Frugality & Summer 2012, Revisited

Last week I wrote about my summer derailment re: frugality.

Okay, so I was rationalizing my over-expenditure from May through August. Well, September.

What really happened? I came home, I bought a car to replace the 20 yr. old vehicle I had been driving that was sucking down money and self-destructing simultaneously. That equaled car payment + insurance hike, starting this month. Not huge, but a significant chunk taken out of a fairly stable paycheck (meaning even annual raises have little to no effect).

I knew this was coming, but I wasn't planning for it.

A subtle but significant difference.

Here's where I am now, after a weekend of coming face-to-face with paycheck realities (where compensation for my extra class and annual raise finally kicked in).

• I'm glad I'm already slated to teach a course next summer in London.
• I'm feeling good about my book coming out this month, beyond the accomplishment.
• I've got serious reason to be frugal: when I'm stressed, I spend money as an outlet.
• Facing my spending patterns and bills helps me know what not to do.
• I have a job that means I can meet all my bills and pay off credit: I feel blessed and lucky, even while I know I've worked hard for that reality.
• I have wonderful memories and "artifacts" from my summer trip.

Starting tomorrow...

For May, I have some very specific goals.

1. Clear the paper clutter in my apartment
2. Add thirty minutes of daily exercise
3. Write 2K words on the novel every day
4. Initiate a Pantry Challenge for pantry, freezer, cupboards
5. Prepare my class for Oxford: lectures, readings, YouTube clips

Beyond that, I must take care of my car's bumper, initiate programs for the 2012-2013 year, dry cleaner & tailor items, finish up this year's programs and get Jack's med for flights. Odds and ends, here and there.

But getting ready for travel is uppermost, hence the exercise. Also, a ban on sugar and wheat. Apart from likker. But no more M&Ms, no more ice cream, no more frozen yogurt meals.

This week in frugality

This week, I came in under my grocery budget again: This time, $34/40. I am pretty pleased with myself about this, as well as using my pantry/freezer combination as a foundation. This week, I'll cook:

• steak with shallots and rosemary, using 1/3 of a 1-lb. steak, where the other two parts are still frozen
• salmon with Old Bay and lemon, one of my standbys
• chicken breasts with olives, lemon, and herbs (something like this)

I'll also be eating a fresh salad twice a day every day, including lunch. On Saturday I bought lunch from Freebird, a super burrito place in town. If one buys the 3rd largest size (Monster), it can be cut into 3 or 4 pieces and paired with salad for lunch; that's $10 for 4 lunches, combined with a small salad from the fridge.

I also made my bi-weekly catfood run, and it is probable I'll come in under $50 for the month in that area (catfood and supplies), too.

What else is on, this week?

• Redeeming my Groupon yoga certificate for unlimited monthly drop-in classes
• Selling my red evening dress on eBay... I hope
• Selling books and cassette tapes to local used store
• Donating two printers to the Salvation Army, with all booklets and cords
• No spend Thursday #4 (last week, succcess!)

No Spend Thursday, #2

Today is No Spend Thursday, #2.

This weekend, I'll see three plays for free, one play for reduced price, and use my Groupon purchase of a month's unlimited drop-in classes at my local yoga center to set up what I hope will be a promising month of healthy yoga classes, 1-2 times weekly.

Since I am paid monthly, yesterday was it. Already, my bills and credit cards are paid: got to love that online banking! I already went in and set up payments for April, as well; I am working systematically to pay down my credit cards, as I've said before, and so making that money disappear out of my account on the same day it enters... genius.

In addition, my rent gets paid automatically, and I have set up monthly withdrawals to my savings account. I feel giddy, I'm so practical!

This week I did pretty well in buying groceries: by my math I saved 50% of what I spent, which turned out to be just under $30. I do have a dinner party for four on Friday, but I already have all the ingredients for the meal. Except dessert, which might turn out to be something very simple, like pears poached in red wine. Only need to buy the pears.

Update: One of my guests insists on bringing dessert. So, no worries! 
I had two meals out, one with a former student and one with my brother-in-law, and both times I was treated. Both dinners were really fun, talking about film, the Oscars, and people we know. Thanks, guys, by the way...

Yesterday, I began culling the books, DVDs, CDs, and cassette tapes in the living room. Rather impressively, I filled up a Rubbermaid bin (one of my cast-offs) with hardcover books. I still have three book cases to go through in detail, but this is good. There are large gaps in the shelves, currently.

The next step is the cassette tapes, some of which I'll take to my school office, where I still have a tape player. But most will be sold with the books. My plan is to fill the bin, then divide it into smaller bags; over our spring break, I'll take the bags in and get cash for the lot.

My focus in going through the books was to identify books that I have never yet read (although I say I will), or have read once long ago and never re-read. Like clothes with the tags still on, these books can go! They don't "fit" who I am now, even if they did once. Or I thought they might. Also, duplicates in either subject matter or literal duplicates, where I can sell one.

The ultimate goal is to reduce my bookcases by one, by June: empty it, then sell the bookcase on Craigslist.

Cooking and the Pantry Frugal

Now that I have cleaned out my pantry and organized it so pretty, I am firmly committed to using it well. To that end, this week I ate salad twice daily (using the celery, peppers, and green oinions I chopped last weekend, as well as the greens mix and romaine hearts I have stocked up.

I also cooked one of my favorite quick/frugal meals: Chicken breasts with goat cheese, capers, and roasted red peppers. So simple!

1. thaw 2-4 boneless chicken breasts (depending on # of guests)
2. pound them flat (fun time!)
3. using approximately 1-2 oz. of goat cheese* per chicken breast (more if the breast is big, less if it is small), spread the goat cheese across the center width of the breast.
4. lay 3-4 slices of roasted red pepper on top of the cheese, lengthwise
5. roll up the breast and stick closed with toothpicks
6. set in Pyrex or earthenware rectangular dish sprayed with olive oil cooking spray
7. sprinkle 1 Tbsp. of capers, 1 tsp. each of basil, oregano, and thyme across breasts; grind black pepper to taste on top
8. pour 1/4-1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth) over breasts and cover with aluminum
9. put in over and cook 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees; remove from oven, remove foil, and let cool slightly. Serve with vegetable, salad, and a spoonful of sauce poured over top.

Yum!

*Use any kind of cheese: I like goat cheese because the soft texture works well with the red peppers, but you can use slices of any kind of Swiss cheese, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack (excellent!). Just don't use too much cheese in a single breast roll-up, because it raises the fat content immediately.

With nothing more than a jar of roasted red peppers, capers, and some cheese, you're good to go with a protein-rich, low-fat meal. If the breasts are big enough, you can actually cut them in half and find that a filling choice with side dishes.

I am also making a quinoa and black bean salad, found on Epicurious (originally from Gourmet) because, hey, I have 1.5 pints of quinoa and a jr of dried back beans... pick up some coriander and I'm good to go.

I also have a few older apples that need to be used rather than thrown out. I'm thinking applesauce or an apple cake. We'll see what happens this afternoon between me and my slow cooker.

Intentional Frugality

Lately--given the whole laptop and car thing--I've been thinking about how I'm saving, spending, and consuming, which is a large part of the journey I've been on since October 2010 when I decided to de-clutter my life, apartment, and closet.

For the most part, that work is done. I have successfully donated, sold, thrown out, or given away almost all of the household items, books, DVDs, CDs, tapes, and clothing I selected for those ends. I still have some pieces left, but by summer 2012 the house will be empty of everything save paper clutter, and then I can take that on.

The next phase of this project is going to be tougher, because what is left is still too much, but I am emotionally connected to it, even though some of it is clutter.

But... money. I am embarking now on a three-month journey to change my eating/shopping/cooking habits, for the better. I love to cook, love to eat, and even enjoy grocery shopping, but I waste money and food along the way. Rather ridiculously, for one fairly small woman.

This week I am starting by creating a shopping/cooking menu for next week, built on the things I already have on hand, using the cookbooks & recipes I already love. I am putting myself on a budget:

• $50/month for the cat's needs (food, treats, & litter)
• $160/month for my groceries (excluding eating out and liquor)
• $50/month for health & beauty stuff (shampoo, vitamins, etc.)
• In May, I'll revisit these numbers and adjust, based on buying/eating/wasting records I'll keep
• I'll be closely shopping sales, coupons, and using my 3 regular grocery stores, pharmacy chains, pet chains, and big box stores for comparison

These are still big numbers for one person. My goal is to become a better shopper and a better user of bought goods.

Here's how I shop:

• of my 3 grocery stores, I buy produce, cheese, and organic meat at one, because the quality is higher; the price is usually comparable, if not lower... but not always
• I prefer name brands in some items, but buy store-brand in most (milk, dairy, beans, frozen goods)
• I would prefer organic, but the two foodie organic stores in town are quite a bit more expensive, and more for the cachet than the quality, from what I've seen
• bulk is great and enables me to buy smaller amounts (pints sized jars, remember), and keep them fresher
• I go to the store once a week for groceries
• I go to the store once a month for wine, health/beauty, some pet stuff (canned food I buy 2x monthly, because of storage)
• I am not a Costco shopper any more: the only thing I miss is the salmon, and I can get that elsewhere for nearly the same price, so bye-bye, Costco
• Two of my grocery stores and one chain offer the best incentives: I'll be figuring out how to use them more, and the others less

A lot of saving money and being frugal is thinking consciously and long-term about your money. Do I spend a little today--and every day--for a Starbuck's coffee? Or spend a lot later for a used car? Sometimes, in my head, the two don't seem related, the $2 today vs. the $10K next September. But $2 five days a week (at the coffee bar at My U) = $10/week = $150/semester, or $300/year. Ok, not a huge drop in the 10K bucket... but something. And if I can save that $2, where else can I save?

Right now I've got $140/month under review: three monthly costs I could cut. That's $1.4K by next September. Nearly $2K with the coffee savings added. See?

This week: groceries were $37, with an additional $18 for flowers, tissues, and a magazine. I'l be finishing up the pork loin, then cooking chicken with goat cheese, red peppers, and capers, scrambled eggs/omelet, and beef with shallots.