Changing Focus

I started this blog with the new year as a personal record of my spending. Over the last seven months, I have come to realize that it isn't really about the money, but about how we feel about the money. I have worked hard over the years not to let money define me, but I have to admit that I do feel somewhat deprived when I have zero dollars. It's funny as I don't have to spend them, but merely possess them to feel better. Often I will challenge myself as to how long I can go with X dollars in my wallet.

This previous weekend, I had the great fortune to spend the weekend with my long lost sister (30 years apart) who has been selling online for ten years. She has taken me under her wing and is helping me to establish my own online business. I hope that with another stream of income, we will become more secure financially and be able to build the emergency fund that we want.

For another $5...

Yesterday, I stopped by Aldi and found another good deal. Pineapples were 99 cents and packs of three colored peppers were $1.99 (usually $4.99 at my Kroger). I'll cut up the peppers and freeze them to use in fajitas which are a staple at my house.

As I've noted before, I do not work in the summer and it is the slow season for my husband's job so money is extra tight during this time of year. During these months, I find that the best thing I can do for my budget is to be extra creative with our meals and look for the best buys even harder.

What $10 will buy

I wanted to share another resource for saving money with you. We have a local business that shops the big farmers market and then brings it up to us. This way we can get a really good deal on really fresh food. Generally you pay $15 dollars for about a five gallon bucket worth of fruits and veggies once a week. I was able to get $5 off the price by working as a sorter and then I was able to increase the amount of what I could take home by sharing in what doesn't spread out evenly among the baskets. Here is what I got:

• One head of lettuce
• Six baking potatoes
• Two stalks of broccoli
  
• Two cantaloupes (and my sister gave me her unwanted one making it three)
• Six ears of corn
• Twelve bananas
• One bunch of green onions
• Four green peppers
• Four peaches
• Two pounds of grapes
• Eighteen plums
• One pound of grape tomatoes
• Five tomatoes
• Six apples
  
• Six yellow crooked neck squash

Now, I couldn't begin to tell you how much all of this would have cost me at the grocery store if I could have even gotten it all. I also did about three hours of lifting and bending to earn my $5 off the regular price. Some weeks are not as good as others, but I always wind up on the positive side, especially since I am not taking time away from a paying job to do this. So, in reality, my time really has no monetary value to compare my savings against.

Looking at storage from a different perspective

We just moved and I have the space to unpack my stuff, but I don't have any shelves to put it all on. It is also summer which means that I have no income so I can't just go buy some at the thrift store. So my wonderfully creative husband suggested a new use for all those leftover moving boxes.