Who forgets to talk about Black Friday on a personal finance blog? Me, apparently.
I shied away from talking about the sales before "the day", because you could've found that in every corner of the internet. The problem with that is then you forget the whole thing, as in this case.
While I had every intention of going to Wal-Mart for their 10 PM Thanksgiving night sale, I was thoroughly exhausted after cleaning and cooking all day (it was my first year having people over for Thanksgiving dinner), that I barely got through my glass of wine before passing out on the couch.
For me, Black Friday tends to be a day where I spend money on myself or the house. The best deals of the day were definitely at Macy's. I wasted a lot of time in morning looking for a new work suit when I really should've been in the home department. The morning specials were crazy good! I ended up getting a 4 quart stainless steel saute pan for $11 and I've used it at least ten times since then. I love it. I also picked up a 5-piece roasting set (pan, rack, baster, & lifting tongs) which was on sale for $20, then I had a 15% off coupon bringing the total price to $18. Unfortunately, the 15% off coupon only worked on regular sales and not the morning specials, so that was the only item I was able to get a deeper discount on.
It seemed like every time I was in the line waiting to check out, I would see something else I wanted (like the above roasting pan). On my second go-round of the home department, I scored a 53-piece flatware set for only $32 (regular price: $80). Obviously, The Hubs and I have every day flatware, but we only have service for four. It doesn't make a difference to us whether we eat dinner with a salad fork or a dinner fork, but in prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, I realized I didn't even have matching flatware for my family of five. Now I won't have to borrow my mom's silverware to have a dinner party. #grownup.
Lastly, my big purchase of the day was a Ninja Professional Blender. The Hubs and I have been looking for a nice blender since we got married. First, we had one of those "blend and go" little machines which smelled like melting plastic when you would run it and couldn't chop ice at all. Gross. Then we got a basic Kitchen Aide blender, which was better, but still didn't crush ice like we needed. My mother-in-law got us a Magic Bullet set she found at a yard sale, but still no dice on the ice. I called The Hubs and he gave his blessing on the Ninja purchase. I hoped I would be able to use a $10 off coupon as well, but, unfortunately, that didn't work. $90 later, we have a blender that can in fact "turn ice into snow" and I've been able to enjoy my green smoothies once more. Yipee! The rest of the mall was a bust that Friday, but that's what long weekend are for, right? I, for one, appreciated the extended Black Friday sales and was able to pick up some actual gifts on Saturday. Of course I took advantage of Cyber Monday sales as well.
All in all, I was able to wrap up (pun intended) most of Christmas shopping in one weekend. I have two more actual presents to get, then the rest of family has asked for cash.
How are you doing with your Christmas list? Have you gotten any good deals lately?
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun. Show all posts
Friday, December 7, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
my first word
was N-O. And like most kids, I said it a lot.
It's funny to look back on because now, as an adult, I have a difficult time saying no to pretty much anything. I think (based on absolutely no research) that's common in women. The Hubs probably hates it, since now by default, he pretty much does whatever I'm doing in our spare time. Plan your party? Sure. Host Thanksgiving dinner? Okay. Help you move? We'll be there with bells on.
While I am a people pleaser, I don't say yes to things because I want the laurels. 99% of the time, I enjoy whatever I'm doing and, more importantly, helping people is what feels right to me. I'm a "fixer" by nature & if whatever you need done makes your life easier/less stressful, then I'm glad to help out.
Unfortunately, saying yes can add up, financially speaking. This week, I had to decline an invitation to a friend's bachelorette party. The reason was two-fold: I have obligations with The Hubs' family that weekend which can't be changed, but also, it would have been expensive. With the holidays coming up and having so many financial "situations" (for lack of a better term) the past few months, it's money I just can't spend right now.
I'm bummed, but the best decisions are always the hardest ones, right?
It's funny to look back on because now, as an adult, I have a difficult time saying no to pretty much anything. I think (based on absolutely no research) that's common in women. The Hubs probably hates it, since now by default, he pretty much does whatever I'm doing in our spare time. Plan your party? Sure. Host Thanksgiving dinner? Okay. Help you move? We'll be there with bells on.
While I am a people pleaser, I don't say yes to things because I want the laurels. 99% of the time, I enjoy whatever I'm doing and, more importantly, helping people is what feels right to me. I'm a "fixer" by nature & if whatever you need done makes your life easier/less stressful, then I'm glad to help out.
Unfortunately, saying yes can add up, financially speaking. This week, I had to decline an invitation to a friend's bachelorette party. The reason was two-fold: I have obligations with The Hubs' family that weekend which can't be changed, but also, it would have been expensive. With the holidays coming up and having so many financial "situations" (for lack of a better term) the past few months, it's money I just can't spend right now.
I'm bummed, but the best decisions are always the hardest ones, right?
Thursday, November 8, 2012
hey hey what can I do?
Every time I've opened a blank post up this week, I haven't been able to come up with something to write. I like to try and keep my posts focused, lest this become reminiscent of my teenage LiveJournal days; However, clarity has been elusive. I'm going to indulge my stream-of-consciousness today in the hopes a more focused blogger will appear at the end.
When we last left off, pre-hurricane, we had just spent $1,800 on the Hubs' car. Prior to this, we had about $2,200 on our joint Chase card. We made a lump payment of $1,000 before the car repair; However, now we have a $3,300 bill. Ugh. At least at the end of this month, we'll get the Hubs' check for coaching track and that can get paid off. Sandy delayed that by at least a week though, since the whole season was pushed back a week (including the bonus pay schedule).
Speaking of Sandy, I had a bit of a panic moment this past weekend, when I believed there was a very real possibility we weren't going to be paid as scheduled tomorrow (since no one was in last week to submit their time sheets). Thankfully, it looks as though the State of NJ is going to come through and deposit a much needed paycheck in my bank account tomorrow. Phew.
Post car, but pre-Sandy, we went to the Hubs' cousin's wedding in North Jersey. Seriously, people, I love you all, but we need to get out of this wedding phase. I forgot to buy a card & we didn't have time to grab one before the wedding on Friday, so I figured I would mail it to them when we got back, but then I thought that having the cash might be in our best interest if the power was out for an extended period of time. Well, our power came back on sooner than most (so so lucky), but I just can't be trusted with money. In general. Ever. Plus I kind of over spent on groceries right before the storm, so I was doubly broke. Luckily, we didn't lose any food with the storm (again, so so lucky). I just wrote them the check this morning. Whoops.
I did fall into a bit of money yesterday, though! I'm in a football pick-em pool at work and I scored the most points two weeks ago and won $100! I would've won $185, but I hadn't paid my entry fee yet, so that had to be subtracted. I'm currently 13 points off the leader, so I don't know if I have a shot of winning any of the top three prizes, but I'm trying not to think about it or I'll mess up my winning strategy (which is really no strategy at all, but quickly trying to get all my picks in before the start of the first game on Thursday night). I already spent the $100 in the form of a check to the above mentioned bride and groom though. Whoomp whoomp.
I've been spending more money on food lately than I should, specifically lunches. I'm in one of those funks where whatever I've brought doesn't actually appeal to me by the time I need to eat it. Yesterday was one of those days and today is shaping up to be one too. Plus we're going to lunch tomorrow for my co-worker, who already transferred to another county, but we couldn't celebrate since we weren't at work last week!
Lastly, I'll leave you with a little quip about spending money to make money (kind of). After Financial Literacy Month was over, I was reading other personal finance blogs and came across Man vs. Debt. I saw he offered a "class" of sorts called "You vs. Debt" and I thought it would be interesting and relevant to the blog so I signed up. I just started getting the e-mails and was getting pretty excited about the whole thing (well, as excited as you can be for a personal finance class). Yesterday, I got the e-mail to complete my registration and when I went to the website, you had to pay a one time fee of $97! I guess in the grand scheme of things, $97 isn't a lot of money, but really, what could they possibly tell me that I don't already know? I get it - I need to spend less and make more. It's harder than it seems when you're a spender. That's the secret. I just put it out there for free. It was definitely a major WTF moment for me.
It feels to get that jumble of money related "stuff" out there, as disjointed and unorganized as it might have been. How are my lovely readers out there doing? I haven't had any comments on the last four posts - did I lose you all?
When we last left off, pre-hurricane, we had just spent $1,800 on the Hubs' car. Prior to this, we had about $2,200 on our joint Chase card. We made a lump payment of $1,000 before the car repair; However, now we have a $3,300 bill. Ugh. At least at the end of this month, we'll get the Hubs' check for coaching track and that can get paid off. Sandy delayed that by at least a week though, since the whole season was pushed back a week (including the bonus pay schedule).
Speaking of Sandy, I had a bit of a panic moment this past weekend, when I believed there was a very real possibility we weren't going to be paid as scheduled tomorrow (since no one was in last week to submit their time sheets). Thankfully, it looks as though the State of NJ is going to come through and deposit a much needed paycheck in my bank account tomorrow. Phew.
Post car, but pre-Sandy, we went to the Hubs' cousin's wedding in North Jersey. Seriously, people, I love you all, but we need to get out of this wedding phase. I forgot to buy a card & we didn't have time to grab one before the wedding on Friday, so I figured I would mail it to them when we got back, but then I thought that having the cash might be in our best interest if the power was out for an extended period of time. Well, our power came back on sooner than most (so so lucky), but I just can't be trusted with money. In general. Ever. Plus I kind of over spent on groceries right before the storm, so I was doubly broke. Luckily, we didn't lose any food with the storm (again, so so lucky). I just wrote them the check this morning. Whoops.
I did fall into a bit of money yesterday, though! I'm in a football pick-em pool at work and I scored the most points two weeks ago and won $100! I would've won $185, but I hadn't paid my entry fee yet, so that had to be subtracted. I'm currently 13 points off the leader, so I don't know if I have a shot of winning any of the top three prizes, but I'm trying not to think about it or I'll mess up my winning strategy (which is really no strategy at all, but quickly trying to get all my picks in before the start of the first game on Thursday night). I already spent the $100 in the form of a check to the above mentioned bride and groom though. Whoomp whoomp.
I've been spending more money on food lately than I should, specifically lunches. I'm in one of those funks where whatever I've brought doesn't actually appeal to me by the time I need to eat it. Yesterday was one of those days and today is shaping up to be one too. Plus we're going to lunch tomorrow for my co-worker, who already transferred to another county, but we couldn't celebrate since we weren't at work last week!
Lastly, I'll leave you with a little quip about spending money to make money (kind of). After Financial Literacy Month was over, I was reading other personal finance blogs and came across Man vs. Debt. I saw he offered a "class" of sorts called "You vs. Debt" and I thought it would be interesting and relevant to the blog so I signed up. I just started getting the e-mails and was getting pretty excited about the whole thing (well, as excited as you can be for a personal finance class). Yesterday, I got the e-mail to complete my registration and when I went to the website, you had to pay a one time fee of $97! I guess in the grand scheme of things, $97 isn't a lot of money, but really, what could they possibly tell me that I don't already know? I get it - I need to spend less and make more. It's harder than it seems when you're a spender. That's the secret. I just put it out there for free. It was definitely a major WTF moment for me.
It feels to get that jumble of money related "stuff" out there, as disjointed and unorganized as it might have been. How are my lovely readers out there doing? I haven't had any comments on the last four posts - did I lose you all?
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
tricks for treats
Well, Readers, I'm all packed up for our four day Disney excursion. I'll be back Monday to detail if I was able to stick to the budget. I am happy to report that I did not buy any new clothes for this trip, which honestly, might be a first. Actually, I did buy a new pack of socks, but those I can use all the time, so we won't count that ;-)
I'll leave you with a Yahoo article about how stores trick you into spending more money. There's some sneaky stuff going on- like increasing the size of the shopping cart so you spend more money (just another reason to use the handheld basket on smaller trips).
One of the points I could definitely relate to was rasing the price on an items just to mark it down so you feel like you're saving more money. Their example was people are more likely to buy a mixer for $399.00 marked down from $499.00 rather than buy the same mixer which isn't on sale for $349.00. Another trick is the 10 for $10 "deal": I definitely will almost always buy more of something when it's marked 10/$10 (which is what they want!) I can't tell you how many times The Hubs has said something like "You know, you don't have to buy ten of them."
Do you ever fall victim to one of their price tricks? Knowledge is half the battle!
Also, speaking of knowledge, check out my sister's blog for a post about Banned Books Week and see how many of the classics you've read. I've read a paltry 9 out of 46 books. Had I read this morning, I would've gone to the library instead of buying magazines for the plane ride tonight!
I'll leave you with a Yahoo article about how stores trick you into spending more money. There's some sneaky stuff going on- like increasing the size of the shopping cart so you spend more money (just another reason to use the handheld basket on smaller trips).
One of the points I could definitely relate to was rasing the price on an items just to mark it down so you feel like you're saving more money. Their example was people are more likely to buy a mixer for $399.00 marked down from $499.00 rather than buy the same mixer which isn't on sale for $349.00. Another trick is the 10 for $10 "deal": I definitely will almost always buy more of something when it's marked 10/$10 (which is what they want!) I can't tell you how many times The Hubs has said something like "You know, you don't have to buy ten of them."
Do you ever fall victim to one of their price tricks? Knowledge is half the battle!
Also, speaking of knowledge, check out my sister's blog for a post about Banned Books Week and see how many of the classics you've read. I've read a paltry 9 out of 46 books. Had I read this morning, I would've gone to the library instead of buying magazines for the plane ride tonight!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
magic isn't cheap
Next Wednesday, the hubs and I are traveling to the Most Magical Place on Earth (I feel the need to capitalize that, for some reason), as his cross country team is competing in the ESPN Cross Country Classic. Back when we first found out about the trip, we were both pretty psyched. I say we, because I was invited to attend as a chaperone. Sidenote: There are few words in the English language that make you feel old than chaperone.
Before you get your undies in a bunch about taxpayer money being wasted on a non-district employee such as myself (like my Mom), you should know we were responsible for paying our own way. Additionally, the girls cross country coach decided this year, the team would "upgrade" from a value resort to a moderate resort. For those of you who don't know, here are the differences:
Value Resort: Your basic amenities - food court, gift shop, pools (but no water slides), a lot of walking, sometimes long waits for the shuttles. Basically, we would be at the Wide World of Sports hotel (or other Value priced hotel) with every other cross country team attending.
Moderate Resort: A bit more upscale. There's a food court AND a table service restaurant and there are more pools (and some have water slides). The walking is about the same as well as the transportation (Disney shuttle).
I stayed in the Port Orleans Moderate resort when I went to Disney at 17. Honestly, I don't remember anything special about it. The two times the =hubs and I have gone to Disney as adults, we've stayed near Downtown Disney (because we're drunks). Personally, I would've been fine with spending less money on a Value resort this time around. But then again, when there aren't 500 obnoxious high schoolers around our resort while I'm trying to sleep - I'll be grateful.
Granted, I'm sure we saved some money by traveling in a large group, but some things are expensive in Disney no matter which way you look at it. The biggest of these is food. I did some research the other night on this and there are a few websites with helpful suggestions, but the most informative one is Mouse Savers. Every tip you could ever imagine for any Disney vacation is there.
The number #1 tip I found was that you can now bring your own water into the theme parks and fill up at the water fountains as your day goes on. Considering bottle of water usually cost at least $2, this is definitely going to come in handy. You can also bring snacks into the park as well. This weekend, we'll be picking up some travel-friendly snack packs to bring in with us.
The hubs and I also agreed to keep our meals light. He's decided to stick with two meals a day, so if he eats breakfast, he'll skip lunch, and munch on the snacks until dinner. I can't skip meals without turning into an angry bear, so my plan is to bring oatmeal that I can mix up in the room to eat for breakfast then hit the produce stand of whatever park we're in that day (there's one in every park) for a cheap, nutritious filler. Hopefully, when our day starts to wind down I'll be able to grab a few pieces of fruit for the next day as well.
For times that we have to eat in the park, Mouse Savers points out a few money-saving options:
Before you get your undies in a bunch about taxpayer money being wasted on a non-district employee such as myself (like my Mom), you should know we were responsible for paying our own way. Additionally, the girls cross country coach decided this year, the team would "upgrade" from a value resort to a moderate resort. For those of you who don't know, here are the differences:
Value Resort: Your basic amenities - food court, gift shop, pools (but no water slides), a lot of walking, sometimes long waits for the shuttles. Basically, we would be at the Wide World of Sports hotel (or other Value priced hotel) with every other cross country team attending.
Moderate Resort: A bit more upscale. There's a food court AND a table service restaurant and there are more pools (and some have water slides). The walking is about the same as well as the transportation (Disney shuttle).
I stayed in the Port Orleans Moderate resort when I went to Disney at 17. Honestly, I don't remember anything special about it. The two times the =hubs and I have gone to Disney as adults, we've stayed near Downtown Disney (because we're drunks). Personally, I would've been fine with spending less money on a Value resort this time around. But then again, when there aren't 500 obnoxious high schoolers around our resort while I'm trying to sleep - I'll be grateful.
Granted, I'm sure we saved some money by traveling in a large group, but some things are expensive in Disney no matter which way you look at it. The biggest of these is food. I did some research the other night on this and there are a few websites with helpful suggestions, but the most informative one is Mouse Savers. Every tip you could ever imagine for any Disney vacation is there.
The number #1 tip I found was that you can now bring your own water into the theme parks and fill up at the water fountains as your day goes on. Considering bottle of water usually cost at least $2, this is definitely going to come in handy. You can also bring snacks into the park as well. This weekend, we'll be picking up some travel-friendly snack packs to bring in with us.
The hubs and I also agreed to keep our meals light. He's decided to stick with two meals a day, so if he eats breakfast, he'll skip lunch, and munch on the snacks until dinner. I can't skip meals without turning into an angry bear, so my plan is to bring oatmeal that I can mix up in the room to eat for breakfast then hit the produce stand of whatever park we're in that day (there's one in every park) for a cheap, nutritious filler. Hopefully, when our day starts to wind down I'll be able to grab a few pieces of fruit for the next day as well.
For times that we have to eat in the park, Mouse Savers points out a few money-saving options:
- Split a large meal between the two of us. For example, you can get half a rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes & vegetables for about $10 in at least one restaurant at all the different parks
- Buy kids meal portions at counter service restaurant - no kid required!
- Anything offered as a combination meal you can actually get a la carte. So instead of buying a sandwich, fries, salad, and drink, we can pick & chose what we'll actually eat. No wasted food OR money.
Monday, September 10, 2012
the bottom line
This past Friday, while en route to my nephew's first football game of the season (go Delsea!), I stopped at a local Wawa to grab some cash. Apparently you can't swipe your debit card at the local ticket stand (it's 2012, people, get on it!).
Anywho, I'm waiting for my cash to dispense, and I happen to look down in the trashcan where everyone throws out their receipts. I'm reminded of a friend who once said he used to write his number on the back of a stranger's ATM receipt with a large balance. This way, the girl would think he's loaded and go out with him. At the time, I thought this was incredibly shallow. It still is, but now I can laugh at it.
In any case, the first receipt I can see has a balance of $12,689.47. My mind? Blown. I'm immediately jealous of that person, even though I have no idea who they are. Then I start thinking about why that number seem so unattainable to me. I can't even envision having that much money, ever, let alone just having it hanging out in my bank account.
Who is this person and what are they doing that I'm not?
Anywho, I'm waiting for my cash to dispense, and I happen to look down in the trashcan where everyone throws out their receipts. I'm reminded of a friend who once said he used to write his number on the back of a stranger's ATM receipt with a large balance. This way, the girl would think he's loaded and go out with him. At the time, I thought this was incredibly shallow. It still is, but now I can laugh at it.
In any case, the first receipt I can see has a balance of $12,689.47. My mind? Blown. I'm immediately jealous of that person, even though I have no idea who they are. Then I start thinking about why that number seem so unattainable to me. I can't even envision having that much money, ever, let alone just having it hanging out in my bank account.
Who is this person and what are they doing that I'm not?
Friday, July 6, 2012
grande half dirty iced soy chai
Hello, my name is Kathy and I am addicted to Starbucks.
But they taste sooooooooo good. I mean really really REALLY good. I want one just thinking about it. There's not much better on a hot day than a cold chai. All that deliciousness comes with a pricetag - and I'm not just talking about the literal price - there are 240 calories in a grande (medium) and 43 grams of sugar. I might as well eat about 12 sugar cubes (sidenote: the website Sugar Stacks will really make you think about how much sugar your consume).
In the name of frugalism (& my girlish figure), I've challenged myself to recreate the drink at home. Spoiler: it's much harder than I thought. I could just buy the boxed Tazo concentrate Starbucks uses - it's not *too* expensive (about $4 for 32 ounces), but, after reading the label, I saw the concentate was the man source of my sugar woes. There is 16 grams of sugar in four ounces! I put that box back on the shelf for now and took to the internetz to solve this dilemma.
The first website that pops up when you google "how to make starbucks chai tea latte at home" is Tammy's Recipes. She suggests using Celestial Seasonings India Spice tea bags. I didn't have that brand at home and I couldn't seem to find it in store; however, I saw in the comments that another tester used Stash's Chai Spice tea. Score! My favorite tea brand! But honestly, I wasn't a fan of this recipe. I used 1% milk instead of whipped cream (an ingrediant we don't normally have in this house), but it didn't have the right combination of spices + sweetness. Next!
I tried to use my brain (that might have been my first mistake) and recall how my baristas made the beverage. If the drink is hot, the ingrediants are water, milk, & concentrate, but if the drink is iced, it's only milk & concentrate. I picked up a box of Organic Vanilla Soy Milk at Stop & Shop for $2 and set out the next morning to create this drink if it kills me. My first attempt was eeual parts (1 cup) water & milk plus two tea bags. Blech. Absolutely terrible. The next attempt was just milk & tea bags. Better, but still too sweet. Back to the grocery store where I picked up a box of Stash's Double Chai Spice tea. Third time was the charm - the double spice tea bags packed the punch I was looking for.
The recipe still needs plenty of tweaking - it doesn't translate to an iced drink as well as I'd hoped, despite only using two ingredients. Adding a packet of Stevia in the Raw makes the drink too sweet. I'm thinking maybe one more tea bag will balance it out. But for now, the recipe does what I wanted - replace my weekly habit with a drink that's cheaper and doesn't pack on the pounds. Eventually, I'd like to try my hand at making chai tea with actual spices and loose tea, but right now, it's too hot for that!
Have you ever made your own version of a store's concoction? How did it turn out?
I've been frequenting the baristas a lot more than usual lately and it's taking a toll on my wallet. My usual drink (see the above title) costs around $4.50. Now, I'm not buying them everyday, but at least once, maybe twice per week. Sometimes I switch it up and get an iced tea, which is cheaper or a hot tea (one teabag), which is the cheapest. But it's summer, so hot tea is reserved for AM's in the AC only. In any case, I'm still spending about $20-$25 per month on calories I don't really need.
But they taste sooooooooo good. I mean really really REALLY good. I want one just thinking about it. There's not much better on a hot day than a cold chai. All that deliciousness comes with a pricetag - and I'm not just talking about the literal price - there are 240 calories in a grande (medium) and 43 grams of sugar. I might as well eat about 12 sugar cubes (sidenote: the website Sugar Stacks will really make you think about how much sugar your consume).
In the name of frugalism (& my girlish figure), I've challenged myself to recreate the drink at home. Spoiler: it's much harder than I thought. I could just buy the boxed Tazo concentrate Starbucks uses - it's not *too* expensive (about $4 for 32 ounces), but, after reading the label, I saw the concentate was the man source of my sugar woes. There is 16 grams of sugar in four ounces! I put that box back on the shelf for now and took to the internetz to solve this dilemma.
The first website that pops up when you google "how to make starbucks chai tea latte at home" is Tammy's Recipes. She suggests using Celestial Seasonings India Spice tea bags. I didn't have that brand at home and I couldn't seem to find it in store; however, I saw in the comments that another tester used Stash's Chai Spice tea. Score! My favorite tea brand! But honestly, I wasn't a fan of this recipe. I used 1% milk instead of whipped cream (an ingrediant we don't normally have in this house), but it didn't have the right combination of spices + sweetness. Next!
I tried to use my brain (that might have been my first mistake) and recall how my baristas made the beverage. If the drink is hot, the ingrediants are water, milk, & concentrate, but if the drink is iced, it's only milk & concentrate. I picked up a box of Organic Vanilla Soy Milk at Stop & Shop for $2 and set out the next morning to create this drink if it kills me. My first attempt was eeual parts (1 cup) water & milk plus two tea bags. Blech. Absolutely terrible. The next attempt was just milk & tea bags. Better, but still too sweet. Back to the grocery store where I picked up a box of Stash's Double Chai Spice tea. Third time was the charm - the double spice tea bags packed the punch I was looking for.
The recipe still needs plenty of tweaking - it doesn't translate to an iced drink as well as I'd hoped, despite only using two ingredients. Adding a packet of Stevia in the Raw makes the drink too sweet. I'm thinking maybe one more tea bag will balance it out. But for now, the recipe does what I wanted - replace my weekly habit with a drink that's cheaper and doesn't pack on the pounds. Eventually, I'd like to try my hand at making chai tea with actual spices and loose tea, but right now, it's too hot for that!
Have you ever made your own version of a store's concoction? How did it turn out?
Monday, June 11, 2012
little green notebook
No, you don't need to re-wipe the crusties from your eyes (although you might want to), this really is a blog entry. Unfortunately, since the last time we spoke, nothing exciting has come to pass, either financially or otherwise. However, I knew I needed to fill you all in on my May challenge - documenting each outgoing dollar on paper - and not just reviewing it later in my bank statements.
I'm happy to report that I was successful, for the most part, in writing everything down. The weekends were the hardest and sometimes I would need to log into my online banking to review the previous days expedentures, but I did it. I'm not sure it helped me spend any less per sey, but it did make me more aware of my spending which has carried over into this month. It definitely wasn't as hard or burdensome as I made it out to be and it was pretty much second nature by the end of the month.
Just by doing a quick flip through, my biggest expenses was Molly-related items (two vet visits, day care, food, etc), gas, and eating out... there were a lot of birthdays in May, and therefore a lot of celebrating. Nothing was budget-busting, but I probably could've planned it a little better. Luckily, June looks like it'll be a bit easier to digest.
We're halfway into the month, so it's a bit late for a monthly challenge, but if you have any suggestions for a July financial challenge, I'd love to hear them! It keeps things interesting (and keeps me blogging!).
I'm happy to report that I was successful, for the most part, in writing everything down. The weekends were the hardest and sometimes I would need to log into my online banking to review the previous days expedentures, but I did it. I'm not sure it helped me spend any less per sey, but it did make me more aware of my spending which has carried over into this month. It definitely wasn't as hard or burdensome as I made it out to be and it was pretty much second nature by the end of the month.
Just by doing a quick flip through, my biggest expenses was Molly-related items (two vet visits, day care, food, etc), gas, and eating out... there were a lot of birthdays in May, and therefore a lot of celebrating. Nothing was budget-busting, but I probably could've planned it a little better. Luckily, June looks like it'll be a bit easier to digest.
We're halfway into the month, so it's a bit late for a monthly challenge, but if you have any suggestions for a July financial challenge, I'd love to hear them! It keeps things interesting (and keeps me blogging!).
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
gifted
I feel guilty for such a lack of posts! We all know weekend posting isn't my forte (the house has to get cleaned sometime and Molly still can't walk herself yet), but lately, I've actually been busy at work and haven't had the extra time to blog. Although I'd much rather be busy than bored, I figure I can squeeze a quick one out before lunch.
Since having the extra time during Lent to reflect on my spending habits and reign them in, I think I've become a lot better at not excessively buying things for myself. Case in point, I have been to Kohl's on at least two occasions and haven't bought anything. Unfortunately, when it comes to buying for other people, I can't seem to stay within my budget.
I've always been a bleeding heart for various organizations. You name it, I've probably donated money to them. In 2010, I donated over $800 to various charities. That number seems so insanely large now, even though I'm making more money now than I did then. The same principle applies to friends and family. I love to give. I love to find the perfect gift. It doesn't have to be expensive, but sometimes, it is. In the next six weekends, the hubs and I have a string of events to attend- a bridal shower, baby shower, wedding, engagement party, a birthday, and two wonderful mothers to celebrate. Do you hear that? It's our bank account screaming bloody murder.
When it comes to bridal and baby showers, I always make a budget. And invariably, I always blow through it. More so with babies than brides. There are just so many things those little people need! I did better with sticking to my bridal shower budget this year, I think I only went over by about $15. But my biggest budget buster is my mom. She's just so awesome that I want to buy her everything in the world to thank her for putting up with me all these years and for helping us out so much. Same with my MIL.
While we were at lunch on Sunday, the hubs and I brainstormed Mother's Day ideas. We're still finalizing what to get his mom, but I'm going to take my mom out to The Lizzie Rose tea room for lunch and later, for pedicures. The hubs is going old school and giving her a coupon that she can redeem for him to cut her lawn.
Does anyone have any tricks for staying within budget when it comes to special occasions? I think what does me in is adding little "extras" that are really $2-$3 each!
Since having the extra time during Lent to reflect on my spending habits and reign them in, I think I've become a lot better at not excessively buying things for myself. Case in point, I have been to Kohl's on at least two occasions and haven't bought anything. Unfortunately, when it comes to buying for other people, I can't seem to stay within my budget.
I've always been a bleeding heart for various organizations. You name it, I've probably donated money to them. In 2010, I donated over $800 to various charities. That number seems so insanely large now, even though I'm making more money now than I did then. The same principle applies to friends and family. I love to give. I love to find the perfect gift. It doesn't have to be expensive, but sometimes, it is. In the next six weekends, the hubs and I have a string of events to attend- a bridal shower, baby shower, wedding, engagement party, a birthday, and two wonderful mothers to celebrate. Do you hear that? It's our bank account screaming bloody murder.
When it comes to bridal and baby showers, I always make a budget. And invariably, I always blow through it. More so with babies than brides. There are just so many things those little people need! I did better with sticking to my bridal shower budget this year, I think I only went over by about $15. But my biggest budget buster is my mom. She's just so awesome that I want to buy her everything in the world to thank her for putting up with me all these years and for helping us out so much. Same with my MIL.
While we were at lunch on Sunday, the hubs and I brainstormed Mother's Day ideas. We're still finalizing what to get his mom, but I'm going to take my mom out to The Lizzie Rose tea room for lunch and later, for pedicures. The hubs is going old school and giving her a coupon that she can redeem for him to cut her lawn.
Does anyone have any tricks for staying within budget when it comes to special occasions? I think what does me in is adding little "extras" that are really $2-$3 each!
Monday, March 26, 2012
40 Ounces to Savings
Confession: I was a bit spend happy this weekend. I broke down and shopped needlessly.
On Saturday, we went out for a friend's birthday in Atlantic City; First, we went to Tony's Baltimore Grill, which was budget friendly at $9 for a cheese pizza and $2.50 for a beer. Then we headed over to A Dam Good Sports Bar in the Tropicana. ADGSB is famous for its $5 40 ounce beers; However, on Saturdays the price goes up to $9.00. Still a pretty good deal, when you compare it with other casino bars where it's $4 or $5 for a 12 ounce bottle. The spending kicked in when I bought four shots for the birthday girl. When we got our tab, I was shocked to see it was $8 per shot! I was ready for $5 each, definitely not $8. Overall, I spent $60 for the evening, without any gambling. We did save $10 in parking, though, thanks to one friend who snagged us parking passes.
But since I'm married now and don't need to impress anyone, I opted to buy a simple striped shirt which I can wear again. At least I'm learning something.
On Sunday, the hubs and I went back out and ogled at new grills and tried to price out how much it would cost for us to build a new fence ourselves rather than having it installed. We also stopped by Target (again) and I bought goodies to fill the hubs' nephews Easter baskets. I spent about $15 on each and filled it with mostly non-candy goodies, like mini games, stickers, etc. We were in a pizza mood still so I stocked up on frozen Digiorno's for $9 with a coupon.
Oh! And we received our tax return on Saturday, but that went right into the savings account to pay for the removal of the zoo in our attic. No fun to be had there.
Did anyone do better than me at saving money this weekend? Now I have no choice but to be super frugal until payday this Friday.
Saturday Spent: Sunday Spent:
$60.00 dinner + drinks $28.00 gas ($3.63 p/gal. yuck!)
$15.00 TJ Maxx $32.10 Camp Bow Wow
$3.20 Wawa (5 hour energy) $77.05 Target
------------------------- $18.00 Walgreens (allergy meds)
Saturday Saved: $10.00 -------------------------------
Sunday Saved: $0.00
Monday Spent:
$5.00 Mega Millions tickets
---------------------------------
Monday Saved: $0.00
On Saturday, we went out for a friend's birthday in Atlantic City; First, we went to Tony's Baltimore Grill, which was budget friendly at $9 for a cheese pizza and $2.50 for a beer. Then we headed over to A Dam Good Sports Bar in the Tropicana. ADGSB is famous for its $5 40 ounce beers; However, on Saturdays the price goes up to $9.00. Still a pretty good deal, when you compare it with other casino bars where it's $4 or $5 for a 12 ounce bottle. The spending kicked in when I bought four shots for the birthday girl. When we got our tab, I was shocked to see it was $8 per shot! I was ready for $5 each, definitely not $8. Overall, I spent $60 for the evening, without any gambling. We did save $10 in parking, though, thanks to one friend who snagged us parking passes.
Earlier in the day, I dropped Molly off at day care and stopped off at Target. I didn't buy anything (I saved that for Sunday) so I tempted fate by going to our local TJ Maxx/Homegoods store. I managed to not buy a million things for the house, but I did buy a $15 shirt to wear out to the bar. Now, if this was five years ago, I would have spent about $30 on a dress like this:
 |
| I had a photo of an actual girl at the bar, but it won't load. damn you, blogger! |
On Sunday, the hubs and I went back out and ogled at new grills and tried to price out how much it would cost for us to build a new fence ourselves rather than having it installed. We also stopped by Target (again) and I bought goodies to fill the hubs' nephews Easter baskets. I spent about $15 on each and filled it with mostly non-candy goodies, like mini games, stickers, etc. We were in a pizza mood still so I stocked up on frozen Digiorno's for $9 with a coupon.
Oh! And we received our tax return on Saturday, but that went right into the savings account to pay for the removal of the zoo in our attic. No fun to be had there.
Did anyone do better than me at saving money this weekend? Now I have no choice but to be super frugal until payday this Friday.
Saturday Spent: Sunday Spent:
$60.00 dinner + drinks $28.00 gas ($3.63 p/gal. yuck!)
$15.00 TJ Maxx $32.10 Camp Bow Wow
$3.20 Wawa (5 hour energy) $77.05 Target
------------------------- $18.00 Walgreens (allergy meds)
Saturday Saved: $10.00 -------------------------------
Sunday Saved: $0.00
Monday Spent:
$5.00 Mega Millions tickets
---------------------------------
Monday Saved: $0.00
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Fantasy Fun
Lets take a break from our serious money talk for a minute, okay?
The Mega Millions in NJ has rolled over for the second time and the jackpot is now a cool $356 million and growing.
Which means, if you won Tuesday night and took the lump sum pay out option. NJ is going to take about 11% of that in taxes, leaving you with about $317 million. Uncle Sam is going to take a hefty 25% which means you're bring home about $238,750,000. What do you do first?
Here's what I would do (in no particular order):
What would you do if you woke up a mega millionaire?
The Mega Millions in NJ has rolled over for the second time and the jackpot is now a cool $356 million and growing.
Which means, if you won Tuesday night and took the lump sum pay out option. NJ is going to take about 11% of that in taxes, leaving you with about $317 million. Uncle Sam is going to take a hefty 25% which means you're bring home about $238,750,000. What do you do first?
Here's what I would do (in no particular order):
- Immediately put in my two weeks at work
- Put out house on the market. I wouldn't even pay it off first.
- Pay off our other debts
- Buy a big house a few blocks from the beach in Brigantine so my mom could sell her house and live there with us
- Travel
- Open my own bar/restaurant or at least go back to bartending (a job I actually really loved)
- Become a dog trainer
- Adopt more dogs
- Get Brian a membership at Galloway National Golf Club
- Buy a hybrid car
- Invest at least 100 million of it
- Get crazy awesome seats at MetLife stadium for all the Jets home games for all my in-laws
What would you do if you woke up a mega millionaire?
Monday, March 12, 2012
In Revelry
We've officially passed the half way mark in the forty day challenge! I'm happy to report I have not stepped inside a Kohl's, TJ Maxx, or other department store in the past twenty days which is definitely a personal best. I still have a ways to go on this personal financial journey, but we're taking baby steps, at least!
This past weekend was a mish-mash of spending & saving. Friday night, my husband and I met our friends at The Melting Pot in Atlantic City. The four of us have been going out together for Atlantic City Restaurant Week for the past three years, so I knew prior to starting the challenge this night would be coming. We stuffed our faces for $33.12 each and it was phenomenal. Hanging out with great friends is worth every penny! The hubs and I were going to hit the slots, but by the time we were finished eating all we could think about was going to bed. That was at least $20 saved.
To close out Restaurant Week, I went back to Atlantic City on Saturday with my momma to lunch at the new Golden Nugget casino. The food wasn't great, so I'm happy we only paid $20 each (tip included) for the 3 course meal. Then I said a tearful goodbye to my second favorite week of the year (birthday week takes the top spot, obviously).
Momma Q has been saving her inserts from the Sunday paper for me so I spent some quality time with her and clipped a bunch of coupons. Since neither the hubs or I read the actual paper (we're online news people), it saves us a cool $2.25 per week. I also picked up my wedding video which finally came in the mail and so far looks like the worst $600 I ever spent. Win some, lose some, I guess.
Saturday night, I headed up to my sister's house for some more quality family time. Even though I bought gas on my lunch break Friday, the gas in Hammonton was only $3.48 so I couldn't resist the opportunity to fill up for .05 cents cheaper than at home. You know gas prices are out of control when you get excited for under $3.50 a gallon. After hanging out with my sister & her family, I went to The Pour House in Collingswood with my friend. Mrs. A was so generous and paid for my veggie burger (delicious!) and my two beers (Hefeweizen- yum) in exchange for a shout out on the blog. Let's give her a nice round of applause, shall we?
After staying up all night and getting home at 7:00 AM on Sunday, I didn't get any of my household errands accomplished. I ended up running to Walgreens for a heat wrap for my knee which has been super sore lately. I picked up some medicine that I had a store coupon & a manufacturer coupon for, total savings- $3.00! I also purchased my first "reward" which was a new mascara & some concealer. I had coupons for both and the mascara was on sale, which kept me under my $10 limit for both items. Our local produce market finally re-opened for the season, and I was able to use my savings from Saturday to buy a ton of fruits & veggies. I managed to resist buying a box of Girl Scout cookies conveniently located next to the register - a difficult task indeed!
This is the week where the majority of our household bills are due, including my credit card payments, so it's the ideal time not to spend any extra money. Hopefully, I'll be able to work at my friend's restaurant on Saint Patrick's Day so I can sock away some extra money in our savings account. With spring right around the corner, we have a lot of household projects that need to be accomplished!
What did you do this weekend?
Saturday Spent:
$17.32 gas
$14.98 Rite Aid
$22.00 lunch @ Grotto
--------------------------
Saturday Saved:
$25.00
Sunday Spent:
$10.48 Walgreens
$11.67 B&B Produce
---------------------------
Sunday Saved:
$3.00
This past weekend was a mish-mash of spending & saving. Friday night, my husband and I met our friends at The Melting Pot in Atlantic City. The four of us have been going out together for Atlantic City Restaurant Week for the past three years, so I knew prior to starting the challenge this night would be coming. We stuffed our faces for $33.12 each and it was phenomenal. Hanging out with great friends is worth every penny! The hubs and I were going to hit the slots, but by the time we were finished eating all we could think about was going to bed. That was at least $20 saved.
To close out Restaurant Week, I went back to Atlantic City on Saturday with my momma to lunch at the new Golden Nugget casino. The food wasn't great, so I'm happy we only paid $20 each (tip included) for the 3 course meal. Then I said a tearful goodbye to my second favorite week of the year (birthday week takes the top spot, obviously).
Momma Q has been saving her inserts from the Sunday paper for me so I spent some quality time with her and clipped a bunch of coupons. Since neither the hubs or I read the actual paper (we're online news people), it saves us a cool $2.25 per week. I also picked up my wedding video which finally came in the mail and so far looks like the worst $600 I ever spent. Win some, lose some, I guess.
Saturday night, I headed up to my sister's house for some more quality family time. Even though I bought gas on my lunch break Friday, the gas in Hammonton was only $3.48 so I couldn't resist the opportunity to fill up for .05 cents cheaper than at home. You know gas prices are out of control when you get excited for under $3.50 a gallon. After hanging out with my sister & her family, I went to The Pour House in Collingswood with my friend. Mrs. A was so generous and paid for my veggie burger (delicious!) and my two beers (Hefeweizen- yum) in exchange for a shout out on the blog. Let's give her a nice round of applause, shall we?
After staying up all night and getting home at 7:00 AM on Sunday, I didn't get any of my household errands accomplished. I ended up running to Walgreens for a heat wrap for my knee which has been super sore lately. I picked up some medicine that I had a store coupon & a manufacturer coupon for, total savings- $3.00! I also purchased my first "reward" which was a new mascara & some concealer. I had coupons for both and the mascara was on sale, which kept me under my $10 limit for both items. Our local produce market finally re-opened for the season, and I was able to use my savings from Saturday to buy a ton of fruits & veggies. I managed to resist buying a box of Girl Scout cookies conveniently located next to the register - a difficult task indeed!
This is the week where the majority of our household bills are due, including my credit card payments, so it's the ideal time not to spend any extra money. Hopefully, I'll be able to work at my friend's restaurant on Saint Patrick's Day so I can sock away some extra money in our savings account. With spring right around the corner, we have a lot of household projects that need to be accomplished!
What did you do this weekend?
Saturday Spent:
$17.32 gas
$14.98 Rite Aid
$22.00 lunch @ Grotto
--------------------------
Saturday Saved:
$25.00
Sunday Spent:
$10.48 Walgreens
$11.67 B&B Produce
---------------------------
Sunday Saved:
$3.00
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