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My October Challenge

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october
4K views 62 replies 10 participants last post by  Luv2BeFrugal 
#1 ·
Ok, I dropped the ball. We had company come up to visit...and spent more than I would've liked to. It was cash, but STILL. (We did have a fun time, though :) ).

This will by no means be a "no-spend month", but I need to get myself more organized and stay on top of things. So here's what I aim to accomplish:

I'd like us to eat from our pantry/freezer as much as possible (I'll budget to re-stock the freezer next month...just want to get it "cleaned out"). I'm hoping to keep the grocery budget to $150.00, MAX. We'll need things like bread, sour cream, yogurt, etc. We have powdered milk in the pantry I want us to use up, so no milk buyin' this month!! Scratch cookin', here I come!!!!! :)

We have to get the oil changed on one car (we'll bring the oil and filter with us...it's a bargain that way...already have it). And it's wiper fluid stopped spraying...I have no clue what that will cost??? :(

The other car needs new tires...we've already "pre-paid" our CC to cover this expense... That way we get the "points" on the CC...we're close to earning a Visa gift card for $25. :)

I want to get in a routine of exercising... So, my goal is to spend at least 30 min/day...3 times/week. Get myself moooooving.

Please help me stay accountable...I get "side tracked" these days... :box:
 
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#4 ·
And it's wiper fluid stopped spraying...I have no clue what that will cost??? :(

:box:
So did ours!!!! Let me know what ends up being wrong with it and how much it cost to repair it, please.
 
#7 ·
Wiper fluid is topped off and not leaking. Checked the fuse...it's fine. Got my dad (a major electronics guy!) to pull the circut breaker and check it with an ohm meter...that too, is working. So, I'm guessing it's the motor??? Have an appt. on Friday...will get the oil changed then, too.
 
#8 ·
Day 1 - update

Okay, today went fairly good. We parked on one end of campus and I walked to my math class and back (appx 12 min walk one way...with a very heavy back pack, I might add!). :jabber: And to prove how 'out of shape' I am...I was a bit sweaty when I got there...and it was only 40 degrees out!!
(Ok, SERIOUSLY need to exercise!!!). :loop:

Hope you all don't mind... I'm going to take this opportunity to vent all my confusion and frustration...see if typing/reading (and any input from you all) will help me come to some sort of conclusion/direction for my 'path' in life.

I'm still debating back and forth (with me, myself, and I) about what degree to pursue. I'd like a Chemistry degree (I'm *just* starting)... Downside is it takes 5 years to get the B.S...and to get an even remotely 'decent' job you have to have a masters, too (add 2-3 years to that for a chem masters). I *love* science, but the end result is a "bottom of the totem pole" job with relatively crappy pay and not much room to advance without at least one (yes, I said one) doctorate...post doctoral research and/or a second doctorate is required for the good paying jobs. ARGH. :( (Yes, we're talking 15 years-ish total...as I've been told by several doctors in the sciences...and what they say coincides with my research on the matter).

I'm also interested in an Economics degree. I figured it out...it would only take me 2.5 years. Having a B.A. will get ya a good paying job to start and with 2-4 years experience a variety of very good paying jobs. (Yup, just the B.A. is req'd for those...yup, checked into that, as well).

Here's the catch. I get ga-ga over science stuff (though I have a *very* teeny background in it...I just enjoy it so much...even though it challenges me to my very core most of the time).

I like all the various economics news/forecasts, etc...watching the stock market...all that jazz. I think it, too, would be interesting...but not NEARLY as exciting as science. It, however, has the selling points of: relatively quick to finish, MANY job prospects (people gettin' picked up as they graduate, if not lined out before), a better program at this college than the chem, better wages than I could ever dream of with the chem degree (even with the masters).

If I look with my "practical eyes" it's an easy call. Economics. It would provide a comfortable and predictable life for Dh & I. I could even afford to start flying again as soon as student loans were be paid off (I'm a private pilot whose been stuck with her feet on the ground for several years...a horrid curse to any pilot...seriously).

Yet, the science still calls out to me... It would be a long and tumultuous journey. The science community is not exactly noted for being kind and friendly... It's just so darn interesting!!! But, I digress... Back to the topic at hand...

Took lunches, water bottles we filled at home, and snacks with us to school. We did pick up a little bit of food on the way home. Spent 5.27. Not too bad. :)
I want to make sure to do some aerobics or something similar at least ONCE before the week is out... My inclination is to jump in full bore and exercise twice a day, but...I have knee issues...and imagine I wouldn't be walking too well in short order! Which would bring any further exercise to a complete halt! Please keep me accountable...not to over-do and not to under-do. (Is that a word?) :)

5.27/150.00
 
#9 ·
Day 2

Good day today... No spend day. Dh picked up a book on the way home (with store credit) and is happily reading. School was good... Took food/water with us for at school. Had some pasta for supper.

Got a rebate check in the mail!! Woot! :D $30! It's goin' in the savings account! :)
 
#11 ·
Day 3

Well, today was car oil change and wiper fix day. Turned out the wires that went to the windshield washer pump thingy were bad and where they connected was corroded. No worries, though! :) It cost $42 to fix it, much to my relief! The oil change was $12.50 (we brought the filter and oil we already had). So, that all went well. :)

We've both been needing glasses (me for 3 years and Dh for 1.5 years). Finally have the cash for it. So, today was set aside for looking for those. I found a pair I like and ordered them. Dh is still looking. (We have $$ set aside for this...did our eye exams a couple months ago...paid in cash).

We stopped at Walmart (hey, there's not a lot else to do up here). ;) I ended up picking up a toiletry gift basket that was marked down to $4. It has 2 regular size bottles of Listerene (Dh uses this), a toothbrush (fancy kind I normally wouldn't pay what they'd be askin' for it!), and a full size floss. Buying those individually up here would be at *least* $12 of product. So, those will go to my stockpile.

We spent 9.87 on food...so that brings the monthly total to 15.14/150.00.

Pretty good day. Got a bunch more studying done. Oh! And it spit snow today...first time this winter! Nothing stuck...it was more sleety than anything. Guess we'll be spending a couple hours changing tires here soon...
 
#12 ·
Good luck to you with your October challenge. Good thing the car repairs weren't all too major. About that education...that's a tough one. What advice does DH tell you? 15 years is a loooonnnngg time IMO. Can't you do something in the science field but then as a hobby or as a volunteer(sp? --> my English isn't too well anymore).
Best wishes to you in your endeavour!!
 
#13 ·
Day 4

Semi-frugal day here... Dh went to school...got a "B" on his very hard accounting test!! I'm so proud!! :D

He stopped by the used book store on the way home and traded in some books. We got $38 of used book credit!! Woot! :D

He filled up our car...down to 3.99/gal. There was only a half gallon left in the tank!! Eep!! So the grand total (GASP!!!) was $51.10!!! :hmmm: That should last us near 2 weeks...

Royal... The only volunteering in the science field Dh and I could think of was maybe volunteering at an observatory if we move somewhere that has one (which would be super fun!). :) We don't know where we'll end up living, though...

Having leftovers for lunch. And I pulled a pound of ground beef out of the fridge for supper... :)
 
#14 · (Edited)
Day 5

Had a no spend, no drive day. We ate leftovers for lunch...will have some chicken I defrosted for supper. Animal crackers for snack (got a big 2 lb bag cheap...and have a 2nd one in the stockpile). :) Good day. LOTS of studying, too (which is also good!). Been keeping things turned off, too...except we needed the lights today a lot...was real dreary/dark...tons of rain...then hail...then sleet...then wet snow that melted on contact with the ground...then rain. Yeah, you get it...cloudy/dark.

I pulled out my little travel toiletries kit. I figure since we won't be traveling for a good long while I may as well use those up!! So, I've got the shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and a back up bar of soap "next in line". :) I washed out the container and put it with my little travel stuff.

I cleaned out one of the drawers in the bathroom. Washed out a few little trial sized containers and put them with the now empty travel kit for future use. (Cause I always end up buying little containers before we go anywhere...at least this way I won't do that!). I pulled out all the little travel toothpastes (three!) I found and we'll be using those up before opening a new tube.

I cleaned out another bathroom cubby area (where I keep shampoos and bar soaps stockpiled). Would you believe I have 22 BARS of soap for me? (Yup, the full size ones!). Won't be buying me any for nearly 2 years!! :D And have enough shampoo/conditioner for about 6 months! :)

I did a teeny bit of organizing on the pantry. I don't know if anyone saw pantry pics I posted a few weeks back on another thread, but I had mentioned that wasn't *all* the food. Well, I've managed to get the rest of the food (tucked in various areas of our little place) ALL into the pantry (stockpile stuff, not what's in our everyday, kitchen cabinets). I snapped a couple pics, but am too embarrassed to post them...it REALLY needs HELP!! What a mess!! :yucky: I'll have to finish tidying that soon and then post.

I did a quick count of some of the bigger stockpiled items. Have nearly 100 lbs of grain (for grinding into flour), about 70 lbs of various dried beans (about 40 of it is pinto), quite a few packs of various pasta (in the realm of 15 lbs or so?), and probably about 20 lbs of oats...that's just a bit of it all. How long do you guys think that would last 2 people? We've been "evaluating" our stockpile situation...and honestly, we've ended up letting things spoil before we can get to them (over the years). We're planning to eat through all this and then have something like 4-8 weeks of food on hand (we have family here we could get help from if there was a long-term, major emergency). We live in such a small space, and there's just the 2 of us, we feel like it's just "too much". KWIM? Anyhoo, my main goal is to focus on the freezer for this month...eat everything that's stockpiled in there, clean it good, and then re-stock in a month's supply. Things have been "hiding" in the back and getting freezer burned. :furious: Why do I let that happen?! GRRRR... :loop:

Okies...back to studying...just wanted to check in! :) Hope everyone's having a fabulously, frugal weekend! :D Thanks for keeping me accountable! :)

P.S. Was going to go for a walk yesterday and today, but my back is killing me! I think I lifted something funny on Thursday??? It's starting to feel better today...hoping to pick up with exercise again soon!
 
#15 ·
Well your bathroom cupboard exploits inspired me! I am going to do the same thing tomorrow and start using all those samples I keep on getting. It is far more that my Dd's can use at the swimming pool!
Boy I would LOVE you stockpile of grain and beans! Where do you buy your supplies? Were they bought in bulk? I haven't found a good source for dried beans and get annoyed with all those small overpriced packages (even though they are still way cheaper than canned they still seem overpriced!).

Hope your back is better tomorrow!:well:
 
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#16 ·
Hey Holly! :) My back is starting to feel better...thanks! :)

We get our pinto beans in 25 lb. bags at Costco. I pick up the rest of them in 1 or 2 lb bags when there's a decent price. I agree...they still seem too "high priced" in the little bags.

We get the rest of our supplies through a co-op up here...has beans, dried fruits, variety of grains, etc. You can only order like 3 times/year...so, it takes some pre-planning. But, good deals. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We took our lunch to school (again)...no extras! :)

Stopped by the grocery store on the way home. Needed bread...got 2 loaves on sale (for $2 each). I picked up one of those jars of "fancy" spaghetti sauce...regularly 3.99, on sale for 3.29...and I had a 1.50 off coupon. It's the Classico kind that comes in the real glass jars (that I like to have for storing leftovers). :)

We've been doing a lot of sandwiches lately and ended up with several bags of heels... I put them all into one and put that in the freezer...will crumble for "filler" next time I make meat loaf.

Dh wanted leftovers for supper tonight (I LOVE that!! :D). I had a plate of plain spaghetti noodles and he had dibs on 'em. hehe He likes 'em with no sauce, a little butter, and some cheese sprinkled on top. So, he's eating up those leftovers... I had some chicken leftover from supper last night. I tossed it in with some ramen noodles and some frozen mixed veggies (that are amongst the freezer-burned stuff in my freezer)...and I had myself some soup for supper. :)

I took that $30 rebate check from Costco and put it in savings...and also deposited the $75 I found in the freezer. So, there's $105 more in savings! :D

Walked to/from the other end of campus for my math class...so, got about 25 min of exercise. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still feeling totally confused about what degree/career to go for??? :shake: I'm going to meet with an advisor for the economics degree on Thursday (already met with the chem advisor). Then we can go for there... I wish there was a flashing neon sign that would tell me what the right decision is. :(
 
#17 ·
great news, esp about dh and the leftovers! LOL

I myself am think about buying some of those gallon cans of tomato sauce at Sams for $3 a can and adding veggies and canning my own sauce.

I got some nice jars at a garage sale--quart sized at that!

I am really itching to get a year food stockpile started.....

My dd goes to Texas Tech and she walks everywhere and parks her car to save on gas(she lives on campus and is a JR)and one time she caught the free bus that goes around campus and ended up where the future lawyers go and they were all on the bus and I said did you flirt lol!:)
 
#18 ·
Day 6

A no spend day today...drove straight to school and back. We brought our snacks again...

Supper is going to be pinto beans (from dried beans) and corn (from the freezer) with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top and a dollop of sour cream. :) CHEAP and yummy. :)

Have a BIG math test tomorrow, so not gonna be working around the house tonight...need to study some more... Well, I need to do dishes...but that's it.

We got snowed on last night...heavy/wet snow...and it took down some trees...knocked out our power for a couple hours. Welcome winter! Time to break out the snow gear! :) We'll be changing tires on one car this weekend (saving ourselves the tire changing cost of $30-$40) and buying a new set of tires for the other car (cash already set aside).

My back seems to be almost back to normal, so that's good. :) Unfortunately, now I have the crud that's going around. :( Sniffles/head congestion/sneezing. Erf... Gonna try to get some extra sleep over the next few days. :)
 
#19 ·
Day 8

Well, a lot has happened since late last night. I got a call from my mom about 11pm... She fell down some stairs!! :( She's 70, and though very active (still working!) for her age, she's not in the best of shape. So, I went straight over to help her... She has a bruise on her hand, a bruise on her knee, she tweaked her lower back, sprained her right ankle, and broke her left ankle!!! NOT fun!!! :eek:uch: She has to go to an orthopedic surgeon...they want her ankles checked more thoroughly since both were hurt and she's older... Poor Mommy!!! :(

As for our day... We had cereal from the pantry for breakfast...with powdered milk. I pulled some lunch meat out of the freezer a couple days ago...it looked SO freezer burned, but good news! It wasn't! :) So, we had turkey sandwiches for lunch...there's enough for at least a couple more sandwiches (and I still have 3 more packs in the freezer). I put a tomato on mine...my dad gave me one! :) I love free stuff!! :D Supper will be from the pantry, too. :)

School day again... I took my math test... I hope I passed!! :nerv2: Won't find out until Monday.. We stopped at the library on the way (it's truly on the way, just a turn into the parking lot). I got a couple videos and a book to read in my (haha) spare time. Another no-spend day... :D

Oh!! We FINALLY got the rest of the refund the college owed us!!! (Dh got an additional small grant, but we'd already paid, then he had added a class...so the balance went to us in cash!). :) Dh already put it in savings!!!! :D There's $187 in our pocket!! :D (Doin' happy dance). :)
 
#20 ·
You are doing so well Kace....school can be so stressfull and yet you are still able to do what is necessary to be frugal. WTG. Sorry to hear about your mom...a fall at her age is always a serious affair. I hope she gets good news from the surgeon. Snow already? And her I was complaining that I had to use the heat.... I should just stop my whining!
I did go through all my samples and organized them, I have a ton of stuff and I am challenging myself to use them everyday....so today I put a soap sample by the sink and used the floss sample and mouthwash, and shampoo and conditioner! Thanks for reminding me.
Glad your back is feeling better, and I am happy your grant came through... :grnwave:
 
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#21 ·
:applause: Great job on the sorting/using samples!! I'm using up bar soap samples, too! :)

Yup, snow already... Much of it has melted, but we're expecting more in the next day or two... We turned the heat on about a month ago...was down to 26 this evening on the way home from school...brrrrr.... I seriously need to load the cars with extra gloves, hats, etc...and pull out the ice scraper/snow brushes. Dh found one of them, but the other is hiding...erf...

Mom's propped up and readin' books. Gonna set up her laptop for wireless tomorrow so she can at least be 'mobile' that way. ;) The swelling is down quite a bit from yesterday...so, at least there's that...

Thanks for the encouragement!! Means a lot!! :D
 
#22 · (Edited)
Pantry Update

Ok, since I posted pictures of my pantry last month (dingy as it is) I've added some of the things I mentioned earlier in this thread...including 50 lbs of wheat (grain) and 25 lbs of pintos...amongst other things. (The beginning of this month was my "use up everything in the freezer" challenge...still workin' on it! :) ).

I was going to do the "tidy and pic taking" later, but the mess was driving me nuts!! So here are the pics...and a brief overview of my stockpile...

I've got appx:
~ 75 lbs of beans (55 of it is pinto)
~ 100 lbs of grain (you can see the BIG brown bag in one of the pics...the 2 white buckets in the back corner there are also grain)
~ 25+ lbs white sugar
~ 15+ lbs brown sugar
~ 35 cans tuna
~ 28 cans chicken
~ 16 boxes cereal
~ 20 lbs oatmeal
~ case of ramen
~ many boxes of tea
~ large canister (and half of another) of hot cocoa (Costco size)
~ 3 jars jelly
~ 3 large jars pb
~ various condiments
~ 5 boxes protein bars
~ 3 cases refried beans
~ 15 boxes mac'n'cheese
~10 boxes shells & cheese
~ 2+ boxes (Costco/Sams Club size) instant oatmeal
~ 3 boxes instant potatoes (it's a non-frugal "cheater" thing, but I use them to thicken frugal soups...does that count?) ;)
~ 3 large boxes powdered milk
~ near 20 lbs of pasta
~12 cans spaghetti sauce

I know I've missed some things, but that's the general overview. :)
(This doesn't have any of my H&B/TP/cleaning supplies stockpiles).
 
#25 ·
Day 9

Whew!! What a workout! It's snowing here and the roads are SLICK!! :( Took a lot more time to get places... Saw a few cars off the roads, but no bad accidents, so that was good...people (for the most part) seemed to be taking it pretty slow.

Well, I met with the economics advisor today, went good...nice guy. Talked to Dh about what he said... I'm going to do that degree program. It would only take me 2.5 years, if I don't do minors...3.5 years if I do. Not bad. The Chemistry degree would be an absolute *minimum* of 4.5 more years (bachelor's)...so, the jobs wouldn't be very good or very high paying. The econ jobs (whether it's actually an economist position, analyst, or statistician) will pay MUCH better. The degree costs less, too...aside from just being shorter...it's anywhere from $200-$600+ per semester LESS than the chem one (no lab fees). He advised me to do the minors *if* we have the ability to keep me in school the year more...allows for far more job opportunities (and earnings) in the future. Dh and I will discuss that more in the coming weeks... So, I went and did the paperwork for the econ degree. All signed up! :deal:

Today was definitely a spend day!! We chose/paid for the new tires...they'll be mounted and balanced tomorrow. We got a FANTASTIC deal!!! :applause: We were expecting to pay $500-$600 (M&B). We got them for $363!!!!! :D I'm a very happy camper!!! :D

We picked up some groceries...yogurt, quite a few boxes of tea (sale), 2 loaves of bread, some veggies for my mom, etc. All came to $37.12.

I had to get a pack of micro-casettes for school. Mom is lending me her little recorder. Dh wanted me to buy a digital recorder (almost $40). I wanted it...but, told him no. The casettes (3 pack) were 4.99.

Also, the minute button on my alarm clock isn't working now!! :skept: Erf. So, needed a new alarm clock. Found a battery operated one I liked for 9.99. It runs on 2 AAA's...now I don't have to worry about power outages making me late! :)

Our brush and scraper (for clearing snow/ice off the car) broke. Grrrr... So, had to get another one...that was 5.56.

So, definitely a spend day. But, got a lot done. :)

Groceries to date: 52.26/150.00
 
#27 ·
Stop rubbing it in Cricket!! LOL.

We don't have snow yet, but we have had frost and it is getting colder, it is chilly now even with the sun out.....sigh.....no more shorts and sandals here.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Day 10 & 11

Not a whole lot going on here...just mega studying...have midterms coming up!

Dh went early yesterday to get the new tires put on. We specifically went over what we wanted...and what we did NOT want (studded tires). The guy there pointed out everything on the paperwork that they would NOT have studs on them. So, Dh gets up at 6am, goes to the tire shop (it's a first come, first serve place)...waits (outside!!!) in the line. They opened up and he left our car for them to put on the new tires we'd paid for. He gets a call around 1pm that they're done and he can pick up our car (keep in mind he is on a VERY tight schedule with his current work load). He arrives, goes in, gets the keys, goes to the car. Decides to look at the tires before leaving (good job!)...THEY STUDDED THEM!!!! GGGGRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! Dh ended up going back in, they had NO unstudded ones left. He had to WAIT AN HOUR while they removed the studs!!!! GRRRR (Does not affect the integrity of the tire). They weren't gonna hurry (told him 1-2 HOURS more of a wait!!) and weren't going to comp us ANYTHING! After I talked to them the car was finished in 30 minutes (acceptable) and we got a 10% REFUND. I was nice, but TICKED. (Vent over).

Dh went to another accounting thing last night...got some free food. Although, they had the nerve to ask $2.75 for a can of soda!!! Uh, NO! :( So, he ate the food and drank (free) water! But, he had a nice time...so, that was good...and it was only about 2.5 miles from our place, so not too far to drive, either.

I ate misc. leftovers and such yesterday... Didn't go anywhere...kept lights off most of day.

Today we stayed home all day...so, no spend, no drive. Had eggs and toast for breakfast... He had misc stuff for lunch... I had a piece of toast with pb...and a few carrot sticks (carrots were free from my dad).

Supper was FREE! :D My mom (with her broken ankle) has gotten SO much attention from friends, co-workers, etc... LOADS of food dropped off!!! Goodness!! She gave us a whole thing of meatballs and pasta that someone brought. So, that was our supper...and there's enough leftover for another meal!! :)

I'm still using the soap samples we got for free... I thought they'd be used up in just a few days (we are compulsive hand washers here), but they're still goin' strong!! Should be a few weeks worth of free soap!! :D Same deal with the trial toothpastes... Those should be a good 4-6 weeks of toothpaste! Woot!

I've been using free scratch paper from the math lab for all my math homework, too. Sure is making the notebook paper I bought stretch a lot further!! :D I started keeping the stuff I use and taking it to the recycling bin on campus...less trash to throw away here...and it's better for the environment, too! :)
 
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