Frugal Grocery Shopping

If you've been reading my posts, you know that I sometimes talk about other ways in which I'm trying to lower our cost of living, besides just paying off existing debts.

For example, I've worked on lowering our electric bill, and I was able to lower our phone bill as well.

Well, today I am writing about groceries. The truth is that although they're a necessity, we don't have to pay as much as we do for them. Case in point, there are specific items that we ALWAYS buy (whether weekly, monthly or what), and if we buy them in bulk when they're on sale, we keep some of that money in our pockets.

Here are the things I was able to save money on this week:

Pork Sirloin Chops 1.99/lb Usually 4.49/lb.
Chicken breasts 1.68/lb Usually 2.99/lb
Bagels 2.50, Usually 3.69 (we like the really good ones)
Frozen blueberries 2 for 1
Toilet paper 2 for 1
Paper towel 2 for 1
Etc, etc, etc.

The point is, if I just bought what I needed this week/month, then I am going to pay more money for them the next time I need them b/c I can't count on them being on sale. So, I buy mass quantities of what I can stock up on. Then, I do it again the next time these items are on sale.

Doing this means you have to budget so much into your groceries for stocking up. You can do it, it just requires planning. A helpful website for planning is www.sundaysaver.com. You can look up your local grocery store's Sunday ads pages, click the items you are interested in, and print a list for that store. Then, you won't get distracted by other items in the store. Just stick to your list!

$100 paid

It's not a big payment, but it's chipping away at that debt nonetheless. I made a $100 payment to the credit card. Ahh, it feels good to be knocking this sucker out, one payment at a time, until it's gone!!

$750 to CC

WooHoo!!

$300 payment...Attacking The LAST CREDIT CARD!!!

I paid $300 to the last of the credit cards this family will ever see!! I've got a ways to go, but I can SEE the finish line.

A year ago my family's life was very different. Fundamentally we were the same, but when bills are on your mind, and looking at the numbers makes a person queasy, life is definitely different for the spirit.

Today, I feel anxious in a good way when I sit down to look at the numbers. I am anxious about finishing up paying off debts. I am anxoius about getting aggressive in paying off our house. I am itching to get started on college funds for our kids. It's all POSITIVE excitement and anxiety.

What a difference a year of focused, conscious planning makes.

1 DOWN, 3 to go!

It's official!!! Today I pay off credit card #1!

I paid $570 yesterday, and today I pay $422.60!! And, that sucker is out of my life, my wallet, my consciousness!

It feels awesome!!

$150 to CC

And, the momentum begins to build back up!!! I paid 150 to the credit card today, and deposited a couple of paychecks. So, when those get posted, I will be sending another payment. Then, that big paycheck is coming for a month's worth of test proctoring, and I can't wait to put that towards debt.

Momentum, Interrupted

It's amazing how slipping even a little bit out of a good routine can derail an entire gameplan. I wouldn't say that's exactly what's happened to me, but I can say that my momentum has been slightly interrupted.

First, I chose to take a portion of my income and put it towards a home improvement project that we've meant to do for years. Although this seemed like a very practical choice, I missed not being able to post that I'd used that $ for a credit card payment.

Second, I started a new testing gig, and it only pays once a month. So, once a month there will be a BIG payment post, but again, I miss the momentum of posting 2-4 times a month that I've made payments. (However, I will LOVE seeing the post of the BIG payment I make once a month).

Third, one of my testing gigs has had some human resources turnover, and it seems to have occurred with their payroll department. They are a couple of checks behind.

The good news is that while October has appeared to be a lean month, I think it will end with a BANG. I just have to be paitent and wait for it.

:-)

God bless.

$1,632.35 to CC!!!

Today I made a MONSTER PAYMENT to the credit card. I made a business decision a few weeks ago that I should return what Mary Kay products I could to Corporate for repurchase. I made this decision for the following reasons:

1. I had not been working that business since beginning as a test proctor.
2. I could not work BOTH as a test proctor and as a Mary Kay consultant (too much time).
3. I was making more money at my test proctoring than I had been as a MK consultant.
4. If I wasn't selling what I had in my inventory, I didn't want that product to go to waste.

It made sense to send back what I was able to send back, and put that money to good use paying off debt.

Having done so, I am now just a few hundred dollars away from PAYING OFF, and CLOSING this account!!!

My next test proctoring paycheck should cover this...so, that debt WILL BE PAID OFF BEFORE OCTOBER!!!!

Yeah!!

$400 to CC

Paid $400 to the credit card today!!!

It's time for a countdown:

Balance before this payment... $3,164 (and some change)

Minus $400

New Balance:

$2,764.00!!!

$475 to CC

YES!! It feels great to be getting closer, and closer to a 0 balance. I can't wait until I post that this account is paid and closed. Expect the news in October.


:-)

$100 to CC

I just made yet another payment to the credit card!! I am almost up to $24,000 debt dropped! When I started this blog in March, I had dropped $21,100. I love seeing the progress here.

Assess-Plan-Act

I've been thinking about what it took to get me headed in the right direction toward a solid financial future. It pretty much boils down to the following:

Assess
Plan
Act

1. I had to assess just what our current financial situation was. How much money was coming in each month? How much was going out (more than was coming in)? How much were we saving (none, since more was going out than in)?

2. From the assessment I then had to make a plan. How was I going to turn it around? If I wanted us to create a secure financial situation, how was I going to accomplish this? There are two ways...ONE, increase the money coming in (take on new jobs), or TWO, decrease the amount of money going out (i.e. spend less money). For the fastest way to turn it around, I did a combination of both 1 & 2.

I mapped out a plan. What did we absolutely HAVE to spend money on? GROCERIES (although we could cut back some), GAS (but we could travel less), ELECTRIC (but we could monitor and use less, be resourceful), MORTGAGE (pretty much stays the same unless we take drastic measures and sell. No chance.)
Aside from what's listed above, the rest of our expenses were negotiable. They weren't NECESSARY expenses...CREDIT CARDS, CELL PHONES, CABLE, CAR PAYMENTS, STUDENT LOAN.
So, what to do? Well, with increased income, pay off things like the credit cards one at a time. Close the accounts, which eliminates the chance to charge up again and be stuck with another monthly minimum payment. Also, think about what expenses could be reduced of eliminated, even if only temporarily. I chose to cancel our cable service (about $50 a month), and did not re-install until we'd paid off our cars. There was some motivation for staying on track.

3. ACT! This is possibly the hardest part. I'd faced the truth, looked in the mirror and seen the reality of my family's financial situation. I had determined what could be done to change the course of our future. Now, all that was left was to get to work. Although it seemed like an overwhelming task, I am seeing the effects of my actions every day. Watching the balance get closer and closer to 0 on a credit card is exhilarating!

ASSESS-PLAN-ACT! Change your future today.

$100 to CC

Cha-Ching!!!

I just paid $100 to the credit card! Oh, it feels so good. It feels better than spending money I don't have!! How 'bout them apples?

$125 to CC

I can feel the momentum building as I aggressively attack this credit card and bring it to its knees. There is a real sense of POWER when I take control of my money and make IT do what I want, rather than watch it flee my wallet (aka checking account) without regard for me.

I love the feeling of control.


:-)

Mindful spending makes all the difference. Every time I think about spending $, or the opportunity to spend arises, I STOP and THINK. I think about whether having that item is worth not putting that money towards paying off debt. The answer is always NO.

$215 to CC!!

Yep, I'm on a roll. Just paid 215 toward the credit card. I am on track to pay it off in October!!!

$125 to CC

One more payment to the credit card!! Can't wait to knock that sucker down to $0 and close that bad boy account!!

$250 to CC

Payday is here, and I'm making another payment to the not-so-good old credit card. That sucker WILL be paid off before Christmas!!

Inspiration & A Little Kick in the Pants :-)

I've known this to be true with something such as weight loss...that having a network of supportive women friends can do wonders for your success (having people by your side who are going through the same struggle as you, there to cheer each other on toward the finish line).

QUESTION: Why hadn't I sought the support and encouragement of my own friends when I set the goal to get on a solid financial path?

ANSWER: Embarrassment. We don't talk about our money. We don't even tell ourselves the honest truth about our own financial situation. We live in a time when it would be odd to pass up an invitation to go shopping (like I need more clothes!), see a movie (at today's prices?!), eat at a restaurant (What? There's no food in my fridge?!) etc. etc. to save money. Who needs that when you can just charge it? Well, that's a load of crap!!!

We NEED to support each other in making wise money choices. We are the richest country in the world (i think, or at least well enough off that NONE of us should be stressed about money, but we are)!!! The same way we stress about our weight but don't put down the donut and do something about it (experience talking here).

I just encourage anyone who might stumble upon my humble little site...take a real honest look at your financial situation. It's probably not going to be pretty (much like when I put that damned bathing suit on last month for the first time in I don't know how long, but I did it, and now I'm on a diet.) What do you see when you look in your financial mirror? Is there any money actually there? Do you own your car (and if you're making payments, the answer is NO)? Do you OWE money to 1 or more credit cards? Department store cards? Student Loan institutions? Home Improvement stores? ETC. ETC? Do you owe money, period?

If your paycheck was gone tomorrow, how many months, weeks, days, hours, could you go before crisis ensued? That's the REALLY SCARY thought. Putting your head in the sand will not change your situation. Feeling bad and obsessing over all those purchases you can't even remember making isn't going to change your situation. So, stop worrying about what you're going to find if you face the truth, and just face it.

You'll feel so much better when you do, I promise. I go to bed every night in peace because I finally stopped WORRYING and started DOING. (You can't change yesterday. But, you can learn from it.)

God bless.

$170 to CC

WooHoo! Payday! I'm off to the bank to put $170 toward the card!! I never thought I'd say this, but I wish I could lose weight as fast as I can drop debt. HEE.

CURRENT JOBS...Updated

The jobs I am currently working are:

1. Test proctor (Approx. $1000 per month)
2. Math Tutor ($160 per month)

I quit the magazine delivering when I got the test proctor job. I couldn't fit them both in my schedule, and the proctor job paid more per hour and didn't add miles to my car. :-)

Typical!

Hah! This is just typical.

Well, I thought and thought, and although I wasn't ready to cancel the entire cell phone account, I did decide to drop my husband's "add a line" that we pay an extra $10 a month for (which he never uses and rarely even turns on.)

The next day, my car broke down. At first I thought, "Well, that's just great!" But, you know what? It all worked out. And, if I had actually cancelled both phones, it would have worked out. I wouldn't still be standing on the side of the road waiting for help. I would have found someone, used a pay phone, or walked to the Burger King and asked to use the phone.

So, the lesson is this... there are only really 3 things you NEED in life: air, food, and shelter.

Everything else is negotiable.

Cell Phones

Why do I pay $60 a month for a cell phone? I know...in case of emergencies, I have kids, it's a convenience, who doesn't have a cell phone?

Well, for the sake of emergencies, can't I have a 'prepaid phone' that I can use to dial 911?

The kids can't talk to me on the cell, and the only reason to use my kids as the excuse would be in the event there's a kid emergency, so the prepaid phone that could dial 911 (or my husband) should take care of that.

Convenience? Not really. HAVING that phone on me just means that I'm more inclined to ignore the people and events going on right next to me in order to call and talk to someone who will likely ignore the people and events going on around her just so we can talk about things that may or may not matter.

I haven't fully committed to the idea of getting rid of my phone plan, but I'm looking into it. Seriously, if I look back at the list of calls from my last cell bill, I am sure I won't find one single time or call that was SO necessary that it justifies a $60 bill.

I think if I look hard enough, I will find a marketing ploy that has successfully convinced me I 'need' to pay $60 a month to have a cell phone. (kind of like that great marketing ploy that told me 'these days you just have to have a car payment.')

Another $200 to the CC

Yay!! I now have 2 schools that I proctor for, so the debt's just dropping like crazy now!! Yippee!!!

Payday :-)

I got paid yesterday for test proctoring and my first week of tutoring a new student. Yay!! I'm putting $200.00 toward the credit card.

It is a wonderful feeling to know I'm doing what I can to help secure our financial future without losing sight of my most important job...taking care of my family. I work less than 10 hours a week outside of the house...just enough to bring in some extra money, enjoy some time away from home, and not overwhelm my schedule.

My blessings are abundant.

Changing your Thinking

I heard someone say once that you won't change the way you act until you change the way you think. This is absolutely true. For example, if you want to lose weight, but you see doing so as depriving yourself of the foods you love, you just can't act in a manner that will help you lose weight. You are THINKING about it the wrong way.

The same can be said for money matters. If the idea of a "budget" equates with thoughts of deprivation, loss of fun money, clipping coupons, and so on...you will never want to sit down and write out a budget. BUT, if you start to think about your money as YOUR money that YOU CONTROL, and you want to see where it's going and make careful decisions about WHO you give your money to (i.e. Starbucks, Sonic, Department Stores, etc.), it puts you in control. It's not deprivation. It's mindful spending.

I think the ONLY way to begin to change your thinking, and therefore change the way you act (aka spend) is to READ books on money!!! How can you change your thinking if you don't know what other thoughts are out there?

I would recommend the following (I have read all of these and taken pieces of each to formulate a new way of thinking about my family's money):

The Total Money Makeover
The Automatic Millionaire
The Millionaire Next Door
America's Cheapest Family
The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom
The Budget Kit


Think you don't have time to read these books? Just take 30 minutes a day (that's ONE television show) and chip away at it. What you DON'T really have time for is to continue spending mindlessly.

:-)

America's Cheapest Family

I found this book, America's Cheapest Family, at the library and read it in one day. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who thinks there is no way to cut costs and start getting out of debt. I found so much of this book to be helpful in getting my mind set to tackle more cost-cutting efforts. I've already gone through our 2006 spending to see what our pattern has been, and I've made a proposed budget for spending less the rest of this year!

$350 to credit card!!

I put $350 to the credit card, and it felt GREAT!! I start a new tutoring gig in June, and I'm looking forward to adding that amount to the debt snowball.

:-)

Being Honest with Yourself

Are you being honest with yourself about your financial situation? Money matters are like weight issues. We tell ourselves we don't know why we can't lose weight as we take a bite of a BigMac. We say we can't find a way to cut expenses to save money while driving a leased SUV that gets 12 mpg.

We can tell ourselves all the things we want to just to make ourselves feel better right now. But, the true question is this: If your family lost its primary source of income tomorrow, how secure would you be? Could you pay the mortgage? Phone bill? etc. Most of us are only one financial catastrophe away from real trouble. And, the only way to change that is to take control and do something to pay off and OWN our cars, home, etc.

Payment Plans

I was playing around on the internet recently, and I came across some online schools for getting trained in real estate. I'm a curious person, so I requested a free catalog (not that I'm going to dive into real estate school or anything, just curious).

I was contacted by someone who wanted to answer my questions and help me get started. (I figured I'd ask questions). She explained what I wanted to know, and she explained the course "packages" available. When I asked her if I could sign up for one course at a time (thinking I could pay for one course up front, then while working on it, save for the next course and so on) she asked me, "Why would you want to do that?" She explained that they had their own financing department that could allow me to pay around $50 per month until I paid off the debt.

I'm not saying this is a horrible idea, I'm just saying it says something about the status of the world we live in that paying up front for things one at a time would be considered the odd thing to do. We live in a time in which it is ingrained in our minds that we purchase things on a payment plan.

Something to think about.

:-)

$300 to CC

Yes, another $300 payment to the good old credit card!! I am so excited to be whittling away at that debt, then closing that account. I can feel the momentum building as I knock out bills one by one.

BTW, our electric bill went from $450 in March to $150 in April after I started checking the meter each day and determining just how much electricity we NEEDED to consume and what we didn't.

:-)

What it means to be a 'consumer'

I've been thinking about the word 'consumer'...as in, "The average American consumer spends $12 per year on toothpaste."
What does it mean to be a consumer? Let's look at the word 'consume'.

www.dictionary.com defines consume below:

1. to destroy or expend by use; use up.
2. to eat or drink up; devour.
3. to destroy, as by decomposition or burning: Fire consumed the forest.
4. to spend (money, time, etc.) wastefully.
5. to absorb; engross: consumed with curiosity.
–verb (used without object)

So, if consume means to destroy, devour, or spend wastefully...then a consumer is someone who destroys, devours, or spends wastefully. Think about where your money goes. Track a day in the life of YOU as a CONSUMER. What are you consuming? Vending machine sodas and snacks? Fast food? Magazines? Car payment? Cable? Cell phone? Starbucks? Commuting Gas? Why? So you can go back to work tomorrow, to earn more money, so you can consume more? When I started to see my spending in that context (that every time I make a purchase I should look at it in terms of how long my husband had to work to earn that $, I decide whether it truly is worth it.)

When you start to control your spending and pay attention to where that money is going, suddenly you don't feel such a need to CONSUME so much.

I challenge you to spend one week charting every single time you spend money. Write down what you purchased, how much you spent, and when you made the purchase. (include all bills you paid that week) At the end of the week, total that bill. Calculate how long you had to work to earn that money? Was it worth the work? Only you can answer that.

I'm to a point now where I am even tracking our electric usage and finding ways to cut back to lower that bill. I am consuming less electricity to save money. What could you consume less of for the sake of your financial security?

$300 to CC

I just paid $300 to my credit card!! Yay! I will get my first check from test proctoring in the next week or so, and I am thrilled to be putting that money toward this debt. Yippee!!

Progress

This week was my first one with the new job. It's going great! I finished my magazine deliveries the end of March, and will be putting that $ toward the credit card this week!!! I LOVE that I am able to make a difference in our family finances by doing just a few hours of work each week.

:-)

NEW JOB

Yeah!! I found a GREAT JOB that I will be able to do part-time, mostly evening/weekend, as a test proctor. I am waiting on my test administrator certificate to come in, and as soon as it does, I will begin administering. I'm hoping next week for sure. This job literally came to me. I had been searching Career Builder, I had accepted that the best thing I would find was going to be the waitress job, and then my friend heard about this test proctor position and told me about it over the weekend. I called the school first thing Monday morning, and by that afternoon, I had the job! I have been so blessed to have come across this one. Thank you to my mom for her prayers.

Jobs Update

Well, my magazine deliveries for March are done. It takes me roughly 5 hours a day for 3 days to complete my route, and that brings me approximately $275 in income after gas expense. I am eager to get that check and DROP more debt!!

I am still working on aquiring another job to replace my tutoring income. I interviewed with a restaurant this week and will return next week for the 2nd interview. I should know by the end of next week whether I got the job. The wait time is tough, but I feel very confident that I can get this job, and I can't wait to start work and start DROPPING more payments on debt towards becoming DEBT FREE!!!

Rolling with Change

Well, my tutoring gig is up, so I'm looking for something else I can do to replace it. I'm thinking about a weekend job waiting tables at a nice restaurant. Tips can be great, and I enjoyed that kind of work in college. Wish me luck. I'm heading out this weekend to find a good place to work.

SAVE 10%, GIVE 10%

I have always known in the back of my mind that the easiest way to save money was to put automatically put 10% in savings each time you're paid. But, for some reason, I've never been consistent with it. Well, since sitting down and WRITING OUT each amount of money I earn, I automatically calculate 10%, and I put it toward savings.

I ALSO donate another 10% to my church. Now, I realize that i could pay off debt that much quicker if I didn't put 10% to my church. But, I also know that once you are in a habit, good or bad, it's hard to break. So, I should get used to those two contributions today, so I don't struggle tomorrow with how to incorporate them into my finances.

It feels SO good to see each week what I am able to give to my church.

120.64 to Credit Card

I put $120.64 to the credit card today!


I have now put 750.64 toward the card so far this month. I just need 249.36 to reach my goal of putting $1,000 toward this debt this month!!!

Live Like No One Else

Dave Ramsey, in his book The Total Money Makeover, says something along the lines of, "If you live like no one else WILL for two years, you can live like no one else CAN for the rest of your life."

Since just the start of this month, I have paid $630.00 toward a credit card debt. My goal is to pay $1,000 each month until it is paid off. Having a clearly defined goal keeps me focused. Knowing that the sooner this debt is paid, the sooner I will be debt-free, keeps me focused. Knowing I have all the power needed to MAKE IT HAPPEN keeps me focused. I have 20 days left to earn the additional $370 needed to reach my goal for the month.

I have two things posted on my refrigerator that remind me daily of my goal and what it will take to achieve it:
1. My goal of paying off the credit card
2. The plan for how to achieve it

God bless!!

The History of Credit

According to the following site, www.didyouknow.cd/creditcards.html, the first official 'credit card' in the USA appeared in the form of the Diners Club card in the 1950s. In the 1970s, when the magnetic stripe was incorporated into cards, their availability and use became more common.

Imagine what your life would be like if you lived your fiscal life today as if it were before 1950, if you only spent the money you earned, and you did not use credit cards. Believe it or not, there was a time when that was the ONLY way to live. Our culture has embraced the notion that we NEED credit. I think this is the biggest success in the history of marketing, embedding in the mind of the masses that credit is somehow a necessity.

$230 Payment

Paid $230 to my credit card today. (Magazine Delivery Payday!)


It feels good to get below 6K.

$400 to Credit Card

I just made a $400 payment to my credit card!

WooHoo!!

EVERY time I earn money, it will go toward this card until it reaches a ZERO balance. Then, I will close the account and move on to the next bill.

CURRENT JOBS

Currently I am working the following to further my cause:

1. Tutoring 3 days a week (approximately $400-500 per month)
2. Magazine deliveries 3 days a month ($280 per month)
3. Mary Kay sales ($100-200 per month)

TOTAL PAID (as of 3/08/07)= $20,700

In the last year, since getting serious about paying off bills and elminating debt, I have managed to do the following:
1. Sell my motorcycle
2. Pay off and close a Department Store Card
3. Pay off both vehicles (we have NO CAR PAYMENTS!!)