Money Diet Day 12 and a new computer

Yes, that is right, we bought a new lap top today. We bought the computer for our middle school aged son who was using our lap top more than us for school projects and reports. Now, I know that you are probably wondering why we bought it now instead of waiting until fall. That is where frugality kicks in! Apple has a special right now that college students with an I.D. can get a 10% discount with a free ipod touch. As a graduate student, I qualify. So, we saved $100 buying now and got a $200 ipod if we bought now. I am going to need a new cell phone soon (mine is 3 years old). So, the plan is I will get a cheapo phone and use the ipod for the things that the iphone provides minus the phone usage. In our opinion, this was the best option for saving money. In fact, my calculation is that total savings will be around $400, plus the savings we will be getting starting next week when we finally cancel our land line. We will continue with the money diet, while patting ourselves on the back for saving on something we needed anyway.

Otherwise, our day was frugal. We spent some quiet time at home watching the World Cup, resting and our youngest went to a pool birthday party. It was a nice day.

Tonight's dinner is bar b que chicken, potatoes and asparagus.

Money Diet Day 11

So far, I have not spent a dime. It is only 1:18 pm, so I still have about 7 hours to make sure I stick to my plan.

Summer vacation is starting the way I thought it would. All of my kids are with friends and not with me. I figure that by next week, they will be up for spending a little time with me? Instead of dwelling on the abandonment, I am enjoying the peace and quiet that I was given and trying to a few things done around the house.

Today I did something that I have never done, my husband will be proud. Maeghan and I already went through all her school supplies, tore used paper out of notebooks and cleaned out the backpack. We boxed it all for fall. I saved the supplies that can be reused and threw away every thing else. What a relief. Usually we put that task off until August when they are getting ready to go back to school. Now, I just have to get the older kids to do the same thing. Maeghan's room is clean and ready for the summer.

Tonight we are grilling hamburgers and eating a meal outdoors. Afterwards we will watch a movie and turn in early. I am really tired, I only got about 5 hours of sleep last night. I stayed up late reading think I could sleep in. Instead, I woke up at my regular time. Guess I need to readjust or just stick to my routine.

Have a great Friday!

Money Diet Days 9 and 10

Not much to report on the money diet. I did make one gigantic mistake this month in my quest to save a dollar. I cancelled my brow wax. HUGE mistake!! It has become painfully clear that giving up that bit of vanity is not a good idea. I would take a picture of the unibrow that I now have on my face, but I fear that it would scare everyone. So, lesson learned and reschedule for next week.

Money spent yesterday 6/9 - $15 for another select soccer tryout

Money spent today 6/10 - $26 at World Market for cleaning supplies, movie box candy for $1/box and other fun foods. $69 at Target for dog food, 2 birthday presents for upcoming birthday parties and toiletries.

The kids are off of school now! I spent the first evening at home watching a movie with my youngest. My older children are of course out already, end of year parties with friends. I am not complaining, I am happy they have such nice friends.

I think we are going to plan a trip to the library tomorrow. Time to check out some summer reading. I am reminded that I need to read "Little Women" for the next Mother/Daughter Book Club.

My goal for tomorrow is to spend $0.00. Can I do it?

Money Diet Day 8 and the advantage of Doing It Yourself

Today we spent a little, but in the end it was a true money saver! The headlights on my car were out, so my husband bought the replacements and did the work himself. So, we had to spend a little, but saved a lot by doing it ourselves.

I spent $25 on my son's select soccer try outs. If he makes the team, well let's just say that I am relieved that the first payment for that activity will be due after my money diet is over.

Looking forward to a nice sunny day here in southeastern Wisconsin. I wish I could take a trip to Lake Michigan, but my job calls, so I will save the fun for later. Have a great day!

Money Diet Day 7

Today I had to give in and go to the grocery store. The food situation was not good, it was time to replenish supplies. I saved $54.25 with coupons and sales. The savings was 20%, not bad, but not great either. I need to try to do better for my next trip. Other than my trip to the grocery store, I did not spend anything else today. My husband did not spend either. So, we are a quarter of the way through the month and have been pretty good so far.

Here is a list of things that we have done to save money this since June 1:

1. I trimmed my girls hair and my husband shaved his- savings of $45

2. Ate dinner at 2 cookouts last weekend, savings unknown

3. We made homemade pizza instead of takeout - savings $20

4. Movie night was Netflix movies

5. When not at a cookout, we ate dinner at home- savings $45

6. Had my son pay for a new soccer ball he wanted with his own $ - savings $20

7. Instead of paying for entertainment on a Sunday afternoon, my husband took the kids to a local park.

8. Brown bagged it to lunch

9. Used coupons at the grocery store

My kids are anxiously awaiting the arrival of summer. This last week seems to offer very little in the area of actual teaching and learning. Most of the school supplies have been sent home, so I am under the assumption that the kids are playing a lot of year end games and watching videos. No complaints from me, I think they are all ready for a break.

Money Diet Days 4, 5 and 6

The weekend proved to be successful in my quest to save and not spend. Friday and Saturday nights we were invited to cookouts that required a side dish, so we were set for 2 of our 3 weekend meals. Friday night I made deviled eggs (cheap!), Saturday was fruit salad (not so cheap!).

We spent Saturday at our kids soccer tournament. It was a very long day, but we enjoyed watching the kids play. Sadly, neither one of our soccer players was on a winning team. I try that old cliche "you have won if you had fun", but they don't buy it. My son made 2 goals, we are so proud of his accomplishments on the field. I am scared to see what next years soccer commitment will cost us, he is trying out for Select Soccer, I hear it is expensive and time consuming. Time and money are 2 currencies that I am not always happy to part with.

Our Sunday dinner was a nice surprise. While I was at work, my husband homemade pizza with chicken, goat cheese and roasted peppers. Yum!!

Next weekend will mark the first weekend of summer vacation. I am so excited to spend some uninterrupted time with my kids. I may not be the best mom at games and play, but when it comes to outings, I ROCK!! I make sure my kids have fun things to do nearly everyday. My list is growing, I know we will have to pass on some things again this year, but I can't wait to get started.

Have a great Sunday!