Festival of Frugality #58 is up

Festival of Frugality #58.

There are some great reads. I am scouting the "seriously Thrifty?" for some ideas I can use!!!

Grocery shopping day/Pantry lists

I am off to the grocery store soon. Wish me luck :D.

I have a rather large list, but mostly because we have been using up pantry items, so I am running low on the staples.

I have a large list of items I try to keep on hand at all times

Baking Supplies:

Baking powder (non-aluminum: Refrigerating keeps it fresher)
Baking soda
Sugars (white, brown, powdered)
Cocoa
Milled Flaxseed
Chocolate Chips
Vinegars: red wine, balsamic, white & apple cider
Whole wheat flour
oats
Cornmeal
molasses
vanilla extract

Breads:
Whole wheat bread
Tortillas - flour
White bread for kids
English Muffins

Canned goods:
Crushed tomatoes (I have canned my own in the past)
Diced tomatoes
Tomato paste
Pumpkin puree
Ranch Dressing
Italian Dressing
Pineapple
Apple sauce (although I make it, I like to have it on hand, too)
Evaporated milk
Tuna
Beans (an assortment: Kindey, chili, garbanzo, green)
cream of soup
creamed corn
tomato soup
mushrooms
sweet potatoes
peaches/pears


Condiments:
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Ketchup
Mustards (regular yellow, honey mustard)
Honey
Jams/Jelly (I rarely buy this, but I try to keep grape & strawberry on hand, I make peach)
Peanut butter (smooth & crunchy)
Salsa
worchestershire sauce
horseradish

Seasonings:
Pepper corns
Nutmeg nuts
Ground nutmeg
Garlic powder
Dill
Italian seasoning
parsley
Rosemary
Bay leaves
Basil
Sage
Chili Powder
Thyme
Ginger
Cloves (whole & ground)
Curry powder
allspice
onion powder

Cereals:
"Cheerios"
Crisp Rice
Variety Packs of instant oatmeal

Prepackaged stuff:
macaroni and cheese
Onion Soup mix
veg dip/soup mix
ranch dressing mix (make my own or buy on sale)
brownie mix
cake mix
frosting (I like to make from scratch, but in a pinch it's handy to have)

rice (we use regular white, not instant)
assorted pastas (spaghetti, bowtie, ziti, fettuccini)
(I like the Barila with the flaxseed, I only buy on sale & with a coupon though)
Potato Flakes (for use in bread machine)

Pantry veggies:
Potatoes
Onions
Assorted winter squashes when in season

Refrigerator:
Milk
Butter/Margarine (tub & Stick)
Eggs
Cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella, colby-jack)
Yogurt Sticks for kids & plain for cooking
Olive Oil
Sour Cream
Cottage Cheese (when I make pancakes, otherwise we don't eat it)
Cream Cheese (I buy regular & light)
Yeast (bulk from Sam's CLub)
Miracle Whip (Light)


Freezer:
Chicken
Beef
Venison
Pork
french fries
Frozen vegetables
Frozen fruits (pick & freeze my own)
Butter
Homemade popcicles

Vegetable & fruit baskets:
Bananas
Carrots
Celery
Peppers
Mushrooms
Cucumber
Green Onion

Misc.
Coffee
Coffee Creamer
Milk Powder
Kool-Aid mixes
Tea Bags
Hot Cocoa (make my own)
Pancake Mix (make my own)
Bread Mix (make My own)
Biscuit Mix (make my own)
Chocolate Candies (potty training rewards)
Fruit Snacks (kids)
Chips
Tortilla Chips
graham crackers
snack crackers
Assorted Juice (apple, orange, cranberry)

I know there is more that I keep on hand but this is the basics. I should take a picture of my stock, maybe later after I get the groceries put away!!!

Sunday Insulating Adventures

Well, we have made it through another week. It finally got cold here, so we have been running around trying to find some of the major leaks in the house. Not an easy task in a home built in 1867.

The house is covered in plugs from blow in insulation, however we discovered (after purchasing the house) that there are no stops in the walls, so basically most of the blown in stuff settled. I would have thought that would be a good thing for the first floor, but no. Not sure what they did, but the add-on turret is cold & apparently has no insulation in the walls. I discovered this while putting the Prince's socks away. I was blasted by a shot of cold air, I had to inspect. It was coming through a crack in the wainscoting. I am guessing our house was vinyl sided before you wrapped first, since it wasn't wrapped at all.

I am not sure of an immediate fix for this I guess we weigh the rip out the walls & insulate (DIY), trying to salvage the wainscoting. Or we could call for quotes on blow in foam. I am just afraid that stuff will ooze into the house & be everywhere.

Duct tape is a great tool! I used some around a window in the Prince's room, voila no drafts. Guess I need to do the other 2 windows. I really just wanted to caulk but all dh could find was the adhesive...

We also discovered that the heating duct in his room had separated from the vent, so that has increased the amount of heat actually getting to the room. We sealed that with duct tape, taped around the basement window right below the vent & wrapped it with insulation.

Then I noticed that the beams under the pocket doors were- um - weird. There was a breeze blowing up through the floor there, so now the beam is wrapped in insulation & I can stand in the doorway & not feel like I'm doing a Marilyn impression!!!

I guess the frugal tip here is that it is never too late in the season to winterize & sometimes it's easier to pin point the problems once it's cold. If it is something you absolutely can't do until spring - write it down! I know we were going to do a couple of things in the warm weather that we forgot about until it was 14 degrees!

Check out DIY Home Inspection for a list of items you can check & fix yourself. Made me wish I'd had some incence sticks when I was trying to feel for drafts.

Crocked Pineapple Chicken

I don't know how frugal a recipe this will be for most. I don't usually use special chicken cuts, I buy whatever is on sale & right now I have a freezer full of halves, so that's what I'll be using. I have everything for this already in my pantry, I don't use whole cloves of garlic very often, but I do keep a jar of minced in the fridge. I think that I might make this & add a cup of rice, then keep the pineapple juice & add what I'd need to to get the water content to 2 cups. Sounds Yummy to me! BTW the 4 pts are for anyone following weight watchers (not sure how adding rice & the juice would mess it up.)

Crocked Pineapple Chicken (4 PTS)


6 whole chicken breast halves without skin -- skinned and split

1 dash pepper

To taste paprika

20 ounces pineapple chunks in juice -- 1 can tidbits

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic -- minced



Arrange chicken in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika. In a
small bowl, combine drained pineapple tidbits, mustard and soy sauce. Pour over
chicken. Add minced garlic. Cover and cook on LOW 7-9 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.
Makes 6 serving.



Per Serving: 194 Calories; 2g Fat; 28g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary
Fiber; 68mg Cholesterol; 483mg Sodium.

Managing to be Wealthy - book review

Managing to be Wealthy - Putting Your Financial Plan-and Planner-to Work for You - John Sestina, CFP,ChFC

I love this book, I would, I am a worksheet junkie. I think that was what drew me to 31 days to fix your finances. I have contemplated getting rid of this book several times (every time we move I have pared down our massive media collection) but I continue to hold on to it.

I have read this book cover to cover at least once and go back to reference it often, it is a great book. Mr. Sestina is a respected professional in the Financial Planning world. A quote from the back cover "Don't mistake this for just another book on getting your financial life in order. John Sestina is one of the fathers of today's financial planning movement...you're getting it from the horse's mouth"- David J. Drucker, MBA, CFP, President, Sunset Financial Management, Inc. Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Before I get too far I will point out that yes, I am aware that he is also a Quixtar/Amway Diamond. Honestly, if it weren't for that fact I probably never would have heard of him. I have heard him speak on numerous occasions.

It was his occupation as a financial planner that led to his involvement in the first place, I believe the story was that he was looking out for the welfare of a client & attended an opportunity meeting. I do not recall what happened with the
client over the years, but John & his wife built a successful Amway business, he was building his Financial Planning Business as well http://www.sestina.com/ SO, that aside, there are many people that look to him to plan their finances (including some big name former NFL players*see ESPN link at bottom). If he can handle their money, I am surely going to listen to the free advice! (well at least the price of the book!)

Ok, enough said, it doesn't matter who speaks the good advice, as long as it's good, does it?

So why am I writing about a book that has been out since 1993? Well, because I am also reading Rich Woman: A Book on Investing for Women - Because I Hate Being Told What to Do! as I may have mentioned before. Mrs. Kiyosaki continually mentions educating yourself on what investing is all about, learn the lingo, etc... Well,
this book does a lot of that. He covers saving for college, retirement, future, liabilities, taxes, estate planning,investing, businesses, and when to consult a professional.

The book begins with the six steps to financial freedom
1. What do You want? identify Financial & Personal Goals
2. What do you have now? Collect Information
3. What's holding you back? Consider problem areas
4. How do you get what you want? Develop written recommendations and alternate solutions
5. Put your plan into action
6. Is it working? Review the plan

I think the only problem I have with this book is that the Appendix D: You need a second business, is just that, an appendix & D no less! I think that is one of the most important points in the book. Sure it was put in as a way to convince you to get into their business, but there is a walk through of the process on deciding what business is right for you.

Maybe it doesn't need to be a "second" business forever, but business ownership (especially the sole proprietorship type of business he recommends) is the best way I have found to make a little money on top of your "job" and to keep even more money by way of tax deductions. The business vehicle mileage deduction for 2006 tax returns is 44.5 cents per mile. Mileage alone is worth the investment. I was involved in a home based candle business for 2 months in 2006, I racked up over 300 miles. The value of the miles was more than the commissions I earned (therefore I stopped doing it, but we still have other business ventures.)

He also touches on how you can shift your income by employing your children. Obviously this needs to be a valid and believable thing or the IRS will red flag you in seconds. I haven't used this benefit yet, as my children have been too young. But the 7 year old is starting to help, he was getting paid to shred papers, before we got the coal furnace. I wasn't paying him $10 an hour, more like $0.25 a session (hey he was 5 and we didn't end up needing the deduction that year anyways!)

I am spending 2007 putting MY financial house in order & this is my Go-to-Book. The good news for you if you don't already have it & want it, there are bunches of used ones available on Amazon.com!

This book is cited in the 2004 books Midlife Mamas on the Moon: Celebrate Great Health, Friendships, Sex, and Money and Launch Your Second Life by Sunny Hersh
and Surviving Financial Disasters: Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Eviction, Auto Repossession, Excessive Debts and Much Moreby Tiffany R. Love

Some links to articles where Mr. Sestina was interviewed.
http://espn.go.com/otl/dollars/wednesday.html
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/mtg/20020228a.asp
http://www.financial-planning.com/pubs/fp/20050901016.html

I got published

My finances so far in 2007

At least I can say I am eons above 2006, since in 2006 I had absolutely no idea what was going on with our money(yes dh, it is our $ even if you are the only one currently employed).

Ok, so at least I can be comforted by the fact that I have a temporary gig coming up here in a couple weeks (Easter Chocolates, yum!!!) The best part about that was they don't pay me until we close shop (day after Easter), so I get it lump sum.

If only I could put off buying groceries until then???

So, now that I have determined that we are frugal (cheap, broke, poor, etc...) by necessity I need to find a way to fix it. I think I am going to start by cutting our food $ back a lot. I know it is already below averages for a family our size, but we could do better. We still buy a lot of snack type stuff (granted I can & do bake cookies, I just don't see me whipping out a potato & the deep fryer for chips any time soon)

Our real time cash out flow is higher than our cash in flow, not good.
We spent about $1800 extra in Nov, Dec and Jan ($ from gifts, closing a savings account & some profit dh made drop shipping) That was supposed to have caught us up on overdue bills, so we would be starting from 0 in 2007, but we aren't.

If we sell our concession trailer...that is the only way we can make this work, but then we are out of business permanently. SO that really isn't an option yet, we are still weighing the advantage of keeping it higher than selling. The payment on the trailer =$37 a week, that is almost my food budget.

I've said before that I am trying to follow The Simple Dollar's 31 days to fix your finances However, I am at a point where I'm not sure I can continue, I will, but most of the advice is in dealing with a budget surplus that I just do not have. I know I need to pay myself first, but there just isn't the cash left on pay day to do that, it is either already spent or must be. We are in a sort of crisis mode right now. To top it all off, we have found out that one of our tenants is moving out (presumably by months end). Now this would be a good thing if it wasn't January.

We have been wanting this family to move out, pretty much since they moved in (it's a one bedroom apartment, there are 4 people living in it, it was a favor, will never happen again). However, now I have to worry about getting it filled shortly after they leave, but still find time & $ to do repairs they won't pay for (they should, but a lawyer will cost more & we'd never get a dime anyways). Plus, the natural gas will have to be left on, which means I'm paying. Just found out dh never paid the bill from the last time the apt was empty in 2005, that cost us $488. It was empty from Jan - March.

Dh had to go buy more coal today, I don't know how much he spent. I do know that he had to pay $700 on the mortgage & trailer on Saturday. Our cost of living here is only $378 a month (that includes taxes, insurance & mortgage) the rest is covered by rent income. He WAS a month behind on the trailer.

Also, in doing our books for the end of the year I figured we lost $4800 last summer, not to bad, since only $750 of that has been realized (in the trailer payments) to date. So if you take out the trailer loan we made a whopping, hold on to your seats $1200 last summer. We had 2 locations & a fairly steady customer traffic flow. Sure there are plenty of things that will change if we open this year (#1 being that we are back to 1 location, unfortunately it isn't the highest traffic location, but it is the most captive audience, State Park). Our business insurance was insane because of the park & the 2 locations, so hopefully that will go down & we will be able to advertise our existance in the park this year. Helps if people know you are there. I would work more as long as it's only one location, the sheer amount of paperwork & shopping was overwhleming last summer.

Now I feel like I am rambling...

So far I have a clearer picture of where we are, where we are going is still a lot fuzzy, but I'm sure I'll find a way!

Festival of Frugality #57

Fersitval of Frugality #57 is up over at FIRE Finance

I didn't submit this week, but there are some fabulous reads!

It's snowing here...

Not enough to even really mention it, but I guess it put me in a mood! One of those "rainy day craft" moods. And then I checked my email & a newsletter I get had a bunch of paper airplane links in it!!! Bright Kids


I actually printed a pattern from here
Paperplane.org

Organizing Tips from THE Martha!

Martha on Organizing Thanks to Organizing LA Blog for posting the link to the article, I hadn't done a Martha search in a while!

Click here to join

I just joined Blogging Chicks!!!

Kids & Money

My biggest GOAL of 2007 is to start & keep going with the financial education of my kiddos. So I've been doing a bit of surfing looking for little tidbits to help in their financal education.

I can't say I didn't get a good head start, I did. DH, there's another story. He was the baby of the family (by 11 years) & I think they just assumed he'd figure it out on his own??? Or they really did intend to give him money for the rest of their lives...

My Dad taught me a lot about stocks & investing & I was forced to save, which netted me a very large tax bill when I was 15 (had to get $ so wouldn't show up on financial aid apps) and a very little money to start college with (I think I spent it on 1 semester's worth of tuition, books & fees...) SO I had a decent chunk, that didn't go very far even with aid & I went state college not private, oh my...I digress.

I won the $50 Stock contest our Senior year of Highschool (eek, that was a while back!). I think I turned $10,000 into $15,000??? It's been a while, but I think I was the only one in the class still active after the first 2 weeks (you'd think I was a total loser right?, just weird). SO the $50 was mine even if I lost all of it. So I had an idea on how to pick stocks, when to trade, when to hold. I can even read the WSJ & understand it most of the time! Which when you think about it is pretty impressive with all those silly numbers & weird letters!

So, how did I end up here, in debt, living dh's pay check to pay check...well lets just say my education ended there. As long as I had a job I had money, my needs were met, my Mom had a new job so there was extra cash in the household (she had been a stay at home Mom, even through layoffs & unemployment)so I guess I just expected things to not change so drastically when I went to college. HA (~ not blaming anyone but myself here, maybe just whining a little!)

Back then the credit card companies were so eager to give cards away they. I had a summer internship at a major CO & they paid well, I ended up with 2 credit cards my first summer (My intentions were great, one was a gas CO card so I was earning cash back + when I filled up with their gas, the other was a low interest acct, I wanted them for emergencies & book buying, I was traveling over an hour a day in an older car, in another state, but they gave me soooooo much credit, like $2500 to start & when I made regular payments it just kept going up & up before I knew it it was $5000) SO leading us down the path of financial destruction, I was married before I turned 21 (by choice, not necessity) & 6 months after the I Dos Dh was into his first bought of unemployment which was funded by my credit, not Unemployment....

So, needless to say I am like a sponge, open to just about anything to educate my kids so this doesn't happen to them.

I know DS is going to be President someday, he can talk a line of BS like you wouldn't believe. He even has his teacher fooled into thinking she runs the class!!! Kind of like sometimes he lets me be in charge around the house! This means he will need to go to a "Good" college, which means big bucks for us in only 11 years. We are hoping for a football scholarship, but it is highly unlikely!!! We are ok now, at the moment he wants to drive a bulldozer, we tried explaining that he wants to own the Construction Co so he can drive all the equipment, but he insists that we are full of it!

DD is a constant entertainer, I just don't see a lab coat in her future...But, I'm not into labeling them just yet & funding her move to Hollywood could cost as much as DSs ivy league schooling....

SO I surf, I soak it all in, & I pray that I understand it myself!!!

I have found a few sites to share dealing with kids & money, for us (the parent) & for them (GAMES, does anything else work these days???) Why can't Nintendo create an algebra based game??? Spelling anyone???

Money Central by the US Treasury has age appropriate activities (5-8 & 9-13). It has some fun games (at least in the 5-8 activities where I was)

ING's Orange Kids

Pay JR. has great links to some other kids & money sites in their Education Center

The Simple Dollar posted a link & review about a money savvy pig, loved it, how cute!

Rich Dad - Richard K has developed the Cash Flow Game (either adult of kid version)



I still think that the best starter for money education & realestate was Monopoly! Pass Go collect $200!!! Obviously teaches strategy, how sometimes buying pricier properties can pay off, sometimes it doesn't...Monopoly Jr. is great fun for the kids. I have played it numerous times with the Prince. Atleast until the Princess stole all the money...

All in all I figure the more I know, the better off they are. And they will never know if I don't teach them.

2006 Taxes - Yikes!!!

Find Any State or Federal Tax Form

IRS

Free File @ IRS.gov ~ Coming January 16th...



So I have started assembling links, just not paperwork :D. I can say that at least the Ice Cream shop's books are mostly caught up. I am behind, but only by a couple of the last days (why bother?) and a few expense reciepts that need to be found (like the last 2 ice cream deliveries?>??)

Last year we did good, Turbotax efile had an offer that allowed us to get $$$ FREE just for using them & using some of our refund $ to buy gift cards. I can't remember exactly how much we got, I think the max was $200 in free gift cards (can't remember how much you had to spend out of your return though) Well we got gift cards for Lowe's & used then to fund a lot of our 2006 repair/renovations on the house. So it was money we would have spent anyways, we just got an extra few $ doing it this way. I know that we made more money back than we spent having them file our state taxes too... SO I can't remember exact #s but we were in the black!

Ok, so please don't trash me about how I shouldn't be getting a refund, I'm just loaning my money to the gov't, yada yada yada. The only way for us to not get a refund would be to take out the Earned Income Tax Credit over the year, which I'm not comfortable with, we'll get a significant return until they take that away! Guess I don't trust them to not say hey we overpaid you & now you owe us...EEEK. Plus a lot of our refund is tied into the sole proprietership deductions we take. It pays to own a business. Even a small one.

This year DH incorporated us & I ain't gonna even try to file that baby! Individual taxes are hard enough...

Well I have vowed that 2007 will be a better organized year so I am looking for software to better organize our business ventures (if it was just us I'd stick with the stuff already on my computer!). Save up to 36% Off Quicken 2007 Products + Free Shipping. I have used Quicken in the past & loved it. In doing some research on business software I figured our best bet was Quickbooks. So I'll be weighing that again here fairly soon.



Found this blurb, wonder what it's like? We are considering increasing our rental properties (1 is just painful, especially since it's our home too...) Guess I'll look into it once I need to :-D. Trying not to get distracted here but it is my nature!!!

Preparing for 2007 Financially

Ok, so I have been following The Simple Dollar's 31 days to Fix Your Finances

I have completed up to day 10 & BOY am I informed! I have managed to corner DH on every aspect of our finances & lay out for him everything he has messed up in the last 3 years. But I think we have a sound understanding & a plan of attack. I can't wait for the next days task to be posted!!! I am really liking the simplicity of it all, dh is not a financial wonder & has a hard time grasping concepts like if you spend $20 on chicken wings how are you going to pay the phone bill???

SO right now I have our expenses & how many hours he has to work to meet them. Realizing that he is falling short a few hours a week is really frustrating, especially since we are so close, with no wiggle room at all.

I'd post what I have done so far but it is far humbling a task!!! Maybe in the end I'll fill in the blanks, but right now it's just all TOO REAL!!!

529s & college savings

Taking Control Over Money has a great post about 529s. I have managed to dig out the file with the kids applications in them, but that is as far as I have gotten for right now.

My parents set up funds for the kids when they were born & I guess my Dad is rearranging ds's, so we are going to stick some of his money in that as well ($100 out of his savings account). SO go us! Finally getting something done, at least they are only 3 & 7 & not 14 & 18!!!