pvp Low/No Spend September (and half of October) (:

[Sepherina]

This week’s meal plan and grocery list for us.  There are some extras on there.  We are house sitting a friend’s cats while she takes a trip and she had 2 full heads of Napa cabbage she donated to us.  Minion #3 wants to make kimchi with one and I will make egg rolls with the other (will be freezing after cooking for easy sides to meals) . But that means I need to hit up the Asian specialty store for some ingredients.  While out there I also need to buy pork belly for the community dinner at the end of this month.  We are doing an Oktoberfest theme with the main dish being a roasted Austrian pork belly and home brewed Oktoberfest beer. I am hoping to be under $200 but it may closer to $225. We have been really good lately about sticking with what is at home and not eating out.  I hope to continue the trend this week. If I manage to save, half will go to our long term savings and the other half to the credit card.  

 

While this probably feels like overkill most weeks, I don’t stick to these plans religiously. Sometimes the prices are too high or I can’t find a necessary item so I don’t buy/cook that meal. It is why we stock extra in the house.  Also I don’t necessarily cook these things on their assigned nights.  This list is more like a guideline of “this is what we intend to eat this week”.

 

Meal Plan

Spoiler

• Sunday
  • Dinner - Tacos
• Monday
  • Lunch - Leftovers
  • Dinner Salmon/Tilapia with Veggie
• Tuesday
  • Lunch - Leftovers
  • Dinner - Golash
• Wednesday
  • Lunch - Egg Salad
  • Dinner - Leftovers/Fend
• Thursday
  • Lunch - Leftovers
  • Dinner - Disney Grilled Cheese sandwiches with tomato soup and chips
• Friday
  • Lunch - Out
  • Dinner - Leftovers/Fend
• Saturday
  • Turkey Street Cart Bowls

 

Grocery List

Spoiler

Total budgeted $225

 

Aldi (Budgeted $85)

• Italian bread ($4.00)
• Bananas ($3.00)
• Grapes ($3.00)
• Cucumber ($1.00)
• Green onions ($1.00)
• Broccoli  ($4.00)
• Onions (red and sweet $5.00)
• Garlic ($2.00)
• Shredded cheddar ($4.00)
• Cheddar cheese slices ($2.00)
• Provolone cheese slices (2.00)
• Chips ($3.00)
• Chili Powder ($2.00)
• Fruit snacks ($5.00)
• Corn (3 bags $4.00)
• Ground Turkey (2 lbs ~ $6.00 )
• Tilapia (2 pkgs ~ $13.00)
• Milk ($5.00)
• Sour Cream ($2.00)
• Cream cheese ($3.00)
• Frozen fruit ($8.00)

 

Giant Eagle (Budgeted $30)

• Pace salsa ($4.00)
• Avocado ($2.00)
• Chicken Thighs (SALE MEAT .99/lb $8.00)
• Pork shoulder butt roast (SALE MEAT BOGO $15.00)
• Eggs (2 doz @.99 each $2.00)

 

Shop n Save (Budgeted $43)

• Tomato soup (3/$3.00)
• Frito Lay chips ($10.00)
• Dip (3/$5.00)
• Pork and Beans (4/$5.00)
• Spare ribs (SALE MEAT 1.99/lb $10.00)
• Ground Beef (3.99/lb $10.00)

 

Strip District Shops ($30.00)

• Pork Belly 
• Gochujung
• Gochugaru
• Korean Rice Cakes
• Belgium Chocolate

 

[Sepherina]

On a side note, I put a list of apps that I use to “earn” extra money.  All this goes to my personal travel account where I DO NOT SHARE with anyone else in the fam lol..

 

Receipt Apps

Checkout 51 (is okay, but is better for cash back on gas purchases)

Ibotta (good if you buy name brand stuff - not great for store brands)

Dosh (usually is tied to a card and not a receipt app)

Coin Out (takes any receipt)

Receipt Hog (takes any receipt)

Fetch (takes any receipt but better if you are buying name brand and not store brand)

ReceiptPal (takes any receipt)

 

I have also used Tada (it is tied to Swagbucks).  If you haven’t tried Swagbucks it is a good way to earn some extra cash if you have time to put into it. I don’t use/get referral dollars for it (I am too anti social) but I have had some success in earning a fair amount of cash (under $3000 since Dec 2018).  Most big hitters for me have been community surveys and a few secret shopper and product testing. Sometimes the games are fun if you have time to dedicate. 

 

Exercise Apps

Evidation (gotten better over the years not as slow as an earner as it was in the past. You get credit for exercise, health surveys, mood and sleep check ins and tracking food or reading health articles)

Miles (Avoid it. It sucks IMO)

 

Does anyone else have any easy ways they “earn” extra without picking up a side gig?

[Snarkyfishguts]

45 minutes ago, Sepherina said:

Does anyone else have any easy ways they “earn” extra without picking up a side gig?

Nope but I am listening

 

 

I've been canceling a lot of online orders lately, and I took some shopping apps off my phone. I'm a little surprised how the small purchases I made add up, and how NONE of it is really essential. Wowsers!

[Sovalis]

I mentioned this on my challenge thread, but saying it here to be accountable as well: I really want a video game that just dropped that is $80 (Canadian) which is $20 more than I expected (bloody exchange rate). Technically I could do it, but it would functionally zero me out and that's not an experience I want considering how topsy turvy our money situation has been so far this month. So I'm going to behave myself! 

 

Part of my budget and self care in the next week is a much needed haircut on the 13th that I anticipate costing ~$50. It's a new stylist, so I'm hoping I get on with her, get a good cut, and don't have to go over budget. My last two cuts haven't been good and I'm running out of places to go in town so wish me luck! 

[Darciana]

On 9/9/2023 at 8:21 AM, Sepherina said:

On a side note, I put a list of apps that I use to “earn” extra money.  All this goes to my personal travel account where I DO NOT SHARE with anyone else in the fam lol..

 

Receipt Apps

Checkout 51 (is okay, but is better for cash back on gas purchases)

Ibotta (good if you buy name brand stuff - not great for store brands)

Dosh (usually is tied to a card and not a receipt app)

Coin Out (takes any receipt)

Receipt Hog (takes any receipt)

Fetch (takes any receipt but better if you are buying name brand and not store brand)

ReceiptPal (takes any receipt)

 

I have also used Tada (it is tied to Swagbucks).  If you haven’t tried Swagbucks it is a good way to earn some extra cash if you have time to put into it. I don’t use/get referral dollars for it (I am too anti social) but I have had some success in earning a fair amount of cash (under $3000 since Dec 2018).  Most big hitters for me have been community surveys and a few secret shopper and product testing. Sometimes the games are fun if you have time to dedicate. 

 

Exercise Apps

Evidation (gotten better over the years not as slow as an earner as it was in the past. You get credit for exercise, health surveys, mood and sleep check ins and tracking food or reading health articles)

Miles (Avoid it. It sucks IMO)

 

Does anyone else have any easy ways they “earn” extra without picking up a side gig?

I can vouch for Receipt Hog, Fetch, ReceiptPal, and Evidation.

 Evidation I have tied to my Fitbit account but I saw there were many options to auto-track. I usually only check it once a week but I'm earning daily as an almost set it and forget it. They did update so if you don't stay somewhat active and check in your account will get deleted. Fortunately when I've forgotten, they've sent me emails letting me know ahead of time so I can hop on and knock out a survey or two to stay active and in good standing. I very much like the improvements they've made.

 

The Receipt Hog, Fetch, and ReceiptPal can also accept e-receipts so my online purchases also get accounted for, which is really nice.

 

I can also say Miles sucks but that was years ago so not sure if much changed but sounds like it hasn't.

 

Ibotta was great but I get 5% cash back through my grocery on store brands so it's become useless. I hate that you have to "earn" at least $20 to cash out and that takes me over a year because I so rarely buy name brand. But, it's really great if you do buy more name brand stuff! I enjoyed it a lot when I still lived in Kansas.

 

Unfortunately I don't have any to add to this list.

[Darciana]

So the Man's wine subscription ended up charging to my card (apparently it is set as backup and I didn't know it) since he got a new card. It was $200 of unexpected cost which takes away every bit (and then some) of the extra I was going to put towards my credit cards. Now I'll barely be able to scrape by paying minimums and I'll still be in the yellow. Ugh. I'll be cancelling that. Usually I get an email warning so I thought I still had until next month to figure it out. Guess not.

 

I have a football game this weekend I'm now completely broke for and hopefully the Man isn't too upset that I'm going to be racking up credit cards there (he just helped me pay off all the cards we used this last year and then the balances are from events this summer with the kids) because he paid for hotel and tickets so I have to pay for food and beer (which I also find silly because he'll spend 3-4x what I will there in food/beer costs yet I'm the one paying. I tried to pay for the tickets themselves but he refused. The beer will cost more than the tickets I'm sure. I'm frustrated with life and finances right now, can you tell? Thanks for letting me get it off my chest). I'll also need to put groceries on the credit card I just worked all September to pay off. Ugh. So much for paying credit cards off, I'm just increasing balances at this point. At least this should be the last weekend I'm doing anything until mid-October and I can slightly recover. I hope.

 

EDIT: Exciting news- I may not be in the yellow, even with this weekend (as long as it costs under $300) because a bill I thought came out on this paycheck actually comes out the day I get my next paycheck. Whoot! I discovered it when I logged in to see if I could skip a month (fun fact: I can postpone 2, 4, or 6 weeks. It's my beef subscription so I don't want to go too long without, but that's good to know for future reference). Still hoping to keep this weekend under $300 so I can put some extra towards debt and have a little buffer since next paycheck is also the big big bills (mortgage, vehicle insurance, electricity, etc) plus quarterly HOA dues. Ugh.

[Sepherina]

2 hours ago, Darciana said:

Ibotta was great but I get 5% cash back through my grocery on store brands so it's become useless. I hate that you have to "earn" at least $20 to cash out and that takes me over a year because I so rarely buy name brand. But, it's really great if you do buy more name brand stuff! I enjoyed it a lot when I still lived in Kansas.

I have bought store gift cards through them for big purchases, but there is a daily limit.  May try doing it more for things I know we are going to spend on and at least get cash back there.

[Sepherina]

1 hour ago, Darciana said:

So the Man's wine subscription ended up charging to my card (apparently it is set as backup and I didn't know it) since he got a new card. It was $200 of unexpected cost which takes away every bit (and then some) of the extra I was going to put towards my credit cards. Now I'll barely be able to scrape by paying minimums and I'll still be in the yellow. Ugh. I'll be cancelling that. Usually I get an email warning so I thought I still had until next month to figure it out. Guess not.

Can you get the Man to reimburse you for the subscription? Or maybe ship the wine back and get a refund?

 

[Darciana]

15 minutes ago, Sepherina said:

Can you get the Man to reimburse you for the subscription? Or maybe ship the wine back and get a refund?

 

Unfortunately not. But we've worked this out - I'm more upset that I wasn't aware. Usually I get an email warning. I'm going to cancel the subscription after this one and eat the cost. It's frustrating, for sure.

[Sepherina]

1 minute ago, Darciana said:

Unfortunately not. But we've worked this out - I'm more upset that I wasn't aware. Usually I get an email warning. I'm going to cancel the subscription after this one and eat the cost. It's frustrating, for sure.

I can imagine so!  

[Sepherina]

A nice win this morning.  Mechanic just called (car has only been in shop for like 4 hours).  I thought it was going to be more bad news, but….NOPE!  The computer estimate for the rear differential was way off….the repair is done and instead of being close to 1300, it is under $700.  (Labor estimate was at 10 hours).

 

Coupled with being under the grocery bill this week I will take it! Money will be going back into the long term savings.

[Heidi]

Transparency note: Groceries and supplies for this weekend's visit were a very reasonable $100 (of stuff that was already on the list), and $20 for a recently-released streaming movie (that we nwo own). I was afraid with having my daughter recovering from being sick that it might get spendy (she's worth it and I don't mind one bit).  My weekly spending conitnues to decline, and I'm glad to the core for that. Like @Darciana, I postponed my beef delivery (I get salmon as well) for a couple months so that I can use what's left in the freezer before going to New York in October. I have one payment left on my annual vegetable partnership with the farm, so that will also free up a little cash, though it's such a small payment it honestly feels like I'm getting my vegetables for free ($40/week for a huge bag of vegetables, fresh herbs, and half a dozen eggs; next year I'm opting not to get the eggs).

 

Another big payment hit for the overall credit card balances, and this feels good, if a little scary. It will take a couple weeks or more to post to the credit reporting agencies, but that's all okay too. Here's a little bit about credit card math and how it affects your overall score: If it's over 30% of the total credit card balances, it drags your score down hard and fast. So, if you have cards that total 1,000 limit rolled together, and your ongoing balances are $750 rolled together, the credit agency thinks you are usign 75% of your available credit, and whoa, that's super bad. But if you open a new card with 2,500 balance and charge $250, you now have successfully improved your credit score by a lot, because  1,000/3500 is twenty-eight percent, and now Bob's your Uncle (whoever Bob is and whatever glorious thing it apparently means to have him as your uncle; this is a phrase I have never understood), you're going to be getting a slew of credit offers and loans in the mail. In theory, if I wanted to get a limit increase on any of these cards, I could, but the whole thing just scares the dickens out of me, and I'd rather actually pay the whole thing off, thanks.

[Heidi]

Transparency: I dropped a fair amount on a couple kindle books for school, and some tech tools for school as well (Canva pro, Doodle Pro). I like free tools, but I was about to throw things, so it's worth it. Same with the books, which are a couple that Philosopher James and I will be using to delve into the philosophy of education and some of the social theory aspects of my arguments.  I am really looking forward to this work, even though it's not an official class, and am hoping that I can get a meaningful collection of one-sheets out of it. Philosopher James and I think in similar ways about public philosophy, and there's a lot of value to me (and presumably also to him) in getting a portfolio of tools together.

[Sovalis]

My haircut was $35 including tip, which was under my $50 budget. Woot! 

[Darciana]

Unexpected expense for dogs (meds) and had to buy a new screen protector (mine finally cracked and started peeling off my phone - I want to trade it in when the new Pixel comes out in October but I need my current to be in near-perfect condition if I don't want to pay extra) but they're not terrible, $30 total for both?

 

Also found a guy who will do the exterior painting of our house for $2,800! All other quotes were $5,000, $6,800, and $7,300 so this is a HUGE discount and now we don't have to put it on credit! Also nearly done with cleaning up our back deck. We thought we'd have to replace everything but turns out, it was never stained/sealed so it was simply just disgusting. A good pressure washer (already owned) and effort it looked nearly new! Only a few pieces left to stain (between rain and running out of the stain itself) which are covered under the overhang and then the same stain on the front fence we just built and that's all done, too! Stain may be a bit pricey, but it's significantly cheaper than all the lumber we'd need to replace the deck!

 

I'm still in the green for now and, depending on the football game spend, may just scrape by in the green! I realized that I had already moved over funds into my grocery debit card. $190 that I hadn't previously accounted for which helps significantly, and should cover most, if not all, of the grocery bill for this coming week. I'll likely need to add a bit for fuel on that trip (gas station is part of the store so I can still use my card), but I accounted for $50 in fuel costs and I've never had to put more than $45 in our vehicle so that's not a huge deal - I anticipated that spend in my calculations.

Also, the Man has planned that we will go to our favorite restaurant in San Antonio (StoneWerks in the Rim for anyone who might find themselves in the area) for lunch Friday before heading to the tailgate, assuming the storms don't keep us indoors. Anyway, with that said, our lunch should be reasonable, price-wise and hopefully hold us over well enough. We've skipped dinner after eating there before because it was so filling so hopefully it's much the same this time so less spend on food at the game itself. I'm feeling confident right now that I can pull this off.

[Heidi]

1 hour ago, Darciana said:

I want to trade it in when the new Pixel comes out in October

I too am having phone issues -- the actual screen has separated from the device in a lower corner -- and I'm waiting until the October drop so that the prices on the older models goes down. This is a dicey game I'm playing, and I share your waiting-til-October energy. Such great news about the painting and the deck! Feels like there's some breathing room for projects both big and small.

 

Transparency: I bought two more books for school (ouch) and spent $20 on yoga sessions.

[Darciana]

32 minutes ago, Heidi said:

I too am having phone issues -- the actual screen has separated from the device in a lower corner -- and I'm waiting until the October drop so that the prices on the older models goes down. This is a dicey game I'm playing, and I share your waiting-til-October energy. Such great news about the painting and the deck! Feels like there's some breathing room for projectws both big and small.

 

Transparency: I bought two more books for school (ouch) and spent $20 on yoga sessions.

Not long now, but it is a nerve-wracking time to wait! I'm having battery issues - it charges fine. Sometimes it holds a charge for awhile, sometimes it's gone in an instant. It's iffy if I'm out and about without a way to charge like during the football game tomorrow. At least the Man will be there if it decides to die on me. I have the Pixel 6Pro which is known for the battery issues so I'm hoping the newer models (7 or 8 ) will be an improvement. 

 

The new iPhone goes on pre-order Friday so the Man wants me to go ahead and put in a pre-order for him on that. It will only increase the bill $3/month to get the brand new one so it's worth it. I'll have to see what the cost of the Pixel 8 is vs the Pixel 7 on monthly payments once pre-orders are available. I might get the newest version if it's such a small increase, like the Man's will be. Especially with the new/upgraded chip they're supposedly putting in. But I'm being mindful - I did lower my bill by lowering my plan tier a bit so that can help offset a bit of it (I haven't seen the new bill yet so I'm not sure how much of a difference. There were pro-rated charges last month since I did the change mid-cycle so it wasn't accurate on how much the bill really did change). I'd rather not completely undo that by getting a phone which will increase the bill too much!

[Heidi]

1 minute ago, Darciana said:

Especially with the new/upgraded chip they're supposedly putting in.

Right? This is such a temptation spot for me.

I have the Pixel 5 (vanilla, not Pro) and I love it. I am thinking about going to the mall to see if it can be repaired because I've had this phone for so long and it just fit me, you know?

[Heidi]

Success note: The credit reporting machines finally caught up with a couple payments. Credit Card Use is down to 25%; +25 to the credit score. It's not a complete rehab yet, but definitely some good progress.

[Heidi]

Transparency note: Just spent roughly $200 on books for school. Really glad I hadn't bought groceries yet this week!  

[Darciana]

Update: I have $90 left to stay in green for this week (I get paid Thursday) and one bill of $62.79 left. I've managed it!

 

This next paycheck does include BigBills (mortgage, insurance, etc) but also the dreaded quarterly HOA fee so it's a little tighter fit for my paycheck. Fortunately, my paycheck also comes out the Thursday immediately following all the big bills so I'm not covering big bills plus a bunch of small ones so that helps offset some of it.

 

 

[Heidi]

Monthly payment for 2025 travel posted.

At some point I'm going to want to replace my second swim suit, which was stolen earlier this year (it's a long sad tad, but not very interesting), and that's not a small fee, but I've got one for now. Maybe near the end of the challenge as a loot drop?

[Heidi]

Transparency: Bought the Kindle version of A Velocity of Being: Letters to A Young Reader by the incomparable Rebecca Solnit. I'll probably use it in the presentation in October, but that's the thinnest of all possible rationales. I bought it beucase I'm feeling low and lonely and contemplative, and books have always been my haven, and having Solnit say the same thing feels like having a best friend.

[Darciana]

Transparency: I purchased the pre-order (read: discounted) of a daily life planner I've been using for 2 years - last year and this year. I love it. It's pricey ($70 after tax and shipping - shipping is the killer as it comes from, I believe, the UK and I'm in the US) but it's the first planner I ever stuck to using with any kind of regularity so I keep getting it. I've destroyed the binder pretty thoroughly, though, so I needed to replace it rather than simply getting the inserts. I'll be more careful this year with it so I can move on to just buying inserts for more than a year. This store also now has washi tape. And it's super cute, adorable, and spooky. I love them. I want them. Good news? I didn't buy them because I don't need them. [yes, there's an argument I don't need my daily planner but my mental health appreciates having it so there we go].

 

I have another planner binder (unfortunately not the right size for the planner inserts from the paragraph above). Instead of tossing it, I decided to look on Etsy to locate planner inserts for cheaper. It's always hard to find a planner for work that meets my needs and this insert set absolutely 100% does without all the extras (I'm not tracking my water, food, etc in my work planner.... but I need that to-do and priority list, please...). So....For 1/2 the price of all the other planners that meet my minimum requirements, I've purchased some inserts AND can re-use an old planner binder that is sitting around feeling lonely and unwanted. Time to bring some life back into that thing! Not necessarily wallet-friendly, but a little more eco-friendly I suppose. The Kindle Scribe was just released this year I belive so once that drops in price/I can logic the price into my life, I want to purchase one so I can then use digital and not waste so much paper. Plus, books. My poor Kindle is so old and abused. *knocks on wood* I'm surprised it's still working.

[Heidi]

48 minutes ago, Darciana said:

Transparency: I purchased the pre-order (read: discounted) of a daily life planner I've been using for 2 years - last year and this year. I love it. It's pricey ($70 after tax and shipping - shipping is the killer as it comes from, I believe, the UK and I'm in the US) but it's the first planner I ever stuck to using with any kind of regularity so I keep getting it. I've destroyed the binder pretty thoroughly, though, so I needed to replace it rather than simply getting the inserts. I'll be more careful this year with it so I can move on to just buying inserts for more than a year. This store also now has washi tape. And it's super cute, adorable, and spooky. I love them. I want them. Good news? I didn't buy them because I don't need them. [yes, there's an argument I don't need my daily planner but my mental health appreciates having it so there we go].

You cannot drop all this wonderfulness and not drop at least the name, but preferably a link, to said planner. 

❤️