A few years ago when I decided to exit the workforce and stay home with my children, we started watching our utility bills very closely. At the time, we were living in a home that been built in the 1960’s and we were looking to do anything we could to even save $20 per month. Although replacing our old single paned metal windows was not an option, we found all sorts of places we could improve. First, we just decided we were keeping the house unrealistically warm 24/7 during the winter. We found that we slept better and would save a few dollars if we simply lowered the thermostat a few degrees while we were sleeping. Another spot where we paid attention was our front door. The house had shifted some and left small cracks in between the door and the doorway. We identified everywhere we could see light and applied foam insulation. We used the type of insulation that has adhesive on the back and is usually referred to as weather stripping. This stuff is cheap and is an easy way to prevent air from entering or escaping your home, particularly if you have an older home with some quirks. Any local hardware store or big box home center has this stuff. It’s not expensive at all. We found that we were saving several dollars a month in no time. Remember that saving $5 a month comes out to be $60 a year.
Archive for October, 2009
Home Maintenance: Weather Stripping Doors
Saturday, October 31st, 2009Oprah Knows A Girls Gotta Have Her Shoes
Friday, October 30th, 2009I am really excited about this offer, because one I love shoes, and two, I need some. This offer was perfect timing from Oprah. Payless ShoeSource is offering Oprah Viewers 50% off an entire purchase at their stores today only. The offer can be printed or sent to your phone via text, so if you’re out and about without access to a computer, texting would work just fine.
Thank you, Frugal In Virginia
Home Maintenance Introduction
Thursday, October 29th, 2009I am starting a new weekly series based on the maintenance of your house. This includes the home, as well as the items that require routine maintenance that are within your residence, I’ll call this household maintenance. Home Maintenance is essential not only for the preservation of your house, but to ensure that it is operating at maximum efficiency.
I have now had the privilege of owning three different houses, all with different maintenance needs as I lived in them. The house that I currently live in is by far the easiest to maintain, because it is the newest of all three. Many of the items in the home haven’t had time to wear down, wear out, or stop working.
But, what if you live in an older home? Older homes have a tendency to require more maintenance, mostly because they are old, not because of the lack of quality. The first house I owned was well-maintained, requiring minor repairs and fixes along the way. It was an easy house to maintain because someone had consistently followed through with all the little things as the house aged. I moved from this house because it was small (792 sq ft), and while well-maintained, didn’t fill the needs of our family.
The second house I owned and lived in the longest seemed like a good house. After living there for much less than a year, it was evident that the house had not been maintained over the years. There were many issues and small fixes that had to be done to the house that should have been done over the years to keep the house well maintained.
Our current house is about eleven years old, and while it is not showing evident signs of wear and tear, the maintenance is what keeps the house in good condition so that major repairs are avoided, or not required. Routine maintenance may seem costly at times, but avoiding the maintenance may result in more costlier repairs down the road.
The Entertainment Book Can Save You Money
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
It’s that time of year again to start thinking about purchasing The Entertainment Book. This book has been around for years and pays for itself after only a few uses. The Entertainment Book does come at a high price, ranging from $35 to $50 for each book. I usually purchase mine through MyPoints every year at a lower cost than what is listed on their site.
I actually went one year without purchasing the book, thinking that I could do without, and found myself begging for coupons that my family had no use for. I now purchase one every year because my savings in dry cleaning alone pays for the book. I do use Dryel for some of my dry cleaning, but since it won’t work for everything the dry cleaning coupons work out well.
Savings in Dry Cleaning – If I use a coupon every month for my dry cleaning, and I do, I save around $120 a year on a service that I use anyway.
Grocery Savings – Our local grocery store Homeland had a coupon for $5 off a $50 purchase (four coupons), for a total savings of $20 and this is a store that I shop every week.
Clothing – There are several coupons for national stores that can save you hundreds. Most of the stores are places that I already shop, like New York & Company where I can save $25 off of a $75 purchase which doubles to $50 off of a $150 purchase. This is a huge savings on top of their great buy one get one half off sales.
The key to maximizing your savings with this book is to obviously use it, but use it so that you are truly saving. Don’t make a purchase simply because of a coupon. Carry the book in your car. There are so many coupons in the book that it is difficult to remember what stores have a coupon available. Leave the book in your car and check before you go inside the store to make a purchase.
Bulk Cooking On Accident
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009
Well I am a glutton for punishment. I just finished baking four loaves of banana bread by mistake, and wound up purchasing this bag of bananas for $.99 at our local Homeland grocery store. For curiosity I weighed the bananas, and it was just shy of 7 lbs (about $.14 a pound). I normally pay about $.59 a pound for bananas, so the $.14 was a pleasant surprise. Too good to pass up, even if I did have three loaves of banana bread left at my house. Most of the bananas were still fine, and some can be used for banana bread. The bananas I don’t immediately make into bread can be put in the freezer (skin on) and used later for banana bread.
Earlier this week I had planned to make two loaves of banana bread so I doubled the ingredients as I added them to the bowl. About half way through the ingredients I noticed that the bowl was exceptionally full, looked at the yield on the recipe, and realized that oh my, I had done it. I was in the process of making not two loaves, but four.
It actually turned out to be a good oops. Every time I make Banana Bread one loaf is quickly devoured shortly after being removed from the oven, while the second loaf only lasts usually until the next day. Making four loaves of bread was just as easy as preparing two loaves of bread. The task of making Banana Bread was never daunting, but the thought of making four loaves seemed overwhelming. I use Betty Crocker’s Banana Bread recipe. If I don’t have any Buttermilk on hand, I add about a teaspoon of vinegar to the milk and it works just fine.
I am really getting a knack for this bulk cooking, especially baked goods. It definitely saves me time in the kitchen since it takes about the same amount of time to make one batch as it does two batches. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for ripened bananas in the future. I’ll just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Meals for Less than $10.00: Spaghetti with Fresh Herbs and Vegetables
Monday, October 26th, 2009
After making kebabs on the grill yesterday, we had one leftover zucchini, some wedges of onion, and two roma tomatoes. Of course, we always keep fresh parsley around, so we had everything we needed to make a fresh lunch after arriving home from church. I started off with some garlic, some thyme we dried from our garden, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and some regular olive oil. I then added the vegetables and cooked this mixture while the spaghetti was boiling. I cooked the spaghetti to al dente and then added it to the vegetable mixture. The oil, herbs, and vegetables absorbed into the spaghetti for a few minutes for a great flavor. This made the perfect light lunch on a Sunday since we tend to do a little snacking in the afternoon anyway.
1 zucchini ($0.76)
2 roma tomatoes ($0.55)
3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.10)
1 teaspoon kosher salt ($0.05)
1 teaspoon black pepper ($0.05)
1/4 cup regular olive oil ($0.40)
1 lb Reggano spaghetti ($0.88)
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese ($0.50)
1/2 small red onion, cut into wedges ($0.20)
1/4 cup fresh parsley ($0.10)
Total: $3.59
NOTE: I don’t add sales taxes to these prices because many states do not charge sales taxes on food or groceries.
Mortgage “Loan Modification”: What does it mean?
Sunday, October 25th, 2009With our country’s economic problems on the up-swing, individual credit scores are on the decline and there are a lot of questions arising. If you have a mortgage and cannot make the payments, “loan modification” can be offered by the mortgage company. In most cases, this is considered a concession to the consumer and can show up as a negative on your credit report. I have found this article from only a few days ago that summarizes loan modification and what it means for your credit report and credit score.
Wall Street Journal: Digging Yourself Out of A Mortgage Mess
Super Savings At Target
Saturday, October 24th, 2009
Target and I have had our ups and downs over the last couple of years, but I just can’t stay away even if I’ve had a bad experience. I realize that the bad experience is due to the cashier’s lack of training on Target’s coupon policy, and I am forgiving. They still have room to improve, and based on the economy I think that they will need to continue to improve to keep people coming back. I had a great experience today, with only one small $30 mistake.
I went to Target in the hopes of finding the elusive Air Wick Freshmatic Air Fresheners which would end up being free after coupons, paying tax of course. I had another handful of coupons to to use as well, and ended up with a wide assortment of items for a total of $23.37. I received a $5 gift card for purchasing the Glade Holiday Scents (purchase 5, receive $5 gift card), and will also submit my receipt for SC Johnson’s $5 rebate. Tax was a whopping $6.31 since it is based off the pre-coupon amount, and I used a $5 gift card from purchasing the Fusion razors earlier this week.
My original total was considerably higher at $53.37 and I was a little surprised that it would be that high. I went ahead and paid the total, but examined my receipt once I returned to my car. I noticed that five of my $6 coupons for the Air Wick had not been taken off my order, and after returning to the customer service counter, it was quickly fixed and my $30 was returned. Target was extremely busy while I was there, and I was so happy that the experience ended up being a positive even after the coupon fiasco.
There was also a bonus at the end of my receipt. I had heard that Target would be starting a program to credit five cents every time you use a reusable bag, and there it was at the end of my receipt. More reason to shop at Target in my opinion.
Decorating On A Budget: The Canvas
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
I like taking things and making them into something new if I can. I definitely don’t have any talent in the art department of things (my stick people are funny looking), but I do try. We found this art canvas at a garage sale for one dollar and while the art wasn’t something I was interested in hanging on my wall, I realized that I could paint over the canvas with something more suitable. I have actually been in need of a picture since we moved in, but I am patiently waiting until something inexpensive comes along.
I started by painting the entire canvas white with some leftover craft paint that we already had. I knew that I wanted to paint the new picture with shades of brown, so I purchased varying shades of brown from Michael’s to make an attempt at being an artist. Here’s what I ended up with, which is now hanging in my bedroom until I can find something a little more professional looking.
It is a very unfinished looking canvas, but if you stand far enough away from the picture, it actually looks pretty good. This is a close-up shot so if you just squint your eyes a little, it really improves the picture.
Don’t be afraid to put something up temporarily on your walls. Putting something up almost always inspires me to find something better that was hanging somewhere else in the house, or stored away and not even hung up.
Heavy Whipping Cream vs. Half & Half
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009I am always on the lookout for a cheaper alternative when cooking or baking without sacrificing on quality or taste. While shopping the other day for Heavy Whipping Cream, I noticed the Half & Half sold right next to it. I wondered what Half & Half really was, and if it was something I could use in place of the Heavy Whipping Cream since the price was so much lower.
I first examined the two containers and noticed that the Heavy Whipping Cream indicated a 36% milk fat content. The Half & Half didn’t indicate the milk fat content, but I figured that it was at least less than the Heavy Whipping Cream, but more than regular milk. After further research on the internet, I found out that the 36% indicates the amount of butterfat in the heavy whipping cream. The Half & Half has a butterfat content of somewhere between 10 and 18%. I conducted further research and discovered that Half & Half could be used in place of Heavy Whipping Cream, but results were mixed on whether or not it is recommended. Because of the lower fat content of the Half & Half results of the dish might vary and not be as flavorful as using Heavy Whipping Cream. Making Whipped Cream will absolutely require the use of Heavy Whipping Cream to make.
I really thought I was on to something thinking I would be saving a great deal of money purchasing the Half & Half instead of the Heavy Whipping Cream since the Heavy Whipping Cream costs a small fortune for a quart ($3.72). Half & Half is traditionally used as coffee creamer, but in a pinch when I had nothing else in the refrigerator I’ve used Heavy Whipping Cream once (maybe twice). Man was my coffee amazing that morning.
I did some math, with ratios and such. I won’t bore you with the math because my head was spinning by the time I figured out the ratio of milk to Heavy Whipping Cream that would equal about the same butterfat percentage as Half & Half. Let me just spare you the details and say that it takes about four cups of milk to two cups of Heavy Whipping Cream to get something close to Half & Half. After all the calculations and price checking I determined that purchasing Half & Half or combining the milk with the Heavy Whipping Cream came out to about the same price.
Half & Half is about half the price of Heavy Whipping Cream, and while it does have a lower butterfat content, I don’t think that I will be sacrificing on quality enough to taste the difference unless I do a blind taste test of course, but that is way off in the future. It seems that I have found a cheaper alternative for some of my recipes by using the Half & Half, but man does that Heavy Whipping Cream taste divine in my coffee.