Crackin' Down

Okay, I gotta get serious now! I need a new car ASAP, unfortunately ASAP is...a long ways away. I need to save every last penny I can in order to afford something decent and pay off these loans. 


I suspended my Netflix account and yes I miss it, but I think I'm good to cancel it for good. (Savings: $10)


Food- I was to eat through my pantry and freezer. There's a bunch of food in my kitchen- I just need to kind of take inventory of everything in my freezer and pantry. 
Along, with this- no wasting food! I cleaned out my fridge yesterday for the first time in a very long time and was shocked by what I found in the back of there. It was gross, but it also added up to a lot of money in just waste. I know better than that! Gotta keep my eye on this and not let it happen again.


My gym membership is up at the end of this year and I can cancel that. I am kind of nervous for this because I am training for the marathon and like having a treadmill, but I can always run on the trails outside, the college track and the Rec center for free. (Saving: $30)


No clothes. I DO NOT need new clothes. In my head, I know this is true. But I like to shop. It's fun. I need to do other things that fill my free times that are still fun. (puzzles, baths...)


I did make my own laundry detergent. I don't know how much that saves me though.


I also want to get back to walking to work. I used to walk to work, but I HATE waking up early to do so. If I do walk, not only will it be better for my health, I  can save that in gas. It may be little but it can add up. 


Lower my energy bill. I've always kept my A/C at a high temp, but now that the days are cooler, I've turned it off completely.  However, I left a lamp on all day while I was at work! NOT good. I've left my fridge a jar, my kitchen light is almost always on. I need to do better. Turn EVERYTHING off! I've even unplugged all the appliances I don't use very often (i.e TV). On average, my bill is $75. Last month, it was $70 so that's better. I want it down to $65 next month.


I just gotta evaluate every purchase I make and really think, do I need this item more than I need a new car? 

Meal Planning

Dang it! I had whole plan but something happened to it didn't get saved! Now I'm trying to remember what it was...

Monday: cereal
          soup
          ravioli

Tuesday: waffles
          salad
          quesadilla

Wednesday: granola bar
          sandwich
          foil dinner

Thursday: toast w/ peanut butter
          lean cuisine
          stir fry
        
Friday: trail mix bar
          salad, strawberries
          ravioli and zucchini

Saturday: yogurt
          burrito, mango
          stuffed mushrooms

Sunday: toast
          chili, peach
          leftovers

Meal Plan:

Alrighty. I did it backwards this week, and it's already biting me in the bum. I went shopping first, and then sat down to make meal ideas out of what I got. Rookie mistake.

Monday: waffles
             fruity tortilla wrap
             soup
Tuesday: cereal
             salad
             Lean cuisine
Wednesday: smoothie
             soup
           chips & salsa
Thursday: Lara bar- carrot cake!
             burrito
             mac n cheese
Friday: Fruit and yogurt parfait
             quesadilla
             Lean cuisine
Saturday: granola bar.
             Lean cuisine
             soup

Snacks: popchips, applesauce, fruit, yogurt, celery & pb (or apples)

P.S. I really gotta take inventory of what's in my freezer! Hopefully I get to that sometime this week.

Step 1: Meal Planning

Do I need to preach on the importance of meal planning? I didn't think so.

Sunday: granola bar
            soup & plum
            hamburgers (I really pushed the limit on the ground beef in the freezer. I've gotta use it tomorrow, or it's going in my food waste pile...yikes!!)

Monday: eggs
            salad & nectarine
            lean cuisine

Tuesday: yogurt and granola
            stir fry
            chili

Wednesday: granola bar
            kabobs
            SmartOne

Thursday: powerbar
            soup & carrots
            burrito

Friday: cereal
            salad
            roast beef rolls & yogurt

Saturday: fruit
            lunch out w/ the family at Mexican Restaurant!
            dinner? Who knows? Hopefully something light and healthy after that lunch. Haha


          
          

time to buckle down.

I've been slacking lately. Not being as careful as I should be about my money. I've been making all my payments and all that, so I thought I was good. But now I'm really starting to feel it. 


My car is busted. 


I absolutely HATE my car. I have for a long time and I've been wanting to get a new one. But now it's really on it's last limb and I have NO money to replace it. None. Nada.  


Now I'm really wishing I had been saving more and spending less. 
So I'm going to get back on track


Back to meal planning, food waste etc...


I've already put my netflix account on hold. Course that only saves me $10. But hey, that's $10!

Meal Planning

I got my bountiful basket on Saturday and I can't wait to eat all those yummy fruits and veggies. I also have absolutely no money left in my grocery account so I have to be super diligent about my meals this week. So I've decided to plan my breakfasts too. Why? Because it's so important and yet I hate eating it, so I don't. Well this might save me money, but it's unhealthy. I also hate waking up early enough to eat breakfast, so I eat it at work. At my job, it's tough to eat at work though. We're constantly talking and typing, so breakfast has to be cold and portable, hopefully bite sized. These factors make breakfast even more of a challenge...

(Today was pretty weird because it was Russ's birthday and we went kayaking! Luckily, I did pack a picnic of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, peaches. Yum. It was a great day.)

Tues: pancakes and jam
       tuna sandwich, plouts, carrots
       bbq chicken, corn,
Wed: grapes and a granola bar
       Salad, peaches
       foil dinner
Thurs: Almonds and banana
       hawaiian ham sandwich, grapes, yogurt
       broc-potato soup
Fri:  peaches and ...
       chicken fettuccine, pineapple
       ravioli, green salad
Saturday: banana yogurt parfait
       leftovers,
       chicken potato broc bake, corn
Sunday: granola bar and whatever fruit is left
       pb and honey, banana
       I'll prob have dinner w/ my parents

Lunch for tomorrow

 I could probably eat for a dollar a day if I ate nothing but junk. I really think I could. It seems the healthier I want to eat, the more expensive it is. It's a balancing act, I guess. What really helps is meal planning. No one can say it enough. Here is my lunch for tomorrow. I have a tuna sandwich on arnold thins I got on sale. Some cucumber slices and carrots, some cheddar cheese and a plout. I honestly can't say how much this cost me because well I don't know how I'd figure out how the plout and cucumber cost me since I got it with the whole bountiful basket package. I bought the tuna so long ago I don't know what  I paid. The bread was 2.50 for 8 'buns' so thats...$0.32. The cheese- I can't remember probably 0.33. The carrots came in a huge package of like 3lbs. I just don't know how to do that math. Anyway, I can tell you it's cheper than eating out and it's way healthier for me. I'm kind of excited to use this container too. My sis gave it to me a long time ago and it's been sitting in my cupboard. I've been reading all about these bento boxes and such. I saw this today and decided to pull it out. It kinda does help see the components: the main sandwich, the veg and the fruit, and keep it balanced. I'm pretty excited.

The rest of the week's meal plan is coming soon...