Frugal/budget conscious mamas

Herefishy87 · March 2014

So I've always been pretty cheap and tried to spend our money wisely and have been really aware of what we buy. Recently though, we just can't seem to get ahead, I feel like I'm always waiting for a paycheck to pay a bill or to go grocery shopping. We have a lot of medical bills from the past 8 months that are killing us in addition to our giant PSE&G (electric/gas) bill.
We don't really eat out or do take out, I don't get my nails/hair done/tanning, we don't drink a lot or smoke, I rarely shop for clothes but if I do it's always consignment.
I try and use coupons for grocery shopping and shop sales and I CD ds2 and bf him so I don't spend much on him either.
I'm just trying to figure how we can get a better handle on our spending and try and dig ourselves out of debt and pay of these damn medical bills.
Anyone have any tips or ideas? I'm willing to pretty much try anything at this point. Help!

norbert5 · March 2014

Have you set up an affordable payment plan for your bills yet?

We do a zero balance budget (I think that is the right name). So we spend all our money on paper before the expenses come up. We also pay our medical bills with a points credit card so we get something out of it.

Do you qualify for any assistance with your gas/elect. bill?

Not that this helps you now but we always try to have 1000 squirreled away for emergencies.

blondolphn · March 2014

It's kind of hard without really seeing your overall budget and spending habits. I would sit and look at how much you make after taxes and what you have to spend each month. Then look at things like cable, cell phones, luxury items and see if there are better deals.

norbert5 · March 2014

blondolphn said:
It's kind of hard without really seeing your overall budget and spending habits. I would sit and look at how much you make after taxes and what you have to spend each month. Then look at things like cable, cell phones, luxury items and see if there are better deals.

Forgot about this, every time they raise our Internet rates I call to cancel and they give me a discount.

We also cancelled cable which saves us quite a bit each month.

scamberlous3000 · March 2014

Dave Ramsey's Total Money Maleover is awesome!

mancila60 · March 2014

Yard sales! Everyone has stuff to get rid of. I usually even ask my mom or friends if they have they are wanting to get rid of. The bigger the yard sale the better. Then you can make signs out of free boxes you can get from grocery stores or electronic stores. Join local mom or kid groups on Facebook they are also selling items you can buy when LO needs something or you can sell your items.

Herefishy87 · March 2014

I'm sorry I posted and ran, I had to bring our dog into the vet... $$$$
@norbert5‌ I did call the hospitals and doctors and set up payment plans so they wouldn't send me to collects or anything but didn't think about just putting it on a credit card to get points. Maybe I'll try and find one the 0% for 18 months and use that. It's easier for me to stay on top of the payments of its consolidated for some reason.
I would love to cancel cable but I just beat them up on price to get a lower price and had to do a contract with them. Stupid Verizon. I should have never done that should have just cancelled it and kept the internet so I could still work from home.
The zero balance budget you follow is it a Dave Ramsey budget? I just googled it real quick and that's what I saw. If so do you like it? Has it helped you out a lot?

Herefishy87 · March 2014

blondolphn said:
It's kind of hard without really seeing your overall budget and spending habits. I would sit and look at how much you make after taxes and what you have to spend each month. Then look at things like cable, cell phones, luxury items and see if there are better deals.

I've been trying to do this but I'm having problems trying to see where we can cut. When I finally think we've got this something happens, like the dog needs to go to the vet and one of our trucks breaks. I feel like I'm just missing something that I can cut down and have figured it out.

Herefishy87 · March 2014

@crunchymama11- your amazing! Wow! I really try and cut down on buying premade food and cool from scratch but making your own bread, never even crossed my mind! I suck a gardening I can barely keep a fake plant alive! Lol! I would LOVE to do goats and chickens but my H has repeatedly said no and I'm sure our town would have an ordinance against it.
What is swagbucks? Don't think I've ever heard of that before but any extra cash to be made will not hurt!
I'll def check out those sites I need some insight on how to pick apart our finances better.
You right I def need to learn to sew! I would love to be able to make diaper covers for LO!
FTR I love the Dave Ramsey quote! I need to tattoo that on my damn arm! There are times I get so discouraged trying to be financially responsible when I see friends or acquaintances that spend money like its going outta style and not paying their mortgage.
(Sorry that tuned into a slight rant)

Herefishy87 · March 2014

mancila60 said:
Yard sales! Everyone has stuff to get rid of. I usually even ask my mom or friends if they have they are wanting to get rid of. The bigger the yard sale the better. Then you can make signs out of free boxes you can get from grocery stores or electronic stores. Join local mom or kid groups on Facebook they are also selling items you can buy when LO needs something or you can sell your items.

Great idea!!! I will deft try and do this especially with nice weather right around the comer!!!! Thanks!

Herefishy87 · March 2014

scamberlous3000 said:
Dave Ramsey's Total Money Maleover is awesome!

I'm gonna have to check this out! Everyone is mentioning this! Thanks you guys are the best!!!!

bionicb · March 2014

Pse (Puget sound energy?) is brutal in our area. I dont have amy suggestions though. Sorry.

MittenJennie · March 2014

eBay is way better than yard sales IMO, I save all my amazon boxes and packaging material to reuse, I also collect from family and friends. Stuff that sells at a garage sale for pennies on the dollar goes much higher on eBay. Just need a scale to estimate shipping. I subsidized my unpaid maternity leave with eBay sales. I has a huge yard sale this summer and thought I made pretty good money - I sold 7 things on eBay and matched my yard sale. It was also way less work and I didn't have people trying to get me to sell things for a nickel.

jennlin · March 2014

My biggest drive for being crunchy is bc I'm a cheapass. The saving the planet thing is a bonus. I make my own laundry detergent, soap, shampoo, cleaning supplies, use reusable napkins, diapers, sandwich bags. My next venture is making my own "plastic wrap" with cloth and beeswax.

I do a lot of cooking at home, I basically never drink unless it's a special occasion..and this includes soda, juice, coffee. I drink water 99% of the time, and only have oj with breakfast on Sundays (and only if it was on sale that week), and I have (almond) milk in my cereal. I watch coupons and sales and do matchups with them.

I do a lot of online research to get the best prices and I always shop using swag bucks and ebates

. I have gotten over $150 doing meaningless stuff on swag bucks and my ebates total is now up to $300. Clickies for referrals below, thank you!

(Http://swagbucks.com/refer/jennlin)
(https://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=K1Da0MZpDu6wXK+YQWwOLQ==)

I also do coop buying and buying my own in bulk.

No cable, and I share our hulu, netflix, and prime accounts to cut cost even more. We don't watch much tv anyway. We listen to podcasts, or watch documentaries on ted talk.

Good luck!

BrittanyCupcakes · March 2014

crunchymama11 said:

Herefishy87 said:

@crunchymama11- your amazing! Wow! I really try and cut down on buying premade food and cool from scratch but making your own bread, never even crossed my mind! I suck a gardening I can barely keep a fake plant alive! Lol! I would LOVE to do goats and chickens but my H has repeatedly said no and I'm sure our town would have an ordinance against it. What is swagbucks? Don't think I've ever heard of that before but any extra cash to be made will not hurt! I'll def check out those sites I need some insight on how to pick apart our finances better. You right I def need to learn to sew! I would love to be able to make diaper covers for LO! FTR I love the Dave Ramsey quote! I need to tattoo that on my damn arm! There are times I get so discouraged trying to be financially responsible when I see friends or acquaintances that spend money like its going outta style and not paying their mortgage. (Sorry that tuned into a slight rant)

swagbucks is a total time-suck for what seems like not much money. each SB = 1 cent. and it takes a little time to do it. it's definitely not a part-time job! but every cent adds up in the long-term. so far this year (well, since Christmas when I start saving for next Christmas) I have earned $15 in Amazon GCs and $25 paypal cash. and i've ramped up my swagging even more. I am on track to get $200 (maybe more!) this year, which is pretty decent, IMO. Last year I barely did it and got $120 in cash and Amazon GCs. you can do better if you have a smartphone, which I don't.

I do the swag tv while i'm bumping, so 2 birds with 1 stone

i understand what you mean about feeling discouraged, especially when you see other people spending freely. we all feel discouraged sometimes! I feel like I don't have enough time to do everything (and I don't!). But I do what I can. And when I get off track or discouraged, I listen to Dave Ramsey to remind myself why I do what I do!

Swagbucks is awesome. I've been using it for years but only really started working at it this past year. I was able to do pretty much all of my Christmas shopping with amazon gift cards saved up from swagbucks, combined with Amazon's Black Friday lightning deals.

ETA: if you use a smartphone, get the SBTV app. I just let it run sometimes when I'm home and connected to the wifi, and the SB's add up.

And if anyone wants to share the love, I have a referral link, too.

MangoMama82 · March 2014

Dave Ramsey!!! He inspires me so much. I podcast his show and listen to it whenever I'm in the car. Total Money Makeover is a great and quick read. Also, he and his daughter just wrote a book about how to raise your kids to be money-smart. I want to get it. It's unfortunate that you're in a contract with cable. Is it cheaper to cancel and pay a fee than it is to pay it every month for the length of your contract? Sometimes there is a grace period of a couple days where you can change your mind, too. @crunchymama11‌ has all the right ideas. If you can make any of your food yourself you should always do it. I baked bread for a while. It's much more cost effective to make it yourself, and it's quite therapeutic. Like she says, turn chicken bones from a roast, and left over veggie scraps into a stock. Freeze and use another day. Things like this save a lot in the end. Crunchy Betty is a great blog about how to make your own common household items, and it's better with a baby around anyway. I think for you, step one is Dave Ramsey. Read and pod cast. Absorb what he's saying and just change your habits.

finnybooboo · March 2014

I don't really have advice just saying I totally feel you. Medical bills, day care, and insane electric bills have been crushing us these last few months. I just hope that with spring coming the electric bill will become more reasonable and the doc bills have pretty much been paid now. Hang in there!

AmandagStark · March 2014

Great question! I am totally keeping up with this thread

CousinVicki · March 2014

pse&G? are you in NJ? there are several programs that can help you with your utility bills if you qualify. i also strongly urge you not to use a CC card unless you KNOW without a doubt you will pay that off in time, otherwise the interest will kill you. i work for a non-profit in NJ, so i have some resources if you want specifics, PM me

Herefishy87 · March 2014

finnybooboo said:
I don't really have advice just saying I totally feel you. Medical bills, day care, and insane electric bills have been crushing us these last few months. I just hope that with spring coming the electric bill will become more reasonable and the doc bills have pretty much been paid now. Hang in there!

Yes spring!!! That should deft help us out!!! This winter had sucked so bad, our bills have never been this much!

Welshgirl12 · March 2014

@jennlin‌ I love Ted talks too! So addicting!

Herefishy87 · March 2014

You all are awesome! Great ideas! Im checking out the Dave Ramsey tonight when the littles are in bed. O and of course the swag bucks! That's an awesome way to save for Christmas!
@Jennieholladay‌- I'm embarrassed to say I've never bought or sold anything on eBay but I totes should! I have plenty of kids toys and clothes I could sell off!
@MangoMama‌82-I'm gonna call Verizon and see what the prorated fee for cancellation would be. Never looked at it like that!
@jennlin‌ & @crunchymama11‌ The laundry detergent you make is it cloth diaper safe? I've seen a lot of recipes online but scared to try and wreck our diapers.
@CousinVicki‌- yes ma'am I'm in good ol jersey! Good point bout the credit cards, thanks! As far as any kind of assistance I'm sure out income is "too high" for it and to be honest there are prob people in tighter situations that could use it more. I really appreciate the offer though.

huntjul · March 2014

For the medical bills, call and request itemized bills, then review them for accuracy. if you find something that shouldn't be on there, then call the provider to have it corrected--this is quite common for hospitalization bills. If you had insurance for the medical bills, make sure they covered all they should have. If they didn't, or if you're not sure, then gather your bills and call the insurance company. Use the itemized receipts from the healthcare provider/facility to lobby for certain things to be covered if they weren't. Once you've corrected the mistakes and lobbied the insurance company, then call the healthcare provider. Explain that you're in a hardship situation and ask what kind of payment assistance they have. If no payment assistance, they at least should extend the payment period. If you are already in collections, remember that collections usually doesn't collect much (if anything) on a balance. If you can come up with a fraction of the total bill, call collections and negotiate on the bill. One of DH's old medical bills we settled for $900 what was a $3000 bill. However, that requires being able to pay the settled amount in full that day. So save that call for when you have some money. Check out Dave Ramsey or Sue Orman (I think that's her name) for motivation to get ahead. There's a money matters board on The Nest that's good for posting your full budget on to get more targeted help.

jennlin · March 2014

Yup, my detergent is cd safe.

If you are responsible with credit cards, h and I use our cc's for everything and earn cash back. We paid for most our wedding with credit cards and got 1300$ back in cash from Amex. (That's an extreme), but it adds up. We cycle various cards so that we almost always get 5% back (eating out, gas, groceries, drugstore)

Kessho · March 2014

If you're on FB you can see about joining your county's buy/ sell/ trade group. Mine has a few different groups like baby items, home thing, and other.

ajjf1026 · March 2014

Sorry to thread jack but what's the scoop on ebates?

jennlin · March 2014

afolske106 said:
Sorry to thread jack but what's the scoop on ebates?

Ebates is online shopping..you shop at your regular stores (target, nordstrom, amazon, 6pm)....there are a LOT of stores to choose from, and you "click-through" from ebates, so that target, or wherever sees that you came "from" ebates. Spend money like normal. Target gives ebates a commission, you get some of that.

ajjf1026 · March 2014

Thanks @jennlin‌

Herefishy87 · March 2014

jennlin said:
Yup, my detergent is cd safe.

If you are responsible with credit cards, h and I use our cc's for everything and earn cash back. We paid for most our wedding with credit cards and got 1300$ back in cash from Amex. (That's an extreme), but it adds up. We cycle various cards so that we almost always get 5% back (eating out, gas, groceries, drugstore)

We're pretty good with our credit cards but I'm always afraid to do that just incase I can't pay it off right away for what ever reason. I try to keep credit cards to a minimum for emergency stuff and online purchases but we've had to hit them a little harder recently for day to day purchases. Oy!

Would you be willing to share you CD detergent recipe? Id love to try it!
What is you use for dryer sheets for your other laundry? Stupid dryer sheets are expensive!

Herefishy87 · March 2014

crunchymama11 said:
i have 2 different laundry soap recipes- 1 for reg clothes and 1 for cds. the one for cloth cds is 1 part oxiclean to 2 parts each borax and washing (NOT baking) soda. use like 1 T for the first wash and 2T for the second (depending on load size.

you shouldn't use dryer sheets because it can leave residue in your dryer and transfer to your cds. instead of fabric softener, i use...vinegar! (seriously, i love vinegar!!!). i just pour into into the fabric softener dispenser on every load but cds. you can also use a wool ball in the dryer- it's reusable and won't harm your diapers! there is no vinegar smell when the clothes dry!

if you want fragrance in your clothes, put a few drops of an EO on a washcloth and throw that into the dryer with your clothes. you can re-use it a few times before needing to re-fresh.

also, i thought of another biggie- eat less meat. i'll buy a 1.10lb package of beef and split it into 3 meals. add more veggies (way cheaper than meat and healthier) to make the meal heartier. eat a meatless meal 1x or 2x/week- homemade pizza, veggie/pasta soup or a hearty soup like broccoli cheese or potato, rice and beans (make the rice with a cilantro pesto, add salsa, guac and cheese, and it's just like a chipotle bowl!), portabello mushroom burgers, hearty pasta dish, breakfast for dinner. americans eat waayyyy too much meat.

I had no clue dryer sheets would leave a residue and transfer to the diapers! Crap! Gotta stop that ASAP! Where do you get washing soda? I have borax and oxyclean at home conveniently. I also love the EO on a wash cloth idea, so great!
We only eat meat prob 4 times a week or so. Usually there is a breakfast for dinner or 1-2 nights of pasta in the mix.
Thanks for all the great tips! Can I just live with you for a week to learn your ways?? Lol!

jennlin · March 2014

I use similar recipie as crunchy for the detergent. I don't remember the portions, but it's one tub oxiclean, 2 boxes borax, 3 boxes washing soda. But I do use vinegar for diapers, and give it an extra rinse after the initial rinse.

I use he same detergent for my clothes. Doing cloth diapers and regular clothes, it lasted me two full years, at 28$ for the supplies.

I also use wool dryer balls, make your own!! Super easy and cheap--I actually sell them in my local moms groups.

Herefishy87 · March 2014

jennlin said:
I use similar recipie as crunchy for the detergent. I don't remember the portions, but it's one tub oxiclean, 2 boxes borax, 3 boxes washing soda. But I do use vinegar for diapers, and give it an extra rinse after the initial rinse.

I use he same detergent for my clothes. Doing cloth diapers and regular clothes, it lasted me two full years, at 28$ for the supplies.

I also use wool dryer balls, make your own!! Super easy and cheap--I actually sell them in my local moms groups.

$28 is amazing! That's like a month of detergent for us! I do like 10-15+ loads a week. I'll def google how to make wool dryer balls. I've seen them on the CD sites but don't know anyone who uses or has used them and didn't wanna spend the cash if they sucked.

jennlin · March 2014

@crunchymama11‌ is crazy. Meat is delicious and I must #eatallthemeat.

Crunchy, what detergent do you use on your reg clothes? Do you use the modified version of the above with shaved bar soap?

acethebase · March 2014

BrittanyCupcakes said:

crunchymama11 said:

Herefishy87 said:

@crunchymama11- your amazing! Wow! I really try and cut down on buying premade food and cool from scratch but making your own bread, never even crossed my mind! I suck a gardening I can barely keep a fake plant alive! Lol! I would LOVE to do goats and chickens but my H has repeatedly said no and I'm sure our town would have an ordinance against it.
What is swagbucks? Don't think I've ever heard of that before but any extra cash to be made will not hurt!
I'll def check out those sites I need some insight on how to pick apart our finances better.
You right I def need to learn to sew! I would love to be able to make diaper covers for LO!
FTR I love the Dave Ramsey quote! I need to tattoo that on my damn arm! There are times I get so discouraged trying to be financially responsible when I see friends or acquaintances that spend money like its going outta style and not paying their mortgage.
(Sorry that tuned into a slight rant)

swagbucks is a total time-suck for what seems like not much money. each SB = 1 cent. and it takes a little time to do it. it's definitely not a part-time job! but every cent adds up in the long-term. so far this year (well, since Christmas when I start saving for next Christmas) I have earned $15 in Amazon GCs and $25 paypal cash. and i've ramped up my swagging even more. I am on track to get $200 (maybe more!) this year, which is pretty decent, IMO. Last year I barely did it and got $120 in cash and Amazon GCs. you can do better if you have a smartphone, which I don't.

I do the swag tv while i'm bumping, so 2 birds with 1 stone

i understand what you mean about feeling discouraged, especially when you see other people spending freely. we all feel discouraged sometimes! I feel like I don't have enough time to do everything (and I don't!). But I do what I can. And when I get off track or discouraged, I listen to Dave Ramsey to remind myself why I do what I do!

Swagbucks is awesome. I've been using it for years but only really started working at it this past year. I was able to do pretty much all of my Christmas shopping with amazon gift cards saved up from swagbucks, combined with Amazon's Black Friday lightning deals.

ETA: if you use a smartphone, get the SBTV app. I just let it run sometimes when I'm home and connected to the wifi, and the SB's add up.

And if anyone wants to share the love, I have a referral link, too.

Not to thread jack but can I have the link to that? TIA!

norbert5 · March 2014

@Herefishy87‌ - DH and I have been using Dave Ramsey's methods for almost 8 years and we love it. It has allowed me to stay home, buy two cars with cash, buy a home with 20% down, and travel without going into debt beyond a mortgage. We even made it through DH being laid off without going into debt. Things have been tighter since we moved to a HCOL area but we are still making it work.

@CousinVicki‌ is right about credit cards. It is a slippery slope, don't do it unless you are absolutely sure you will pay it off ASAP.

CatieG · March 2014

@crunchymama11‌ - Thanks for posting all of that! I am in awe of your money saving ways and hope to successfully integrate a few into our money spending life LOL

Herefishy87 · March 2014

norbert5 said:
@Herefishy87‌ - DH and I have been using Dave Ramsey's methods for almost 8 years and we love it. It has allowed me to stay home, buy two cars with cash, buy a home with 20% down, and travel without going into debt beyond a mortgage. We even made it through DH being laid off without going into debt. Things have been tighter since we moved to a HCOL area but we are still making it work.

@CousinVicki‌ is right about credit cards. It is a slippery slope, don't do it unless you are absolutely sure you will pay it off ASAP.

Wow that is amazing!!! Dave Ramsey sounds like the man!!! I need to get on this ASAP! Thanks!!

Herefishy87 · March 2014

crunchymama11 said:

jennlin said:

@crunchymama11‌ is crazy. Meat is delicious and I must #eatallthemeat.

Crunchy, what detergent do you use on your reg clothes? Do you use the modified version of the above with shaved bar soap?

meat is delicious but expensive...boo

i would also #eatallthemeat if $$$ wasn't an issue.

yes- for my clothes i add a bar of fels naptha (sp??) but I am going to try soap nuts when my current stash runs out. My HM laundry detergent costs like $3 to make, and it lasts 9 months. So it is very cost effective.

I didn't add my swagbucks referral code before- it is swagbucks.com/refer/cfisher2008

edited: you can buy washing soda at walmart and kroger, and i'm sure target. it's in the laundry aisle, and it's made by arm and hammer in a yellow box.

Thanks I'm deft gonna try my hand at making our own laundry detergent.

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