Frugal February Friday #4

Hey guys!  Another week has gone by, so I wanted to share an update on how things are going.  Definitely slipped a few times, but overall I feel like it was a really good week!

As planned, I did buy some pie, but only went one time!  I know that doesn't seem like a victory, but the week before I went twice in two days. (I'm telling you, that pie is some serious business!)   One afternoon, I took the kids out for lunch but was able to trim the cost by using a gift card they got for Christmas.

My biggest success of the week was, again, our grocery trip.  Last week I spent about half of our normal, but this week our bill was a little over 1/3 of normal.  Yep, 1/3.  We were able to do that because we are continuing to use up what we have in the freezer and pantry.  At this point, we've used up our supply of meat.

I went back to the grocery store today to pick up items to get us through the end of the month.  Again, the bill came out to be 1/3 of normal, but in this case, it's not going to last us the entire week.

My goals for the last 5 days of February are to not eat out (except a pie trip on Saturday), to stay away from Target, and to go to the grocery store only for fresh strawberries for a dessert I'm making on Monday.  We are planning a trip to the store to pick up a few items for gardening this weekend, but other than that, I hope to not spend any more money for the rest of the month.

So how did week 4 go?  Tell me in the comments!

I plan on posting one more time in this series to share our final "results".  See you then!

Kelly

Keep The Clutter Out

So the topic of this post was actually suggested by my husband, which makes a lot of sense because out of the two of us, he is way better at doing this than I am.

One way that we have found to declutter is to take steps to keep clutter from even entering our home.  Prevention is way better than treatment, right?  So I wanted to share a few specific things that we do to keep the influx of clutter at a minimum.

Mail.  Our kids love taking a trip down to the mailbox to pick up the mail, so it has become a regular evening event for us.  One trick that we do is to very quickly sift through the mail to pull out any advertisements, credit card applications, or other "junk" mail.  On our way into the house, we dump those items into the recycling bin.  Then, those pieces of mail never even make it to our kitchen counter, where they used to stay for days before they were tossed.

Kids' meal toys.  You know exactly what I'm talking about parents.  We don't do a whole lot of fast food in our family, but we tend to hit up Chick-fil-a fairly often.  (Not this month though!)  I get it, I used to love all the little toys I'd get from my Happy Meals as a kid.  I still think back fondly on some of them.  And I love the types of items that Chick-fil-a includes; things like books, trivia cards, etc.  But they end up all over my house since my kids are still too young for most of them.  (Except the books, which hang out in our car.)   What we do now is evaluate the toy, and if it's not something that will be well used, into the recycling or donation box it goes.  I know that seems so wasteful, right?  Well, one cool thing that Chick-fil-a does (No, they are not sponsoring this post, I promise!) is allow you to swap the toy out for an ice cream cone.  Voila, no waste and a sweet treat!   Otherwise, I'm feeling convicted to start asking for them to omit the toy when we order.  My kids are at an age where they don't even miss it.

Books.  This one is two-fold.  I love to read.  Like, really and truly love to read.  At this day and age, maybe it's a no-brainer, but as much as I love to read with a book in my hand, I tend to go the e-book route.  I know, that's not super original, but it doesn't have to be.  Also, my kids just love books.  So we go old school and take trips to the library on a weekly basis.  The "new" books keep them engaged, but rather than having our book collection get out of control (and expensive), back to the library they go.  Again, I know it's not an original concept, but it's not something we've always done.  And it may be something you don't normally do.  I highly encourage you to try it out.  It's a fun activity for the kids and helps keep our belongings in check.

Okay, I am dying to hear ways you keep clutter from even making its way into your home.  Please leave a comment and share your tips, because I'd love to try to implement them in our home!

Kelly

Frugal February Friday #3

We are officially more than halfway through Frugal February!  This week we've had some successes and some not so much.

One of my goals for the week was to not eat out at all this week.  Sooooo, there's this pie place.  And they have a food truck.  And they came to the area.  So we went.  Twice.  I regret nothing.

Otherwise, we've done a pretty good job.  I managed to cut our grocery bill in half of what it typically runs.  Yes, half.  I planned our meals around what we already had stocked in the freezer, so only had to buy fresh items, like dairy and produce.  We still have plenty of snacks in the pantry, so I only purchased two non-perishable items: a carton of broth and a box of pasta.  Again, the reason I was able to spend so little is because I'm using up items we already had.  But, isn't that the point?  Spend less, and use up the surplus.

I've managed to go out to the store several times and really only buy the items I went for, rather than purchasing any extras here and there.

Next week, my plans is more of the same.  But this time, I'm already planning on more pie...

Would love to hear from you.  Leave a comment to share how your Frugal February is going!

Kelly

Letting Go of Kids' Crafts

Let me preface this by saying that I am not the most sentimental person.  So, if you find value in holding onto things for the memories, this may not be the post for you.  Or maybe you can modify it to your needs.

Crafts.  Your kid comes home from preschool/daycare/Sunday school with a piece of artwork or craft that they created.  It's adorable, so you keep it.  Next week, same story.  Pretty soon, you have every single piece of paper they've ever even scribbled on.   If you're anything like me, eventually these pieces of paper become just that.  Pieces of paper cluttering up my home.  (Mom of the year right here.)

What got me started on my simplifying journey was the overwhelmed feeling I got when I would look at the kids' playroom.  So I did something about it and significantly reduced the amount of toys, books, and "stuff".   Let me tell you what, if you have kids, I highly urge you to give it a go.  The weight that has been lifted is incredible.  They can take out every single toy in that room, and it can now be cleaned in 5 minutes.  And it's not bare either.  And they play!  (Anyway, I'll save that for another post...)

Initial purge.  Part of the playroom simplification included getting rid of all of the piles of crafts and artwork we had sitting around - on kitchen counters, in the playroom, on our desk in the study.  So we piled it all up, looked through it to see if there was anything we really wanted to save.  If yes, we either kept it or  took a photo of it, then recycled the rest.

I felt like it was important that I explained what I was doing to my 4 year old.  I did not want her to think that we didn't care about her creations.  She seemed to get it.  One thing that helped was explaining to her that most of the time,  the most important thing is the doing of the craft, not necessarily the end product.  That it's about the experience and having fun.

Don't let it accumulate.  When you start to notice pieces of paper gathering, it's time to decide what needs to be recycled.  As I mentioned previously, we had been working on this for the past year, but loosely.  What ended up happening is that we would have a huge stack of art that needed to be scanned or photographed, and eventually we would just say, forget it, and dump it all without even looking at it.   By staying on top if it, we are being more discerning about what we keep and what we don't.

Another tactic we use is having an in/out rule.  We have a set up of kids' art.  When they bring home something new, it takes the place of something already hanging up.  Every week, our kids bring home a lesson from Bible study.  Each week we replace the previous lesson.

Be discerning.  Don't get me wrong, not everything gets recycled.  If it is something generic, out it goes.  But we like to keep things that capture a significant moment in time.    So something that has a cutout or tracing of my child's hand?  That goes to their memory box or gets photographed.

Our plan is not to purge every single thing that our children spend their time creating, because I think that misses the point of what we are trying to accomplish.  We have to be mindful of what has value, and not just what we think.  If my daughter brings in a picture that she is so proud of, it has value to her.  I want to teach my children to help make decisions about what stays or goes.

How do you manage arts and crafts that come into your home?  I'd love to hear any tricks or things that work for your family.  Leave a comment to share!

Kelly

Frugal February Friday Part 2

Happy Frugal February Saturday!  Good thing it's not Stay-on-top-of-everything February because I'd be failing miserably.  We are almost halfway through the month already, can you believe it?  Now that we are more than just a few days into the month, I figured I'd have more to share.  And I'm going to be honest here.

This past week:

In terms of grocery spending, it wasn't significantly different than usual.  Part of that comes from the fact that I had to buy a few extras this week as I was having some friends over throughout the week. Another big part was that I was signed up to run a race on today, so wanted to make sure I spent the week eating a little less adventurously.  That meant lots of chicken, veggies, and quinoa.

On a trip to Target, I reevaluated the shopping cart before going to the checkout.  I managed to put back over $20 worth of stuff that we didn't really need.  Seriously, I would have spent an extra $20 without even thinking about it!  If I did that every time, imagine how quickly the savings would stack up.

We did not eat a single meal out this week.  For us, we tend to eat at least one meal out a week, usually in the form of a quick stop to Chick-fil-a.  We managed to even resist temptation when picking up a meal for a friend to drop off.  (And let me tell you, resisting steak kabobs was not easy.) Because food tends to make up our biggest spendings, I definitely call this a success!

Goals for Week 3.  This coming week, I am going to plan my meals around what we have stocked in the freezer, and only purchase the must haves.  Still have no need to pick up any snacks for us or the kids, since our pantry still has plenty in it.  We are planning to have a date night, but otherwise my goal is to not eat out any other meals for the week.

Tip for Week 3: Here's a tip to try over the next week to see if it makes a difference.  When out at the store, whether grocery or Target/Wal-Mart, before checking out, look over your cart to see if you really do need everything you picked up.  Chances are you can find at least one or two things to put back.  Make a note of how much you saved by putting things back, and let me know!

How did week #2 go for you?  Do you notice any differences in your spending habits?  Would love to hear about your experiences in the comments!

Kelly

Decluttering My Clothes: Why I'm Not Doing A Capsule Wardrobe

When I first began thinking about tackling the clothes situation in our home, I looked into minimalist wardrobes.  I found a ton of pages, blogs, and articles about capsule wardrobes.  I assumed that would be the route I would go, since that seemed to be the minimalist way.  This week I dug more deeply into what a capsule wardrobe really is, and while it may be ideal for some people, I don't think it will work for me without some modifications.

What is a capsule wardrobe?  The current idea is that you create small subsets of your clothes by season, putting away any out-of-season items in storage.  Each seasonal capsule has a bit of a color scheme so that a number of combinations of outfits can be created out of fewer pieces of clothing.  Another important aspect to the capsule wardrobe is that the items contained should be of good quality to ensure that pieces will last over time.  When the season is over, you pack up and take out your next capsule.  The goal is to spend less money over time, since the idea is quality over quantity.  I am definitely intrigued, but here are a few reasons why I can't embrace this idea fully.

While I do tend to stick to shades of teal, blue, grey and black, I have no desire to make sure all clothes coordinate.  One of the key concepts of the capsule wardrobe is choosing a color scheme so that you can mix and match your pieces to make a variety of outfits.  I do like this idea in theory, but I also love having the choice of different colors depending on the day.

I hate seasonal storage.  As a mom of two little ones, I already do a bit of capsule wardrobes for them.  One of my least favorite tasks is pulling out the next season of clothes to see what does and doesn't fit, and putting away the previous season.  I end up putting away and pulling out too quickly, so I end up in a weird purgatory where nothing is quite appropriate.  Not to mention, I live in Texas, where really there are only two seasons: hot and not as hot, with a few cold days splattered throughout the winter.   Having to rotate my clothes is not something I want to spend my time doing.

Furthermore, my goal is to be really intentional about what we keep in the house, making sure that we find value in each item, and simplifying our lives.   I don't want the appearance of less by putting away half my clothes in storage boxes.  I really do want to keep only the essentials in my closet, the things that make me feel good when I wear them.  I want to be constantly evaluating what I have so I can figure out where I have a need or where I have too much.

 I know that the ultimate goal of a capsule is having fewer good quality pieces that will last.  However, from the research I've done, I see that I would easily fall into the trap of purchasing additional pieces in order to make my wardrobe "just right".  Eventually I do anticipate replacing worn out items with good quality, but for me, a capsule wardrobe would tempt me to do so before it's really needed.

Please don't get me wrong; I think there are some really great ideas with the capsule concept, and I plan to utilize those as I declutter.  I think a capsule wardrobe is a wonderful option for a lot of people I love the concept of a streamlined wardrobe, so I just need to modify it in order to fit what works for me.  This week I have been working on my clothes, so I plan to post next week on how I did it, what worked, what didn't, etc. Stay tuned.

Do you have a capsule wardrobe?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on how it works for you, or how you've adopted the idea to meet your needs.  Let me know in the comments.

Kelly

Decluttering My Junk Drawers

One of the things on my decluttering checklist is our junk drawers.  (Yep, drawers, as in more than one.)  It's not something that causes a huge amount of stress in my life, but it is something that is used on a daily basis, has gotten out of hand, and took a relatively short time commitment to remedy.

We recently had to put a child lock on the drawer because the kids kept digging in the drawer for stuff, especially chapstick.  My kids are obsessed with chapstick.  Drives me crazy.  I digress.  Anyway, on Saturday I decided to spend my hour working on this project.  My goal was to get rid of anything we didn't need, relocate things we don't use on a regular basis, and pare it down enough to fit in one drawer.

Here is how I did it.

Before - 2 drawers

Threw away trash.  First I took out anything that was actually just trash.  Bits of ripped paper, a random tiny piece of ribbon from who knows what, pens that were out of ink... Once I got rid of those things, I was able to see what was left, which was still quite a bit.

Got rid of extras.  Did I mention that my children love chapstick?  I managed to throw away 3, yes 3, tubes of chapstick.  Some were missing lids, some were old, some were so disgusting I don't even want to talk about it.  I relocated a number of pens to our study (which will be addressed at a later date), and left behind a pen, a permanent marker, and a highlighter.  I moved a few flashlights, and left just one small one.

Relocated items.  Some things weren't trash, but aren't used on a daily basis.  I feel like those things didn't really need to be so readily accessible.  Those things I relocated - a roll of twine, a wrist support (Why was that even in the drawer?!), etc.  Also I managed to sell two luggage tags that we weren't using, so I actually made a few bucks during this process as well!

Okay, so after all that, this is where we are now.  I feel like it is much simpler, far less cluttered, and definitely more usable.  I've read that some people don't have junk drawers, but have "utility drawers".  I think this could be classified that way.  (By the way, I realize the clothes pins seem excessive, but my husband loves them, and we actually do use them constantly, so for our lives, it makes sense to keep them accessible.)

After - ONE utility drawer

Now the key is to keep maintain what we have so we don't end up back where we started.  That means making sure that the pens don't migrate themselves back to the drawer, scraps of paper are recycled rather than stuffed in the drawer, and that we treat it as a functional drawer rather than a catch-all place for stuff that doesn't have a home.

If you have a junk drawer (or two or three), consider overhauling them.  It really doesn't take too much time, and it's amazing at what a difference it makes, even though it seems like such a small thing.  Decluttering is awesome, my friends.

If you have an awesome "utility" drawer, or decide to declutter, I'd love to hear about it and/or see some pics.  Maybe you could help inspire someone else!

Kelly

Frugal February Friday Part 1

It's February 3rd, which means it's officially Frugal February!  Since we are only 3 days into the month, I don't have a whole lot to report back on, but I did want to share some of the tactics I'm employing so far.

Stocking up.  I managed to pick up a few essential items last week that will last throughout the month, like paper towels and mouthwash.  Remember, it's more of a shuffling of money, since I did stock up, but it will save trips to the store this month.

Using what I have.  With being quarantined over the weekend and through the first half of the week, I didn't really have a chance to meal plan for the month yet.  I am planning to take stock of the freezer and pantry to see what we have to work with.  Since the beginning of the week technically was still January, I haven't yet done a grocery trip while trying to be frugal.

Using rewards/gift cards.  I tend to accumulate gift cards and then forget about them.  Now is definitely the time to use them if you have them!  One tactic that I'm using this month, which I haven't done before, is cashing in some of my earnings from my Ibotta account in the form of gift cards and cash to our PayPal account.  I just started using this app within the past year, and I love it.  It's a super simple way to get a few dollars here and there on items I already purchase.  I use it after I shop, rather than before, so that it doesn't influence my buying habits.  All you do is select the item, snap a picture of the barcode, then of the receipt.  It takes me less than 2 minutes each time I shop.  Sometimes I don't get anything, other times I'll get $5 added to my account.  If you're interested in trying the app out, here is the link: https://ibotta.com/r/fxbkkhb.  (Disclaimer: This is a referral - you will get $10 bonus added to your account, and I will get $5 when you earn your first reward.)

Alright, well that's what I've got for this week!  Tell me, how have the first few days gone?  Do you even notice a change in your lifestyle?  How have you prepared for the month this week?  Feel free to leave a comment telling me about your experience so far!

Happy Frugal February everyone!

Kelly

My Checklist To Declutter Our Home

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, I managed to come down with strep the day before my half marathon (so didn't get to run it, boo!).  I'm finally feeling better and feel like I can rejoin the human race again.

While I've made a few (very) baby steps towards simplifying our home, I know that I'm not going to get very far without a plan.  I know that there are different strategies out there for how to declutter. You can go room by room, category by category, etc.  One concept that really resonated with me was to prioritize based on what takes up the most amount of my energy or causes me the most stress.  I love that idea because once those big ticket items are taken care of, I'll have more time and emotional freedom to dedicate to the smaller issues.  I think it will give me the motivation I need to keep going if I see a lot of bang for my buck right off the bat.

Personally, I know that for me to stay focused on this process, I'm going to need to break things down into manageable portions.  I tend to get overwhelmed pretty easily, and once I'm overwhelmed, I get paralyzed.  So, in order to circumvent that, I need to prioritize based on amount of energy spent, and then further break it down.  I'm a paper girl, so I like lists written down on paper.  I want to physically check a box or cross an item off.  Here is my checklist based on my priorities.  I'm obviously still working on it, but wanted to share what I've got so far.  I'm also including a blank document in case anyone would like to use it for their own checklist.

My Declutter Checklist

To download the blank checklist, click here.

In addition to my checklist, there are a few other components I feel are extremely important to my success.

Dedicate time.  While I'd like to believe I'm going to spend so much time doing this, I really want to be realistic.  To start, I'm planning to set aside 1 hour on Monday/Friday/Saturday to declutter.  If I'm able to do more, that's great!  But I want to make sure I'm spending at least 3 hours per week.

Set weekly goals.  I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew, and I while I dive head first into action, I often burn out quickly.  I don't want that to happen, so I want to spend about 20 minutes on Sunday coming up with realistic goals for the week.

Set deadlines.  There are some things that I may try to sell before donating them.  I need to set deadlines for each item, so that if they don't sell within that time frame, I go ahead and donate rather than letting them sit in my house for an indeterminate amount of time.  With that, I plan to make a donation trip every Saturday to get rid of whatever items I came up with that week.

I know that this will likely change as I figure out what works and what doesn't, but I feel like this is a great place to begin.  What's on your checklist?  Let me know in the comments.  Also, please let me know if the blank checklist I linked helps you.  See you tomorrow for the first Frugal February Friday post!

Kelly