Weekly Spending Report: 01/04-10/2014

This week I spent more than I wanted to, but that's normal for the beginning of the month.  We're also well stocked on diapers and applesauce for Howard, and snack food for Joe and I.  Here's how this week went...

• Monday's CVS Trip: $14.71 oop, Earned $20.49 ECB's (includes $4.50 for Fall Spending), and $8.99 MIR for the Zantac

• Monday's ALDI Trip: $43.01 oop

• Friday's Amish Market Trip: $22.32 oop

• Saturday's Dollar Tree Trip: $11.12 oop

Total OOP: $91.16
Total Earned: $29.48
Total Remaining for January: $208.84

Pantry Challenge Day #6 Results

Today was the complete opposite of yesterday; I spent no time in the kitchen.  The morning started later than it should have, so we were late getting to Ikea to pick up my cube (to use for Howard's toys), and Joe's grandfather's new bathroom sink/cabinet/facet set.  And then we were late getting back to his grandfather's house to pay his bills.  Are you seeing a pattern?  We ended up eating lunch and dinner out today, but so is life sometimes.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better!

• Breakfast: Iced Coffee for Me, Granola Bar for Joe
• Lunch: BK Whoppers, French Fries, and Cokes -- But at least I used a coupon!
• Dinner: We had to stop at the Amish Market for sugar on the way home from Joe's grandfather's house, so we grabbed some BBQ while we were there for dinner!  Much better for us than another burger!

Pantry Challenge Day #5 Results

Today I spent most of my time in the kitchen.  Homemade orange chicken is delicious, simple to make, but very time consuming, and it requires you do about 3 things at once.  I'm all about multitasking, but it can be a little difficult with a 8 1/2 month old by your side.  Then right after lunch it was time to peel potatoes, get the soup in the crock-pot, and the ingredients for bread in the machine.  Needless to say, it was well worth it.  Here's how the menu went today...

• Breakfast: Iced Coffee, a scrambled Egg, 2 Bacon Strips, and 2 pieces of Oatnut Toast for Me, Granola Bar for Joe
• Lunch: Orange Chicken, with Jasmine Rice, and Steamed Broccoli
• Dinner: Potato and Ham Soup, with Homemade French Bread

 

Pantry Challenge Day #4 Results

Today was a pretty laid back day.  We relaxed and watched the snow outside.  But I did get a lot of housework done.  We ended up splurging to get take out tonight, just because it was that kind of day.  Here's how the menu went...

• Breakfast: Iced Coffee for Me, Granola Bar for Joe
• Lunch: Pizza at Home (used some pepperoni and sausage, cheese, and leftover sauce from the freezer)
• Dinner: Paradisio Cheese Steaks and Salad

Pantry Challenge Day #3 Results

Today was CRAZY!  I had a meeting at 10:30 am, which I found out when everyone got there that I was running, so I am glad I was well prepared.  :-)  But I had planned to get up at 6 am when Howard usually wakes up for a feeding.  I figured I'd nurse him and put him back down to sleep, and I would get some housework done and slowly get ready for my meeting.  Well, Howard decided to get up at 4:30 am and then sleep until 9 am!  Not that I am complaining about the extra sleep, it just made me have to hit the ground running, which I really do NOT like to do.  Since I didn't have time to get the potato soup in the crock pot, which I had planned to have for dinner, I had to figure something else out.  So when I got back from my meeting, I thawed some burgers, figuring I could use up the last of the rolls leftover from Christmas.  But, when I went to start dinner, I found out that they were starting to mold.  Luckily I had some hamburger buns in the freezer, so I grabbed 2, wrapped them in foil, and tossed them in the oven with the tots, and they actually thawed and toasted beautifully!  Three separate times Joe asked if I wanted him to go grab something for dinner, and I said 'no, were in the middle of a challenge here!'  ;-)  Here's how the day went down food wise...

• Breakfast: Iced Coffee for Me, Granola Bar for Joe
• Lunch: Diet TV dinner for Me, Leftover Baked Pasta and some link Sausage for Joe
• Dinner: Bacon Cheese Burgers and Baked Tater Tots

Pantry Challenge Day #2 Results

Today was a total wash out in regards to the pantry challenge, but I knew it was going to be when I planned the menu for the week, so I'm okay with that.  I felt bad taking a day off so early in the challenge, but the day was pretty much planned before the month even began, so...  Here's how it went down...

• Breakfast: We splurged on McDonald's since we had a 5 hour meeting to go to with a questionable lunch menu.  We each had a sandwich and an apple pie, and I of course had my iced coffee.
• Lunch: The 'catered' meal included some soup which I didn't eat, chips, some delicious fruit, and some tiny sandwiches/wraps.  (I'm glad we had a big breakfast, but for free, I will not complain).
• Dinner: While we were at the above stated meeting, my niece and sister came and babysat Howard for us,  So we offered to take them out to Ruby Tuesday's using a coupon as a thank you (and in lieu of pay).  My niece took us up on the offer, so we had a lovely salad-filled dinner with her :-)

The FINAL 2014 Goals Update

2014 was an AMAZING year!  We did some flea markets, took some great day trips and vacations, stayed under budget, and welcomed Howard into our family!  I also did pretty good in the goals department.  Some didn't get done at all, but most were completed, and a few were partially finished.  I'm pleased with my progress.  Hopefully 2015 will be just as good!  Here's my results for my 2014 goals...

Household:

1. Prepare a Nursery! - The nursery is completely done, I hope to share a post soon about it.  I do plan to paint the windows/sills Spring/Summer 2015, but I feel comfortable crossing this off now. 
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. - This has been hard to keep up with since Howard was born, but I have managed to keep up with all my cleaning tasks and did both deep cleans this year.

Family:

1. Give birth to baby Rogers, and be the best mom I can be! - Howard was born in April, and I have been working every day to be the best mom I can be.  Some days are a LOT easier than others.  And I know that I can't cross this off the list permanently per se, as it is a continual learning process, but since I did work on it every day this year, I'm considering is accomplished for 2014.
2. Try every day to be a loving wife - This is another one that can't be crossed off fully, but it was something that I worked on everyday, so for 2014 it's done.
3. Take a trip to Maine in June with the hubby, and the baby. - This we ended up cancelling due to money and newborn issues.  But we will be going next year.
4. Get together with family at least once a month - This was a lot easier to accomplish than I thought it would be, especially since Howard was born.  Everyone wants to come visit, so we just let them.  Can't be any easier than that.  My dad comes over about once a week to visit, we see Joe's family at least once a month, sometimes twice, and my sister and niece visit once or twice a month as well.  We didn't do a lot of dinners, but we did a few throughout the year.  Hopefully we can continue this throughout 2015!  

Blogging:

1. Have 2 Freezer/Pantry Challenges (January and July), post updates on the blog, and defrost the chest freezer - These went great this past year.  I always look forward to doing these challenges each year; they are a great way to use things up so they don't go to waste.  We will definitely be participating again in 2015!  I also was finally able to defrost the chest freezer when I did inventory in December.
2. Post my Menu Plan, Aldi Deals, 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, or a frugal find. - This really went to pot after Howard was born.  I did keep up with my weekly spending reports, but everything else ended up lacking.  I'm going to be making some changes in the coming year, since taking care of Howard, and the household, and working had kind of left me little to no time for blogging.  I know, #smallworldproblems, but still.  I'm still trying to figure everything out in regards to making time for everything and getting things crossed off the to do list.  I'm hoping to make goals for 2015 that will help me figure that out and get things under control. 
3. Plan and execute a 31 days post for October. - I posted 31 frugal tips for raising babies!

Health:

1. Lose at least 20 lbs (I did accomplish losing 20 lbs in 2013 as well, so it seems doable) - I didn't gain any weight after having Howard in April, but I also haven't lost anything either.  I've read conflicting things about losing weight while breast feeding.  Some say it's a huge metabolism boast, and others say they can't loose a pound until they stop.  Needless to say, I think I am part of the latter category.  But, I'm going to try again in 2015.
2. Drink plenty of water, eat healthy, and do exercise of some kind everyday. - I drank plenty of water, ate a LOT of veggies, and fruit.  Joe and I have also started taking a nightly stroll with the baby. 

Financial:

1. Do at least 6 Flea Markets throughout the year, and list at least monthly on Amazon. - We did manage to do 5 Flea Markets this year.  We ended up not doing the one we had planned on in November, because we figured it wasn't worth our time.  Also, I put the Amazon on vacation right before Howard was born in April, and it has been turned back on yet - whoops!  Hopefully we can do better here in 2015.
2. Earn Swagbucks everyday by completing the daily poll, toolbar log-in, and NOSO offers daily. - I did most of this every day, plus I used the SBTV feature and the offers on the homepage to earn additional Swagbucks.  I managed to earn a couple hundred dollars in Amazon gift cards as well as about $40 in CVS gift cards this year.  Overall, I am very pleased with the outcome of this goal!
3. Set a monthly budget, and coupon and deal shop as needed to stay within our budget. - I did a great job with this!  We ended the year under budget -- yeah!  I posted our end-of-year results here.
4. Pay off my credit card by June, and start putting extra onto Joe's credit card every month.  We won't have his paid off this year, but we'll be on the right track to have it paid off within the next year or two.  :) - I was able to pay my card off in June, and started putting a little extra on Joe's each month.  I am hoping to be able to put a more substantial chunk on each month next year. 

Hobby-Related:

1. Catch up my scrapbook.  I'm only about 8 years behind, but I think once I get rolling on it, I should be able to push through and get it done by the end of the year. ;) I also want to start one for the baby, and work on it monthly. - This did NOT even begin to happen!  I should have know better than to try and get this finished the year we were having our 1st child!  Live and learn.  Maybe next year...
2. Try something new at least twice a month and blog about it.  I have a LOT of new recipes and crafts I want to try, and this is the year! - I did a lot of this before Howard was born and little bit right after, but then things like breastfeeding and work got in the way of having fun in the kitchen.  I have a bunch of recipes I can wait to try out and tweak.  So hopefully I can start post some soon!

Linked to Money Saving Mom!

Pantry Challenge Goals + Day 1 Results

I participate in the pantry challenge every year!  It's actually kind of exciting to see how everyone who joins in uses up their little odds and ends from the freezers and pantries.  I kept things super simple this year with just 3 goals.  I'll also share how day #1 went...

Goals:

1. Use up as much as we can from the freezers and pantry so we can start fairly fresh in February.
2. Spend as little as possible at the grocery stores.  I'm not going to really restrict what I spend at CVS since we need to stock up on lotion, diapers, etc. when there are deals on them.  However, as far as food goes, I'm really going to try and only buy diary, produce, bread, and little things that we need in order to make meals happen.  As the month progresses I might stock up on things here and there depending on how good the deal is, and how much we actually use the item.
3. Complete the challenge from January 4 - January 31st, and blog the results daily.

Day 1 Results:

• Breakfast was iced coffee for me, and a granola bar for Joe.  We like to keep things simple in the mornings since we are usually trying to get housework done, and get Howard up, changed, nursed, fed, etc.
• Lunch was a lovely pizza using pepperoni, cheese, and sausage from the freezer as well as some leftover frozen sauce.  
• Dinner was leftover pasta bake from last night.  This used up a bag of leftover cooked spaghetti and sauce from the freezer as well as some frozen sausage, pepperoni, and cheese.  I also added some bruschetta jack cheese from the fridge.

2014 Budget Summary

2014 was a CRAZY year!  I started working almost full time.  Joe and I added a new member to the family, Howard, and with the addition came an increase in the grocery budget from $200 to $300 a month.  This number includes diapers, wipes, and baby food, as well as TP, and health and beauty aides.  Since we did so well with this increase in 2014, we are going to keep our budget the same for 2015!  I would like to increase our earnings some, which means more listing on Amazon, earning more Swag Bucks, and searching for more ECB deals and MIR's!  Overall this was an amazing year for the Rogers family, budget included!

• January: $159.34 oop (out of $160), Earned $96.94
• February: $194.58 (out of $200), Earned $204.33
• March: $263.58 (out of $262.35), Earned $433.79
• April: $315.76 (out of $300), Earned $147.55
• May: $289.67 oop (out of $300), Earned $158.06
• June: $264.78 (out of $300). Earned $77.38
• July: $333.35 (out of $300), Earned $57.99
• August: $218.34 (out of $300), Earned $49.67
• September: $241.68 (out of $300), Earned $31
• October: $288.89 (out of $300), Earned $42.09
• November: $288.00 (out of $300), Earned $134.92
• December: $300.33 (out of $300), Earned $106.49

Total OOP: $3158.30 (out of $3322.35)
Under Budget by: $164.05!!!!
Total Earned: $1540.21

December Budget Update

 Well, December was a whirl-wind kind of month!  I worked up until 3 days before Christmas, so I had 3 days to thoroughly clean the house, do all of my baking and the baking for the few orders I had to fill, run my errands, finish the Christmas present wrapping, go to Christmas eve service at church, and do all the prep work for our family Christmas dinner, which I was hosting.  But I worked my butt off all three days, while Joe graciously watched Howard for me, and I was able to rest, and enjoy Christmas with both of our families!  Since December means a LOT of cookie baking and splurging of good things for Christmas dinner, I was pleasantly surprised to have only gone $0.33 over budget this month!  Here's the breakdown...

• Week #1: $1.25 oop, Earned $3 ECB's
• Week #2: $96.68 oop, Earned $14 ECB's, and 2 - $5 Amazon Gift Cards from Swag Bucks
• Week #3: $129.43 oop, Earned $22.99 ECB's
• Week #4: $50.82 oop, Earned $22.50 ECB's
• Week #5: $22.15 oop, Earned $34 ECB's

Total OOP: $300.33
Total Earned: $106.49
Total Remaining: - $0.33