Campfrugal's Personal Finance Blog

Sold some books at a book sale today totaling $17.00. Will add that amount to my Passive Income category.

Previous Amount: $130.35
Add monies: $17.00
New Total: $147.35

I bought a cottage on a small lot that I have been renovating over the past 12 years. Renovations just never end. I do everything I can to save money to be able to stay home. I have two degrees, one in interior decorating and one legal secretary, but prefer not to work in an office and thought I can just put my degrees to work at home.

I grow my own food and can and freeze what I grow and items that I find on sale. I menu plan and use coupons for only the items that I use. I play the CVS and Walgreens game to keep us stocked in toiletries. I get my CVS and Walgreens cards from mypoints.com, so I usually do not pay anything out of pocket. I am also a swagger at swagbucks and use the points there for gift cards or amazon cards and do surveys through Pinecone for extra cash.

I shop at more than one store to get the deals. Every week, while making my menu, I write down all the sales, search for coupons on places like couponfrenzymom.com and print them out to take along. I may go to 5 different stores in a day.

I plan my wardrobe accordingly and only buy items that need to be replaced or upgraded that I find at the Salvation Army, garage sales and sometimes Walmart, Target or department stores when they have their sales. I just did a whole new summer wardrobe for $25.00 from Walmart's last year summer clearance items.

What I do to bring in extra money is, I babysit the kids next door about 10 times per month for an hour and half in the morning for $20/each time, clean other people's houses, I have my own craft/treasures business that I try to set up at a few times per month at different venues, sell extra coupons and samples that I don't use that come in the mail on ebay, bake cakes and goodies for other people's parties, bring home free items sitting along side the road in other peoples garbage - paint them up and sell them on craigslist or at the craft shows, I do some catering and a few painting jobs per year.

I also manage a small seasonal club from Memorial Day to Labor Day that is close to my home. I can actually walk there. All the money from the Club goes directly into my savings account to pay property taxes, Christmas and vacations. I also go through our clothes periodically and sell them at garage sales or take them to the resale shop and use the cash to replace clothes.

I have homeschooled my kids for the past 15 years and resell anything that is remotely related to education that they have outgrown - books, projects, comics, magazine subscriptions, skiing/snowboarding equipment, craft supplies, etc. I usually take that income and put it back into their education. But now my youngest is 17 and we are pretty much done with the homeschooling movement. I am now cleaning through everything that we used for homeschooling and will be selling off what I can at some different homeschool book sales this spring.

Part of the process is keeping good budget books. I write everything down. I have many different plans. I keep track of all my categories, income and spending on different excel sheets. I run my home like a business, but have fun at it.

Yes, some days/weeks are challenging. That just means we get more creative and the Lord always provides.

I did a little experiment to see if I could make any profit selling coupons and small items laying around that I would never use. Here is how it transpired.

Maybelline Coupon Lot
Kroger Coupon Lot
Office Max Coupon Lot
Bath and Body Works coupons and Simple Face Wash Sample
Shampoo and Conditioner Samples

Totaling $14.95, minus Ebay fees, Pay Pal fees and mailing costs, I netted $6.35. Not sure it was worth my time, but adding it to my Passive Income category.

Previous Amount: $124.00
Add monies: $6.35
New Total: $130.35

Still working on my debt, but paid a large amount to the Care Credit card which had a balance due of $689 before the accrued interest hit. There is another large amount due next month on that card of around $500, which I am saving all my extra pennies to put towards it so that the accrued interest will not hit on that amount. I am focusing my debt reduction on that card first and hope to have all of it paid by the end of June.

After that one is gone, I will focus on a different card, just not sure which one yet. It should be the Discover, cause it has the highest interest, but also the highest balance, so I will figure it out when I pay the bills the beginning of July.

I have also been working on bringing in extra cash because I will loose my largest income when my youngest child turns 18 in December. I have been making and selling crafts, cleaning houses, babysitting, catering and baking, all of which have been picking up, so I will need to decide where I want to focus most of my attention to when the time comes.

A little over a year ago, our electric company came out and replaced my electric meter with a new smart meter. Pretty much everyone in our area got one, so I didn't think to much about. The reasons stated were so the electric company didn't have to send someone out to read the meter every month, along with they were able to monitor power outages and issues like that.

Well, I have been on the budget plan with my electric company for the past couple years, that way I pay the same amount every month and it helps me to budget better, so I didn't see the difference in my bill, that is was higher, until my SIL mentioned that her bill is now higher now that they have the new smart meter.

Apparently, the electric company raised the rates in order to compensate for the new meters without letting anyone know. So, guess what happened, their actions were taken to court. There hasn't been a ruling yet, but my guess is it will be a class action lawsuit and I will eventually get back a minute amount of money sometime in the distant future.

Until then, I am gonna have to look for more ways to cut back on my electric bill. Hanging out laundry, making sure things are unplugged or shut off, etc. Any great ideas are always appreciated here at SA.

I am going to start doing the CVS shopping once again. I used some of my points and mypoints.com to purchase a $10.00 card to get me started and subscribed to some blogs that do CVS 101 in order to stay on top of the sales.

Hoping to get some much needed items re-stocked in my home without paying anything out of my pocket.

I am eventually going to add Walgreens and Rite-Aid after I purchase gift cards for them and get the hang of using the ECB and RR's.

I am going to treat my couponing and re-stocking like it is one of my jobs here in my home.

So I'm getting a little nervous as to what God has planned for me throughout this year and beyond. I loose my main income stream at the end of this year (in 9 months) and I definitely need to replace that income with a job.

I know it is still 9 months away, but it has kept me in the worried phase. If I don't get a job or some other kind of income stream, I will have trouble paying my mortgage and other living expenses.

So, I figured if the worse comes, I could just sell my home, because I am not under water with my mortgage. I wasn't under water with my mortgage when this whole mortgage crisis went down and I refinanced for a better interest rate, so I am figuring that I would be in the positive. It would possibly enable me to pay off all of my remaining debt and put some cash in my pocket and I could then go find an inexpensive place to rent.

But, then another plan came into my head. I have been working on my crafts and vintage treasures to sell at different flea markets and such. And, the items that I do make sell very quickly. So, I figured I needed to step up my game and treat it like a real job and work at it every day along with doing other services that I am good at. I figured business cards would help me sell my other services. So why not print out some business cards to hand out that also list my other services on the back.

But because I am also on a "use up what I have" kick, I decided to use some old business cards I have of another business that was pretty lucrative for me and write my other services on the back of those cards. Then when those business cards are gone, I can then order new cards made for the services/businesses that really took off.

I am hoping that with doing what I love, I can generate enough income to pay my bills, unless the Lord has another plan and drops a job in my lap before the end of the year.

Of course, I don't want to give up my seasonal summer job, so working my other businesses would allow me to stay there.

I know it is Tuesday, but I did do my menu for the week on Monday and the grocery shopping to go with it. My family pretty much eats what they want for breakfasts - cereal, bagels, toasted homemade bread with jam, sometimes I make pancakes, waffles or french toast. And, lunches are usually leftovers or something simple like a PB&J, even though I have to plan for breakfasts and lunches in my grocery shopping. I also bake homemade desserts every week. I only put up a menu for dinners in my house.

Monday - Tuna Noodle Casserole, salad, homemade loaf of bread.

Tuesday - Enchiladas, salad and rolls.

Wednesday - Club Sandwiches and Chicken Noodle soup.

Thursday - Spagetti, Turkey meatballs, salad and homemade bread.

Friday - Probably leftovers or I will make a chicken stir fry or chicken soft tacos with the leftovers of chicken I have in the freezer.

Saturday - Pizza, breadsticks and salad

Sunday - Easter.

The Easter Menu consists of:

Ham and/or a whole baked chicken
Cheesy Potatoes
Green Beans
Ambrosia Salad
Jello salad with fresh strawberries
Deviled Eggs
Rolls

Dessert is Coconut Creme Pie from Achatz Pie Company (was a gift left in my fridge a few weeks back and I put it in the freezer just for this special day http://www.achatzpies.com/) and a Brownie Trifle.

I did my bills for the month. I do them in two seperate categories. Regular bills which consist of the mortgage, electric, gas, cable/internet/tv, cell phones, homeowners and vehicle insurances, sewer bill and water softener salt.

And the second category, Debt repayment, which is listed on my sidebar.

I do the first set the beginning of the month and the second set throughout the month depending on due dates.

Well, after doing the first set of monthly bills, I only have $10.xx some change left in my checking and about $30 in my wallet. I did start out with $96.00 this morning, but went and did grocery shopping for the week and put gas in the car. This is where I have to rely on my husband for the extra to pay my debt, buy groceries, gas and entertainment.

It gets better once my summer job income starts the end of May. That money goes directly into my savings account to help pay for Property taxes and Christmas.

But, I really do need to figure something else out. Until then......

Did two more surveys through Pincone and received $6.00. Adding that amount to my passive income category.

Previous Amount: $118.00
Add monies: $6.00
New Total: $124.00

Does anyone else here do the mypoints.com thing. I have acquired enough points so far to get a $25.00 gift card and a $10.00 gift card in most all categories, or just $25.00 in pay pal money.

What does everyone else usually use their points for here on the SA blogs.

MARCH GOALS RECAP:

*Keep planning a menu. Cook more from scratch and find more local resources. Done very well in this area. Been replenishing stock. Made strawberry jam and stocked up on a b1g1 free bread deals.

*Take pics of the items I have cleaned out and get them listed on craigslist, ebay, sorted for a yard sale or donate. Sold some items at my SIL's yard sale, took other items to a antique/craft store - the lady bought most of my items and we consigned the trunk. Plus, took some good clothes/shoes to the consignment shop and donated not-so-good items to the Salvation Army.

*Welcome my new grand-daughter into the world. Yes, on March 27 at 12:45 p.m., we welcomed my beautiful grand-daughter, Mandolin Storey, into the world. She weighed 7lbs 14ozs. with a full head of black hair.

*Start getting really creative on debt reduction. Haven't had much time to work on this cause my furnace and the neon needed to be fixed.

APRIL GOALS:

*Plan the Easter Menu.

*Work on my craft business.

*Put together a recipe and menu book and work more on couponing.

*Re-do my budget, make phone calls to see if I can get some better deals.

*Continue to be diligent in cooking from scratch, finding local resources, finding creative ways to eliminate my credit card debt and close some cards.

I took some magazines and frames over to my SIL's yard sale and made $11.00. Adding that amount to my passive income category.

Previous Amount: $107.00
Add monies: $11.00
New Total: $118.00

We have been completely out of jam for a while now. I have been buying jam from the grocery store, which is more expensive.

So, yesterday I set out to get some supplies to make jam, but because I have to do everything as frugal as possible, it required a little ingenuity.

Normally I would buy fresh organic strawberries, but I called around first before I left the house. Meijers has non-organic strawberries for a buck each, but I don't like anything that has been sprayed with pesticides. So, as I was calling around, no-one but Whole Foods had organic strawberries which were costing over $3.00 each.

I thought that maybe I wasn't going to make jam, so I ventured out to Costco to pick my daughter up some eye solution. There strawberries were expensive, but they did have a 6 pound bag of frozen organic strawberries for $8.99 bag, so I grabbed one of those.

Not sure how jam would turn out from frozen strawberries, I was willing to give it a try. The beginning consistency while cooking it is different, but my end product is soooo wonderfully tasty. I only used half of the bag of strawberries, so $4.50 there, the pectin cost $2.11, and the sugar breaks down to possibly a $1.00 totaling $7.61. Not bad for 9 half pints of jelly. Normal cost would be around $27.00. So a savings of $19.39.

I am all set until strawberry picking time in June, at which time I will make a double batch. I am also going to make a mixed berry and possibly try my hand at a marmalade when citrus is in season.

This past fall I got the idea to make some Grapevine Christmas Trees, albeit, a little late in the season, so the grapevines weren't as pliable as they should be, but I was able to get three done, and three grapevine wreaths.





I normally sell my trees for $42.00 each, but because these are what I call seconds, where the vine is easily breakable and not pliable, I sold them for $30.00 each. I keep one for myself, which I added a star embellishment and put it on my front porch for the Holidays.



I also sold one of the grapevine wreaths for $10.00, gave one to my son and DIL, and kept one for myself. So, I ended up with $70.00 for found objects and the wire cages I am sure I bought for a buck or less at garage sales. Not a bad profit.

This is what started me doing my own craft business. It is called "Bunny Run Cottage Crafts and Treasures".

I have taken some items to a antique/craft store and have many projects in the works. I have contacted two other craft/antique stores in two other towns that I will be working with.

My goal is to make this a lucrative business because I enjoy it very much.

Adding $3.00 from a Pinecone Survey to my passive income category.

Previous Amount: $104.00
Add monies: $3.00
New Total: $107.00

I have made peace with the fact that I have debt, although I will not be a slave to my debt. It is gonna take some time to get back out of debt. My debt came to me because I had four loved ones who died within a very short period of time from each other, my children's dad, my dad, my mother and my mother-in-law. And, even though we sold off what we could from their estates to pay their funeral costs, there were other incurred expenses, like my Mother's hospice from the last three weeks of her life, my Dad's headstone, and not to mention my own scrape with death from an unknown allergic reaction to sulfates costing me $5,000 in doctor/hospital bills.

Then, things started to break down. Stuff that I had already put big money into, my well, my furnace, the car, etc., so, yes, it has been a juggling act for quite a few years. I had no debt prior to all of the tragedies stated above.

Even though I have always been frugal, I believe I can take this to a whole new level. I am gonna be starting some new series here that will follow those journeys. For instance.

*Freezer Swap. I really love this idea and I am going to try to get a group together to see if this is something feasible. It gives you an idea here as to how to do one, along with Once A Month Cooking on organic items I find on sale. For example, bag of potatoes - possibly make twice baked and freeze.

http://freezerfriendz.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-freezer-friendz-conducts-their.html

*Every year I grow some of our own food, but this year, I am going to do more. More canning and freezing. I haven't been putting up enough to get me through until the next harvest time. That means more jam, freezing corn, making and freezing spaghetti and mostaccioli sauce, freezing more fruits (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.) for baking. Making applesauce from my heirloom apple tree that doesn't produce good eating apples, but good enough for applesauce. I have so much in mind.

*Possibly more couponing. The problem with couponing is I usually only buy organic, not boxed or pre-made food, so coupons are slim pickins.

*Getting some chickens for eggs, which in turn will eat my scraps, along with some worms, which eat the scraps that chickens don't.

*Thinking about honeybees. Even though I do have a honey supplier close by the area. Bees are just good for the gardens also.

*Using more local resources for items I cannot grow enough of on my own.

*Doing more of my crafts and selling them in craft consignment stores. I just recently took some stuff to one of them and made money on my stuff. So, I will be expanding in this area. I will talk more about this in another post.

These are just a few ideas, but I am starting today by making some strawberry jam, because we are out.

I am trying so hard to make ends meet, save money while paying off my debt, so that I can live a debt-free life, but unexpected breakdowns just keep happening.

First, the submersible well pump had to be replaced the week of Christmas to the tune of $830.

The Neon needed mechanical work, a new fuel pump costing $300, then it was ran into in a parking lot and required a new alternator and radiator, another $225.00. Plus, it really could use some new shocks, front-end alignment and oil change.

Then, today, my furnace went out again, so I called for another service call thinking it was the ignitor, but it turned out to be the circuit board, costing me $680.00. Well, I didn't want to dip into my emergency fund because my husband's work has been very sporadic right now, so I put it on a credit card.

So bummed.

Currently I am adding $20.25 extra to my mortgage payment each month. And right now, I have more going to the principal than the interest each month. That has me paying off my mortgage in 11 1/2 years. That is so exciting to me, because in the next couple of months I am going to make a huge dent in my Debt repayment, so instead of me owing on my debt for the next 4 years, I have implemented a plan to have it paid off in 2 years, which I can then add more to my mortgage each month.

My goal is to have my mortgage paid off in 9 years and 2 months or May 2021, my birthday month in which I turn 60, shaving off 2 years 4 months.

A couple weeks ago, the neon got ran into in the front end while it was parked at the mall. It loosened the bumper and put a crack in the front of the hood. Later that week, we had to replace the alternator and the radiator, costing me $115.00. My husband did all the work fixing it. My daughter and I split the costs of the neon. It is actually her car that she is letting me use.

I also received and finished the book I ordered "The Feast Nearby". I loved it. For a Michigan girl, it brought back many memories for me and it kind of depicts how I live my life, somewhat. With the local food buying, raising my own food, foraging, cooking recipes, harvesting to set myself up for the coming cold months. This would be the type of book I would probably write and I just might, but I would add more elements and pictures.

Speaking of harvesting. Almost everything I put up last fall is now gone out of the freezer and off my canning shelves. I will have to make adjustments to freeze and can more items. On the list is also to add more plants, shrubs and trees to my yard that are perennial edibles.

*I would like to espalier an apple tree or two.
*Add some blueberry bushes.
*Add more strawberry plants. The strawberries I have a problem with because the critters (chipmunks, rabbits, bunnies, etc.) like to eat them, so I need to get them up off the ground, and spray with a safe organic soapy type something to deter them from eating my fruit.
*Going to build some trellises in a couple different areas for hanging my cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins.

Here is my raspberry patch, which supplies me with lots of raspberries. It is not quite at the level of providing me with enough to make jam yet, although, I might be able to if my family wouldn't eat them all. They are soooo good fresh off the stalk. I think I will try to keep some to add to a batch of strawberry jam.



And here is a picture of the new peach tree I planted early last spring. It actually gave me some peaches. Looking forward to seeing what it will do this year. It is a semi-dwarf Hale Haven Peach.





I am very excited about getting started with my gardening this year. I have lots of awesome ideas.

FEBRUARY RECAP: This month has been very stressful, but when I think about, I have been very stressed since November.

*Keep planning a menu. Cook more from scratch and find more local resources. Continuously doing.

*Get invites for baby shower, address them and get them in the mail before February 3rd. DONE

*Bake Valentine Cookies and enjoy with my family. Didn't do, I figured we had too many goodies in the house already.

*Bake something for Niece's going away party. Didn't need to do.

*Bake all the muffins for the baby shower and get them in the freezer. Pumpkin Raisin, Blueberry, Banana Nut and Zucchini Apple Walnut. DONE and GONE.

*Get cake ordered, menu set and have Baby Shower. DONE and it was absolutely beautiful.

*Add more money to my Savings account. Didn't get accomplished yet, but 5 days left in this month. There was also too much cash money going to other areas like the baby shower and property taxes.

*Start spring cleaning and decluttering for yard sale and donations. Ongoing. Did get done my bedroom, my pictures are organized in one area, my closet and my son's closet.

*Do Income taxes. DONE and it has already been deposited.

*Made a plan to lower my stress level. Continuously working on.


MARCH GOALS:

*Keep planning a menu. Cook more from scratch and find more local resources.

*Keep working on lowering my stress level and bringing more joy into my life.

*Take pics of the items I have cleaned out and get them listed on craigslist, ebay, sorted for a yard sale or donate.

*Welcome my new grand-daughter into the world.

*Start getting really creative on debt reduction.

Not too many goals for March, I am trying to lower my stress level.

This is the federal poverty guideline. If we just go on my regular income of $19,572, I am definitely under the poverty level for a family of 4.

http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/11poverty.shtml

But, I do supplement my income by babysitting, cleaning houses and working a summer job.

And, yet I feel very blessed with everything I have accomplished.

Did my taxes yesterday and after paying my husband's social security and self-employment tax, plus my youngest turning 17, which means I don't get the extra $1000 child tax credit, I am only getting $773 back.

I guess it is better than paying, but I needed to pay off some debt. Two bills in particular, my Care Credit card and winter property taxes are due.

So, here is the breakdown.

*$246.03 will go to winter property taxes; and
*$527 will go to Care Credit. Here is the breakdown of my care credit card.

-$987.00 is due by 4/27/2012. If not paid by then the accrued interest will kick in. Leaving $460 to pay off in 3 month. I will need to add an additional $153 each month to meet that goal. I do have the money in my EF account, so I can actually meet this goal.

-$537.00 is due by 5/28/2012, but my regular montly payment will bring this down a little more, so I will see where I stand the beginning of May when I pay this bill. I may just transfer the money from my EF to finish paying off this balance, if I don't have it tackled by then.

-The remaining balance after that on the Care Credit card is not due until November before the interest kicks in, but I will pay on it monthly to get it paid off before then.

I also want to kick the Art Van and Amazon Visa out of here, so I can focus on the remaining three, Discover Wamu and Freedom.

There is my plan. I am pretty excited about it, cause I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of this debt. By Memorial Day, when I start my summer beach job, I should only be dealing with the remaining three credit card debts, and that is a good feeling.

I am also going through my home and selling off many items, which will also help me meet my goals above.

I will keep you updated on my progress.

As I have been looking around my house, I realized that even though it might look orderly, it is in much disarray.

I have made a list and decided that I would start my spring cleaning and de-cluttering early.

Revamp my Closet.
*Take everything out and vacuum floors and dust shelving units.
*Try on everything I own and either keep, mend or toss.
*Make a list of new items I need to purchase to make newer looking outfits.

Son's Room and Closet
*This closet is primarly used for storage. I need to pull everything out and decide to donate, keep or sell.
*Re-arrange room.

Kitchen
*Organize draws and cupboards.
*Re-arrange some items.

Laundry Room
*Take down shelving and put up cupboards for storage.
*Use shelving in another room.
*Fix ceiling and repaint.

Regular Cleaning
*Windows
*Floors
*All bedding, including dust ruffles, mattress covers and duvets
*Shampoo all bedroom floor area rugs/carpets.
*Re-dye living room curtains to even out from sun damage.

Office
*Re-organize shelving and desk

Bathrooms
*Wash curtains
*Get new bath towels and washcloths

Attic
*Go through kids items and decide what to keep and what to sell.
*Go through Christmas items and decided what to keep and what to sell.
*Clean and lay some flooring.

That is what I can come up with off the top of my head. Let's get started.

Well I met most of my goals for January. Here is a recap:

*Need to get $304.00 back into my checking to cover overage. DONE.

*Need to get my EF savings account back up to the minimum balance, where I am not charged a fee to $300.I actually got it back up to over $1000. Yay.

*Keep working on finding a part-time job. I did put two resumes in this week, with one as a great prospect, and the hours work great with my other schedules. Pray that I get it. Would love this job. I didn't get the job I wanted, but did pick up another house cleaning job. So I guess it worked out.

*Get baby shower invites done and mailed out by the end of the month. The person doing my invites is a little behind, but promised to finish them tonight. They will go in the mail this week

*Get the rest of my bills paid before their respective due dates. Usually not a problem. DONE

*Finish up Bunco party gifts, make desserts on that day and have a good time with the ladies. DONE

*Get organized for the Club Board meeting. DONE

*Keep up with my menu planning. This has been working out great and keeps me out of the grocery stores every other day. I can't say enough for this. It helps to keep me on track and stay within my grocery budget

*Call my new house cleaning job to see what day is best for them. DONE

FEBRUARY GOALS:

*Keep planning a menu. Cook more from scratch and find more local resources.

*Get invites for baby shower, address them and get them in the mail before February 3rd.

*Bake Valentine Cookies and enjoy with my family.

*Bake something for Niece's going away party.

*Bake all the muffins for the baby shower and get them in the freezer. Pumpkin Raisin, Blueberry, Banana Nut and Zucchini Apple Walnut.

*Get cake ordered, menu set and have Baby Shower.

*Add more money to my Savings account.

*Start spring cleaning and decluttering for yard sale and donations.

*Do Income taxes.

Adding$3.00 from a Pinecone Survey to my passive income category.

Previous Amount: $101.00
Add monies: $3.00
New Total: $104.00

I entered the contest over at Cash Flow Mantra http://cashflowmantra.com/ last week sometime and I won $75.00. I am so excited. Thank you Jim at CFM.

Adding $75.00 from a contest I won to my passive income category.

Previous Amount: $26.00
Add monies: $75.00
New Total: $101.00

I also just bought a book I cannot wait to read called:

The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week)

through Amazon, but I used up some credit card credits to buy it, so it didn't cost me anything.

I have decided I would keep a running tally of how much interest I am paying on all my credit cards every month on my sidebar. I think looking at how much money I am wasting will help me stay focused and get those pesky credit cards paid off.

January Interest: $176.39

Adding $3.00 from a Pinecone survey to my passive income total.

Previous Amount: $23.00
Add monies: $3.00
New Total: $26.00

Has anyone caught the show and what are you doing to be an extreme cheapskate.

I have decided not to buy kitty litter anymore. Last year I spent $60.66 on kitty litter. My husband says he can bring home all the free sawdust I want. I thought with the sawdust, a box of baking soda and using some shredded paper from my recycle bin, I shouldn't have to buy anymore kitty litter.

As I was going through all of my receipts, other items caught my eye that I spend a lot of money on, for example:

*Shampoo. Why do we use so much shampoo. Hmm. Investigate.

*Apples. We eat a lot of apples. A bag of organic apples each week at $5.99/each comes to $311.48. I should be able to go to the farms and get them by the bushel for much less. I have an apple tree, but the apples are not real good for eatin, but possibly for applesauce or cider.

*Bottled water. I stopped this a while back, but for some reason, we have started buying it again. Need to push using the brita and refillables.

*Cat Food. Well, the cats have to eat also. I wonder if I can make my own for cheaper.

*Meat. Which is always a hefty price. I did buy a case of Zaycon Chicken when it went on sale in October and I know I saved a bundle here. I will do this again when the sale comes around. Now, if I can figure out a plan for the rest of the meat oonsumed around here.

Well, those are areas I am going to look into. I think if I combined all of my efforts above, I could probably save quite a bit.