Category: Every Day

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Every Day

My Grocery Shop This Week

I did a small shop on Sunday for some needed items and a stock up on ground turkey and ham slices.  We use the ground turkey in place of ground beef once in a while for a leaner meat. The ham slices are for our Sunday breakfasts. I alternate them with bacon and sausage.

This trip was done at Top’s:

4 Ground Turkey -$ 2.88 ea. = $11.52 – used (2) $.75/2 Q’s that doubled = $ 8.02 or about $2.00 each

5 Hatfield 8 oz. Ham slices on B2G3 Free = $ 7.98 or about $1.60 each

1 dozen eggs – $ 99. with Super Coupon

1 Head of Lettuce -$ .99 with Super Coupon

My total was $ 17.98.

Did you get any good stock up deals this week?

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What’s Going On At American Dreamer’s Home?

We have been very busy this month. I have been doing a bit of purging and fall cleaning. So far I have purged and organized my kitchen towels and dishcloths. They are located in a drawer just to the right of my sink.

I also keep my very long handled scrub brushes in that drawer so that Hubby can reach them easily when he is doing dishes, scrubbing potatoes. etc.

I purged my microfiber cloths and organized them. They are in the drawer under the kitchen towel drawer. Various cloths for various jobs.

I have also purged a utensil drawer, our nightstands, our bed linens, our board games and DVD’s, our bathroom vanities, and my spice cabinet which is right next to my stove. 

But the biggest thing going on around here is that our garage floor is being repaired, cleaned, and painted with an epoxy paint. We have contractors here for at least three days.

They spent one day grinding down all of the rough edges, cleaning the floor, and repairing the concrete with more concrete in the places that needed it. That had to cure overnight. The floor is only 9 and 1/2 years old but is chipping in spots. We believe it is because the builder’s contractor poured the floor in January and it froze before it cured. Not much we can do about that but have this work done. This is what it looked like the first day when they were done. 

I will have more pictures as we get to the finish line.  

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Every Day

My Cash Budget

The way we use our cash budget has changed over the years. A number of months ago, we changed the amount of money that I get in cash each month at the bank. It will stay this way until, if and when, prices go up and we feel we need to make a change. We are buying more and more organic meat and other organic products. As our supply of meat and pantry items dwindle, we may need to up the budget because of these items but so far I have not had to.

For anyone who is new or doesn’t know, we feed just Hubby and I annually. My son and grandson come almost every Sunday for breakfast and sometimes lunch. Sometimes, they come along with my daughter in law for dinner.  My grandchildren visit and stay here sometimes. Then occasionally, our other son, my daughter in law, and granddaughter come and stay for a few days especially for holidays. Our extended family come and stay sometimes. We also have friends over for dinner occasionally.

My budget encompasses all of our food eaten at home, food eaten at restaurants or take out, cleaning and paper products, personal care items, and gasoline. 

Personal care encompasses OTC cold medicines, cough drops, sinus medicine, pain medicines, makeup, shampoos, deodorants, body washes, bar soap, hand soap liquid, lotions, shave cream and razor refills, toothpaste, toothbrush heads for our electric toothbrushes, and floss, etc.  It does not include prescription medications. 

I use a lot of all purpose cleaning products, dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, my laundry egg instead of detergent, vinegar for both cleaning and as a rinse aid in my dishwasher. But I also need dishwasher detergent, dish liquid, and garbage bags. One way I save on some of these things is to buy in bulk which brings the price down for those products.

I also pay for my hair salon monthly appointments which cost anywhere from $ 42. to $ 140. including tips depending on what I am getting done. That covers haircuts and shampoos, hair coloring, highlights, and waxing my eyebrows. 

Also included is a tank of gasoline every month which is usually the amount we use.  Gasoline for trips do not come out of my budget. I keep my gasoline purchases low by earning points at a local supermarket that give me money off of gasoline. If gas is cheaper elsewhere even taking into account the points, I will buy it there. That only happens infrequently at Speedway and our cash station. But every time I need gasoline, I always check whose price is better. 


The monthly amount that I get each month is $ 500. to cover all of these budget items. I use coupons when I can. I also use Saving Star, Fetch, Ibotta, and Checkout 51. Any rebates get added back into my cash budget whether I receive them in cash or gift cards to Walmart. Any bottle or can deposits that I return for Hubby’s soda or my sparkling water that I get once or twice a year from Amazon gets added back into this cash budget. My monthly budgeted amount that is left over at the end of the month just gets rolled to the next month and added to the next month’s cash of $ 500. That way I build a balance over time to make large purchases when I see rock bottom prices.
 
With the exception of Hubby’s haircuts and incidental items he picks up at Home Depot, etc. with his cash(no one wants to charge a nut and bolt here and there), all other expenditures are paid for with our checking account or charge cards which we pay in full every month when they are received.


Do any of you use cash for certain items each month? Please share with everyone in the comments.

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Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week & Miscellaneous

All of my shopping was done this past week at Aldi’s. This is what I purchased:

Peppers – $2.49

Peanuts – $ 1.69

Macadamia Nuts – $ 8.99

Mushrooms – $ .99

2 Cream of Chicken Soup – $ .49 each

Taco Shells – $ .89

Sweet Pickles – $ 1.39

Half & Half – $ 1.55

100% Pure Maple Syrup – $ 13.89

Red Grapes – $ .99 a lb . = $ 2.65


3 “Girl Scout” Cookies – $ .98 & $ 1.36 & $1.48

1 Cinnamon Crunch Granola – $ 2.69

1 Coconut Chia Granola – $ 2.69 


1 Large Eggs – $ .99

Total for this order was $ 45.90.

On Wednesday when they had their meat on special, I shopped for these:

2 – 4 lb. packs of Organic 85/10 Grass Fed Ground Beef – 4 lbs. for $ 17.96 = $ 35.92

1 pkg. of Cheddar Cheese Slices – $ 1.79

Total for this order was $37.71. Total for the week was $83.61.

Someone asked me if I am still following my diet. I am. The “junk food” you see is for Hubby and West who is coming to visit this weekend. Hubby shopped at Aldi’s with me for the first time ever. He hates grocery shopping but he lived through it. He thought Aldi’s was confusing and too crowded. Quite a few of these items were put in my cart when I wasn’t looking. I wanted to make sure we don’t run out of ground beef this winter. Hubby loves to make his chili recipe.


We have been very busy working on a special project. Fall always seems to be our busiest time of the year. Just getting the house ready and stocking for winter takes some time. Our landscape crew will be here for the Fall cleanup in our gardens later this month. The sprinkler system people will be here to blow out the lines. The pesticide people will be here  with bug control and vole control. At least all of these are done for us. But we have caulking and weather stripping to do. Contractors will be here all day Monday and Tuesday working on our special project. And in the meantime, I am purging the house again. Anything that hasn’t been used in a year is finding a new home. 

I hope you all have a beautiful Fall weekend. We will enjoy it and have fun with West. Be back on Monday with a post on how we handle the budget these days.

Did you stock up on a good deal this week?

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Every Day

Frugal Things This Past Week

This past week has been very strange frugally to say the least. I have been doing my usual clean out of every nook and cranny. These are the things I have found:

– I was cleaning out and disposing of underwear that is way too big for me. Hidden in the back of the drawer was a wad of cash. Why? I have no idea. But I counted it and it was $205. I believe that I may have started to stash it at the end of last year for 2019 birthday gifts and then forgot about it. Anyhow it will come in handy to add to our Christmas money for gifts.

– A few years ago my daughter in law gave me a gorgeous heavy cable knit LL Bean sweater. It disappeared shortly afterward. I have never been able to find it no matter how hard I looked. I finally thought that I must of left it somewhere and stopped looking for it. I was very disappointed. This week I  decided to clean out Hubby’s sweater drawer since he hadn’t gotten to it in a few years. Under a stack of his sweaters I found my sweater. It is about 4 sizes too big for me but will be terrific to wear in the house over other clothing this winter to keep me very warm. Perhaps we can lower the heat a little.

– Last June when we went to visit my son, daughter in law, and granddaughter to celebrate my granddaughter’s birthday, I came home and could not find one of my new tops that I brought out with me. It was not in my luggage. So I assumed that I had left it in Albany. My DIL and granddaughter looked all over for it and they could not find it either. When my granddaughter was here to visit for a week this past summer, she and I went to J.C. Penney’s to try and find the same top. They were all gone. I was disappointed because it had been my favorite coral top. This past week I was cleaning out expired medicines and found the top in a storage box that holds my nebulizer and medicine for it. I am asthmatic and use my machine rarely for an attack. I always take it with me where ever I travel. The top of the box is a solid color and when I took it off, there was my top at the very top of the storage box. After washing it, I now have my favorite coral top back. I believe that my
luggage had already been taken to the car when I found the top on the
bed and quickly shoved it into the storage box. But I forgot that when I got home.

They say good luck comes in three’s so that should have been the end of my luck. But it wasn’t. A few days ago, we got a check for $331. from New York state as a rebate on our school taxes. I will add that to another rebate check and deposit it in our savings.


These are the other frugal things we have done:


– I cooked all of our meals from scratch. We were planning on going out for Hubby’s birthday and mine this week but it is restaurant week here in the Buffalo area. It will be so crowded so we are pushing that meal out for sometime in the future. Hubby will cook my dinner on my birthday as I did on his.

– I washed a load of towels and sheets in the HE washer and used my dryer with the wool balls to dry them. I also washed a load of clothes this week.

– We ran the dishwasher just twice this past week. 


– I read a book on my Kindle in my spare time which I did not have much of this past week. 


– We had to turn the heat on the end of last week but we have it set at 68 during the day and 65 at night.


– I went to my hairdresser and had the works: shampoo, color, and highlights. I had just had haircuts the last couple of months so I needed this badly. But the money I saved the two months I only got cuts, I used to pay for the works. Except for cuts, I will be good for the holidays.

– Hubby went to the barber for his $13. haircut. 

– I got a great deal on Amazon for corn chips, Cheez-It’s, and Doritos for snacks for Hubby and my grandson so I stocked up. 

What did you do frugally this past week?  

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Every Day

Ways That Being Too Frugal Can Cost You In The Long Run

Are there times that you should not be frugal? Could being too frugal cost you in the long run? It sure can and here are my thoughts on that. 

One of the first things I learned after I got married was not to buy the cheapest appliances. If you buy the cheapest, they most likely will not last you as long as getting one that is priced in the middle. The middle priced ones are usually better quality, more energy efficient, and reliable lasting us many, many years. I have always stuck to this way of buying our washing machines, dryers, stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers and some of them have lasted us over 25 years.

The only time I would consider buying the cheapest appliance would be if Consumer Reports or another reporting company rated it highly. But, in my experience, that rarely happens. 

The only time I will buy one used is if I am buying it from a relative and know the history of how it was used and for how long it had been used. For example, I purchased my washer and dryer from my son and daughter-in-law. I will have it 10 years in a few months. They had it for, I believe, 5 years. A couple of those years it was stored and not in use. 

We have done the same with automobiles. We have never purchased the cheapest model. We saw too many friends who did that and ended up spending much more on maintenance and repairs than we did with our cars. 

I have never purchased the cheapest luggage, wallets, or purses. I find that luggage that is middle priced lasts us for years. I always buy a real leather purse because they also last me for 15-20 years or longer when I take the time to clean and maintain them.

We also don’t buy cheap furniture. It falls apart in a few years. If you are going to watch a lot of TV or read sitting on a sofa or chair, you want it to last a long time so quality is important.

We have never skimped on a mattress set. Comfort is important to us. A cheap bed set would make us miserable. Right now, we have a sleep number bed. Sure it was expensive when we purchased it. However it has lasted us almost 19 years. If a part wears out, you can replace just that part. We have had to replace one part in all these years. It has been worth every dime we spent. We will have it many more years.

I buy us high quality, high thread count, Egyptian cotton sheets. We love our sleep and it you have ever slept on cheap sheets, you will understand why I choose the sheets I do.

We have never purchased cheap paint. We buy quality and always pay attention to what Consumer Reports says. Because of this, we have to paint less often or pay someone to do it less often. Better paint also washes easier when you get a mark on it or when you are washing it during your spring or fall cleaning. 

Please feel free to leave a comment and share your experiences on this topic. 

We don’t buy cheap shoes. I did that as a teenager and I remember how uncomfortable they were and the blisters they gave me. We buy good quality shoes and sneakers. Our feet are important to us.

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Every Day

Frugal Things We Did This Past Week

These are the things we did frugally this past week:

– We still have not turned on any A/C or heat. The weather has been flip flopping. Some days it is warm and others it is cool. But so far we have lived without both of these things.

– I picked up my free Pop- arazzi Nail Polish at CVS with my free coupon they sent for my birthday month. 

– I went to the bank for our cash for October. I ran 4 errands while I was in that town.

– I picked up the free vanilla cinnamon bun at Panera for Hubby.

– Found a 50% off code for our tire changeover place and scheduled our appointment.

– I returned my two library books that I read but did not pick up anymore because I don’t have the time to read them in the next two weeks. If I get some time, I will read one on my Kindle.

– I received a B1G1F  birthday coupon from Bar S Franks. 

– We have been making really simple meals like shrimp cocktails, Chef’s salads and bacon and eggs for dinner. Tonight though I will be making a Hoisin Pork Tenderloin.  

– I redeemed points on Bing for another $ 5.00 Walmart gift card.  

– I baked two loaves of banana bread using really ripe bananas that were frozen. One loaf will be used for our Sunday breakfast. 

– I washed just one load of clothes this week using cold water and then hung them to dry.

– I received a birthday coupon for a free dessert from one of our local restaurants. Not sure I will use it. But if we go there, I will get it for Hubby.

– I have been using up things in the fridge including condiments and sauces, Our condiments are out of control again. I use all recipe’s ingredient search for this.

– Picked the last of our chives for this year. 

– We got our free to us flu shots. 

– On days that the weather permits, I have been continuing my 1-2 mile walks in our neighborhood. We have 5 ponds that I walk by and I am always looking for ducks or geese which are frequently there. 

– I filled the car up using gas points to defray the cost.

– I have been using up toiletries from our hotel stay and my hospital stay earlier in the year.  

– Shopped Tops on Senior Discount day to get a 6% discount.

What have you done frugally this past week?

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Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week

I shopped at Aldi’s this past week. These are the items we purchased: 

2 – 1lb. pkgs. of Organic Grass Fed Ground Beef – $5.29 ea.

Hard Salami – $ 2.59

Artisan Jerky – $ 3.99

Turkey Pepperoni – $ 2.19

Goat Cheese – $ 1.99

2 Neufchatel Cheese – $ .79 ea.

1 Irish Butter – $ 2.49

2 Half and Half Creamers – $ 1.55 ea.

Pictured also is the vanilla cinnamon bun that I picked up at Panera Bread that was a free item on my card. Hubby was thrilled. He loves them.


2 Dill Pickle Sandwich Slices – $ .89 ea.

2 bags of Avocados – $ 4.99 ea.

2.41 lbs. of Seedless Green Grapes – $ 2.14

1 Sauerkraut – $ 1.69

1 Grape Jelly – $ 1.29

2 Bags of Macadamia Nuts – $ 8.99 ea.

2 Bags of Pork Rinds – $ .99 ea.

1 Bag of Pistachios – $ 5.99

2 Fudge Mint Cookies – $ 1.48 ea.

4 Caramel Coconut Fudge Cookies – $ 1.36 ea.

1 Romaine Hearts – $ 2.19

Total was $ 81.93. The nuts and pork rinds are my snacks for the next few weeks. The other snacks are for Hubby and visitors. I was very happy to see the Macadamia Nuts back in our Aldi’s. An employee told me that they are seasonal. With the exception of the grape jelly, the rest of the items are things that we work into our daily meals. 

When I left the store I picked up next week’s flyer( starts October 6th) and saw that the organic grass fed ground beef will be on sale next week for $ 4.49 a lb. You must buy a large package of 4lbs. to get that price. I will be all over that since we use a lot of it.  

Did you get any good grocery deals this week?

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How I Save On Gasoline

Gasoline is a commodity that the majority of us have to buy over and over again. It can add up to quite a huge bill over a month’s time. We usually only fill up our tank once a month unless we are traveling now that we are retired. 

But I know that a lot of you travel to work each day and that can get costly. I remember how costly it was when we had two cars and we were working and traveling to two different businesses for work. I also remember feeding our sons’ gas tanks on their cars so that they could drive to the private school that they attended that was almost 25 miles from our home. So gasoline costs can be significant.

There are a few things that we do to save on gasoline costs. They are:

1. We always pay with our 2% gasoline rewards credit card so that we get cash back.


2. We get gasoline points for grocery shopping at Top’s that give us money off per gallon at Top’s gasoline stations.  I have gotten my gasoline free a few times. The amount depends on how many points you have accumulated.  Many supermarkets have a program like this. When we lived in Arizona, there was a program(can’t remember what store it was that offered at) that allowed us get discounted gasoline at certain gasoline stations.

3. Many gasoline companies give you a discount if you use their branded credit card.

4. Before I leave the house I map out my trip. That usually entails deciding where I am going and how to drive it to use as little gas as possible. 

5. I use this fuel calculator to figure out what my route will cost me.

5 I will do as many errands in a week that I can all on one trip.

5. The other day I realized that the front driver side tire was getting soft. It wasn’t soft enough to get a warning on the car dash but it was getting there. So I took the few minutes to fill the tire up with air. Driving on soft tires doesn’t give you your best gasoline mileage. Keeping those tires filled properly will save you cash.

6. Do your tune ups that will keep your car running smoothly and thereby save you on gas costs.

7. If your car doesn’t need premium gasoline, use the regular. Most cars do not need premium gasoline. Check your car manual or ask your dealership. If you don’t need it, it is a waste of money to buy it. 

8. Always check Gas Buddy to see who has the cheapest gasoline in the area. Then if you have points to use on gasoline you can figure out if they are worth using or if you would be better off getting your gasoline at a different gas station. 

9. Some gas stations let you save a $.05 or so off a gallon if you sign up and let them take the gas money automatically out of your checking account. Unfortunately, the one near me sold and the new company does not have this benefit.
 
10. I have a gas station down the road from me that is cash only. They are usually cheaper than everyone else. In other words, you get a cash discount. 

11. When shopping for a car, you can save by buying a fuel efficient car to begin with.

12. If you can easily walk somewhere rather than driving, so it. 


13. If you have public transportation available, use it.

14. Car pool if possible to work. Hubby did this and saved a lot of money over the years that he did it.

15. Don’t be an aggressive driver. When starting up from a start, keep your RPM’s under 2 until you get up to speed. Jack rabbit starts waste gasoline. 

16. Don’t drive miles out of your way to save a few cents on gasoline. It will cost you more to go there than the few cents you will save.


17. On a cold morning, don’t warm up your car more than 30 seconds. Modern cars do not need a long warm up period like the cars of the “old days”.

18. During the warmer days of the year, buy your gasoline in the early morning or in the late evening. Gas is more dense when it is cooler outside so you get more of it when you pump. When the temperature warms up, you get less of it when you pump.


19. Turn your car off if you are going to be stopping for a few minutes. I can’t tell you how many peoples cars I see running at the grocery store or drugstore when they have run into shop for a few minutes. Idling costs money.

20. Keep your windows up as much as possible. They create drag which uses more gasoline. 

21. In the summer, park your car in the shade which will keep it cooler and keep you from turning on the A/C as much. A/C uses gasoline. In the hotter states, like Arizona, use a sunshade for your window when the car is parked. It won’t take as long to cool down your car with the A/C.


22. If you have cruise control, use it especially when driving on high speed highways. It will save you gasoline.


I am sure there are many more ways to save on gasoline. If you would like to add your $.02, please feel free to leave a comment.

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Every Day

Squirreling Away the “Nuts” for the Winter

As you have seen in recent prior posts, I have been stockpiling for this winter. I hate cold and snow and I have no intention of leaving the house except for medical or dental appointments once the snow starts falling.

Recently I have stockpiled toilet paper, beef, chicken, ground beef, steaks, shrimp, ground chicken, ground turkey, canned potatoes, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, snacks, apples, frozen vegetables, liquid hand soap, and tall kitchen garbage bags. They have all been incorporated in to the stockpile that I already had.

This morning I took inventory of our tissues. We only had 12 boxes so I went to Dollar Tree and got 18 more boxes. Thirty boxes should be enough to get us through cold season. I checked and we have plenty of cold medicines. While I was at Dollar Tree, I picked up the greeting cards for the family birthdays coming up. I know I bought a bunch of blank cards but I buy specialty cards for immediate family members. I also was out of mailing labels and Dollar Tree has the very best price so I picked up a pack. Those will be used for any Christmas gifts that need to be mailed.

I spent some time this morning checking my inventories in the basement. I determined that we have plenty of pasta for Hubby and for when West stays with us. He loves his grandma’s homemade spaghetti and meatballs. Those bins and boxes on the second from the top shelves hold plenty.


I have plenty of tea, coffee, sugar free coffee syrups, and drink mixes. 


Hubby’s cereal supply is plentiful.


The paper towel supply is perfect. We don’t use too many paper towels. We mostly use them for draining food. 


We have lots of paper napkins.


We have plenty Crystal Light, G2 drinks in case anyone needs hydration with electrolytes, tomato sauces and tomatoes to make sauce, refried beans, canned mushrooms, boullion, gravy mixes, tabasco sauces and other sauces, bread crumbs, jam, peanut butter(many more in the kitchen pantries), powders for smoothies, evaporated milk,and avocado oil sprays.

I have determined that I need more pickles and olives, olive and avocado oils, dishwasher detergent, liquid dish soap,canned tuna, and canned white meat chicken. So I will be looking for rock bottom prices on those. This is not all of my stockpile but I will show you more at some other time.

Everything that you see here, I have more at the ready in my pantries in the kitchen. All of my freezers are pretty full. Matter of fact we are eating out of them to make room for turkeys and hams.   

I am off to spend more of my day with the birthday boy named Hubby.

Are you stocking up for the winter? What are you stocking on?  If anyone hears of a good deal on dishwasher detergent at a nationwide store, I would love a heads up!