Baby Step 3 - CHECK!

Well, it's official - we have completed Baby Step 3! 6 months of emergency funds ($30,000) saved. It feels great!!

The money is definitely tempting to my husband (who wants new windows, new patio furniture, to remodel and expand the house . . .) but there is no way I'm giving up this security! Luckily our short term savings is starting to grow now too - up to $5,000 already. So, we should be able to get him some of the things he wants soon.

I have to admit that this whole process has turned me from a spender into somewhat of a saver. I actually feel a little reluctant to even dip into the $5,000. It is so hard to prioritize what to spend the money on. I just want to be conservative and spend our funds wisely.

Now we can finally begin (much too late!) to focus on saving for college for our 3 daughters. Our oldest is already 13 and will be going to college in just 5 short years. Not a lot of time to save the hundreds of thousands that will be needed.

Isn't it crazy - just as soon as something is crossed off the list, it's time to work on the next step! It's like the finish line is always moving!

But, I have to admit, when we began this process 3 years ago - being where we are today seemed almost impossible. I am so grateful to Dave Ramsey and all my PF Blogger friends for showing me the way and encouraging me to stay on track!

I am truly blessed!

This Week's Menu

I was inspired by Money Funk to plan out my menus for the week. Here's what I came up with (all from out of my pantry and freezer):

Sunday - Rotisserie Chicken
Monday - Chicken Fajitas
Tuesday - Chicken Noodle Soup
Wednesday - Pasta
Thursday - Shepherd's Pie
Friday - Homemade Pizzas
Saturday - Eat Out

Have you planned your meals for the week?

Finding Meals In My Pantry

In conjunction with the Forget The Joneses Project and the 21 Day Spending Freeze, I am going to take a look in my pantry and freezer and see how many meals I can come up with.

I tend to buy in bulk and freeze a lot of things so I can hopefully come up with a lot!

1. Frozen Chicken Pot Pie
2. Pasta, Sauce, Frozen Meatballs
3. Pasta, Sauce, Frozen Meatballs
4. Pasta, Sauce, Frozen Meatballs
5. Kielbasa, Rice, Frozen Vegetables (frzn kielbasa, rice, frozen veggies)
6. Steak, Rice, Frozen Vegetables (frzn steak, rice, frozen veggies)
7. Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Salsa (frzn hamb, seasoning, tortillas, shells, cheese, salsa,*s. cream)
8. Chicken, Broccoli, Ziti (frozen chicken, frozen broccoli, ziti, parmesean cheese, butter,*milk)
9. Chicken, Rice, Vegetables (frozen chicken breasts, rice, frozen veggies)
10. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (elbow noodles, cheese, *milk)
11. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese (elbow noodles, cheese, *milk)
12. American Chop Suey (elbow noodles, tomato sauce, frozen hamburger)
13. Homemade Pizza (frozen dough, tomato sauce, cheese)
14. Chicken Noodle Soup (frozen chicken, canned broth, egg noodles, frozen veggies)
15. Lasagna (noodles, mozzarella cheese, canned sauce, parm. cheese, *ricotta cheese)
16. Mexican Casserole (flour tortillas, cheese, canned enchilada sauce, green chiles)
17. Chicken Fajitas (frozen chicken, onions, seasoning, cheese, salsa, *s. cream, * flour tortillas)
18. Chili (frozen hamburger, seasoning, beans, cheese)
19. Beef stew (frozen beef, canned beef broth, seasoning, frozen veggies, *potatoes)
20. Chicken Picata, Rice, Frozen Vegetables (frozen chicken, lemon juice, capers, flour, butter)
21. Chicken Picata, Rice, Frozen Vegetables
22. Chicken Marsala, Rice, Frozen Vegetables (frozen chicken, marsala wine, flour, butter)
23. Chicken Marsala, Rice, Frozen Vegetables
24. Ravioli, Tomato Sauce (frozen ravioli, canned sauce)
25. Ravioli, Tomato Sauce

I have a total of 21 frozen chicken breasts in my freezer.
I have a total of 6 lbs of hamburger in my freezer.

* I will need to purchase these items: s. cream, potatoes, ricotta cheese, milk.

So, it appears that I have enough dinner meals to make it through the 21 day spending freeze.

How many meals can you find in your pantry?

Paying For Convenience

I just got back from a long weekend trip with my 3 sisters (to visit my parents). I had a great time. I also witnessed some of the interesting financial decisions of one of my sisters.

Sister #2 had more travel sized items than most local drug stores! Seriously. It was unbelievable. She had Mini Tide To Go Pen, Mini Downy Wrinkle Release, Mini Hairspray, Mini Shaving Cream, and lots more (that I can't think of right now). Just imagining how much these mini name brand items probably cost made me dizzy.

The same sister also had every kind of medicine imaginable. She had several options for an upset stomach, headache, bug bite, etc.

She also had the fancy aerosol spray sun block that I refuse to buy because of the outrageous price.

None of these things surprised me. She is a name brand shopper of pretty much everything. She likes the nicest (most expensive) toilet paper and paper towels. She uses the expensive name brand liquid laundry detergent. She buys name brand pain relievers and medicines. (She probably gets most of this from my mother, who is also very (name) brand loyal.) She buys individually wrapped snacks for her kids. She laughed at me when I said that baby wipes were a luxury not a necessity (once my kids were out of diapers).

She also bought several snacks at the airport to bring on the plane, including a bottle of water that cost $3.99. (I told her that I would have to be on the verge of dehydration in the desert to pay that much for water!) I'm sure the snacks were pricey too - flavored hummus and crackers (very yummy) and a few kinds of candies. I waited for my complimentary beverage and snack on board. (Okay, I tried a little of her crackers and dip.)

I know my sister well, so none of these things were surprising to me. What was a little surprising was how much value she placed on convenience. We were discussing vegetables and she was saying how she really liked these vegetables that come in a pouch that you can steam in your microwave in 20 seconds (carrots, I think). I say "oh". And told her that she knows I won't pay extra when I can buy a giant bag of regular ones for much less. Then she played the "convenience card" - saying that because she works (teacher), she doesn't have a lot of time for meal prep, and that it was worth a lot to her to be able to have those carrots ready in 20 seconds. I said "oh" (again), and just had to add that it really doesn't take very long to boil frozen vegetables. She said "yes it does". And I said "no it doesn't". (Yes, we were acting somewhat like 2 year olds!) Anyway, she either had a hard time believing that you can really boil frozen carrots in 4 minutes, or felt that saving 3 minutes and 40 seconds of time was worth a lot of money.

Anyway, it is clear that Sister #2 and I will probably never agree on finances. (And no, she is not financially well off, and does complain about a lack of money.)

I have a lot of room for improvement, but overpaying for convenience has not been one of my problems. :)

Tonight's Frugal Dinner

This year I am trying to focus on saving money on groceries. To help with that, I am going to try to calculate the cost of the meals I make for my family so I can focus on the less expensive ones.

Tonight we are having "Chicken, Broccoli, & Ziti".

(1 1/2) Large Boneless Chicken Breasts - (bought on sale for $1.79 a lb) - $1.79
16 oz. Frozen Broccoli Florets - $ .89
16 oz. Pasta - $ .33
8 oz. Cream Cheese - $ .89
2 Tbsp. Butter - (bought on sale for $1.50/lb) - $ .03
2 Tbsp. Flour - $ .03
4 oz. Milk - $ .20
1 Tsp. Minced Garlic - $ .10
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesean Cheese - $ .10
TOTAL - $4.36

This will feed my family of 5 for two dinners, one for tonight, one to freeze and serve later. So a total of 10 servings. So, our "Chicken, Broccoli, & Ziti" meal comes out to about $ .44 per serving.

I will track more meals this week to see how this price compares to other meals. (Note: I used my best prices from my price book for these calculations, so I need to be diligent to make sure I stock up on the great deals and never pay lower than the lowest price in my price book. This is my goal.)

Buying In Bulk

I am a big fan of buying groceries and as well as other items in bulk.

If you find an item that you normally purchase on sale for a good price, you should buy several to multiply the savings. So,if your kid's favorite cereal is on sale for $1 less than you usually pay, you will save $1 if you buy a box of that cereal.

But why not buy five boxes of that cereal and save $5?

Keep in mind the expiration date of anything you buy in bulk. You will want to be sure that you will use it up before it expires.

You will also need to make sure that you have the space to store your bulk purchases. I have a large pantry where I keep all of my bulk purchased food items. Non food items I keep stored on shelves in the garage.

Below is a list of some of the items that I purchase in bulk along with the prices I usually pay.

Grocery
pasta - $ .25 per lb.
canned spaghetti sauce - $ .74
canned soup/broth - $ .50
boxed mac and cheese - $ .20
ramen noodle soup - $ .10
salad dressing - $ .99
taco shells - $ .99
taco seasoning packets - $ .25
granola bars - $1.50
brownie mix - $ .50
cake mix - $50
ketchup - $ .99
mustard - $ .79
Diet Coke - $1.99
wheat thins - $1.50
saltines - $ .99
crackers - $ .99
rice - $3.99 for 10 lbs
cereal - $1.50

Other
shampoo - $ .50
soap - $ .20
deodorant - $ .99
toothpaste - $ .99
toilet paper - $ .19 per roll
paper towels - $ .50 per roll
feminine pads - $1.99
adhesive bandages - $ .99
napkins - $ .99
sunblock - $ .99
shaving cream - $ .99
scotch tape - $ .50
envelopes - $ .50

When you buy in bulk it changes the way you do your weekly grocery shopping. You no longer shop for the items you will need for the upcoming week. Instead you are shopping to refill your pantry supply with items at rock bottom prices.

This is a great way to save money and make your grocery dollar go farther.

Frugal Ideas - Part I

There are many simple frugal things you can do on a daily basis that will save you small amounts of money. These frugal things, when done consistently, can turn small amounts of money into large amounts of money, and can have a big impact on your finances.

The trick is to choose the frugal ideas that work for you. If a frugal activity or sacrifice makes you feel deprived, it won't work. It's like being on a diet. Deprivation will eventually lead to indulgence, and often over indulgence. That can sink your diet and your budget.

Being frugal is different for everyone. What works for one person may not work for another. But don't be too quick to reject a frugal idea before trying it. If you keep doing things the same way you always have, you'll keep getting the same results you always have.

Here are a couple of frugal ideas to get you started. (I will continue this list with weekly updates, so that is why this article is labeled Part I of Frugal Ideas.)

1. Use Less Paper/Disposable Products

Use a real cup instead of a paper cup, a real plate instead of a paper plate, a dish cloth instead of a paper towel, a handkerchief instead of a tissue, a cloth diaper instead of a disposable diaper, a washcloth instead of a baby wipe, a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin, a dust rag instead of a disposable duster.

It seems that every month some new disposable products are introduced into the market. These products are very convenient but also very expensive. Even if you purchase them on sale, they cost you significantly more than their non disposable counterpart.

Take paper towels, for example. If you buy paper towels on sale for $ .50 a roll and you use one roll a day (which is easy to do!), you would be spending $3.50 a week, and over $14 a month just on this expense. Add that to all the other types of paper and disposable products you might use and that becomes a significant monthly expense.

Use less paper/disposable products or switch to all non disposable products and save big! (And you'll be helping the environment as well!)

2. Cook From Scratch

Cooking from scratch instead of buying convenience foods can save you a lot of money.

Take rice, for example. I grew up having Minute Rice so when I began to cook I also used Minute Rice.

It didn't seem too expensive to me at about $1.99 for a box that would last for a couple of meals. Then I found out how inexpensive white rice actually is. You can buy a 10 pound bag of white rice for $3.99 (or less) and it will last for several months!

So, let's compare. For my family of five, the minute rice works out to cost $ .66 per meal. (One box will serve 3 meals. $1.99 divided by 3 = $ .66 per meal.)

The regular white rice works out to cost $ .20 per meal. (A 10 pound bag will serve about 20 meals for my family. $3.99 divided by 20 = $ .20 per meal)

So the Minute Rice costs more than 200% more than the regular white rice. Yes, it cooks in five minutes opposed to 20 minutes but is that convenience worth a 200% increase in price?

You will find similar savings by cooking most items from scratch.

Frugal Ideas - Part I

There are many simple frugal things you can do on a daily basis that will save you small amounts of money. These frugal things, when done consistently, can turn small amounts of money into large amounts of money, and can have a big impact on your finances.

The trick is to choose the frugal ideas that work for you. If a frugal activity or sacrifice makes you feel deprived, it won't work. It's like being on a diet. Deprivation will eventually lead to indulgence, and often over indulgence. That can sink your diet and your budget.

Being frugal is different for everyone. What works for one person may not work for another. But don't be too quick to reject a frugal idea before trying it. If you keep doing things the same way you always have, you'll keep getting the same results you always have.

Here are a couple of frugal ideas to get you started. (I will continue this list with weekly updates, so that is why this article is labeled Part I of Frugal Ideas.)

1. Use Less Paper/Disposable Products

Use a real cup instead of a paper cup, a real plate instead of a paper plate, a dish cloth instead of a paper towel, a handkerchief instead of a tissue, a cloth diaper instead of a disposable diaper, a washcloth instead of a baby wipe, a cloth napkin instead of a paper napkin, a dust rag instead of a disposable duster.

It seems that every month some new disposable products are introduced into the market. These products are very convenient but also very expensive. Even if you purchase them on sale, they cost you significantly more than their non disposable counterpart.

Take paper towels, for example. If you buy paper towels on sale for $ .50 a roll and you use one roll a day (which is easy to do!), you would be spending $3.50 a week, and over $14 a month just on this expense. Add that to all the other types of paper and disposable products you might use and that becomes a significant monthly expense.

Use less paper/disposable products or switch to all non disposable products and save big! (And you'll be helping the environment as well!)

2. Cook From Scratch

Cooking from scratch instead of buying convenience foods can save you a lot of money.

Take rice, for example. I grew up having Minute Rice so when I began to cook I also used Minute Rice.

It didn't seem too expensive to me at about $1.99 for a box that would last for a couple of meals. Then I found out how inexpensive white rice actually is. You can buy a 10 pound bag of white rice for $3.99 (or less) and it will last for several months!

So, let's compare. For my family of five, the minute rice works out to cost $ .66 per meal. (One box will serve 3 meals. $1.99 divided by 3 = $ .66 per meal.)

The regular white rice works out to cost $ .20 per meal. (A 10 pound bag will serve about 20 meals for my family. $3.99 divided by 20 = $ .20 per meal)

So the Minute Rice costs more than 200% more than the regular white rice. Yes, it cooks in five minutes opposed to 20 minutes but is that convenience worth a 200% increase in price?

You will find similar savings by cooking most items from scratch.