The other day I was paying my bills and realized that the last couple of months - We were spending more money than what we were bringing in.... I had a very rude awakening - I realized that I have been extremely foolish with our money - spending too much on things that we don't need - eating out for almost every meal and being just plain irresponsible and it's stopping NOW!
I went through my cupboards and refrigerator looking for areas I could save... I looked at our different bills we pay.... And this is what I came up with....
For the entire month of January I am going to...
Feed A Family of Four on $10 A Day!
So how will this work? This is where I am hopeful that fellow friends and bloggers can send me money saving ideas and recipes - I will post and link back to the contributing site... On January 1st - I will add a linky to every day posts and have a month long hop and I hope we can get some great stuff to help everyone who wants to participate...Please email me at: ivebecomemymother@yahoo.com - be sure to send recipes with pictures would be awesome - ideas on how you save money - coupons - anything and everything that can save money - send it.. Be sure to add your name and your blog address... If you are not a blogger I will be happy to give you credit too -
This is where I am starting today...
We average $25 a day on eating out... It could be more... I know it's NOT less - No more eating out - January is a NO EAT OUT - time... I have already let the kids know...
We pay $49 a month on movie channels through our cable service - the only show I watch on cable is Dexter... I can wait for it to come on Netflix... January no more movie channels - except Netflix - this is used often and is very inexpensive at $7.99 per month.
I buy the cat and dog food in little bags so it can fit nice and neatly in my box in my office - this is expensive - I noticed yesterday at the store - the size I get is twice the cost per oz then it would be to buy in bulk... January - buy large bag and store big bag in garage and pour into my box in my office for convenience...
I need to stop buying frozen quick foods - frozen french toast - waffles - pancakes - chicken nuggets - I need to organize myself and precook and set up a menu plan... I know that this is a BIG money saver -it's HUGE.. I love the weekly menu planner from $5 Dinners - I will be using many of her recipes in January...
I buy a bunch of crap thinking we're going to eat it.. or I buy stuff with intentions of eating it and it just sits in my pantry and/or fridge... Goal - eat it and then move on...
My last idea for the day - is I am a HUGE diet coke drinker and unfortunately my teenagers have also become addicted to the poison... I pay in upwards of $1.50 for a 2 liter bottle.. If I'm lucky I would hit a sale at $1 per bottle.. January - NO MORE Diet Cokes - I have no doubt that this alone will save us over $3 a day... Instead of diet coke - I will make homemade ice tea - using Target brand tea (tastes the exact same as Lipton for a 1/3 of the cost) and Target brand sweet and low again a huge savings with the exact taste.... This would cost pennies a day....
Would love for you to join me - In this economy every bit helps... If you want to join in on the January Challenge - Say "Count Me In" and if you want to add tips - recipes - anything helpful - Please be sure to email me at ivebecomemymother@yahoo.com..
Great idea! Count me in. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to think of what money saving idea's I can share.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteI'll be happy to participate in your Ready to Save Money party.
A few years ago I needed help and the blogging community was there!
Me! Me! Me!
ReplyDeleteCount me in!
I have to say I understand the pepsi issue( I know you said coke for you) but i was drinking at least 1 and half a day and I no longer do that for health reasons!! It was hard however very worth it. We use a lot of the OFF brand crystal light and tea with just plain ole water! I also URGE you to check out southernsavers.com... Its saved me TONS OF MONEY over the last several months. I thought at first couponing was so stupid however now after months of saving almost 300.00 a month I don't think its so stupid!! She breaks everything down for you! I don't look at the circular or nothing, Just her site :) Good luck on saving money!! You can do it!! If your like my family we spend at lot in napkins, I recently changed to cloth napkins because its much cheaper overtime! XOXO
ReplyDeleteI'll join you and have emailed you with a post I did that helps with meal planning, recipes and coupons. You go girl!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it! We had a major change in lifestyle this past year and had to cutback on everything and anything. We used to go out several times a week, buy anything we wanted at the store, etc, which we cutback on drastically. It can be done. Just be diligent with your attempts, set a budget and stick with it. Good idea to give up the Diet Coke. We did the same. I drink water, hubby makes tea like you are going to make. We cut our food bill at least in half if not more plus don't go out to eat any more. Good luck with your efforts!
ReplyDeleteHi there! I'd love to participate in what you're doing. Thanks for stopping by! I should have had that picture of the griswold's in my last two posts of our vacation. :) Let me put some thoughts together and I'll e-mail you. Take care!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow! I have to agree with you on I too have become my mother and sadly I can't tell you when it happened :D. I hit you back on GFC as masugr and FB as Allyson Bossie!
ReplyDeleteI Love diet coke too!!! LOL!!! Great challenge! Thanks for stopping by My Cloth Diaper Stash. Following you too!
ReplyDeleteJulie
Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThis post certainly gives serious food for thought. We all have to find ways to save especially in the harsh economic climate around the world. I am from Jamaica and it is even more difficult here. I will look out for your Hops in January and participate whenever possible. Thanks for becoming a Follower of my Blog. I am now following you via GFC, Facebook and Twitter. Take care and have a good weekend.
Judy - JUDY H-J'S THOUGHTS
I recently went through all of our phone services, and cut off $100/month from that. I also changed all of our insurance to Geico, and we are saving thousands on that. You should also take a look at those coupon clubs. My sister does one, and gets through the grocery line with a credit back.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I'll be interested to see how this moves along:)
Thanks for coming by from Katherine's Corner:)
You go girl! Gman & I LOVE several things beginning with Financial Peace University.
ReplyDeleteTry emealz.com. It is reasonable and gives you a menu along with a detailed shopping list for all of the recipes. You choose the store, the type of menu (regular, lowfat, gluten free, etc.) and you get the menu each week with shopping list! So EASY and makes shopping an absolute SNAP!
There are recipe sites that you can put in items in your cabinet and it will give back recipes using those ingredients. They are free and will help you get rid of those strange purchases in your cabinets.
Then there is Mary Hunt's site at Cheapskatemonthly.com It is great for ideas as well!
You go girl! I am sending you my fav recipe sheet from Mary Hunt. You can eat FOREVER on that one sheet!
Merry Christmas! And a New Year filled with serious savings and making your money behave!
PS--I love Dexter too. I go here: http://www.sidereel.com/Dexter and search for the episodes. I stick to MegaVideo when they come up on Sidereel. I haven't gotten any viruses from either of these site and have been using it for about 2 years. And it is FREE! If you don't get the membership at MegaVideo it only lets you watch for about 74 minutes and then you have to not watch for 54 minutes. But, it is free! I can deal!
ReplyDeleteThanks for following Mommy Timw Out
ReplyDeleteWith being laid off I've definitely been watching my pennies. I'll put my thinking cap on for cheap but healthy recipes to send your way.
ReplyDeleteOh my... you do need a food makeover don't you. Oops ..sorry just popping over from another blog to say hello and saw your challenge.
ReplyDeleteYou may find a few tips on my blog and on some of my blogging buddies blogs. Good luck...I'm sure you'll find plenty of support along the way. Have a great frugal Christmas and I'll be back to see how you go. maa