Catching up (I am always behind).

As usual, I am slightly behind on my expense reporting. February is a busy month for me at work (not that I would ever blog at work... hehehe) and as a result I am exhausted when I come home and not as enthusiastic about blogging, especially blogging about boring numbers. I think I also have a touch of the winter blues as February has been a pretty nasty month, weather wise, here. But never fear, these are minor setbacks for me and I am going to get everything updated here right now!

I bought gas twice - once I spent $17.00 and the other time I spent $47.16. Both times gas was $2.25 a gallon (it has since gone up to $2.39 - yikes).

I spent $10.72 on gifts.

I spent $9.50 for a ticket to a charity event (which included food!). And while there I won a cake in the cake walk, so I will be eating good, dessert-wise at least, for the next week!

My cell phone bill was $54.79. Oh, and GOOD NEWS... I just found out my bill will be going down slightly! I get a discount through my employer and they negotiated a bigger discount with Verizon. it's not much, but I will take it!

My internet/cable was $95.36. I could have sworn this was supposed to go up but I am certainly not going to complain if it doesn't!

My electric bill was $79.00.

My heat bill was $51.00.

I paid $22.00 for the sewer.

I think that is everything, for now. I am going to be doing my month-end recap so be on the lookout for that in the next day or two (or three). Also, if I missed any expenses I will post an update. Until then, enjoy the rest of the weekend!

What have I been eating this (last) week?

While I am taking part in my $50 a month spent on food grocery challenge, I will be documenting what I eat each week. Some people have expressed concerns that I can't possible eat enough on just $50 a month. I hope this type of documentation puts their fears to rest.

February 20

Breakfast/Lunch - eggs, tomatoes, toast, apple juice

Dinner - sardines, mac and cheese, salad, apple sauce, milk

February 21

Breakfast - cereal and milk

Lunch - leftover mac and cheese, kiwi fruit

Dinner - turkey panini, fripps, pickle, tomato

February 22

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - leftover mac and cheese, grapes

Dinner - ravioli, salad, apple sauce, milk

February 23

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - leftover ravioli, grapes

Dinner - fish, potato, salad, apple sauce, milk

February 24

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - leftover fish, potato, salad

Dinner - veal, salad, side of pasta, rolls, squash, canoli

February 25

Breakfast - toast with PB

Lunch - leftover pasta, squash

Dinner - leftover veal, potato, salad, milk

February 26

Breakfast/Lunch - toast with PB, grapes
Dinner - spaghetti and meat balls, salad, bread, cake, fruit juice, hot tea

Food Waste Friday

Spending money wisely also means not wasting it... and that includes not wasting food. So, each week I will document what food is needlessly wasted and report it here. Feel free to leave me a comment with your own food waste. Or, if you have a blog you can go to my new site, The Single Saver, and link up to my 'Food Waste Friday' post there (look on the main page or on the blog page for the link-up).

I am very happy to report NO food waste this week! Woohoo! I am finding it is getting easier and easier to not have food waste as the weeks go by and I am conditioning myself to be more careful with my food.

How did you do?

An unexpected food expense....

I had some Rite Aid UPS Rewards I needed to use, so last Saturday I went to Rite Aid.  I spent $3.37 out of pocket plus $6.00 Rite Aid UPS Rewards.  I bought:

• 1 gallon skim milk

• 1 dozen eggs

• 1 package of beef hot dogs

Sadly, I ended up with a very unexpected food-related expense last night.  I have a second job teaching at a local University one night a week.  Last night I had planned to run home before teaching to grab dinner.  However, Mother Nature had other plans for me.  We had about 8 inches of snow dumped on us in a short period of time.  The roads became treacherous and I was lucky to get from my main job to the University in time... driving home in between would have been out of the question.  As teaching on an empty stomach would have been near impossible, I had to spend some money and buy food on campus.  I bought a half turkey panini with tomatoes, lettuce, and a pickle and a serving of fripps (which are basically just chips) - it was $3.49.

So if you are following along on my $50 a month grocery challenge, here are the stats: On this shopping trip (and restaurant meal) I spent $6.86 cash and $6.00 in Rite Aid UPS Rewards. That means I now have $29.83 cash left to spend in February (this amount includes my carry-over from January and what I don't use will be carried over into March)!

I will be linking to Frugal Follies and The Grocery Cart Challenge on their next link-ups!

What did I eat last week?

While I am taking part in my $50 a month spent on food grocery challenge, I will be documenting what I eat each week. Some people have expressed concerns that I can't possible eat enough on just $50 a month. I hope this type of documentation puts their fears to rest.

February 13

Breakfast/Lunch - eggs, tomatoes, toast, apple juice

Dinner - meatloaf, salad, apple sauce, milk

February 14

Breakfast - cereal and milk

Lunch - leftover shrimp fried rice, grapes

Dinner - leftover bagel pizza

February 15

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - lobster bisque (from Bravo)

Dinner - leftover meatloaf

February 16

Breakfast - bananas w/PB

Lunch - turkey wrap with lettuce and tomato and mayo, grapes

Dinner - Parmesan pasta, peas, carrots, milk

February 17

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - leftover Parmesan pasta, peas

Dinner - banana and PB sandwich on wheat, apple juice, grapes

February 18

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - ham and bean soup (from my freezer), half a bagal

Dinner - beef hot dogs, grapes, kiwi fruit

February 19

Breakfast/Lunch - PB and banana sandwich on wheat
Dinner - (at a friend's) bakes spaghetti, corn casserole, salad, pound cake, cranberry juice

Food Waste Friday

Spending money wisely also means not wasting it... and that includes not wasting food. So, each week I will give you an opportunity to document what food is needlessly wasted and report it here. Alternately, you may wish to instead highlight the ways you saved food this week! Feel free to leave me a comment with your own food waste/save story, or link to your blog using the widget, below.

I wasted a handful of baby carrots this week. To be honest, they were probably still edible, but I didn't like their color so out they went.

How did you do? Leave a comment here and, if you document your food waste on a blog, head on over to The Single Saver and join our link up!

Also, click here read my insights on how I have benefited from participating in Food Waste Friday.

Making a small dent in my grocery budget....

I have been a bad blogger lately. I have been busy with 'The Single Saver' (have you checked it out yet?). Right now I am staring at a receipt I have had since Sunday and I am just now reporting it here. It is from a recent Aldi shopping trip. I spent $19.74 and bought:

• 3 kiwis
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 1 head of lettuce
• 2 pounds of bananas
• 2 pounds of grapes

• 1 pound roma tomatoes

• 1 can green beans

• 1 pound ground beef

• 1 bag cheese ravioli

• 3 pounds long grain rice

• 1 pound butter

• 1 bottle hot sauce

• 2 boxes mac and cheese

Also, I spent a whopping $7.00 out of my food budget on Tuesday when a group of us went out to eat at 'Bravo' for a friend’s birthday. I ordered a bowl of lobster bisque, instead of a full meal, and not only did that save me money but it was delicious, too.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that at Aldi I found an unreturned shopping cart in the parking lot which meant I gained $0.25 which I will add to my food budget! Woo hoo!

So if you are following along on my $50 a month grocery challenge, here are the stats: On this shopping trip (and restaurant meal) I spent $26.74 and gained $0.25. That means I now have $36.69 cash and $6 UPS Rewards for a grand total of $42.69 left to spend in February (this amount includes my carry-over from January)!

Do you monitor your food waste?

Do you participate in Food Waste Friday or monitor your food waste in one way or another? If so, head on over here and read about how 'Food Waste Friday' has changed my life for the better!

Dog Food and Gas

I went to Target and spent $29.80 over the weekend.  $28.32 of that was on a bag of dog food.  $1.48 was on shampoo.  I also used a coupon I had for a free container of yogurt! 

Then it was off to get gas.  I spent $53.70 to fill my tank and get a car wash (which was about $2.50).  Gas is $3.02 a gallon here. 

Almost $85 spent on essentials.  How I yearn for a post where I say, "I spent $85 one some fun impulse item for myself!!!"  But of course I am now brainwashed and even if I had $85 laying around I don't think I could bring myself to spend it frivolously anymore.  Could you? 

Don't forget to check out The Single Saver for today's daily money-saving tip!

What did I eat last week?

While I am taking part in my $50 a month spent on food grocery challenge, I will be documenting what I eat each week.  Some people have expressed concerns that I can't possible eat enough on just $50 a month.  I hope this type of documentation puts their fears to rest. 

January 30

Breakfast/Lunch - eggs, tomatoes, toast, apple juice

Dinner - spaghetti and meat balls, salad, apple sauce, milk

January 7

Breakfast - toast and PB

Lunch - leftover spaghetti and meat balls, salad

Dinner - turkey noodle soup (from the freezer), apple juice

February 8

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch  - free bagels from Bruegger'st

Dinner - bagel pizza, salad, milk

February 9

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - turkey noodle soup

Dinner - (dinner at my parents) roast beef, mashed potatoes, broccoli

February 10

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch - leftover roast beef, broccoli, mashed potatoes

Dinner - three free tacos from Taco bell, apple juice

February 11

Breakfast - cereal with milk

Lunch -cup noodles with veggies

Dinner - meatloaf, salad, apple sauce, milk, ice cream

February 12

Breakfast - eggs and toast, apple juice
Lunch - free taco from Taco Bell

Dinner - shrimp friend rice with carrots and broccoli, salad, milk, ice cream

You just need a blanket....

I have an old couch in my bedroom that one of my dogs sleeps on every night.  Lately she has been insisting that I cover her with a blanket.  Could this be a sign that I keep my house too cold at night in order to save money on my heating bill?  :)

Food Waste Friday

Spending money wisely also means not wasting it... and that includes not wasting food.  So, each week I will document what food is needlessly wasted and report it here.  Feel free to leave me a comment with your own food waste.  Or, if you have a blog you can go to my new site, The Single Saver, and link up to my 'Food Waste Friday' post there (look on the main page or on the blog page for the link-up). 

Anyhoo... I am very happy to report NO food waste this week!  Woohoo!  This is extra nice since I lost a whole bag of wheat flour last week.  I did had to get creative with some tomato paste and made my own pizza sauce, but it was worth the effort to keep it from going in the trash. 

How did you do? 

Gas, Cards, and Windshielf Washer Fluid... oh my!

Life is sure expensive. Even the little expenses add up!

I just spent $23.00 on a partial tank of gas. Gas is $3.09 a gallon.

Then, at Walgreen's, I spent $7.97 on a Valentine's Day card and a birthday card. And I also spent $2.75 of windshield washer fluid.

Oh, and I spent $0.00 yesterday on three free bagels from Bruegger's Bagels in celebration of their birthday!

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If you haven't already, be sure to check out The Single Saver for today's Tip of the Day.

Yo Quiero FREE Taco Bell!

Want a free taco? Like Taco Bell on Facebook and you can print out a coupon for one free Taco. Hurry, before this offer runs out!

And if you haven't already, please check out my NEW site - The Single Saver!

Big Announcement - The Single Saver

Remember last week I spend $10 on a surprise?  Well, it was for a domain name registration for a new webpage!  Yes, the $10 was for a domain name called TheSingleSaver.com.

What is TheSingleSaver.com?  It is a website dedicated toward giving singles and small families tips for saving money.  While there is a lot of websites offering money-saving advice out there, I have found most of it is geared towards larger families.  Very little practical advice exists for single people, or smaller households.  So, I decided to change that.  

And, inspired by sites like 50 Plus Finance, Frugal Dad, and Man vs. Debt, The Single Saver was born!  Some of the site's content will apply to singles, some will apply to empty nesters, some will apply to single parents, and some will apply to smaller families.  Some will even apply to large families!  My goal is to make the site's content useful enough that everyone can benefit from it.

There are many exciting (am I biased?) features to 'The Single Saver':

• a Tip of the Day (updated daily, and already programed to go for the next couple weeks - wooho!)

• a Blog

• a Discussion Forum, which I am very excited about being able to offer!  After all, we bloggers love chatting with each other!

Don't worry, Budget Confidential is not going anywhere.   I will still use this blog for my personal financial musings, to share great deal and coupon offers, and to update you on my challenges (like the $50 grocery challenge).  In contrast, The Single Saver will be focused on offering tips and advice on a daily basis.  

I hope you will stop by and check it out. I can't wait to hear your feedback! 

P.S.  I am looking for guest bloggers... email me if you are interested! 

It's coming!

Stay tuned for a big announcement... TOMORROW!

Or, and I also forgot to report $0.50 spent on dog food.  I had a coupon for a free bag but still had to pay the tax.

See you tomorrow!

Any guesses what my surprise might be?

My medical bills are paid off!

I have lots of spending news to report here... but the most exciting of all is that I just paid off the last of the medical bills I generated last year!  Woo hoo!  I go back in April but I am guessing that even if more biopsies need to be taken that the overall expense won't be as big.  And for now, I will enjoy being free of this debt.

Here's where my money has gone recently:

Medical Expenses = $186.26

This was for my last two medical bills from last year.  This is now paid in full!

Mortgage Payment = $880.79
When I built my house I put 30% down and got a really low interest rate, so I feel pretty comfortable with my monthly payments.  My payment includes my property taxes, but not insurance as I pay that separately through my insurance company.  I do try to pay a little extra towards my payments when I can.

Money Market Contribution = $125
I have a higher interest money market account through my stock broker.  Basically, I use this account as my 'long term emergency only' savings account.  Periodically I will also use it if I want to purchase a stock or other investment.  I contribute $125 monthly to this account.  It is automatically deducted so I can't "forget" to do it and go shopping instead.  :)

IRA Contribution = $200
I contribute $200 monthly to my IRA account, which is automatically deducted.  

Gas (Heat) Bill = $51.00

I am now on budgeted billing so this is the same every month.

Phone Bill = $30.50

I can't win with AT&T... just when I cut some features to get the cost down, AT&T raises their rates.  They are really challenging me to cancel my land line!

Water Bill = $25.98

This stays pretty consistent.  I can't really complain.  

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Stay tuned for a really big announcement on....... WEDNESDAY!!!

$2.13 Spent Out Of Pocket At Rite Aid

I had to use up some Rite Aid UPS before they expired, so I went there over the weekend and bought a few items I needed.  I spent $2.13 out of pocket and used $23 UPS Rewards.  Here's what I bought:

* 1 loaf Italian bread

* 1 6-pack of raisons

* 6 oz. container of crab meat
* 8 oz. bar of cheddar cheese
* 1 package of beef hot dogs
* 1 bottle of apple juice
* 3 containers of Edy's ice cream

So if you are following along on my $50 a month grocery challenge, here are the stats: I started the month with $50 cash + $38.31 carry-over from January ($15.31 in cash and $23 in Rite Aid UPS Rewards). On this shopping trip I spent $2.13 cash, $23 UPS Rewards and gained $6 more in UPS Rewards.  That means I now have $63.18 cash and $6 UPS Rewards for a grand total of $69.18 left to spend in February!

Stay tuned for a big surprise later this week!

What I ate this week.

While I am taking part in my $50 a month spent on food grocery challenge, I will be documenting what I eat each week.  Some people have expressed concerns that I can't possible eat enough on just $50 a month.  I hope this type of documentation puts their fears to rest. 

January 30

Breakfast - eggs, tomatoes, toast, orange juice
Lunch - clam chowder

Dinner - BBQ ribs, green beans, potato, milk, ice cream

January 31

Breakfast - toast and PB

Lunch - BBQ ribs, green beans, potato, milk

Dinner - mac and cheese, salad, milk

February 1

Breakfast - toast and PB

Lunch  - leftover mac and cheese, salad, kiwi fruit

Dinner - pork fried rice, broccoli, apple sauce, milk, ice cream

February 2

Breakfast - toast with PB

Lunch - leftover pork fried rice, broccoli, apple sauce, milk

Dinner - ravioli, salad, milk, ice cream

February 3

Breakfast - toast and PB, Pepsi

Lunch - Hormel meal (chicken, pasta, veggies), apple, Pepsi (bad migraine this day, hence the two Pepsi's)

Dinner - egg, toast, tomato, apple juice

February 4

Breakfast - toast and PB

Lunch - leftover gyro meat (this was in the freezer) with tomato and tortilla, kiwi fruit

Dinner - spaghetti and meat balls, salad, bread, milk, ice cream

February 5

Breakfast - cereal with milk
Lunch - hot dog, Cadbury Egg

Dinner - salmon, baked tomatoes, potato with butter and sour cream, milk, ice cream

Food Waste Friday

Spending money wisely also means not wasting it... and that includes not wasting food.  So, each week I will document what food is needlessly wasted and report it here.  Feel free to leave me a comment with your own food waste.

I forgot about Food Waste Friday last week.  And that is a real shame because I had no food waste (must be why I forgot about it).  This week was not so good as I found an entire, unopened bag of wheat flour filled with little black buggies.  Grrrr.....  I thought this was going to be another waste-free week, too. 

How did you do?  Leave me a comment and let me know. 

Free Samples Really Work

Or... Excedrin Migraine saved me money!

I have to admit it.  I like getting free samples.  I do not sign up for every free sample I come across, but if it is a product I use or think I would like to try I will take it.  So when I had a chance to snag a free bottle of Excedrin Migraine a few weeks back I jumped on it.  

Yes, I suffer from Migraines.  Bad ones.  I have discussed them before on this blog.  When they hit, they are bad.  And painful.  And depressing.  And I have found most medicines don't help.  So I take a specific prescription pill that does work, but it is expensive. 

I spend over $300 a year on my migraine prescription ($320, to be exact).  And that is with rationing on my part.  But it is worth every penny.  Those who get migraines can surely understand that mentality!

I have tried other over the counter migraine meds over the years and have found none of them work.  So I didn't want to waste any more money on yet another over the counter product (Excedrin Migraine).  But a free bottle?  Well, that was something I could afford to try!

Guess what?  I have found that this product DOES work.  At least for me.  I have put it to the test a few times.  This morning I woke up with a particularly nasty migraine and it even worked for that!  Will it work for the most severe of migraines?  Probably not.  But if it can cut my prescription usage down by even half it is well worth the money.

So why do I say "free samples really work"?  Well, because of the sample I tried a product that I otherwise would not have.  And it turns out I like the product.  And I will be buying the product in the future.  I am now a "customer."

Well played, Excedrin.  Well played.  

Have you started buying any new products after being won over by a free sample?  How do you find out about the best free samples?

 

A $10 Investment In My Future

Well... maybe that is a tad dramatic.  I spent $10 to register a new domain name (no, not for Budget Confidential... that will be staying right here).  I have an idea that I feel passionately about.  I decided for $10 I had nothing to lose!  

Will I strike it rich and retire early from this venture?  Highly doubtful.  And frankly, that is not my goal.  I will be happy if I can recover the $10 I spent on the domain and have some fun in the process.  I see this as a fun and inexpensive hobby.  Right now we are buried under an inch of ice and a fun and cheap hobby will keep me from going stir crazy! 

So what is it, you may be asking?  You'll have to wait... but I promise my bloggy friends here will be the first to know!