June's Budget Update

June was a good month spending-wise.  We took an 8-day vacation to Maine, and still managed to get through the month under budget!  I have really started paying attention to the Saving Star rebates that are being offered.  I don't plan my shopping around them, but a lot times the deals going on at CVS and Giant, along with coupons, just happen to coincide with the Saving Star offers.  This means better deals for me!  Overall the month went well, and I'm hoping that July is just as good!

• Week #1: $84.07 oop, Earned $4.75 ECB's
• Week #2: $96.93 oop, Earned $10 CVS Gift Card, $6 ECB's and $1 Saving Star Rebates
• Week #3: $37.49 oop, Earned $10 ECB's, and $1.50 Saving Star Rebates
• Week #4: $51.22 oop, Earned $14 ECB's, and $0.40 Saving Star Rebates
• Week #5 Part #1: $28.46 oop, Earned $13 ECB's, and $5 Saving Star Rebates

Total OOP: $298.17
Total Earned: $65.65
Total Remaining: $8.76

Weekly Spending Report: 06/28-07/04/2015 Part #1

This week I broke my shopping up into two trips.  I usually try to get it all out of the way at one time, but with a full work week, and a lot of household projects going on, I could only be out shopping for so long at a time.  Anyway, because I shopped twice, the first installment is out of June's budget, and the second is out of July's, it actually worked out pretty well doing it that way.  Here's how the first part of the shopping went for this week...

• Sunday's CVS Trip: $14.38 oop, Earned $13 ECB's, and a $5 Saving Star Rebate

• Sunday's ALDI Trip: $14.08 oop

Total OOP: $28.46
Total Earned: $18
Total Remaining from June: $8.76

  Part 2 is Here

Weekly Spending Report: 06/21-27/2015

This week we didn't get home until late Tuesday night, so we did our shopping Wednesday evening.  That gave me a chance to clean the house, get my coupons together, and wash some laundry from our trip.  We mainly needed produce and easy lunch items, so that's mostly what I picked up.  I also got bottled water, and did the diaper deal at CVS.  We have found that with using the Pampers Baby Dry at night, Howard will sleep 10-12 hours straight with no problems!  Here's how the week went down spending-wise...

• Wednesday's CVS Trip: $9.86 oop, Earned $14 ECB's (includes 3-24 pks H2O, not pictured)

• Wednesday's Giant Trip: $30.89 oop, Earned $0.40 Saving Star Rebate (Larabar)

• Wednesday's Baugher's Trip (no picture, just 1 pineapple, 1 seedless watermelon, a red onion, and a tomato): $6.43 oop
• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip: $3.18 oop (no picture, just 2 newspapers and 1 basket)

Total OOP: $50.36
Total Earned: $14.40
Total Remaining: $37.22

Weekly Spending Report: 06/14-20/2015

This week required some special shopping for our trip to Maine.  We are staying with friends, so I didn't have to worry about meals this week, just snacks, and food for Howard.  Super Easy!  We picked most of that stuff up at ALDI, but it came out of our vacation budget, so I'm not going to post that trip here.  I used up a few rain checks at CVS, and combined e-coupons, with store coupons, and manufacturer coupons at Giant for some AWESOME savings!  Here's how our shopping went...

• Sunday's CVS Trip: $10.53 oop, Earned $10 ECB's ($5 from Rain Checks), and $1 Saving Star Rebate for the Garnier Fructis Shampoo

• Sunday's Giant Trip: $26.96 oop, Earned $0.50 Saving Star Rebates for the Suddenly Salads

Total OOP: $37.49
Total Earned: $11.50
Total Remaining for June: $87.58

Weekly Spending Report: 06/07-13/2015

This week was a great stocking up week!  We got lots of great deals on things I have had on my 'need to stock up during the next sale' list for awhile.  I also managed to pick up some meats and produce!  Here's how the week worked out...

• Sunday's CVS Trip (not pictured 3-24pks bottled water, and 4-12 pks Coke): $20.98 oop, Earned $10 CVS Gift Card, $1 Saving Star Rebate for the Dove, and $6 ECB's

• Sunday's Giant Trip: $36.34 oop

• Sunday's ALDI Trip: $39.61 oop

Total OOP: $96.93
Total Earned: $17
Total Remaining for June: $125.07

ALDI Deals: 06/10-16/2015

Here are some of the AWESOME deals at ALDI this week...

• Happy Farms Cheese Blocks $1.59/8 oz
• Happy Farms Shredded Cheeses $2.49/12 oz
• Happy Farms Shredded Cheeses $2.99/16 oz
• Friendly Farms Whipped Dairy Topping $1.99/13 oz
• Sweet Onions $0.79/2 lbs
• Mini Sweet Peppers $1.39/8 oz
• Portabella Mushrooms $0.99/6 oz
• Sweet Corn $1.59/4 pk
• Zucchini $1.19/24 oz
• Asparagus $1.29/16 oz
• Simply Nature Organic 100% Grass Fed 85/15 Ground Beef $6.99/lb
• Wednesday 6/10 ONLY: Family pk Chicken Breasts $1.89/lb
• Wednesday 6/10 ONLY: Fresh Black Angus USDA Choice Boneless Rib eye Steak $12.99/lb
• Royal Class Men's Swim Trunks s-xl $9.99 ea
• Royal Class Men's Graphic Tees s-xl $5.99 ea
• Royal Class Men's Canvas Shoes sizes 9-12 $8.99 per pair

For more information about ALDI, visit their Homepage!

Frugal Finds - Yard Sale Deals

I wanted to share some of the items that I have been finding at yard sales this Spring.  Yard sale-ing is how we supplement the hand-me-downs that make up most of Howard's wardrobe, and where we find some fun things that we can actually afford.  One yard sale provided this haul...

2 Toddler-sized short sleeve shirts  $2
2 Toddler-sized long sleeve shirts $2
1 pair Toddler-sized Jeans $1
1 pair Toddler-sized Footed PJ's $1
1 New baby Book $0.50
1 Plastic Horseshoe Set $1
1 Silver-plated Peacock Napkin Holder $2
1 Kids DVD $1
1 Soap Saver $0.25
Grand Total: $10.75

The shirts, pants, and sleeper for Howard are all toddler sizes that he will grow into.  The shirts and pants are in mint condition, and are nice enough for him to wear to church.  All of the clothes were a $1 each, which is the same price they are on half price day at the thrift store we frequent.  The thrift store does not always have such mint clothing, and I am also finding it very difficult to find the footed sleepers in the larger sizes.  The Peacock napkin holder is actually from Italy and is silver plated.  I picked it up for my desk to hold the bills until the beginning of the month when I pay them.  The plastic horseshoe set we picked up to leave in the car for Howard.  That way when we stop for our picnic lunches, he can play with that.  The new baby book is to put away for now, but for $0.50, I couldn't pass that up.  The DVD is actually a turn the page type movie, so he can follow along with the actual book if he wants.  Lastly, the soap saver is just really cool.  I picked it up for the laundry room.  I'm not sure I'm going to use it yet, but we'll see.

1 Heater $2

1 Fan $1

1 Baby Mirror $1

1 pair Car Seat Strap Covers $0.75

2 Toddler-sized Footed PJ's $2

7 Comedy Cd's $5

Grand Total: $11.75

 

These sales were a different weekend.  We stumbled across a few things for our house, and our trip to Maine.  Joe wanted the comedy Cd's to listen to while he drives at night.  We got 7 of those.  I also found two more footed PJ's for Howard.  I finally got him a mirror for the car, and a pair of strap covers for his one car seat we bought used.  Joe got an organizer for sockets, a spare heater in case ours dies, and a fan for his grandfather's house.

Have any of you been yard sale-ing recently?  What great deals have you found?

 

Menu Plan Monday: 06/08/2015

This week is filled with work, errand running, packing to go on vacation to Maine next week, and the other everyday stuff we normally have.  Needless to say, things are going to be crazy!  So, I'm not doing a formal menu plan this week, but I thought I'd still share what's in the works this week for meals...

Breakfasts: Donuts from ALDI, Fruit, Yogurt, Granola, Eggs, Bacon, and Toast

 

Lunches: Leftovers, Frozen Diet Meals

Dinners: Leftovers (most from the freezer, some from other meals this week), Crock-pot Creamy Taco Chicken, Frozen Pizza, Take-out

Snacks: Cheese, Yogurt, Fruit, Crackers, Leftover Treats from the Teas (at work) and a party this past weekend

For more Menu Plans, visit Org Junkie!

May Goals Update

May was another crazy month!  I do feel as though I have accomplished a LOT this month, even if it was small things that only got crossed off the daily goal list and not this one.  Progress was definitely made though!  Here's how May went, goal-wise...

Household:

1. De-clutter the whole house in January, February, and March -- Done!
2. Do a Deep-Spring, and Deep-Fall Clean in March and November  As well as keep up with my weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly cleaning chores. -- I managed to stay caught up on all of my cleaning tasks, as well as the laundry!
3. Paint the Windows/Sills/Trim in the Kitchen and Nursery. -- Still hasn't happen yet.  Unless we get a cool day this month, it probably won't happen until Fall, when I can open the windows and not cook for the heat.

Family:

1. Write a 'love letter' to Joe each month -- Done, and he loved it!
2. Take a trip to Maine in June with the hubby, and Howard. -- N/A
3. Take a Trip to Ocean City in August -- N/A
4. Get together with family at least once a month --  We got together with a few of  our friends in May, but we didn't get together with either of our families.  It seemed like everytime we had something planned, things would come up here at the museum, or I'd have to work, or someone was sick.  But hopefully June will allow some extended family time!
5. Plan and Execute Howard's 1st Birthday Party -- Done!

Blogging:

1. Have 2 Freezer/Pantry Challenges (January and July), post updates on the blog, and defrost the chest freezer -- N/A
2. Post my Menu Plan, and Weekly Spending Report every week, along with at least 1 other post per week.  This may be an update, a reveal, a recipe, a shopping trip, some Aldi Deals, or a frugal find. -- This month I did a great job with posting my Weekly Spending Reports, and my Menu Plans every week.  However, I didn't really post much else.  I did post one ALDI Deals post, but that was it.  I do have some things planned for June, so hopefully that will help in actually getting the posts posted.
3. Plan and execute a 31 days post for October. -- N/A

Health:

1. Lose at least 20 lbs -- We won't discuss this again this month.  I've enlisted the help of my Dr, so hopefully by next month I will have lost some more weight!
2. Drink plenty of water, eat healthy, and do exercise of some kind everyday. -- I have been doing this every day, which makes not meeting the previous goal even more upsetting.  But I will continue to trudge along, and hopefully June will show me some progress!

Budget/Income:

1. Do at least 5 Flea Markets throughout the year, and list at least bi-monthly on Amazon/Facebook Yard Sale. -- Joe set up at a tool show in May!  Finally we can add another flea market to our total!  We won't be setting up again until August, so I have 2 months to prep for that.  2 Flea Market done to date.  
2. Earn Swagbucks everyday by completing the daily poll, toolbar log-in, and NOSO offers daily.  (Try to earn $10 a month) -- I'm up to 1,506 swagbucks, only 694 more and I can cash in for the $25 reward! I am hoping that June will be the month!
3. Set a monthly budget, and coupon and deal shop as needed to stay within our budget. --I did an excellent job staying under budget for the month!  I found some great deals, as well as got the things we needed for a good price.  I posted my budget update here.
4. Put at least an extra $100 a month on Joe's Credit Card starting in May -- I did do this, I actually put an extra $200 on the credit card because I wasn't sure I would have the money in June to do it.  So I'm looking at it like I'm a month ahead, in case the extra money just isn't there one month.  

Hobby-Related:

1. Scan the huge-a** box of photos we have had since my mom died two and a half years ago, and get them sorted to give to people, as well as put the ones I decide to keep in albums. -- I'm not even planning to work in this until later in the year, July maybe, or possibly not until Fall, we'll see.
2. Continue to work on Howard's baby book 
3. Try something new at least once a month and blog about it.  I have a LOT of new recipes and crafts I want to try --Yeah, this didn't happen again.  I just lack time, and energy!  I have 2 new recipes planned for this week, so hopefully I'll get to make them and get a post written about them!  :-)

How was your May?

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Weekly Spending Report: 05/31-06/06/2015

This week was another great week for spending and saving.  It was the beginning of the month, which always brings a whole list of needed items.  Plus, Howard is eating us out of house and home, and he's only 1!  I thought I had until the teenage years to worry about that, but nope, he can eat huge portions of cheese, yogurt, and meats.  Also, some fruits, and a few vegetables, so typical kid fare :-)  Here's how the weekend went...

• Sunday's CVS Trip: $9.48 oop, Earned $4.75 ECB's

• Sunday's ALDI Trip: $38.17 oop

• Sunday's Staples Trip (no picture, just a small bin and a 2-pk pk ink): $2.96 oop
• Sunday's Giant Trip: $26.34 oop

• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip: $7.12 oop

Total OOP: $84.07
Total Earned: $4.75
Total Remaining: $222

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