Saving Money by Using What You Have

I can freely admit that the creative part of my brain is often underused and perhaps even undervalued. I am used to routines, schedules and deviating from the normal can be hard for me. Yet this year I’ve been more determined to be a wise steward and make do with what I have.

My husband made a delicious dinner for New Years and I was in charge of dessert. I have always been a fan of pudding parfaits and wanted to make them in fancy, festive glasses. The only problem is we don’t have any fancy, festive glasses. So I looked through my cupboards and this is what I found. Festive canning jars. They may not have been fancy glasses, but they were better than our usual plastic ware.

One bad habit that I’ve picked up is spending hours skimming through various tot school blogs looking for ideas for creative play for my son. I often think if I had this cool toy, or these expensive art supplies my son will be happier in his play. I don’t take into consideration the fun stuff I have just lying around the house. While I was cleaning up the kitchen I ran into an empty cinnamon jar. It was going to find an immediate new home in the trash, but I decided to give it to my son with some shortened spaghetti so he could do this.

Both of these ideas were quick, easy substitutions that didn’t cost a cent but still fulfilled their functions.

See more ways to save at Lifeasmom’s Frugal Friday.

Making The Decision to Change Apartments Part II

We recently moved apartments in the beginning of April. Our main reason for moving was to be in an apartment with its own washer and dryer, although we took other factors into consideration. We also wanted to cut down on our rent in order to increase our savings, especially with another child on the way. So around the beginning of February we started looking at apartments. Because we wanted to stay within 15 minutes of Tim’s work and also stay in our church congregation’s boundaries we knew we had to find a place close to our current location. Here are some things we learned in our quest to find a new place.

1. Learn how much notice you need to give your current location of your move
Our lease was technically up March 1st, and so I thought that if I gave them 30 days notice and informed them in February that we would be leaving, we could leave the 1st of March. Well, after talking to the office and re-reading our contract I learned we needed to give them 60 days notice of our leaving. So we ended up extending our contract one month because I never read our contract to see how much notice we needed to give them. Luckily there were no penalties or increases for the extra month of rent.

2.  Start looking at your options early
We started browsing at listings online and in the paper in January to get a feel for current prices and options. Since we were familiar with the area we quickly narrowed down our choices. At first we wanted to rent a small house but either the prices were too high or it didn’t fit our criteria. So we then started looking at other large complexes in the area.

3. Ask about current promotions or deals
This strategy mainly works for large apartment complexes, but it never hurts to haggle over price, deposit or other concessions. When we moved into our old apartment they were unable to take any money off of our rent, but they did lower our security deposit to $50. After we had toured our current apartment we asked about any concessions they were offering. At first they offered 1 1/2 months free rent if we were able to apply within a few days of an opening. Later they called with a new promotion and offered us 2 months free rent.

4. Talk to residents
We knew a few friends who lived in the complex that offered us the greatest deal and they were happy to give us their opinions of the complex. They were overall satisfied although with the complex although they had a few minor complaints. Their complaints weren’t major drawbacks for us and since we have lived in many complexes over the years as long as our family is safe and the apartment is sanitary we aren’t too picky.

5. Be willing to be flexible
After we had talked to our friends and applied for the apartment, the complex  asked us if we could move in a few days earlier. They offered to let us move in a week earlier rent free, as long as we signed the lease by a certain date. This arrangement worked out well for us because even though we signed the new lease on a Tuesday, we could wait to move in until Saturday when friends and family could help us. In addition, our old apartment’s lease wasn’t up until the next Monday so I was able to go back and clean an empty apartment. The only inconvenience about this arrangement was that we paid utilities for two places for a week.

We were also flexible about the type of apartment we wanted. Even though we would have preferred a bottom floor apartment, when none were available we agreed to take a top floor apartment.

Overall, we were happy with the new apartment we found, even though we had lost storage space. With the two months free rent, our rent was dramatically reduced, opening up more room in the budget for savings. In addition, the apartment came with its own washer and dryer, freeing up time and quarters. We feel like we found the best deal in the area and are glad we took the time to shop around for our housing options.

Garage Sale Season is Here!

One of our family’s favorite things to do in late spring and summer is attend garage sales. We can usually find some good deals and enjoy spending the time together. Here are a few things we do to get the most from garage sales. You can also skip down to the bottom of the post to see our latest finds.

1. Set aside a certain amount of cash each month specifically for garage sales
This month we set aside $14 for garage sales. We already had $11 left over from garage sales last month. The $11 doesn’t include clothing or furniture. We have set aside $20/mo for clothing and in the summer we buy most of that from garage sales. Since we moved into an apartment with less storage space, we have also set some money aside for shelving which we plan to pick up at a garage sale or off of craigslist.com. I simply divide my cash into different envelopes labeled “garage sales”, “clothing” and “furniture”. And when the money’s gone, it’s gone.

2. Know your target price on items
As I have gone to a few sales in the area this year I am starting to set my target price on items like shoes, clothes and children’s books. I try to get clothes for $0.25-$0.50 a piece and will pay no more than $1 for shoes. We are also trying to build our children’s library and my target price for books is $0.25-$0.50. Since I could go overboard easily on clothes and books, having a target price helps limit my spending.

3. Make a ListI find this especially helpful when trying to buy children’s clothes 1-2 seasons in advance. We have been very blessed to have been giving most of my son’s clothing up until 24 months, but one day I realized he had no clothing beyond 24 months. Since his 2nd birthday is this summer I recognized I had to get busy building his wardrobe during garage sale season. I have since compiled a list of the number of shirts, pants, etc he has in each size so that I know exactly what types of clothes to look for at garage sales.

4. Plan your route and if possible attend neighborhood or multi-family sales
On mornings when we are going to garage sales, we look up listings from our local newspaper online and check out craigslist.com for sales in our area. We highlight any neighborhood or multi-family sales to save on gas and time. We also take into account the areas where sales are. Since we live close to some wealthier suburbs we can often find high-quality items for a cheap price. After we have chosen the sales we print out a multi-destination map from mapquest and head on the road.

5. Leave early and bring snacks for kids
Although we rarely are out the door by 8:00 AM, we try to leave before 9:00 to beat the summer heat. In addition, leaving early means we make it back home by lunchtime and have a happier child. We have also learned the importance of bringing snacks for the road.

We have made great memories as a family attending garage sales and finding steals. Sometimes, like this morning, I just drive to a neighborhood garage sale and walk around to get some exercise and enjoy the weather. On these days if I happen to find a deal then great, if not I’m not too concerned.

This morning I went to a local neighborhood garage sale and picked up the following items in the top photo for a total of $10.

Here was the breakdown of the prices:

Baby BJorn Carrier: $3
Baby Bath: $1
Child’s Sleeping Bag: $2
Boy’s Snow Boots: $1
Boy’s Dress Shoes: $1
3 Bottles: $0.25/ea
2 Cans of Formula: $0.50/can
Girl’s Dress: $0.25

I was very excited to find the carrier and reasonably priced snow boots for my son. I am planning on breastfeeding our next baby but I picked up some bottles and formula just in case in an emergency we would need formula on hand. One of the lessons I learned from this week was to remember to check the condition of each item. After I got home I found that the sleeping bag’s zipper was broken. For only $2 I can’t complain since I could maybe (?) fix it, but I still should have checked the condition at the time. Overall though I thought I did great for $10.

Oops, What Happened to Our Cell Phone Bill

Tim and I each have a cell phone but not a land line. Tim’s is a prepaid phone that we put minutes on about every three months. Mine is a basic plan with 450 minutes and free nights/weekends and calls to members of the same provider. Whenever Tim needs to make some calls, we just switch phones. Since most of my family keeps in touch through the phone and has the same provider, and most of my calls are to family, we rarely go over our minutes. In fact, until this last month I don’t think we came close to within 100 minutes of our limit.

So imagine my  surprise when I found our bill this month to be almost double what it normally is. We had made a few longer phone calls and never checked our balance. I didn’t catch the error until it was too late for the phone company to change our plan for one month and change it back, which could have saved a few bucks.

We will pay the penalty this month for assuming that we could never go over our minutes. Because of this slight hiccup we are making some minor adjustments in our budget this month. I have decided to go on a cash only budget for the bills we don’t pay online or by check. In addition I am making a few more items from scratch like bread and refried beans.

In order to prevent this from happening in the future, I am making it a priority to check our balance halfway through our usage period and if we are close to our limit than checking it every few days. For others who have trouble going over their balance there are tools your cell phone company might offer for a small fee to prevent you from going over your minutes. You may also be able to change your plan for one month and then change back.

Although this bill is an inconvenience for the month, I would rather learn my lesson by going less than $50 over than going over by several hundred. We are also at a point where we don’t need to go into debt or dip into savings to deal with this small situation, we just need to use a little creativity.

Making the Decision to Change Apartments Part I

Since we’re still renting we have the freedom to move around if we can find a better deal after our lease is up. We are currently in a nice 1100 sq feet apartment nestled in a quiet neighborhood. The complex has been great for us but we think we can find something that will fit our needs for less money. So Tim and I discussed what was important for us in finding a new apartment and here are some criteria we came up with:

1. Has washer/dryer hookups or comes with a washer/dryer
At this moment we don’t have washer/dryer hookups in our apartment so once a week I load up our son and our laundry and drive the short distance to our apartment complex’s laundry building. Besides the hassle of doing laundry outside our apartment (especially when our son was sick), laundry also eats into our budget as we spend $25-$35 on laundry/month, not including detergent. Since we will have another child in August, I just don’t see how I can arrange laundry around two children’s schedules, or justify paying over $40/month in laundry.

2. Is relatively close to Tim’s job
Since we share one car, a short commute to Tim’s job is worth a little more in rent. In addition, gas prices fluctuate so much that we decided living close to work can help our gas budget.

3. Is in our church congregation’s boundaries
We have made very good friends over the past year in our congregation. We belong to an organized, large church which divides congregations similar to school districts, you are asked to go to church at a specific time in a specific building depending on where you live. If we moved too far away from where we currently are, we would most likley be in another congregation’s boundaries and have to make friends all over again.

4. Is affordable
This criteria is key as we are trying to save money to build up an emergency fund and then save money for a down payment on a house. If we were to stay in our current complex and move to a unit with washer/dryer hookups we would have to upgrade to a townhouse and spend an extra $50/month. We would really like to reduce the amount we spend on rent, not increase it.

5. Is safe
Since we live on the outskirts of a large city, we are also looking at complexes that are in safer parts of town.

6. Space
Space is last on our list, because even with adding another child to our household, you can be creative and find ways to use small spaces. We also know that if needed we may be able to store a few boxes at Tim’s parents.

So here are our criteria in looking for an apartment to rent. Everyone’s criteria may be different and you have to make your choices on what is best for your family. Now that you know your criteria, I will later write about tips on finding an apartment that fits within your budget and criteria.

Storing Water

Our apartment building shut off our water last night for repairs. Of course we didn’t realize this until Tim used the bathroom and needed to wash his hands. Luckily we just pulled out an apple juice container full of water and Tim could wash his hands.

We have been slowly building up a supply of water, food and basic necessities since moving into our apartment. We do this because our church has counseled us to be ready for emergencies, but I think it’s sound advice for any family. We currently have about 40 gallons or 8 days of drinking/cooking water for our whole family. One day we will have enough for two weeks, but our storage space is limited for now so we stored as much as we could.

Having water stored is handy when the water runs out but also for emergencies that might occur in your area. Bottled water is one of the most important items in any natural disaster but sometimes the trucks can’t get through for a few days. In addition, if there is a limited supply of water the cost may be very expensive. That is where having your own water comes in handy, so you don’t rely on others for your needs. In addition, you may be able to help your friends and neighbors who don’t have water.

We started out small by storing our water in used, clean juice or pop bottles. FEMA has a site here about how to properly store and rotate water, and here is another site with water storage guidelines. Because we don’t buy that much juice or pop and wanted to build our supply more quickly, we started purchasing packs of bottled water. Whenever I could find water for $3.00 for a package of 24 16.9 oz bottles I would stock up and buy a few. These packages are approximately 3 gallons, which makes them around $1.00/gallon.

I have found that I also need to keep on top of my water supply. I was sure we had 45 gallons of water, but when I took an inventory this morning, I only found 40. Which means another trip to the store when I see some bottled water sales.

We are glad that we made storing water a priority because part of being frugal and living off of one income means being prepared and self-sufficient. We know that if our water goes out, the water supply is contaminated or some other disaster occurs we have supplied our most basic needs and could sustain ourselves for over a week.

Our Valentine’s Day

Tim and I celebrated a wonderful Valentine’s Day this year. We kept it simple and the best part was the time we spent together, and the lovely flowers Tim gave me. We decided to make a fancy dinner at home to save on costs. Tim was the head chef and I followed his orders. The dinner turned out wonderful. Since we stayed home we also didn’t need to pay for a baby-sitter. I tried to roughly estimate the cost of our dinner below. I only added the cost of the food we ate, not any leftovers we had. I would estimate that this meal would cost at least $12.00/plate at a restaurant.

Menu:
Stuffed pork chops with apple bacon stuffing
Rosemary potatoes
Salad
Garlic Bread (yes, the top was accidentally burned)
Water

Pork Chops: $3.00
Stuffing with apple and bacon: $1.50
Rosemary Potatoes: $1.00
Salad: $1.00
Garlic Bread: $1.10

Total: $7.60
Per Plate: $3.80

We splurged a little and went out for ice cream for dessert and spent a little over $5.00 for high quality ice cream cones (we still used a coupon). Since we rarely have ice cream it was a delicious treat. Our son (who’s allergic to dairy) was happy to snack on grapes while we enjoyed our dessert.

After dessert, we put our son to bed and watched a movie on Hulu then turned in for the night. Overall, it was a terrific Valentine’s Day and we didn’t blow the bank to celebrate.

Storing Bulk Food

One way that we keep our groceries down is by buying bulk rice, beans, oatmeal and flour when possible. We are able to get a good deal on 25 lb boxes and buy them about twice a year which cuts down on our monthly grocery expenses. Since our family and apartment are small we have to be creative on storing food and packaging it to keep any critters out. Here are some key ideas for keeping our bulk food fresh.

1. Right containers
One of the best things I’ve found for storing bulk food items are 3-5 gallon food grade buckets. I can often get these for free by calling around to local bakeries and asking if I could have any frosting buckets they’d be throwing away. They are often eager to give away containers that would just go in the trash. I make sure to wash them out really well to get rid of all frosting traces.

2. Keeping the bugs out
Bay leaves, bay leaves, bay leaves. Bay leaves are a great investment to keeping any insects out of your food. I often throw 3-4 leaves in each bucket of food and have yet to have trouble with insects. You need to be more careful with flour though since flour contains little eggs that will hatch in 6-12 months. One thing you can do to kill the eggs is to freeze the flour for 24-48 hours. Since we just have one small freezer I divide the flour into gallon bags and freeze a few at a time. I also try to use up our flour within a year.

3. Date and rotate
This is the most critical aspect of keeping your food fresh. I mark all of our bulk food containers with the date on a piece of masking tape. This way I can tell which containers to use first and also gauge when I need to purchase new food. If you stock up on cans or other shelf items I would recommend dating those as well so that the cans don’t sit in your cupboards for years.

Tonight we are going to purchase some more rice and oatmeal and I am excited to have my pantry full once again.

Making Orange Zest

Tim’s been coming down with a cold so we’ve been eating a lot of oranges over the past week to boost our vitamin C intake. Since I don’t like things going to waste, I put all of the orange peels in a large cup. When I have collected enough peels, I sit down and grate the peels to make orange zest to use in baking. I then store the zest in a jar in the fridge.

Making orange zest isn’t the only thing you can do with orange peels. You can thrown them in the disposal to freshen up the drain. Or you can put an orange peel with your brown sugar to keep it soft. Dried orange peels are often used in potpourri as well.

I waste more than I like to admit, but one easy thing I can do is save my orange peels for other uses.

The Simple Life: Continuing Education-Using the Local Library

My husband and I are both students at heart, even though we’ve been out of college for over a year. My parents taught me the value of an education and books from a young age. My husband and myself might go back to school one day for additional degrees but right now we don’t have the time or money to enroll in classes. So the next best step is utilizing our local library.

For me there has always been something special about libraries. Last night, I went to the library to pick up some books on hold and when I walked in I just felt like I was at home. I think the feeling stems from a deep respect for all of the knowledge contained within those brick walls.

One of the main reasons I go to the library is to educate myself on current issues our family is facing. I have checked out multiple books on personal finance, fitness, investing, cooking, childcare, indoor gardening and many other areas. When my husband showed me our options for hte 401(k) plan I didn’t feel intimidate voicing my opinions because I had spent the time to learn about the basics of investing and the different vehicles you can use.

Currently I am researching safe home and natural remedies for common ailments to hopefully save a few trips to the doctor and prescribed antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. I am also looking at investing in a few basic essential oils to add to homemade gifts, cleaning solutions and basic first aid. With all the products out there I want to make sure that our family is getting the best use of our time and money in the solutions that we find. And that is where books are so helpful.

I have to admit that going to the library now with a 1 1/2 year old in tow is a bit of a challenge. I’ve found that reserving books online and picking them up is a lifesaver. Before my son was mobile I would usually take my time to browse through the different selections, but now by the time I’ve given the books an adequate lookover my son has either destroyed the bottom shelf or has run to the next aisle in order to play peek-a-boo.

Even though trips to the library may be a challenge now, I’m trying to instill the same love of learning and books to our son, so I try to make the library fun. I think it’s working because when we go to the library he knows exactly where the kid section is and starts playing with the blocks while I pick out some books for him. And at home he loves to read books.

Even though I am not currently in school I find great satisfaction out of utilizing our local library to keep informed and current in my life and the world around us. Using the library improves our lives by allowing us to improve our minds—all for free.

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