Saving Money and Being Frugal - Week in Review - April 22-28, 2017

Here's what the week from April 22nd-28th looked like:

Progress on Financial Goals I Set for this Week

Last week, I set three four goals related to checking beneficiary information on policies, working on paying off debt, trying to put money into a retirement account, and contributing to an emergency fund.

I wasn't able to do any of the goals. On Monday, one of our cats (Eenie) broke his scapula and required emergency vet care. He was able to come home on Tuesday under medical management which essentially means someone has to sit with him 24/7 to make sure he doesn't use his shoulder and front left arm/paw which suffered nerve damage.

Because of the timing of the injury (after our local vet was closed for the day) and the severity of the injury, there was no option but to go to an emergency vet.

Of course, this has set us back financially quite a bit.

Is the cost worth it? Absolutely. For 14 years, Eenie has provided companionship and comfort to our family and to the other pets we've had.

My Dad, Mom, Sophia, and Eenie.

Sophia dressed up Eenie in a Christmas outfit to

visit my Dad at the nursing home.

We talked about how Dad used to dress up as Santa and

visit families at Christmas.

He liked Eenie's outfit.

(Taken on November 27, 2011...about 5 weeks before my Dad died.)

For the past four years, Eeenie was part of a cat therapy program that she started at the nursing home where we volunteer. He has comforted many seniors during that time, especially those with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia.

As of today, Eenie is able to put slight pressure on his leg and walk with a significant limp. However, it is major progress from earlier in the week.

So, the financial goals I set had to be put on hold for a week. I'm hoping to address them during the upcoming week.

Progress on Blog Goals I Set for this Week

I set two main goals for blogging. One was to continue to do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (letters T-X) and decluttering homeschool files. The other was to do some of the actions in Letting Go of Debt- Growing Richer One Day at a Time.

- Continue to do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (letters O-S) and decluttering homeschool files.

I wrote the following posts this past week:

- Titanic, Tornado, and Trees
- Unicorns, Unitarian Universalism, and Utopian Society
- Valentine's Day and Volunteering
- Wart Hogs, Wetlands, and Wolves
- Xylophones and X-Rays
- Yellow-Rumped Warblers and Yo-Yos

The other goal I was looking forward to doing because there were ideas about donating items, grocery shopping, food waste, healthy cooking, and spending time in nature. All had a connection to living frugally, intentionally, and with more meaning.

Homemade soup using ingredients I had on hand.

I'm hoping to spend time with each of the goals during the upcoming week as Eenie's health improves and his mobility increases a bit.

Smart Purchases

Smart: Finding the least expensive gasoline in the area. Even saving 4 cents per gallon can add up.

Signed up for a warehouse membership to purchase items we use often in bulk. By enrolling, I received a $20 gift card plus coupons for three free items: a package of steak strips, dish soap (135 ounces - which will last for months), and 12 bagels. There also are some additional coupons with significant savings (e.g., $1.50 off, $5 off).

Frugal Meals

We ate leftovers for several lunches and dinners as a way to save money.

My financial goals for this week:

My goals are the same ones that I had last week that I wasn't able to do.

Blog as it relates to saving money and home organization:

Finish the "Z" blog post for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Do the goals that I set last week.

Read and do a book review about Debt-Free Living and Smart Mom Rich Mom.    

*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*

Saving Money and Being Frugal - Week in Review - April 15-21, 2017

Here's what the week from April 15th-21st looked like:

Progress on Financial Goals I Set for this Week

Last week, I set three main goals and two sub-goals to work on. This is how I did:

- Meet with a financial advisor on Monday; and set up Sophia's and Oliva's first mutual funds/Roth IRAs.

Had a 45-minute meeting with the financial advisor and received the paperwork for the Roth IRAs. He did a chart showing what investing even a minimal amount - $50 per quarter over the past 40 years would have resulted in today. The investment amount would have been $8,200 and the cash value today: just over $121,000!

Source

Imagine if someone had invested 10 times that amount - $500 per quarter or $2,000 per year. What a completely different life they would be living!

When the girls saw how their money could work for them, they were VERY excited! I'm so hopeful that this will pave a much better life for them if they start investing early; and understand money and how it can benefit them and their families. Their lives, hopefully, will be easier than mine and my parents.

- Check to see if the beneficiary information on all insurance contracts; and investment and retirement accounts are updated.

I took a look at a couple of investment accounts and they are set up properly. However, I didn't get everything done. The week went by too quickly and I didn't have a chance to do this completely before I left for the homeschool conference.

- Pay cash for all expenses at homeschool conference. Carefully consider new curriculum purchases.

The hotel was pre-paid to get a cheaper rate which was a pleasant surprise. So, the cash I brought for the hotel could be both used for curriculum as well as the surplus brought back home.

I went to the used curriculum/book sale first. Didn't see anything I needed. Went to the vendor hall and looked at the curriculum available. There were a few books I needed to complete this year's courses; and a couple I bought for next year.

Also invested in a CLEP book (a guide book as well as prep-test book) since we plan to use CLEP testing as a way to (hopefully) earn college credits. This can save a teen and her/his family thousands of dollars.

There were two curriculum purchases I wanted to make, but no vendors had them in stock. I could prepay for them, but decided to wait until closer to the start of next year.

So, all of the purchases I made at the homeschool conference were paid by cash. It was a good feeling walking out of there without adding to our debt level and having money leftover!

Progress on Blog Goals I Set for this Week

Since the majority of the week I'll be at a homeschool conference, the only realistic goal was to:

- Continue to do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (letters O-S) and decluttering homeschool files.

I wrote the following posts this past week:

- Ocean Life, Oregon Trail, and Owls

- Peanuts, Pigs, and Platypuses

- Quiet Books, Quilling, and Quilting

- Reusing, Reindeer, and Roadrunners

- Shakespeare, Self-Care, and Summer

An additional blog post that was not part of my goals, but that I did:

- Wrote a book review about Homeschooling on a Shoe String on April 19, 2017.

Smart and Not-so-Smart Purchases

Smart: Purchasing items at the grocery store to bring to the homeschool conference to save money on breakfasts, lunches, beverages, and snacks. Rather than paying $12 for lunch, I spent $2.63.

Pre-purchasing the hotel  room online to get the least expensive rate.

Not-so-Smart: Having to eat out for dinners.

Frugal Meals

Didn't do so well this week. Had food we made at home for most of the week. However, three meals were easy, processed food - things that were frozen and all we had to do was heat them up (e.g., chicken patties, pizza, gyros).

Things should be better next week when I'm back from the homeschool conference.

What was on the table for dinner last week:

Saturday - Ham slice and corn.

Sunday  - Easter dinner at my brother's home.

Monday - Chicken patties on buns with peas.

Tuesday - Pizza.

Wednesday - Gyros for the family while I was at a homeschool conference. Out to eat for me.

Thursday - Out to eat for everyone.
    
Friday - Leftovers

My financial goals for this week:

This week I would like to:

- Check to see if the beneficiary information on all insurance contracts; and investment and retirement accounts are updated.

- Work on paying remaining debt so the only thing left is the mortgage (this is, of course, dependent on these funds being received):
    - Pay $1,000 towards consolidation debt (approximately $13,900 left...which is an embarrassingly high amount).
    - Pay half of extra line debt (approximately $2,000 left...same thing here...I don't like seeing this amount).

- Contribute $500 towards one of the retirement accounts.

- Contribute $500 towards emergency fund (goal: $30,000/have: $9,500).

Source

Blog as it relates to saving money and home organization:

- Continue to do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (letters T-X) and decluttering homeschool files.

- Do some of the actions in Letting Go of Debt- Growing Richer One Day at a Time:
     - Reevaluate your environment. Donate at least as many items as equals your age. Strive to have less rather than more.
     - Determine which day of the week is for grocery shopping and determine where to keep your ongoing grocery list.
     - Be creative - not wasteful - with the perishable foods in your home.
     - Make conscious, healthy, cost-cutting choices when planning lunches.
     - Make conscious choices about your immediate environment and about the environment at large (e.g., cut back on consumption and simplify cleaning products - like using vinegar instead of chemically-based products); choose not to buy a material good or prepackaged food.
      - Spend some time alone in nature to feel the abundance.
    

*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*

Saving Money and Being Frugal - Week in Review - April 8th-14th

Here's what the week from April 8th-14th looked like:

Progress on Financial Goals I Set for this Week

Last week, I set three main goals and two sub-goals to work on. This is how I did:

- Check to see if the beneficiary information on all insurance contracts; and investment and retirement accounts are updated. I didn't do this.

- Pick up the taxes from the accountant and then meet with the financial planner (in the same office) to do the following two things:

(1) Make a deposit into two Roth IRAs; and

(2) Help Sophia and Oliva set up their first mutual funds/Roth IRAs after meeting with a financial advisor.

I picked up the taxes and had them electronically filed. The majority of the refunds for federal and state taxes will be used to pre-pay estimated taxes for 2017. The rest of the refund for federal taxes will be invested in an IRA.

An appointment is scheduled for Monday at 4:15 p.m. with the financial planner who will have all the paperwork set up for the IRAs.

- Read Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey. I did this and wrote a blog post with notes about what I wanted to remember and do.

Progress on Blog Goals I Set for this Week

- Write information that I want to remember from "The Retirement Catch-Up Guide - 54 Real-Life Lessons to Boost Your Future Resources Now."

Wrote a post about this book and another book about investing when you're in your 20s and 30s.

Even though I'm past that point by 2-3 decades, I'm thinking about Sophia and Olivia.

- Continue to work streamlining and organizing our home by doing Weeks 13 and 14 of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home. This didn't happen yet again. It was a busy week and my focus was to do the decluttering of files as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

- Write an update about 40 Bags in 40 Days about Days 30-40. Wrote a post about the conclusion of the challenge and how we got rid of 59 bags of trash, recycling, or donated items during a 40-day period.

- Make natural Vapor Rub using essential oils. Did not have a chance to do this.

- Write information that I want to remember from "Financial Peace Revisited." Wrote a post on April 11th about this book.

- Make Citrus Dusting Spray. Didn't make this.

- Write information that I want to remember from "How to Retire the Cheapskate Way." Wrote a post about this book on April 13th.

Smart and Not-so-Smart Purchases

- We underestimated the amount of powdered sugar and baking powder that we had on hand and needed for recipes. So, instead of being able to purchase it inexpensively where we normally shop, we had to go to the corner supermarket since we are about 14 miles (one way) from the larger grocery stores.

- Went to the Dollar Tree for some of the gifts for the Easter baskets.

- Limited gifts in Easter baskets to five per person (with several coming from the Dollar Tree). Aimed for practical gifts that could be used rather than luxury items.

Frugal Meals

- Ate leftovers for four out of seven dinners this past week. Rather than making food and not eating all of it, we are reducing food waste which is good.

What was on the table for dinner last week:

Saturday - Leftovers.

Sunday  - Parmesan crusted chicken with fettucine and roasted broccoli (Blue Apron meal)

This is the dinner I made. This is half of what was prepared.

It is supposed to serve only two people.

For us, this represents 4 different meals

(each one being a 1/2 chicken breast, and

1/4 of the noodles and broccoli).

Monday - Leftovers.

Tuesday - Tacos.

Wednesday - Leftovers.

Thursday - Leftovers.
    
Friday - Hot dogs and/or some shepherd's pie from Trader's Joe that came in the Fare for All pack this past month. The shepherd's pie was enough for two servings, so we supplemented it with other items.

My financial goals for this week:

- Meet with a financial advisor on Monday; and set up Sophia's and Oliva's first mutual funds/Roth IRAs.

- Check to see if the beneficiary information on all insurance contracts; and investment and retirement accounts are updated.

- Pay cash for all expenses at homeschool conference. Carefully consider new curriculum purchases.

Blog as it relates to saving money and home organization:

Since the majority of the week I'll be at a homeschool conference, the only realistic goal is to:

- Continue to do the Blogging from A to Z Challenge (letters O-S) and decluttering homeschool files.

*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*

Saving Money and Being Frugal - Week in Review - March 31, 2017

Here's what the week from March 25th-31st looked like:

Progress on Financial Goals I Set for this Week

Last week, I set seven goals to work on. This is how I did:

- Bring taxes to the accountant. DONE!!! (Finally.) I am so happy to have this done! Brought all the paperwork to the accountant on Tuesday (March 28th) and now it's just a matter of waiting to see how everything pans out.

- Go to a Fashion Consultant at the Thrift Store for New-to-Us Clothes. On Wednesday, March 29th, my daughter and I took advantage of a free service where a fashion consultant helps clients at a thrift store that's about 40 minutes from us find clothes that match their style.

Sophia and I filled out a comprehensive profile form ahead of time and provided the link to our Pinterest boards that shows examples of the types of clothes we would like to wear. Before the session the consultant pulled clothing in our sizes and what she thought would be our style.

When we got there, the excitement about what we would like our "fashion vision" to be clashed with the reality of the limits of previously-worn clothing. This particular store didn't have a lot of contemporary, brand-name clothing. So, what we envisioned and hoped for, just wasn't a reality.

We left disappointed with the experience. Tried a Goodwill store that was closer to us with some limited success (for me, but not Sophia). Ended up taking Sophia to Maurice's so she could get some Spring clothes that she needed.

To get the looks that we are after, we almost would need to hire a seamstress who could custom design and create the clothes. Alternatively, we could do an extensive amount of online shopping to get each of the pieces we would want. Neither of those options is financially practical.

For me, too, the reality of an aging body that no longer looks like it did when I was in my 20s (even my 30s and early 40s) put a damper on the experience. Degenerative disk disease and hypothyroidism have taken their toll.

- Go to Fare for All. This was a great month for the items that were in the packs. All the packs that were available this month were filled with food that we can use and enjoy.

The produce pack had a nice variety of fruits and vegetables. It was $10.

The meat pack had four types of meats: ground turkey, beef hot dogs, pork roast, and whole chicken. This was $15.

The mega meat pack had eight meat products: bacon, two pork roasts, chicken nuggets, chicken breast fillets, Trader Joe's shepherd pie, breaded fish fillets, and ground beef. This was $25.

There also was a special brunch pack this month which included a bag of broccoli, two bags of shredded cheese, two packs of bacon, sausage, ham, turkey sausage links, and a bag of hash browns. This was $20.

My parents introduced me to Fare for All when it first started. I was in elementary school at the time. Back then, the food for the monthly packs was what wasn't sold from stores and - sometimes - on the verge of spoiling. In some cases, it was past its prime and my parents had to toss it out.

I remember them being so frustrated after paying hard-earned money for it; and I felt so bad for them that they were getting food that we all couldn't even eat.

Yet, they needed to make their food budget stretch on one income. They did what they could and tried to look for ways to make each dollar my Dad earned provide for the family.

Fare for All is significantly better now. All the food is fresh - nothing is spoiling; or it has been frozen so it can be used at a later date.

I am so thankful for Fare for All and the food we are able to get each time we purchase from them.

- Help Olivia finish setting up her binder to hold her statement for different accounts (e.g., savings, checking, CD, savings bond, emergency fund, retirement, college, life insurance).

Olivia finished setting up her binder on Friday, March 31st. She likes that everything is in one place now for all the statements.

- Finish setting up my binder to hold statements for different financial accounts and policies.

Completed this goal on Friday, March 31st! (What a relief to finally have this done.)

I gathered all the paperwork and statements that I had been collecting for the financial binder. Was given a nice binder back in 2006 when I initially met with a financial planner. So, I had some statements from that time period in it.

Went through all the loose papers and kept only the most current statement for each account, policy, and investment.

The rest (an entire bag!) I will burn since the papers have confidential information.

The binder is done in the sense that I have in it what is available/accessible at this point in time.

When I was going through the papers, I found an article that I had clipped: 12 Months to a More Organized Financial Life from Trivent magazine. I'll be following the recommendations now for the balance of the year to get everything in even better shape.

- Make a deposit into two Roth IRAs.

I decided to wait on this goal until I get the taxes back. In that way, if I can put more into the IRAs (because of not owing as much in taxes), I will do that.

- Help Sophia and Oliva set up their first mutual funds/Roth IRAs after meeting with a financial advisor.

We will be doing this when I pick up the taxes from the accountant (who shares an office with the financial advisor). Hopefully this week we can get the girls' accounts set up.

Progress on Blog Goals I Set for this Week

Last week,  I set the following blogging goals to work on  as they relate to saving money and home organization:

- Continue to work streamlining and organizing our home by doing Week 13 of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home. Didn't get started on this goal. Other priorities took my time. Am planning to tackle this project over the weekend.

- Write an update about 40 Bags in 40 Days about Days 16th-22nd and 23rd-29th. Did this post on Wednesday, March 29th about the progress made from the 16th-29th.

- Make homemade Peppermint Bath Melts. Made and tried the peppermint bath melts. Wrote a post that includes the directions to make them.

- Make natural Vapor Rub using essential oils. Formatted the post and have all the supplies; but didn't have a chance to make the recipes and see if they were effective. Plan to finish this next week.

- Make an upcycled bag holder for plastic bags. This was an easy and a simple solution for storing plastic bags that I saw on Pinterest.

Normally I put the plastic bags that I use for the small garbage can in the linen closet on the shelf with the towels. However, this is much easier to find the bags and pull one out to use. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. Wrote the post on Wednesday, March 29th.

Smart and Not-so-Smart Purchases

Smart Purchases

- Clothing and jewelry at two thrift shops: necklace, sweater, and shirt for Sophia; Eddie Bauer and REI shorts, J. Jill sweater, black cardigan, black jersey zip-up jacket, and pajama pants (2). No piece was over $8.99. Most were in the $2.99-$3.99 range.

- Food from Fare for All: $70 bought a counter-full of food. This will last at least a month.

- As a follow-up to last week, Danny (our smallest dog who is about 20 pounds) had eaten a pork chop bone.

After bringing him to the emergency vet and seeing on the x-rays that the bone had been divided into four pieces, we had two choices: a $1.5K surgery to remove the largest of the pieces or to use a special food that is fed multiple times per day and to watch Danny very closely for signs that the bone was blocking the intestines.

We chose the latter after talking with two vets and asking what they would do if Danny were their dog. After three days, he was out of the "danger time" and we were relieved. Not only was Danny okay, but we saved $1.5K!

- Generic food and household products when they are available. The cents and dollars add up!

Not-so-Smart Purchases

- Treats to eat at the movie theater. Ethically, I'm sure it's not right to bring in your own beverages and popcorn. However, it sure would save a lot of money.

Source

I do remember when I was a child, my Mom would pop popcorn at home and package it in brown bags. We would eat that at the movie theater when we would go (always at a bargain theater and during the day when it was the cheapest).

Frugal Meals

- Ate leftovers was a good way to stretch the food budget and use up what was on hand.

- Sunday night's meal was from Blue Apron that we were gifted from another blogger. This meal was worth about $35 had we paid for it!

Spiced pork with black beans and red onions.

What was on the table for dinner last week:

Saturday - Leftover Za'atar Spice Chicken with Bulgur (from Blue Apron), leftover BBQ beef and pork, nachos, and/or freshly-made guacamole with chips. It was good to use up what we had from meals during the past week so we can start fresh on Sunday.

Sunday  - Top Chef Spiced Pork with Sweet Onions and Black Beans from Blue Apron.

Monday - Pizza.

Tuesday - Taco Pockets.

Wednesday - Teriyaki Chicken Casserole. Read the recipe wrong and put in triple the amount of rice needed. Needless to say, it was an economical way to stretch the meal.

Thursday - Leftovers.
    
Friday - Chicken meatballs (though they tasted more like chicken nuggets) from Fare For All and baked potatoes with toppings (sour cream, shredded cheese, and bacon bits). Also had a Spicy Southwestern Salad I made earlier in the week.

My financial goals for this week:

- Review the 12 Months to a More Organized Financial Life from Trivent magazine. Do the recommendations for January-April.

- If the taxes are completed by the accountant and I can pick them up, do the following two things:
          
            - Make a deposit into two Roth IRAs.

            - Help Sophia and Oliva set up their first mutual funds/Roth IRAs after meeting with a financial advisor.

- Using the Letting Go of Debt (a daily meditation book) for ideas, I selected the following goals from the book:
            - Pick one discipline to practice every day for a week (whether it be to make my bed, walk every day, or record my expenses). (See February 24th for ideas.)
            - Write down my top three priorities and keep them in mind when making any decision.
            - Brainstorm a list of simple treats that rely only on me - a hot bath, a walk in the park, or an exercise routine. Treats that will not only reward me but also will improve me.
            - Look for small ways to save $500 or $1000 a year. (See January 21st for ideas.)
            - Clean my wallet.
            - Create a personalized checklist to track my behavior regarding money. (See February 10th for ideas.)
            - Remember one joy or dream I had in my youth and find a way to reintroduce it into my life.

- Read Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey.

Blog as it relates to saving money and home organization:

- Continue to work streamlining and organizing our home by doing Weeks 13 and 14 of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home.

- Write an update about 40 Bags in 40 Days about Days 30-36.

- Make natural Vapor Rub using essential oils.

- Make Citrus Dusting Spray.

- Write information that I want to remember from The Retirement Catch-Up Guide - 54 Real-Life Lessons to Boost Your Future Resources Now. (I read this book last week...just need to type what I want to remember.)

- Write information that I want to remember from Financial Peace Revisited.


*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*

Saving Money and Being Frugal - Week in Review - March 25, 2017

Here's what the week from March 18th-24th looked like:

Progress on Financial Goals I Set for this Week

Last week, I set six goals to work on. This is how I did:

- Bring taxes to the accountant. I've made progress on them. Only three parts left to do - the most difficult ones for me - two businesses and homeschooling because of the volume of receipts and statements I need to condense and total. All other parts are organized and totaled which is a huge relief.

- Take Sophia and Olivia to the local bank so they can deposit money into an emergency fund account that they will each establish. Sophia did this on Saturday, March 18th and Olivia did this on Thursday, March 22nd.

- Help Sophia set up an appointment with a financial advisor to help her set up her first mutual fund/Roth IRA. Talked with a financial advisor earlier in the week about different plans and which one would fit what Sophia is looking for in the long-term. When I bring the taxes into the accountant, we will meet with the financial advisor (they share office space).

- Make a deposit into two Roth IRAs. Did not do this.

- Help Sophia and Olivia set up binders to hold their statements for different accounts (e.g., savings, checking, CD, emergency fund, retirement, college, life insurance). Sophia created her binder on March 21st. Olivia has all the components for creating the binder (e.g., binder, section dividers, page protectors). It's just a matter of putting things in the proper order in the binder now.

Source

- Finish setting up my binder to hold statements for different financial accounts and policies. Did not do this.

Progress on Blog Goals I Set for this Week

Last week,  I set the following blogging goals to work on  as they relate to saving money and home organization:

- Write a blog post about "Paying for College Without Going Broke." I read the book, and wrote a blog post about what I wanted to remember.

- Continue to work streamlining and organizing our home by doing Weeks 11-13 of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home. Finished doing Week 4 (which I had been postponing until a more appropriate time to do the challenge), Week 11 and Week 12. Did not have a chance yet to work on Week 13.

- Write an update about 40 Bags in 40 Days about Days  16-22. Did not do this.

- Make homemade Peppermint Bath Melts. Purchased all the supplies to make these, but have not made them yet.

Smart and Not-So-Smart Purchases

A not-so-smart purchase was a generic version of a peroxide cleaner for contact lenses. Even though the ingredients appeared to be the same, the solution ended up affecting the lenses in that two of them ripped.

That was an expensive lesson. We are buying the brand name version of the peroxide cleaner from now on.

Also, one of our new dogs, Danny, snuck a pork chop bone (about 1" long and 1/4" wide) from the garbage and ate it in a matter of seconds.

Since he is small (about 20 pounds), this size bone can pose a challenge. So, we had to take him to an emergency vet who immediately, upon our arrival, took his vitals and did x-rays.

They found that he had four bones in his stomach - three smaller pieces and one larger piece.

The four bones can be seen in Danny's stomach.

They are on the right side of the photo

about in the middle of the x-ray.

The two options were to:
(1) feed him small meals for a few days and hope that the food binds with the pieces of bone and, as they move through the intestines, provides a cushion or barrier between the sharp edges of the bone and the intestinal walls. OR
(2) do surgery which costs about $1,500.

I chose the former...and the vet said she would as well.

Since we paid for the x-rays, I thought it would be good to take photographs of them since we rarely get to see the inside of a dog.

It was a good science lesson for Sophia today.

Frugal Meals

- Ate leftovers was a good way to stretch the food budget and use up what was on hand.

- Friday night's meal was from Blue Apron that we were gifted from another blogger. Another meal will be on Saturday night.

The ingredients to make two dinners - enough for 8+ meals.

That saved us almost $70 in delicious food this week!

What was on the table for dinner last week:

Saturday - Leftover spaghetti or fresh-baked cinnamon rolls with apple slices. (Sophia and Olivia picked the rolls since they were hot out of the oven.)

Sunday  - BBQ beef and pork on homemade parker house rolls. The BBQ beef and pork was a crockpot dinner I made last month and had a lot leftover. Just needed to reheat it for an easy dinner.

Monday -  Turkey meatballs and green peas. This was a memorable meal. One of the meatballs had a penny in it....and I didn't put it there. It looks like it went through a grinding machine at the processing factory or wherever they make ground turkey.

Sophia cut open the meatball and was surprised to find the coin.

It was really sharp and had jagged edges. She ended up cutting her finger on it.

I'm surprised I didn't come across it when I was mixing all the ingredients together or making the meatballs.

Needless to say, we are all a bit hesitant now to eat ground turkey (or any ground product).

Notified Jennie-o (the company that produced the turkey) to let them know that there was a penny in the ground turkey since there are obviously missing pieces to it and probably in someone else's turkey.

Their response was a mixture of apathy towards what happened to Sophia and defensiveness that it was impossible that the coin was in their turkey because of the size of their screens that filter out items. You would think a company would be concerned and want to make sure no one was hurt eating their products.

Well...neeedless to say, after their response we will not be eating ground turkey produced by their company.

Tuesday - Pork chops with dressing.

Wednesday - Pork roast and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Thursday - Leftovers.
    
Friday - Za'atar Spiced Chicken with Bulgur from Blue Apron.

This was super good and the portions were overly generous. The recipe says it makes four servings. However, there were probably eight meals that could have been made from the one recipe. Of course, some of the family members ate what we consider a normal dinner portion plus...because it was so delicious...they had second helpings.

We all agreed that continuing with Blue Apron would be a good idea. Not every week (because we need to be mindful of our spending), but perhaps once or twice a month.

What stands out about the meal, too, is that almost every ingredient was used. With the exception of garlic cloves (which will be used for the other meal that Blue Apron sent), there were no ingredients leftover. So, no food waste.

This is a big deal for us because we enjoy trying new recipes and will buy the ingredients. Often times, there are leftover ingredients that aren't used and that we don't have an immediate purpose for (e.g., fresh cilantro, inner part of lemon if only the zest is used, broth). Sometimes, these are then wasted which is frustrating. I liked not seeing that waste with Blue Apron.

My financial goals for this week:

- Bring taxes to the accountant. There is no more flexibility on this goal since after April 1st there is a 10% surcharge for tax preparation. I don't want to incur that fee.

- Help Sophia and Oliva set up their first mutual funds/Roth IRAs after meeting with a financial advisor.

- Go to a Fashion Consultant at the Thrift Store for New-to-Us Clothes. There's a free service where a fashion consultant helps clients at the thrift store find clothes that match their style.

There's a comprehensive profile form that you fill out ahead of time and provide the link to your  Pinterest board that shows examples of the types of clothes you wear. She will pull clothing in your size and style that she thinks you will like. My oldest daughter and I are doing that this week.

- Go to Fare for All. This is a great way to stretch one's budget. They buy food and/or are given food by grocery stores that are put into food packages and/or sold individually.

The produce pack has a nice variety of fruits and vegetables; the meat pack has about a half dozen types of meats; and the mega meat pack has about a dozen types of meat products. There also are special buys and free bread products.

My parents introduced me to Fare for All, and I've gone to monthly buying events whenever I am able to do so.

- Make a deposit into two Roth IRAs.

- Help Olivia finish setting up her binder to hold her statement for different accounts (e.g., savings, checking, CD, emergency fund, retirement, college, life insurance).

- Finish setting up my binder to hold statements for different financial accounts and policies.

Blog as it relates to saving money and home organization:

- Continue to work streamlining and organizing our home by doing Week 13 of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home. The schedule for the year is posted on the link. It's been a very helpful guide to setting up the year and weekly goals.

- Write an update about 40 Bags in 40 Days about Days  16-22 and 23-29.

- Make homemade Peppermint Bath Melts.

- Make natural Vapor Rub using essential oils.

- Make an  upcycled bag holder for plastic bags.

*Part of Financially Savvy Saturdays on brokeGIRLrich.*