Savvy Budget

Day 32- Working the Plan

I have done ok lately. Not stupendous but not bad. I keep reminding myself, " baby steps."

here is some of my progress:

2006 end of the year qtr challenge. I am on the last $10. I should be finished by the end of the week, if not sooner. YEAH When I make the deposit, I will have $500 in my LTEF.

I am so ready to start the 2007 $500 Qtr Challenge. I have a little notebook all numbered from 1-2000. I want to record all the ways I saved at least $1. By the end of the year, I will have at least $1000 in my LTEF.

2007 1000 ITEM Decluttering challenge- so far I have 25 items. I am also boxing up stuff and adding it to my sale items. They will be recorded when I actually sell each item.

Nickle Challenge- I put a nickle in the pig every time I spend 15 minutes cleaning or complete a task I am procrastinating about. So far the pig is two years old and a little over half full. I am picking up speed on the progress though. I know I put over a $1 in there this weekend alone. I even had to pick up another roll of nickles. The plan is that when I finish filling both pigs, I will open them up, roll the change and buy myself something I have been wanting but is not in the budget.

Since the change for the Qtr challenge and the nickle challenge come out of my blow money ( and change I get back from purchases), I won't feel guilty at all. I am torn between an I-pod and a computer. Since the computer is a much larger purchase, I am thinking I will just put the two pigs on a shelf and start an additional container. LOL- it will probably take both pigs and a 6 pack of 2 liter bottles to save for the computer.

Then again, I can't use the I-pod until I have a computer of my own. I am currently using a laptop from work ( with permission). Another reason to do well at this job. My two year old computer is fried and there is no budget for replacement. I am hoping to find a cheap replacement this summer at the church's yardsale. It is on my shopping list for that event. I'll be praying about that one.

2007 kneehigh challenge- looking pretty good. While cleaning I found another 4 pair. I am handwashing them now. Currently I have about 30 pair of kneehighs. This breaks down to approximately 8 wears from each pair. This is not counting that in the summer, I will be wearing socks and sneakers or sandles to work. If this works out, I will still have 15 pairs left unopened for 2008. I would like to be able to salvage at least 10 pair from this years challenge to add to next year. It is all about the long haul.


Pantry Challenge: I only went to the store for one needed household item. They had frozen pizza on sale for 2.50 I resisted as hard as it was. That earned me another qtr in the LTEF jar. For what I did buy, I also used a coupon for 1.50 off. Yep, another qtr in the jar. I packed my lunches for the next two days. That will be a good savings and add to my LTEF.


A sickening note: while cleaning today, I found even more checks that I did not cash and have expired. I really need to prioritize getting those replaced. it can't hurt to try.

I sorted laundry today. I have a fair bit and I want to make the most of my loads. Even though I have the cost WAY down, every little bit helps.

I also found a big ziplock bag of miniture size bath washes. I am currently using those for handwashing delicate items. I would have put it in the shower to use but I have at least two years of soap and one year of shampoo left. I felt it was a better use for handwashing items to extend their life. It also gets some more clutter out of my house sooner.

I am also considering hanging more clothes to dry. I don't pay to use a dryer currently. We have free washer and dryers in the laundry room of my apartment building. I have other motivation. I keep reading that the dryer puts a lot of wear and tear on your clothes. Look at the lint filter for evidence.

I want to make what I have last, since my wardrobe budget is nonexistant until I become debt free. It would also help me by not setting stains and keeping the clothes looking nicer so I can resell them when I outgrow them. They won't bring much but it will help. I seem to have a good spot to sell my outgrown clothes, so I am taking advantage of it.

posted by Casper @ 12:03 PM