Friday, February 26, 2016

Frugal Friday: Money Saving Weekly Recap

Before I start I wanted to share this picture.  Isn't it cute?  My daughter was at the window on her birthday and ran over all excited, "Mom!  Someone made hearts in the driveway just for me because it's my birthday!"  I went and looked and found the above hearts looking back at me.  Whoever turned around in my driveway (we get a lot of people doing that during the day) had a REALLY small turning radius on their car, but still left some cool looking evidence of their turning around.  And hey, maybe my daughter was right.  Maybe God was, in His own way, giving her a happy birthday shout out.  Kind of cool to think of that.  I just had to share as really that's probably a one in a million shot right there ;).

Well, another week has come and gone on the money saving front.  Luckily, by decreasing my grocery budget by so much I have been able to save some money, not much, but some.  It always seems like as soon as you start saving money things happen that make you spend some of it, which is what happened to me.

I got dental work done on Monday.  I'm not sure if it was getting the big fillings in my teeth, thus the dentist had to kind of rebuild the top of one of my teeth or the grinding to get the bite right, or (my theory) the Novocaine shot in my jaw, but my TMJ flared worse than it has since my nephew passed away back in 2004.  I have had a constant pain in my ear, can't open my jaw all the way and had a constant migraine.  Not fun by any stretch of the imagination.  So, I finally called my dentist yesterday and asked if there was anything he could recommend to help as I'd been taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen every four hours for days just to function and chew alright.  He prescribed me a muscle relaxant.  Which was great until I had to pay for it.  AFTER my insurance was applied, which thank goodness I had some, it was still 113.00 for a one month supply (and I'm only taking one pill at bedtime).  Ouch!

It was great having the insurance though as that cut the price by over half for the pills.  Without insurance, which would have been my situation a couple of months ago, the pills would have cost me 260.00.  So yay for insurance!

And at least I'd saved some money, which made paying for the pills hurt, but wasn't devastating to the point of panic.  Not ideal, but could be worse.

Anyway, now that I got to tell how I blew 100.00 in one shot, let's share how I actually saved some money this week.

1.  My son's speech therapist has been having pow wows with the assisted technology gurus that she deals with and they have supported her that she should be able to get a dedicated device for my son with his adaptive communication application on it.  She has to run him through a few more evaluations to make Medicaid happy, but I'm just thrilled that we might be able to get him a device with his communication app on it by the end of school.  I am still saving money up to get him the app installed on his I-Pad mini we bought, but I've still got a ways to go because we have so many bills due in the next couple of months.

2.   My sister-in-law gave us a 25.00 gift card to our local sporting goods store for Christmas.  My husband found out that the store was in financial trouble and might be going down at any time, so we figured we'd better go and spend said giftcard while we could.  So, we took an outing.  And then my husband says as soon as we get in the door, "Hey, do you need anything here?"  I asked why as I figured he had an idea of what he wanted to spend the giftcard on and he said something to the effect that he wasn't sure if there was anything he really needed there right now.

So, I went looking around and had a ball spending the majority of our giftcard (my husband bought himself some hard candy which took up the remainder, but it's not pictured because he kept it out in the garage).

I got myself a meat tenderizer!  Remember how I kind of made due with a knife to tenderize cheap steaks the other day?  Well the device above is what I was KIND OF trying to simulate.  Alton Brown uses a bigger one yet, but this one will definitely get the job done on cheap cuts of meat for me and it fits in my drawers in my kitchen.  I've heard these are really good if you are going to marinate meat too as the marinade will seep into the holes created by the tenderizer and flavor the meat throughout.  Sounds good to me!

I also found a big ball of butcher's twine, which will come in handy when making meat rolls or steamed puddings in a dish towel or other cloth (since you need to tie the cloth shut of course).

And I also found a new spice rub to try.  I've never heard of "tequila powder" but am curious to see what it tastes like.  I'm really hoping this will taste good on chicken and veggies as that will be a nice new flavor to introduce to the chicken monotony *laugh*.

3.  Instead of eating chicken strips and fries here for my daughter's birthday, my in-laws offered to take all of us out to eat at Red Robin.  Red Robin is like one of a very limited number of restaurants we can eat at with my son's allergies, so we were more than happy to accept (since it's out of our budget for the time being for sure).  The kids had a blast and got free balloons on our way out of the door and then we came home and ate birthday cake.

My daughter LOVED the bath set, thought the embroidery was pretty enough that she argued with me that she should be able to wear the nightgown as a dress (gotta love kids) and really liked the robes as well.  My mother-in-law got her a couple of nightgowns, some underwear and some socks (as she put it with the underwear, "Sorry hon.  Grandma's do that."  *Laugh* the look of "really?" on my daughter's face was priceless though ;).  Overall my daughter declared it, "The best birthday EVER!" which cracks me up because she says that about every birthday.

4.  The menu plan took really curvy roads this week.  I had such bad headaches that I really didn't want to do things like stand and make cornmeal pancakes for dinner, so we ended up eating leftover chicken and the fixings for a few days straight, which thank goodness my husband was okay with that as we also ended up eating chicken sandwiches for lunch as well (creativity this week was NOT my strong suit unfortunately).  I'm finally feeling better so I'm thinking a nice beef stew (cooked in the thermal cooker because...well it's a new toy and I want to try it out *laugh*) and big thick loaves of bread are on the menu for tomorrow night, but we'll see how nice my jaw is to me at this point.  I'm praying the worst is behind me as my ear still hurts, as does my jaw (obviously), but the radiating pain encompassing the right side of my head seems to be subsiding, which is definitely a good thing.  But anyway, by having leftovers to use we at least didn't spend a fortune eating out or buying frozen dinners this week.  Always nice.

5.  I watched as much as I could find of "Edwardian Farm" and really enjoyed what was available.  I then have gone back and started to watch "Wartime Farm" again as honestly I really really like Ruth.  She's always got such a positive attitude in the show, which I'm sure we get to see her at her best and all, but she explains things in such a wonderful way and I've learned  a lot just from watching her work.  And "Wartime Farm" of course is the period of history I'm the most interested in, so between that and the 1940's house I have fun :).

6.  I got a couple of Amazon giftcards this week by cashing in Swagbucks and I got 20.00 for having my story published on One Hundred Dollars a Month. I have so far used part of this money to order my coffee for next month for free, have ordered a year's worth of vacuum bags (nine of them) for my Kirby (plus a replacement belt) for free (13.00 for the lot plus free shipping!), and I ordered several books including the companion book to "Wartime Farm".  I would like to say that I LOVE the companion books to the BBC shows.  They are as good, or better, than the shows themselves and are just packed full of information in my experience.  I love the companion book for "The 1940's House" and am really looking forward to getting "Wartime Farm".  I love getting new books anyway, but when it is in an area that I love it's all the better :).

And I still have some money left over, which I'm saving in case I need it to order food (honestly we're good on canned goods and allergy friendly dried fruits and stuff right now, so I'm not seeing me needing it, but if nothing else it'll pay for my coffee month after next as well).  It's amazing how if you shop Amazon REALLY carefully and watch prices like a hawk how good of a deal you can score on things.  For instance "Wartime Farm" the book normally is pretty spendy, but I found one seller who was selling it for less than a dollar on a new listing and quickly jumped on it.  It's great when that happens!

7.  I mended a door frame this week.  We have hollow core doors around here which we keep hoping to one day replace (the list of "wants" never ends does it?) and the door frames are really cheap in that they are two piece floating frames.  The one in my son's room never has sat level so the frame will pop apart and then the door won't open and close right.  With a kid that will only sleep with the door closed and when you have to get into said room multiple times a night, without cursing a door that you have to force open, it becomes somewhat of a challenge.  So, I took a pry bar to level the door up where it needed to go (as the frame separated the door fell a little) and then nailed the tacks back into the wood where they needed to go.  I'm really thinking of saying to heck with aesthetics and sinking some screws into the door frame, but we'll see how long my patience runs *laugh*.

8.  My friend asked if she could send me some coupons in the mail and, of course, I didn't turn that down.  She sent me some really nice high value coupons on cat litter and even some freebie coupons for wet cat food and Propel water.  I used both yesterday to help cut my costs down on groceries.  It doesn't seem like much but that one bottle of water will stretch my daughter's current stores of flavored water to last through next Thursday, which stopped me from having to purchase a six pack this week (thanks so much for the coupons, Stephanie!).

9.  After much calling and fighting I finally got a bill allocated correctly so that part of our dental debt is paid off and won't come back to haunt us.  About four more parts to go, but progress!

10.  Despite not feeling well this week I was still able to keep on top of my cleaning schedule.  I was thrilled to get my gas bill in the mail and find that despite running our dryer once or twice a day (gas dryer, obviously) by lowering the heat during the day when the kids aren't here I still lowered our bill by 30.00 and this is after a rate hike last month.  I was pleased to say the least :).

So, there you are folks.  Some of my money saving endeavors this week.  How did you do?

29 comments:

  1. I have a few things to comment on~as you share a lot that triggers thoughts. On #1, my second son has speech delay and speaks with an impediment that is more pronounced if he is tired. We worked very hard with him, and also with the realities of how some people may be. He is 23 now, married and gave me my first grandson. He was a fireman but is pursuing law enforcement as I type. No matter your stress or worries or concerns about his speech I can promise you that if you persevere he will be better for it. Until around age 9 no one could really understand my son, aside from the family.

    ABout #4 when mom is under the weather for whatever reason, breakfast for dinner is a great standby...or frozen pizzas or some version compatible with the food digestive needs. Even a great menu plan allows for some detours ;)

    #5 I love all the pbs style shows and really enjoyed a show called Castaway made by the BBC. I watched it when it happened and it was for an entire year. What a fantastic show!!! Here is a link about it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castaway_2000

    I am sorry my comment went on so long, but I enjoyed seeing your bullet post of the whats going on.

    As to your question about money saving...I smile, as my life is a money saving endeavor!
    Have a great weekend,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I smiled at your "My life is a money saving endeavor" comment. That's a great way to look at it :).

      We did have breakfast for dinner last night actually *laugh*. I finally got to making french toast, which worked really well as it used up EXACTLY the last of the home made loaf of bread that I needed to use up. That never happens so I got a huge kick out of it :).

      I'll have to check out Castaway and see what I can find in the way of episodes. It sounds neat.

      I, most days, keep my chin up when it comes to my son. He might be picking up one little babble at a time, but he makes progress across the board every year, which, to me, is the most important thing. I'm thrilled that he's finally getting a device to help him communicate, though as it's got to be so frustrating not being able to get your thoughts and ideas across. I try to think of how he must feel and am amazed he's as happy and well adjusted as he is with his inability to communicate on a high level. We're getting there, though, which thank goodness for that. We've waited a LONG time and fought hard to get him the ability to communicate so it's great seeing things coming slowly but surely to fruition.

      Delete
  2. Hi - just wanted to comment that I enjoy reading your posts. I know it must be hard to post when you don't get feedback. I admire that you can get so much food out of a tiny budget. It makes me think twice when I think about throwing food out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I do appreciate the feedback and I'm really happy you find the blog useful :). Always good to know!

      Delete
  3. Erika, if you want I would be more than willing to send coupons for cat food and litter. Just let me know and I can give you my e-mail. I have never seen coupons for coke produces or Doritos so I can't help with those. I get the Sunday paper almost every week so I might have coupons you can use. Cheryl.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh I appreciate the thought! I really do! These coupons were for local stores (the ones that print off at the register), so I was more than happy to take them off of my friend's hands. When it comes to other coupons my mom sends me a bunch of coupons every week or two from her circulars in Pennsylvania which comes in handy a LOT as in Alaska...yeah...we don't get coupons in our papers :).

      Once again I really, really do appreciate the offer and thank you! I will let you know if I do need stuff like that in the future though, promise :).

      Delete
    2. Sure no problem. Funny I live in PA, about an hour from Erie. Cheryl

      Delete
    3. My mom lives in South Western right by Pittsburgh :).

      Delete
    4. Wow what a difference in life style. We are considered rural, do have close neighbors, but nothing like in the city. My dh use to ride his bike along a two lane road with cornfields on both sides. Cheryl

      Delete
    5. We originally hailed from the Bentleyville area and lived on a 80 acre farm. My grandfather had shut down the farm a long time ago, but I totally get the rural PA feelings. I much preferred central PA over by Hershey or northern PA over by where you guys are compared to South Western...I always thought the areas that were still farming were so pretty compared to where we were :).

      Delete
    6. My mom moved to the Pittsburgh area after I had moved to Alaska, so I've seen pictures of her house but that's it :).

      Delete
  4. I'm so glad your daughter loved her gifts. And Red Robin is so good. The bonus is you didn't have to cook and now you have those chicken strips and fries for a future meal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must admit that I enjoyed my french dip (I believe it was called a "prime rib dip" or something similar) and my cole slaw. It was nice not having to cook. Sad, but true :).

      And yup, we have enjoyed chicken salad once this week with a couple of the chicken strips cut up on top. SOOOOO good!

      Delete
  5. What an amazing picture that was...wow!Hearts!!

    I love your blog, I find myself checking often. Your positive and creativeNess inspires me. I wish it were easier to find blogs like yours, we should all surrounded ourselves with such things, how much better life would be!

    I have been planning out christmas, and trying to still give big, but with less, and some years it's easier than other. I can't sew, and am not super crafty, but it hit me, and I good led subway art generator, and there are places, like, tagul.com where you can enter in names or words or etc and it does any color or shape you want it in. I made 6 tonight, plan to find frames and print the pictures out as gifts. Pretty excited about that. Was super fun to play with. One will be for my mother in law with all of the family member names and things like love, family etc.going to be a great gift and ultra cheap too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What an awesome idea for a gift! I'm going to bookmark the site as a potential Christmas gift for my niece in junior high. She might very well get a kick out of that :).

      Delete
  6. Oh, I love the heart picture! It sounds like it was such a good birthday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was. There has been so many birthdays in the past where illness would just make the day not great, that it was doubly wonderful having everyone healthy and able to enjoy the day :).

      Delete
  7. I'm partial to hearts - collect them and love what they stand for. (I also have a heart problem so that's weird I know but what can I say - lol) I love the hearts your daughter saw. What a gift from God to put them out there to brighten her day. That just made her birthday even more special I'm sure. And tell her it made someone else smile to see it too - Me. Thanks so much for your blog. I'm a very private person but really enjoy connecting with your blog. You inspire me. I've always been frugal and enjoy reading how others do it. Raised my two boys on my own - they are grown men now. I love hearing about all the ways you save and thanks for allowing us a peek into your world. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you ever want to print that photo off or anything feel free to crop my watermark right off of there and use it. I'd love for the image to brighten some people's day. It sure brightened ours :).

      And thank you for the kind words. I really appreciate it and I'm really happy people like the blog. I've connected with so many wonderful people when doing this blog. It's wonderful. Have a great day!

      Delete
    2. Thank you. I would love to do that. I love that picture.

      Delete
  8. I LOVE that heart picture. In fact, I think you should consider framing a print, or having it printed on canvas as a gift for your daughter. If you watch for a gift code for one of those photo websites, it might be a really cheap but memorable gift for her!

    As for Ruth Goodman, I love that lady too, though Peter is my absolute favourite! There is another series called Tudor Monastery Farm to watch as well. I admit, I have only watched a few episodes, but Ruth does a lot of cooking as always. I love learning from historic cooking. They use such simple ingredients and usually what they had available, which are great lessons for us to learn from.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've only watched a few episodes of Tudor Monastery Farm as well. I miss Alex, I won't lie *laugh*. I adore Peter as well. I love how he's just always willing to trod right into the middle of whatever needs to be done and just does it. My type of man :).

      Delete
    2. As for the print, you're right. That would be a great thing to print off and frame for my daughter for her room. I'll have to keep an eye out for printer cartridge coupons as my color ink is pretty much done in my starter cartridges, but yeah...I'll add that to my "to print and frame" list :). Thanks!

      Delete
  9. Such a fun thing for your daughter's birthday! Little things like that always make a day more special.

    Sorry you're fighting TMJ - it can be so, so painful! Praying for relief and a better week this week!

    Lea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm feeling better. Still got some improvement to go, but at least the Ibuprofen and the Skelaxin are doing their jobs and I'm coping now. I knew I was bad when I wasn't functioning well. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, so I've been told, so when I can't work through pain I know I'm in trouble.

      Delete
  10. I love the picture of the hearts in the driveway. So cute and special.

    I'm glad you had a good birthday for your daughter, and that you are starting to feel better from your dental work. I'm glad you got to go out for dinner, as well.

    Really, things are looking up for you all around right now. Enjoy it! I'm happy for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm really trying more than anything to keep a good positive outlook on the year. Might as well enjoy the little things day to day and try not to stress so much about the huge things that I can't do much to control :).

      Delete
  11. Erika I love the hearts in your driveway. We have a heartshaped puddle in our yard that shows up every time it rains. No clue why, as there is no heart shaped space there when it's dry...Wonderful that it showed up for your daughter's birthday, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amazing how those things just pop up sometimes isn't it *laugh*.

      Delete