Challenge

Owlhaven put out a challenge to spend less this month.  Her goal is $75 a week for her family of 10 at home.  I’ve seen similar things on other blogs, like Small Notebook’s 30 days of nothing in July.  I am always intrigued.  I love the idea of a challenge.  Maybe because I’m more competitive than I realize sometimes.

My excuse for not participating has always been because of the daycare.  Since it is my business, there are certain food related business costs.  Due to food program regulations I have stringent requirements to adhere to.  I must serve all four food groups at lunch, three food groups at breakfast and two at snacks.  I have to have a certain amount of food prepared for each child…things like that.  But really daycare isn’t a valid reason for skipping the chance to whittle back the budget numbers a little.  Maybe I’m just a bit lazy and complacent…I don’t want to do the hard thing.

My cash budget for groceries, pet items, household and personal products is usually $100 per week.  That includes daycare food, as I don’t really keep that separate from our family’s food.  Except I can’t serve daycare children venison, fish or any other meat harvested by my hunter husband.  And I can’t serve the kids home-canned food, only frozen.

I’ve been thinking that Mary’s challenge could be a great tool for me to really reevaluate my grocery budget.  I thought about adopting the $75 as well, but that is only a $25 cut per week.  I want to see if I can make a REAL difference, even if just for a month.  So I’ve decided to try to get through September for $240. An average of $60 per week.  With my own family and daycare children  I feed 9 people between two shifts for breakfast, pack two lunches and feed 7 more at lunch then 11 at snack in the afternoon.  Suppers and weekends are just the four of us.

I mentioned my plan to that husband of mine.  His comment was that he guessed he’d be losing weight this month…we’ve both been working on that, so it really isn’t a bad thing.  I didn’t shop to stock up at the end of August.  In fact I just decided yesterday that I’d participate after all.  I haven’t spent any money yet in September but will go to the store on Sunday or Monday.  I started working on a three week menu to take us to September 27th.  I’ll be working on figuring out where I can cut out expenses more as the weeks go on.

Wish me luck.

Free Samples

Awhile back I requested some free samples, something I almost NEVER do.  I don’t even remember what all I requested.  I got my free candy bar coupon…that was cool and is tucked in my purse for a treat while shopping.  I got some baby wipes that I tucked into the stroller for our library hour outings.  And this week I got a little box of Fiber One samples.  I love Fiber One bars so that was cool. And I will use at least half the coupons on things that I would buy anyway.

So what, right?  You don’t really care what I got for free do you?

Here’s the thing.  I like the little high of getting something for nothing.  And real mail is one of my absolute favorite things.  But I always have some mixed feelings about these little packages.

One qualm is the packaging.  It really is a waste.  I am not uber-green by any means, but I do try to cut out waste where I can.  I also cook from scratch so much that I really don’t buy much of anything on a regular basis that is prepackaged, so this packaging stands out more I think.

But really I think my hesitation comes from the attitude behind these free samples.  They are, after all, advertising for that company.  If I get the samples as a means to save money…what if I like this new name-brand prepackaged little treasure?  Then do I feel a little deprived when I can’t fit the regular version into my budget? Don’t I deserve to have what I like?

Many of us frugal folks have little ways we save a little.  Yes, it all adds up.  But I think some of these tiny money savers are just a good way to keep our attitude in the right place.  Evaluating what is important to us when we make those budgets, then sticking to it is the foundation of responsible, often frugal, living.

Opening the door to little free delights can have the opposite effect.  It freely offers to sway our decision making.  Can’t that make it harder to stick to the plan?  Aren’t we inviting these companies to tell us that what we have is not quite good enough…but lucky you!  Here’s something better!  It’s just what you’ve been missing!

Also, feeling the need to pick up all free things we are offered can lead to a feeling of desperation.  If we think we need these things to make it, do we start to think that we aren’t doing an adequate job of taking care of ourselves?  Can we “go without” as easily?  I have learned many wonderful lessons by going without something, or prolonging a purchase.

I think there are some legitimate reasons to get free samples out there.  If it’s time to make a purchase and you can check out a free sample first, great.  If it is a coupon for something you already use, great.   An occasional free sample is not a big deal…everything in moderation, right?

And that is probably really my point in this: everything in moderation!  Free samples often scream MORE!  On many levels.  Be careful what you let into your head…these are advertisements after all.

And me?  I’ll be curious to see if any thing else pops up in my mailbox.  I know I did all this free sample requesting on one night.  I just don’t know if I have anything else coming.  But if another opportunity for a free candy bar comes along?  I’ll take it!

So now you tell me – am I way off base?  Do you get dozens of free samples and never want some brand you can’t really afford?  Do you ever get free samples?  What are your favorite type?

Are all needs equal?

Everywhere there are articles and blog posts about evaluating needs vs. wants.  I have no doubt we’ve all convinced ourselves that a want was REALLY a need.  But are all needs equal?

When I lived in HomeTown, it wasn’t unusual to go out to the store for one or two things right when I realized I needed them.  Sometimes this led to shopping an extra time or two each week.  And, of course you’ve read the statistics on the extras that wind up in the cart when out shopping.

In SmallTown, there are few low cost options locally.  Often prices are 20-50% higher than the discount store 20 miles away.  I’ve found that in waiting to go to the discount store I have crossed things off my list, deciding I no longer needed them. Sort of like the old advice of waiting 24 hours to buy that impulse item…only I wait a week or two to buy what seemed to be necessities.

A good example is a mop.  Maybe you have never owned a mop and won’t understand this, but I grew up in a mop family.  I can count on one hand the times I saw anybody scrub a floor on hands and knees.  I could count on one hand the number of times I had scrubbed a floor…that is, before my mop broke one day.

I was so frustrated.  I was in a hurry to clean the floor when the part that squeezes the water out just quit working.  Now what?  I finished up the best I could and threw the broken mop in the garage.  Dan loves it when I do that.

A mop is not a high ticket item so I wasn’t even considering making a special trip for one. Before I got out of town again, the floor needed cleaned.  I remember thinking that just this once I’d scrub the floor with a rag and bucket.  I was amazed.  By the time I had finished the large floor the first part was dry…and clean?  WOW…I couldn’t believe the difference!

I still don’t have a mop.  I think it amazes my mother a bit.  And my sister thinks I’m crazy.  They just don’t realize that it really isn’t any more work and the end result is so much better.

There have been other things too…a table cloth (I realized there was one tucked away in a closet), kitchen tongs, a lint brush, seasoning blends and many others.

So next time you have that big list of things you NEED, think it over for a couple of extra days…you might be surprised at what you can cross off.

How I Wanted to Buy a Stove

Over a  year ago I was not a happy baker.  My oven had given up baking nice and was being temperamental.  One minute it would be 350 degrees and happily baking cookies…the next minute it would shoot up to 450 degrees and would be burning cookies.  I would sit in front of the oven window peering in at the oven thermometer inside, making adjustments as needed all the while my cookies were baking.  It was ridiculous and I told my oven that repeatedly.

Casseroles and quick breads generally did OK, as they aren’t quite so picky about the temperature fluctuations.  They still needed watching though.  Having a home daycare and cooking from scratch as much as I do made this a pretty inconvenient time.  Unfortunately Dan and I both agreed that buying a new oven just wasn’t  feasible then.  That alone shows how far we’ve come in spending…in HomeTown we would’ve gone out and charged one the week after it started acting up.   Instead we listed all the things that were more important and why we shouldn’t spend any emergency money on it.  I’ll be honest.  I resented telling myself no.  I thought about new stoves a lot.  And I quit baking cookies.

This went on for 6 months and during that time the stove top burners were  iffy too.  When we moved in one of the large burners didn’t work.  The other large burner worked when it wanted to…sometimes weeks at a time and then would quit for days.  I could count on two small burners and a wonky oven.  Eventually it was starting to suck the joy out of my time in the kitchen.  That, and my crock pots got a lot of use.

In May we finally had some money put aside to buy a new one…but it took me another month to part with my money and actually buy one.  Crazy?  Tune in tomorrow to find out why I waited.

Washing Dishes

I like washing dishes.  Really.  Some people in this house will tell you I don’t and that they do all the dishes.  Those people are not to be listened to.  I like to do dishes like I like to paint…on my own and without interruption.  I love the solitude of it, the simplicity.

What I don’t like?  Putting dishes away.  Hate it.  I don’t care if they need put away out of the dishwasher or from the drain board.  I can’t stand putting dishes away.  I put them away as a kid.  I don’t remember hating it then, but maybe I did.  Sometimes that is why I let dirty dishes pile up…because clean ones need put away first.

If there is an empty dish rack or drain board and a stack of dirty dishes I will likely wash them instead of put them in the dishwasher.  I don’t like dishwashers.  More often than not they leave bits or scum on the dishes.  That little bit of sandy stuff dried inside a glass?  I hate that.

Now that you probably think I’m nuts, I’ll tell you that we actually waited to replace out broken dishwasher for over a year.   There were two reasons I bought a new one.  The first was because it meant much more to my husband and kids than it ever would to me.  The second is that it seemed like a waste of space to have that broken dishwasher in the kitchen.

And secretly I sometimes wish it was still broken.  Especially when I am chiseling that sandy grit off of a glass.

Buying a Truck

For most of the time Dan and I have been married, we’ve only had one vehicle. There were varying reasons over the years. For awhile we had an old, beat up truck as an extra vehicle. A few years into our wedded bliss we had two vehicles that were both decent, dependable vehicles. That lasted a year or so. And secretly, I kind of enjoy having only one vehicle. It means we have to compromise and communicate. Share. And in many ways things are simpler. Not to mention less expensive.

Our van has been paid off for a few months now. We’ve talked about another vehicle, and that it would be a truck. Dan is a hunter. And a fisherman. Pretty much an all around outdoors man. A truck would come in very handy. Until now he has driven our van for all his hunting and fishing needs. Deer in the back of the van is not ideal in either of our minds, but we made due. With gas prices what they are and trucks being traded in for more economical vehicles, it seems to be a good time to buy a truck. We paid more than 20 percent down on it and will have fairly low payments. It will be paid off in three years. I’m betting less time than that. It is not new…a 2000. It has the main things we decided were important. Four wheel drive, a standard size box, extended cab, lower miles and a three year or less payment plan.

So why do I have reservations? The extra money is one. We can afford this, it’s not that…I just go back to how long we’ve only had the one vehicle and made due. Is this a necessity? But more than that I think I am wondering if this will tamper with our family togetherness. Will it increase my shopping? Will it increase Dan’s hunting and fishing? I hope to avoid all those things. Currently we do things together. A trip out of town for shopping would include all of us, and therefore happen less frequently. Will I decide that since Dan’s gone hunting I’ll just go do some errands in another town? One vehicle keeps me home, keeps me planning out our trips, and keeps me honest. Also, will my husband decide that since he’s not leaving me without a vehicle, some extra fishing and hunting days will work out? I don’t begrudge him enjoying his hobbies…he does both pretty frequently already. I just like to see him too. And he’s not much of a homebody.

We’ve talked about these things. And I think if we’re conscious of the potential pitfalls of two vehicles, we’ll really enjoy the freedom it can give.

We’ll find out soon. He should be here with his truck in a few hours.