Adding to the stockpile!

DAY 9:

Howdy!  Today was BUSY, BUSY, BUSY.  I had to work all day and shuffle kids to and fro in between!  Although hectic, it was a productive day and everyone seemed happy.  After cleaning my second house, I decided to make a quick stop at kings to pick up some "freebies".  These are items I DO NOT PAY ANY MONEY FOR.  If It is free I will buy it.  If it is an item we do not use, I donate it!  Below is a picture if all my freebies:

(8) 3 musketeers candy bars
(4) M&M candies
(4) Reach flossers
(4) Reach toothbrushes
(5) Colgate toothpastes (some not pictured, Luke was building a tower!)
(2) 4 regular rolls Angel Soft bath Tissue
(1) Nestle butterscoth morsels
(1) Men's speadstick deodorant
(1) Beach Nut Fruit snacks

All of this cost me nothing!  I had coupons that either matched or exceeded the price of the items.

Yesterday I mentioned I would teach you a little something about stockpiling.  I stockpile items that are either free or at the rock bottom price I will pay for an item.  Today I added more laundry detergent to my stockpile.  I prefer Tide, BUT, I will not pay $8.99 for a bottle of tide when I can get another brand for under $2.  Wisk detergent was featured this week on sale at King Soopers.  Three weeks ago when I price matched Wisk, it was being sold for around $6/bottle.  This week it was on sale for $3.49!!  even better, I had a handful of $2 off coupons.

That is (5) 32 load bottles of Wisk.  I have more coupons, but decided on 5 today.  All in all the detergent cost me $7.50...that is less than one bottle of tide costs! 

I also bought (2) smart waters sale priced at .49 to get to my 20 items for the mega event!

The cashier rang up an item twice, which messed up my WHOLE order.  Thankfully, customer service refunded me the amount with no questions asked!

TOTAL SPENT AT STORE (approx since my receipt was off): $9

We were kindly invited over to a friends house for supper.  It was a PLEASANT evening spent with friends in their air conditioned house :)  I brought a pasta salad that I whipped up using pasta from my stockpile! 

DINNER WITH FRIENDS: $0

TOTAL SPENT DAY 9: $9 (-$1 rollover,  Total rollover $22.98)

TIP: ALWAYS check your receipt when you leave the store for errors, it could save you some moola!!


DAY 10: 

I put $15 of gas in my van using our rollover.  I still had a half tank of gas, but wanted to stay ahead of the game since I hate when I get down to E!  I have been DILIGENT in making sure that if I drive anywhere, I am killing as many birds as I can with my one stone.  I cleaned a house on the opposite side of town from where we live and made sure that I brought the library books with me to return, and went to the bank near where I was.  USUALLY I would pay no attention and make 3 DIFFERENT trips.  I'll tell you, when you are living on $8/day, you think a LOT more about what the most economical way to do something is. 

My whole $8, was spent today on produce.  I weighed out everything and made sure to buy whatever was on sale.  All in all we were able to get some bananas, celery, apples, grapes, and a pepper. 

TOTAL SPENT: $7.93!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 10: $22.93( TOTAL rollover after deduction: $8.05)

I am so ready for Winter...Days 7&8

Anyone else feeling the HEAT????  Let me just say that having no AC in 100 degree heat is miserable....even more miserable is having no AC in 100 degree heat AND BEING PREGNANT!  My body hates mother nature right now.

DAY 7:
Sunday morning I woke up and realized we were out of milk and bread.  Thankfully, I had a loaf of bread in the freezer so only had to run out for the milk. 
TOTAL SPENT AT STORE: $3.01


It was Hot, I was grumpy (REALLY GRUMPY!) so lunch was a hodge podge of "things" I threw together.  We spent most of the afternoon at the pool to try and cool down.  I was planning on doing a big pot of spaghetti sauce for dinner, but the thought of a stove made me dry heave.  Instead, I drove my happy hinee to Little Ceasers and picked my men up a $5 pizza...I already had plans with the leftover wings I got for free :)
TOTAL FOR PIZZA: $5 (plus tax..??)

TOTAL SPENT DAY 7: $8.01 (-.01 deducted from rollover, TOTAL rollover $23.98)


DAY 8:
When I woke up and I was still hot, I figured I better stop complaining and make the most out of the day.  Jack started Vacation Bible school this week and it could not have come at a better time.  You see, I like to have my son V.B.S. hop...that is sign him up for every vacation bible school within a 10 mile radius.  He makes new friends, learns about Jesus, and is out of the house for three hours doing something constructive.  Oh, and did I mention they are all free?? 

After VBS, we decided to go to the free lunch at the school since Jack is INTRIGUED by it.  I am so pleased with the fresh fruit and wheat buns they include in the lunches.  My boys eat it up, and I do not have to prepare it!  I was thankful for the lunch today since my kitchen is pretty bare.  I am blessed with a father that gardens all summer and sends fresh vegetables my way on a weekly basis, but other than that, we are getting down to the nitty gritty!

I needed another activity to cool us down since it was 103 degrees at 3pm today.  We decided on the library.  Have I mentioned how much I love the library??  My boys got a summer reading prize, sat nicely and read books, played on the computer and rode up and down the elevator...10 times (hey, I didn't care, I was in AC!).  When we left the library, I was not yet ready to go back to the sauna-like conditions of our house so the boys decided to use their summer reading coupons.  They both received a FREE noodle bowl from Noodles and Company for reading 12 books.  They LOVE the mac and cheese at Noodles, and can split a normal size bowl.  I used the other coupon and we all drank water.
TOTAL FOR AFTERNOON FUN AND DINNER: $0

TOTAL SPENT DAY 8: $0 (rollover $8, TOTAL rollover $ 31.98)

It is still about 89 degrees in my house and I am still miserable.  If only I could get an AC unit for $8!!!

Tomorrow I will HAVE to use some of my rollover for Fresh produce and gas...I will also try to highlight the art of STOCKPILING! 

A totally awesome day 6!

DAY 6:

Money, I love money.  When I was a 13, I babysat every weekend and bussed tables at my dad's restaurant after school.  I would take all the money I made and hide it in a box on the top of a bookshelf I had in my room.  One day, my mom was dusting my bedroom and happened to stumble on my treasure, she found over $1000.  My mom wanted me to put it in the bank, but I loved to count my money.  To me it represented hard work.  Still to this day I  think that hard work is one of the most important characteristics one could possess.  I loathe the lazy man.

So, what does this have to do with living off of $8/day?!  Well, I am always looking for ways to make some extra money for my family.  My husband is the main provider, and he works very hard to give us all that we need ( I love him for this!), but I have something stamped deep in my soul that makes me want to stash away money in a box on a bookshelf.  If you know me at all, you know that I have at least 2 yard sales per year to clear out all the crap we have accumulated and make some extra dough.  I also sell items on craigslist that we no longer need/use.  TODAY though,. I drank milk.

Yep, milk.  A friend of mine on facebook had posted that she participated in a consumer testing panel and was compensated $80 total...just for tasting milk.  Sounded good to me, so I applied and was asked to come in on Saturday afternoon.  I arrived a bit skeptical of the whole situation, but heck, I was kid free and am always up for a new experience.  Sure enough, after exactly 18 minutes of tasting a few different samples of skim milk, I walked out with $35 cash in my hand.  I go back next Saturday for another 18 minutes and will be compensated $45...TOTAL $80.  Sound wierd?  I thought so too, but it was totally legit, quite fascinating, AND I MADE MONEY!

Now one of the reasons I like to stash money is because I know that unexpected "things" are always lurking around the corner.  Now, I have not always been it situations where I can stash money like I did when I was 13, but even hiding $20 for emergency pizza money makes me feel a bit more at ease.  A few weeks ago, our toilet "guts" decided to fail us and we have been without a main floor bath for quite sometime.  We have also been without one side of a kitchen sink thanks to a stubborn garbage disposal.  Now remember that hard working husband I was talking about earlier?  Well, he is VERY hardworking, but not the "handiest" of handy man's if you get my drift.  So, after realizing that just to get a plumber to my house will run me about $100, I decided to enlist the help of a friend (actually her amazing handy husband).  I asked what they wanted to eat when they came over and at their request, I ordered chicken wings.  I had a coupon for .35 wings at a wing joint down the street.  I knew I was going to go over my $8/day budget, but did not care one bit since hiring a plumber would have cost me 10 times that!  I ordered the wings, paid $15 and drove home.  When I arrived home I opened the bag and quickly noticed that it was NOT my order.  I called the place, and the kind gentleman said he was remaking my order and to KEEP the other order (30 wings, 2 orders of fries and a dessert!).  When I arrived to pick up the correct order, they GAVE ME BACK MY MONEY and sent me on my way with the 40 wings I had originally ordered.  All I could say is wow, that is customer service at its finest!
TOTAL FOR 70 WINGS: $0 (and a fixed sink/toilet)

All in all, day 6 was surprisingly awesome.  I was willing to shell out double our $8/day budget but instead did not spend a dime and MADE $35!!!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 6: $0  ($8 rollover, TOTAL ROLLOVER $23.99) 


 

Day 5. $8/day challenge

This morning I partook in one of my favorite pastimes; garage saling!  Thankfully for my $8, there were really no good buys to be found.  I did pick up a new dog leash for our pup and a gap kids sweater for Luke.  Almost ALL of my children's clothes come from garage sales because I just can't justify spending $300 on a wardrobe for a 3 year old!! 
TOTAL SPENT AT YARD SALE: $2

My mother was kind enough to gift us a Carrabba's $10 gift card that was expiring today.  If you have ever been to Carrabba's, you know that the you can't get much for $10.  Thankfully, their kid's menu was very reasonably priced.  I ordered a kid's spaghetti and meatballs and a kid's cheese pizza and ordered carryout  (the fear of getting kicked out of a restaurant thanks to two tired kids was a chance I was not willing to take).  This fed me and both boys and we still have 2 leftover pieces of pizza! 
TOTAL FOR DINNER: $10.00, but we had the $10 GC!!!  
TOTAL MINUS giftcard: $3 (for tip!)

Now, neither of these things were necessary, but it was so nice not to have to cook, and the boys LOVE our "date nights".  Also, a little retail therapy is good for the soul....even if it is at a yard sale!!!!

TOTAL SPENT DAY 5: $5 (rollover $3, total rollover $15.99)

I want to let everyone know that there is a HUGE difference between being frugal and being cheap.  It is one thing to clip coupons and find the best deals around, it is a complete other thing to tip poorly or use your coupons unethically.  Please be generous and respectful to those around you.  If you do not have money to tip accordingly, do not go out to eat.  (CAN YOU TELL I WAS ONCE A SERVER?!?!?)

DAY 4: Mega event trip!

I woke up this morning with a pounding headache and it is still going strong even after about 10 Tylenol!  Thankfully, after work I mustered up enough energy to run to the store to pick up some items featured at the Mega event going on.  I only had $8 on me so I knew I had to stay under my budget.  Below is the picture of the items purchased:

(6) Boxes Pop Secret popcorn (we LOVE popcorn for movie night!)
(5) Colgate toothpastes
(3) Reach toothbrushes
(3) Sunny Delight Juices
(1) 32 load Wisk Laundry detergent
(1) Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes
(1) 2 tub Smart Balance Butter
(3) M&M candies
(3) Peanut M&M's candies
TOTAL BEFORE COUPONS AND SAVINGS CARD: $54.17 ( crazy that people DO pay that!)
***I kinda freaked since I knew I only had my $8***
TOTAL AFTER COUPONS AND CARD: $7.81

After my successful shopping trip, I decided to lay down with Luke for a nap.....THREE hours later, I woke up a bit more refreshed.  I still had a headache, but felt a bit more upbeat :)

Since I still had a super headache, I REALLY wanted to order a pizza for dinner but knew I had already spent my $8....damn.  So, I "classed it up" and made hot ham and cheese sandwiches with carrots and dip.....really fancy! 


TOTAL SPENT DAY 4: $7.81 (rollover .19, TOTAL rollover $12.99)

Spending EIGHT with Kate!

Today started out a little rocky since we were up all night thanks to these crazy Colorado storms.  Thank God my husband woke up with the boys so I could sleep an extra 15 minutes!  He TRIED to do a nice thing by feeding them breakfast....unfortunately, he assumed they eat "man size" bowls of cereal.  I came down stairs to one empty bowl of cereal (his) and two OVERLY full tupperware size bowls of soggy cereal still left on the table.  I was not so mad about the cereal, but when I looked and saw the last half gallon of milk was gone, my appreciation turned into pissiness (my own word!).  Needless to say, we had to head out to the store to get some milk, blah.

We arrived at King Soopers at 8:45am and the kids insisted we get the fancy carts with the T.V. in them (really people, a tv in a shopping cart...??).  After a brief argument over who got to sit on what side, I quickly grabbed the milk and a red onion I needed for a future meal.  The boys were rewarded with a free cookie from the bakery (yes, I am the mom that gives her kids sugar in the mornings, judge away!) and we got out of there with no injuries or major crises, Praise the Lord!
COST FOR MILK AND ONION: $3.41

Next we headed to Starbucks for my reward :)  I brought an empty bag of coffee to trade in for my FREE tall coffee!
COST FOR MORNING COFFEE: $0

We then headed across the street to meet some friends  for FREE chick-fil-a breakfast!  Today's free breakfast was chicken mini's which my boys adore.  I did buy them a chocolate milk to share since they agreed to share with no fights (and they DID!).
TOTAL FOR BREAKFAST: $1.25

Our kids were getting a bit unruly in the play place at chick-fil-a, so we decided to take the crew to a nearby park before we got kicked out!  The kids played nicely and we only had two minor injuries.  After playing, the kids were hungry again, so I decided to tag along with my friend to get some lunch.  My friend Maria has 3 of her own kids (ALL BOYS!) and watches 2 little girls and her nephews during the week!  She is a saint!  Feeding her brood is expensive, so she takes them to free lunch at a nearby elementary school during the week.  Since Jack has been asking so many questions about school, I decided I would use this as a learning tool, and get some free lunch while we were at it!  My kids have never been in a school cafeteria so they were stoked!  The lunch offered today was either chicken nuggets or a hot dog with a banana, pasta salad, and a chocolate milk.  Although skeptical of a "school lunch", the food was descent, somewhat healthy, and FREE... plus I did not have to cook or clean! 
COST OF LUNCH: $0

Since we played so hard all morning, the boys were both tired and ready for some down time.  We had a nice afternoon, dinner was cooking itself in the crockpot and my laundry was DONE.  Could a girl ask for anything else????

TOTAL SPENT DAY 3: $4.66 (rollover of $3.34.  TOTAL rollover $12.80)

For all my fellow King Soopers shoppers, there is a new mega event starting TODAY that has some pretty good deals.  A few of my favorites are listed below:  In order to get the deals, you have to use your SooperCard, buy 10 participating items in the same transaction and you will save $5 instantly at checkout. The starting prices below assume that you are buying 10 participating items to get the sale price!!!

Colgate Toothpaste 6.4oz  $ .99
-.50 coupon (7/10 SS)
FREE! 

Reach Toothbrush or Access Flosser .99
- $1 coupon (4/17 SS)
FREE! 

Band-Aid Bandages 10-80ct $1.99
-.50 coupon (6/12 RP)
=.99 


 Kettle Brand Potato Chips 9oz $2.29
-$1 coupon (6/19 SS)
=$1.29 

Krusteaz Pancake Mix 14-32oz $1.99 (ONLY mix I will use!)
-$1/2 Krusteaz Coupon
=$1.49

Aunt Jemima ancakes 5.2-14.8oz $1.29
-$1 Aunt Jemima Coupon 
=.29! 

SunnyD 64oz .99
-.25 coupon (5/15 SS)
=.49 

Kraft Salad Dressing 16oz $1.49
-$1/2 coupon (6/19 SS)
=.99

Wisk Laundry Detergent 50oz $3.49
-$2 coupon (6/26 RP)
=$1.49 


Kraft Mayo or Miracle Whip 22-30oz $2.49
-.75 coupon (6/19 SS)
=$1.49 

Pepperidge Farm Bread, Bagels or Flat Bread 12-24oz $1.99
-.30 coupon (5/15 SS)
=$1.39 


Vitaminwater 20oz 
.49


Pop-Secret Popcorn 3ct .99 
-.50/2 coupon(6/19 RP)
=.49 (STOCK UP PRICE...we eat a lot of popcorn!)

There are other items included in the Buy 10, Save $5  Mega Event that are not listed here.  Be sure to check your store ad for all the items included!

  

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!  I plan on hitting up the mega event tomorrow.  I will be sure to post pics!  

 

Day 2!

This morning I met a few friends and their kiddos for brunch at a nearby park.  I was planning on making an egg bake to share, but realized I didn't have the correct cheese for the recipe.  As much as I wanted to go run to the store and grab something already prepared, I knew that was not in my $8 budget.  I calmly (ok, maybe not so calmly) racked my brain for something to bring.  With a little creativity and 30 minutes preparation, I came up with "Pigs In A Blanket",  breakfast style!  I cooked up some sausage I had frozen in my freezer and wrapped them in some pancakes I whipped up!  VOILA, easy meal that kids and adults will enjoy!  I also was able to freeze 6 extra pancakes for breakfast later this week!!!
COST FOR BRUNCH WITH FRIENDS: $0

I DID have to go to the grocery store for a few things for tomorrow.  I was not thrilled with my measly 48% store savings, even if I did only purchase 4 items. 

I needed Apricot preserves for dinner tomorrow night.  I wish they had a little jar, but this was the smallest I could find!  I snatched up a few banana's, 4 ears of corn and some Mango Lemonade that I am obsessed with ;) 
TOTAL SPENT AT GROCERY STORE: $4.26

Dusty and I were supposed to attend a baby shower on Sunday, but there was no way in hell I was taking my two little monsters.  Since Dusty will see the expectant couple tonight at his basketball game, I figured I would go ahead and send the gift with him.  Now, you may be thinking to yourself "how did you buy a gift with your remaining $3"?   Well, I did not have to buy a gift today because of my Stockpile of gifts.  I LOVE to buy things for people....I love even more to buy things for people months and months ahead of the time.  You see, as a frugal shopper I VERY RARELY buy anything that is not on sale.  When i find a smokin' deal I usually snatch it up.  I buy most of my Christmas and Birthday gifts off clearance racks throughout the year.  I also buy ALL kinds of children's clothes in all different sizes/genders/seasons.  Most of the outfits are purchased for less than $2 after clearance and coupons.  I also stock up on baby items like lotions, wipes, diapers, bibs, etc... when they are super cheap combined with a coupon.  Thanks to my stockpile of "stuff" I was able to put together an adorable gift bag for the newest addition to the Fox family!!

Included was a Plush baby blanket, tub of wipes, a baby towel and wash rag, Baby Magic baby wash, and of course a sweet little dress and bloomers (I will go broke if I ever have a girl :)  )


TOTAL FOR BABY SHOWER GIFT: $0 ( To give you an estimate of what I did pay for the items when I purchased them:  I paid $1.49 for the dress at a Children's Place end of summer clearance sale, .49 for the tub of wipes after coupon, the baby wash was free after coupon, towel free after coupon savings and the blanket was $2.99 after coupon and sale.  Total: around $5.....



TOTAL SPENT DAY 2: $4.26  (rollover of $3.74 ...TOTAL rollover $9.46)


Just to show you all what kind of crazy things I will do to save money, I thought I would share with you a picture from last Friday night.  It was customer appreciation day at Chick-fil-a and if you dressed up as a cow, you got a FREE MEAL, not just a sandwich :)  Not only did we get 3 free meals (YES, I too dressed myself up as a cow) but my boys thought it was SO FUN to get dressed up not on Halloween! 

That there is two little calves all ready for some free chicken!  There is no proof of me in my costume, so don't bother looking!!

Back to the $8/day Challenge!

Wasteful.  That is how I have been feeling lately.  I feel as though we have been wasting food, money, gas, and time.   I am grumpy, my little angels are acting like demons, and nothing seems to be changing.  After much thought and consideration I have decided we need to do one thing and one thing only, SIMPLIFY.  People have a real nifty way of making the uncomplicated complicated.....unfortunately, I am one of those people.  A few months ago when we were living off of $8 a day, life seemed easier.  I know that may seem bizarre to some, but getting rid of all the "fluff" helped us see what was really important in life.  So let the challenge begin,  wish us luck :)

DAY 1:
I spent most of the morning getting stuff in order.  I paid bills, organized my mountain of mail, and returned some phone calls.  One of my calls to make was to Comcast.  Let me preface this with letting you all know how much I despise dealing with customer service people.  I rarely have great experiences and usually end the call upset.  Our 2 year contract was up and the folks at comcast thought that raising our bill $25/month was ok.  Since we are on a strict budget, I kindly asked to cancel my service.  After 5 minutes speaking with Judy, we now have the same package for $5 less.  VICTORY!
SAVED $5/month by placing a call!

After my success with comcast I thought it would be a good idea to clean out my fridge and pantry to see what exactly I will be working with this next week.  Part of the reason my family is able to live off of $8/day is because we USE WHAT WE HAVE.  I am a firm believer in planning our meals around what we have in the kitchen and what is on sale at the store.  I do have a substantial stock pile of food items thanks to couponing, and also freeze meals ahead of time.  After taking inventory, I planned my family's meals for the week.

BREAKFAST
Waffles and Fruit X 2
Brunch at the park with friends
Egg in the bread
Sausage and pancakes with applesauce
Raisin toast with apples and peanut butter X 2


LUNCH
Grilled Ham and cheese sandwiches w/melon
Dino nuggets with carrots and dip
Veggie soup (my kids love soup even when its 90 degrees out!)
leftovers X 2
PB&J and fruit
Chicken and pepper Quesadillas w/ green beans

DINNER
Annies mac and cheese with carrots (daddy's at work :) )
Stir fry (veggies from my dads garden!)
Mostoccoli with green salad
Hamburgers/hot dogs with red potatoes and esparagus
Dinner out with my little men (dad's at work)
Angel hair with Italian sausage, veggies
Pizza night

Most of the menu items revolve around what I have in my house.  I will need to get some fruit and other little items!

After my day of planning and organizing, I was feeling ready to take this challenge on full force.  I told the boys if they ate all their dinner we would go to 7-11 for a FREE slurpee in honor of  7-11 day.  They were SO excited!!!  Unfortunately, when we pulled up, there was a huge sign on the door that read "ALL FREE SLURPEES GONE".  I was upset (total understatement!).  Since I promised my boys and we hadn't touched our $8, I thought it only fair to get them their treat.
TOTAL FOR 2 SMALL SLURPEES:  $2.28 and a brief argument with the ignorant cashier.....


TOTAL SPENT DAY 1: $2.28 (total rollover $5.72)

On a side note, we did start our challenge out with FULL tanks of gas in our vehicles. Also, just like last challenge, our monthly bills are NOT factored into the $8/day ;)