Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Want to up your frugal game? Join one of our challenges.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

2dogs+someCats wrote: Sat Jun 01, 2019 1:39 pm Janet, I have to agree that the details of your "frugaling" are inspiring NOT boring! A new month...I am not grocery shopping due to a work trip this coming week and my cupboards are "almost" bare - but I can get by until I get back on Thursday. In fact I"m looking forward to some oatmeal banana pancakes later today and will make extra to freeze.

I have taken a SEASONAL second job at a local camp ground. I will get about 20 hours a week, mostly on weekends. Will be doing some office work, some work in the general store and some craft activities with kids each Saturday and Sunday. This will go until October. Not a lot of hours (20 is more than enough!!) and there is an end in sight and it should be very enjoyable. My training starts June 10 (I told them I have to be away for work next week) and the pay is decent so I'm excited. All the money I make from the second job will go into an emergency fund because mine is EMPTY at the moment - with the exception of a stock-up of food and household items.

Looking forward to the work trip even though it will cost me $80 for dog boarding - it is still nice to get away and it's all expenses paid - hotel, meals, transportation - plus use of the hotel's pool, gym, WIFI, etc. If I have to go I might as well look on the bright side.

Off I go - Library closing in 20 minutes. Take care.
Sheila it is always good to see your posting. I am with you I do not like parades. I use to live on the main street of a town and the parades use to go right past my house. I never bothered to watch them. When I was a child in the late 1940's and early 50's we did go but that was a different era and we had very little in the way of entertainment.

You amaze me with the way you make extra money.. So many people are content just to do their regular job and come home and relax.. You go girl.

How is your knee doing? Are you still doing home exercises? The pool will be nice to relax and easy on exercising your knee too.

Have a good summer and stay in touch when you are able.
Janet Alliesmama
Momof2Still
Posts: 173
Joined: Mon May 14, 2018 10:05 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2Still »

Summer Vacation!!!! This has been a long school year. The last 2 months has been a whirlwind, but I love being back in the classroom and it made the last couple of months go by faster than if I had stayed at my administration job. I will teach 2nd grade again next year at the same school, so while I plan to cherish every one of my summer days, I am excited about next school year.

Besides being busy, I also caught a horrible cold that went into a sinus infection and bronchitis. RM was home for 3 weeks, two of which I was sick, but at least we got to spend some time together. He is now in Germany for the next couple of years. There is a six-hour time difference, so it is easier to communicate with him than it was with my daughter when she was overseas at college.

Frugally speaking I have been doing well. Not having a lot of time and being sick certainly assisted with that. I did eat take-out a couple of times but managed to eat at home from the freezer and pantry most days and nights prior to RM arriving. I have room now, but both are still well stocked. RM treated us with take-out a couple of nights while he was home, and I treated him to a nice meal for his birthday at a restaurant.

I have a few items that I bought a few days prior to RM getting home and then we went shopping while he was here that need using. I am using most of them for tonight’s dinner but will have leftovers for a few days. With the heat being as hot as it is, I think leftovers will be most welcome.

Janet, I hope your poison ivy/oak is doing better. I am in the process of inventorying my food since I did not update the list over the last few weeks. I was just happy to get something cooked and the kitchen straightened up.

Well, off to eat dinner. I am glad to have the time to read about everyone’s money saving ways, and get things cleaned and organized here at home.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Momof2Still wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:09 pm Summer Vacation!!!! This has been a long school year. The last 2 months has been a whirlwind, but I love being back in the classroom and it made the last couple of months go by faster than if I had stayed at my administration job. I will teach 2nd grade again next year at the same school, so while I plan to cherish every one of my summer days, I am excited about next school year.

Besides being busy, I also caught a horrible cold that went into a sinus infection and bronchitis. RM was home for 3 weeks, two of which I was sick, but at least we got to spend some time together. He is now in Germany for the next couple of years. There is a six-hour time difference, so it is easier to communicate with him than it was with my daughter when she was overseas at college.

Frugally speaking I have been doing well. Not having a lot of time and being sick certainly assisted with that. I did eat take-out a couple of times but managed to eat at home from the freezer and pantry most days and nights prior to RM arriving. I have room now, but both are still well stocked. RM treated us with take-out a couple of nights while he was home, and I treated him to a nice meal for his birthday at a restaurant.

I have a few items that I bought a few days prior to RM getting home and then we went shopping while he was here that need using. I am using most of them for tonight’s dinner but will have leftovers for a few days. With the heat being as hot as it is, I think leftovers will be most welcome.

Janet, I hope your poison ivy/oak is doing better. I am in the process of inventorying my food since I did not update the list over the last few weeks. I was just happy to get something cooked and the kitchen straightened up.

Well, off to eat dinner. I am glad to have the time to read about everyone’s money saving ways, and get things cleaned and organized here at home.
Mom of 2 so good to see you posting. I was getting worried since it had been so long.. Sorry about your being so sick for so long and not being able to fully enjoy your RM being home for a visit. Glad that you have the summer time to relax and get things set up for the new school year.

My poison ivy has stopped itching but my legs have horrible red marking on them. Not sure how long it will take for them to go away..My legs look like I am healing from massive burns.. I have weird sensitive skin so I am hoping things improve as time goes on.

Hope that hurricane season goes by and you do not have any.. Enjoy your summer vacation.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

It has been a while. I get busy and forget to update things. I have had some food waste. I forgot about the faux potato salad made with cauliflower and had to throw about 3/4 cup of it away. Also for some reason a small amount of kielbasa was also over looked. Bummer. I need to put things like the meat in to the freezer as soon as I have cut off what I want and repackage in smaller packages.

Have had some interesting food combinations. I made loaded fries with the last of my frozen french fries from Dollar Tree. I "fried" them in my air fryer and I used some black lentil curry, cheese, chopped onion, and a dab of sour cream. Black lentil curry is somewhat similar to chili. Several days I had Pao Bhaji which is veggies with mashed potatoes. I added some chick peas from a can that I had opened to use in a salad. The Indian food was all purchased for $2.00 a packet from Big Lots. I get 2 meals out of one packet.

Craving something cold and nothing made ahead or in the freezer I used cool whip as a dessert. One time I added mint extract, another time banana extract, and then orange extract. The banana was like eating a creamy banana pudding. The mint was good but needed chocolate chips to make it perfection..lol. The orange was ok but not my favorite.

I have been busy trying to get my spare bedroom decluttered. I am finally making progress. Also doing some outside yard work. The constant rain has turned the rocked area in front of my house in to a jungle and I am trying to chop down the weeds. I go out for about 10 min a couple times of day and it really does make a difference. Also had to chop down the weeds around my mail box. Usually the county keeps that area trimmed but due to the rain they have been unable to do so.

I have picked a few mulberries but the buffalo gnats are out in full force and they about drive you nuts. They attack the face and neck. I decided to make a mosquito net to use with my garden hat. I have mosquito netting in the form of a canopy for a New Orleans style black metal bed. I do not use the bed so decided to cut some of the netting off of the bottom the canopy. I have been saving the straps from my c-pap machine knowing that some time down the road they would come in handy and they did. I hand sewed the netting to the straps and then used safety pins to attach that to my hat. I have a nice garden hat and do not need the netting forever just until July when the gnats will dissipate.

I have been using some rotisserie chicken for salads, sandwiches and meals. I bought 2 last week on sale for 4.99 each. Teddi of course is eating the bulk of them for his meals. He gets them twice daily and I weigh his meat to make sure it is the correct amount. The chickens are amazing in taste and cheaper than buying dog food and for my own meals.. However I think Teddi does eat the bulk of the meat.

I need to stop and take the trash to my brothers house. The trash men come earlier and earlier.
Last edited by alliesmama4 on Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

Glad to hear the poison ivy is getting better.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Dgflorida wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 10:06 am Glad to hear the poison ivy is getting better.
Thanks.
Janet Alliesmama
Post Reply