Lessons Learned From “The Tightwad Gazette”

I read The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn over two years ago and it really changed my mind about money and frugality.  The Tightwad Gazette is a compilation of newsletters written over many years by Amy and bound into one book. It’s a thick book that is completely fascinating. I would like to own it one day but for now I try to check it out from the library and re-read it once a year. Here are a few things I have learned through my readings.

There is nothing wrong with leftovers and substitutions in the kitchen. Amy encourages her readers to use up what they have and be creative in the kitchen. I learned that you can save the juice from canned fruits and use it in sweet muffins in place of water or milk. Now I often put juice from canned peaches in my banana muffins and reduce the amount of sugar the recipe calls for. I also learned that you can make various soups, quiches and muffins using leftovers from previous meals.

Setting up a price book can save you money at the grocery store. When we moved to our current area over two years ago, I diligently created a price book to be familiar with products and stores in our area. I have since relaxed on my price book, as I can list most of the prices at Aldis, but it would be helpful to re-create one so that I know a stock-up price for couponing.

When you need to solve a problem first look at what you have before running to the store to buy something. One example that she listed was creating birthday decorations from leftover colored school papers. She also had a lot of tricks for remodeling your home using what you have. Lately I have made homemade toys by using things from around the house.

Perhaps cloth diapers aren’t so bad after all. I had never considered utilizing cloth diapers until I read this book. At the time our apartment didn’t have its own washer/dryer so the laundromat bill would have canceled out any savings from using cloth. But when we moved to our current apartment I started researching cloth diapers and bought a few supplies for my kids. I have to admit we only cloth diaper half of the time, but my diaper bill is a lot lower than it could be. Simplemom has a wonderful series on the mechanics of cloth diapering.

These are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned from this book. I would be interested to know if others have read this, and if so, what did you learn?

Read more ways to save at Life As Mom’s Frugal Friday.

Great Links to Check Out

Here are some posts that I have found this week that I thought you might enjoy.

For the Mommas has a great post on stock up prices for toiletries. She lists both a buy price and a stock-up price. This a great place to start in making your own price book.

Simple Kids has compiled a list of favorite children’s literature from their readers. This would be a great resource when buying gifts or building up your home library.  I’m going to print out a copy and bring it with me to the library.

Get Rich Slowly has a comprehensive article on Planning a (Debt-Free) Dream Vacation. We are currently setting aside a specific amount for our family reunion this summer and that certainly keeps us from putting a vacation on a credit card.

Mama’ s Laundry Talk discusses Frugal Laundry Necessities. We have similar shelves in one of our closets and I love them.

Toddler’s Toy from Recyclables

I’m at a stage in my life where I have more time than money. I have found that being creative can save me a few bucks, and entertain my boy, Tigger. Here is a simple toy I made from things we had around the house.

A family member gave me a stack of old cards they weren’t using that Tigger could play with. I decided to make a container that he could drop the cards in and then dump out and start again.

I found an old corn meal container to use. I started by cutting a slit in the lid.

I could’ve stopped here, but I wanted to make the container a little more colorful. So I added construction paper and personalized it. I then dropped all the cards inside and let Tigger play to his heart’s content.

Now Tigger has a fun, colorful toy to play with made from recyclable materials. It keeps him and our budget happy, it works for me.

See more ideas at Works for Me Wednesday hosted by We Are That Family.

Homemade Crockpot Applesauce

Last week Aldi’s had a terrific sale on fruits. In the middle of January I got apples for $0.33/lb, and oranges for $0.38/lb. Needless to say that I stocked up so that we can enjoy the fruit for weeks (well maybe not the oranges, they’re a hot commodity for the men in my house). We will eat many of the fruit raw in lunches and for snacks but if some of the apples start to get spotty then I’ll make up some homemade crockpot applesauce

I had never thought about making applesauce in the crockpot until I read Allison’s recipe online. I loved how easy the concept was, since I love my crockpot and the thought of making applesauce seemed so daunting. But thanks to earlier preparation this recipe was a breeze.

This fall when apples were under $0.33/lb I stocked up on more than 20 lbs and took them to my mother-in-law’s. She graciously let me use her apple corer/slicer and and helped me prep all those apples for later baking. She added some cinnamon and sugar to half of the bags to use in pies or applesauce, and left the other half unsweetened. I then used these bags for muffins, apple crisp, or applesauce. Here’s what I did when I made applesauce last week.

I took a bag of sweetened, prepared, apples from the freezer.

I plopped it in the crockpot, and set it on low.

I waited until it smelled really yummy and the apples were mushy.

I enjoyed my yummy snack, and wished I had added another bag to the crockpot.

Storing and Rotating Children’s Clothing

This week, once again, it was time to rotate my little, chubby, 5-month old Sweetpea’s wardrobe. We’ve been blessed with a multitude of outfits and hand-me-downs from friends and family, and in our little apartment I had concerns about storing all of hers and Tigger’s clothes. I used to dread rotating Tigger’s baby clothes because I always felt disorganized. But somehow, with Sweetpea it wasn’t so daunting. Here are a few tips I’ve learned.

1) Decide how many clothes you really need. I know people who only have seven shirts and seven pants for each child, (plus I assume pajamas). Such limited outfits keeps their laundry at bay and their storage and expenses minimized. I’ll admit to having more than seven outfits for each kid, and I’m always amazed at how many outfits I put into storage or donate when rotating that clothing. Perhaps that’s because I keep Sweetpea in pajamas all day in the winter, or let Tigger run around without a shirt on in the summer year-round. These habits are things I need to take into consideration, when deciding how many clothes to keep.

2) Find a storage solution that works for you. Starting out I put Tigger’s clothes in empty diaper boxes, and stored them under his crib. But then I heard about the big Ziplok bags and decided to give them a try. They worked for me and the best thing was that I could easily view the clothing inside, and their smaller size limited the amount of clothes I would save. I store them under cribs, beds, and dressers due to the size of my apartment. My only complaint is that they don’t retain their smaller shape after being shrunken. I also have a couple of sizes of clothing stored in rubbermaid boxes.

3) Keep Track of What You Have

Last summer, I noticed Tigger was outgrowing his clothes and began looking through his size 2 pile. I was surprised to find only a few shirts and a couple of pants, and discovered I had dropped the ball on keeping track of his clothes. We had received hand-me-downs that only ran up to size 2 and I didn’t realize he didn’t have any more clothes. Luckily it was the start of garage sale season and I was able to find some cheap clothes. I tried to keep track of all our clothes in a catalog grouped by size, but I invariably lost the list, or forgot to record new clothes. I’m going to give this a go again this summer when garage sale season comes around so that I am not buying clothes that I already have. If I still can’t manage to keep a list of clothes I’ll just have to go through that size and make a quick  tally of what is missing.

4) Sort, Wash and Store New Clothes Right Away

Soon after giving birth to Sweetpea a good friend of mine blessed me with a trunkload of girl’s clothing ranging from newborn to preschool. I was very grateful but a little daunted with the enormity of the pile. Even though I wasn’t getting much done around the house due to Sweetpea, I made it a priority to take care of the clothing right away. That way I wouldn’t misplace any of the clothes and they would be kept in good condition.

I’m sure as time goes by our clothing system will change, but as for now this system is working for us and keeps all our children’s clothing manageable.

Going Paperless

The other day I walked into our apartment’s entryway to find our bank statement lying on top of our community mailbox, instead of being locked safely inside. Morbid tales of identity theft rushed through my mind and I quickly snatched the piece of mail. After a short discussion with my husband we signed up for online statements with that account.

Although I frequently tell my husband I prefer old-fashioned paper to online resources, my attitudes are quickly changing in-line towards his tech-savvy ways. We still have one or two bills trickle in through the mail each month, but now the majority of our budget, bill pay and even statements are stored online. This action saves us space, clutter and time, not to mention online statements prevents thieves from stealing our mail.

I have to say that except for tax purposes I find our need for actual bank statements obsolete as we check our accounts multiple times during the week and balance them against our neobudget account. I find toggling between my bank account and neobudget much easier than balancing transactions with a paper and pen. My statements are always weeks old and if I referred primarily to them my checkbook would quickly be out of balance.

When it’s time to pay the bills, I just have to check my husband’s e-mail for the amount and the date due and then pay it online through my bank. I can easily do this juggling a baby on my lap, which is a frequent occurrence. I know others swear by setting up bill pay in advance, but I haven’t tried that yet, I just pay the bills when the check deposits.

With the advances of paperless technology I feel more secure and organized in my financial dealings. Some things truly are better and easier online, while others (like a good book) will forever be the best on paper.

Grocery Budget Buster: Forgetting the Groceries

I poured over the ads, coupons and multiple couponing blogs to put together an awesome list for Meijers and Kroger last week. I was stoked that I found multiple items for free and had survived the five hours of errands with my two children.

I quickly unloaded my bags of groceries for pictures and found I was missing a bag. Somehow I had left all of the Healthy Choice entrees at the store that I had gotten on sale for about $6 total. A whole week’s worth of lunches for Tim were either sitting in some forlorn cart or abandoned at the customer service center, where I had to visit to use my high-value $5/5 coupon.

I called Krogers and there was no trace of my bag. They offered to let me bring in my receipt and get new boxes, but I declined as nap-time was approaching and we had plans for the rest of the day. I doubted whether they would let me bring in my receipt the next day, and I was too timid to go back, thinking that they might not trust me.

Although I scored some great deals, especially at Meijer’s, I was a little bummed that I had forgotten food at the store and wasted money. The best way to stretch your grocery dollars is to use your food up, and that’s hard to do if you leave the food you’ve paid for at the grocery store.

Chock this to a lesson learned in frugality. To see more frugal posts check out Life As Mom’s Frugal Friday.

Help For Haiti

Tonight as I sit in my warm house, surrounded by family, food, and running water, my mind turns to those in Haiti.  This past week they have been ravished by the earthquake and have lost homes, friends, parents, children, security, and perhaps even hope. As we sit thousands of miles away and watch the struggles on t.v., I am reminded that we too can help and give, whatever little faith, prayers, or money we can.

Crystal at MoneySavingMom is hosting a Helping Haiti blog drive. Bloggers around the web will participate in “Helping Haiti” and pledge to give a certain amount for every post blogging about Haiti and added to Mr. Linky from now until January 21st. For those without the means to give, you can still help post a blog or comment on sites raising money to increase their donations.

For those who have the means to give here are some links to well-known charities that have already begun serving in Haiti.

American Red Cross

LDS Humanitarian Emergency Response Fund

Catholic Relief Services

Numana

As my husband and I conversed over the tragedy in Haiti we realized how blessed we are. We know that going without a few wants for a month pales in comparison to the devastation of those affected in Haiti.I was preparing to link up and raise donations with others, but after talking with my husband we came to the agreement that we weren’t ready for such a public commitment. Instead, we will give a private donation to the LDS Emergency Response Fund.

I have been amazed that when we sacrificed to give to others, God has always returned our offerings. As Crystal said, “Even if it seems like it’s a drop in the bucket, remember that a bucket of water is made up of that–drops!”. Every dollar, dime, link and prayer will make a difference to those in Haiti. Please join the effort.

~Chelsea

Saving for the Expected: The Baby Fund

I often hear the old adage, “Save for a rainy day”, in reference to unexpected occurrences such as unemployment, health issues, and accidents. But I rarely hear people express the need to save for major expected expenses that can just as easily derail your budget and potentially lead to unwanted debt.

Last year we were fortunate enough to bring baby Sweet Pea into our home. Although we have great health insurance, we still knew that we had to make room in our budget for medical expenses  associated with her birth.

Shortly after we found out we were pregnant, I started doing my research on the estimated costs for a routine delivery in our area. I looked into various doctors, hospitals, etc. and after extensive online research and numerous phone calls I felt confident estimating the cost to deliver our baby.

We put our emergency fund savings on hold for a few months and funneled all of our savings into “The Baby Fund”. After this was fully funded we returned to building up our emergency fund.

My estimation for the cost of her birth, was roughly accurate. The only reason we had to dip a little into savings was an extra day in the NICU.

Knowing that our baby was paid for without going into debt, allowed us to fully enjoy her without worrying about finances.

Update: Site Construction Gone Awry Is Fixed

Update: I love my husband. He fixed my problems in five minutes flat! Thanks Tim!

Please excuse the random code showing on my site. I tried to do some html on my own and it was a flop. Now I’ve learned, save the original code before you make changes. Luckily I have a husband who can (hopefully) help fix it, but unfortunately he’s really busy at the moment. At least I can still post, which is fortunate because I have several great posts coming your way.

Next Page »