Nicole

Saving On The Go With A Cup Of Joe: How I Am Saving $1,344 by Cutting Cable!

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Saving to go, With A Cup of Joe Series, I want to discuss one of the biggest topics floating around my home as of late, and that is that I cut my cable and home phone services last month, for good! You may wonder why the sudden decision? Well, here is the long and short of the decision:

I called Comcast Customer Service two weeks ago, to scale back my service package, as my family and I did not watch most of the channels, and it had been months since I used the home phone service.
Customer Service was very uncooperative.
I was placed on hold for 76 minutes.
The representative returned to the phone and said that they were not going to let me lower my plan, and they were doing me a favor in doing so.
In that moment, I spoke up and said, CUT IT OFF!

So, within hours I had pulled cords, taken off adapters, removed boxes, and had returned all of the companies apparatuses pertaining to the home phone and cable to the local Comcast office. On the way home from this errand, it dawned on me… I needed to tell my husband when he got home, and how would I do that? How shall I tell him that the Saints and the Whodat Nation will no longer be on television? Simple, we would be saving money, and lot of it!

So, in the four hours until my husband came home, here’s the plan I came up with:

By cutting cable and home phone service, I would save $1344.00 annually.
I would be able to watch as many of the shows my family enjoyed, mnus sports channels using Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime; I am already a member of all three.
I would be able to put the money I would spent on cable to pay for season tickets to my husbands Alma Mater, the University of Southern Mississippi.
I would no longer pay for channels we didn’t watch.

The plan sounded rock solid! My husband took it rather well, and after a month of cutting my services here are some other insights I can share with how anyone can make this switch as well:

1. Investigate internet service providers:

When I made the rash decision to drop my cable bundled deal, I did not take into consideration that my internet plan would now cost me more per month; my monthly internet plan went from $45.00 per month to $58.00 a month. As I work from home, the internet, unlike a home phone, is a necessity (we have cell service for our main phone services), and though I am looking at other options, currently Comcast is my only service provider in my area, and so I am okay with the charge. If you live in an area with several providers, please call your current company’s customer retention department and try to make a deal!

2. Choose a video streaming service:

We were already members of Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime. We chose to retain all services, especially Amazon Prime because along with video streaming, free two-day shipping, and the Kindle Lending Library were also included in the $79 yearly fee; we pay for our Amazon Prime membership out of our annual tax returns, and so it doesn’t come out of the monthly pot, per se. As for my Netflix and Hulu Plus services, I use Ibotta, Checkout51, and Shopmium (using code GMYMMYPT) to pay for these services, and so there are no additional costs out-of-pocket for our family, as well.

3. Meet My New Friend, Roku:

Roku is a small, plug-and-play device which allows users to stream videos via your subscription service straight to your TV; the service also includes additional free programing as well. We purchased our unit through Amazon, using curvey earned cards, for only $48.00, refurbished! This service is really awesome! The unit I purchased is here! Our Roku is used on our livingroom television, as we moved our PS4 to our den, as the gaming system already came prepared with downloadable streaming apps; for those without gaming systems, Roku is the way to go!

4. Get a Leaf for local/sports channels:

I have also been able to purchase the Mohu Leaf, a flat antenna mounted to our TV in our den, which picks up local stations in HD; this feature gave my husband sports channels, which is a plus! I used money from surveys to purchase a unit for $42.00!

5. Re-Think How You Watch TV:

Consider this, by cutting cable you may be cutting your package and the way you watch programming, but that just means you need to think outside the box. My family watches the same shows as before, just a day, perhaps two days later, for upper channels, and using the Leaf, the same as before. Also, I have began to explore programming online that I had not seen before, such as the Youtube Wigs series, watching shows using network apps such as Lifetime, MTV, Bravo, and the like! I now watch what I want to watch, as opposed to simple channel surfing! Its a win-win!

So, this past month I was able to save $112.00 a month, nearly half of my grocery budget! Was the process simple, no. Was the way we now watch tv easy, yes! Do I recommend this switch, absolutely! So, that’s just a new way I now save money at home!

Here’s to saving!

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Weekly Reflections: Highs And Lows From This Week & Weekly Goals For The Week Ahead, 7/20-7/26!

Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

The highs for the week:

Losing two pounds.
Trying to expand my family!
The ongoing repurposing of two rooms in my home, and the beginning of my chalk painting adventures.
Continuing a daily devotional.
Saving $78.00 on my groceries; this allowed me to only spend $34.56 on groceries this week!
Using homeopathic pest remedies on my pets, helping them to stay healthy!
Falling back in love with Netflix!
Receiving words of encouragement online, from my Aunt Michelle!
Being a co-host for the Merry Monday Linky Party!
My husband being able to spend time with his niece, nephews, and brother-in-law; those kids are one of the joys of his life.

My lows for the week:

Several of my summer plants dying.
The outdoors being so humid its hard for mopped floors to dry.
My home never seems clean enough.
Debating on whether or not to reconnect with my birth mother.
Displacing my unhappiness over my own personal stress onto my husband, when he leaves messes, and though I apologize, I feel horrible afterwards.

My quote for the week:

In honor of what would have been his 96th birthday this week, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” -Nelson Mandela

My inspiration for the week:

Being able to cut my home phone and cable, and while I am still finalizing he details of adding other forms of services, I have found that I can now watch more shows, and save $160.00 a month doing so!

My humor for the week:

My Great Pyrenees puppy (which is funny to say unto itself, as when she stands upright we are eye-to-eye with one another), Lady, has now learned to “give paw,” and this morning when I did not see her giving me her paw, she tapped my behind to get my attention! When I turned to see what she needed, she grinned at me, and in an attempt to give me both her paws, tumbled over grinning; sometimes the greatest joys in life come now from our children, but from our fuzziest children! Puppies are the best!

Goals For The Coming Week:

Walk 1/2 mile daily.
Finish my Motivated Moms Planner Chores daily.
Read for 1 hour.
Prepare three recipes and a freezer cooking session for the blog one day this week.
Finish four upcycled projects to post to the blog.
Finish all of my work-related projects ahead of time this week, in the evening, to free up my days more, by7 at least 1 hour.
Start writing love letters for my husband, an educator, so when he starts classes back-up next month, he will have one daily with his lunch.
get dressed and wear makeup daily, even when not working.
Clean out my coupon binder, and start moving to my new method for organizing coupons and blog/videotape my progress for the blog.
Sleep eight hours a night.

What are your goals for the week, I’d love to hear them below in a comment!

Happy Sunday!

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Garden Update: 7/20!

Hello again, savvy savers! This week does not find much different in my gardens, except that the humidity and heat has all but killed the annuals I planted in my front window boxes, decimated my ferns, and despite diligent watering, it seems that those plants may be done for the season. Though this saddens me greatly, it does remind me that Autumn is right around the corner, and within a month I will be able to stop pulling the blooms off of my chrysanthemum plants, and plant additional groupings as well! Oh, how I love mums!

Back to summer! What I can brag about this week is the continued progress of my rose plants, growing along my upcycled trellis! They are so beautiful, smell amazing, and within two years, I estimate that they will cover the center part of my home, between my den and nursery room windows, which will give such great character and curb appeal to the outside of our home! Roses are one of the ways I cheer myself up during the week, just looking at them brings a smile to my face, even in the humidity of the deep south! So, that’s all this week from my garden! Stay tuned for next week, as I will be getting plans together for my Fall displays!

Here’s to next week!

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Montubox Subscription Review!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another awesome Subscription Box Review! This time I will be reviewing the July 2014 Montubox; this box was It’s A Small World Themed!

This box contains several fun, thought-provoking , culturally minded learning toys sure to interest even the pickiest of children!

My box came is a very crisp white box, with primary colored trim. Inside the box was world map-printed tissue paper, along with a guide to both the service and activities within the subscription box.

The box contained a Flags Of The World Sticker Box, World Map Soccer Ball, 3-D Statue of Liberty Puzzle, and Statue of Liberty Grow-a-pet. This box was so interesting and my family could not wait to dig into the box and start playing with all of the layers of toys; what’s really awesome is that the box came the day the World Cup started, so the family could use the map and ball to see what the flag of each country looked liked as the various teams played over the past two weeks.

The box also contained a map and stickers which correlated to the difference eco-zones on the map, and that was an awesome family evening of correlating animal, temperature, geographic zone activities! This subscription will set you back $34.95 plus shipping monthly, and you can cancel the service anytime after your second box has shipped (two-month minimum subscription). This box is educational, fun, and a delight for you and your child. To find out more about this service, click here!

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Book Review: The Closer, by Mariano Rivera

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with a new book review, and this time its the Mariano Rivera autobiography, The Closer.

This book, which centers on the rise to fame of a man who shares how he came by his greatest love of all-baseball. This is less of a novel, and more of a clever tale of candor and realism, a tale of one man’s rise from the son of a humble fisherman to becoming a mechanic, to becoming the his personal interpretation of the American dream, a New York Yankee, and ultimately a thirteen-time All-Star, a Yankees icon for time to come. Though the 300-page book seems to be such a quick read, readers will be engaged again and again by a story that could as easily be from the written word as from a Hollywood movie; there are numerous behind-the-scenes stories about the team managers and owners, teammates, rivalries with other clubs, and probably most important, about his personal struggles to overcome his cultural mores, language barriers, and distance from his childhood home.

If you are a fan of the sport, than this is the read for you.

To find out more about this book, click here!

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Book Review: A Stitch and a Prayer, by Eva Gibson

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with yet another awesome book review, and this time A Stitch and a Prayer, by Eva Gibson.

Historical fiction fans will delight in this pioneer period setting! This book centers on Florence, a pioneer woman, abandoned by her husband, while pregnant, and dealing with a chronic, debilitating chronic illness. Despite her personal struggles, Florence pours her frustrations into the creation of a beautiful quilt. As with all the Quilts of Love books I have read, A Stitch and a Prayer presents solid values in its characters personal identity. For as Florence struggles to live on her own, all the while keeping steadfast in her faith in God and in her husband. The Tree of Life quilt that Florence is creating offers beautiful symbolism to both Florence and her story.

Florence’s story shifts as she meets a new suitor, for whom she agrees to marry, and later when her fiancé returns from the Klondike gold rush in 1897, Florence Harms sets about building a new life in her new marriage, despite her continued side effects of her illness. She and her young husband, Will, work tirelessly to clear the land around their Northwest cabin, content with their modest, God-fearing lives. But when a stranger comes knocking at their door, Florence suddenly senses a restlessness in Will’s spirit that she had never seen before. When he leaves her with only a note that tells her he will return before their baby’s birth, she is devastated, and the illness that stiffened her joints returns. Counting the days until Will walks back through her door, Florence busies herself with a Tree of Life quilt displaying a map of the farm they call home. Doubts claw at her heart as Florence struggles to believe Will’s promise to return to her.

Will her labor of love-and faith in God—sustain her as she waits to see her beloved once again? You will have to read this book to find out!

To purchase a copy of this book, click here!

In compliance with FTC regulation, I hereby disclaim that I received a free copy of the book from LitFuse Publishing, in exchange for my review. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions of this book, its author, and publisher, are that of my own. Also, the review also contains a link in this post, which is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.

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Making More out of Monday Meals: How To Make Smoked Chicken Stock!

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Making More out of Monday Meals series post, I want to share with you one of my favorite ways to both save money as well as prepare for cold-weather soups, stews, and gravies, and that is with my Homemade Smoked Chicken Stock recipe. Also, please note that when I go about making stock it is generally an impromptu cooking session, and most always follows a generally blanching session for freezable veggies and fruit. In this case, this session followed both the 4th of July Holiday, in which my husband smoked whole free-range chickens for the family, and also coincided with a 10/$10.00 Winn-Dixie produce sale on baby carrots; keep in mind that even though the taste of the infused water will vary depending on which vegetables, or even fruit, are used, all will generally work just as well!

To begin, I retained the water from three to four batches of blanched carrots, to the side on my stovetop. I brought the water to a medium-high heat, and then added the remnants of a whole rubbed, smoked chicken. Once my carrots were prepped and put away, I then removed my pot from the burner, and let it cook; this takes about twenty minutes. Then, I added my smoked chicken to the carrot-infused water, and as the rub on the chicken contained seas salt, curry, pepper, bay leaves, and garlic, no other seasonings are needed. I turn the temperature to medium high and let the stock simmer for forty-five minutes. At forty-five minutes, I add more reserved carrot-infused blanching water to the pot and then let the stock reduce by a forth; this will take an additional forty-five minutes.

The stock at this point will be done, and you will need to turn off the burner and let the stock sit uncovered, for one hour. At this point, strain the stock in a colander or over cheesecloth. I generally freeze my stock in labeled tupperware containers, and use the stock within six months to the date of freeze. This stock is both sweet and savory, and rivals any stock commercially purchased, hands down! I strongly encourage you all to try your hand at making your own stock at home!

Here’s to saving!

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