Penny Pinching Mom

Gotta Keep Your Feet Warm

Winter got started very early here this year. Thanksgiving was the first decent day to be outside we’ve had in quite a while. Today was just rainy, but they’re calling for snow tonight. And even if we don’t get that, all that rain will probably freeze what with low temperatures in the 20s.

Pumpkin and I have been able to get by wearing our tennis shoes so far, but the way things are going, we won’t be that lucky all winter. I just have a feeling we’re going to get a good snow or two before it’s all said and done. I have some sort of high-top shoes that are lined that do okay, but Pumpkin doesn’t have any winter shoes she can wear.

I wish I could just go out and buy us each a nice pair of UGG Boots. But there’s no way I can do it right now. I am going to at least try to get Pumpkin some kind of boots for Christmas, though. If it comes down to me or her having warm feet, I don’t have to think twice about who I would choose.

I Saved Almost 40%

I went to the grocery store today with very little money in the bank. I came back with just enough stuff to get us through until payday. But I think I did pretty well. My total before coupons came to $32 and change, and after coupons it was $20 and change. So all told, I saved 37.5% on my grocery bill. Yay me!

As usual, I shopped Food Lion. I had enough milk coupons to get a free gallon of milk, a card that saves me $2 on each bag of salad I buy before the end of the year, and my MVP card. Pepsi was on MVP sale, so I got 4 of them for $3. And I saved a few bucks by seeking out other stuff that was on sale.

Okay, I’m done patting myself on the back for now.

I Dropped the Ball

I didn’t get around to posting any Black Friday deals. I didn’t have to visit my great-grandmother who has mesothelioma or take my dog to the vet, I just plain didn’t get around to it. I’ve been pretty busy trying to have a holiday and still get my work done, though. Hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.

I will definitely be posting some Christmas sales and coupon codes, though. I’ve already found a few, but I want to find some more and get them somewhat organized before I share them. But this time it will happen, I promise.

Get That Thing Out of My Living Room!

A while back, I told Hubby that I liked to play air hockey. I said we should go to the local game room and play it sometime. He said we would, but it never happened. And then one day he up and decides to buy me an air hockey table.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a bad thing. He got an excellent deal on it, and it’s great for when we have company. But we really had nowhere to put it. It ended up in my living room, and it’s still there.

Now, the living room we have now is probably larger than any living room we’ve had, but with that table in it, it’s tiny. He moved my TV stand that I use as a decorative table to the hallway, and crammed a chair into the corner where nobody can sit in it. Not cool.

I’ve been after him to move it ever since he brought it home. But I don’t think we could get it in the basement, and even if we could, the dampness and leaks down there would ruin it. The garage would be an option if there wasn’t so much junk out there, but there’s no electricity in it for now. So I guess the only options are to leave it where it is or sell it.

One of those things (or at least a temporary move to the garage) is going to have to happen very soon. Come hell or high water, I’m going to have a place to put a Christmas tree.

The Day After Thanksgiving Is Coming Up!

I’m normally not big on celebrating Thanksgiving. This year I’m kind of looking forward to it, because I’m going to have dinner at my Mom’s and the whole family will be there. But most of the time I just throw a small ham in the crock pot, fix some biscuits and canned veggies, and eat with Hubby and Pumpkin. A couple of times I haven’t even bothered cooking.

Back when I had money, I always looked forward to the day after thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday. I loved to go shopping and find great deals on Christmas gifts. I hated the crowds, but not so badly that I would stay home. I didn’t get up at insane hours and wait at the front door of my favorite store, though. My non-morning-person-ness outweighed my love of great deals.

This year I don’t think I’ll be doing any Black Friday shopping, due to lack of funds at the present time. If I do scrape up a few bucks, I’ll probably spend them online. I don’t have anyone who loves to shop to go with me any more, and Hubby and Pumpkin make shopping downright unpleasant (never mind shopping in a crowd). So if I can find it online and not have to pay a lot more for it, that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m still hoping to post some Christmas sales from online merchants, and if I can get myself in gear in time to get some up for Black Friday, I will. So stay tuned!

Is This a Placebo or What?

The doctor finally diagnosed me with ADD the end of last month. I was glad to hear it, because I thought maybe I could get some medication and get on with my life. She gave me medication, but things really haven’t changed much.

She said there would be side effects, one of which was weight loss. I was glad to hear that. I had considered trying something like Fenterdren, but if I could kill two birds with one stone, all the better. But so far it hasn’t happened. And more importantly, I’m still having a lot of trouble concentrating and staying awake.

My brain appears to be working ever-so-slightly better, but not like it used to. So I think I’m going to talk to her about upping my dosage. She has me on the lowest dosage there is, and I know I could tolerate more. If the dose I’m on is helping a little, maybe a higher dose will help more. I don’t want the strongest thing they’ve got, just something that will actually help me.

Fortunately I’ve found some ways to streamline my work and be a little more productive. Not as productive as I could be if I could stay awake and my brain would work right, but it’s an improvement. I’ll just be glad when things are back to normal, whatever it takes to get there.

Gas Is Even Cheaper!

Sorry about another post about gas prices, but I’m elated that they’ve gone down so much. I know it probably won’t last, but it’s nice not to have to spend a fortune at the pump. I filled Hubby’s truck up from the quarter mark over the weekend for $28, and normally that barely buys a quarter of a tank. That was in Virginia where prices are about 20 cents lower than in North Carolina right now, though.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to use the money we’re saving to buy a nice LCD TV. Most of it’s being eaten up by higher grocery costs. And in fact, we’re not really saving that much anyway. We use very little gas right now, because I go to town as little as possible and Hubby doesn’t drive to work much (he gets picked up in the company truck). Still, maybe the lower prices will make Christmas a little brighter.

I know part of the reason that gas has gotten less expensive is because of the horrible state of the economy. People are driving less to save money, and the powers that be are lowering prices in hopes that they will get into the habit of buying more so they can raise them again. So I don’t suppose we can expect it to last too long. If I had a way of storing it, I would consider buying up a bunch for later use. But if we all started doing that, it would just lead to higher prices sooner I guess. So I suppose I’ll keep on doing what I’m doing and enjoy the few extra pennies in my pocket.

It’s That Time of Year

Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away, and Christmas will be here before you know it. It’s the time of year to start thinking about gifts, and holiday feasts, and by the time it’s all over with, fat burners.

This year I’m going to try to get some good Christmas deals and coupons posted here. I ran across some pretty great ones last year, but I didn’t get around to posting most of them. Hopefully this time around I can help my readers save some money. That’s part of the reason I started this blog, after all.

So check back from time to time to see what I’ve found. I know most of us could stand to save some money during the holidays!

Saving on Groceries

I’ve managed to get good deals on our home owner insurance, auto insurance and other recurring bills like that. But when it comes to everyday expenses like groceries, that’s where I have problems.

I was on a particularly tight budget the last time I went to the grocery store, so I figured it was time to go through those coupons I always get at checkout. I found several that were for things I often buy, and I separated them from the rest. I don’t attempt to make an official list because I never stick to it, but I wrote the essentials down so I wouldn’t forget them and headed out the door.

I got to the store (Food Lion, to be specific) and searched the aisles for the “variables” – the snacks, cereal and such that didn’t necessarily have to be a certain kind – looking for the best deals on stuff we would actually eat. And I did pretty well. I managed to get almost everything on sale with my MVP card. Awesome.

Most of my coupons were for frozen food. I got to the frozen chicken, and I was thrilled to see that the chicken nuggets that Pumpkin eats were on sale. Usually $6.99 a bag, they were buy one get one free. And it just so happened that I had two coupons for $2 off on one bag. So that brought the price down to $1.50 a bag.

I also found that the Lean Cuisine entrees were on sale, and I had a coupon for them too. But it was for $1.50 off of eight of them. I really couldn’t justify getting that many when I’m the only one who eats them and I already had some stuff for my lunches that was cheaper. So I just picked up a couple of them and moved on.

Altogether I managed to save nearly $30. That’s the most I’ve saved at the grocery store in a long time. So I’m pretty proud of myself.