Cutting Costs The Best We Can

We are doing the best we can around here to cut costs and save some money.

I had planned on getting our Birthday and Christmas cash out of the bank this week so that we would be prepared to give it to family as a gift. We have 2 birthdays coming up in November besides Christmas in December. However, I was able to take $400. less out than I had planned on. NYS sent out rebate checks and we got one. The checks are taxable so people will lose a portion of it to those. I bought the birthday cards at $ Tree instead of paying an outrageous amount for them elsewhere.

We have been eating from our stockpile. We have had cheeseburgers, chicken parmesan, steak, and chicken patty sandwiches. I had not made chicken parm in over a year and Hubby loves it. So I made enough for 2 nights.

I got a $3.00 rebate in the mail.

The cans and bottles had piled up in our garage while I was dealing with my heart issues. I finally returned them. The deposit for each is $.05 each. But our local Consumers Beverage put out a coupon to get $.06 per bottle if you spent $ 10. in their store. I was down to just 1 bottle of Michelob Ultra Beer and this is what my family drinks when they visit so I bought a 24 pack. They have the best price here. Then I submitted for a $7.00 rebate online. I also got back $ 19.98 in bottle deposits.

I took a 2 ounce bottle and made wound care spray that we needed. You just mix 1 oz. of hydrogen peroxide and 1 oz. of water. It works great.

We needed drain cleaner and I do not like the toxicity nor the price of the store bought ones. So I made a solution to unclog one of our bathroom sinks. It is 3 oz. of Dawn dishwasher soap, 1 tbsp. of salt, and 4 oz. of vinegar. Let it sit in the drain for a few hours then rinse down with hot water.

Pictured above are two cases of canned fried apples with cinnamon that I purchased at Aldi’s. They have the cheapest price in my area. They were $ 1.99 a can. I bought a case last year around Thanksgiving(don’t see them any other time of year) and I am down to one can. Hubby really loves these so he asked me to get 2 cases this year. We love them as a side when we have our ribeye pork chops. We now have enough pork chops in the freezer to eat them and the apples twice a month for the next year. The apples best buy date was April 2028.

You all know how frustrated I am with our electric and natural gas bills. Now that we have the smart meter, the company gives us information on what we are using but it is always two days old. So on the advice of a friend, I am keeping a dated spreadsheet of when I turn on an appliance, take a shower, etc. Then I can go back and see what is causing the highest spikes in our power.

In the evenings now, I am reading myself to sleep instead of watching TV. I have so many books in the house that I want to reread and then donate. It is a slow process because I am so tired at night since I usually am the one who gets up early with Eloise.

We are making no impulse purchases. They are all intentional and we research the best prices. Hubby has needed a nice desk chair for a couple of years now. The one he has, he says is not comfortable. I like his chair so I am stealing it for my desk. Finally, I found exactly everything he wanted in a chair at Walmart the other day. It has been difficult because he is fussy about what he wants. Not only is it perfect for him but it was on sale for $ 80.00 off. We paid $ 89.99+tax. Here it is: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coolhut-Big-and-Tall-Office-Chair-500LBS-Wide-Seat-Ergonomic-Computer-Desk-Chair-High-Back-Executive-Leather-Chair/5250574665

I had cash back from a couple of food purchases so that took the price down a few dollars less. It is coming in a couple of days and he is happy.

I have been setting aside $40. a month for produce purchases.

I scanned my recent receipts into Fetch. I just ordered a $10.00 Chewy gift card which will help defray her food costs. I have finally switched her over to dry cat food. She has been eating dry kitten food so that I could use a big bag up. My friend, Chris, who is a reader told me to mix the last bit of food with the new food. I did. At first, she turned her nose up at it. But I figured if she got hungry enough she would eat it. She is and is now loving it.

How have you people been cutting your costs?