Happy Valentine's Day!

I found this cool picture here.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! As always, I will be checking out the clearance prices after Valentine's Day for paper plates, paper cups, candy, etc. There are some great ways to use these items for non-Valentine's Day things.

++A few years ago I got several packages of small dessert plates with hearts on them that were clearance to $.10 after Valentine's day. They were perfect for a bridal shower that I threw for a friend.

++I have used fun heart Valentine's bags to give favors at a baby shower where the mom to be was having a girl.

++Plates, cups, and goodie bags would also be great for a little girl's birthday party.

++I would use the paper plates to give a plate of treats to someone I love.

How about you? Any other great ways you have used Valentine's decor or items for other occasions?

Frugal Friday - getting the most out of my dish soap...

It is important to me to get the most out of what I am buying. I hate to waste anything! Read my post here about my toothpaste :).

I came up with a great idea to get the most out of my dish soap. When I get to the bottom of a bottle of dish soap...

I add water.

I jut put a little bit bigger squirt into the water for the load of dishes. I keep adding water until there is no dish soap left. It works great and makes the dish soap last just a little bit longer. I also do this with my hair conditioner. This is yet another way that being creative and making things last can save money. Every little bit counts!

Frugal Friday - Brown Baggin' it

When I was working full time, I was amazed at many of my co-workers who would go out to lunch EVERY day! Even if you can get a cheap $5.00 meal, that adds up to $100.00 in a month! Yikes!

I will admit I like to go out from time to time, but it is so much more frugal to brown bag it! Now I work two days per week and I live close enough to run home for lunch, which is great. My hubby on the other hand works much further, so I pack his lunch every day.

So, what do you put in a brown bag?

Kids lunches:

-sandwiches (pb&j, meat, etc.)

-carrot sticks

-cookies

-muffins

-cheese and crackers

-popcorn

Work lunches:

-same as kids lunches

-leftovers (this is what my husband takes most of the time because they have a microwave at his office)

-cans of soup, chili, ravioli, etc.

Do I ever get sick of packing lunches? You bet! I have come up with some ways to make things easier:

-make cookies, put into individual baggies, and freeze. I just throw these in his lunch and they are thawed by lunchtime.

-peel and cut a whole bag of carrots, put into individual baggies with a bit of water. I put them into his lunch all week.

-buy a huge bag of pretzels, then put individual serving sizes into baggies. Just grab the bag and throw it into his lunch.

Most of the time there will not be convenience foods in his lunch, unless I can get them for super cheap for free. That includes fruit snacks, pudding, yogurt, individual bags of chips, granola bars, etc. Although I don't have kids in school who are packing lunches, I don't recommend using these types of foods in kids lunches because 1. they can expensive and 2. they come to expect "fun" foods instead of healthy home made ones.

Check out some of these links for ideas:

Web MD - 15 Fresh Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

My Money Blog - Frugal Brown Bag Lunch Ideas

Dollar Stretcher - Lunches to Love

How about you?

What are your favorite things to pack in a brown bag lunch?

Frugal Friday - Making your own "convenience" foods

Are you ever tempted to purchase the pre-made cookie dough when you are grocery shopping? Per cookie, that is an expensive choice even with coupons most of the time.

You have to admit that they are handy...so what's a gal to do?

Make your own! (I got this great idea from my boss, a fellow frugalite :)!)

Roll your cookie dough into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.

If you prefer the break and bake variety, make individual balls of cookie dough, place on a cookie sheet, place in the freezer until frozen, then put all the frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag. Take out only as many as you need when you are ready to cook them! (freezing them first on a cookie sheet makes it so they don't stick together in the freezer bag :)).

Thaw the dough then slice (for a log) or place (for dough balls) on a cookie sheet and bake according to your recipe.

I am not sharing this information not specifically about cookie dough - although I love cookies! I am sharing it because using your creativity, you can find many convenience foods that you can make yourself and conveniently warm up and eat later (thus saving you money in the process).

Some ideas of this:

1. That same boss also makes a huge batch of burritos, wraps individually, and freezes. Her boys take them to school in their lunches!


2. Make a huge batch of soup, freeze in individual containers. It is just as simple to pull soup out of the freezer and warm it up as it is to open a can and warm it up - and *BONUS* you know what is going into the soup!


3. I looovvee the convenience of Minute Rice, but it is so expensive compared to good old bagged rice. I have found that rice freezes very well. Make a large batch, and freeze into meal sized portions. Thaw then add to soups, casseroles, or eat with butter and salt.


4. Chicken broth - this is easy to make with chicken bones, boil the heck out of it, then remove all the yucky stuff. Freeze the broth in ice cube trays then move to a freezer bag. Freeze in cups or however you will use it.

These are just a few of many ideas to make your own convenience foods, so how about you? Do you have any great ideas for home made convenience foods?

Frugal Friday - Going Meatless

Vegetarianism is a way of life for many people. I personally don't think I could do it. I like my meat way to much. That being said, meat can be a HUGE budget buster for the frugal cook.

I decided to do a survey of SavingSomeGreen readers to determine how often you are going meatless. I wasn't surprised at the results. The largest percentage of you are going meatless 1-2 times per week. This is what we do too. It is about all my "meat and potatoes" husband can handle! Here are the poll results:Here are some techniques I have used to save money on meat/go meatless:

1. Stock up on meat when it is at a rock bottom price and fill up your freezer.


2. Purchase a family pack of meat and cook all of it and package it into meal sized portions - or better yet, package it into smaller portions so you decrease the amount of meat in the meals that you make with it. See my post here about how I cook, package, and freeze my ground beef. I do something similar with chicken.


3. Try decreasing or removing meat from your favorite recipes - chili, hamburger helper, stew, casseroles, etc. Keep decreasing until you reach a happy medium of still tasting and enjoying the meat, but using much less.


4. Go meatless once or more per week. Some satisfying meals that we have had that are meatless are: vegetable soup with corn muffins, grilled cheese sandwiches and soup, broccoli cheese chowder, baked potato bar with broccoli and cheese sauce, vegetable quiche, cheese pizza, etc. The possibilities are endless!

How about you? How do you save money on meat? Do you have some great satisfying meatless meals you'd like to share? Please leave a comment!

Grocery Budget Poll

I did a poll on Saving Some Green for the month of November to find out out the average weekly grocery budget - mostly to justify why I was way over budget in November :). Anyway, I wasn't surprised to see that most people are in the $50-$100 per person per month range, for our family that would be $200-$400 per month. I am trying to stay more toward the $200.00 per month, but it isn't easy!
Here is the breakdown out of the 76 of you who voted (thanks to all who voted):


5 (or 6%) were less than $25 per month per person! Good for you! You need to comment more often :)!


15 (or 19%) were in the $25-$49 range - Way to go! Again, I need your insight and comments you really have it all together!


43 (or 56%) were in the $50-$100 range - my kind of people :)!


13 (or 17%) were over $100. Thanks for being honest! I was right there with you last month, let me tell ya!


So where do you fall? If you are one of the 25% that is under $50 per person per month, leave a comment with all of your secrets!


This poll thing was fun! I plan on having more coming up...so stay tuned :)!

Home Haircutting - Frugal Friday

One of the things that I hate spending money on is haircuts, especially for boys/men. I can fudge on the 6-8 week thing, but my husband and my son cannot. When we first got married (eight years ago) we purchased a set of Wahl hair clippers and I cut my husband's hair. Unfortunately, my home haircutting skills were not the greatest and I made a few (BIG) mistakes. I have not been allowed to cut my husband's hair since!


My son didn't have any hair until he was over 2 years old and I didn't trust my haircutting skills after he did have hair, so we have been getting his hair cut by a friend who does it at home and paying $15. Every 8 weeks this works out to be about $100 per year. I decided last night that I was going to give my son a much needed haircut. I knew he would be more forgiving than my husband! It turned out great! Here is what I have learned through research and now experience:

1. Comb the hair really well - you have to get out all of the hair that is hiding!
2. Using the clippers (I used a #2 attachment) I trimmed from the bottom to the invisible line right above the ears.
3. Using a comb and GOOD scissors (this is critical) I trimmed the top of this hair. I put sections of hair between my fingers and trimmed it to the length of my fingers.
4. Using the newly cut hair as a guide, I trimmed the top to the same length.
5. Then I went around the sides and trimmed at an angle to avoid the "shelf" and make a smooth transition.

This is the end result.

I know the side is sticking out :), I didn't take a picture last night when it was fresh so this is pillow hair. I need to wet it down this morning, he hates it so it is an ordeal. Anyway, I am happy with the results and it saved me $15! I will be doing all of his haircuts from now on.

Now when my daughter gets some hair - I would like to learn the art of cutting girl's hair.

Check out Biblical Womanhood for more great Frugal Friday ideas!

Frugal Decorating

I have never spent a lot of money on decorating – ever. I am not the type of person that “needs” designer whatever. I do, however, like my home to look nice and to be a comfortable place. Here are some inexpensive ideas of things that I have done around my house:


This is my hallway. I decorated it with all black picture frames. They all came from Walmart except the long one in the middle. That came from Target. Altogether I spent $25.00 on these frames and pennies on the prints to put in them.


There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to change the look and feel of a room. We paid $19.99 per gallon for this paint job (it took about 1.5 gallons). (Isn't my daughter a cutie?)

This is another view of my daughter's room. The lace curtains came with the house (FREE). The garland around the window I got for $.50 at a yard sale. I purchased the nesting tables on clearance at Shopko for $9.99 and the picture frame was a gift. The flowers were given to me by a friend who was redecorating and wanted to get rid of them. Last but not least, this wreath is on display in my living room. It was a Christmas wreath that was on clearance at Home Depot. I got it for $2.50. It isn't super Christmasy, so I keep it up all year!

I am sharing what I have done, not because I think you should do the exact same things I do, but to show that you can decorate for less.

• Look for items that you can re-purpose, like my wreath.
• Shop yard sales
• Use what you have (the curtains in my daughter's room wouldn't have been my first choice - but you can't beat free!)
• Shop clearance sales
• Accept free items from friends and family and look for ways to incorporate them
• Be creative and have fun!

Decreasing your mortgage payment...sort of!

Before I made my move to working part time, I was looking for all sorts of ways to cut expenses. One of the ideas I came up with has saved us about $90.00 per month on our mortgage in a round about way. Here is what I did:

• Our monthly mortgage payment is $1,159.


• I took our monthly mortgage payment and multiplied it by 12 (the number of times we have to make the payment each year) or $13,908.


• My husband gets paid every other week, so there are two months during the year that we receives three paychecks instead of two for a total of 26 paychecks per year.


• I took the total yearly payments and divided them by 26 or $535.00.


• Each time my husband gets paid, we have set up with our credit union to transfer $535.00 to our savings account automatically.


• We pay our mortgage payment each month out of this savings account.


• Therefore on a normal month we transfer only $1070.00 to savings for our mortgage payment - or an $89.00 savings each month.
  

Important notes:

• In order to start this plan, you must start on a three paycheck month. The excess funds will remain in your savings account to pay for your subsequent mortgage payments.
• This is also a separate savings account from our other savings so that it is not intermixed with other funds so we don't get confused and we don't spend it.
• Obviously this isn't the way to get my mortgage paid off faster, but this is helping us at this season of our lives.

So that's what works for me - check out Rocks in my Dryer for other great Works for Me scenarios!

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without!

I grew up hearing this phrase over and over again. I always thought it was a quote from Brigham Young, but when I googled it – it was not clear who said it. It really doesn’t matter - the philosophy is so good.

Although I try, I do not necessarily live by this credo in all aspects of my life, however, these are a few that I am most proud of:

My Car: I drive a 1986 Volkswagen Jetta. That’s right, it is 22 years old. I was 8 when this thing left the factory (yes, do the math, I am turning 30 this year, ugh!) I love the thing. Not because it doesn’t have AC, not because it squeaks when I am backing up, and not because it shakes after I first start it until it warms up a little (although these features have become endearing). I love this car because it is paid for! We have owned it for about 2 years, we bought it from one of my coworkers for $1,000 and have only had to put $200.00 into it since we have owned it (the blinkers and windshield wipers quit working – kid of a necessity). Our goal is to keep it going until we have our third child (someday) and must upgrade to a minivan.

Food: So, I don’t have a perpetual soup container like Amy Dacyczyn of the Tightwad Gazette, but I do strive to use up what I have. If I have extra/leftovers of something I like to see how creative I can be by using it. If I have some soggy vegetables in the fridge, I might throw them in a quiche, soup, or casserole. Leftover mashed potatoes are turned into “Mashed Potato Hot Dogs” (side note: this is something that came from my husband’s side of the family – although I wasn’t a big fan at first they have sort of grown on me. You split a hot dog down the middle, scoop some mashed potatoes on top, cover with some grated or sliced cheese and broil at 400 degrees until the cheese melts).

Shoes: I have a pair of Nike sneakers that I love. I love them so much that I have glued the soles of them back together at least 3 times. They are so comfortable, they still work, and they really don’t look all that bad.

My Broom: I bought a broom at the dollar store when I was single and living in apartment. We just surpassed out 8 year anniversary and the broom is still going strong. My secret – duct tape!

How about you – any great “Use it up!” stories?

Wasting Food is a Sin!!!!

Seriously, my Dad used to say that to us as kids. At the time we all thought he was crazy/odd/off his rocker, and we are finally able to tease him about it now without him getting offended. I think when he coined the phrase it was more motivated by the expense of wasted food rather than his fear of our eternal damnation. We were a family with six kids – and every dollar counted.

Now that I have my own family, I see a lot of wasted food (a.k.a. wasted money), and I know how my Dad felt. Every day I am sweeping at least a bowl full of Kix cereal off of the floor below the high chair and throwing it in the garbage. Ugh!

I’ve written about the Tightwad Gazette before. It is a great resource for money saving tips and ideas from very simple to extremely extreme. I highly recommend it. One of my criticisms of the book, however, is that she is so matter of fact about what she does and/or allows and it doesn’t seem like the theory would hold up in the real world (my world!). One of the articles in the Tightwad Gazette talks about how she simply doesn’t allow her children to waste food (she has six kids). They must eat everything on their plate etc., etc., etc. I don’t know how she could possibly have done that with a 3 year old or a baby girl who insists on feeding herself. I just don’t see that as a possibility.

So, how can you avoid wasting food (a.k.a. money) without policing everything your kids eat (or don't eat)?

-Give your child a small about of food to begin with. It is much easier to give them more than throw away excess. A good rule of thumb is to give them ½ of what you think they will eat. At least in my experience, ½ is what they usually eat.

-Set rules – my son will ask for a pb&j then see me eating leftover casserole and drop his pb&j on the floor and ask for casserole. This is extremely frustrating. He throws a fit, but he must eat what he originally chose. If I don’t give in, he usually calms down.

-Realize that you will waste some food. Strive to improve, but realize that not everyone can meet the standards of Amy from the Tightwad Gazette; she is a tried and true black belt tightwad with years of experience!

How about you, what are some of your great tips to avoid wasting food?

Your Credit Union Can Help You Save Some Green!

If you have read any of my previous posts you know I am a huge advocate of credit unions. Have you ditched your bank and found a credit union yet? Here are some ways your credit union can help save some green.

-Low or no fee checking accounts – are you still paying a fee for your standard checking account? WHY? Your credit union probably offers a free checking account or a premier, gold, or upgraded checking account for a small fee (these accounts usually offer extra perks; free checks, free money orders, free ATM usage, etc.). Do your research and find a checking account that will fit your needs without breaking your budget. (This goes without saying, but be sure to balance your checking account on a regular basis – online banking makes this a cinch! Not balancing, and making a small error can mean BIG fees. This is avoidable – so both banks and credit unions have hefty fees!)

-Discount Services – Many credit unions offer discounted movie tickets, passes to area attractions, access to club memberships, etc. Find out what discount services your credit union offers.

-Convenience Services – Many credit unions offer amazing convenience services to save you time and money. Do you want to make a monthly transfer from your checking account to your savings account each month? Your credit union can probably do that for you – no charge! My credit union offers a service called ACH distribution – we love this! When my husband’s paycheck is direct deposited, we have it set up so that money is transferred automatically to our other accounts (savings, kid’s savings, medical savings account, etc.) This is not only a huge time saver, but it has helped us to develop a plan of regular savings deposits!

There are so many benefits to credit union membership. If you haven’t joined a credit union already – take the time to find one and join. You will be glad you did! (In the meantime, read this article I found on The Dollar Stretcher - one of my favorite sites!)

The $16.00 Birthday Party

Earlier this summer my son (who just turned 3) went to a fun dinosaur themed birthday party. He left with tons of great toys and had a great time. Since that party, he has talked about his own birthday party, but I knew I couldn't and didn't want to spend a lot of money on this party. I came up with a plan to spend $20.00 or less.

My son loves sports, especially soccer - so he chose a soccer themed party. I was thrilled because we already had some soccer stuff and it would be easy to come up with games centered around soccer.

Here is what we did:
For our first game game we played "Get the Soccer Ball in the Goal" - my version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. This did not cost anything because I used leftover computer paper from my work and printed soccer balls from my computer I wrote each kid's name on the soccer ball and glued them to their paper sacks that they used for the pinata (see below).I decided to make a pinata in the shape of a soccer ball. I found some great instructions here. It was time consuming, but it was fun and the whole project only cost $2.00 for the crepe paper. I filled the pinata with fruit snacks and rice krispie treats that I had from the Kellogg's deal. The kids all colored their own brown paper lunch sacks to collect their goodies.

Then we went outside played "Kick the Soccer Ball in the Goal" the goal was a big toy tub. One of the three year olds actually made it in! This was also free.

For the cake - I mentioned that I was having a soccer birthday party to many people (putting the word out). One friend offered to make the cake as a gift! It was gorgeous and the kids loved it. If she had not offered, I would have come up with something myself. I paid $1.20 for some Happy Birthday Candles, $1.00 for cups, and $1.00 for plates. I had napkins and plastic forks already.

The bulk of the expenses for the party came from the loot bags. I had some clear plastic bags already, so we filled them with a soccer ball pencil, a soccer ball key chain, a soccer ball plastic maze, and a soccer ball noisemaker. The total for 8 treat bags was about $11.00. As a game, I hid all the treat bags around the yard and the kids had to find theirs.

The party turned out great, and all the kids had a great time. The point of it this post is not for you to copy exactly what I did. The point is to show that with some creativity and using what you have, you can have a fun frugal party (my son is the one in the red shirt, blowing his noisemaker)!

Yard Sales

I love to yard sale. I am not one of those hard core, up at six, fanny pack wearing power yard salers, but I do love it and I have found some great deals. I have been amazed to find that many people have never shopped at a yard sale or had one themselves. I encourage everyone to go out and try it, you will be pleasantly surprised. Here are a few tips to make the most of your yard sale-ing experience.

• Go early, the "good stuff" is usually gone at the beginning of the sale. Although, sometimes you can get better deals at the end of a sale - people are tired and willing to bargain just to get rid of stuff.


• Carry change and small bills, this makes it easier on you and the seller.


• Be willing to bargain - I have been able to ask for less than what people are asking on many things and get a better deal. One of my best deals that I bargained for was my son's twin bed - I got a Sealy matress, box spring, and headboard for $15!


• Make a list of items you are looking for - or better yet - give this list to your yard sale-ing friends, when they find an item you want they can pick it up for you - and vice versa for them. My boss makes gift baskets for a charity event that she does every year and picks up most of the contents of the baskets from yard sales. Last year, she gave me a list of items and $20.00. I was able to find all sorts of things items, still in the package for her baskets.


• Buy only items that you know you will use - or that you can resell for a profit. It is never a good deal if you spend the money on something then it sits in a closet gathering dust!


• Look for neighborhood sales or entire subdivision sales. This is a gas and time saver.
  

Bottom line, I have saved hundreds of dollars by shopping at yard sales and you can too. I have purchased most of the clothing for both of my kids, children's toys galore (I have never purchased new toys for my kids), a patio umbrella (for $5!), dishes, books, cookbooks, furniture, etc, etc, etc!

For the yard sales in this Boise area check The Idaho Statesman, Z Idaho, and Craigs List.