Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

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alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

This year of no spending will be ending soon. I did have to buy some necessary things not planned on for my household also had to replace a tire that was damaged but not able to be repaired $180.00. Bummer! The good thing is that I was frugal and had the money to pay for the unexpected items.. I no longer use credit cards. I am still paying them down. I stopped using them in the early part of 2015. I am hoping that within the next year they will be paid off completely or close to being paid off. There are so many things that I need to do but due to the money I receive and the necessary, ie non negotiable bills, things are really tight. I am expecting a pay cut in Soc Security but so far no one has told me when so I need to make an appointment with medicaid and then Soc Security. I do not want to go in to 2019 not having my medicare B premium paid and then my medical needs will not be covered. I was lucky enough to have a loving and caring brother that paid for half of my property taxes this year so this should allow me to start off in 2019 with a good footing in my budget. I did use some of the money that he saved me to do a minor food stock up. Buying this time of year with Black Friday and Cyber Monday I have been able to buy some food items for long term storage at a significant savings.

Starting Jan 2, 2019 I am going to restart a healthy eating program which will be ketogenic, low carb, and paleo. I am gluten intolerant and a diabetic. These two conditions really are not compatible in a dietary way. Gluten free diets have a lot of high glycemic flours and subs that increase my blood sugar. Then if I go completely keto and low carb my blood sugar drops down dangerously low.. So I have to work at trying to find a happy medium. Right now I have been making do with items in my pantry, fridge freezer and fridge and except for some fresh produce and fresh dairy will most likely just manage with what I have on hand in to the new year.

I do plan on making 2019 another no spend challenge. Do to the possible decrease in my income in 2019, compared to this year, it will be more of a challenge and a need to tighten my frugal black belt. As always I am looking forward to the challenge.. Janet Alliesmama
Last edited by alliesmama4 on Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Janet Alliesmama
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

Janet, I thought of you when I saw that the new grocery store, Luckys, that I visited for produce loss leaders a week ago has a good sale this week on Bob’s Red Mill products. It says 50% off selected varieties 1.81-64 oz. and many are shown in the ad. Next time I’m there I’ll look at some prices just to see how they compare to the prices you paid. (Strange as it sounds, mom would often FedEx groceries (flat rate box) to my uncle in Nevada when she found good deals.)

Good luck with everything in 2019. I admire you!
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Fri Dec 14, 2018 10:06 pm Janet, I thought of you when I saw that the new grocery store, Luckys, that I visited for produce loss leaders a week ago has a good sale this week on Bob’s Red Mill products. It says 50% off selected varieties 1.81-64 oz. and many are shown in the ad. Next time I’m there I’ll look at some prices just to see how they compare to the prices you paid. (Strange as it sounds, mom would often FedEx groceries (flat rate box) to my uncle in Nevada when she found good deals.)

Good luck with everything in 2019. I admire you!
Thanks Florida Cat. Good luck to you as well..

Life is a challenge and we all have to live ours.. Some choose to go a different direction than what I am doing.

We do not have a Lucky's here. Bob's Red Mill does have a 30% off sale around Black Friday and Cyber Monday so I am going to put a little bit of money away each month so that I can do a really big stock up each year. Their sell by date goes out to 2020 and 2021 so it will be interesting to see how far I can stretch what I have until then in 2019. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

Yes, we each do what we can to stretch $.

Speaking of expiration dates, two of my four glaucoma Rx are expensive brand names. Even with the Rx card from the pharmaceutical company, one is about $125/month and the other $100/month. In 2017 my insurance had $35 co-pays on the brand name Rx so that is what I paid. Somehow I knew this was a good deal and stocked up when I could. (One of the Rx is for a month but lasts me 11/2 months.) In 2018 all brand name Rx were subject to my $7k deductible. But on one only now am I using the last bottle stockpiled in 2017. On the other one I’ve only had to buy it twice. I’ve watched the expiration dates carefully and this last bottle expires Feb. 2019. Next year, 2019, I’ll be back to paying out of pocket for them but I’m hoping my costs will decrease when I’m on Medicare in September. Not complaining because I am fortunate that I can afford the Rx even if I had to pay completely out of pocket which I did have to do a few years ago. But, like my mom, I try to have an eye for savings.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:03 am Yes, we each do what we can to stretch $.

Speaking of expiration dates, two of my four glaucoma Rx are expensive brand names. Even with the Rx card from the pharmaceutical company, one is about $125/month and the other $100/month. In 2017 my insurance had $35 co-pays on the brand name Rx so that is what I paid. Somehow I knew this was a good deal and stocked up when I could. (One of the Rx is for a month but lasts me 11/2 months.) In 2018 all brand name Rx were subject to my $7k deductible. But on one only now am I using the last bottle stockpiled in 2017. On the other one I’ve only had to buy it twice. I’ve watched the expiration dates carefully and this last bottle expires Feb. 2019. Next year, 2019, I’ll be back to paying out of pocket for them but I’m hoping my costs will decrease when I’m on Medicare in September. Not complaining because I am fortunate that I can afford the Rx even if I had to pay completely out of pocket which I did have to do a few years ago. But, like my mom, I try to have an eye for savings.
Good thing you were able to afford the medication when you needed it and were able to stockpile it. Good timing with the last of the medicine to be used in Feb 2019 and you can go on Medicare in the Fall of 2019.

There was a time when I lost my medical insurance and was living off of my pension only and my medicine alone exceeded my income. That was when I started to put my medications on my credit cards and got so far in to debt.. I am grateful now for my medicare and medicaid help. Also during this time Allie was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They only gave her a year to a year and a half to live but she was put on human chemo therapy monthly and she lived until she was 15 years old. That was about 7.5 good years from the time she was diagnosed until she died so worth the money to me.

Good luck with your health needs from now until you go on Medicare. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I have been busy shopping and doing some cherry picking at the grocery stores. I was thrilled to find eggs at Ruler for .79 cent a dozen. I bought 3 doz. Whole milk half gallon .57 cents. Bananas .18 cents a pound up from .15 cents a pound. I do not know how they can sell the bananas so cheaply. They are the same brand that you pay .54 cents a pound at other stores. The milk and eggs are Kroger's brand and Ruler is Kroger's version of Aldi's. I love Cabot cheese and it is usually pricey and I only buy it when it is on sale. This past week one of our local stores was offering buy one get one free.. So I received a pound of their lovely cheese free and saving around $7.00

This week Teddi had to go to the groomers but it was free since his Nana in Texas sent the money to pay for it. While he was there I went to Good Will and bought him 2 little baby sweaters and a onesie. I will cut the bottom off of the onesie and sew elastic around the bottom to keep it snug on him. We are having more rain than usual and this will allow him to have a clean, dry top on when he comes in and will cut down on the need to have his things in the laundry so often. That came to $4.04. His groomer told me she thought this was such a good idea that she has been buying her fur babies clothing at Good Will also.
I am a diabetic and had been on the go for quite some time so we went to Arby's for roast beef sliders.. Teddi only eats the meat so I brought his bun home and used it for a breakfast sandwich one morning. I find the sliders are just right. I never could eat a whole roast beef sandwich and usually would pull half of the meat off of the sandwich and make a sandwich another day with the meat. Sliders are cheaper and fit the need to eat without breaking the budget. The nice thing is my brother had given me $20.00 for gas for taking him to the airport. It was not necessary because he has done so much for me but he insisted so I took the money and used it for the snack and will still have enough left for gassing up my car.

I had a lovely surprise phone call from my nephew in Tennessee. He has moved there and is engaged to be married and I do not get to see him very often. He told me to be on the alert for a package from him for my Christmas and birthday. My birthday is in January. We share a love of history and use to trade books back and forth when he lived here. Anyway came home the other day and found a package from Amazon with two lovely books in it. Looking forward to settling down after the holidays and reading them.

I have been doing well with my cash rewards from Pine Cone research. I have $15.00 in cash from then in the last 5 or so weeks.One of our local chain stores is now doing a rewards program.. I only buy loss leaders from them but I am allowing the cash reward to build up and will combine it with money saved from Pine Cone. I have switched my BING reward card to eWalmart. I can order on line and have my aide pick it up for me or if it is dry goods they will ship it. Saving all of my rewards for buying groceries in 2019. I guess that is it for now.. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
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