Budgeting

Wednesday Ways to Save: Craigslist Freebies!

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Wednesday Ways To Save, I wanted to remind you all to daily check your local Craigslist group, from their Free Pages! I have found numerous items on these freebie listing, including a couch, DVD’s, yard toys, pets, and more!

To see if there are any deals in your area:

Go to Craigslist.org
Under the homepage, create an account.
Then go back to your home page, and select your Country.
Then select your State.
Then select the city or areas closet to where you live.
Under the middle “For Sale” column, you will see a hyperlink for Free, and then select this link.
Browse away!

A few tips once you have found a great Free Item:

When you have found an item you are interested, click the reply button and type a message.
Always be sure to keep your initial messages short and direct; ask only if the item is available, and then say thank you.
Once the giver has responded stating that the item is available, be sure to set up a time to meet for item pick-up.
Always select pick-up locations that are in public, during daytime hours, and try to take someone with you, safety first!
The most important part of this process, be sure to arrive ahead of time, and do not stand a giver up. It’s poor Craigslist etiquette!

I would also advise checking nearby groups, too! I have been able to find items such as a free piano, not in my city, but within an hours drive, and even with the cost of a U-Haul for three hours, it far outweighed the initial cost of the item; this one haul alone I saved $2,400.00 over the appraisal price of the item! Also, be sure to favorite/add the free site link to your favorite web browser tool bar, so you can check daily to snag any awesome deals in your area!

Here’s to saving,

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February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 11 (Clean Off Your Counter-tops)

Hello again, savvy savers! So for the Day 11 challenge, I want to discuss kitchen counter tops.

For me, the kitchen is the heartbeat of our home, but too often our kitchen counters are cluttered, disorganized, and undervalued! This lack of prime household real estate, in my opinion, could be much better utilizes the day-to-day activities of a home. So, today I challenge you to incompletely clean off your counter-tops. This should be no longer than a 1-hour project!

A points I would like to add as a caveat to this challenge:

You may be thinking, is that really more convenient? Yes, is it. While leaving tools, crocks, and small appliances on the counters seems easier, this allows for your tools and appliances to be subjected to spatters of food, grime, bacteria, staph, and other contaminants. We place dishes in cabinets to prevent this same scenario, why not for your small appliances?
Will it take more than two seconds to pull out a toaster? How long does it take to plug-in?
Also consider the idea that an appliance regularly used for 1-3 minutes daily, remains plugged-in constantly, and so small appliances are a power phantom source!
Also worth noting, the appliance most likely to cause house fires, according to the National Home Owners Association, toasters!
You may also be thinking, will my cabinets be able to hold these items? Yes, I believe so. Divide cabinets by need, cook and food prep, dishes, and the like, and if items will not fit, and they have not been used within six months, consider donating or selling these items!
Larger appliances, such as stand mixers, can also usually be stored in larger, vertical below counter cabinets, as well.
Mid-size appliances such as bread machine, blender, immersion blender, and rice cooker can easily fit into most cabinets.

So how should you go about this? Follow these steps:

Declutter your cabinets: Clear out your cupboards of anything that you don’t use on a regular basis. Make room in your dining room, basement, or stockpile area for seasonal items, such as punch bowls and holiday dishes. Purge, recycle, sell, or donate items that have not been used in a year.
Zone your cabinets: I have a zone for coffee, baking, and pets; keep like items together. Creating zones in your kitchen helps to keep your cabinets organized, helps you to know where to store things, and helps you work more efficiently in the day-to-day running of your home.
Create Nook Spaces For All Other Items: Anything random, left over, and not able to be placed into cabinets, think of creative, upcycled ways to display and store these items.
Keep Counters Cleared: Nightly, as part of your bedtime home routine, simply take the items misplaced on your counters, and go put them away.

The process of minimizing your kitchen, clearing off your counters, and creating new home work stations is not an overnight process. It takes work. You will probably be able to clear off your counters in an hour, give or take the existing items you have on hand, but the real time will come into maintaining this standard– unless you work at keeping order in your kitchen, you will never have order in your kitchen.

This project will pay out great dividends in the long run, I promise! Know I’m pulling for you today!

Be sure to check back in tonight for my daily recap!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

6 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 10 (Bathroom & Linen Closet Organization)

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope you all are well rested, work-minded, and in the mood for cleaning and organization this week!

As you know, this last week, we focused the first part of the week on pantry organization, organizing food swap days, creating meals based on pantry staples, and then switched focus to alternative pantry re-stocking methods, and this morning we are going to scrub, dust, sort, purge, evaluate, and hopefully make a profit in the process! For the rest of the week we will be focusing on mini-areas within our homes, and today I want to tackle bathrooms.

So, today I am challenging you all to accomplish three tasks:

To tackle a one hour cleaning challenge: you will need to start by a visual decluttering and surface cleaning of your home.
To sort and purge from your medicine cabinets, makeup bags/drawers, and to clean out under your bathroom sinks.
To also clean out any linen closets and/or closets within your bathroom spaces.

A few tips to keep in mind today for your bathrooms:

All cosmetics older than one year, should be purged.
All cosmetic sharpeners, brushes, or curlers two year or older, should be purged.
All hair coloring products or kits, two years or older, should be purged.
All vitamins or supplement older than one year, should be purged.
All flue, cold, sinus, or allergy products older than two years, should be purged.
All essential oils three years or older, should be purged.
All first aid items, older than three years, should be purged and replaced.
All digestive aids, older than three years, should be purged.
Any fiber-based supplement, older than a year, should be purged.
Anything half-way or partially opened or consumer, than has not been utilized within the last months, should be purged.
Anything unopened that have in multiples, pharmaceutical or cosmetic, than you will not use in one season, should be moved to a stockpile area.
All expired medications should be purged in sealed Ziploc bags, with your home information blacked out with a sharpie.
Any nail lacquers that have been to separate should be purged.
All manicure and pedicure supplies, that are used, but have not been utilized within the last six months should be purged.
All paper or cotton products should be visible, organized, and easily accessible.
Purge your oldest towel set; towel, hand towel, and wash cloth.

A few tips for cleaning out your linen closets:

Bundle like sets of sheets together.
Keep necessity items, such as bathroom staples, in small baskets, labeled, and clustered on a single taller shelf together.
Corral cosmetics on servings trays for easy removal.
Any mismatched items should be donated.
Any fraying towels should be donated; animal shelters are a great place to send unneeded linens.
Prevent dust from covering linen sets, by placing them inside their coordinating pillow cases.
Antique linens are best to hang; install two hooks and a dowel rod in the bottom of a closet for hanging linens.
Store throw pillows and guest pillows in a top shelf basket.
Store towel sets in stacks for easy removal.
Store like items on like shelves; linens with linens, towels with towels, and the like.

Now, while this list seems extensive, depending on the size of your home, should only take a couple hours today, and in the long run should greatly help you not only today but in the future. This week is not only about creating long-lasting cleaning solutions in your home, but establishing routines that will help you not only keep your home cleaner and safer, but to shave the time it takes you to do so, in half!

Be sure to come back this evening for today’s cleaning recap!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

9 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 9 Recap

Hello again, savvy savers! I hope everyone’s Monday without without a hitch, as mine did not!

So, today I challenged you all to accomplish three tasks:

To tackle a one hour cleaning challenge: you will need to start by a visual de-cluttering and surface cleaning of your home.
To establish a three box donation, toss, and recycling hub in your home; set up three boxes that can be used this week for ending cluttering.
To establish an evening cleaning ritual.

So today was I able to accomplish my cleaning goals, yes! Was I able to accomplish little more, no! Earlier this morning two transformers in my area failed, rending my home office inept, and my home without power. Thank goodness for gas heating, you know?

Today I completed my morning routine (see below), preformed a 1-hour, no-power needed cleaning routine ( I vacuum after I regained power), and then established a three bin system for upcycled items, trash, and donations. I also created a bin for items which can be listed for sale online next week. Each time my boxes filled, I emptied them accordingly; with upclcyed items being placed in my basement for Spring projects and donations in reusable bags, placed in my trunk for donating in the evening tomorrow. Amazon Pantry boxes make the best boxes for such a project! An easy day, but a good day, if I say so myself!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

As part of my #Choose30 Daily Challenge, I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I completed Money Saving Mom’s Monday deep cleaning project, a purse decluttering!
I finished today’s Day 9 No-Spend Challenge!
I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
Read my daily devotional.
I planned out the rest of the months daily challenge posts!

What I missed today:

Work, ha!
A Skype Chat with the ladies of the Merry Monday Linky Party!
Scheduling posts for my blog.
Any and all product reviews.
Earning survey points/ gift cards.

Today I saved:

I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
I lost a half day’s worth of electricity costs, and saved $3.00!

So, overall today my family saved: $14.57

This months savings goal remaining: $403.09

A full day, a new way to find to save at home! Be sure to come back tomorrow morning for a new day’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

11 Comments

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, minus 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; if you are like me and have a small but loyal following list of weekly or seasonal shows, than go with Hulu Plus, it’s been my favorite go-to for the past season!

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 programming as well. We purchased our unit through Amazon, using earned survey gift cards, for only $48.00, refurbished! This service is really awesome! The unit I purchased is here! Our Roku is currently being used with our living room 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 three-quarters 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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February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 9 (Establishing Cleaning Routines & Decluttering Zones)

Hello again, savvy savers! Happy Monday! I hope you all are well rested, work-minded, and in the mood for cleaning and organization this week!

As you know, this last week, we focused the first part of the week on pantry organization, organizing food swap days, creating meals based on pantry staples, and then switched focus to alternative pantry re-stocking methods, and this morning ee are going to scrub, dust, sort, purge, evaluate, and hopefully make a profit in the process! No matter is you rent, lease, or own there is work to be done! No matter if your home is showcase worthy or disaster-adjacent, there is something can can be done to better your home this coming week!

So, today I am challenging you all to accomplish three tasks:

To tackle a one hour cleaning challenge: you will need to start by a visual de-cluttering and surface cleaning of your home.
To establish a three box donation, toss, and recycling hub in your home; set up three boxes that can be used this week for ending cluttering.
To establish an evening cleaning ritual.

So, to begin, you will need to procure from your home the following:

A large basket, bin, or box.
A clipboard with paper, or notepad.
A few pens, markers, or sharpies.
Three empty bags, bins, or boxes large enough to hold a load of laundry or like items.
A handful of sponges or rags.

So, Step 1, use a timer, and complete the 1-Hour Weekly Cleaning Start:

Bedrooms: Make beds, pick-up anything on your floor, remove laundry, dust night stands, vacuum/ dry mop.
Kitchen: Empty dishwasher and reload/ wash dishes and air dry dishes, take out trash, wipe down counter-tops, and sweep floors.
Bathrooms: Wipe out sinks, clean mirrors, wipe down and swish toilet, spray your shower with cleaner/ shower out, replace hand/ bath towels, and weep floors.
Living Room/Dens: Remove clutter, recycle magazine, clean fluff/adjust couch cushions, vacuum and dry mop floors.
Office: surface clean all desk areas, remove paper/mail clutter, vacuum/ dry mop out of room.

Step 2, establish a decluttering zone:

You will need five large boxes, bins, or bags.
Establish a 3 box de-cluttering system for this week; a donation, recycling, and trash box or bin.
Take your 4th box or bin, and establish a sales bin; this bin will hold items that can be listed for sale.
Using your 5th box, establish an upcycled area; this area will contain items which can be used to create new items in your home, in lieu of being discarded.

Step 3, Create an 30-minute evening cleaning ritual:

Pack lunches and snacks.
Set your home up for the next day; set the coffee maker, restock diaper bags, re-stock paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkin holder, wipes) in home, check briefcases and back backs for anything you might need the next day, pack gym bags, pre-harness pets for morning walks before bed/ being crated, and lay out morning outfits.
Clean your kitchen: Be sure to wipe down counters, load your dishwasher, sweep floor, lay out a clean dish towel, and remove trash.
Breakfast: Plan your morning meal: Lay out utensils/settings if needed, if pre-packaged options are on the menu, lay them out as well. You can also set-up clean, sanitized pet food/water dishes, placed in the fridge for the morning meals, too. Also, lay out your medications/vitamins.
Five minute pick-up: using a basket, take 5 minutes before bed, walk around your home, lightly straighten the house, and anything that is in the wrong room can be placed in your basket to be sorted as you go from room to room, so items can be put back in their proper places!
Create a to-do list for the next day.

Be sure to come back this evening for today’s cleaning recap!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

12 Comments

February No-Spend Month Challenge: Day 8 Recap #nospendchallenge

Hello again, savvy savers! Happy Sunday! Can you believe we are a week into a No-Spending Month Challenge!

A full day, a new way to find to save at home! This last week, we focused the first part of the week on pantry organization, organizing food swap days, creating meals based on pantry staples, and then switched focus to alternative pantry re-stocking methods, including starting and maintaining a coupon swap, rain-check shopping, and saving money on the grocery bill, and monthly expenses for that matter, by channeling funds from utility premiums back into your overall family/personal budgets. So you could say, last week was all about food!

This morning I discussed that this coming week I want to change course. I want to focus on our homes. I want to focus on all of the cluttered, chaotic, dirty, overlooked blemishes that hinder out overall vision of what a simple, efficient can bring into our day-to-day existences. This week we are going tackle the chaos that be head on. We are going to scrub, dust, sort, purge, evaluate, and hopefully make a profit in the process! No matter is you rent, lease, or own there is work to be done! No matter if your home is showcase worthy or disaster-adjacent, there is something can can be done to better your home this coming week! Today’s challenge was to make a list of four areas in your home that need organization, cleaning, and sorting, and to prepare to clean this week.

As well, in addition to the challenges ahead of you today, I encourage you to procure from your home the following:

A large basket, bin, or box.
A clipboard with paper, or notepad.
A few pens, markers, or sharpies.
Three empty bags, bins, or boxes large enough to hold a load of laundry or like items.
A handful of sponges or rags.

So, today I spent the afternoon making lists and projects to fill my week with, and I hope you have done the same!

As well today, I was also able to accomplish:

I woke up at 7:25, walked my fur babies, showered, & dressed to my shoes. (Thanks, Flylady!)
Worked on my daily Motivated Moms Planner.
I finished today’s Day8 No-Spend Challenge!
I cooked from my pantry for each meal.
I finished all of my daily blog posts on time!
Read my daily devotional.
I donated a trunk full of household goods to charity.
I finished all of my errands and shopping before 1 pm!

So today I saved:

I used drying racks for six loads of laundry this afternoon, saving an average of $3.25, the cost of running my dryer for 3.5 hours!
I completed 2 surveys online via Ipsos-iSay, and earned a $1.00 towards my next Amazon gift code.
I eat at home this evening for dinner, saving our family $6.95.
I recycled, upcycled, and composted one bins of deluge, and saved $0.25, the cost of 1 trash bag.
My family drank water today, and saved $0.69, the cost of a 2-liter of soda.
I also did not watch cable tv, and saved $3.68 by doing so.
I blanched 19 bags of DIY Stir Fry Bags, and minus the $12.00 cost of the produce, a savings of $24.00!

So, overall today my family saved: $27.82

This months savings goal remaining: $417.66

A full day, a new way to find to save at home! Be sure to come back tomorrow morning for a new day’s challenge!

Here’s to saving,

Challenge Links:

12 Comments

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