Thrifty Thursday-Not Afraid of Saving

     Well September sure was a speedy month! I feel like with labor day being so late, it was only a three week month. October brings us many chances to both spend and save-it's scary how much money can leek that we aren't even aware of. I'm on the hunt for  sale prices on Halloween Candy. If there is not traditional Trick or Treating, perhaps a few neighbors might want to gather outside and have grab bags for the kiddies. I've got time to think on that. 

    Speaking of scary, extra expenses last month was a $300  service call for the furnace/air unit. While the cleaning and  health check were free, we had issues last year with the furnace not starting on it's own when the house temp dropped. Well, it would have been over a $600 expense, but the actual part that needed replacing was under warranty. Free cleaning, but $300 labor, and a new part that should hold us a while. See what I mean about leaking? Since July, we have bought a new water heater, had a damaged pipe, and now a furnace repair, to the tune of over $3,300. DH also suspects his first paycheck in October will be a small one. Property taxes are paid this month, but we  created our own account once the hosue was paid for and we no longer had an escrow, so that's a known and planned expense. 

     Knowing at any time other contributions to the household money pit can occur, it makes sense for me to keep looking for ways to be thrifty with  how I spend my time, resources, and money, maintaining control even when other thing may be out of my control. I can't know when the unexpected will occur, but I know enough to know something will come up. I don't want to live in fear.

      Time 

• It was nice to see our friends with the make shift gathering in their garage with the doors open, socially distanced and sitting on our own chairs. Stopping by and seeing my sisters for an hour afterwards, also outside, was nice as well. I had a good talk earlier in the day with one sister about my anxiety and stress about being in social circles inside. she completely understood and was supportive. 
• Another horrible Vikings game, but the cool weather was perfect for a bike ride. I even biked to the store for bakery buns for the leftover pulled pork, and found two cans of pumpkin, apparently the latest item to be difficult to find. This will get me four batches of pumpkin bread-some for this weekend to bring to DD2, I'll freeze 1/2 the can for later in the month, and I'll save the other can for November. I'll pick up more if I see it in the tore this month as well. 

Resources

• No more to be said about the spaghetti, but we had no waste!
• We used up the pork loin from last week, and I found two other bottles with a few tablespoons of BBQ sauce, enough to really flavor the pork for sandwiches. I imagine these might have been a bit old, but so full of vinegar, they were just fine. 
• I found enough  eight ounce jars, plus a four ounce jar and finally made the  jalapeno pepper jelly. I'm not completely happy with how it turned out-the pepper bits floated to the tops, but I gave a good shake before setting, to distribute more. I had a bunch left in the pot after filling the six jars, but mostly without peppers, but it actually filled one 16 ounce jar. I only tasted the jelly by licking the spoon, and even if it doesn't look the best, the taste is good. I'll use the jar without much peppers for things like spicy meatballs or a glaze. I have four more of the 16 ounce jars for fruit jam, pus I can empty a 4 ouncer in my fridge holding my sister-on-laws jelly into another container, which would give me five jars for the five lids I saved, enough for one batch of assorted fruit jam-all the bits in my freezer. 
• Our friends gifted us a jar of crab apple and a jar of  peach/blueberry jelly so we will be set for fall and winter. I brought her wine. Fair trade.

Money

• I earned another $5.00 Target card through the Microsoft rewards. 
  
• I had planned to contribute $30 towards our software developers parting gift-the man is a rock star, but his contract is up and he also has been trying to retire-at 55! Another  colleague wanted to chip in on the gift, so I only spent $25.
• I reigned in spending on fall décor items, stopping at just five, when I really saw another five items I wanted! I might cut some leaves and pumpkins, old school, from construction paper I have already and do some more for my dining room doors. With it getting dark earlier and earlier, embracing fall with some color will help my mood. 
• I saved money by baking a pan of cookie brownie bars from a mix I've had all summer instead of stopping for  snacks for my sisters.

     I'm excited to say I ended September spending $397 for all household, health and beauty, groceries, of food, and take out for the month, $3 below my target. Not included is DH's lunch out with a friend, drinks out twice with my daughter on our walks, and the wine, soda, and hard lemonades we picked up for meeting up with friends. All those entertainment items were under $90. Our apple orchard outing and farmers market spend were in the grocery budget. I have no challenge for October, other than to not shop stupid. We actually are solidly pantry stocked and have  quite a bit in the freezer still. So how about you? Any big wins? Did anyone else buy a few new fall items for their home? Are you worried about having a scary month?