Cheap Challenge 2013- Week 3 Update

August 15-21
Spending total: $89.24

Groceries	Eating Out	Gas	Household	Entertainment	Clothing	Dog Needs
$43.59	$15.47	$20.08	$0.00	$2.76	$7.34	$0.00

This week was probably the toughest week so far. Our grocery stockpile had pretty much dwindled away and we were left with a few really random odds and ends in the freezer and pantry. This week's shopping trip was the largest one we have had so far, but it still had a lower total in comparison to our usual spending on groceries. We should have enough meat from this trip to last us through the end of the month so next week's trip should just be for Declan's milk and some fresh produce.

We had a meal out on Saturday night because all of my family came to town and I got way to caught up with getting the house in order and missed the window of opportunity to get dinner fixed for everyone. Luckily, this left us with leftovers so it at least served us for more than one meal.

I had to finally make a gas purchase for my car, but I tried to keep the amount as low as possible and just get what I thought would be needed to make it until the end of the month. I guess we will see how well I estimated next week.

I had a project I really wanted to complete while I had a free weekend so some of our budget was spent on a wreath form ($2.76) since I had all of the fabric, glue, and ribbon on hand. This went under entertainment since I didn't leave a place on the budget for crafts/projects, plus I found it entertaining. :)

We had to get ready for our trip out-of-town and Dec needed a couple of plain tees so we checked out the sales rack at Wal-Mart and were able to get three short sleeve t-shirts that they had on clearance.

The dogs are now completely out of biscuits, but we are really going to be cutting it close this last week with what we have remaining in the budget so I am giving them table scraps more often than they normally get them. They may actually forgive us for not getting their favorite dog food last week.

Budget remaining: $15.90

I am not sure how we are going to make it this next week with just $15.90 remaining in the budget. Even though I have not eaten lunch out at all this month the few dinners we have not cooked on our own have really impacted the budget, even though they were cheap dining out experiences for a family of 3. Jake's one big gas purchase also put a big dent in what we had left to work with. I am really hoping we can pull this off, but I really don't know if it is possible at this point since we have 10 days remaining.

DIY Fabric Wreath

I love wreaths like this and I am always looking at them on Etsy, but I really did not need to spend $50+ on a wreath for the front door so I decided to figure out how to make one for myself. Here are the results and step-by-step tutorial of how I made a fabric wreath.

You will need the following:

• Pinking Shears
• Ruler
• 2-3 yards of fabric (Amount depends on the width of the fabrics you choose. It needs to yield approximately 250 of the 4x4 fabric squares.)
• 14 inch Straw Wreath Form (do not remove the plastic wrapping)
• Tacky Glue/Elmer's Glue
• Small plastic bowl or paper plate
• Phillips head screwdriver (Anything with a decent handle that is narrow and somewhat pointy will do.)

Instructions:
 
Step 1- Using the pinking shears and ruler, cut your fabric into 4x4 squares.  

 

I chose three different fabrics for my wreath. The solid blue happened to be a piece that was exactly 36x36" so I was able to get 80- 4" squares. The other two fabrics were 36x48" so I cut 84-4" squares from each of them and had roughly a one foot remnant left of each one (Total of 248 squares).

Step 2- Pour a small puddle of glue into the plastic bowl (refill bowl as needed).

Step 3- Take the screwdriver and place the tip into the center of one of the fabric squares. Fold the fabric square around it and then dip the end into the bowl of glue.

  
Step 4- Keep the glue dipped fabric square held around the screwdriver and push it into the wreath. 
 

 

The technique of dabbing the fabric with glue and pushing it into the wreath using the screwdriver keeps all of your fabric squares looking nice and fluffy from the start. Plus, the glue won't allow the pieces to pull out easily, as they would if you attached them with a straight pin.
 
Step 5- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all of your fabric squares are in the wreath form.

Tips:
I put a few of one color in at the start and then moved to the second and third colors following the same pattern to make sure all three colors were used throughout. Also, a few of the pieces got pushed in further than I wanted initially so if this happens when you are making yours, make sure to fluff them back out right away before the glue dries because they will not move later.
 

 

 
 
  

 
Finished! I am really pleased with how it turned out. The back of the wreath is not covered so just make sure the sides are covered completely and that the inner part of the wreath is not easily visible. I had enough pieces to pretty much fully cover the inside of the wreath. I am going to be looking for a cute wooden "T" to add to one of the sides, but I like it even without the initial.
 
I am so excited to have our wreath up on the door! The blues and browns are nice colors for the end of summer/early fall.
 


Back door.



Declan was a big help while I worked on this so he got to
play with it for a minute before we hung it outside.

 
 
 

Cheap Challenge 2013- Week 2 Update

August 8-14
Spending total: $95.57

Groceries	Eating Out	Gas	Household	Entertainment	Clothing	Dog Needs
$5.23	$22.71	$44.65	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$22.98

We found one last pack of ground beef in the freezer so we will be using that before the next shopping trip. We got some fresh veggies at Pepper Place over the weekend, as well as some that were completely free thanks to Jake's granny having a wonderful garden each summer. She also gave us some apples off of their apple trees so we made them into an apple pie...yum!

Grocery spending was really low again this week. Our trip to the grocery store was just to pick up milk for Declan and dog food for Wade and Fia. We decided to buy Purina Dog Chow instead of Purina One to cut costs. The dogs were not impressed, but if we can cut back for a month then they can do it along with us.

Entertainment was completely free this week because we just played with what we had at home. Declan had a blast playing outside in his pool and was joined by Wade. :) We also got to visit with family again, but this time they came down to us. However, we did eat out on Saturday while Clint and Ashley were in town. We really have to avoid this the rest of the time and keep packing lunches each day.

Jake had to buy gas this week. He forgot the rule about only using the cash on hand and used his debit card so he could fill up the tank. I will definitely just have to get what is needed when I fill up now since this took a fifth of the month's budget. Gas expenses are hard for us to avoid since there is no way we can carpool due to our schedules being so different. We will just have to be very diligent the next two weeks about limiting the distance we can go on the weekends.

We didn't have any clothing or household purchases this week. Yay!

Budget remaining: $105.14

Cheap Challenge 2013- Week 1 Update

August 1-7 Spending total: $49.29 Groceries  Eating Out Gas Household  Entertainment Clothing Dog Needs $25.10 $13.86 $0.00 $5.34 $4.99 $0.00 $0.00 The household purchases we made were for the hooks to hang Dec's swing on the back porch ($2.07) and a new sippy cup after one cracked ($3.27).

$4.99 was to watch a movie over the weekend on Amazon Instant Video. This is definitely not something we could do every weekend of the challenge.

The grocery bill was low thanks to our pantry being so well-stocked from past purchases. We didn't have to purchase any meat this week because we had salmon, chicken and beef in the freezer. There is a little left, but we will likely have to buy some on the next grocery trip.

No gas this week, but we both started this with less than 3/4 tank and with a trip home to see some of our family this past weekend we used up more gas than planned. I am really proud of myself for doing zero online shopping this week and not browsing at stores for clothes for me or Declan. Yay!

Jake couldn't avoid eating out on Friday because he was at a conference and couldn’t pack lunch. He also bought sodas and had hot dogs from the cart at the dental school one day this week. I managed to pack lunch everyday! Week 1 really was not bad at all. I had hoped we would spend a little less than this in the first week so we would have more room in the budget later on, but we really did not get anything outlandish this week. The only expenses this week that were not necessities were Jake's one lunch at the hot dog stand, the movie we rented, and Dec's swing hooks. The kid has been waiting a month for us to put it up because the first hooks we got were the wrong size so this purchase was definitely worth it to us. Budget remaining: $200.71

Cheap Challenge 2013

For the month of August, we will be doing our best to save money by commiting to the No Spending Challenge, or, as we will call it, the Cheap Challenge. I have had this and many other money saving tips, challenges, and budget plans pinned to my Frugalista board on Pinterest for quite some time and only a few of them have actually happened in the Turner household.

At this time in our lives we are in somewhat of a strange place financially. I have a steady income, but Jake does not due to being a full-time dental student. My salary is a reasonable salary for a family of three, but it is definitely tight some months and absolutely nothing is going into savings. We have a buffer built-in from the additional money we take out in student loans each year to make sure we are covered in the event of any unforeseen expenses, but payments on this and all of Jake's loan money for tuition, tools and miscellaneous fees will start requiring payment sometime around November of 2014. With all of this in mind there is no time like the present to figure out where we can scale back so we are in a good place financially to pay the mountain of dental school student loans off ASAP and to start building our retirement fund.

Thus, our savings kickstarter: Cheap Challenge 2013.

Challenge Details:

For the next 31 days our family of 3 only has $250 to spend on all food, gas, clothing,

entertainment, household items, and doggie needs.

This budget restriction does not apply to the house payment, utilities, or cost of daycare since each of those easily exceeds $250/month all on its own.

I am really interested to see how this goes. We are going to definitely need to eat at home each night, pack lunches, find free events for entertainment, and try to drive as little as possible. I will definitely need to stay away from online shopping and resist the urge to buy clothes for Declan and myself when I make trips to Target (perhaps I should just avoid Target for a month).

Wish us luck and feel free to check-in to help keep us accountable! :)

Check back for weekly updates!

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4

Lessons Learned

Transporation Birthday Party

I cannot believe it has been over a year since Declan was born and we brought him home from the hospital! This first year has been filled with so many wonderful memories and we were so excited for the opportunity to celebrate our little man and his first year of life.

I love parties so I could not wait for the chance to plan the first of Declan's many birthday celebrations. I had several ideas floating around, but most have been tabled for later birthdays because I decided a carnival, stache bash, and whatnot would be more fun when he and his guests were was a bit older and could be more inteactive with the event. So for his first birthday, I decided on transportation as the theme. What says little boy more than trains, planes, and automobiles?

The first thing I wanted to get nailed down was decor for the party. I wish I had the funds some of the parties on Pinterest seem to have, but alas my budget is not that large so I had to simplify some of my plans. :) For the backdrop behind one of the food tables, I decided to keep it simple and have just a birthday banner to decorate the wall. Fortunately, Keith (my cousin) and her shop, Feathered Nest Boutique, were able to make my plan come to life with an adorable 'Happy Birthday' pennant banner with appliqued lettering and different vehicles. She also made him a super cute birthday outfit to match! I also tried to pull from items we already had on hand (like Declan's wooden train he got for Christmas and the cute suitcase set I bought on Zulily) and purchased a few other wooden vehicles to serve as decorations and our gifts to the birthday boy.

   

 With decorations thought out, I had to come up with a plan for the invite and party favors. I managed to get really lucky here and won a custom invitation design from Cardtopia Company and they created the cutest birthday inviation for Declan! Once they completed the design, I was able to order cupcake toppers (I used them as stickers for sealing invite envelopes and on fruit cups at the party.) and water bottle labels that matched. I also won a $25 credit to KK's Favors and was able to use it toward custom party favors complete with a train whistle and airplane themed cup to give out to the kiddos.



It looks a little weird since I took off our contact info, but you can just imagine it. :)

Everything else just pretty much came together as needed. We lined the front walkway with balloons by using golf tees to hold them to the ground. I used Starbucks Frappucino bottles we collected as "milk bottles" for the tea and lemonade we served (the dispensers were the ones I purchased for our wedding). I made labels for the bottles using brown Kraft Paper and attached them with red, green, and blue baker's twine. Guests had access to a Sharpie so they could label their bottle. I also purchased blue striped and red striped paper straws on Amazon and they were way more affordable there than anywhere else. The cakes came from the Albertville Bakery and they were awesome, even though they did have to be frozen for two weeks when we had to reschedule the party from its original date. 

I took golf tees and tied the balloons to them before pushing them into the ground.

 Happy birthday, little man! I hope you had as much fun as your Dad and I did this first year and that you loved celebrating it with everyone (you did seem to really love the cake). I had a blast planning this for you and getting to celebrate at the party with you. Can't wait to see what the next year brings! Love, Mommy

Declan and his smash cake.

Declan's chair from Nanny and Pappy.

10 Months Old!

10 Months!

 

 

Stop growing!! Ok, don't really stop, but can you somehow slow down a bit? You are getting so big and independent now and I can't help but miss the moments where you had to be carried all the time and were too tiny to get around without my help. Don't get me wrong, I love that you are growing and I love the new ways we get to interact, but I can't believe how fast it is all going by. Everyday I celebrate each of the wonderful milestones you are reaching, but I also nearly burst into tears when I realize what you have outgrown in order to get there. 
  

You are currently 31 inches tall and are weighing in at a whopping 27.4 pounds! You can wear clothes from 18-24 months in size, but have ventured into the 2T range in many things. We have been using size 4 diapers, but their claim of going up to 37 pounds is not working with you so we are finishing out this pack and have already begun stocking up on size 5.
 

 

It amazes me constantly how fast you are changing. Gone are the days of a newborn's gummy grin. We now get a pretty full smile when you give us your "cheesy" little boy grin (you are so goofy!). Your four top teeth are pretty much completely in place and the two on bottom are still waiting for their outside buddies to come up. The high volume of drooling has returned though so I am thinking we'll get a peek at those any day now.

 

Your dad and I are having so much fun with you! You get into everything now that you are crawling and cruising so we have had to take our babyproofing to a whole new level. You really like to try to eat magazines for some reason so they are all shoved out of sight. :) You are so curious and it makes me so happy to watch you try to figure things out for yourself. And, I cannot help but crack up when you don't manage to get things to go your way because your whole foreheard wrinkles up with frustration. You keep trying though...that is until you grow bored and throw whatever down and move onto the next thing for a minute or so.

 

 Your laugh is infectious and we are able to get it out of you all the time now because you a.) seem to think we are weirdly hilarious and b.) are extremely ticklish. Laughter is by no means the only noise coming from you these days though. You also like to click your tongue at us, yell loudly, bark like a dog, and make a weird hissing noise (sounds like "cssshhh"). You are babbling up a storm and you are beginning to string multiple syllables together, going beyond the standard baba, mama, dada.

 

We find it really funny that you like to shake your head back and forth as if you are saying "no." I keep trying to nod "yes" and teach you that, but you just laugh and shake your head at me. You give great kisses and high fives though! Another fun habit you picked up this month is biting. We are getting along pretty well by saying "no biting" every time you do it, but every once in a while you nearly take a chunk out of my shoulder. This is one milestone I won't miss. :)

We keep thinking you may start walking any day now. You pull yourself up effortlessly and like to walk behind your push cart...or I should say run behind your push cart. You also like to scoot behind it on your knees just to break things up. :) You have stood on your own without holding onto anything several times now, but only for a few seconds so we may have just a bit more time before you are fully mobile.

We love you so much and cannot wait to see what the next month brings!