Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

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

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Thanks for the advise about the nails. I do know that the men went over all of the areas every day with magnets to retrieve the nails but there could be a spare one here and there. They were really good about spreading heavy duty tarps over everything before they began tearing things off of the roof. I wish more companies could be as dependable and have a strong work ethic like this company. The owner is a young man but he was working right along side of the guys and they seemed to know exactly what to do even before everyone showed up they went right to work. Some arrived earlier than the others.
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 »

I need so much done around the house and have so little money to do it with. Today I could not even get my hose off of the faucet outside. My neighbor was over this morning raking my yard.. My yard is 1.5 acres. I went out to see what he was doing since raking is not what he was hired to do. He said he is feeding it to his cattle. I know things are tight for him and his wife as well. While he was here I asked him to loosen the hose for me. He told me any time you need something done just call me.I do not charge..lol. I hate to impose on people but I guess I will have to from time to time but want to save up some money to offer to him. Even a token amount is better than just a thank you. Previously I could not get the faucet to turn on and had to ask another friend of my brothers to loosen it for me when he was dropping something off from my brother.. I think I will have to stay on the other side of the house to use a faucet it seems to work better for me. I was able to get the hose hooked up there and wash down the patio doors in the back of the house on the lower level. Next week we are suppose to have a break in the weather so I want to wash down the waste baskets and the trash barrel and some screens. At least I can afford soap and water.
My stove oven died, my stand alone convection oven is on its way out, and the new small Kitchenaide convection oven does not maintain correct temperatures. It will be going back.. Bummer. So down to using a small counter top cooker that only holds a bread pan and an 8" cake pan.. What a pain.. I have a Nesco oven but it has been in storage forever and a day and I cannot find the plug. I have tons of them and will have to decide which one goes with it. For now too much work so will have to bake with the small cooker which limits what I can make.

Food wise making do with what I have in the house to eat..So being frugal there.

Tried a new dog food for Teddi and he scarfed it down.. It is rather expensive but good to know he liked it and ate it. I will buy some to keep in the pantry for emergency days when the weather is bad or did not have time to buy his dog food at Petco. Not much else going on, "just holding down the fort," which is term we have used in our family off and on for years.

I am starting to revamp my Aug budget to accommodate new things that are starting to crop up.
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

Sorry to hear about your oven situation. But glad you have a new roof. Sorry to hear that money is really tight right now. But glad Teddi likes his new food.
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: Sun Jul 21, 2019 7:21 am Sorry to hear about your oven situation. But glad you have a new roof. Sorry to hear that money is really tight right now. But glad Teddi likes his new food.
Thanks.Life happens so you learn to adjust. I have a lovely home that is safe and secure and food on the table which a lot of people do not have. Money is always tight since I was forced in to early retirement due to medical problems when I was 53 and now almost 75 however I still have a good life compared to so many people in this country and around the world.
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 »

As Sandi reported on her blog not much going on. Now that the roof has been replaced some of the money I had set aside for "just in case" can be used to do a minor grocery stock up.

After yapping so much about not liking beef I bought some ground beef but plan on using it to make tacos and a a meatloaf. Both can easily disguise the smell and taste of cooking beef. I have always like a good meatloaf. It is pricey so bought some ground turkey to mix with it to make it stretch further. My counter top cooker will accommodate a loaf pan so that is good to bake my meatloaf. Also green bell peppers are a reasonable price so (2 for 1.00)I will make 4 stuffed peppers. I will eat one Sunday and one Monday and freeze two for later. Also will be stocking up on bell peppers. The price is reasonable and not insane. I refuse to spend a $1.00 or even more for one bell pepper in winter. I freeze bell pepper shells for making stuffed peppers in the Fall and winter and then slice some for stir fry's an the tops I cut off and make in to a small dice to use in omelets, quiches, or sauces that require a small dice. My aide has gifted me with a couple of pounds of red potatoes and about 3 lbs of onions. She told me she cannot use them all before they go bad and "You are always sending things home with me." Nice gift.

Prices are going up slowly so I am starting to stockpile things that are non-perishable. Milk at Ruler went from .69 cents half gal to .98 cents in a week. I know compared to some areas that is dirt cheap but still it is a big increase.. However eggs were .58 cents a doz at Aldi's and .69 cents a doz at Ruler.. Great bargains. If I had a chest freezer I would buy more and freeze them. You do have to separate them before you freeze them but still very handy to have when eggs go higher in winter.

Teddi seems to be doing better so that is good.

My current project is to work on trying to build another emergency fund. However I do need to get someone in to trim a big oak tree that is growing longer limbs and it is just starting to get near enough to the new roof to worry about. So that is the next project to save money for. Then I want to get the gutters cleaned out and hopefully next year install gutter or leaf guard. I do have a gadget that is suppose to attach to a hose and it will blow the stuff out of the gutter with water pressure. Cannot do it right now since I am waiting for the Dish installer to come and install my satellite dish on a pole. Right now the dish is on the ground but in the area I need to stand when using the gutter washer. They are suppose to come next week.I guess that is it for now.
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 »

I swear there is a gremlin living in my house that is prepared to make things difficult for me. Just after I announced I was going to work on an emergency fund the A/C went out on my car. It was working perfectly two days ago. However I have decided to wing it. It is a luxury to have it looked at and if it requires Freon or some other repair I do not want to use the money to have it repaired. My aide can take me shopping and to my various Drs appointments and if for some reason I need to go somewhere when she is not here I will just have to plan on going early morning and early evening.

I went grocery shopping today since a local store was selling bacon for $2.88 for a 12 oz package. Normally it cost $5.99. I bought 4 packages which was the limit. Bacon is a luxury item but on the keto diet they recommend 2 slices for breakfast so it is medicinal..lol. I am going to re-start my keto diet in the near future. They also had batteries on sale BOGO so bought several kinds for the battery operated items in my house. I bought the store brand of wet Swiffer pads and it was on sale as well so saved an additional .70 cents. I was disappointed in the quality of the bell peppers. I bought 4 will use three to make stuffed peppers and cut one up for the freezer for later.

Teddi is on strike again and not wanting to eat his dog food from Petco so I skipped buying him any today. I bought a rotisserie chicken the other day and it cost $3.46 since I used survey money to pay for the other half. I cooked him a small potato (free) and added two oz of the chicken and he scarfed it down. I will put the rest of the chicken and bones in my crock pot and cook it down to get the rest of the meat off of the bones and make bone broth. I will combine the meat and some potato and that should get him through the week-end. His meals will be cheaper than the dog food that he sniffs at and walks away from. I made $3.00 the other day on a survey and combined with the $2.00 I have in reward points at the grocery store I will buy another chicken sometime next week which will cost me $1.46 out of pocket...Food wise things are looking good.

I switched my medicine from Walgreen's to the local chain grocery store today. I will not bore you with details but Walgreen's has failed me in several ways. The new pharmacy is closer to my home and also where I sometimes grocery shop. I will also be saving money on gas.
Janet Alliesmama
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