flash's saving Blog

I was not going to do the Brand New You rebate ($10, buy 10 items), as they are not items I regularly use.

However, SF had GM cereals for 4/$10. I planned to purchase Total, but they only had a few types on sale. Then I saw the GIANT boxes of Cheerioes and Honey Nut Cheerioes, something like 40 oz? anyway, $2.50 each, but I had a $1 coupon on each which they doubled, so two boxes for $1, regularly $9. They also had the Chex Mix at 99 cents, and I had a coupon, down to FREE, as well as Progresso soup, with a coupon, down to $0.30.

So, 4 of the items for less than $4. I might make this one pay off. I am definitely holding off to see if the other items go on sale, though. Yoplait Nouriche, one bottle, is $3 here, which would wipe out the rebate!

That part is hard. I like to get rebates accomplished, finished, out the door, and not need to remember two weeks from now what I still need to purchase, save UPC and receipt, is it on sale, etc. So, I will wait and see on this one.

Well, I am trying to stick to not buying groceries for awhile and living on our stockpile. But I got some great deals today I couldn't pass up...well, maybe shouldn't is the better word...

SF, total was $39.86, down to $10.33 THAT's MORE LIKE IT.

Giant, $186 down to $85.

Mostly cleansers, Viactiv, things on sale but still adding up. They did have buy 5 General Mills cereal at regular price and get $8 off at total; the smallest cereal was $3.50, but had $1 coupons off the back of the Total boxes from this weekend, so $5 along with the $8 certainly helped the total. Did buy some Breyers on sale with coupon, which I would not have done if it wasn't listed in Grocery Game as a super saver, and it just sounded good! Very bad.

Made up for it with by buying the 20 cans of DelMonte for the $10 rebate, all on sale, cut and packaged for tomorrows mail!

So, 2006 total savings so far is $3230
2006 "extra income" so far is $35.

Thanks for the info! We have a Trader's Joes in the next town, and I shop there once a week or two, but I've never priced their personal products. I have allergies and sensitive skin, so I'm fairly cautious about trying things. That's why I was so surprised that the Dove didn't make me sneeze or my hands peel and such. I will definitely give TJ's a try. I didn't realize they were so reasonably priced.

I emailed Glysomed regarding where to purchase their products in my area. They responded that they did not have a store locator, but would send free samples. And they did!

Nutro dog food samples came, too.

Checked up on credit card dividends, and they are applying 5% cash back on gas, groceries, and drugstores. Nice. Trying to sort out which bonus program is best for each site is a bit crazy. Club Mom points, cash back from eBates or Mr. Rebates, or eRewards or all these other point programs. Cash back is always my first choice, but Club Mom allows members to earn GCs to grocery stores, and a few of their sponsors give good deals on points. I was trying to work it all out, but it would require coded spreadsheets! So, going with best guess, eBates plus credit card as standard cash back, and other offers as they present themselves.

Received a $10 gc award for a survey.

That makes total "extra income" of $35.

After using the free Dove shampoo and conditioner samples, my plan was to switch over from my Biolage and Keratase to the Dove. So much cheaper.

But after 3 weeks, maybe a little longer, my color has washed out, my hair feels thin, and I'm disappointed! My color isn't much of a change from my actual color, but it always lasts 4-6 weeks. I switched from highlights to color to bring the costs down.

RATS.

Now I need a new plan. Pantene?

We got off to a late start yesterday, but we did bake 50 dozen large muffins. DH, and I, go through at least 4 or 5 a day. Used up the 20 cups of fresh frozen blueberries from our garden, all the old cereal, oatmeal, eggnog, juice, coolwhip, ice cream, iced over frozen bars, stale graham crackers, christmas cookies (grind em up), holiday chocolates, free granola, old protein powder and drinks, eggs, syrup, etc. Total use of 3 cups of flour and one cup sugar. Mostly use oatbran, bran, oatmeal, and cereal to keep them super healthy. Old canned pineapple, oranges, whatever needed to go. Cleaned out the freezer, pantry, and frig. Total cost DH estimated at $50 plus leftovers (which would have been tossed), so not bad. Taste excellent, too!

I am not positive they save so much money, I don't buy the $1.95 Starbucks ones, but DH will buy Costco or Trader Joes if we run out. I do it for the healthy good-for-you start to the day. DH says it saves a minimum of $250 a year, though.

Also had a chance to clear out the freezer to make room for all the muffins, as well as find stuff that needed to be used soon. Discovered 6 whole chickens, a turkey breast, and several platters of chicken breasts. We haven't had the horrid winter that was anticipated (yet), so I've kept shopping instead of staying home with the stockpile! Time to start cooking!

Last night, final left overs of the deli/veggie platter from New years. meats and cheese got all chopped up, mixed with egg beaters (cleaning out the freezer!) and evap milk, and baked in two free with coupon pie crusts for excellent baked omelet/quiche. Yum.

Today, wow, my 'mix and stir' hand and shoulder are a bit sore. I've got a good 3 months to heal before we do it all again, though!

Blech to the entire morning. Why is everyone in such a MOOD today? And how many surveys can they possibly send me in one day? Only one paid. Count that when the $ comes, not until.

Thanks for the info on the rebate. I will try to be careful. I am already not thrilled that I spent money to buy the stuff just for the rebate. I RARELY do that. Blech to that too!

Savings, spending, did okay today.
Pet store, picked up a free 6.6 pound bag of puppy food from a coupon. Saved $9
PetSmart, $38 down to $15 with coupons and sales. Saved $23
Giant, generic stuff to prepare for muffin baking. $22 to $15, saved $6
TJ, base for muffins, oats, oatbran, organics, etc. $86.
Won 4 bottles Vaseline Renewal, which came today. $10 save?
Won year of nasal strips. $360 save.

Total save today: 9 + 23 + 6 + 86 + 10 + 360.

Total save for week: $3100.

I rarely go to Superfresh, as they don't restock the shelves on their sale items, and not friendly, and expensive on anything that's not on sale. But, we did a quick run through for chicken at 79 cents a pound and turkey breast at 89 cents a pound, 6 Lean Cuisine for $10 but they doubled a $1 coupon, etc. Came to $84.79 before coupons, $32.73 afterwards.

Giant, higher than hoped, but I am stocking a few items to start the muffin bake next week. Takes piles of cereal and oats and STUFF for 50 dozen muffins since I don't use flour. Bill came to $117, down to $65 after sales and coupons. I also purchased the items for the Colgate rebate, spent $6 to get back $10. Not sure it was worth it, as it's not what we usually use, but should work out.

Also sent back a pair of LLBean boots. I love their products, but this duck boot didn't hold up after 3 years, and they have a life time guarantee, so I shipped them back. I normally wouldn't have, even with the guarantee, because they are after all used, but MD does need a new pair now. Postage was prepaid at $5.85, which is cheaper than if I had paid it at the post office. The boots are $89 in the current catalog, so important savings for us.

Also, received 4 free Claritin tablets which hubby uses, they cost $1 each without coupons here, so saved $4?

Days total:

Totays savings: $52 + 53 + 89 + 4. I'll count the rebate only when it comes.

Skimmed through my journal and receipts to see just what I've saved since starting this project in October. It's not easy to track all the little things, like rebates and freebies. But

grocery -- store log shows savings of $1700 since September.
costco -- savings of $1500
Rx -- savings $2000 since Nov. 1
Magazines, other cost cutting -- more than $500
insulation - budget was $700, and it was free.
Holiday gifts saved about $2200, plus hubbies was $1000K

So, without going into the details, that's still over $9K just from focusing back on saving and not spending!

THANK YOU EVERYONE! You all have such great ideas, reminders, and advice!

[Is there any way to track daily costs through the journal? It's a pain to go through each entry to find them.]

want to get this started. I'm still struggling between this as a challenge to SAVE $5000 or to GENERATE $5000, but if I keep arguing with myself, I'm never going to start!

I think I will use this both to do things more frugally than I would have otherwise. I'll count the savings, but that's the easy part.

I would like to take the old exercize equipment and see what Play it Again Sports will give us for it, be it buy or consignment. Typically we would just donate all to Goodwill or Salvation Army and take the write offs, which we need. Hubbie would divorce me if I tried a yard sale.

I'm also looking at all the little things that come in. Rebates, new ways of spending and shopping and savings that I've started doing since coming to this site, and are keeping a regular pile of checks pinned to the frig.

Not sure what to do about the deals. As I journaled yesterday, I used customer loyalty rebates and offers to buy $58 at drugstore. com for $5, plus free shipping, plus 5% back from eBates and 5% back from my credit card for drugstores. So, do I count this as $53 to my challenge, or should that just be kept as savings. Hmmm.

Saved $2500 yesterday by cancelling my annual professional memberships. It's been an expense for the last 25 years, so does it count towards the challenge? Hmmm.

I did forget to log the savings from "recycling" our holiday meals. The ham from Christmas, 1/3 eaten, 1/3 out for use, 1/3 bone meat etc. frozen for soups (split pea, lentil...). Cookies, frozen some, eaten TOO many. Pretty easy reuse.

News Years has been a bit more fun/challenging. We purchased makings of a meat/cheese tray, and of a veggie tray, made some protein dips, and have been working it off since New Years Eve. Having a gourmet chef for a Mom probably helps. Last night, hot melted sandwiches, with meat and cheese piled and a bit of dip to hold it together and moisturize the bread. Fried in butter, but the dips are non-fat, so hopefully it balanced. Tonight was open-faced hot beef sandwiches, used up the roast beef, tiny bit of turkey, lots of mushrooms and onions, a few freebie McCormick gravy mixes, touches of this and that, a bit of the provolone stirred in. Poured on bread, with a slice of provolone on top. Pretty tasty!

Tomorrow I'll probably take the leftover ham and cheese with the eggs and make quiches. Maybe broccoli one, too. They are lowfat and high protein, except for the ham and cheese. Non-fat evap milk works VERY well to richen a non-fat quiche, and adds protein. Egg whites, egg substitute, etc., helps even it out too.

So far, we've had about 5 meals from New Years trays, MD including last night's remaining sandwiches in his lunch today. Maybe a stir fry to use up the last of the veggies. Hmm. This is the fun part of saving! Creating!

One of my goals for the year is to clean up all the loose ends that are unneeded expenses.

The first area is memberships.

Professional memberships look great on the resume. I'm retired now, except for consulting and such, and my credential themselves are worth more than all the "fellow of"s. I don't use all the credit card offers, and "benefits" that come with the memberships, and I don't need the "networking". So, time to drop all those grad school fears that I needed a bunch of titles to prove myself. My work proved itself, and I became the person everyone was trying to network WITH. A strange "rite of passage", I suppose, but it's time to let the fears go.

Four professional memberships I have all came due this month. Annual dues range from $150 to $1000. They renew automatically if not canceled. I canceled them ALL today, $2500 SAVINGS from previous years.

Second area is shopping memberships.

This one is a bit more complicated. Comparing cost of membership with actual savings over the year. They wouldn't be selling memberships if they weren't making money on them.

Barnes and Noble. $25, 10% on all purchases, so I would need to spend $250 on books etc. a year to make it worthwhile. Probably will. But, MD and I EACH have a membership, and we can combine them as a single household membership, and save $25. Done.

Roadrunner Sports. $25, 5% savings and discount on purchases. Have used this quite a bit in previous years, running and workout clothes, but the savings are much better at Dick's clearance racks, or online at REI. Definitely paid for itself in SHOES this year for the whole family. But I really need to look at this one.

American Greetings. $25, 3 memberships. My whole family uses this, especially my sister for her school work. But I did scoop up the "free year" membership from the freebies section (thank you Kimmie!), so $25 savings!

MisterArt.com. $25 for VIP discount. I have used this extensively since we retired, and especially for nice gift sets and paints and canvases and things that are difficult to find locally. I'm stocked up for now, though. Sister uses it quite a bit for crafts for her school, but the freebies section has pretty well maxed her out on teacher ideas and supplies, so this one can go. $25 saved.

GNC Gold card. $25, 20% savings every month. Just renewed this, and we do get protein drinks, etc., but we are well stocked. I'm stuck with it this year, but will have to consider it for next year.

AAA Roadside assistance. $35 I don't use this regularly, but they were the only company to respond, even though we have dealership roadside assistance, etc. There are discounts, I've received coupons books at the outlets and a very nice travel game set. They just updated their web site with other benefits, so I need to look at this one in more detail.

I'm sure there are more, and I am definitely going to be watching for them on the credit cards. Auto renewal isn't always a time saver! Still, thats $2575 "saved" against last year's spending.

Made two purchases today, but I actually resisted the temptation to go beyond the "rewards" money earned and just spent the free money!

First, drugstore.com, I had a $47 rebate, plus they emailed a link for $5 off of a $50 order. They are having a sale, and usually I get distracted on the site by all the freebies with purchase and deals and stock up on things. But I've already stocked. I usually also ask MD what he needs, as most of the purchases are for him, Biotene, Aveda, things we can't buy locally. He actually ANSWERED me this time! Guess he realized that we have 30 bottles of Biotene mouthwash, so he'd save money if I actually purchased something else for a change!

So, bought two bottles of his Aveda Black Malva (a luxury he WON'T do without), a bottle of TheraTears (eye injury last year pruning trees), and took advantage of a sale on dog toys and treats for the pup. Total was $55, minus the $5 and $47, free shipping, and I get 5% back through eBates. I am pleased that I actually stayed focused and spent wisely, didn't go through the "list" they keep of all the things I've ever purchased and might possibly want again, just used the loyalty rewards and logged out. Yes!

MD has been allowing the dog to chew his workboots. Sigh. Anyway, the dog ate through his Yaxtraks, which we really need when the ice comes. So, the $25 g/c from making a purchase at Brookstone last month went to a $20 pair of new Yaktraks. Also picked up one item on sale, but it was one that was a replacement for a broken item, which was on MY wish list, but MD keeps saying he can fix the old one. He probably can, but it's been a year. Needs to "get around to it".

I've collected a pile of notices on freebies and coupons and savings, ready to post, and I'm still trying to get my hands around the $20 challenge. Too many possibilities. What counts? Is it SAVING $5000, or MAKING $5000? I get that it's up to me. Maybe I'll keep the journal for SAVING, and use the challenge for PROFITs?

Must think more.

My sister emailed today that my father, or Dad, I guess, since I just learned he isn't my biological father, is declining quickly. It's been confusing, he wasn't supposed to make it through Christmas, but then he was doing well and for some reason my mother said he was going to recover fully and now, well, it sounds like I need to get out there soon if I'm going to say good-bye. My heart is breaking. It's been so sudden!

Three weeks today since our dog died. I was informed that the vet was fired. No consulation.

I got on the scale today. ACK. A bigger job than I realized in my last post. I need to lose about 25 pounds. And I was wrong about the sizes hubbie bought me for Christmas. ACK and GASP.

And still, for some crazy reason, I just woke up and decided I wasn't going to smoke today. Quitting was my challenge a few weeks ago, or maybe months? Time has lost meaning as the crises flow together. But in thinking about my savings and earning goals for the year, reading through the forums, I allowed my mind to drift through all the potential savings, cost cuttings, frugalities, and earnings potentials, and scattered among all this was the simple fact that smoking is costing me money. It's costing my health. It's adding prescriptions. It's stinking up my new fuzzy bathrobe. It's burnt holes through my Polartec gloves (and have you ever tried to get smoke out of Polartec? Plastic absorbs!). My ashes are confined to a single pot outside, but the dog wants to sniff and walk though them. I'm TIRED of doing laundry and washing my hair and even fading my hair coloring getting the smell of smoke out. All the little things that you never think about when dumping $4 out for a pack of cigarettes (well, I buy cartons, but the principle is the same).

So, even though it has been a stressful day, and hubbie is in a grumpy mood to boot, I just haven't smoked. I'm a bit irritable, but I get irritable when I can't run 6 miles or hike or need to step out for a smoke at an inappropriate time, or when the horses are sniffing the smoke on my gloves. Or I realize I'm doing 12 loads of laundry a week because of the SMOKE. It is SO out of character for me to smoke.

No New Year's resolutions. I don't believe in them for myself, mainly because it's so likely some crisis will happen and interrupt the resolution, and I don't want to wait for the next year to restart the goal.

I think as I quit, I'll start tracking the costs that decrease, and try to estimate what it has been costing me. I read Jeffrey's article, and I'd like to see what my own costs have been.

Other than that, have lots of little ideas bouncing around for the $20 challenge, but it seems like you need a plan to post the start, and I haven't firmed up a plan. So, I'll keep pondering, and maybe organizing a bit. Nothing saves money like organizing!

Hmph. I was the exact same weight and dress size for 25 years. I lost weight after the assault, and when I was gaining it back, everyone was telling me to put on a bit more. Just a bit more. I thought I looked great. Husband thought I looked great. But I did gain a bit more on some of the meds, and thought I was okay with it. First time in 25 years I *had* to buy new clothes. I needed too anyway, when I retired and went from business suits to sweats. Then I went back part time, bought some clothes in a larger size for the office. Then I gained a bit more, and a few more clothes. Again. Now, for the holidays, MD bought 5 pairs of jeans one size up for me. While I love him for caring, I hate me for needing it.

I've been resisting. Clothes are outrageously expensive. Last year I switched to skirts, elastic waists and looser, purhcased at clearance sales, boots to go with, stretchy pants, long sweaters. This last weight increase, though, I just said NO, no more money wasted. So, I've been griping about not being able to button my jeans and doing all those pregnant tricks, like slipping a rubber band through the button hole and over the button. Lots of hubbie shirts and sweats.

It's not that I look bad. I went from a size 4 to a 2 to a 4 to a 6 to an 8. Now a 10. But clothes are expensive, and every role, be it wife, athlete, executive, friend, housewife, maid, cook, everything requires something different. There are health reasons for me, also, the breast cancer scare and the family history of diabetes and high cholesterol and heart attack, GI, etc. Insurance. Risk. How I feel physically, emotionally. The worse I feel about how I look or worse, how I am dressed, the more I spend on other things, until eventually I buy some decent fitting clothing. But at some point this has to stop!

My sister does this, too. At 250 pounds, she is always losing or gaining weight, always buying new clothes. Having new clothes is wonderful, but the bills are not. Hubbie also, was a 32" waist when we married, got up to a 40, now is back to a 36". In between, 10 pairs of jeans a year, and countless suits and dress pants and shirts, etc., and the cost is absolutely staggering to look back on.

So, this year, I'm going to manage my meds AND my weight, and get back down one size. I have a closet full of clothes I liked at that size. If I go down two, fine. No more, and certainly not up.

I took advantage of some online year end clearances yesterday to stock up on gifts for the upcoming year.

The best offer, I think, was from Yves Rocher. Half price on the entire site, 4 free gifts, including a wrap and a wallet organizer, free samples, 20% off everything coupon code, and 15% back through eBates. They had previously sent samples of 15 different perfumes, so I knew which I liked and which gave me headaches. I love their hand cream, some bath gels, and I placed 3 orders, so received 12 gifts, plus more than 70% off of the things I purchased. Most will be gifts during the year or for next Christmas.

I resisted the urge to buy everything on the holiday clearances just yet. Winter sales will still be better in a few weeks, and nothing is urgent. I would like another pair of fleece gloves and a hat, although I have a set that is in poor condition, they still work. All the things on MY wish list that didn't come, well, I did without them before Christmas, and they can wait another year. Just little things, like a better CD organizer for the basement gym, as I cannot manage to get the CDs to slide in and out of the carosel we currently have. So I've been using a cardboard box. Not urgent, it works perfectly fine. There are just quite a few CDs.

I haven't started up my goals for the year yet. Still feeling VERY happy to survive the last year, after the intense few months we've had.

Happy New Year to all who are celebrating today, and to those who celebrate on different days, a good day to you too!

Okay, I finished and set up everyone's insurance accounts on Friday, but I'm still recovering!

My father's condition, and prognosis, caused a redo on his meds and considering "value" that was extremely difficult. I don't think of his impending death as "savings", and finding plans that won't make him go through a step program was irritating.

But, I did go through www.medicare.gov and used the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder, input the area information, specific medications for each person, changed for actual quantity used, got the lists of how many drugs each given plan covered out of each persons list. For MJ82, the best was 5/5, and she is on fairly ordinary drugs. RM85 was 11/13, and MJ45 was 11/13.

The list from MEdicare allows you to click on each plan to see the specifics of each drug listed as "covered", and shows for each medication listed whether or not there were quantity limits (i.e., "standard dose of Zoloft for the plans was 50mg, but most people are on 100-200mgs. So, having 50 mg covered and not the remaining quanitity WAS a consideration that had to be evaluated for each medication).

The list also shows if there is prior approval required for each medication, and whether or not a step program is required. A step program just requires you to try the cheapest alternative out there, then step through other trials until they "prove" you need the most expensive one. For example, if you needed Zoloft, perhaps generic Prozac first, then after your doctor reported that it was ineffective (several months in the case of SRIs), a different generic, etc., until you "proved" that Zoloft was the only medication that would work for your specific condition. This requirement is true even if you have already tried all the other meds; but you can petition the insurer. In my father's case, having only a short time to live, going through trials of cheaper drugs does not make sense. For my mother, who has been ordering generic from Canada since she first went on Medicare, it would not matter, and step plans tend to be cheaper. She tends to stay on a simple set of medications, also, while my father's new diagnosis and MJ45's changing meds needed a broader coverage to plan for the likelihood that the prescriptions will change during the year.

Some plans provide coverage of "generic" drugs during the "donut hole", some plans have deductibles, some plans have copays in tiers, (e.g., $5 for generic, $20 for name brand), some have better prices with higher deductibles (in one insurers two plans, a $0 deductible plan had 20 of the top 100 drugs costing less than $20 a month, but a $250 deductible plan with 91 of the top 100 drugs costing less than $20 a month).

Each plan has a different premium, too. So I spent most of Friday bouncing between web pages, the medicare MPDPF and the www.medicaredrugplan.com/ratings page for each person.

All three are enrolled in plans, now, and I do think they are the right plans. I've posted my opinions on part D itself, but the process of sorting it all out was in a catagory by itself!

MD did NOT want to stop by Giant on the way home from the doctor's. MD: we do not need to shop or waste time shopping or money shopping or BOO to anything spending money. There were a few good sales in the ads, though, and we needed eggs...

GE 5 year bulbs were on sale for $1 (loss leader), rather than $5 (current regular price, they were $7 in October!), and MD was ecstatic to SPEND WISELY! He bought 4 for the garage and 4 for the basement. $8 for $40 priced bulbs. Even better, a regular GE bulb is rated for 1000 hours, these are 8000 hours, plus they are "energy saving" rated. I'm not quite sure what the overall savings will be over the long run. But they are going in the locations we have to use a ladder to access, and we use the basement lights daily, so having to change them 8 times less often is a savings to me!

Overall we did well with coupons and sales. The most expensive items were dog chews (still cheaper than replacing the dining room furniture) and a favorite frozen fruit bar that we HAVE to keep on hand. Still, overall not bad:

Total before "savings" came to $213.76
Total after sales/coupons/etc. came to $86.57


I'm happy with that! I don't like going over $50 for the week, but basics like lightbulbs are in a separate category from weekly purchases. MD pointed out it is not 2/3s savings, which is always the goal, but he has been wanting these light bulbs, and was very happy to stock up!

Brother (DR55) has just explained more of his financial woes. I understand the problem he is in, but it is really hard to advise him. I've never been in his situation, although I've heard the debate. Do you pay off your house, or put the money where it will earn more, even at risk?

MD and I approach our mortgage by PAYING IT OFF. We have a good, not great, rate, renegotiated the ARM at a lower rate after the PMI limit was reached, and then PAID IT DOWN. Top priority.

Brother, 55, has no savings and 4 kids with an expensive divorce settlement. So, he bought a fixer upper house, after 5 years the appraisal was twice what he paid, so he took out a second mortage against the new value and put the cash into commodoties. But he has two full time jobs, and doesn't have time to do the day/minute trading required, and has LOST the money. Worse, he still sees the value of the house as equity he can retire on, and is having difficulty seeing that he has no equity if he has already taken out and spent the money. If he sells the house now, he will BREAK EVEN, not double his investment. No retirement, no savings, he was hoping for a magic bullet, and he took one instead.

I DO understand the thought process of using equity to invest the money in a higher yield plan, but higher yields are usually higher risk. I'm a strong believer in truly evaluating the risk you CAN ABSORB, not just that you need to be able to absorb.

So, now, he wants to keep trading, $20K down again, to regain his money. To me, he's gambling straight up, as he CANNOT afford the risk, no matter how great his need.

MD is flat out horrified. He doesn't want to bail DR55 out just to watch him sink again. DR55 is POSITIVE he can and should reinvest, and to pick himself out of the dumps he bought a new Bowflex and some power tools on credit. ACK!

I'm staying out for now, but he needs some supportive words, and I'm all out. He's jealous of my retirement, yet I'm the one looking for the $10 rebate on my new mixer! Do people actually win the equity game?

It's been a full week already!

Now it's time to prepare for next year's holidays. Not just stocking up on sales. Things to do:

Organize/file receipts from stores, note where favorite gifts were located. I may need to find the store for parts and warranties, but I also may want to come back next year to get accessories, upgrades, or find other neat things. Generally if a product was loved and I got a great deal, I want to remember to check back.

Check and list where favorite "treats" were purchased AND manufactured or sent from. The "Smore's" MD always gets from Williams and Sonoma actually come from Charlottes confections in California, and if I buy directly from them I can usually get a better deal. The virginia peanuts from Williamsburg are sold in SO many holiday catalogs, but when MD wants them in August, no where to be found. They originate from www.thepeanutshop.com, The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg, and are actually $5-10 cheaper to order directly. Also, a better selection and more choices. Besides, next year the site I got them from may not carry them. Bauers candies has a favorite caramel/marshmellow that is expensive from WS, but again, cheaper and fresher direct.

Also checking back at the catalog sites, which will be dumping the holiday food items, since they don't keep them in stock through the year. Great prices, but they go fast, and need to be freezer-friendly or otherwise keep until we want them.

Making notes of the favorite shoes/clothes/socks, where they were purchased, what the size was, who had ones that were long enough for MD. He LOVES Teva sandals, loves LLBean tall winter pants, was thrilled with EVERYTHING from REI.

Also time to download rebates for the new mixer and blow dryer MD gave me, along with so many clothes to try on. Sensitive subject, since I've gained 20 pounds from meds since the assault, and keep slowly upping the sizes. I refuse to WASTE MONEY on another size, but after so many grumps, he flooded me with 5 pair of jeans one size up. Don't know whether to love him or hide in shame, but given the lingerie he also gave me, I think I'll stick with loving him.

ALSO, the week to finish up the year, give the old items to charity before the end of the year, finalize the medicare prescription plans for everyone, clean out the closets and review finances for year end close.

Good thing the pup is housebroken already!

Okay, yes, I did not give myself a budget when it came to MD, and I spent quite a bit, although MUCH less than usual. No "stunning" gift this year. And I did really try to shop the discount sources and find the coupons and use rebates and such.

I still have the problem with giving gifts early. I buy MD something I know he wants or needs, and when it comes I tend to just give it to him. Then have to find MORE gifts, which is another excuse for overshopping the last week when all these BARGAINs hit my email. I know, they aren't bargains if I wouldn't have bought them without the grand announcement.

But, I did NOT buy any more gifts this week, a first EVER for me. Hubby, on the other hand, bought everything last minute, and has spent the last 6.5 hours behind closed doors wrapping away.

We are going a bit cheap for the Christmas Eve and Day dinners. Usually I bake for two weeks and we have a crowd and loads of appetizers and a loaded table for the Day. This year, two big spinach salads, a spinach dip and a Harlequin dip and some crackers, using almost all stuff I already had in the pantry. For dinner, a nice ham, but just a free box of mashed potatoes, no yams and mashed potato casserole loaded with butter and sour cream, no refrigerator full of leftovers that will go to waste. Seems nice, actually.

Today, I mixed up a few last minute items, got the salads ready, vacuumed and checked under the couches again (pup got stuck again last night!). Checked the mail, received some unexpected refunds for my medical expenses and some really nice cards. Ready for a nice quiet weekend.

Niece wrote that her husband loves the Hanukkah platter, and they are having quite a celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, and birthdays. I'm glad we decided to send gifts for both holidays separately this year. It's their first year in their new house, and they are starting their own traditions in both religions. Nice to be a part of that.

Having a nice wait for MD, catching up, reading some journals, thinking about financial goals for next year. We did all the "easy" financial cuts over the last few months, now it's time to get down to business.

But for now, a hot bath, a good book, and wishes to everyone for the happiest of holidays.

MD just called. Took 45 minutes to drive 5 miles from one store to the next. Now he is trying to find parking at the grocery, but says if he parks he's not going to get back out! Sounds pretty crazy out there. I told him to forget the butter, I can deal without it, but he is STUBBORN. And, he LOVES butter. Our first realization of what DIFFERENT backgrounds we came from was when I asked him to run to the store for "butter" thinking of course the 20 cent store brand of margarine. He returned with 5 pounds of Land of Lakes butter! Never occurred to me that people would purchase butter unless it was a holiday or they were entertaining. Never occurred to MD that someone would actually buy 20 cent margarine!

Maybe that's part of the blending in a marriage. I learned that he expected to eat butter, mayo, sour cream, and steak, and he learned that I expected the cost of groceries to be negligible in the budget. [I think what I actually said was something like "you mean you PAID for that?".] The first time I made BLTs, I expected we would each use one slice of bacon per sandwich, as my frugal family does, but while I was setting the table he scarfed down the two pounds straight!

Over the years, we've learned to compromise,. We each save judiciously, but we each have our own style and priorities. MD would never buy clothes on his own, he stitched his Nike's back together once; I would never buy $20/pound steak. But he LOVES and APPRECIATES clothes for Christmas, and I've got to admit, he grills up a mean steak.

Well, this morning I poked MD awake and asked HIM to take Max out. I did get up, just wanted help with the a.m. crunch. Pup is doing pretty well, he hasn't had an accident in the house in days, and last night he was rolling around on his back when he suddenly stood at attention and ran to the back door! Progress! Lots of treats and pets for his success!

MD is out doing last minute shopping. I'm sticking to the no more buying. I think I'm going to make my challenge of not buying for that last minute festive fix. He is even picking up the butter and milk. Last minute change, the store was out of sweet potatoes, so need milk for mashed potatoes.

I cleaned out the freezer, found lots of leftover ground turkey from Thanksgiving I had made up for the dog. I just threw it out. There wasn't really enough to make manicotti or anything with, and Max is too young for it, but mainly I just didn't want to deal with it. I've got too many emotions around that aren't festive, and I need festive! And everyone around me needs a bit of festive, too!

Christmas has been difficult here the last few years. I miscarried at Christmas, which led to the dog we just lost; MD and my sister's cancer over a recent Christmas; my assault the following Christmas, spending four months in the hospital; now losing the dog two weeks before Christmas. What a mix of feelings!

To top it off, today I received a Christmas package from Enfamil of two large cans and lots of vouchers and gifts. I'm a bit embarrassed, but when the dog was in ICU, they said we would need to feed her Enfamil and baby food when she came home. So in my great HOPE that all would be well, I immediately emailed all the baby sites and explained. I didn't follow up after she died. Now I'm not sure what to do! I know it's expensive and I don't want to dump it, but our need for it passed on with the dog. I may bring it to a woman's shelter. Even in my grief I don't want to waste it.

Okay, I will admit it. I'm exhausted.

Got quite a bit accomplished today. Got up, peed, fed, medicated, played, and pooped the new pup. Checked email, and REI sent an email this morning that my express had been shipped. It's supposed to be HERE today.

Mixed up the cinnamon rolls, forgot to half the batch, but 3 dozen isn't too many. Made up a batch of pecan bars, two of brownies, and one of magic bars. Nothing special, but will go nicely with the cookies I froze before, and used up some free mixes and things from the pantry. After that, made 3 dozen scones, I do NOT think prepared pantry gave good directions, but they are what they are, and no one else knows what they were *supposed* to look like! Then, 12 dozen giant muffins. Really just 3 batches. Used up two boxes of stale cereal, some old oatmeal, the egg nog and eggs that had aged a bit, cans of pumpkin and much stuff from the pantry that I really needed to clean out. So, no actual expenses for the week.

MD was right, 2 pounds of butter were NOT enough. We will have to shop tomorrow (yikes!) for more eggs, butter, and SOMETHING that I just cannot remember. Every year I either buy too much butter, or not enough. One year we USED 12 pounds, but we entertained quite a bit and had the family here. The scones and cinnamon rolls took more than I realized, though, and we will need some for dinner and I still have spiced nuts and some dips to make. Just didn't get it all done.

Pup was pretty cute, first wedged himself between me and the garbage can while I was mixing up, then laid down between my feet. Keeping every thing picked up and out of his mouth was quite interesting. Every time I take him out, though, he wants to eat rocks. Truly a chow hound.

Did 7 loads of laundry, whic is pretty funny since MD said he had just done it all on Saturday. "All" turning out to be relative to what he needed that day, underwear. Yesterday he said he was out of jeans, ALL were in the laundry, and 7 pair were! So, today I fit laundry into everything else.

Ah, MD is arguing with the pup. I think the pup is winning! Better go check.

Well, I didn't EXACTLY buy another gift, but when I went to wrap up a set of gifts I had gotten MD, I found all the "accessories" and not the main gift! Checked the order, it wasn't on the invoice, went back through all the emails, and nope, I FOUND what I wanted, and managed to order the car light adapter and charger and case, but didn't actually buy the gadget! Now, a charger that doesn't charge anything does NOT make a great gift, so I zoomed my little fingers to the REI.com site and ordered it, on express. Sigh. Boo. It had been on a nice sale, with a bunch of other outlet and sale and coupon/offer stuff, so shipping was nothing. NOW, of course, it's full price and shipping is OUCH. Guess my mind wasn't that focused last week!

The weight bench did come, and I'm thrilled. A $700 professional quality bench, was $450 at one of the web sites, on sale for $350, and then a coupon and I accidentally ran into a "cyber day" sale of an extra 20% and it was free shipping. Invoice came to around $250, which is ALOT of money, but still less than MD paid for the bench that is now falling apart. And he is putting it together (weighs 125 pounds, I managed to get it into the house, but I am NOT wrapping it!) and it is excellent. HAPPY. Feels a little more like the holidays.

Received a check for a survey I took, a nice holiday card from another forum member, and managed to get the dog outside every time today! Accidentally fed him breakfast twice, but we are all still a bit tired from recent events.

The only other savings I can think of today was we dropped by Gloria Jeans and picked up MD's favorite coffee. Had a coupon for a free 1/4 pound, and had reached the level for a $10 discount, so not bad. Other coffee's are MUCH cheaper, we usually get Trader Joe's or store brands, but it's a nice treat.

Now, I HAVE to remember to go cook dinner, as we are running low of emergency back-up plan meals, and I want to get some protein back to my hair!

Happy! MD's gifts have arrived. I'm upgrading our home gym equipment, and replacing some worn out parts. It has been a BEAR finding quality products at descent prices. There is no way MD will go to an outside gym with his scars and physical issues. But he has far exceded the capabilities of our basic equipment from Dick's and Sports Authority.

So, best sites I've found:

www.ironcompany.com Good site, no catalog, good prices, free shipping. Also incredibly great service. I was trying to find replacement foam pads that wrap around the leg lifts and arm cushions, and NO ONE has them. I sent emails everywhere, most sites were rude or didn't respond, but Scott at this site told me that they didn't have them, but he sent the address for a site that did (http://www.kamway.com/catalog_c114002.html) I ended up buying several cool items there for 20% of what I saw at local stores.

http://www.fitnessfactory.com
Good prices, hit a great sale, good selection. Shipped very fast, great service.

http://www.power-systems.com/
Good prices, site was difficult to nagivate because they have SO much stuff, but they sent a catalog, and I found everything from bar wrap pads, to ab crunch weights, to well, I can't tell ALL of MD's gifts! But prices were excellent, and they don't bill until they ship, and they ship within 2 hours of receiving the order. Loved that.

A directory for finding different web sites for equipment vendors is:
http://dmoz.org/Business/Consumer_Goods_and_Services/Sporting_Goods/Fitness_Equipment/

I did spend more than I planned, but I saved more than 75% on everything I purchased, so I will need to calculate the break even point. I know it's all stuff he will LOVE, though, so HAPPY.

Even found a lat pulldown bar designed for extra tall men to target that area he claims he can never get to with our current equipment. Yeah!

Finally made it to the grocery store. I did try the www.thegrocerygame.com, which did have a few buys I wasn't aware of, and had a great reminder system by color coding what is "buy this only if you are out" sale and a "buy this now and stock up" sale.

Didn't do too badly. Checkout price before savings was $203.92, and after savings was $89.62.

It would have been better, but I did need some spices, which are EXPENSIVE at a standard grocery story, and MD bought a chimney-cleaning log, $7. I told him he was RUINING my % savings, but he pointed out that hiring the chimney sweep every year was $100, and we aren't using the fireplace much this year. The fireplace DOES increase our heating bill as well as cause allergies, despite the forum arguments about what the air does or doesn't do. Hubbie has 3 PhDs, and one is in physics, so I keep my mouth shut about air flow and such.

The bad news, PetSmart. Had a $5 coupon, but by the time we bought a crate and a pad and some treats and a gate, it was $200. OUCH. And, I think Max will outsmart us on the gate in about two tries.

Didn't BUY ANY MORE GIFTS, so am keeping up my goal for the week. Need to wrap a few, I think that's my festive fix. NOT as fun, but we DO have costs to cut. The vet bills came to over $2000, the pet insurance was worthless. Never seen SO many loopholes. So, we continue to rebudget and dig for more ways to save.

I'm considering starting up a coupon train. I've got an envelope a week that is overflowing with ones I won't use. Anyone interested? Might ask another CERTAIN MEMBER to head it up if she wants. But, to be cost-effective, i.e., the costs of mailing has to be insignificant to the savings from the coupons received, there would need to be a committment of a turnaround time by each member of around 3 days. Is that reasonable? Anyone have any experience with this?

Okay, I'm STILL not feeling the great festivities and joy I get buying lots of last minute gifts. But, I didn't buy any gifts today. The big expense was running down to Costco to pick up a Rx, and picked up a few emergency food items. MD noted we are running out of my stockpile of muffins, soup, frozen meals, etc.

I did manage to dig out my pile of newspaper inserts and received coupons and cut them out and pile them up. MD hasn't filed the coupons yet, which he defends as HIS job in helping out in shopping. So, we will do the grocery shopping tomorrow. Mostly basics, a few items on sale for the holidays, like Gold Medal flour is 99 cents and I have a 25 cent coupon that will double to 50, and Philadelphia cream cheese on sale and a coupon for the frosting on the cinnamon rolls or stolen.

We need more chewy but not edible treats for the pup. He chews on EVERYTHING. The greenies went RIGHT through him. The rawhide chews he likes but gets bored pretty fast. He loves chewing the corners of the Christmas packages. I put a Neat Sheet over them, and MD held it down with an ottoman and weights, but the little one STILL managed to pull the Sheet off in about 60 seconds and was back in the gifts. Good thing he is SO cute.

It's been a hard day. A week since we put Mieske down. Spent an hour talking to JB about flying home to see my dad that is not my father. What a year! Anyhoo, the family has sent us $2000 to fly out and stay in a hotel. But, accepting money from the family means obligation and control and having to listen to their opinions, and staying "long enough" to have made their money worth while. There are issues with how long to stay and when, still trying to determine what is prognosis really is, 3 weeks or 3 months or 3 years.

There is debate about the inheritance, and if Mom will change the will when Dad is gone, lots of family politics about money that I want to stay clear of. It's amazing how families who are so loving can change so much over money.

Other than that, MD and I are just exhausted. So, we will be getting back to saving, and I will get back to writing up my savings challenges and successes and failures soon. Tomorrow, probably. For tonight, we crash.

Okay, maybe after I post a few freebies. Got to do SOMETHING useful today!

I was a bit sad today, reading the forums on buying generic versus couponing. It really seemed like one member felt they had to defend themselves for not taking the time or needing to coupon.

Couponing, shopping sales, looking for "deals" takes a great deal of time, and it's not necessary for everyone. It's not a help to everyone.

For me, I've gone in stages. Grew up with coupons and sales and hunting down bargains at several different stores each week. After I married and went on to grad school, one, I had no TIME for couponing or looking at ads or even planning ahead, and no storage space. We lived on $500 a month, and graciously accepted piles of groceries each month from MIL, whom I adore. We worked round the clock, and rarely cooked fancy meals. Clothing consisted of a pair of jeans, and scrubs and a lab coat provided by the university, cast off furniture from our families, and lots of group pizza. Still, we managed to save!

Post-doc paid a bit more, and the professorship more. Still, we were busy, and shopping usually meant a run down to Pac n Save or PriceClub.

Getting into the "real world", having to buy the first sets of business clothes and entertain, etc., was a different ball game. I did start to coupon and check the ads, MD built a huge pantry in the garage. Still, I traveled 50%, and the rules were a bit different. I remember arriving home from a rush tour of PacRim, dropping by work in a dirty Australia tshirt and jeans straight off the plane, and meeting with the president of N-Cubed. California, different standards. But we were spending more, shirts and ties, "start up costs" for our new jobs, and we did become more and more conscious of making the deals. At one point we were a bi-coastal couple, and when MD flew home from the east coast for weekends, I had the list and coupons all set out, and we'd shop/save as our destress together.

Moving East and becoming VPs for a Fortune 500 company, our salaries rose, our expenses rose, and we worked 20 hour days. Shopping was a grab it and go, but we stuck with what we needed for the week and not staples that would expire before I actually had time to cook.

All along the way, we found ways to SAVE. That is what all of these different methods come down to. The details of what works, or when, depends on everyone's circumstances. Once we retired, I didn't immediately start shopping ads or couponing, until this October when we hit a snag and we needed to cut finances for a few months. But I have the time, and I enjoy saving money, in whatever form it takes! I HATE shopping, but I love saving money.

I hope no one feels pressed to conform to something that just stresses them out, when they can accomplish their goals in other ways. I do whatever works for ME at the TIME, and try to just let the rest go.

Well, I HAVE managed to go a whole day without spending, even on S&H for freebies. Possibly because I have a cold, and slept all morning despite the Airborne. I think I got fairly run down over the last two weeks. At this rate, I will have the Airborne rebate faster than anticipated.

I saw on another coupon board that Giant is having another crazy 8 sale, so I will check that out, and try to start planning holiday dinners. We usually do appetizers, munchies (zakuska) on Christmas Eve, then snack on them over lunch the next day while dinner cooks. It's just so much easier. We aren't having anyone over this year, though, and no one is coming here. Last year we had the family over. Sister from Monterey came over, and we had to buy gloves, scarf, coat, boots, robe, etc. Now, it's not bad out here, and she wrote to ask me to ship her warm things to her in Monterey because she's freezing! It is always something.

Did clean out a few pages from the household/gardening freebies. At least it's a small section. The health section, AGH. Wonder if we should have a separate section for Rx versus OTC and other health freebies.

Katwoman, thanks for showing me the other coupon links. Love it! As soon as I figure out the print thing.

So, dinner tonight, probably my cheapest dinner. Take a 10 cent package of Raman soup mix, make it using an extra cup of water, a boullion cube, a touch of soy sauce or ginger, and a bunch of frozen veggies or leftovers, like broccoli. Excellent soup, costs NOTHING. And the veggies make it a bit healthier.