Saturday, July 26, 2008
The $100 food budget
Well for the past 2 weeks we have been trying to scale down our food budget to $100 per week. This has been working out really good, and I have been able to stock pile some things for future use. I am still trying to perfect the menu idea, I really want to do breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week, but have so far only been able to do dinner. We have been using a lot out of things out of our pantry and freezers. We just bought half of a pig, so that filled up half of our freezer. I need to learn how to really watch the ads for good deals on meat, and stockpile the meats that we use a lot of, like ground beef and chicken. We ended up with about 18 pounds of ground sausage, and found out that this is great for making tacos and cheeseburger pie with, it's not as good for you as lean ground beef, but we need to figure ways to use all that up. I am going to start posting my weekly menu, and what we spent for the week, and I'm always up for any advice any of you can give me, so keep those e-mails coming!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Credit cards, the root of all evil!
Well, I was going through all of our bills and noticed that a couple of my credit cards rates went up AGAIN! There is no reason for this, but I'm kinda glad that they did this because they made me so mad that I shredded every single card I have, even though my inner BRAT was screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"! I then started reading my "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" again, and I went on a quest to look up frugality and getting out of debt.
The number one thing that I have read over and over again to do first is set up an emergency savings account of $1000. This is strictly for emergencies only, no a new tv or some new clothes do NOT count as an emergency, but a new fridge because yours just died, or unexpected medical bills, do. So I started a savings account at ING Direct tonight, with only $5, but it's more in a savings account than I had a few hours ago! I also set up weekly automatic payments to this account of $5. I always round up when I write a check or use the debit card, and I usually have around $20 per month from doing this, so I would like to graduate to $10 and even $15 in a few months once I quit spending and see what my unnecessisary spending was costing me.
The next thing I did was say to myself..... "I have a problem with debt. I got into this because I spent money I didn't have. But I believe that there's a way out, and I can do this. I can control my spending, make a plan, and slowly get out of debt.". This was BIG for me, but it was also a relief to finally admit that I had a serious problem and face up to it! It seemed like that inner brat just shut up right away!
The thing that put the fear of god back into me, and made my heart race, was when I went through and wrote down all of my debts and figured out that I was -$500 at least per month! I'm not sure how I have been getting by with what I have been doing!!! So I decided to just focus on 1. saying over and over that I can do this. 2. saving as much as I can 3. quit ALL unnecessisary spending as of right now! There are so many things that I can do to cut way back I know, and when I do my normal weekly budget it's way different then when I do a monthly one. But when I did the monthly one it was a real eye opener.
My next goal is to start a debt snowball. I read on Zenhabits.com to try and find $100 somewhere, which is usually easy when you quit spending, and put that towards the lowest bill you have, along with the minimum payment, then when it's paid you go to the next lowest bill, and so on. I want to do this, but I might start with the 2 credit cards that keep raising my rates so that they can go bye bye first! But the thought of actually paying some of the smaller bills off in a short amount of time makes more sense to me, no matter how mad I am at CHASE!
When I was doing all of this at the kitchen table my 13 year old walked in and asked what I was doing. I told him and he kinda looked at me like "Why did you rack up credit cards?" I told him one thing, and hope that he always remembers it, I said "What ever you do, NEVER have a credit card!" If you can't pay for it with cash, you don't need it! If you have a good savings account set up you will do just fine without one!"
So, wish me luck on this new found journey, hopefully I will be able to scream back at my inner brat that "NO WE DON"T NEED THAT MAGAZINE" & "NO, WE HAVE PLENTY OF CLOTHES AND SHOES!". She is not going to win at this fight! I have been reading "The power of now" and it has really shown me a lot about the mind, and why it does the things it does, like thinking of the past and the future, when you really need to be living in the now with a quiet mind. This has helped me so much in the past few days. Today was the first day that I wasn't putting myself down, calling myself stupid, for all of my past financial mistakes. They are mistakes that I am for sure learning from, and they are in the PAST! So I am now using the PRESENT to fix the PAST! You can't go back, so why worry and beat yourself up over it! Get a plan together and fix it! Check out the book "the power of now" by Ekhart Tolle, from your library, it's definetly one that I feel everyone should read!
Will be trying to blog every day about my trails and triumph's when it comes to this new getting out of debt and no more digging myself into a deeper hole, lifestyle. So check back often, or please subscribe to my blog so that you can be updated when I post a new blog!
The number one thing that I have read over and over again to do first is set up an emergency savings account of $1000. This is strictly for emergencies only, no a new tv or some new clothes do NOT count as an emergency, but a new fridge because yours just died, or unexpected medical bills, do. So I started a savings account at ING Direct tonight, with only $5, but it's more in a savings account than I had a few hours ago! I also set up weekly automatic payments to this account of $5. I always round up when I write a check or use the debit card, and I usually have around $20 per month from doing this, so I would like to graduate to $10 and even $15 in a few months once I quit spending and see what my unnecessisary spending was costing me.
The next thing I did was say to myself..... "I have a problem with debt. I got into this because I spent money I didn't have. But I believe that there's a way out, and I can do this. I can control my spending, make a plan, and slowly get out of debt.". This was BIG for me, but it was also a relief to finally admit that I had a serious problem and face up to it! It seemed like that inner brat just shut up right away!
The thing that put the fear of god back into me, and made my heart race, was when I went through and wrote down all of my debts and figured out that I was -$500 at least per month! I'm not sure how I have been getting by with what I have been doing!!! So I decided to just focus on 1. saying over and over that I can do this. 2. saving as much as I can 3. quit ALL unnecessisary spending as of right now! There are so many things that I can do to cut way back I know, and when I do my normal weekly budget it's way different then when I do a monthly one. But when I did the monthly one it was a real eye opener.
My next goal is to start a debt snowball. I read on Zenhabits.com to try and find $100 somewhere, which is usually easy when you quit spending, and put that towards the lowest bill you have, along with the minimum payment, then when it's paid you go to the next lowest bill, and so on. I want to do this, but I might start with the 2 credit cards that keep raising my rates so that they can go bye bye first! But the thought of actually paying some of the smaller bills off in a short amount of time makes more sense to me, no matter how mad I am at CHASE!
When I was doing all of this at the kitchen table my 13 year old walked in and asked what I was doing. I told him and he kinda looked at me like "Why did you rack up credit cards?" I told him one thing, and hope that he always remembers it, I said "What ever you do, NEVER have a credit card!" If you can't pay for it with cash, you don't need it! If you have a good savings account set up you will do just fine without one!"
So, wish me luck on this new found journey, hopefully I will be able to scream back at my inner brat that "NO WE DON"T NEED THAT MAGAZINE" & "NO, WE HAVE PLENTY OF CLOTHES AND SHOES!". She is not going to win at this fight! I have been reading "The power of now" and it has really shown me a lot about the mind, and why it does the things it does, like thinking of the past and the future, when you really need to be living in the now with a quiet mind. This has helped me so much in the past few days. Today was the first day that I wasn't putting myself down, calling myself stupid, for all of my past financial mistakes. They are mistakes that I am for sure learning from, and they are in the PAST! So I am now using the PRESENT to fix the PAST! You can't go back, so why worry and beat yourself up over it! Get a plan together and fix it! Check out the book "the power of now" by Ekhart Tolle, from your library, it's definetly one that I feel everyone should read!
Will be trying to blog every day about my trails and triumph's when it comes to this new getting out of debt and no more digging myself into a deeper hole, lifestyle. So check back often, or please subscribe to my blog so that you can be updated when I post a new blog!
Monday, May 26, 2008
You can eat what you want and still loose weight!
A different way of life
I have been working on loosing weight for years! I've tried Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Counting Calories, you name it, I've tried it! I received some very good advice from my massage therapist and friend. She said to try eating in moderation. She has lost over 50 pounds in the last year from eating what she wants, but just half of what she use to eat.
When I first started on this journey I was STARVING! Then I got another tip from one of my best friends. She told me to take a big drink of water in between bites. This makes it so that you HAVE to put your fork down and take a minute. Also the water helps to fill you up. Once I started doing this simple little trick it made all the difference in the world!
My biggest weakness is Starbucks! I LOVE starbucks! My old favorite was a Grande pumpkin spice latte with a piece of pumpkin bread. Now I have a tall decaf brew with a little half and half, cinnamon & nutmeg or a grande sugar free vanilla latte with HALF of a cinnamon scone. I make sure to take a drink of coffe inbetween bites of scone so that I only have HALF of the scone.
I had the weirdest thing happen last night. My hubby and son talked me into having a bowl of ice cream and some cookies. So I decided that I would have just half of what i use to have, mind you I haven't had any real dessert in a month, I just haven't craved it at all! Anyway, after I had this little bowl of ice cream and cookies I actually felt sick! And my first thought was that this was a good thing! I have always been so bad about eating a lot of sweets, so it's awesome that I felt sick, it makes it so I don't even want to have dessert anymore! YEAH!
I have also started walking with my hubby and our little Jack Russell girl, Chelsea, every night before dinner. We walk for about 45 minutes which is about a mile, and it's perfect!
As of today, 30 days since I started this new way of eating and lifestyle I have lost 10 pounds! I love the way I'm feeling and the way I'm acting! I'm actually enjoying life again!
I have been working on loosing weight for years! I've tried Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Counting Calories, you name it, I've tried it! I received some very good advice from my massage therapist and friend. She said to try eating in moderation. She has lost over 50 pounds in the last year from eating what she wants, but just half of what she use to eat.
When I first started on this journey I was STARVING! Then I got another tip from one of my best friends. She told me to take a big drink of water in between bites. This makes it so that you HAVE to put your fork down and take a minute. Also the water helps to fill you up. Once I started doing this simple little trick it made all the difference in the world!
My biggest weakness is Starbucks! I LOVE starbucks! My old favorite was a Grande pumpkin spice latte with a piece of pumpkin bread. Now I have a tall decaf brew with a little half and half, cinnamon & nutmeg or a grande sugar free vanilla latte with HALF of a cinnamon scone. I make sure to take a drink of coffe inbetween bites of scone so that I only have HALF of the scone.
I had the weirdest thing happen last night. My hubby and son talked me into having a bowl of ice cream and some cookies. So I decided that I would have just half of what i use to have, mind you I haven't had any real dessert in a month, I just haven't craved it at all! Anyway, after I had this little bowl of ice cream and cookies I actually felt sick! And my first thought was that this was a good thing! I have always been so bad about eating a lot of sweets, so it's awesome that I felt sick, it makes it so I don't even want to have dessert anymore! YEAH!
I have also started walking with my hubby and our little Jack Russell girl, Chelsea, every night before dinner. We walk for about 45 minutes which is about a mile, and it's perfect!
As of today, 30 days since I started this new way of eating and lifestyle I have lost 10 pounds! I love the way I'm feeling and the way I'm acting! I'm actually enjoying life again!
Wii Fit for the family
Wii is better than a club membership!
Well, I finally got my Wii Fit game today. My Hubby & Son gave me an IOU for the game as my Mother's Day gift, but it didn't come out until this week. What an awesome game, way better then getting a club membership, and a lot more fun! You even get a personal trainer, it measures your BMI, weight, balance, and posture and tells you how to get this in perfect order! We all set up our profiles today, and will work at loosing weight and getting in shape as a family, that's the best part about it! So far our favorites are Skiing, Ski Jumping, Running, Yoga, Hula Hoop, Step Areobics, & some of the strength training.
My son is upset because his Dad FINALLY decided to pay the Wii for the first time tonight, and now we can't get him to stay off the boxing game that comes with the Wii sports game. He keeps saying, "Dad, can I play now?" It's really funny!
I know that I am usually really frugal and would never dream of paying $90 for a game, but it's worth the money if you have extra to spend. When you figure a club membership for 3 of us @ $39 each a month, just one month pays for the game! WE feel that it's way better and a lot more fun then going to the gym, and you can do it in your pj's, and save money on gas by not leaving the house to get your exercise. We also walk every night now, but when it's pouring down rain you really can't walk outside!
So check out the Wii Fit game at www.wiifit.com Of course you need the game console, which we got for Christmas, but they are running about $249 now, $245 @ Wal-mart, and they are getting lower than that on ebay.
Thanks for all your support! Please check out my website at www.frugalandpampered.com
Well, I finally got my Wii Fit game today. My Hubby & Son gave me an IOU for the game as my Mother's Day gift, but it didn't come out until this week. What an awesome game, way better then getting a club membership, and a lot more fun! You even get a personal trainer, it measures your BMI, weight, balance, and posture and tells you how to get this in perfect order! We all set up our profiles today, and will work at loosing weight and getting in shape as a family, that's the best part about it! So far our favorites are Skiing, Ski Jumping, Running, Yoga, Hula Hoop, Step Areobics, & some of the strength training.
My son is upset because his Dad FINALLY decided to pay the Wii for the first time tonight, and now we can't get him to stay off the boxing game that comes with the Wii sports game. He keeps saying, "Dad, can I play now?" It's really funny!
I know that I am usually really frugal and would never dream of paying $90 for a game, but it's worth the money if you have extra to spend. When you figure a club membership for 3 of us @ $39 each a month, just one month pays for the game! WE feel that it's way better and a lot more fun then going to the gym, and you can do it in your pj's, and save money on gas by not leaving the house to get your exercise. We also walk every night now, but when it's pouring down rain you really can't walk outside!
So check out the Wii Fit game at www.wiifit.com Of course you need the game console, which we got for Christmas, but they are running about $249 now, $245 @ Wal-mart, and they are getting lower than that on ebay.
Thanks for all your support! Please check out my website at www.frugalandpampered.com
Stimulus Refund, NO VACATION!
Well, I just found out that since I paid my tax prep fees with my refund I was getting in January, I won't be getting my stimulus refund until after July 11th! So this means NO VACATION FOR US! By the time I get the refund it will be too late to get cheap airfare, or hotels. So our trip to Disneyland that we have been planning, and saving for is out the window, our son is are devistated! So, Mr. Bush (I refuse to call him president) isn't going to get the Fox family to put the stimulus refund back into the economy, it's going in the savings account instead. But, we did decide since are arent going to Disneyland we will be buying a family season pass to the local theme park for about $300, so that's around $2500 that won't be going in to the economy like we were going to spend, yeah for us thou.
You know, to me this stimulus thing is a real joke! You would think that they would MAKE sure that people had this refund before summer started so that they could be planning trips and such and really putting it back into the economy, or at least get the checks sent out sooner then they are. I know, they go by the last 2 digits of our ssn, but come one, July 11 before it's even sent? Then I guess now people on the news (Here goes my Mom again!) are saying that maybe people will spend it on school clothes. Well personally I am NOT going to spend $1500 on my son's school clothes, $200 at the very most! She also told me that the government is going to KNOW if you didn't spend it and if you put it in savings, then they are going to make you claim it as income if you didn't spend it. How are they going to know if we spent the refund, or your own money? That's just stupid! They are just trying to scare people into thinking that they HAVE to spend it, since most people are saving it, or paying bills with it. My husband is actually glad that we aren't going on any vacations this year, He said he is really leary about spending any money right now, especially on vacation! I on the other hand am sticking with positive thinking, hoping that after the November election, things will get better. This has happenend in the past, higher gas, higher food, and so on, until you get new blood in D.C., and then there is a sigh of relief so to speak, and prices start to come back down. I am planning on this being the case with this election too, but I am also being a little conservative on what I spend my money on.
The biggest thing on my mind right now is, do I get rid of my car that I have a payment on? I have about $6000 of trade in that I would receive in cash or towards something else. Do I trade it in and get a $6000 car and for go the $395 per month car payment? $395 is a lot of money that could be going to paying off credit cards even that much faster! I know that I would for sure be trading down, but does it really matter? And I know people will start talking about us and that maybe we have money problems and such, which we don't, but do I really care what people have to say? I guess this will be something to keep thinking about, but it sure is something that the Universe is pushing me toward, so I feel like I had better start listening and do it!
I'm so mad at the credit card companies right now for raising our interest to the point that we can't pay more to pay them off quicker, but have no reasoning behind it! I will NEVER have a CHASE credit card again. In fact they will be canceled one by one as they are paid off. I decided to pay these off first instead of going from lowest owed to highest, just because they bother me so much being open and getting more of my money then they need. I am so tempted to just stop paying them all together, but that is a really STUPID idea! I guess that's just my stubborness coming out to play.
So, let me know what YOU are going to do & what you think about this whole stimulus thing!
You know, to me this stimulus thing is a real joke! You would think that they would MAKE sure that people had this refund before summer started so that they could be planning trips and such and really putting it back into the economy, or at least get the checks sent out sooner then they are. I know, they go by the last 2 digits of our ssn, but come one, July 11 before it's even sent? Then I guess now people on the news (Here goes my Mom again!) are saying that maybe people will spend it on school clothes. Well personally I am NOT going to spend $1500 on my son's school clothes, $200 at the very most! She also told me that the government is going to KNOW if you didn't spend it and if you put it in savings, then they are going to make you claim it as income if you didn't spend it. How are they going to know if we spent the refund, or your own money? That's just stupid! They are just trying to scare people into thinking that they HAVE to spend it, since most people are saving it, or paying bills with it. My husband is actually glad that we aren't going on any vacations this year, He said he is really leary about spending any money right now, especially on vacation! I on the other hand am sticking with positive thinking, hoping that after the November election, things will get better. This has happenend in the past, higher gas, higher food, and so on, until you get new blood in D.C., and then there is a sigh of relief so to speak, and prices start to come back down. I am planning on this being the case with this election too, but I am also being a little conservative on what I spend my money on.
The biggest thing on my mind right now is, do I get rid of my car that I have a payment on? I have about $6000 of trade in that I would receive in cash or towards something else. Do I trade it in and get a $6000 car and for go the $395 per month car payment? $395 is a lot of money that could be going to paying off credit cards even that much faster! I know that I would for sure be trading down, but does it really matter? And I know people will start talking about us and that maybe we have money problems and such, which we don't, but do I really care what people have to say? I guess this will be something to keep thinking about, but it sure is something that the Universe is pushing me toward, so I feel like I had better start listening and do it!
I'm so mad at the credit card companies right now for raising our interest to the point that we can't pay more to pay them off quicker, but have no reasoning behind it! I will NEVER have a CHASE credit card again. In fact they will be canceled one by one as they are paid off. I decided to pay these off first instead of going from lowest owed to highest, just because they bother me so much being open and getting more of my money then they need. I am so tempted to just stop paying them all together, but that is a really STUPID idea! I guess that's just my stubborness coming out to play.
So, let me know what YOU are going to do & what you think about this whole stimulus thing!
Helga Homemakers guide to living a happy life on a budget.
I just got done publishing my first ebook! I hope that you will all check it out, and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Click on the title of this blog to purchase this new, exciting, ebook!
Helga Homemakers guide to living a happy life on a budget.
Chapter 1- Your own wal-mart
Chapter 2- Date night done right
Chapter 3- Menu planning the fun and easy way.
Chapter 4- Fun, free or cheap things to do in the Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer
Chapter 5- The library is your friend
Chapter 6- Ebay?
Chapter 7- On a budget with kids in sports.
"Triple coupons were my Mom's best friends and I only got sugar cereal if it was on a super duper sale, or she had a triple coupon for it. I remember having about $100 worth of groceries in our cart, and only spending $18 for the whole cart!"
About the Author:
Julia Fox lives in the Northwest with her loving husband & son. She has been a homemaker for 14 years, and has learned lot's of tips and tricks from the best.
Helga Homemakers guide to living a happy life on a budget.
Chapter 1- Your own wal-mart
Chapter 2- Date night done right
Chapter 3- Menu planning the fun and easy way.
Chapter 4- Fun, free or cheap things to do in the Fall, Winter, Spring & Summer
Chapter 5- The library is your friend
Chapter 6- Ebay?
Chapter 7- On a budget with kids in sports.
"Triple coupons were my Mom's best friends and I only got sugar cereal if it was on a super duper sale, or she had a triple coupon for it. I remember having about $100 worth of groceries in our cart, and only spending $18 for the whole cart!"
About the Author:
Julia Fox lives in the Northwest with her loving husband & son. She has been a homemaker for 14 years, and has learned lot's of tips and tricks from the best.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Grocery day!
Well I am so happy! I did our grocery shopping today and here is the result!
Wal*Mart (BIG threat for me when it comes to not following my list)
2- 3 gal & 1- 5 gal jugs of water for the cooler $3.65 ( we were paying $6 per 5 gal jug with Home Depot!)
Eggs $1.64 (Yikes! but you have to have eggs)
Coffee Creamer $1.82*
Coffee Creamer $1.82*
Coke for on the way home instead of starbucks $1.23*
English Muffins $1.97
Bread $1.88
Total with tax $14.89
* I didn't really need these things, especially the coke, and could have gotten half & half instead of flavored creamer. I figure splurging on the creamer instead of going to starbucks all the time pays in itself! And the coke was cheaper than even just a tall brew at starbucks. But if I had skipped these 3 things all together I would have saved about $5.50!
Grocery Store
BBQ Sauce x 3 @ .99cents $2.97
Beef Shoulder steaks for Mother's Day $6.37 (package of 3)
Top round steak $2.84
Fuji Apples $2.02 for 2 pounds
Onion $.97
Romaine Lettuce x 2 @ $2.00
Oranges 3.45 pounds $3.38
Total with tax $21.79
So that brings my grocery shopping for the week to $36.68! I still have to buy milk @ Costco where it's $4.69 for 2 gallons x 2 which will bring my grocery total to $46.06 under my $50 budget that I have set for myself.
I was able to do all this when I inventoried all of the freezers and pantry! Use up what you have!!!
Wal*Mart (BIG threat for me when it comes to not following my list)
2- 3 gal & 1- 5 gal jugs of water for the cooler $3.65 ( we were paying $6 per 5 gal jug with Home Depot!)
Eggs $1.64 (Yikes! but you have to have eggs)
Coffee Creamer $1.82*
Coffee Creamer $1.82*
Coke for on the way home instead of starbucks $1.23*
English Muffins $1.97
Bread $1.88
Total with tax $14.89
* I didn't really need these things, especially the coke, and could have gotten half & half instead of flavored creamer. I figure splurging on the creamer instead of going to starbucks all the time pays in itself! And the coke was cheaper than even just a tall brew at starbucks. But if I had skipped these 3 things all together I would have saved about $5.50!
Grocery Store
BBQ Sauce x 3 @ .99cents $2.97
Beef Shoulder steaks for Mother's Day $6.37 (package of 3)
Top round steak $2.84
Fuji Apples $2.02 for 2 pounds
Onion $.97
Romaine Lettuce x 2 @ $2.00
Oranges 3.45 pounds $3.38
Total with tax $21.79
So that brings my grocery shopping for the week to $36.68! I still have to buy milk @ Costco where it's $4.69 for 2 gallons x 2 which will bring my grocery total to $46.06 under my $50 budget that I have set for myself.
I was able to do all this when I inventoried all of the freezers and pantry! Use up what you have!!!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Getting back in the saddle
I am in such a funk! I'm not sure if it's the long winter or what! I have no interest in cleaning, cooking, doing my favorite crafts, or anything else for that matter! I really need to get back in the saddle, the saddle of LIFE that is! I explained it this way to my friend recently, I feel like someone else has taken control of my mind and body, racked up too many credit card bills, and decided that they were going to sit on their but day after day feeling sorry for themselves! I just want my body and mind back!!!!!
I've decided that tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of my life! I am going to get back in the saddle, starting with doing my job again, I can't believe my boss hasn't fired me yet, and kicked me out! I really love being a stay at home mom, and taking care of my family and home, but this BRAT that took over for the last year didn't think it was that great of a life, well, it's time for her to go!!!! I am also going to start going through all of our closets and put up a TON of stuff on ebay! I want to get some money for this stuff that is just sitting there not being used. One of the things I am still trying to figure out if we want to keep or sell is the WII that we got for Christmas. We were all gung ho for the first couple of months, but now we haven't played it for about a month and nobody seems interested. I guess I will leave that to the last and hope that we will get interested in it again.
If anyone else has suffered from this funk, or from having some brat taking over your mind and body, please let me know, I love hearing from all of you!
I've decided that tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of my life! I am going to get back in the saddle, starting with doing my job again, I can't believe my boss hasn't fired me yet, and kicked me out! I really love being a stay at home mom, and taking care of my family and home, but this BRAT that took over for the last year didn't think it was that great of a life, well, it's time for her to go!!!! I am also going to start going through all of our closets and put up a TON of stuff on ebay! I want to get some money for this stuff that is just sitting there not being used. One of the things I am still trying to figure out if we want to keep or sell is the WII that we got for Christmas. We were all gung ho for the first couple of months, but now we haven't played it for about a month and nobody seems interested. I guess I will leave that to the last and hope that we will get interested in it again.
If anyone else has suffered from this funk, or from having some brat taking over your mind and body, please let me know, I love hearing from all of you!
My New Favorite Book!
My new favorite book is " Cheap, Fast, Good," By Beverly Mills & Alicia Ross. The front cover says it all..... "Hundreds of ways to eat well for less. How to plan smart, shop smart & cook smart. With 275 delicious, thrify, family-friendly recipes!"
I bought this book for only $13.95, I'd say they gave it an awesome price so that all of us that are on a budget could afford it! Ths is the coolest book I have bought in a long time, and really inspired me to get a menu together! I have learned so much so far, and I'm only half way through! Check it out at amazon.com, they might be able to show you some pages of the book, I love that feature of Amazon.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Goals
Well I have been so depressed all winter! I'm not sure if it's because most of the people in Northern Idaho are so rude, or if it's that I have been so depressed that I maxed out all of our credit cards? All I know is that I really want to change my life completely and get all of our debt paid off this year! To do this I have some goals that I know will work!
1. No more than $50 A WEEK for groceries, that's for a family of 3
2. Sell as much as I can on Ebay and half.com. Clean out all the closets to acomplish this goal. And put HALF of this money to credit cards and HALF to unexpected family expenses.
3. See if I can get more hours to work at my friends scrapbook store, and put EVERY PENNY towards credit card bills!
4. Do instead of BUY! Really look at what we are buying, and what we can do without buying!
5. Stay home more so that the oil companies don't get as much of my money.
6. Use up what craft supplies I have at home instead of going out and buying things whenever I "think" I need them for a project.
7. Shop at home first for anything that I think I just HAVE to HAVE!
8. Start really following the Flylady.com! A clean house always makes me feel better.
9. More library, less buying books, paying to rent movies, and buying cd's.
10. Less Starbucks!!! This is my biggest weakness!!!!!!
I will try and post how I do with these goals every week so that you can see my progress. I hope that you will also follow along at home with me!
1. No more than $50 A WEEK for groceries, that's for a family of 3
2. Sell as much as I can on Ebay and half.com. Clean out all the closets to acomplish this goal. And put HALF of this money to credit cards and HALF to unexpected family expenses.
3. See if I can get more hours to work at my friends scrapbook store, and put EVERY PENNY towards credit card bills!
4. Do instead of BUY! Really look at what we are buying, and what we can do without buying!
5. Stay home more so that the oil companies don't get as much of my money.
6. Use up what craft supplies I have at home instead of going out and buying things whenever I "think" I need them for a project.
7. Shop at home first for anything that I think I just HAVE to HAVE!
8. Start really following the Flylady.com! A clean house always makes me feel better.
9. More library, less buying books, paying to rent movies, and buying cd's.
10. Less Starbucks!!! This is my biggest weakness!!!!!!
I will try and post how I do with these goals every week so that you can see my progress. I hope that you will also follow along at home with me!
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Coupon Game
Well, I have really having fun with this coupon game! My Mom use to do it all the time when I was growing up, she was a true master in the art of coupons!
This last week I went through all the ads, and all of my coupons to see what I needed and so on. It was so much fun to see what I was going to save on groceries this week, being Thanksgiving this week is always one of the hardest! I did the best at Fred Meyer, saving $15 with their coupons, and my own. They had a lot of things on sale for Thanksgiving that I had coupons for. They also had Mrs. Smiths pumpkin pies for $1.99! As my Mom said, You can't buy the pumpkin and milk for that! And they are good pies too.
So far this week I have only spent $50 on groceries, and I am done for the week! I think that if I keep playing the coupon ad game I will easily be able to slash our food budget down to $50 per week, YEAH!!!!
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Credit card interest rates! Saving @ Starbucks & the grocery store.
I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of credit card rates going sky high! Right now my main objective is to get rid of my chase credit cards, they are the worst, and chase, along with HSBC are the ONLY companies that have raised my rates. I was doing good with paying a little chunk more on each card to get them paid off, but now the monthly minimum has tripled and I am almost to the point where I can't pay them at all!
I'm sure most of you are saying "Just call and get them to reduce it" Well, easier said than done. I've done it and they won't. You are also probably saying something to the affect that if I would have paid on time, and not went over our limit that they can't raise the interest rate. Well, every month I pay our bills a week to 2 weeks early, and I always pay more then is the minimum (I don't want to spend the rest of my life paying their interest!), and we NEVER went over our limit on ANY of our cards. SO, guess what their reasoning was for raising our rates?
1. We had a couple of recent inquires on our credit report. I was very curious about this as we haven't applied for anything in over a year, so I we and got a free credit report that showed NO INQUIRIES!
2. They said we had too many cards with high balances. Well, we have way too many cards, and are balances are about in the mid section on them. BUT, why would this be a reason to raise our rate?!
You would think that the credit card companies would go by your responsiblility and such with that company! Why does it matter how many cards with balances we have when we pay at least double what is owed (or at least we use to be able to afford to!), and we always paid on time. I guess they don't like the fact we want to pay off our cards instead of giving them the interest! I guess thats why they raised my rates, so they will get that much more interest!
WELL, To hell with credit cards. I have had it with credit cards, shopping, and supporting the economy! When we get this refund in May, it will all go to credit card bills or half to bills and half to savings!
This week I was so proud of myself! I did a total inventory of our freezers, fridge, and pantry. Then I went on to make a menu for the week. Doing this little bit of extra work made it so I only had to spend $21 for groceries for the week! YEAH! This is a savings of about $100 for me!
The next thing that I was proud of was the fact that I bypassed Starbucks several times this week! Since they opened in my neighborhood I was frequently stopping there for a coffee, at $4 a pop, per day! YIKES! I started making my own coffee at home instead, basically telling myself that I am FED UP with spending money, and I flat won't do it if I don't have to! Don't get me wrong, I have gone to starbucks this week, but I have changed what I am getting to A cup of tea at $1.85, or a regular cup of joe for the same price or less! I feel like this is a great accomplishment for me, to go to having just 1 cup of tea, and 1 cup of coffee @ $1.85 compared to 7 to 10 Caramel Macchiato's, or Pepperment Mocha's @ $4, not to mention this is great on my waistline!!!! & 2. Shop at home first! Also, I was able to sell a few things on ebay to pay an extra $50 on my HSBC credit card, and save some money for a change! YEAH!
Until next time, continue to "STICK TO YOUR MISSION"!
I'm sure most of you are saying "Just call and get them to reduce it" Well, easier said than done. I've done it and they won't. You are also probably saying something to the affect that if I would have paid on time, and not went over our limit that they can't raise the interest rate. Well, every month I pay our bills a week to 2 weeks early, and I always pay more then is the minimum (I don't want to spend the rest of my life paying their interest!), and we NEVER went over our limit on ANY of our cards. SO, guess what their reasoning was for raising our rates?
1. We had a couple of recent inquires on our credit report. I was very curious about this as we haven't applied for anything in over a year, so I we and got a free credit report that showed NO INQUIRIES!
2. They said we had too many cards with high balances. Well, we have way too many cards, and are balances are about in the mid section on them. BUT, why would this be a reason to raise our rate?!
You would think that the credit card companies would go by your responsiblility and such with that company! Why does it matter how many cards with balances we have when we pay at least double what is owed (or at least we use to be able to afford to!), and we always paid on time. I guess they don't like the fact we want to pay off our cards instead of giving them the interest! I guess thats why they raised my rates, so they will get that much more interest!
WELL, To hell with credit cards. I have had it with credit cards, shopping, and supporting the economy! When we get this refund in May, it will all go to credit card bills or half to bills and half to savings!
This week I was so proud of myself! I did a total inventory of our freezers, fridge, and pantry. Then I went on to make a menu for the week. Doing this little bit of extra work made it so I only had to spend $21 for groceries for the week! YEAH! This is a savings of about $100 for me!
The next thing that I was proud of was the fact that I bypassed Starbucks several times this week! Since they opened in my neighborhood I was frequently stopping there for a coffee, at $4 a pop, per day! YIKES! I started making my own coffee at home instead, basically telling myself that I am FED UP with spending money, and I flat won't do it if I don't have to! Don't get me wrong, I have gone to starbucks this week, but I have changed what I am getting to A cup of tea at $1.85, or a regular cup of joe for the same price or less! I feel like this is a great accomplishment for me, to go to having just 1 cup of tea, and 1 cup of coffee @ $1.85 compared to 7 to 10 Caramel Macchiato's, or Pepperment Mocha's @ $4, not to mention this is great on my waistline!!!! & 2. Shop at home first! Also, I was able to sell a few things on ebay to pay an extra $50 on my HSBC credit card, and save some money for a change! YEAH!
Until next time, continue to "STICK TO YOUR MISSION"!
So What?!
I was just reading somewhere recently that when you start worrying about something, or something is on your mind that just won't go away you need to say "So What?" to yourself. I have started using this, and my inner child has started stuttering! It's so funny! Like yesterday I was saying to myself " I can't believe I racked up a bunch of debt again when a year ago we just got ourselves out of it" I then said "So what?" "Well, I owe even more now because I have a 2nd mortgage now AND the new debt" "So what?" Then I started thinking " You know what? So What?" I would have gotten back into debt no matter what as I had not TOTALLY learned my lesson yet" I keep wanting that Quck Fix to get me out of debt again, but you know what, but saying "So What" I have felt so much better and learned that I didn't get myself into debt overnight, and it would be overnight that I will get myself out of debt. One thing I did do is that I gave the debt, and the mode of getting into debt to the universe, I know that the universe will help me to figure these things out! So don't beat yourself up about things that are in the past, I have learned to say "SO WHAT" and it does really work and really help! Let me know what you think, and if you have ever told yourself "So What?" and what's happened!
Monday, April 28, 2008
How will you spend your stimulus refund?
So, how are all of you going to spend your stimulus refund? I have been debating about this over and over. Do I put it all in savings and don't touch it, unless we need money for gas that is! LOL. Or do we pay off a credit card or put this towards paying off a credit card? Or do we spend it on going on a vacation? The last thought really is one that I feel is a pipe dream right now, I would love to get out of Sandpoint (permanently, I wish!) for a week or two, but I just feel like it's not the smartest thing I could do with this money, even though that's what the government wants us to do, go out and spend it on non-necessities and vacations!
I would really like to hear from all of you as to what you are going to do with this refund, it's interesting!
I would really like to hear from all of you as to what you are going to do with this refund, it's interesting!
Monday, April 21, 2008
To give is to receive!!!
I have been reading "The Secret" lately and was really interested when they talked about the fact that the more you give the more you receive. I have been giving a lot lately, even though you are pinching pennies doesn't mean you shouldn't give a little, you might just get a little. This was the case for me. I recently received some of those "free" address labels in the mail. Normally I would put them with my stamps and use them up, but not even think about giving to the people that sent them to me. This year I got these great address labels from ASPCA & Susan G Komen. I decided that I would donate to both of these organizations, they really stand for something very important. ASPCA was very important to me because I LOVE ANIMALS! I am a sucker for sad puppies in crates out in the cold with a free sign on them, but I know that I can not save everyone and I have to tell myself that I take really good care of my animals and that's a big step. So when I got this from the ASPCA I thought this would be a great time to donate. About 2 weeks after I donated to these to great organizations I received a $500 check from my Mom. She just received some money from my Great Aunts estate, and she wanted to share the wealth! It was so nice to get this, and on the way home from receiving this wonderful gift we had to stop for gas. We needed some water so I went in to get the cheapest bottles that there were. When I got to the check stand I saw a glass donation jar for a girl that had suffered some severe burns in a recent fire, I don't know what came over me, but I felt the need to share the wealth, and put $1 in the jar, thinking that I wished it could be more! When we got home I went to get the mail, and inside there was a check from our mortgage company for $146 overage in our escrow account! This was totally unexpected!! I truly believe that with giving I received tenfold, and it made me feel so wonderful to give, the receiving was just a BONUS!
DIY Mother's Day Gifts
Mother's Day is just around the corner, have you thought about what you are going to give that special Mother and or Mother in law in your life this year? My craft room is overflowing with things to make for my Mommy & Mommy in law! I have been cleaning jars out every time we have spaghetti so that I will have an abundance of them for jar mixes for Christmas presents, I'm sure there is a good jar recipe for a Mother's day present! I also have tons of card stock, pattern paper, and paper bags to make a cute Mother/Grandmother paper bag album! Search how to make a paper bag album on google to find how what to do. Have the kids decorate a tee shirt or Apron with your kids handprints and then sign their names underneath it! This is just a very small sample of what you can do with what you have at home, just keep your mind and eyes open! You can also google Do it yourself gifts and find tons of present ideas.
Happy crafting for that special Mom!
Happy crafting for that special Mom!
Happy Backyard Campers
Hey Campers!
We have started thinking about Memorial Day weekend and what we are going to do, We usually go off somewhere for the weekend, and with a lot of people we know it's tradition to go camping. We decided that instead of driving to our favorite campground, paying all that money in gas and such, we will just camp in the backyard Memorial weekend! We already have all the camping gear that we need, along with the table & fire pit, so pitching it in the backyard sounded like fun! We also have the comforts of home if we need it, and also if we forget anything, it's right in at our personal store to retrieve instead of stopping and buying it! If you don't have a fire pit search the web for ideas on how to make your own!
We love to have fires in our fire pit during the summer. We also love to roast hot dogs and make s'mores! We found some metal rods to roast our dogs and marshmallows on at wal-mart for $2 for a package of 8, but you can also just find sticks around the house. Make sure you put on your menu for the week all of things that you need for your hot dogs and s'mores, and also any extras like pasta or potato salad fixings, maybe some chips if they are on a super duper sale. Remember, make sure you check out your pantry and freezer FIRST! If you don't have hot dogs, but do have hamburgers or anything else to throw on the BBQ do that instead.
Stories and songs are also fun for around the fire, if you don't have any of your own go to www.utimatecampersource.com for tons of fun camp songs, stories and games!
You can even make this a fun event to invite your friends and family to! If you have a big back yard have everyone bring over their tent and camping gear, along with their food and drinks. If you want to, have a potluck! We do this every weekend with our neighbors, but in a little bit different way. We all bring a side dish or dessert to share, and our own meat for the bbq and drinks, it works out great!
So, have your own fun backyard camp out this memorial weekend, and let me know how it went!!!
We have started thinking about Memorial Day weekend and what we are going to do, We usually go off somewhere for the weekend, and with a lot of people we know it's tradition to go camping. We decided that instead of driving to our favorite campground, paying all that money in gas and such, we will just camp in the backyard Memorial weekend! We already have all the camping gear that we need, along with the table & fire pit, so pitching it in the backyard sounded like fun! We also have the comforts of home if we need it, and also if we forget anything, it's right in at our personal store to retrieve instead of stopping and buying it! If you don't have a fire pit search the web for ideas on how to make your own!
We love to have fires in our fire pit during the summer. We also love to roast hot dogs and make s'mores! We found some metal rods to roast our dogs and marshmallows on at wal-mart for $2 for a package of 8, but you can also just find sticks around the house. Make sure you put on your menu for the week all of things that you need for your hot dogs and s'mores, and also any extras like pasta or potato salad fixings, maybe some chips if they are on a super duper sale. Remember, make sure you check out your pantry and freezer FIRST! If you don't have hot dogs, but do have hamburgers or anything else to throw on the BBQ do that instead.
Stories and songs are also fun for around the fire, if you don't have any of your own go to www.utimatecampersource.com for tons of fun camp songs, stories and games!
You can even make this a fun event to invite your friends and family to! If you have a big back yard have everyone bring over their tent and camping gear, along with their food and drinks. If you want to, have a potluck! We do this every weekend with our neighbors, but in a little bit different way. We all bring a side dish or dessert to share, and our own meat for the bbq and drinks, it works out great!
So, have your own fun backyard camp out this memorial weekend, and let me know how it went!!!
Growing up frugal and having fun in the process!
I've told you about how I was brought up by a single Mom, and how she was frugal but made it fun, and seem like we were millionaires! So today I thought I would tell you a story from my childhood.
When I was around 3 1/2 years old we moved to Spokane, Washington. We moved into a row of duplexes, and found other single Mom's, and budget wise Mom's. One of those Mom's became my Mom's best friend and my babysitter! Betty was great, we would share meals at her house, most days you would see kids running back and forth with notes to "The Mom's" about who's house we were having dinner at, and who was bringing what. Of course they could have used the phone, but what fun is that, the kids would rather play messenger than have their Mom's figuring it out over the phone.
Betty also invented the "clean the house" game! All the kids in the neighborhood would congregate at her house to play the game. Betty would put different chores on pieces of paper in a big bowl, but there were also pieces that said, Watch t.v. for 15 minutes, put a puzzle piece in the puzzle, get a cookie or snack, and some other fun things. she was a genius, she had all of her kids, and most of the kids in the neighborhood cleaning her house for her! And what was great was all of us kids were having a ball too!
My Mom loved having her as a friend. Betty bought a YMCA membership and would take all of us kids down there to swim. She would tell my Mom to send me with a towel, shampoo, p.j.'s and 50 cents for ice cream at McDonalds after swimming. She said I would be clean and ready for bed when we got home. My Mom and another Mom did the carnivals, circus, fairs, and parades as Betty didn't like doing that kind of stuff because of crowds. We never went to anything like that without free tickets and such.
When it came to eating out the Mom's had it in the bag! There was a restaurant that offered kids under 12 eat free on Wednesday nights, so we took them up on it! It was fun because we felt so special because we were eating out at a restaurant, and really it was cheaper then making dinner at home! We also took advantage of 99 cent papa joe burgers at Zips, and cheap nights at Taco Time.
One summer we hit the mother load two times at two different places. One day we went to the bread outlet store and found 10 cent loaves of raisin bread, the had apparently forgot to put the corn syrup in, well it tasted just as good without it, so the Mom's cleaned them out of raisin bread and stored it in every empty freeze they could find. The next thing was a little store that had a sign up saying Cheese 5 cents! So my Mom and I went in to check it out, and there stood Betty, with a cart full of these little cheese wedges and one in her mouth! The first thing my Mom said was "Is there any left?" So needless to say that summer we went to a free day camp that the Mom's found out about, with our peanut butter sandwiches on raisin bread, along with a wedge of cheese!
These Mom's, along with my Mom, were so creative and fun that we had a ball growing up frugal. I personally am going to start thinking like "The Mom's", I remember how much fun it was and I know it will be even more fun now!
When I was around 3 1/2 years old we moved to Spokane, Washington. We moved into a row of duplexes, and found other single Mom's, and budget wise Mom's. One of those Mom's became my Mom's best friend and my babysitter! Betty was great, we would share meals at her house, most days you would see kids running back and forth with notes to "The Mom's" about who's house we were having dinner at, and who was bringing what. Of course they could have used the phone, but what fun is that, the kids would rather play messenger than have their Mom's figuring it out over the phone.
Betty also invented the "clean the house" game! All the kids in the neighborhood would congregate at her house to play the game. Betty would put different chores on pieces of paper in a big bowl, but there were also pieces that said, Watch t.v. for 15 minutes, put a puzzle piece in the puzzle, get a cookie or snack, and some other fun things. she was a genius, she had all of her kids, and most of the kids in the neighborhood cleaning her house for her! And what was great was all of us kids were having a ball too!
My Mom loved having her as a friend. Betty bought a YMCA membership and would take all of us kids down there to swim. She would tell my Mom to send me with a towel, shampoo, p.j.'s and 50 cents for ice cream at McDonalds after swimming. She said I would be clean and ready for bed when we got home. My Mom and another Mom did the carnivals, circus, fairs, and parades as Betty didn't like doing that kind of stuff because of crowds. We never went to anything like that without free tickets and such.
When it came to eating out the Mom's had it in the bag! There was a restaurant that offered kids under 12 eat free on Wednesday nights, so we took them up on it! It was fun because we felt so special because we were eating out at a restaurant, and really it was cheaper then making dinner at home! We also took advantage of 99 cent papa joe burgers at Zips, and cheap nights at Taco Time.
One summer we hit the mother load two times at two different places. One day we went to the bread outlet store and found 10 cent loaves of raisin bread, the had apparently forgot to put the corn syrup in, well it tasted just as good without it, so the Mom's cleaned them out of raisin bread and stored it in every empty freeze they could find. The next thing was a little store that had a sign up saying Cheese 5 cents! So my Mom and I went in to check it out, and there stood Betty, with a cart full of these little cheese wedges and one in her mouth! The first thing my Mom said was "Is there any left?" So needless to say that summer we went to a free day camp that the Mom's found out about, with our peanut butter sandwiches on raisin bread, along with a wedge of cheese!
These Mom's, along with my Mom, were so creative and fun that we had a ball growing up frugal. I personally am going to start thinking like "The Mom's", I remember how much fun it was and I know it will be even more fun now!
Menu, Menu, Menu!!!!!
I was so amazed when I was young and my Mom and I would go to the grocery store. What amazed me is that my Mom would stock our cart full, and get out of the store only spending $25 or less with the use of coupons, ads & a MENU!
Watching my Mom do this taught me the importance of a menu! If you do this right you will save some BIG money! I have went from feeding our family of 3 on $150 a week to $75 per week just by sticking to a menu, and I can sometimes even get under $50! This has become a fun game for me, to see how LOW I can GO!
Once a month I inventory the pantry, cupboards, big freezer, little freezer and fridge. I keep this list in a notebook, As I make my menu and use things from my inventory list I cross it off. I keep a list of my favorite recipes and the books they come out of in this notebook along with a list of our favorite meals that don't require a recipe. I then go through the ads to see what is on a super duper sale, especially ingredients that I need for my favorite recipes, and also produce. Sometimes I find things like whole chickens that are a really good deal, any thing like that or meat that I find as a good deal, I will get as much as I can of with any extra budgeted grocery funds. I also get out my coupons and match them up with what's on sale.
Once I have done my HOMEWORK, I make up my menu for a week to two weeks. I really try to make my menu up by using what I have in my inventory, and am usually successful at doing this. I then make up my grocery list, and I NEVER go to the store without it. Usually what's on my list is things like eggs, milk, bread, and any ingredients I need for the things I am going to make for the week, and also any REALLY good deals on meat and side dishes that I use a lot. Make sure that you include lunches and even breakfasts when you produce your menu, and make sure that you add a Leftovers night or even too on your weekly menu! If it doesn't work for you to set certain days of the week write down your menu in a list form where you can pick something for that day in the morning or the night before.
So try the menu game, it is so much fun, and will save you TONS of money!!! And remember, when you go to the store armed with your list, STICK TO IT! Don't let the retailers entice you with things cleverly placed on end caps and in the middle of the main isles.
Watching my Mom do this taught me the importance of a menu! If you do this right you will save some BIG money! I have went from feeding our family of 3 on $150 a week to $75 per week just by sticking to a menu, and I can sometimes even get under $50! This has become a fun game for me, to see how LOW I can GO!
Once a month I inventory the pantry, cupboards, big freezer, little freezer and fridge. I keep this list in a notebook, As I make my menu and use things from my inventory list I cross it off. I keep a list of my favorite recipes and the books they come out of in this notebook along with a list of our favorite meals that don't require a recipe. I then go through the ads to see what is on a super duper sale, especially ingredients that I need for my favorite recipes, and also produce. Sometimes I find things like whole chickens that are a really good deal, any thing like that or meat that I find as a good deal, I will get as much as I can of with any extra budgeted grocery funds. I also get out my coupons and match them up with what's on sale.
Once I have done my HOMEWORK, I make up my menu for a week to two weeks. I really try to make my menu up by using what I have in my inventory, and am usually successful at doing this. I then make up my grocery list, and I NEVER go to the store without it. Usually what's on my list is things like eggs, milk, bread, and any ingredients I need for the things I am going to make for the week, and also any REALLY good deals on meat and side dishes that I use a lot. Make sure that you include lunches and even breakfasts when you produce your menu, and make sure that you add a Leftovers night or even too on your weekly menu! If it doesn't work for you to set certain days of the week write down your menu in a list form where you can pick something for that day in the morning or the night before.
So try the menu game, it is so much fun, and will save you TONS of money!!! And remember, when you go to the store armed with your list, STICK TO IT! Don't let the retailers entice you with things cleverly placed on end caps and in the middle of the main isles.
Going to the movies
I remember when I was little, we would take our own snacks and such to the movies with us, now they say that we can't! We know the reason, it's because they want you to buy their overpriced items.
We went to the movies this afternoon, cheap time hello! We saw Nim's Island, very cute flick if you were wondering! Anyway, as we sat down I noticed 3 different families that brought their own cans of pop, and candy, the only thing they bought at the theater was a bottomless tub of popcorn for $4 that they shared and refilled several times. I was thinking to myself as I watched them, It would be nice to go back to the old days and be able to take your own snacks in. Then I thought, why not do this? I don't know about your town, but our theater staff is comprised of teenagers that would rather sit there and text on their phones, or talk to each other, they don't care if you bring your own goodies in. When you buy your snacks at the movie theater you are spending double! Candy, pop, water, popcorn and so on and end up costing you $20, does that make sense when you just paid only $5 per person to get in?
I am going to start taking my candy and pop to the movies, why not save on this indulgence so that you can maybe go to the movies a little more often?
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