[KimB]

Here is a place to journal and share our no spend victories, ways we saved on necessities, extra earnings and/or money added to our savings. I would love accountability partners.
1. What's your why?
++ I want to retire in 3 years - at age 62, from my full time job and work more casual hours in a different field (I have not figured out what yet). I need to get my excess spending under control and a savings for health insurance before this can happen.
2. Is there an area of unnecessary spending that is taking money that could be put into your savings?
++ I'm starting with no fast food or stops at convenience stores for junk food , and taking my lunch to work from home cooked meals. I'll also try to plan meals around the deals of the week and eat healthier than the fast food diet. This will also probably save me on future health care costs. No unnecessary spending would be optimal but I think choosing one area a month might be easier for me to accomplish.
Kim

 

[MaggieTru]

Love it!! Thank you for starting the thread.

I have committed to a no spend on clothes for 2022. Already dug some slippers out of the rag bag to make chore mittens from rather than buy new or thrift mittens. I let people know before Christmas that I could use sox. I think I got a dozen pairs!!

I am 1 month in to a 2 month pantry challenge and find that home cooking definitely makes my salt intake manageable...especially now that I have run out of convenience foods so I am with you 100% on more scratch cooking and being more mindful of taking my lunch.

Here is to a frugal 2022

 

[KimB]

MaggieTru- A pantry challenge wouldn't get me very far. Very little stocked in my pantry, fridge or fridge freezer. Probably why we tend to eat out for convenience. My hubby does the grocery shopping and does shop for best prices. We just need to have more of a weekly plan rather than a last minute plan for our meals.
Family knows we like to go out to eat so we did get gifted some restaurant gift cards that we will use in the future. My plan is to wait until my husband tells me he wants to use one then order something I can take home part of it for work lunch. Lol you will be good on socks for awhile.
Our emergency fund recently went down by a large sum on hearing aids for hubby. So far he wears them faithfully. He can hear the t.v. without it blaring, he hears my questions from another room, and he doesn't talk with me like I'm the one that's hard of hearing. On a positive note we just paid off our home loan and have one car loan left to pay off.
Kim

 

[MaggieTru]

KimB: congrats on the loan pay off!! Way to go.

I am doing the pantry challenge because I am overstocked. I like to shop and was getting great deals. But great deals that had been on the shelf for a year! Well, some of it. I, time to eat it up. Makes me more creative and it is healthier

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Our savings is on track with auto deposits, matched contributions, etc. My goal at the moment is to reduce some household spending and waste.

Prices on everything have gone up and continue to rise. I am struggling to keep the grocery bill for 2 people and 4 cats under $100 a week. I have a full pantry and freezers to pull from and need to use it. Where the extra cans of beans used to be for emergencies and convenience, they are now going to have to be part of the weekly menu.

Working on our other issue, which is waste. Leftovers weren't getting eaten. We can't afford to be throwing out portions of food. I've switched to making smaller meals, not having leftovers, and immediately freezing some portions. We're not at zero waste, but working on it.

The 2022 menu planning thread is up. It worked well for me to keep track of what we had on hand and work it into meals every week or so.

 

[KimB]

C.H.- regarding auto deposits, I think I will be increasing ours significantly with the home loan paid off. Need to look into paying off the car loan earlier as well.
As far as food left overs DH and I are pretty good at eating them up. For some reason if I freeze leftovers they don’t appeal to either of us and end up getting thrown out. As far as food budget we haven’t ever had one and way overspend in this area. Hopefully DH will save the receipts for me to keep track this month.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

KimB, some things survive the freeze and re-heat better than others, it's a matter of figuring out what you like. I find that cooked meats are generally ok, as are soups, stew, chili, baked beans and things with a lot of liquid. I grilled and smoked extra meat over the summer so we will have it this winter. Leftover vegs aren't great when reheated but I can turn them into soup or gravy. Frozen milk or half-n-half will separate, but it can be used in baking, like making muffins or pancakes. Likewise, frozen cheese changes texture, but you can melt it into cream soups or grate it into baked items. Leftover rice freezes pretty well, leftover pasta does not. Potatoes are tricky, some work better than others.

 

[KimB]

Happy New Year! I am determined to make 2022 a better year. ( Determined and Refresh are my words of the year)
CH- awesome advice, thank you for the education. Will put it into practice.
lunch packed and in the work bag so it is not forgotten like usual. .Time to head out into this 3 degree F weather.
Kim

 

[MaggieTru]

Happy new year all!
I am starting the year with a day at home so it will be a no spend. Cooked up left over rice and failed jam as rice pudding for breakfast with a side of too much coffee ... got multiple bags of beans as gifts. I thought about starting the year with a fast and then thought 'nope'

 

[KimB]

I haven't had caffeine yet as I usually stop for my diet coke in drive thru every morning. Not today as I am determined to follow through with my no eating out/fast food challenge. I may need an exedrin migraine by the end of the night. My car is even telling me I've been through the drive thru too many times. The drivers side window is acting up and doesn't want to close . Can't take a chance in this cold weather of having to drive with a open window. Double pay for working today that's good. No unnecessary spending for me today.

 

[rujerro]

Kim- Congrats! That's a great start to the New Year!
CH- I've noticed that prices have gone up 20% in stores. In response, I have to spend for sale items, unless it's eggs/milk/certain fruits.

This year, I had to recalculate my spending vs. earnings. I figured out that I must cut back as my meds are more expensive as well as food. As much as I cook/bake, I guess I have to just figure out how to make it magically s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Aside from that, my #1 reason to save more right now is because our jobs may go on s___ke. If that happens, DH and I will not have much income to support our bills. So, I'm glad I have a food stockpile.

 

[KimB]

rujerro- Because I have no stockpile I definitely will follow your lead and spend for sale items for future meals , especially with the cost of food going up. I hope all goes well for your jobs.

 

[Zhoen]

It is really telling that I am feeling envious that you got bags of beans for gifts!!! ;D I tell people I'd love a roll of paper towels or, if they argue that is too cheap "A years supply of-- (beans, rice, flour, sponges)" and nobody ever believes me.

I feel like this year I will automatically save more because I am not paying for school, the commute, the away-from-home meals, etc... at least for a while until after I get licensed and start working. After that, I will do my best. My goal is to work at our closest hospital, less than 10 minutes away without traffic, and the parking there is free-- and pack my lunch a lot because their cafeteria isn't great. (Which leads to the temptation of doordash...)

I will DEFINITELY be heading over to the menu planning board next, because our pantry and freezer are a chaotic nightmare!

We have some pretty expensive things on the "plans and wishes" list for this year, including a trip we have been saving for (fingers crossed!) So I would be surprised if we end the year with more savings that we started... but that doesn't mean I shouldn't save money where I can!

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Yes, prices going up here, too. I only buy meats on markdown or sale now, and it's still more than I was paying in 2019. It goes into one of my freezers and I plan around what we have. This winter I am doing soup every week, most of them meatless. I'm glad DH isn't a fussy eater, and likes vegetables. For a while I was showing him photos of empty store shelves after I got back from shopping, so he accepts "they were out of it" as an excuse for not getting things.

I still need to do a pantry inventory and look in the fridge drawers before meal planning for this week.

 

[MaggieTru]

Organized my pantry inventory for the 3rd time! I think I found a style that might work for me. I posted a shirt just of what to use up 1st and then made 3 meals worth of pilaf with salmon. That took 2 items off the list. It is cold out so I can put stuff in the 'freezer' for later....on the porch. In the summer it is harder to keep stuff for the next day

 

[bookwormpeg]

Happy New Year everyone....I usually clean my pantry at the end of year and donate pretty much all of it and started over....but, not doing that this year.....things are getting too expensive.....I will probably donate a few things but nothing like I use to do.

I am cutting back on cooking for the homeless.....not only does it get expensive, but I'm getting too old to do this. I never get any feedback so never know if it was liked or not....I am in charge of writing thank you notes to those who provide lunch and it gets pretty boring when all I can say is "thank you providing lunch" since I have no idea what it was or how it was received. I think mentioning the dish they made makes it more personally....they have no idea who I am and who knows if they even open the email..... Communication is not very good with this organization. I'm trying to be positive but I am frustrated. 2022 for me has no room for frustration or negativity so this may be the end for me......

On my list to do for January, is to clean the freezer....I have no idea what's in there....I am pretty bad about freezing the leftovers and then forgetting them. I'm sure I can feed us for a couple of months with what's in there....I did remember I had a small piece of pork roast in there so threw it in the cabbage and bacon today. Lots more "mystery" packages in there I'm sure.....

Going try to plan my meals....not sure how that is going to go but again, 2022 is going to be a new year so I'm trying new things....

Not buying any new clothes in 2022....have plenty. Not going to buy gifts for kids and grandkids....I spend too much money doing that.....

Going to try to make things for my shoeboxes instead of buying....I have 60-100 belts I am going to make into bracelets with a special tool I can get from Amazon for less then $20. Hope it's as easy as it looks...

Will get a SS increase but my part D went up to from $87 to $99 and Medicare went $22 up so in reality it's almost nothing....

 

[dlrcpa]

I was given a little Brother label maker years ago and now I LOVE it. Everything that goes into the freezer gets a label for what it is and the month & year. CH - good on the weekly veg soups and that your husband is good about eating what is prepared. I know I have 2 quart containers of veg soup and 1 of gumbo in the freezer, one every 10 days would use them up this month.

 

[KimB]

@Zhoen do you mind me asking what you are getting licensed in? You mentioned working in a hospital. I'm a RN in long term care and rehab facility. Congrats on finishing school,
It's my birthday today and I was treated with one of the calmest days at work that I have had in a long time. Remembered my lunch , nibbled on some treats in the breakroom left over from the holidays. Drinking more water, and day 2 of no soda. I did need to take headache medication in middle of night for caffeine withdrawal . Made shrimp and broccoli for supper. Heading out for church tonight. Not planning any spending except our church offering.
Praying 2022 treats us all well.
Kim

 

[ermadunk]

@Zhoen do you mind me asking what you are getting licensed in? You mentioned working in a hospital. I'm a RN in long term care and rehab facility. Congrats on finishing school,
It's my birthday today and I was treated with one of the calmest days at work that I have had in a long time. Remembered my lunch , nibbled on some treats in the breakroom left over from the holidays. Drinking more water, and day 2 of no soda. I did need to take headache medication in middle of night for caffeine withdrawal . Made shrimp and broccoli for supper. Heading out for church tonight. Not planning any spending except our church offering.
Praying 2022 treats us all well.
Kim

K

@Zhoen do you mind me asking what you are getting licensed in? You mentioned working in a hospital. I'm a RN in long term care and rehab facility. Congrats on finishing school,
It's my birthday today and I was treated with one of the calmest days at work that I have had in a long time. Remembered my lunch , nibbled on some treats in the breakroom left over from the holidays. Drinking more water, and day 2 of no soda. I did need to take headache medication in middle of night for caffeine withdrawal . Made shrimp and broccoli for supper. Heading out for church tonight. Not planning any spending except our church offering.
Praying 2022 treats us all well.
Kim

Kim B

@Zhoen do you mind me asking what you are getting licensed in? You mentioned working in a hospital. I'm a RN in long term care and rehab facility. Congrats on finishing school,
It's my birthday today and I was treated with one of the calmest days at work that I have had in a long time. Remembered my lunch , nibbled on some treats in the breakroom left over from the holidays. Drinking more water, and day 2 of no soda. I did need to take headache medication in middle of night for caffeine withdrawal . Made shrimp and broccoli for supper. Heading out for church tonight. Not planning any spending except our church offering.
Praying 2022 treats us all well.
Kim

Kim B Happy Birthday glad you had a good day.

 

[Zhoen]

Happy Birthday, Kim!

Yes, those caffeine headaches are BRUTAL!!!

I just finished an entry-to-practice BSN, so I will be taking the NCLEX soon and then working as an RN as soon as my kiddo's health can handle it.