Thriftism

Quick turn around from the September update to the October update, but we're getting back on track. Are we still staying within our thrifty budget?  For a quick reminder, we run our budget solely on my income of $2,400/month which gives us a gross income of $31,200. We do not include health insurance in our budget as ours is currently covered by our jobs, but if this was our household income we would also be taken care of by insurance subsidies. We do not include all discretionary spending such as traveling or major home renovations, but we do include all entertainment, grocery, dining out, and every day expenses. It is our essentials budget that we live on before adding in trips! If we can do it, so can you! The Budget Our goal budget is balanced with total income minus expenses equal to zero. Numbers in red are expenditures, while black is income. The green background indicates under budget. Red squares point out our overspending.  We ...

If you want to know more about getting a sample box sent to your home every week, check out our Money Makers and Freebies page or visit our post on PINCHme Perks . I also added a post for Crowdtap. Be sure to check that out to start earning giftcards and more full size samples! WHAT I GOT THIS WEEK The sample box I got today had around $23.27 worth of samples!! Even though I didn't get a large quantity of samples, the value was still there. The supplements were quite expensive as was the face mist.  This week was definitely worth the few surveys needed to earn these samples. Below I break down the approximate price/value of each product I got this week. Watch for reviews of some of these products coming soon.  Garnier Fructis Nourishing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask ($0.41) 3.4oz Pack - $3.49 (WALMART PRICE) Sample only contained 0.4 ~ $0.41 Garnier Fructis Nourishing Treat 1 Minute Hair Mask Garnier SkinActive Hydrating Facial Mist...

Happy November! We missed last month, but we are back will another update on our 2018 goals. Some are falling short and some have surpassed expectations.  How are your goals coming along? Financial Goals Gain Employment (Race) ☑ Done - Race started working in February. Save 50% of our income ☑ We are back on track with this goal. While April was a rough month and we were a bit low in June, we definitely made up for those months in July. We actually saved over 100% of our income (carry over from June). Both September and October were great savings months. This brings our annual total savings to 85% - much higher than the 50% we were aiming for. I am not posting both with and without mortgage anymore as the extra payments on the mortgage are increasing our net worth and should therefor count as savings. We are also planning on paying off the mortgage this year and will then start putting money back into our regular savings.   Increa...

Happy Fall!! The leaves are changing colors and it's time for the house to change decor as well. This can be an expensive change over if you buy decorations from the store. Luckily there are wonderful crafts you can make at home. Today we are making a leaf bowl. This was a very neat item to make and would be even more enjoyable during a craft night or perhaps creating this with the kids. It's just messy enough to be fun for everyone, but clean enough to prevent the post craft mess hangover. It doesn't take much time and the best part is that it is nearly free to make.  What You Need Plastic Wrap Rubber Cement , Mod Podge , or Elmer's Glue  Leaves - Real or Fake (we used real) Bowl or Balloon Stand to place bowl - we used a water bottle - another option is a paper towel roll Step 1  Wrap bowl in plastic wrap and place on stand. Step 2  Begin applying rubber cement to leaves by painting a thin layer on one side of the leaf. Paint the ...

Almost done with October and I'm finally putting out our September report. Sorry for the delay. Are we still staying within our thrifty budget?  For a quick reminder, we run our budget solely on my income of $2,400/month which gives us a gross income of $31,200. We do not include health insurance in our budget as ours is currently covered by our jobs, but if this was our household income we would also be taken care of by insurance subsidies. We do not include all discretionary spending such as traveling or major home renovations, but we do include all entertainment, grocery, dining out, and every day expenses. It is our essentials budget that we live on before adding in trips! If we can do it, so can you! The Budget Our goal budget is balanced with total income minus expenses equal to zero. Numbers in red are expenditures, while black is income. The green background indicates under budget. Red squares point out our overspending.  We did...