Thursday, December 15, 2022

Thrifty Thursday- On Track

     


     December is a pricey month due to extra holiday plans, gifts, food, and the reprieve we've got from heating or cooling bills has ended. I still look for ways to economize. I'm on budget for the holiday, in fact under. While I spent a lot on groceries so far, much was restock because I had eaten down the pantry and freezer so well, avoiding waste. Even with holiday food, I'll stay close to our non holiday month budget. I'm under in household non-food spending to balance. That's because I'm using bits of shampoo, soaps, cleaning supplies, getting rid of clutter of partial bottles here and there. January will be expensive though with two more adults for nearly a week, plus sending my daughter to school with a few groceries to get her started. She'll do a small campus meal plan too, as I suspect she'll leap back into her hectic schedule. Here's a few thrifty things for the week:

  • Kept thermostat to a lower temp, wore sweaters and socks
  • Doubled up errands Saturday and stayed put Friday, saving time and gas
  • We used a dining card to save a bit on our pizza night out. I had a headache earlier, so skipped having a beer and just drank water. Leftovers were Sunday's game watching lunch. 
  • Cooked a few nights, but then plenty for a leftover night and lunches
  • We placed first at Trivia so won a gift card again towards next week. I picked up my friend, which in hind sight should have been doing all along, as she's so close to the brewery. She brought cheese, meat and crackers, so a frugal snack. (Brewery does not serve food and welcomes take out or BYO)
  • I received the two boxes, four tests, of Bionex antigen tests offered to each household in the state. We'll test ourselves semi regularly leading up to Christmas gatherings if we have been around a lot of people or have even slight symptoms. I do not want to inadvertently be a spreader, even though we're all boosted again with the latest and had the flu shot. No debating here; we chose what we felt was right for us, and others should do what they decide is best for them.
  • Went with my sister to the Wild game. The ticket was already paid for, so nothing out of pocket. Definitely not frugal was the massive concession price for two beers,two bottled waters, popcorn, and a pretzel with cheese. I purchased these to thank her for the ticket. I don't go to many professional sporting events, but I do enjoy them when I do. I didn't enjoy seeing the drunk young man cartwheel over my head and arrive four rows forward, and almost did it again when he stood up, had the guy he landed on not pulled him back. 
  • An early gift for DH was this inexpensive antenna, $7, and now he can get local channels upstairs. This may be the year we can ditch the satellite. I'd likely get a better one for the main TV because it's in the partially underground lower level,  but we can fit all televisions in the house for less than one month Direct TV costs. We'd have local stations plus streaming services that we can turn off anytime. This little antenna is the test for the rest of the month.
     We got the November books closed with exceeding the savings target. We'll delay December close too because while I'm happy for a three paycheck month, it changes the timing for the next month in terms of cash flow. That felt good and helps confirm the retirement decision for next fall. Tuition is due January 15 and there's a college savings account that should cover what her scholarships do not, so we're done with paying for college! We've been doing this since fall 2007, and two of those years, paying for two kids. We had a lull for seven years, but the inflation made up for the pause, sigh. 

     I hope your week was a good one with your saving, spending, doing for others,  and of course for yourself. Did you have any big frugal wins or find time to give to something worthwhile? 



Picture for cuteness.We love his Dobbie ears, but aren't sure if they'll stay floppy or stand up. He's now 8 months and so incredibly strong for still being a puppy. Pup still is not a fan.

15 comments:

  1. Congratulations on being done paying for college! What a milestone!! We were just evaluating our college accounts & building budgets. We will have three years with two kids in college overlapping, and five years total. Our college accounts have been hammered this year, (investment accounts in a 529), which is not great, given how close they are to college timing.

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    1. It's not great timing for us. We would have used more for Fall semester.

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  2. It's nice that you are still on or under budget for December. It is always a pricier month.
    We have also been without heat or a/c through the first half of the month but I think that is about to change.

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    1. The unseasonably warm November helped. There were a few cold days, but we're well ahead on credits.

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  3. Both of my brothers stayed with us for our brother-in-law's funeral. The brother who flew here masked the entire time, and wore a mask during the funeral, tested positive last night. Luckily his symptoms are extremely mild (tickle in throat and dry throat), but now we're quarantining and will continue testing. Hoping if we do get it (have had every booster and also had Covid in January) we'll be all set for Christmas.

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    1. There's just no reasoning who's getting what virus. I hope they remain healthy inspire of testing positive.

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  4. That drunk could have seriously injured either himself or someone else!!! Bloody hell! But well done on the budget and I bet you can't wait until there are no more tuition bills right? I know it was heaven for me - well that and when they started working and paying for their own petrol etc.!

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    1. He was a buffoon. There's no leg room so none could have got out of the way. Fingers crossed she'll find a good job come spring.

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  5. Our power bill last month was $101.00 because we weren't running the air or heat. I'm interested to see what it will be this month now that the furnace has been on for most of the month.

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    1. We're on budget bills and have a huge credit. I suspect by March that will be at $0.

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  6. November was interesting, and December is pricey. But my budget is still holding up and I am grateful for that.

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  7. Good for you, my budget seems to have exploded dramatically. Self combusted even!!! It’s going to take some months to get back on track.
    Thanks for the dog cuteness, that’s brightened my day. Megan

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    1. He's a beautiful guy isn't he? Some months are a bust, or explosion. January will be that for us.

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  8. For years, all I had was an antenna to get local channels. It worked. The only reason I now have other options is because this is Tommy's decision and he is willing to have the expense. My antenna was much more expensive, but it was still much cheaper than the alternatives.

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    Replies
    1. Without the kids, we just don't watch all the other channels. I'll miss some sports channels though if we drop satellite.

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