Frugal Contemplation

Today, I went to Walgreens to pick up a prescription.  I had to wait for the prescription so I browsed and really enjoyed looking through some magazines (Mother Earth News and a couple of "flea market decorating" types of magazines).  After picking up the rx, I got a Dial body wash and a lip gloss.  Used two coupons, paid $1.05 out of pocket and got back a $3 Register Reward.  I was tired and didn't feel like doing any dinner prep, so I decided to get fast food.  On Tuesdays Happy Meals are $2 and I had a coupon for a free smoothie with a Happy Meal purchase.  I saved the chocolate milk that comes with the meal for breakfast.  Not the healthiest meal, but I do enjoy McNuggets every once in a while.  At home, I had a Monk DVD in my mailbox from Netflix to watch.

Just a little bit of forethought saved me money today (used pretax dollars to pick up my rx, didn't buy the magazines, made money on the WG purchase, spent $2 on a meal instead of the normal $5-10).  It takes little effort to save money on the unimportant things.  I enjoy these little things so much more now that I think about them instead of just going through the motions of my day.

Terrifying Our Children

I must admit that I enjoy an occasional chicken McNugget Happy Meal.  Particularly on Tuesday nights when they are $2 and you get a free Redbox rental.  Anyhoo, a couple of months ago I ended up with this chocolate milk jug depicting a rather terrifying Ronald McDonald.  This is probably where so many clown phobias come from.  Just sayin'. 

T.V. Stand Before and After

I bought this cedar chest a few years ago at a yard sale for $5.  I somehow fit it in the tiny backseat of my two-door car- still don't know how I did that!  It has become my T.V. stand, largely because I didn't have one and couldn't find one that I liked.  I thought it was time for a makeover.  I had a free quart of Glidden paint, and my dear mom donated some brushes and primer.

                                   Before:

                                   After the Glidden paint.  I also spray painted the hardware.

                                   

The last picture cracks me up because apparently I was watching something psychology related.  Who knows?  This was my first painting project and I love it!

So I Lied.

I miss blogging, but I do NOT miss the pressure of coming up with new and improved frugal living ideas all the time.  I am going to start blogging here again, this time with less of an emphasis on frugal living and more rambling.

Yay rambling!

The End

The time has come for me to end this blog.  I have greatly enjoyed writing on frugal living for the past three years, but I find that I have little left to say on the subject and I don't enjoy the pressure of trying to think of something new and improved to write about.  

I will continue living frugally, particularly as I begin paying off my student loan debt.  I will likely start other blogs, just not centered solely on frugal living.

Thanks for all of the readership over the past few years!  I have very much enjoyed hearing from you and wish the best for all of my readers.  

Breadmaker

A few years ago, my friend B. bought a barely used breadmaker at a yard sale for $5.  She decided that she didn't need it, so I bought it from her.  I have had it all this time and never used it until now.  I made some Italian bread that was delicious.  However, I have discovered just WHY it is that it was sold at a yard sale- during the kneading phase it makes the most horrible squeaking noise you can imagine.  Hee!  I haven't decided what to do about it yet, but the bread was good.  

Feed the Pig

I've seen billboards for the Feed the Pig website, and I finally remembered to check it out.  It's an interesting site about saving money.  As long as you aren't creeped out by a large pink pig in a suit talking to you...

In Style Magazine Subscription for $5

Amazon has a one year subscription to In Style for $5.  That's the lowest price for this magazine that I've seen!  I used a Swagbucks gift certificate again, so it didn't cost me a cent.  

The Most Important Tool of Frugal Living

In my opinion, the most important tool you will ever use in your frugal journey is organization.  I don't say this just because I love organization and may or may not own a label maker.  No, I say this because lately I have noticed just how much organization plays a part in frugal living.

Part of being able to be frugal is anticipating your needs.  I know I will use shampoo, toothpaste, and other toiletries on a regular basis.  Planning ahead helps me to get these things for free or nearly free.  Further, if I wasn't organized, I would have a really difficult time finding places to store the shampoo stockpile.  See what I mean?

Another obvious example of the importance of organization is in your coupon use.  The picture above is from last fall and shows the hideous state of my coupons at that time.  I couldn't find any of them when I needed them and I missed being able to use some high value coupons because I wasn't organizing them on a regular basis and they expired.  In the past this has also been a problem with rebates when I missed sending in a crucial piece or I missed the send in date.

The area that seems to impact people most in regard to organization is with meals.  Planning ahead and cooking ahead allows you to create low cost, good-tasting meals and avoid the drive through lane on your way home from work.  All too often it is just much easier to avoid all that planning and go with the easier option.

How has organization helped you in your frugal ways?  How has your lack of organization hurt you?

Frugal Retail Shopping

Who says you can't get deals at retail stores?  These are my kind of prices.  Some recent Marshalls shopping:

Plaid shirt, $2

Skirt, $2  (disgruntled cat not for sale)

Cute thank you notes!!!  $3

I also bought a dress for $3, but the picture made me look like an unfortunately flowered couch.  Since I am all about flattering photos here, I didn't post that one.  ;)

Lessons Learned From Moving

1) I can unpack for a full day and still have TONS OF STUFF left to unpack.

2) I own over 3400 pounds of stuff.  Yes, you read that correctly.

3) Hiring a moving company is a GREAT idea.  I should have hired them to unpack, too...

4) The (old) phone company representative might be rude when you call.

5) 2 out of the 4 representatives you speak to at the new phone company will be helpful and polite.

6) You might spend 30+ minutes on the phone just trying to get to someone who knows what they're talking about when your phone doesn't work

7) I have an internet addiction and being without it for six days was a nightmare.

8) My cat, who seems to have a mild form of PTSD, appears to be getting slightly better at adjusting.

9) Everyone who works for trash companies seems to be tired of dealing with people (perhaps they have to put up with a lot of stupidity?).

10) Appliance shopping is very expensive.

11) Going without a refrigerator for a week is also unpleasant.

Moving Day

I am taking a breather right now while I wait for the moving crew to show up.  It seems that things are pretty much packed, although I think I will have to come back tomorrow for food stuffs.  I don't have a fridge yet, so that doesn't really matter anyway!  ;)  

I am also drinking one of those tachycardia-inducing energy drinks (my first ever) and I have to say that it seems to be working.  I am notoriously low energy, and moving wipes me out for a good week usually.  So I am happy to have any kind of help in that area.  Hopefully the fact that I hired movers will also help me, but I am already exhausted from the work that I had to do last night.

Next post will be from my new (rented) duplex!

Focusing on Now

Last November, there was a day was unseasonably warm.  I love being outside on those days, so I decided to go hiking at a local park.  I frequently hike at this park and have a pretty good knowledge of the trails.  That day, I went on the more difficult trail- straight up a hill and very windy and curvy.  As I went up the trail, I noticed that I couldn’t really tell where the trail led.  Leaves had blown over and covered the path.  I kept stumbling on rocks that I couldn’t see as they were hidden by leaves.  As long as I kept my focus on the immediate path, I was okay.  But as I looked into the distance to try to see where I was headed, I became confused and could easily have gotten lost in the middle of the woods.  I chose to keep my focus on what I could see and had no problems navigating my way back down.

            Sometimes our relationships with God are like that.  Not that we should never plan for the future or try to figure out where we’re going.  It’s just that we're incapable of seeing the big picture.  We can only see the limited piece that He’s chosen to show us at this time.  So when we focus on the trail too far ahead, it’s easy to get lost from the path that we should be on.  Living in the future (or the past) doesn't do us any good and robs us of the miracle of this moment.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9   

Starting Over...Again

I am moving yet again at the end of this month.  The good news is that it is for a job that I think I will really enjoy!  The bad news is that moving is just a hateful process.  Also good news is that I will be going from a resident position to a full-fledged licensed psychologist position.  I am gearing up to really dig in my frugal heels and get some debt paid down.  Here we go...

Deal Alert: Born Shoes

Go to 6pm (the ridiculously named shoe store) and search for Born shoes.  They have a pretty good selection if you click on the under $50 category- which, sadly, is quite a good deal for Born shoes.  Don't forget to go through Cashbaq for an additional 5% back on your purchase!

Ivy's New Bed

It is definitely nice to have a mom with awesome sewing skills.  Clearly Ivy thinks so, too!

Little Luxuries

One of the main tools for battling frugal burnout is structuring some sort of fun treats into your budget.  I have been facing good ol' burnout lately, so I decided to subscribe to Netflix.  I can afford the $5 a month plan and it has already been fun receiving DVDs in the mail.

What are your little luxuries?  

The Deal Shopper

I don't think that I am Banana Republic's ideal shopper.

I have their store credit card for the rewards and for the birthday coupons that they send.  The rewards as of late take me a loooooooong time to earn, but eventually they do add up.  However, I don't think I use them in the way that BR intended.  Here are my latest purchases from there:

1) For my birthday, they sent me a $15 coupon.  Of course I try to stay as close to the amount of the coupon as possible, but everything in that darn store was on sale, making it difficult.  Nevertheless, I persevered and bought a shirt and a pair of socks for $2.56.

2) Last week, they emailed me a $15 coupon code off any purchase online.  I scoured the clearance and ordered two needed tank tops, just paying $7 shipping.  I basically paid $3.50 per tank top, which is a good price in my book.

3) When they sent me my credit card bill for the $2.56 (hee hee), they also sent a $10 rewards card that I had earned.  I went to the store and found a shirt that was 40% off.  With my $10 off, I paid $5.24.  

I have a feeling that I'm probably not who their marketing team had in mind when they developed these promotions.  ;)

I Passed!!!!!!!!

I passed the big, nasty psychologist licensure exam, otherwise known as the EPPP!!!!!  I will have to go take two additional tests, but apparently they aren't quite as big a deal.  The EPPP, on the other hand, has a terrible pass rate AND it costs $500 a pop.  So needless to say I am THRILLED to have passed the first time!

I had so many people praying for me during this time and I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who were praying.  I was incredibly calm and peaceful during the test-taking process, which I know was a direct result from your prayer.  It is so awesome to feel God move.  

This means that I should be licensed on September 4th and that will be the absolute final hurdle in this journey to become a licensed psychologist.  In September I will also begin paying back the rest of my student loans (the majority are deferred right now as I am a resident).  I'm sure that will be a new chapter on this blog as I pay down my debt as quickly as possible.  

Can't wait to get started...

Real Simple Magazine $5 Subscription

This is a GREAT deal if you like Real Simple magazine- Amazon has it right now for $5 for a one year subscription.  I used a Swagbucks gift certificate to pay for it, so it was free!!!!!!