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March groceries #SNAP

I made several trip this week and have drawn up menus/ideas for this months food budget. I was also fortunate to find several items on sale. Kroger sends coupons on a regular basis to their card members and this months mailing included some free vegetables! I always find it worthwhile to use my Kroger card to save money. I also found cereal on sale at Walgreen's. I always keep an eye out for sales at Walgreen's and it paid off this month!

Kroger 1 minute oatmeal $3.89 (about 15 1 cup servings)

1 box spaghetti $1

1 box whole wheat Rotini $1

3-1 lb dry beans (@1.39 each) $4.17

4 boxes veggie Rotini (sale @.69) $2.76

4 lb sugar $1.50

5 lb rice $2.98

Kroger non-fat dry milk $6.59

(should make 3-4 gallons)

1 jar pasta sauce $1.29

3 boxes Cheerios $5.91

(Walgreens sale @ $1.97 each!)

4 loaves of bread (Kroger) $1.96

(mgrs special!  put 3 in freezer)

3 cans spinach (@ $1 each) $3.00

Kroger brand peanut butter $2.99

Dozen eggs $2.00

(sale at Kroger)

mini carrots FREE

Frozen broccoli FREE

$41.04 total spent over several shopping trips!  I have tea, olive oil, ketchup, and margarine in the pantry as well.  This should easily last through the rest of March.  Meaning that I am going to eat on $1.64 a day- well below the KY SNAP average of $4.24 a day) until the end of March!  I did buy several Rubbermaid containers that I found on sale.  Cooking for one is a pain and means I usually make 2-6 meals at a time and stash them in the fridge.

Note that I only used 2 coupons (for the free carrots and broccoli). I'm just not into cutting coupons when buying store brands and catching sales is a much better way (for me anyhow) to stretch money.

Have you ever tried dry milk (as opposed to running out for milk every week)? I've had it before- it does take some getting used to. I've just never did the math and realized the significant savings per serving (and it doesn't go bad- so no waste!)

Enjoy Life (and save big!) with Groupon!

Trying to be frugal doesn't mean you have to deny yourself all the time. In fact, you should indulge yourself once in a while. The key is moderation and finding a way to treat yourself for less or no money. I like to eat out. That's a fact and while I have cut back quite a bit, there's always those days when I'm off schedule, out of food, or just tired. One solution that I use is Groupon. They offer great deals (usually half off!) on local restaurants and attractions. Once you set up an account you can save your vouchers online and print them anywhere! If you have a smartphone, you don't even need a printed copy. And most Groupons are good for six months or longer. Right now I have 3 Groupons for a local restaurant saved for a "rainy day". I also can give Groupons as a gift!

I love the opportunity of trying new restaurants while saving money! I have tried a new gourmet burger joint, a sit down Indian restaurant, and a Nigerian cafe serving West African dishes. Two of these places I had never heard of and never would have experienced without Groupon!

You can sign up for Groupon with the widget below. It will show you a great deal in your community! If you sign up and purchase a Groupon using this widget, I will receive a small credit. Think of it as treating me to lunch! Thank you!



Disclosure: I was not compensated by Groupon in any way for making this post. I may receive credit for future purchases if you sign up and purchase Groupons using the above link. My experience with Groupon has been very positive- yours may be different- (but I doubt it!)

How I Save With The Wonder Washer!

Saving money is never easy.  There are only two options- cut expenses or increase your income!  I am always looking for ways to tweak my budget and give myself a "virtual raise".  One way is monetizing this website with ads.  Yes I'd love to be ad free but the small income these ads produce contribute to my emergency fund!  Secondly, I am an Amazon associate.  This means that when you purchase anything from Amazon through my blog I get a small percentage.  This also is contributing to my emergency fund.

One way that I have hound to tweak my budget is my avoiding the laundromat!  Easy enough if you have a washer and dryer.  But I have neither!  Well, not in the traditional sense.  Last August I purchased a small washer/agitator called the Wonder Washer from Amazon.  It has a small removable tub that you can fill with 1-2 shirts or a pair of pants at a time.  Fill the tub with warm water, a small amount of detergent,and set it on the stand.  The automatic timer can be turned on to agitate for 15 minutes.  Then drain the tub (the lid has drainage holes), rinse and wring dry.  Air drying typically takes me 8-16 hours.

It's that simple!  I washed 4 small loads of laundry this morning- enough to last until next Wednesday- and didn't spend the weekly $10 at the laundromat.  This can add up to $30-$40 savings a month!  I will often wash clothes 3-4 times a week and only keep towels/blankets in the laundry basket for a monthly (or bi-monthly) visit to the laundromat.

Is it simple?  Yes!  Is it easy?  Yes and no.  It's not difficult but it does require that you stay caught up with laundry.  I try to never have more than 2-4 loads piled up as dirty clothes.  The clothes aren't as soft as coming warm from the dryer (I might try rinsing in fabric softener sometime before air drying).  But clothes will last longer not being subjected to the harsh heat of an industrial dryer at the laundromat.

How have you tweaked your budget?  Would you ever consider a Wonder Washer?  I can tell you that I was skeptical at first but that it pays for itself within a couple of months! It has been a blessing when money is tight to be able to skip the laundromat and get clean clothes at home!

Emergency Fund!

The first step to a debt free lifestyle, according to people who are living the life, is an emergency fund. Dave Ramsey recommends an initial "baby emergency fund" of $1000 (which should pay for most common emergencies). After paying off debts, a six month emergency fund is recommended (6 months of essentials- not luxuries).

Suze Orman has been recommending eight months of living expenses as an emergency fund before paying off credit cards or becoming debt free.

Honestly, I'm torn between the two options. Because all personal finance is personal I guess I have to find what works best for me. As a single guy, I doubt that 8 months of living expenses should be a primary goal. A family man may see this as a necessity.

I am glad that as of Oct 7, I will have an initial emergency fund of $1000 stashed away in an ING account. Then, at least for the next 12 months, I plan on following Ramsey's advice and eliminating all credit card debt from smallest to largest. The only other debt I have is a student loan.


After paying off the credit cards, I am going to stop and see where I'm at- where the economy's at- and determine whether to plow ahead or stash a 6 or 8 month long term emergency fund aside before tackling the student loan.

If possible I would like to take a trip to Albania (as cheaply as possible) as a "reward" once my credit cards are paid in full. Hopefully this will be in 2013!




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