Tuesday, June 28, 2011

A Meager Grocery Budget

Since my husband and I are on such a tight budget, we have to stick to a strict grocery budget of $280 a month.  When you do the math, it is about $9/day for food.  That is very small but absolutely doable!

We eat the same thing every day for breakfast and lunch.  It is monotonous but we know that we can mix things up and have a great dinner to look forward to.  It keeps us right on track and we can avoid overspending that way.

Here is a sample day for food:

Breakfast (about 50 cents/person)-
Cereal for Jonny
Cereal or Yogurt for me 

Lunch (about $1.25/person)-
Sandwich
String Cheese
A piece of fruit/Fruit Snacks
Snack item (Ritz Crackers/cheese, Austin PB sandwiches crackers, or store-brand Breadsticks/Cheese)
Granola Bar
OR 
Leftovers from dinner 

Snacks:
A piece of fruit
Popcorn
Vegetables and dip
Cheese and Crackers
Quesadilla
Bowl of cereal

Dinner (between $5-7 for meal)
The trick here is to find dinners that can last for more than one meal.  I am not a huge fan of leftovers, but we try to work in at least one "leftover" dinner night a week to cut down on the expenses.  
Examples:
Chili
Lasagna
Breakfast Casserole
Chicken Pot Pie
Swedish Meatballs

Take a look at your monthly grocery budget.  Do you need to trim it down? Try some of these ideas to see if they work for you and your family.

Coming soon: Dinners on a budget-- how to make delicious food that doesn't break the bank. This will be a recurring post topic. 

Monday, June 6, 2011

Traveling Tips- Carry On Only

I found an extremely helpful article in the June 2011 Westways AAA magazine about saving money on traveling.  Now that airlines charge you your first-born for a checked bag, I am all about carry-on luggage only.  Then, you don't have to worry about your bags getting lost, paying the fees, or waiting for your bags at baggage claim.

These tips come from Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harryman of Westways magazine.
1- Chose colors that can mix and match easily.
2- Pack only 3 or 4 plain shirts that can be dressed up with accents (jewelry/scarves).
3- Wear something on the plane that you can wear again-- something a little bulky that will relieve space in the suitcase.
4- Wear your heaviest shoes on the plane and pack only 1 or 2 more pairs.
5- Plan on washing your clothes.
6- Think layers.
7- Don't take anything you don't need.

Click on this link below to see exactly how to pack your bag.  I know it isn't the most exciting, but the tips are pretty nice-- just exchange your style and think about what you can substitute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqBc1r4av7M

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Working Out- For Less (even FREE!)

If any of you are like me, you may have a difficult time rationalizing spending money on a monthly gym membership when just getting to the gym is a task.  I don't mean finding your way there; I mean finding the motivation to get yourself there. So why pay for something you aren't 100% in love with?

Gyms are fantastic because they have all the necessary equipment in one place and many gyms offer classes to switch up otherwise monotonous workout routines.  But they are also pretty pricey.

But I discovered a wealth of resources at my fingertips (almost literally).  Youtube and Hulu have great links to exercise routines that can be done at home, with nothing more than the computer or TV in front of you.  They vary in length, difficulty, and areas of focus.  Just visit Youtube and type in what you would like to work on.

Here's an example of an ab workout I found on Hulu.com.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/35662/six-pack-abs-quick-abdominal-ball#s-p1-sr-i0

It does take some time to find an exercise routine you love, but I spent absolutely no money finding them.  Then, I bookmark it in a little folder and it is ready to go for the next time I want to use it!  This can save you about $50/month.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Cost-Saving Vacation Idea

Looking for a way to save money on vacation?  Here's one quick and easy way...

Find a hotel that serves breakfast for free!


Every time I go on vacation, I try to book a hotel that offers a complimentary breakfast, which saves you from spending money on one meal a day.

Here are some hotels that offer complimentary breakfast for their guests:



Some of these hotels offer free continental breakfast, but many of these offer more of a more filling buffet-style breakfast.

And there you have it.. Another way to save money! Who doesn't love that?

Image Source: http://portal.oakwood.com/profiles/images/0875/1386/Photos/OPCC_-_Breakfast_Buffet_Closeup.jpg

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Make it a Soup Night

I've been CRAVING soups lately.  Not only are they cheap, they taste so great. 

And here are a few of my favorites:

Meatball Soup 
(adapted from Sam's Club's: Favorite Family Dinners- Barley Soup with Meatballs)
Yields: 6-8 servings; Prep- 20 minutes; Cook time- 20-25 minutes. 

Ingredients:
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4-5 medium potatoes, cut in 1- to 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 medium carrots, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 7 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasonings (or dried thyme and dried oregano)
  • 1 cup of minute rice, uncooked
  • 36 frozen cooked meatballs
  • Salt and Ground Pepper
  • Bacon, topping on the soup
1. Cook onion and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender.
2. Add potatoes and carrots, cooking for about 5 more minutes, stir often.
3. Add broth, water, and seasoning.  Bring to a boil. 
4. Stir in rice.  Reduce heat and let simmer covered for about 10-15 minutes.  Make sure potatoes are tender.
5. Stir in meatballs.  Cook for another 10 minutes until meatballs are thoroughly heated. 
6. Serve with salt, pepper and bacon.  Enjoy.

Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup (Taken from Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2- by Todd Wilbur)
  • 2 medium potatoes (about 2 cups chopped)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup diced white onion
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups instant mashed potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/8 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 cup half and half
Garnish
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
  • 2 green onions, chopped (green part only)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake the potatoes or 1 hour or until done. When potatoes have cooked remove them from the oven to cool.

2. As potatoes cool prepare soup by melting butter in a large saucepan, and sauté onion until light brown. Add the flour to the onions and stir to make a roux.

3. Add stock, water, cornstarch, mashed potatoes, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out contents with a large spoon. Discard skin. Chop baked potato with a large knife to make chunks that are about 1/2-inch in size.

5. Add chopped baked potato and half-and-half to the saucepan, bring soup back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer the soup for another 15 minutes or until it is thick.

6. Spoon about 1 1/2 cups of soup into a bowl and top with about a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese, a half tablespoon of crumbled bacon and a teaspoon or so of chopped green onion. Repeat for remaining servings.

Mac and Cheese Soup
(adapted from Food Network Magazine- Jan/Feb. 2011)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces of elbow macaroni (1 cup)
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • Ground Pepper
  • 3 green onions
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk 
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
  • 1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1.  Cook elbow macaroni according to directions on the box in salted water. 
2. Mince green onion, carrot and celery in a food processor or blender.   Saute veggies in butter until soft. 
3. Add the flour and stir for about 1-2 minutes. 
4. Gradually stir in chicken brother.  Bring to a boil.  Stir until thickened (about 6-7 minutes). 
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add milk, cheeses, and macaroni and stir until all the cheese has melted.  Season with pepper.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Mint.com is the bomb.com!!

If you haven't visited mint.com... you need to stop reading this, type it into your address bar and go explore.  Seriously... what are you waiting for?

I used to use a spreadsheet to track all my expenses.  I was really proud of my spreadsheet and proud that I religiously used it to budget.  But, let's face it... I'm kind of lazy sometimes (ok... more than sometimes).  I would dread the last day of the month when I would have to sit down and check over my accounts to make sure everything was set for the next month. 

I had heard of mint.com, but never checked it out.  It is awesome.  You can choose to input all your expenses on your own, or you can give it access to your accounts and it tracks your expenses for you.  It is very similar to Turbo Tax, which I think actually partners with mint.com.  And the best part is... it's FREE! There's no price better than free. 

Anyway, you can learn all about it but just clicking on that link above and going there.  Do it... you won't regret it.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Can you afford taking care of your hair?

Image taken from http://www.bridalpartytees.com/blog/?p=453


I (correction: one of my friends) found my first gray hair when I was 20.  My mom is beautiful and some would never know, but she is completely gray.  She's not even 50 yet! At the sight of that first gray hair, I thought I was doomed with my mother's genes.  Luckily, I'm not completely gray... but now, at 28, I have quite a bit of gray.  I have had to go back to a lighter hair color, which hides the gray much better.  But, I still have to get my hair dyed if I want to hide those pesky grays.

I miss the days when I could take a weekend trip to see my little sister who used to do my hair. It costs so much to get hair done these days.  When I would dye my dark hair myself, I would spend about $8.00 every three weeks for a mediocre color.  And my wallet just doesn't permit an $100 trip to the stylist every few weeks to get highlights.

But, there is an alternative!  Try getting your hair done at a local cosmetology school.  It not only benefits you (and your wallet) but you are also helping the student get the practice they need to graduate.  Although, it might be a little scary trusting your luscious locks to a student, consider this... they have to get each of their steps checked off by an instructor.  You also have the choice between a senior student (more experience) and a junior student (less experience-- but often cheaper).

I first went to a hair school a couple years ago when my old hairdresser moved.  The girl did a FANTASTIC job.  Then when my little sister signed up for hair school, I went to year every couple months at the school.  She also did an awesome job.  And today, I melted down and visited the local hair school.  I was a little hesitant because the school didn't seem as organized or fancy as my sister's school.  But, my student stylist did a fantastic job and her instructor was just as impressive.  And for nearly 3 hours of work (highlighting, deep condition, haircut and style), it was only $31 plus tip.  SCORE! And it looks awesome! Best yet- she is only a junior student.

So, if you aren't INSANELY picky about your hair and are looking to shed a few dollars from the budget, this is a great way to save money.

*Caution: There are students I would never let touch my hair.  Just talk to the front desk and ask for a senior student, experienced student, someone who has done your color before, or someone who competes.