No Waste Wedneday: Giving

You may be asking how this became a No Waste Wednesday post.  I promise I will be back soon with more No Waste Wednesday recipes.  Keep reading...

Foster Sassy, one of more than a dozen
 fosters to be hosted by the Cheapers

 The Cheapers don't have much to give monetarily but we do have much to give.  We have found many other ways to incorporate giving into our life though. Years ago while debating whether we should open our home to foster rescued dachshunds, Mr. Cheaper said something that has stuck with me always. "Why not? It is the right thing to do."  That one comment from a conversation years ago has guided us into many giving opportunities.

Foster Teddy

What do the Cheapers have to give?  Much!
-fostering rescued dachshunds
-teaching Sunday school
-donated breast milk

Foster Fez and Lil' Miss, fostering was a great experience for her

Yes, you saw thought last one correctly.  This weekend, I handed over an entire cooler of milk to an old friend for his brand new daughter. He thanked me and said, "We are so are so grateful. This is one of the most selfless things anyone can do. You are supporting a life!" Up until that I had not even thought of the enormity of what I was doing.  To me all I was doing was spending 15 minutes each morning relieving a little pressure and evening things out a bit.  If you've ever nursed our looked closely at new mom and wondered why she seems so lopsided then you know what I am talking about. Staring down at a picture of that brand new baby it really hit me how important that gift was to my friend's family.

 I have donated over 800 ounces of milk since Jr. was born.  There is the "no waste" part of the post. Jr.  stopped taking a bottle at about 3 months and I had a freezer full of frozen milk that I wasn't about to let go to waste.  When Lil' Miss weaned we ended up wasting an entire freezer full of milk and it broke my heart. I found out about the some great


milksharing organizations afterwards.  I was surprised by the amount of people out there desperately searching for milk for their babies for all different reasons.

Why am I sharing this?  There may be ways to give, donate or volunteer that you have not even considered.  It is likely that you have skills that are needed in ways that you have not considered. My special skill right now just happens to be lactating.  Until recently, I didn't even realize how much that was needed by others.

This holiday season the Cheaper family urges you to take a moment to think of what you have to give. Is it cooking at the local soup kitchen?  Fostering for an animal rescue?  Sewing mittens or hats for those in need?  Donating socks or hygiene items to the homeless shelter?  There are so many ways that your community needs you.  Open yourself up to opportunities to give that you would not normally consider. The Cheapers urge you give more than monetary gifts this season.

Happy Holidays from the Cheaper family!

Mother and Daughter Pen Pals...A Window into my Daughter's Feelings

I, long ago, stumbled upon an article or blog where a mother and young daughter wrote letters to one another in a notebook.  That one notebook became volumes of notebooks over the years.  Lil' Miss couldn't even write her name at that time, so I just filed it away in the back of my mind for sometime down the road. We have arrived!

This week, I pulled out an empty journal that I had received as a gift years so long ago that I can't even remember who gifted it to me.  I talked to Lil' Miss to see if she wanted to be pen pals.  I would write a one-page letter to her and then turn the journal over to her and she'd get a brand new page to write a letter back to me.  To say it was the idea was well-received would be an understatement. I have to say for a kindergarten student she is an extremely dedicated writer. In her spare time, she LOVES to make cards and write notes for family members. While I was prepping Thanksgiving dinner, she made cards for everyone to wish them a happy Thanksgiving and thank them for joining us.  All her idea! I just supply the paper around here. She has a big heart and manners to boot!

The first night I wrote her a quick note for her telling her how excited I was to be her new pen pal. 

There are a lot of things I did not consider when undertaking this journey.  She is a kindergarten student. No big words, no cursive, and no sloppy penmanship.  In reality, a quick note is really not that quick when you have to bust out your kindergarten teacher penmanship.  

The next night, I sat down to read my first letter from Lil' Miss.  It wasn't how far she has come in the last few months with spelling and penmanship that surprised me the most.  It was the emotion and insecurity that came through near the end of her letter.  

"...I love you so much. I hope that you love me too..."

I felt like I'd been hit by a proverbial ton of bricks.  How can she not know?  Does she really doubt my love?  What am I doing wrong?  

Suddenly, my fun little experiment to help develop writing skills became about a lot more.  It was a new window into our mother-daughter relationship.  This year has brought so many changes to our family-Jr.'s arrival, the start of kindergarten, and just last month my departure from my part-time job that I'd held for the last 9 years.  In the whirlwind of all this change, I think I somethings have went awry.  I cried myself to sleep that night.  

The letter I wrote back affirming my love is little reassurance and cannot truly convey the depth of my love for her.  There really are no words to describe the intensity of a mother's love for her child. In these moments, I am thankful for the events that led me leaving my job(even though I miss working) because I need to slow down and truly be the parent I've always aspired to be. I am going to try harder every single day.  I will not let my sweet child feel doubt or despair caused by me.

Children don't come with instructions and we really have to just figure it out as we go along.  I am sure glad I took one little idea that I stumbled upon years ago. The letters have opened a door to what I hope well be a more nurtured relationship. I am looking forward to hopefully what will be years and years of letters to one another.  Perhaps, someday she will look back at our story we are creating and feel encompassed by her mother's love.

Paid up! Freed from the shackles of credit card debt!!!

We did it! No more credit card debt!!!! And we fulfilled our 2014 New Year's resolution to eliminate $300/month from our expenses! Woohoo! 

There are bloggers out there that with amazing debt success stories-"I paid off 25k in 6 months!" "We Paid of 50k in 2013!" and "We paid off 100k in 5 years!"  That is incredible...but that is not our story.

Things moved a lot slower here. And that's okay cause we still accomplished our goal.  And it took us 6 years to pay off that $20k of debt, a combination of credit card and medical(And $30k if you include the vehicle we paid off in that time).  I feel like this is a much more achievable pace for most. Mr. Cheaper has a good job that he loves, but it doesn't have a six figure income. And during that time 6 years he changed jobs three times. I worked part-time from home during those years so that I could care for the kids full-time. There were times it was downright awful and depressing, but we buckled down, made goals and lifestyle changes, and then stuck with them.  We learned so much during the difficult times.  It sucked, but I wouldn't wish that experience away because we learned so much. We really have taken that terrible situation and turned into a new life.  A cheaper, happier life!

So what's next for the Cheapers? This is certainly not the end of living cheaper for us. A)We still have medical debt cause babies aren't free(or even cheap), and B)we never want to fall back down the credit card debt rabbit hole.  We are currently hammering out some options for our 2015 goals.  Have I mentioned that this fiscally responsible life takes a whole lot of planning? We will share our new plans very soon. Promise.

So don't get discouraged if you can't pay off your debt at someone else's an astonishingly fast pace.  Set some goals, make some changes, and just move forward at your own pace.  Enjoy your new cheaper lifestyle!

A Cheaper Christmas...Sticking to the plan!

I am following up on my Saint Nicholas post by revealing how we keep it cheap and simple at Christmas.  Yep, even Santa is a little bit cheaper here. Necessity, through a few financially strained holiday seasons, set a precedent that Mr. Cheaper and I are perfectly content to carry forward.  We keep things pretty minimal and simple. Everyone, including our budget, has a holly jolly Christmas that way.    


Secrets to our success:

A)The Plan-They say "its the thought that counts".  Start thinking early. I usually start this around September.  We develop a list of potential gifts that the kids need or would like.  I choose the things that I(or Santa) would like to give and then forward my other ideas to grandparents, aunts, and godparents.

B)Research-As with pretty much every purchase I do extensive research to locate the perfect item at a target price.  And then, I aim for an even lower price by waiting for a sale or discount.

C)Set Limits-This can be a monetary limit or an item number limit. We keep a pretty strict item number limit.  The kids get new pajamas from us and something that we make for them(i.e. quilt, robe, art, etc.).  Santa fills their stocking with 2-3 small items, brings 2-3 bigger gifts, and a note from Santa.  And by bigger gifts I do not mean a game system or a trip to Disney. I mean they are too big for the stocking. We spend $50-75 total on these "big gifts". 

Last year, Lil' Miss received a toy horses, a stable, and trailer for the toy horses.  We have a rule about our Santa gifts-they need to be focused on developing certain skills appropriate for the child's age. The last few years, Lil' Miss has gotten things for imagination play(i.e. dolls and doll accessories) and lots of puzzles(from the Dollar Store).  Our plan for this year- Jr. will be receiving sensory toys and Lil' Miss will be receiving a carrier for babywearing her dolls and board games that we can play together as a family.  

That's it. Good planning and sticking to the plan is the key! No towering stacks of gifts. And no credit card bills!

Happy Holidays! 
Betty

Enchilada Sauce

A 10-ounce can of enchilada sauce costs $1.75-2.50.  Really?! Its only 10 ounces! I have to be able to make this cheaper...and more flavorful.

Enchilada Sauce

2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 C chili powder
2 T cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
2 C(or 1 15oz. can) chicken broth

Saute diced onion in olive oil until transparent.  Add minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and oregano and cook for 30 seconds to revive spices before adding tomato sauce and chicken broth. Simmer for 7-10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool before straining through a fine mesh strainer to remove onions and garlic pieces.  Divide into desired portions-freeze or refrigerate.

Mmm...reviving spices...
and a peak at my secret ingredient,
 Mexcian oregano(the legal sort)

I divide into three portions of about 1 1/2 cups. I reserve the onion and garlic mixture to add to enchilada filling.

Cost??? The equivalent of three cans of enchilada sauce for $2.38 total!!!

Cloth Diapers...how much I am really saving each month? The epic change in my washer!!!

Awww...look at Jr.!  Would you believe just moments earlier I had attempted to place him next two very neat stacks of folded diapers?  Ha!  He has entered the destroyer phase, which will likely last well into his teen years.

Disclaimer: This is not a hypothetical situation! There are oodles of posts out there about the types of cloth diapers and huge claims of savings.  The savings are huge and I am here to give you a breakdown of how much we, the Cheapers, are saving each month.  There are obviously some cost involved with cloth diapering-mainly laundering. So how much does that laundering really cost???

Detergent              $  .70/load
Washer                     .07
Dryer                        .95
Hot Water               1.00
Water/Sewer             .35
Total                      $3.07/load

I used the appliance calculator on our local utility website.  Calculations include: HE top loader, electric dryer, electric water heater, and our city water and sewer fees. I feel like the calculations came out a bit on the high side because I have not noticed a increase of more than $10 on our electric bill.  We'll use them for the sake of this example though. I wash every 2-3 days. So averaging 12 loads in a month would cost $36.84.

Monthly cost of disposable diapers                                $ 100.00

Cost of Cloth                                                                -    36.84

Monthly Savings                                                            $  63.16

Wouldn't it be nice to find that sort of change in your washer?!  And to think our motivation for switching Lil' Miss to cloth all those years ago was the ick factor of the chemicals in disposable diapers and not the money savings.  Older and wiser...

St. Nicholas Day...to celebrate or not????

It is the eve of Saint Nicholas day and as a parent I found myself unprepared and unenthusiastic.  Is this a tradition I want to honor? I found I could not even recall the story behind the tradition of Saint Nicholas.  Something about leaving shoes outside your door and having them filled with treats.  As a child(one of five in my family), I recall their being new socks outside our bedroom doors in the morning.  Socks are always welcome.  I must thank my mom, Grandma Clearance Rack(she chose her own very fitting blog pseudonym), for being a practical gifter.  She always has Lil' Miss and all the other grandkids covered with coats, snowpants, and boots.  

Okay, back to the Saint Nicholas conundrum...I had better google this and get the whole story. 

As taken from Wikipedia:

"The whole family gets ready for the saint's arrival on 6 December, with grandparents telling stories of the saint. The most popular one (also the subject of a popular French children's song) is of three children who wandered away and got lost. Cold and hungry, a wicked butcher lured them into his shop where he killed them and salted them away in a large tub. Through St. Nicolas' help the boys were revived and returned to their families, earning him a reputation as protector of children. "

What?!? I feel like this story is too graphic for my 6-year old.  

I, also, learned that this Saint Nicholas day is observed in primarily Catholic and German-speaking areas. That would explain the popularity of the tradition in our corner of the world.  Mr. Cheaper and I(and just about everyone we know) are descended from a long line of German Catholics.  Yep, stick around for a plethora of bratwurst recipes.  

So shall we observe???  No.  If I needed to look up the story, it really must not have been important to me.  I think I'll stick to the non-material holiday traditions.  Up next, tree decorating.

2014 New Year Resolutions...it's not too late!

Can you even remember your 2014 New Year resolution?  Good intentions are often abandoned by the end of January.  Well, its December 1 so there is still one more month to work towards that resolution.  The Cheapers have not let our resolution fall by the wayside.  We set the lofty goal of eliminating $300 of monthly expenses from our budget!  Yes, that is a big number. Yes, I am still feeding the family(and with the same food budget).  We haven't smashed that $300 mark yet, but we haven't given up either.

Here is where we have saved:

• Gym Membership- $74/month
  Cancelled that sucker! We just had a baby, so we are pretty busy.  I'd rather plunk him in the stroller and take a walk as a family than spend my time alone on a treadmill just staring at the wall.
• Car Insurance-$37/month
  Our insurance agent was able to find us a policy that cost less and included more things. Ask your agent about possible changes.  They are experts in their field(if they aren't, find a new agent), so use their experience to your advantage.
• Internet Service-$17/month(we do not have cable)
  First, look at your bill and see what you are actually being billed for.  We were being billed $7/month for the use of the internet provider's modem.  We were able to purchase a compatible modem for $30 with shipping and return the company's modem.  We also called to make sure that we were receiving the absolute lowest price possible for our monthly service.  
• Cell phone service-$83/month
  We switched to Ting.  Read about it here. 

That is $211/month so far!  We hope to pay off the last little bit of credit card debt by the ending of the month and smash our 2014 resolution.  Stay tuned! I cannot wait to celebrate the demise of our credit card debt!!!!

How to get things for FREE and Betty's Black Friday shopping

The ads have been perused and just about all the deals have been deemed not essential by Betty.  There was just one place deemed worthy of a venture out in the cold-my beloved CVS!  I LOVE CVS! I can usually save about 80-90% during a trip to CVS.

How do I save so much and score free stuff? Shop the weekly ad and use your store loyalty card!  Yep, you don't need to spend hours clipping coupons. I do often use coupons and even stack them with CVS store coupons(check out their coupon center right in the store). But today I did my Black Friday shopping early and didn't even need to clip a single coupon.

Check out all the stuff I got!!!!

(not pictured Peanut Butter M&Ms...mmmm)

CVS featured their Black Friday sales in two parts- Sunday-Wednesday and Thursday-Saturday.  We spent $16.63 out of pocket on Sunday and received $18.83 Extra Card Bucks, referred to as ECBs.  These are essentially store credit at the bottom of your receipt and can be redeemed on a future purchase.

Free with ECBs!

I stopped in this morning while the turkey was roasting(returned to a smoky kitchen...oops!).  I picked up all the sale items I needed, paid with my ECBs(just paid $1.27 in sales tax), and was out the door in just minutes(woot! woot! no lines!).  And I went home with $13.76 in ECBs that I will use on sale items next week(EVEN MORE FREE STUFF)!

Gobblin' Good Thursday: Gluten Free Stuffing

Gobblin' Good Thursday???  That is what Mr. Cheaper has coined our Thanksgiving. I would say it is definitely good even after filling the kitchen with smoke already this morning.  We have so much to be thankful for this year.  Welcoming Jr. into the family has brought us all such joy,  espcially for Lil' Miss.  Watching siblings bond just melts my heart. I am thankful that I get to be home with my children to soak in these beautiful moments.

The turkey is in the oven(hence the smoky kitchen) and the larger Cheaper family will be gathering here with us at Casa de Cheaper for lunch.  Traditionally, I make the turkey and stuffing recipe shared with me years ago by a lovely lady from church.  This year, we are switching it up a bit due to Mr. Cheaper's recent Celiac disease diagnosis.  It can be difficult to find gluten free substitutes that still have the taste and texture of the original.  Especially, bread products which tend to be dry and crumbly(and way to expensive to suck that much!)


Gluten Free Stuffing

1 pan gluten free cornbread, crumbled
1 pkg of gluten free stuffing mix
3 stalks of celery celery, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 T sage
1/2 C butter
1/2 C orange juice

Melt Butter in pan. Saute onion and celery in butter until translucent. Add sage, orange juice, and water according to package directions. Combine stuffing and cornbread crumbs.

No Waste Wednesday:Philly Cheesesteak Soup

Welcome to the first No Waste Wednesday!  It is estimated that Americans waste on average 20 lbs. of food per month.  That amounts to $28-43 each month!!!  A big contributing factor to food waste is uneaten leftovers...but not here in the Casa de Cheaper!  I've been busy reinventing our leftovers and I am here to help you clean out your refrigerator.



So what was in the Cheaper refrigerator this week???


Leftover beef roast and a green bell pepper nearing the end of its shelf life. Hmmm...




And Philly Cheesesteak Soup was born!!! As Lil' Miss Cheaper observed, "It tastes like a philly cheesesteak AND its just like Applebee's soup(french onion)!"

Philly Cheesesteak Soup

2 C of leftover beef roast, cubed(or whatever portion is in your refrigerator)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced

2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
4 C beef broth
Olive Oil
Croutons
Sliced Provolone

Saute onion & pepper until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and diced beef. Saute for 1-2 more minutes. Add Montreal steak seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.


Place a layer of croutons in ramekin or oven-safe crock.  Ladle soup over croutons and top with a slice of cheese.  Place under broiler until cheese is bubbly.

Soup's on!


I hope you enjoy!  I will be here cooking up lots more No Waste Wednesdays for you!

Yours Truly,
Betty

$$$...Ting,Ting,Ting...$$$

Yes, you read that correctly. Ting, Ting, Ting...not cha-ching!  Ting saved us lots of cha-ching!

 What is Ting you ask?  Our incredibly low-priced cell phone service.

How low?  Switching to Ting dropped our phone bill 67% for the same exact services we were paying for with one of those popular national carriers that drops a LOT of money on advertising.  Our big box service was even considered an incredible deal after Mr. Cheaper's employer discount of 22%! But paying just a third of that is indisputably more INCREDIBLE!

How much can you save? Check out their website!  It has an easy-to-use calculator that will use the information from your last three months of cell phone usage to give you an estimate of what your bill could be and how much you could save over two years. Ting estimated that we would save $1680 over two years(Our bills have been less than the calculator estimated!).  Sign me up!!!!

http://www.ting.com

Seriously, I cannot praise Ting enough!  It is one of the best changes we made this past year.

Bonus: You can pay with Amazon.  I pay our bill with Amazon gift cards that we earn. ALERT: Future post teaser! You will have to come back next time.

Lesson: Sometimes, there is a much better deal out there than the one you are getting.  Research is key to living cheaper.

The Cheaper Bunch

Here's a story, 
of a thrifty lady, 
who was bring home savings like no other,
all of them great deals.
Like many,
she was a stay-at-home mother.

Here's a story,
of a man name Cheaper.
who was busy with his family 
They were four,
living all together,
yet they were lacking money.

Till one day when the lady had an idea
and they knew it was more than just a hunch
that this family might somehow form a blog
That's how we became thee Cheaper Bunch!

The Cheaper Bunch...
The Cheaper Bunch...
That's the way we became the Cheaper Bunch!

haha....I know you sang that in your head.

Betty-Vice President and COO of Cheaper family, Mom

Mr. Cheaper-President and CEO of Cheaper family, Dad

Lil' Miss Cheaper-Kindergartner, Big Sister

Cheaper Jr.-Baby on a budget, Little Brother

Welcome to our story!  We are here to share our journey. Come along with us as we figure out how to live cheaper on one income and assorted miscellaneous income. Miscellaneous income? Piqued your interest, didn't I? Stay tuned and I'll share(my experience, not my income!). Come on in, have some laughs, and save some money with us!

Yours truly,
Betty Cheaper