Fame at last! Well, maybe not....

It's the little things that make a small-time blogger like me happy.  Today I found one of my blog posts was quoted by a well-known website!  Jill Cataldo wrote about TLC  picking up "Extreme Couponing" for 12 more episodes and she quoted my recent review of the show in her post! 

Jill Cataldo is the founder of Super-Couponing® workshops and author of the nationally-syndicated newspaper column and video series "Super-Couponing Tips," which is enjoyed by over 20 million people each week.

Also, if you are interested, you can read why Jill was not featured in the program by clicking here.  it is a fascinating story.

I bit the bullet.... (budget billing)

For years I have resisted the advice of others to go on budget billing for my gas and electric.  Why?  I liked the control the actual billing gave me.  It allowed me to see if the changes I was making were positively or negatively impacting my heat/energy usage.  Also, I felt it helped me better monitor the bills to be sure that I was being charged accurately for my usage.  

That all changed today.  I finally signed up for budget billing for both my gas and my electric.  Why the sudden change, you ask?  Well, simply put, I decided I have come to a point in my life where I would like the convenience of knowing exactly what my bills will be each month.  Knowing this will help me better plan for my long term saving goals. 

So, starting next month I will be spending $51 for gas and $79 for electricity every month.  I have been told this is low (2100 square foot house in Ohio) but I still will be doing my best to get these numbers down for 2012! 

Do you budget bill?  If so, are you happy with your numbers? 

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.

Here goes...

• Nothing!  Nada!  Zip!

I had a good week.  I even used up a head of lettuce, which as you may know is rare in my house.  I did have half a tomato with my breakfast today to prevent it from going in the trash but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

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

My first grocery shopping trip of my $50 a month grocery challenge!

Guess where I went?  Yep... Aldi!  Where else would I go for the bulk of my shopping when I have a tight budget to adhere to, right?  As many of you are aware, I have challenged myself to spending no more than $50 for food per month for the next three months.  

Here is what I bought today:

• 5 lbs potatoes
• 1.85 lbs bananas
• 2 lbs pears
• 1 lb broccoli
• 1 lb Roma tomatoes
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 lb bacon
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese
• 1 can green beans
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 package flour tortillas
• 1 jar Italian seasoning

I spent $16.39.  That leaves $33.61 yet to spend for the month. 

BOGO Special K Coupon

If you haven't printed the BOGO Special K coupon yet, head over to their Facebook page and print yours, today.  You can print it twice per computer. 

Rumor has it that Rite Aid will be running a BOGO sale on Special K next week.  So, combining these two offers you can receive four boxes of cereal for nearly free (the coupon only reimburses up to $4.49, so there might be a slight overage you have to pay). 

Gasoline

I just spent $25.01 on gas.  It is "down" (ha!) to $3.05 a gallon now here in Ohio.  How much is gas where you live? 

Phone bill... it's lower!

My home phone bill was $28.68 this month.  As you may recall, I took some steps last month to reduce my phone bill slightly.  I am very happy for this slight savings, especially considering I got word that AT&T will be raising U-Verse and internet rates (grrrr.....).  

I know that from a financial perspective keeping the home phone is silly and a waste of money.  I just can't bring myself to give it up, though.  It is too convenient.