from the library's Libby app. I have a terrible habit of looking at my phone before falling asleep, which makes it very hard to fall asleep. I'm attempting to break my phone habit by leaving the phone in the kitchen at night and only reading on my Kindle before bed. I tried reading non-fiction before bed, but that gets my brain pumping with new ideas and makes it even harder to fall asleep. Fiction is more passive and helps me separate work (daytime activities) from rest (sleeping!). What I LOVE about Libby is that you can borrow the book for two weeks, renew the book for another two weeks, and THEN keep the book open on your Kindle to read it indefinitely (even if it's technically been "returned"). If the book DOES get returned, you can just check it out again! I have been working on this Ross Poldark book off and on since January. Maybe someday I'll finish it.
6. Email giveaway: SO, I got a ton of feedback on the giveaway survey that I posted last week. The most popular prize option was my books (I'm flattered, you guys!), followed by kitchen items. And an overwhelming majority of you wanted "practical things that will save money." That's right up my alley! I've had so much fun putting together April's prize package. I still need to work out some things, but for the most part, I know what it will be.
I believe that's about all for this week! Looking forward to another frugal week,
-Bethany
I also borrowed Ross Poldark from the library's Libby app. I have a terrible habit of looking at my phone before falling asleep, which makes it very hard to fall asleep. I'm attempting to break my phone habit by leaving the phone in the kitchen at night and only reading on my Kindle before bed. I tried reading non-fiction before bed, but that gets my brain pumping with new ideas and makes it even harder to fall asleep. Fiction is more passive and helps me separate work (daytime activities) from rest (sleeping!). What I LOVE about Libby is that you can borrow the book for two weeks, renew the book for another two weeks, and THEN keep the book open on your Kindle to read it indefinitely (even if it's technically been "returned"). If the book DOES get returned, you can just check it out again! I have been working on this Ross Poldark book off and on since January. Maybe someday I'll finish it.
6. Email giveaway: SO, I got a ton of feedback on the giveaway survey that I posted last week. The most popular prize option was my books (I'm flattered, you guys!), followed by kitchen items. And an overwhelming majority of you wanted "practical things that will save money." That's right up my alley! I've had so much fun putting together April's prize package. I still need to work out some things, but for the most part, I know what it will be.
I believe that's about all for this week! Looking forward to another frugal week,
-Bethany
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