1 Week without a Debit Card= ????

Last week our bank account was hacked. Big time hacked to the tune of $718.00. We quickly reported the error to our bank on Monday and they cancelled our debit cards and the remainder of all of our paper checks. They have since issued us a "provisional credit" while they investigate the matter. I decided to use the week as a "cash only" project to see if our spending went down while using only cash. And of course, it did.

The positives:
All meals were eaten at home.
All trips were consolidated in order to save gas.
I didn't go to the grocery store, CVS, Walgreens, or any store for that matter.
I didn't shop online.
I took leftovers for lunch and actually ate them.
I drank free sweet tea at school instead of popping quarters into the drink machine.
I didn't order any stuff from our school fundraiser.

The drawback:
We have no gas in either vehicle because I didn't want to leave the kids in the car to go into the store to buy gas. Hubby had too little cash to actually buy more than a gallon.

Do you have a cash-only house? Envelopes? or use your debit card a lot like me? I'm trying to spend less and leaving home without the debit card seems to do the trick.

Debt is Dumb: Because you can't enjoy having extra money

Man, being a grown-up really stinks sometimes. Being a grown-up in debt really stinks when you suddenly have some extra money. Because the money isn't yours. You promised it to some CEO millions of years ago. And you ended up paying them like a million times more than your first owed them. That's why they are rich and you (read: I) are not.

So today I should be happy because the IRS is completely paid off and we paid extra toward our 3 remaining debts. But I'm dreaming of stuff I could have done with that $5,000! Yes, $5,000.

We could have vacationed across America. We could have bought a new washer and dryer and this summer we wouldn't have to watch our 10 year old washer walk across the floor on the spin cycle! We could have . . . fill in the blank.

But, we're grown-ups; grown-ups in debt. And we are getting out of debt so we did what most not-normal grown-ups in debt do and we put the entire amount toward what we owe. So enjoy it while you can Uncle Sam and Sallie Mae. Next year the money's all ours!

Tomorrow We Will be Rich

Yes, tomorrow is the day. It has been circled in red on the calendar and the anticipation has been building. Tomorrow, June 10th we will be rich.


For about 4 hours. Or maybe less.


Tomorrow my husband will receive 4 paychecks and I will also receive 4 paychecks. Then on June 24th we will each receive yet another paycheck. So is the life of teachers in my county. We get 2.5 months of pay all within 2 weeks in June. It sounds wonderful and yet terrifying all at once. And for couples who are both employed by the school system, like us, it can be extremely terrifying. After these checks we won't be paid again until August 31st.


We have a plan. We have a budget. We know what we are doing with this money. Repeat.

Here's the plan.

1. Tomorrow we will pre-pay all of our normal monthly recurring expenses such as the electricity bill, phone, Directv, etc. We have decided that this is the best solution for us. Last year we tried putting the money into savings and then just withdrawing it when we needed it. You know what? We ended up "needing" it far more than we really "needed" it. At the end of the summer we were struggling. Really struggling just to keep milk in the refrigerator and gas in our vehicles. We know we are spendthrifts! So this is our strategy.

2. Tomorrow we will also pay on our debt. We are paying off the IRS!

3. We are also paying $500 extra toward our student loan and $1000 to our last personal loan. We already sent in money to pay on our vehicle loan.

So after tomorrow our debt will look like this:
~ IRS- $0
~ Student Loan- $2400
~ Personal loan- $3600
~ Vehicle loan- $16775

4. We are also spending some money on home improvements @ $300, paying for the kids' day camps @ $440, and paying for the last month of dance classes.

5. We are putting $1000 into a summer fun account. This will cover any daytrips we make, 2 birthday parties, and an outdoor waterslide for the kids for the summer. No plans for overnight vacations this year.

6. And $1500 is going into the emergency fund. For emergencies. Life-threatening, life-altering emergencies only.

Since my husband is still working at UPS, his weekly paychecks will cover our food and gasoline expenses. If I can get those budgets down, any extra leftover money for the week will go onto the student loan.

Have I left anything out? What are some "extra" expenses you have during the summer that I should plan for?

Rolling with the Punches

Just trying to keep it real here at TFM and let you know that I screwed up my checking account BIG time! This morning at work I got a phone call from my husband. His voice was very serious and he said, "Umm, have you looked at our bank account today?" My answer was "No. Why?" Now you must understand that prior to Dave Ramsey I would have been scared to answer my husband. Because sadly I frequently screwed things up by making impulse buys and thinking that credit was free money. But today I had no worries. I knew we were on the plan. The plan is working and we know where our money is going. Well. . . .

Unfortunately $1500 went to our Ford Credit Account today. That's 3 months of car payments, not to mention that we had already made our May payment last Thursday. So that's $2000 to Ford within a week. Needless to say, I had indeed screwed up. BIG!!

What happened is kind of complicated but in a nutshell I had scheduled this $1500 payment through our online bill pay. See, as teachers we will each get 5 paychecks in June. That means 10 paychecks for our household but we won't get paid again until August 31st. We pre-pay all of our recurring bills in June so we don't have to worry about overspending and running out of money, which we have done before.

I had neglected to change the date to pay Ford and it was auto scheduled for today. No taking it back now. It's a done deal. So today I've been scrambling to cover everything but we are still short. I ended up transferring just enough money from our ING account but it won't show up until Wednesday. I also got a $10 check from Clickbank and a $60 check from Commission Junction. Those will go to the bank tomorrow.

So, there's my screw up. But hey, I now have less debt.

Do you have a New Garden? You're not alone

NPR reports that growing your own veggies is a popular choice this year.

"The cost of groceries is going up this year, and so are the numbers of people who have started growing their own produce. Now seed companies are reporting a surge of orders. The last time there was a surge in home gardening was 2001, the last time we were in an economic recession."

I know that this is the first year since 1999 that I have planted a garden, albeit a small square foot garden. I have at least 2 personal friends who are growing their own produce for the first time this year.

Last night we ate the first veggies of the garden- 5 humble yellow squash-and they were delicious. There is just something about growing your own stuff! I also have tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, and watermelon growing in there. On my front porch I have an herb garden with parsley, thyme, chives, rosemary and basil. And I should be picking fresh, juicy peaches in the next few weeks. My new peach tree is burdened with tons of smallish peaches. Wild blackberries are growing along our property line and I hope they will be ready for picking by mid-July.

I'm hoping to save about $500 off our grocery bill by growing our own stuff this summer and am already planning what I can grow for the Fall and Winter.

How about you? Have you entered the world of growing your own stuff?

Snowflakes are Falling

I received $73 yesterday from a couple of different sources. And wow! was it hard not to add some money to the grocery budget for the week. It was even harder to avoid the temptation of eating out because yesterday was such a hectic day.

After school yesterday, I had a meeting of "Delta Kappa Gamma", an eduction honor society to which I belong. It was our final meeting of the year and we were initiating new members in a banquet room of a local restaurant. It was early afternoon so I was not really hungry. They served us tea for free and we were invited to eat from the dessert bar for $4. What I really wanted to do was to call the hostess over and order 4 "to go" meals. I knew I would not have time to cook anything before my husband left for his 2nd job at UPS.

But I didn't order. I called my husband and explained that dinner was not going to happen. He ate a chicken club sandwich (with leftover chicken) and a bag of chips. Once I got home, it was too late to cut up the veggies for veggie fettucini, so I cooked "breakfast for dinner" and we had scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I don't have leftovers to take for lunch today so I will have to find something creative and avoid the temptation to eat out once again!

So, I have $73 in snowflake money to apply toward my IRS payoff. I'm making the payment this morning so I don't have that money sitting in my pocket.

How have you avoided temptations to spend money unnecessarily lately?

Very Tight Grocery Budget for this Week

Last Thursday was Ciarra's field trip to the zoo. My babysitter for Camryn also has a daughter in first grade (Ciarra's bestfriend) so we all went together. But since I could not get off work last year to go with Caleb to the zoo I wanted him to go too. And well, then I couldn't leave out Christin because she is such a great girl and a big helper with the baby. So, my four kids and I went to the zoo along with Ciarra's bestfriend and mom and her one year old son. She drove her SUV so we could all fit. Anyway, the zoo trip cost more than I had budgeted and the bottom line is I have $18 for groceries this week! I will not take more money out of the budget since we are trying to pay off the IRS this month. Now, I can do this. But it won't be much fun. But it is a great challenge and I'm ready to play. I love competition and this week it's me vs. little money. All during the month of April we ate out of the pantry and freezers so really there isn't all that much in them anymore. But here is what I am planning:

Breakfasts for the week:
cereal
oatmeal
grits
toast with jelly

Snacks for the week:
popcorn
homemade peanut butter cookies (from free Peter Pan pb)
crackers and cheese cubes (from free LiveActive Cheese at Winn-Dixie)
cottage cheese (cheap from LiveActive at Winn-Dixie)
homemade zucchini bread (zucchini given to me yesterday by a friend)

Lunches for the week:
leftovers
1 Lean Cuisine
3 egg rolls
chicken salad sandwiches from leftover chicken Monday night
Homemade Hot Pockets

Menu plan:
Sunday lunch: hot dogs and fries (not a typical Sunday lunch but oh well!)
Sunday dinner: chicken wings, carrots with dip, baked potatoes
Monday dinner: Roasted sticky chicken, squash casserole, steamed brocolli
Tuesday dinner: Veggie Fettucini, Garlic Bread
Wednesday dinner: French Toast, Sausage Links, fruit salad
Thursday dinner: Cheeseburger Casserole, Corn on the Cob
Friday dinner: Baked bean Casserole, Cheese Toast, salad

These items are from the freezer:
chicken wings (bought as meat manager's special)
Whole Chicken (bought as meat manager's special)
Brocolli (put up from the Free Target Brocolli from December)
Garlic Bread made from Texas Toast (bought at bread outlet)
Sausage Links (bought on sale with coupon from Winn-Dixie)
Ground Venison (given to us from a friend)
Fries (Made by me from cheap potatoes)
French Toast will be made from the same loaf of Texas Toast from above

Things I have to buy:
sour cream for the squash casserole
milk for cereal
eggs for French Toast
can of cheese soup for the Cheeseburger Casserole
corn on the cob (at the flea market for cheap, sister-in-law picking this up)
fruit (on sale at Winn-Dixie for BOGO: strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

We spent a lot of Money in March 2008

While calculating the spending amounts for the first quarter of 2008, I became very frustrated because the averages were somewhat alarming but at further study it was because March was a very unusual month for us. In March we spent money from our sinking funds on clothing and home improvement (flower and gardening supplies). We also had added expenses in auto maintenance (we've bought 6 new tires in the past 6 weeks!) and of course, Easter was in there somewhere! We also had to pay dance competition entrance fees for the girls and we were sick so we had many more doctor visits than normal. All of this was paid for in full. We don't have any credit cards and we don't borrow money!

Whew!!! I'm glad that spending spree is over! Or is it? I'll post about April next.

Here are the totals for some of my categories for each month of the first quarter:

Food and Groceries:
January: $280
February: $305
March: $346

Gas for vehicles:
January: $280
February: $181
March: $365

Clothing:
January: $90
February: $39
March: $752 !!

This is a very high amount but we had $500 in our clothing account at ING direct. We shopped clearance sales, coupon sales, and consignment shops and have a complete Spring wardrobe for all 6 of us from this amount. The next time we go major shopping will be back to school shopping in July. I will save money for this over the next few months.

Home Improvement:
January: $0
February: $25
March: $327!!

Free Money when you open a TD Ameritrade Account

If you are like me you like free things! What can beat free money? Free money especially good if you are living on a tight budget and working the Dave Ramsey plan for financial freedom.

Suze Orman, another famous financial guru, has partnered with TD Ameritrade to help you get started saving money. All you have to do is deposit $50 each month for 12 months and after a year, you will receive a $100 bonus deposit! You will earn 4.5% interest on your money too. There are no fees for opening the account. But hurry because this offer expires on Monday, March 31st!

I opened my account this morning. It was an easy application and took about 15 minutes. I set up automatic deposits of $50 for each month. By April 2009 I will have $600 of my own money in there, get an additional $100 bonus, and earn 4.5% on the money each month. I figure I will have at least $725, just in time for Spring Break 2009.

The bonus of $100 is like a 16% return on your money! I haven't found that kind of return anywhere else.

To open your account follow this link and enter code "701" for the Suze Orman Save Yourself Account. (I don't get any money from you doing this, I just want to see others get a great deal too!)

You can read more about others who have done this at
Be Thrifty Like Us
The Money Kings

First Quarter Financial Review Exercise

I'm not sure where March went. It doesn't even seem real that 1/4 of the year is gone already. This weekend I'm going to review not only our family's spending and accomplishments for March but also for the first quarter of the year. If you would like to join me, this is what you need to do:
(Even if you use a money program like Quicken or MS Money, doing this exercise on paper is very educational, eye-opening, and motivational)

1. Gather or print your January-March bank statements.
2. Get a highlighter, a piece of paper, and a calculator.
3. Glance through your statements and make a category for each type of spending (mortgage, utilities, groceries, etc.)
4. As you go through your statements add the amount of each transaction to each category.
5. After you have done all 3 months, add up the totals and divide by 3 to get your monthly average.
6. Compare the spending in each category with your total income to get a percentage of your money going to that category.
7. Behold your accomplishments and areas that need to be reworked.

I hope to complete this exercise by Sunday evening. I will post my findings! I hope you will join me in reviewing your first quarter spending and saving.

Reader's Questions: Grocery Budget; Breakfasts and Lunches

Jennifer from Georgia, who happens to be my wonderful sister-in-law and author of the website Keepers of the Home, wrote to ask what my $100 weekly food budget included. Specifically she wants to know if it includes breakfasts and lunches since we are out of the home during lunchtime. Here's my round-about answer.

My $100 budget includes all food and household products. It does include all breakfasts but not all lunches. Lunch is tough so I'll address it a little while later in this post.

Breakfasts:
We eat a variety of breakfast foods but they have to be quick since we are usually head out the door for school by 7:20 a.m.

I stock up on cereal when I can get it for $1-$1.50 per box. We are still eating Honey Bunches of Oats with chocolate clusters which were free with the recent $2 printable coupons.

Christin and I eat a lot of oatmeal. Right now we are making our way through 12 boxes of Quaker Whole Grain Apples and Cinnamon. We also have a tub of Quaker quick oats. I've been told that oatmeal is a good milk booster for nursing moms so I've been eating it every day.

Caleb and Ciarra love to eat instant grits. I stock up on the Quaker variety, usually in January each year, when it is BOGO.

We also eat toast with jelly, bagels when they are on sale, and of course our pancakes from the freezer.

None of these take more than 1 minute to make and the kids do it themselves. I keep all of these items on the bottom shelves of the pantry with a measuring cup so they can measure the water for the grits and oatmeal. As we walk out the door the kids and I grab either some fruit or a cheese stick for a mid-morning snack.

LUNCHES:
The kids have 3 options for lunches. First, they can choose to eat a school lunch and pay for it with their allowance. Our allowances are very generous for the very reason that we want them to pay for all of their own stuff, including lunches. The second option is to pack a lunch with items that I've bought on sale at the grocery store. I have a stock right now of sugar-free pudding cups, mandarin orange cups, pretzels, cheese cubes, and fruit snacks. They usually eat a ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich with these things. Their third option is to buy their own stuff for packing a lunch with their allowance. Christin usually buys her own beef jerky for her lunches and Caleb likes to buy lunchables. So probably about 50% of the money for the kids' lunches comes from my grocery budget, the rest comes from their allowance.

My husband 's lunches are from the grocery budget. He likes to eat frozen foods and junky snacks for lunch and he usually balances that out by taking leftovers a couple of times per week. In the past I've gotten really mean over his lunch foods because a Healthy Choice dinner is usually at least $2.50 even on sale and Little Debbies never have coupons! I actually resented buying theses things with the grocery budget. So now I just give him $20 a week out of the grocery budget to buy his own stuff. It works for us because he gets to buy what he wants and I never see it. He takes it straight to school where he has his own small refrigerator.

My lunches. While I was pregnant I was spending a hefty amount of money on take-out. It didn't help that my friends at school asked me everyday what I wanted to eat. Thanks ya'll! But I was sooo sick every morning for the entire 9 months that I could not even think about food that early in the morning and when I went to the grocery store I got sick even looking at the frozen dinners. So I ate out. A lot. Like everyday a lot!

But I think my friends and I have came to our senses. We were spending way too much! Now I either take leftovers from my suppers, pack a sandwich, or bring part of a meal to share with my friends. Sometimes we have baked potato lunches were we all bring our own potato and a topping to share. We do salads the same way. Now we are even getting to the point that we switch off days to bring an entire crockpot full of goodies. In the past 2 weeks we've had crockpot soup with chunks of pork chop, potato soup with ham, chicken and dumplings, chicken tetrazinni, and baked spaghetti. We are cooking these things for supper anyway so we make an extra pan or pot of stuff to bring to work. It is so yummy and inexpensive! We are still ordering out on Fridays but I take that money from either my allowance or my pay per post money so it doesn't come out of the food budget.

I hope this helps Jennifer and maybe some others too!

Why my husband is working two jobs

Putting these numbers out there is a little scary for me but I pride myself on being completely honest with my readers. Many of you are working the Dave Ramsey plan and this might help you see how we are applying his principals. Crystal posted her actual numbers a few months back at Money Saving Mom and now I am brave enough to do it too. I know that I might get flamed for some of my numbers and choices but here it is in black and white. I am not perfect so bear with me.

Debt remaining after Discover Card paid off next week:
$5500 Personal Loan 9% interest
$3300 Sallie Mae 14% interest
$15000 Car Balance 0% interest

3 Scenarios:

Both of us teaching, and dh working extra at UPS:
Income: Pre-Tax $6,300
Outgo:
Taxes: $250
Tithe: $630
mortgage, taxes, insurance: $1560
Electricity: $150
Phone, Internet: $80
Directv: $95
Groceries: $400
Allowances: $120
Childcare: $400
Car Insurance: $103
Car Payment: $490
Gasoline: $400
Kids' Activities (Ballet, etc.) $125
Sinking funds (Christmas, gifts, back to school, car repair, clothing, etc.) $275
Debt Snowball: $1222
(Debt snowball payment will become emergency savings snowball for step 3)
Months until debt free: 24 (2 years)

Scenario 2: Dh and Me working just as teachers
Income: $5500
Taxes: $220
Tithe: $550
Health Insurance: $500
mortgage, taxes, insurance: $1560
Electricity: $150
Phone, Internet: $80
Directv: $95
Groceries: $400
Allowances: $120
Childcare: $400
Car Insurance: $103
Car Payment: $490
Gasoline: $200
Sinking funds (Christmas, gifts, back to school, car repair, clothing, etc.) $250
Debt snowball: $382
Months until debt free: 62 (5 years, 2 months)

Scenario 3: Me teaching, Dh just working pt at UPS
Income: $3522
Taxes: $0
Health Insurance: $0
mortgage, taxes, insurance: $1560
Electricity: $150
Phone, Internet: $80
Directv: $95
Groceries: $400
Allowances: $120
Childcare: $0
Car Insurance: $103
Car Payment: $490
Gasoline: $300
Sinking funds (Christmas, gifts, back to school, car repair, clothing, etc.) $125
Debt snowball: $100
Months until debt free: 182 (15 years)

With the job at UPS we get free health insurance and we will be out of debt much sooner! Of course, this is hard on him, me, and the kids but it should hurt at least a little I think so that we are never tempted to go there again! Also this keeps our kids in their activities. This is one area I was not willing to let go of in order to become debt free. I don't think the kids should be punished for our mistakes. (I know Dave would think differently but honestly it was not an area for compromise for me.)

According to the Government-How much should you be spending on groceries?

A friend posted this information at one of my favorite places on the web- Frugal Families. This is a paid member site that I visit daily to get advice, tips, and good counsel on all things frugal. The membership is only $10 per year; what a bargain! But I digress. . . .

According to the US Government, the average cost of food rose 4.8% last year. Other studies I've seen indicate that prices went up more than 10%. I know that many items, especially dairy foods, went up much more than that. Eggs almost doubled in price and milk is to be treated like gold at our house. The good news is that the goverment says even though prices are going up it is possible to eat a healthy, balanced diet even at the poverty level. Really? Poverty level people can eat a healthy diet?

The government has four levels of spending plans for individuals and families. The categories are: The Thrifty Plan, the Low-Cost Plan, the Moderate Cost Plan, and the Liberal Plan. My family of 6 on the Liberal Plan would spend $1,333 per month on food! Holy Cow Batman! That's as much as my mortgage payment! I would say that is very liberal and it doesn't include any other items besides food- no toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc.

At the other end of the spectrum my family on the Thrifty Plan would be expected to spend $763.60. While that is much lower than the Liberal Plan, it is still much higher than what I expect a family on a low-budget to spend on groceries.

My goal every month is to keep the entire budget (including all non-food items) at $400 or less. Some months I spend more, and some months like this one, I will spend less. If I spent $763.60 per month I'm not sure where I would put all the food. I might be forced to eat filet mignon or crab legs weekly.

I'm really not sure how I feel about this government analysis. I am floored that families spend so much on groceries but I have to remember that many people are not really following a budget, have no idea where their money goes, and are in debt up to their eyeballs. I have to also remember that prices are different across the country and many families face dietary restrictions due to health and allegeries.

So, what plan would your family fall under? Check out the table here.

If you would like, please leave a comment about how much your family should be spending according to the US government and how much you are really spending. I am very curious to see if the readers of my blog fit the "standard" or are much more frugal with their grocery spending.

Also, how do you feel about the governments numbers? Are they in touch with reality or far off from reality like usual?

Not Settling for Good when You can have the Best

During conversations with friends this past week I have started thinking about "not settling for the good when I can have the best". What does this mean?


Financially, many people (myself included) tend to nickel and dime away our money. We think it is only a little thing, or one fast food meal, or one or 10 shirts and sweaters an additional 50% off. Are you getting the picture? I'm reminded of my shopping trip to Penney's last month. Coincidentally later that day is when I delivered Baby Camryn. I spent over $175 on clothes for my kids and my husband. Were they good deals? Of Course! Everything was on clearance with an additional 50% off. Did we need these things? When you think about it need is a funny word here in middle income America. My husband did need a new pair of jeans. He only had 2 that fit well. And of course he needed a new long-sleeve, dark red dress shirt because he didn't have one it that color. And my son, needed some new longer pants because his were getting too short. And the girls, well, the are quite becoming enthralled with fashion. But NEED? No, in the strictest sense of the word. I could have spent less. I could have spent nothing.


I read Chief Family Officer's post yesterday on "How much discretionary spending do you plan for each month?" She made it her goal for January not to buy anything just because it is on sale or it might be nice to have on hand. She did not add to her stockpile or her gift closet for the entire month and found that she had an additional $500 at the end of her experiment. Realistically she believes she can cut $250 out of discretionary spending monthly and then use that $250 for saving for a new car. The deals she had been getting were good, I'm sure, but isn't a new, paid for car the BEST!

With my renewed Gazelle Intensity, I am actually doing what CFO did during January. I'm not buying anything on sale, or nice to have, or we could use in the future. I'm menu planning, eating out of my pantry, and generally just staying out of the stores. How much can I throw at Discover card this month? My goal is an additional $400. I started the month with a $2475 balance and as of this morning it is $2400. Only $325 to go to meet my February goal!

You can do this too! Be strong my friends. You can control your impulse buying. Weight Watchers has a saying that "nothing I put into my mouth will taste as good as being skinny feels". My new saying is, "I'm not settling for Good (deals) when I can have the best when I am debt free"

Having a Pantry = Emergency Fund?

A friend recommended this article titled "The Emergency Fund You Can Eat" by Liz Pulliam Weston posted at msn money. Here are the first few paragraphs:

Having a substantial cash emergency fund is an important financial goal, but it's not an easy one. Building up enough savings to cover three months' worth of expenses can take some families years to accomplish, as they struggle with more pressing goals, such as paying off credit card debt and saving for retirement.

Fortunately, there's another kind of emergency fund that's a lot easier to put together: a well-stocked pantry.

Having just two weeks' worth of food on hand can:

Tide you over through a short period of unemployment, a shortfall before payday or any other occasion when you need to conserve cash.

Prepare you for an emergency, such as a natural disaster.

Save you money, if you do it right.

Save you stress, since there will always be something to cook for dinner.

My pantry has certainly served all of those purposes at one time or another. Some other tips I found useful the article:

• Only stock what you are actually going to eat. If you stock tons of oatmeal, make sure someone in the family eats oatmeal otherwise it wasn't worth the money you spent on it.
• Think of your freezer as part of your pantry. You can freeze dairy products such as milk, cheese, and margarine.
• Label your food with a sharpie so you know how long it has been in there. Use up the oldest stuff first.
• Go slowly on stocking the pantry. Buy multiples of items that are on sale.

So, how long could you survive or make due with what is in your pantry? I'll be posting how I'm going to use my pantry in my own personal pantry challenge for February. My goal is to spend less than $100 for all groceries, food, and supplies for the month.

For inspiration, here's a blog by a family who spends less than $20 per week on their food!

It's the 25th of July. Only 5 months 'til Christmas!!!

I don't want anyone to freak out but officially there are only 153 days until Christmas. It will be here before you know it! Have you started planning for Christmas yet? If not, it is time. Trust me, you'll feel better about yourself when you are one of "those" people who have Christmas under control and can gloat that your gifts are wrapped and under the tree by December 1st. If you know me well, you know that I love Christmastime. It was my dear departed mother-in-law's favorite time of year, and I try to recreate that good memory for my husband by decorating to the nines. Last year we had 5 trees in the house!

So, what do you need to do first? Most people think the first step is to make a list of people you will be giving gifts to this year. But, the absolute first thing is to make a budget. Do you have a Christmas club account where you have been putting money all year? If so, then you know your budget. But if you are like most people you don't have a dime saved for Christmas so you need to start now. How much can you save each month for August, September, October, November and December? Be realistic.

Now that you have an amount, make a list of the people for which you will be buying or making a gift. Allocate a certain $ range to each group of people. For example, for teachers of your kids or co-workers $5-$10. Your frugal goal is to spend less than that amount be shopping wisely. When you find a great gift at a great price, buy more than one! When my daughter Christin was in Kindergarten, Lenox China had an awesome summer sale which included Christmas items. I bought 8 "winter berry" pattern cake stands for $4 each. The retail for each was $30. I have since given them filled with Krispy Kreme donuts or homemade sugar cookies to Christin's first, second, and third grade teachers and Caleb and Ciarra's preschool teachers. Last year I bought those "at home socks" from JC Penney for free after a coupon and gave those to my co-workers. They even knew they were free for me but they still wore them and they still kept their feet warm! The cost of the item does not lessen its usefulness!

So, I want you to have a budget by August 1st! Trust me, getting started now is the BEST gift to give yourself!