The Frugal Lifestyle

[Bit]

Originally Posted by Jess

I used to get up and make the girl's lunch everyday. When we moved and she has to stay away from home part of the week I wasn't able to do this any longer and it actually makes me sad.

I hear you on that, Jess! I think I would be pretty sad if I couldn't cook for Gryph; I don't always consciously think about the cooking being a way of showing my love, but it is, all the same.

Hey Dusa, I didn't do the multiquote thang but I did want to say, I've learned the same lesson about the really cheap food being so unappetizing and then costing more because you have to replace it. Good point!

[Jess]

Originally Posted by christie0918

Wha??? You saying that WaWa can't cook??? LOL LOL

I MISS my lunches. I swear, you are the ONLY person I know that can make a salad and it weigh 10lbs!!

I can't WAIT for fried baloney sammiches with fresh 'maters!

I thought you adored that I am a size King

[christie]

Hear hear on the cheaper food items! Some things are never truer than "you get what you pay for."

And yes, my beautiful size King, I adore every lil thing about you, even the laundry nazi part. (One might think that there are certain chores I don't mind being banned from!)

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Bit

I make lunch for Gryph and pack it along with a couple of drinks in his backpack for work. He prefers his Gatorade watered down a little, and his tea boiled strong; also takes a cup of coffee to work with him. The Gatorade is $1.50 a day at work and I only pay at most $2 for a week's worth at the grocery store, so there's $5.50 a week right there.

Days when I just cannot get it together enough to cook in time, he spends anywhere from $5 to $8 on lunch, so I make a pretty big effort to cook ahead and make sure there's always something lunch-worthy in the fridge. I normally get three lunches out of $4 worth of ingredients, so a conservative estimate would be that we spend $8 a week and that saves us approximately $17 a week--or more.
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A very kind soul *kisses to you!* sent me a gift card to Dollar General and I got a ride over there today. Wow, I found Crest Prohealth in the big tube for a dollar less than the grocery store and it came with a freebie sample of the rinse. I also got Glucosamine Chondroiten--Gryph says it really does make a difference with his knees--for half price. Then I found some hair squinchies for me (mine have finally all given up the elastic ghost) and some eeensy rubber bands for his braids (he wears braids to honor his Native American heritage) for a dollar apiece!! It was great!
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So, Gryph and I splurged and had a fast food dinner the other evening. I would tell you it was our anniversary dinner, but lol!! We FORGOT!!! (can we count it in retrospect?) Ah well. Anyhow, I asked to go out because we needed to talk away from distractions, interruptions, and tension. It was kinda hard to get the conversation started... how strange to have an attack of shyness after being together for three years, eh? and over such a prosaic and mundane topic, too.

We needed to talk about money.

Gryph thought I was nuts. He said we do fine, that he's good with how I handle the budget. I think he was pretty concerned until he realized I just needed input. There were things we hadn't talked about, yanno? So we spent a couple hours talking about the priorities of life.

What sparked it might seem silly or even inconsequential to others. Two magazines are up for renewal. They're more expensive than most of our magazines--and they're Native American magazines. So instead of just deciding to let them go, I needed to know what kind of priority they have in his life, whether the content makes a difference (yep, it sure does!). That led us to a discussion about what's important and in which ways.

I discovered things which surprised me, like a museum membership would be a really bad birthday gift because he really doesn't care about museums (what threw me on that one was the one N.A. magazine, since it's from the National Museum of the American Indian)... but on the other hand, he wants to decorate That House to be respectful of the Craftsman era, so if I find copper Craftsman-style lamps or mailboxes or furniture that we can afford, I should get them. And while landscaping the yard is a low priority for him, making me happy is a high priority, so it's okay with him if I spend money on a food garden even when the budget is squeaking. (He wins, I bought a raspberry vine today!)

Anyhow it was an interesting discussion, as much for the things we forgot to talk about as for all the things we did talk about. We started with a given: That House must be repaired, and all the bills must be paid. After that we ranked things low, medium, and high priority in terms of spending money--there were a few things that are high priority in terms of time and energy that are medium or even low in terms of money--and while we talked about ways to improve our lives, we completely forgot to talk about things like a new computer or cell phone service.

Like I said, it was interesting! And now I have a much clearer idea where our money should go, and what is most important in our lives.

Isn't it funny how a seemingly small thing will create big waves of communication? I just did this with myself, concerning my Women's Heath magazine. I already have two others, so I've opted to let it go and go veg at the library once a month to catch up. If I see any articles I just CANNOT live without, I'll copy them or bring a notebook to jot ideas down in.

I've already decided to venture more into the library now that I have little to no internet at work and I usually have a good chunk of down time.

I've gone through my finances a LOT in the past few days. Getting my hours cut at work is costing me quite a bit, so I've been looking at ways to trim my budget. Next month, since it's too late to cancel it for this month, the Y membership goes. Since I won't be driving across town 4-5 days a week, my gas will be less too. My cell plan is getting cut to the bare bones and texting will be nixed or minimalized as much as possible too. I have a credit watch program that I'm cutting (it's not like I can do anything now anyway to repair and restore it).

I already did the bring your lunch thing and I rarely go out. Last month, I stopped for an order of California rolls and that was $5. That was it as far as going out goes. Now, my food and miscellaneous budget are being cut in half. So, toiletries and hygienic things are going to change as far as brands go and I am going to have to give some things up. Regular moisturizer instead of defying gravity and free radicals stuff, for example. My food budget is implemented by the food bank (I think I mentioned that already), which is a Godsend. Some days, I can get fresh produce there.

It's *definitely* all about what's important to you. Making the reunion is important to me, so I'll be showing up with graying hair instead of the fabulous color job I wanted, more wrinkles than I wanted, paler skin than I wanted, stubbier skin than I wanted (man, giving up the waxing hurts.....I didn't realize how much I enjoyed the results), and just looking crappier than I would like to but I'll be there and that is more important than looking good to me. I miss my community.

[Linus]

Welp. I put up the sofa, dining room table, a rice cooker and the George Foreman grill up on Craigslist. Hopefully they will go. I figure whatever doesn't go I'll get 1-800-got-junk to take it away to give to charity. I'll also have to give a call to the local GoodWill to pick up the 5-6 bags of clothing.

[Gemme]

That's the second rice cooker I've been teased with. You all are just mean.

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Gemme

That's the second rice cooker I've been teased with. You all are just mean.

Well, if it doesn't sell in a week, I'd be willing to sell it to you cheaper than what's listed plus shipping.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Linus

Well, if it doesn't sell in a week, I'd be willing to sell it to you cheaper than what's listed plus shipping.

*grin*

I'd love to have one, but I'm downsizing for my move, so I'll have to wait on one for a little bit.

I am just miffed at the Universe for saying 'neener, neener' to me when she knows I want one.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by Lady Jewel

There is a website called zinio.com...magazines can be read online for free or nominal feel.l

Which magazines require the nominal feel?

[Linus]

Originally Posted by Gemme

*grin*

I'd love to have one, but I'm downsizing for my move, so I'll have to wait on one for a little bit.

I am just miffed at the Universe for saying 'neener, neener' to me when she knows I want one.

LOL... Ok. Sounds like me too.

[Random]

Originally Posted by Gemme

That's the second rice cooker I've been teased with. You all are just mean.

I will lend you mine... any time you want it.. lol.. in fact, you can keep it until the mother in law comes to town... lol... she is the only one who uses it...

lol.. well, when we are in austin that is...

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Random

I will lend you mine... any time you want it.. lol.. in fact, you can keep it until the mother in law comes to town... lol... she is the only one who uses it...

lol.. well, when we are in austin that is...

You're on!

[Kätzchen]

This past year, I bought a Stainless Steel water bottle

and using it saves the environment. I totally love it!

Also, I rarely go out to eat - except for special ocassions.
I always take a lunch with me or make a lunch for my son
and I love to cook at home. I happen to live near a farmers
market that is open most days, so I stock up on fresh produce
that's in season and basically make meals from scratch. Also,
for me, I find that if I shop for groceries on a frequent basis -
like stopping by the grocery store, when I'm already out and about -
I can find specials in the meat department and this helps me out a lot!

This is forum thread is a great place for new ideas on how to save, too!

[SassyLeo]

Originally Posted by ALovelyKiss

This past year, I bought a Stainless Steel water bottle

and using it saves the environment. I totally love it!

Also, I rarely go out to eat - except for special ocassions.
I always take a lunch with me or make a lunch for my son
and I love to cook at home. I happen to live near a farmers
market that is open most days, so I stock up on fresh produce
that's in season and basically make meals from scratch. Also,
for me, I find that if I shop for groceries on a frequent basis -
like stopping by the grocery store, when I'm already out and about -
I can find specials in the meat department and this helps me out a lot!

This is forum thread is a great place for new ideas on how to save, too!

I have several water bottles, my favorite being the Klean Kanteen.

For years I had bought bottled water... not the individual bottles, the large re-fillable containers. At some point, I just stopped filling them. It was a pain in the ass to find a Glacier machine that actually worked, so I just stopped.

I just drink tap. And luckily my tap is decent. It's not a huge savings, but it is some.

Speaking of plastic bottles... this is a big eye opener: [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt-MivNezes"]YouTube- Garbage Island[/nomedia]

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by SassyLeo

I have several water bottles, my favorite being the Klean Kanteen.

For years I had bought bottled water... not the individual bottles, the large re-fillable containers. At some point, I just stopped filling them. It was a pain in the ass to find a Glacier machine that actually worked, so I just stopped.

I just drink tap. And luckily my tap is decent. It's not a huge savings, but it is some.

Speaking of plastic bottles... this is a big eye opener: YouTube- Garbage Island

That's so nice SassyLeo (re: the Klean Kanteen)!

I watched the video you left here! I learned something new, thanks to you posting it here! I forwarded your video to a couple of people I know who can use that piece of information - and they weren't aware of it either! Thanks!

[Blade]

OK call me stupid.............what the heck is a rice cooker?

[Selenay]

I have this water bottle from Sigg.

There's much debate about which is better, Klean Kanteen or Sigg, but I think they're both going to get the job done. One may be better than the other if weight matters, the other might be better if you're worried about plastic, but it's not important to me.

I also use this sports top (except mine is blue. I find it's way more helpful than other sports tops, because many stay uncovered... and I drop things on dirty floors. A lot. This protects my stuff! Plus, I've dropped it on the floor (I actually launched it while taking it out of the package, of course) and it didn't break.

I love it

[Kätzchen]

Originally Posted by Selenay

I have this water bottle from Sigg.

There's much debate about which is better, Klean Kanteen or Sigg, but I think they're both going to get the job done. One may be better than the other if weight matters, the other might be better if you're worried about plastic, but it's not important to me.

I also use this sports top (except mine is blue. I find it's way more helpful than other sports tops, because many stay uncovered... and I drop things on dirty floors. A lot. This protects my stuff! Plus, I've dropped it on the floor (I actually launched it while taking it out of the package, of course) and it didn't break.

I love it

Hey Selenay!!!!! How cool is that? AND, in blue too! LOL!

Very cool!!!!

[Selenay]

Originally Posted by ALovelyKiss

Hey Selenay!!!!! How cool is that? AND, in blue too! LOL!

Very cool!!!!

Hey there

Yeah, I like it a lot becauuuuuse most of the reusable bottles have thin mouths, too small for ice-cube-tray ice cubes to fit in. This has a wide mouth that I can put a diswashing scrubby brush in for cleaning, and it's BIG.

There are much cuter models for non wide mouth bottles, but I drink exclusively ice water, so this was more practical for me.

AND (I really love my water bottle), the sports top is a push down, rather than a pull up, which means you are unlikely to spill it all on yourself in the middle of the night. But. If you push down on the top, water will flow, albeit slowly.

I have a neoprene pouch for it so that it never everrrr gets my books or bag wet, and it never gets too cold to touch.

My partner says it's better for big mouths, but he doesn't have one of his own.

I'm madly in love with my water bottle.

[femmennoir]

Originally Posted by Blade

OK call me stupid.............what the heck is a rice cooker?

It is a Japanese electric contraption which steams rice perfectly, but seeing as rice is so easy to steam, I don't crowd my small New York City kitchen with one....Used to live with a partner who was raised in Okinawa, and she swore by hers!
Elle*