Frugal Living

Before Nora was born, I shared a few tips for having a baby on a budget and how I managed to get almost everything I needed for less than $300!

And in the months since Nora was born, I’ve received a crazy number of emails asking what items I would suggest for soon-to-be-moms looking to stay clutter-free and stick to a tight budget. While I definitely don’t have ALL the answers; after almost 5 months, I can at least share the items we regularly used for the newborn/infant stage.

So for the rest of the week, I’ll be sharing my “must-have” items for infants.

Monday = Nursery Items

Tuesday = Baby Gear

Wednesday = Food, Medicine, Toiletries

Thursday = Clothing

Friday = Items for the New Mom

Saturday = Recap, a few more tips, and a FREE printable! 

However, before I get started, I want to mention that almost every mom I’ve ever talked to has stressed the fact that EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT. So while these might be the must-have items for Nora, your child (and even our future children) might prefer something completely different!

Also, I’m sure there are tons of different opinions on what you do and don’t need; so again, I just want to stress that these are the things that worked for us. They might not work for everyone!

My Must-Have Nursery Items for Infants

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Of course you want your nursery to be a safe, comfortable place for you and your baby — but you most definitely do not have to spend a ton of money to achieve that. You can see the full tour of our simple nursery here, but below is a list of the nursery items I’m glad we had.

CRIB / MATTRESS

We found our crib and mattress on Craigslist and received them as a gift from my parents. Yes, I know that our crib has a drop-down side and those aren’t “legal” to sell in stores anymore; but it’s the exact crib I wanted and Dave and I feel it is safe for Nora.

BEDDING

I purchased 2 white sheets and 2 mattress pads and I actually have them ALL on the bed at the same time. That way, if there is an accident, all I have to do it take the top layer off.

I also purchased 3 of these sheet protectors - and I can’t even tell you how much laundry those have saved me! Nora drools all the time, so instead of washing her sheets, I just wash the sheet protectors. Oh, and I made a quilt for the crib, but that was just for decorative purposes!

CHANGING TABLE / PAD

We purchased a used dresser on Craigslist and secured a changing pad on top (after I painted the dresser). It serves as our changing table and has tons of extra storage for blankets, diapers, clothes, etc.

COMFY CHAIR

We purchased the Poang chair from IKEA because it was cheap and it didn’t take up much room. It’s super comfortable and we actually ended up purchasing two more for our living room!

SHELF and/or SIDE TABLE

We have a small table next to the chair for a lamp and a clock; we also have  a small book case for books, toys, etc. The table is a great place for me to set my water bottle, phone, or Nora’s pipe when I’m feeding her in the middle of the night.

FAN or WHITE NOISE

We found a small $5 fan and use that to make white noise, which seems to help her sleep better and blocks out some of the noise from the rest of our house.

I should also mention that we put a small heater in our nursery too — but that’s just because we turn our heat down to 55 at night

MONITOR 

We sleep with a fan on, so we had to have a monitor in order to hear Nora cry. However, we found this Angel Care monitor on Craigslist for $20 and we love it. If your room is right next to your nursery, you probably don’t even need a monitor.

LAMP / NIGHT LIGHT

We keep a small nightlight on all night long so I don’t have to turn the main light on in the middle of the night. Our nightlight might possibly be the best $2 we spent

ROOM DARKENING SHADES

You don’t necessarily need the exact same kind we have, but you will want some type of heavy curtains or shades that darken the room for nap time.

{you can hardly see our shades… they just blend into the window trim, which is what I wanted}

GARBAGE CAN

We actually just use paper grocery bags with newspaper layered on the bottom. Every few days, we change the bag or sprinkle a little baking soda in to remove odor.

HAMPER

We put a small clothes basket in the bottom of our nursery closet which is right next to our changing table. This works well for quickly “disposing” of her dirty clothes.

Here are a few items we didn’t feel the need to purchase for our nursery:

• Matching furniture — seriously, it’s so expensive, and I just LOVE our mix-n-match nursery!
• Bassinet — we put Nora in her crib from day one
• Video monitor
• Fancy decorations
• Matching sheets/window treatments — I just went with all white
• Diaper Genie – our paper grocery bags work just fine!
• Toy box
• Mobile — I honestly just don’t like how they look

As I mentioned before, our nursery is pretty simple… but it works for us!

What were/are your must-have nursery items for infants?

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The other day, I mentioned a handful of things we’re willing to splurge on… it’s kind of a crazy list, but at this point in our life, those are our splurges!

However, after talking about splurging, I received a few emails and comments asking if we had cut back on anything in an effort to save more {and because we’re right in the middle of a recession}.

My answer is Yes!

Yes, we are cutting back on some things… and yes, we are still splurging on others.  I’m assuming many of you could say the same thing. I guess it’s a matter of where our priorities are!

Here’s a short list of things we’ve been cutting back on:

Hair Cuts/Color:

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Dave gets his hair cut every 2 weeks {give or take} and for several years now, I’ve been cutting his hair — both to save time and money. However,a couple of months ago, he decided that he can now cut his own hair! And while I’m thrilled to have one less thing on my to-do lists {and he really does do a great job} I have to admit that the whole process is pretty comical to watch!

When it comes to my hair, I should be a lot more “proactive” in my upkeep — but I’m not. Since I have short hair, I should probably get it cut every 4 weeks, but I always stretch it out to 6 weeks {sometimes 8!} It usually looks a little shaggy by that point, but I don’t get out much these day, so I really don’t care

I do like to get my hair highlighted occasionally, but I always make sure to go “natural” so it doesn’t look completely awful when it grows out {which means I can go several months before I get the next set of highlights}.

Groceries / Meat:

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Earlier this year, I talked about how our grocery bill had almost doubled {for good reason}.  And while I knew it would be completely unrealistic to get our bill back down to $20 per week, that didn’t stop me from consistantly trying to get that number to go down a little!

Over the past few months, I’ve managed to whittle it down {from $50} to around $35 per week — which I think is pretty good for our family of 3 adults and 1 baby, especially since we all pack our own lunches and eat pretty much every meal at home.

I’ve been meal planning with less meat, stretching the meat I do buy further, and incorporating many frugal family-friendly meals into our weekly menu. We haven’t suffered a bit — and I’ve actually enjoyed the “challenge” of creating more frugal meals. Of course, the extra savings is nice too!

Utilities:

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We are always very conscious about turning the lights off, turning the water off, and turning the heat down — all in an effort to conserve energy, “go green”, and of course… save on our utility bills.

We keep our house quite cool in the winter {60-62 when we’re home, 55 when we’re sleeping} and quite warm in the summer {the AC doesn’t come on until it’s at least 80 in the house}. We also turn off {and often unplug} appliances when we’re not using them, and we try to limit our water use as well.

We do pay for internet {which is obviously a must for my business} and along with our internet, we can get the most basic cable for an extra $10 per month… which Dave feels is 100% worth the cost!

Travel / Entertainment:

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Dave and I have never done a ton of traveling {except to visit family and friends} and for the most part, we don’t spend much money on eating out, movies, or other forms of entertainment.

Add a fussy 4-month old baby into the mix, and the travel / entertainment portion of our budget is pretty much unnecessary!  Yes, we have occasional ”date nights” but that could be something as simple as going out for ice-cream, renting a movie, or making a trip to the Apple store for a new computer

It’s definitely not fun to go anywhere with a crying baby, and thankfully, Dave and I are both pretty content to just stay home — which saves money on entertainment AND a babysitter!

Yard Work:

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In the past, I’ve purchased several flats of annuals, hanging baskets, potted arrangements, and other beautiful plants to spruce up our yard. However, I don’t think I’ll be doing any of that this year – partially to save money and partially to save time {planting and maintenance}.

I think we’ll have plenty of things to keep us busy this summer {kitchen renovation, 2 family weddings, family vacation, crawling baby, etc!} and I’m fine with all the lovely perennials we have already. I don’t want to spend any more time/money on our yard than I have to this year.

Gasoline:

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I’m sure that no matter where you live, you’ve seen the price of gas skyrocket these past several months! Obviously, we can’t just stop driving, but Dave and I have significantly cut back on quick trips here and there. We try to “plan out” our driving a little better to eliminate wasted gas and wasted time backtracking and making multiple trips.

These are just a few of the non-necessities that we have been cutting back on in an effort to save more and live simply. Even though it takes a little more conscious effort of our part, I’m confident that the savings really ARE worth it.

Also, after writing this post, I noticed that in almost every instance, we’re saving BOTH time and money… interesting!

Have you cut back on anything?

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Over a year ago, I wrote about the 10 Things We Don’t Spend Money On and then followed it up with 10 Things I’m Willing to Splurge On. They are two of my more popular posts to date… and I LOVE reading the comments to learn what you are and are not willing to spend money on.

Well, over the past year, I’ve come up with a handful of other things I am most definitely willing to splurge on. Some are bigger splurges than others, but they are all completely worth it for me!!

1. Snow Plow Service

Dave and I decided to splurge on snowplow service this winter… and those of you living in West Michigan are probably laughing right now because we hardly got any snow!!

Since Dave already gets up at 5:30am to be to school on time, and since we knew our quality and quantity of sleep would be jeopardized this year, we figured it was worth the cost.

Well, it worked! Dave didn’t have to wake up… and neither did the snow plow company!

{it was fun for a year, but we’ve since sold this tractor}

2. Baby Carrots {and other fresh produce}

I know this is crazy, but I just hate peeling and cutting carrots… and since we eat a ton of carrots, I’ve decided that it’s worth the extra money to buy bags of pre-washed baby carrots

I’m sure many of you have also noticed the increasing price of groceries at your local stores. Produce seems to be extremely high lately — sometimes making up half our grocery bill! And while I’m always tempted to cut back on our fresh produce, I figure this is probably one thing I should be willing to splurge on.

3. iPhone

I’ve already professed my love for my newest electronic toy… and while I definitely don’t think iPhones or smart phones are for everyone; this little device has saved me so much time and helped me be so much more productive. It’s worth every penny!

4. Room Darkening Shades

During our home renovations this past summer, we gutted our master bedroom and the nursery {among other rooms}. Both rooms have 2 big windows that let in lots of light — which is great, except when we’re trying to sleep!

Since I absolutely LOVE the trim around our windows, I didn’t want to cover it up with curtains, however we still needed to block out the light. So we opted for cordless, cellular, room-darkening shades. They cost about $75 per window, but are custom cut to fit perfectly in each window and they block out every last ray of sunlight… which means we can sleep in on the weekends! And since sleep is at a premium now days, these shades are worth the splurge!

{you can hardly even see the shades when they’re all the way open!}

5. Frozen Pizza

We almost always have pizza on Sunday nights — it’s just “our thing”. We eat our big meal at lunch, and then have pizza and a salad or veggies for supper.

I used to make homemade pizza a lot; but then I Nora came along and I started buying frozen. I can usually get the really good self-rising supreme pizzas for about $3.00 — which is much cheaper than delivery pizza — and it’s worth the splurge since I now have at least one meal each week that I don’t need to think about. As a bonus, Dave has taken over the preparation and clean up of this meal!

6. Diapers/Wipes

I try to get good deals on everything I buy… especially baby things. And while I know cloth diapers would probably save us money in the long run, I just can’t imagine spending the time and energy to wash all those diapers every week.

Plus, due to coupons, rebates, and special sales, my mom and I can usually find baby wipes for free, and diapers for less than $4.00 per jumbo pack — which, in my opinion, is most definitely money well spent!

7. Date Nights

I’ll be honest, these don’t happen very often, but if Dave and I do get a chance to do something together, we take it. And while we most definitely don’t spend crazy amounts of money, we are more willing to spend money on date nights now than before Nora arrived.

Of course, I still use coupons though…

8. Education

I had a professor in college who always said, “If you stop learning, you stop living” and I honestly feel like that saying is true. Thankfully, both Dave and I like learning… and although Dave does most of his learning in a classroom {he just finished his Master’s Degree last summer}, I also like to “continue my education”.

I’ve taken a few online workshops for blogging and business, I’ve taken community ed classes for gardening and landscape design, we took baby/parenting classes this fall, and I’m always learning new tips and techniques for blogging, HTML coding, etc.

9. A New Mac

We’ve been talking about getting a new computer since October — and we really wanted a Mac. So this past weekend, when the screen went totally black on my 4-year-old laptop, we stopped by the Apple store and bought a Macbook Pro!

Since we had already done our research, we knew exactly which computer we wanted to buy… but parting with the money was still difficult. However, I feel I can justify spending money on a new computer since it’s one of the few business expenses I have.

{future blogger in training!}

10. A New Kitchen

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Dave and I are hoping to renovate our kitchen this summer. Originally we were planning to wait about 5 years, but since our refrigerator is barely hanging on and some of our other appliances are also “on the fritz”, we decided the renovation should probably happen sooner than later.

We will pay cash for the renovations… but believe me, it’s still a pretty big splurge!

{wouldn’t you just love this kitchen!}

Kind of a crazy list — and it’s interesting how our priorities have shifted since I wrote my first post about splurging. Sometimes I feel bad splurging on things we don’t necessarily NEED, but then I remind myself that occasional splurges are one of my perks for all the scrimping and saving I do!

What are you willing to splurge on?

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If there is one thing that really gets me excited {I mean REALLY excited} it’s finding a great deal! Thankfully, it seems that Nora is already following in my footsteps

There have been many, many times when I just have to call Dave or my mom {an equally avid deal shopper} as I leave the checkout lane or cash register just to tell them about my amazing deal. Like a month ago when I got an entire weeks worth of groceries for $0.67, or last fall when I snagged a gorgeous chocolate brown duvet cover and shams on the clearance rack for only $6.89, or even last week when I got 4 large cans of formula completely FREE — plus I made $2 in the process.

I just LOVE hunting for deals, I love finding deals, and I love saving our family tons and tons of money on things we need to buy anyway {we did actually need a new duvet cover too!}

However, it all takes time…

And time is one luxury I haven’t had much of lately.

So while I still love an amazingly good deal, I’ve changed the way I shop a bit so I can still get my “deal fix” without wasting vast amounts of time. Yes, I’m still clipping and organizing coupons – after all, we still need to buy groceries each week — but I’ve changed a few of my deal-seeking ways to accommodate the baby — who seems to take up all my extra time lately!

If you feel short on time, here are some of my deal-seeking tips that might help you get your deal fix!

1. Realize you will NOT get every deal:

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I didn’t get EVERY deal even before I had Nora, but now I find myself passing up great deals all the time, just because I don’t feel like dragging a fussy baby in and out of different stores, trying to find the items I need, waiting in line, and then explaining to the cashier that “yes, you can use a manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on the same item!”

Nope, not worth it.

If you are short on time, realize that you won’t get every deal, and that’s OK.

2. Shop online:

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I’ve always been a big fan of Craigslist, Amazon.com, and Target.com, but lately, I’ve been using the internet to do as much shopping as possible.

I almost did all my holiday shopping online and have since done a large amount of my weekly shopping online. I’ve purchased diapers and other baby items at rock-bottom prices, clothes for myself, and even food online.

I’ve gotten some amazing deals at Target.com using coupon codes I find online — plus, they often have 20% off select women and baby items, free shipping, AND I’m still shopping with gift cards I received when Nora was born!

I also redeem my Swagbucks for Amazon.com gift cards so all the diapers, baby supplies, food, etc. I “buy” are essentially free.

3. Follow one {or two} blogs:

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I know, there are thousands of great deal blogs out there; all offering amazing coupons, rebate offers, freebies, giveaways, etc. but if you are really short on time like I am, it’s just not possible to follow them all.

Pick your favorite blog, subscribe to get the email updates, and then use their deal suggestions and coupons. Yes, you’ll probably miss a few deals, but this is a much more time-friendly approach to deal shopping!

4. Don’t play the drugstore game:

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It was a sad, sad day when I realized I was no longer willing to make time for my beloved “drugstore game”! Especially since this was one of my favorite ways to get amazing deals.

I used to go to Walgreens and RiteAid every single week to stock up on totally free cosmetics, toiletries, food, and other supplies… but not anymore. It’s just too much of a hassle to take the car seat in and out of the car at all these different stores — especially if she’s sleeping and I might only need one item from a particular drugstore.

So, for the time being, I’ve stopped playing the drugstore game. Instead, I give coupons to my mom and she gets double the deals {and often send the extras my way!}

5. Shop one {or two} stores:

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Like I mentioned above, I used to go to all kinds of stores each week to stock up on the best deals. And while it honestly didn’t take me that much extra time {I could just run in and run out}, it’s a TON of extra work with a baby!

I basically do ALL my shopping at Meijer {a local grocery store similar to Walmart}… and if Meijer doesn’t carry something, I turn to the Internet.

It’s just easier to go in, get out, and then go home — even though I have to force myself not to pull into Target on my way home from Meijer

I know that I’ll eventually get back to my beloved deals and steals; but for now, I’m happy with the number of deals I’m still able to find with the time I DO have.

Plus, in the long-run, I might find that I’m actually saving more just because I’m not shopping as much!

What are your tips for finding great deals in minimal time?

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{splitting a Chinese meal at our local mall}

Dave and I don’t go out to eat all that often — and when we do, we always try to use coupons and gift cards to reduce our out-of-pocket expense. We also have pretty inexpensive taste as Dave’s favorite restaurant is Culver’s and mine is either Fazoli’s or the Chinese place in our local mall!

Another thing we often do to reduce the expense of eating out is splitting one meal. We love going to places like T.G.I.Friday’s, Applebee’s, or Chili’s when they have their special 3-course meals because we’ll split the appetizer, main meal, and dessert. We both get plenty of food, we aren’t overly stuffed, we don’t have to worry about boxing up the leftovers, and we save a bunch of money.

And even though we ALWAYS tip the waitress based on the cost of two full meals, I still sometimes feel super cheap when we split a meal!

However, if we don’t split a meal, we both end up taking leftovers home and we both feel overly stuffed when we leave the restaurant. Plus we end up spending twice as much… it just doesn’t make sense.

I’m assuming Dave and I aren’t the only couple splitting meals at restaurants, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Do you regularly split meals when you eat out? Or do you each get your own meal and take leftovers home? Do you tip the waitress based on the cost of two meals? And do you have any other ways to save money while eating out?

What are your thoughts on splitting meals at restaurants?

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Oh, and if you’re interested, here are a few more ways to save money at  restaurants.

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Yes, I know, it’s only the middle of February — however, if you are serious about having a successful garage sale this spring, you should start planning now!

I’ve been to hundreds of garage sales, yard sales, estate sales, second hand sales, new-to-you sales, mom-to-mom sales, etc. etc. and in my opinion, there are a few things you can do NOW to make sure your sale is a success… and it really won’t take that much time or effort!

1. Gather Boxes:

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You will most likely need lots and lots of boxes and bins to corral all the items you plan to sell {see #2 below}. There is no point in paying for boxes and bins you hopefully won’t need after your sale is over, so why not try to find them for free.

If you or your spouse work outside the home, try asking for extra paper boxes or other smaller boxes with handles. Also, you could try asking local restaurants or stores to save boxes specifically for you.

Put those boxes in a designated spot in your home or garage and then move on to #2 below!

2. Find Stuff to Sell:

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Obviously, you can’t have a great garage sale unless you have LOTS of stuff to sell. I absolutely hate pulling up to a garage sale only to see they have one small table of stuff to look at — it’s just not worth the buyer’s time to stop.

This is also an EXCELLENT opportunity to purge and organize every room in your house!!

Schedule a day or an afternoon to go through each room in your house {maybe one room every other week until the garage sale} and pull out anything you don’t need, use, want or love. Put those items in your designated “garage sale” boxes.

If you don’t think you’ll have enough stuff, start talking with a few of your friends, relatives, coworkers, neighbors, etc. and see if you can plan a combined sale. In my experience, the more stuff you have to sell, the more traffic you’ll get.

3. Decide on a Location and Approximate Date:

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Obviously, you don’t need to have every last detail nailed down at this point, but you should start thinking about an approximate date and location. If you are planning to do a combined sale, you’ll want to decide who’s house has the best location and then pick a weekend that will work for everyone involved.

Also, if you are planning to be part of any church, school, or community sales, you’ll probably want to get that information soon. I know some sales around here require participates to register several weeks and even months in advance!

4. Start Pricing Your Items:

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Again, it’s not essential to have every item priced and ready to go, but as you go through your house and start purging items for the sale, it might be smart {and very time-saving} to start pricing your items now!

Please, please, PLEASE remember that your stuff is used. You don’t want it anymore… and while I’m sure there are people out there who DO want it, you can not expect to get top dollar for your stuff!

In my opinion, the only thing worse than showing up to a garage sale that doesn’t have a lot to sell is showing up for a garage sale with ridiculously high prices. People are looking to get a great deal, so make sure your prices feel like a bargain.

5. Use Craigslist:

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If you have some big-ticket items, I would suggest trying to sell them on Craigslist before your garage sale because you can usually get a higher price that way.

If you don’t want to sell anything on Craigslist, then at least take the time to advertise your sale on Craigslist! It’s free and you’ll get tons of exposure! Another good idea is to look for other sales in your area and then plan your sales for the same weekend to ensure even more traffic.

By taking a little bit of time to plan ahead now, you’ll hopefully have a much more successful garage sale later this spring.

What are your tips for a successful garage sale?

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Last year, I shared the handy Excel workbook I’ve been using to track my finances ever since I was in college. Obviously, I’ve updated it over the years… but the basic concept is the same, and it works wonderfully for me. Based on all the emails I get, I assume it also works wonderfully for many of you!

Now before you get too excited, let me just reiterate that this workbook is NOT a budget — it does not tell you how much you can and can not spend. Instead, it’s a tool to help you track your finances and monitor how much you actually DO spend.

I know many of you are trying to create a budget to help you and your family save more and spend less, but in my opinion, it’s impossible to set up a realistic budget unless you first figure out exactly where your money is going and how much you are currently spending, saving, etc.

So if you’ve never actually taken the time to track your finances for an entire year, this workbook should be extremely helpful for you as the first step to then creating a realistic budget.

I’m not going to go into a ton of detail about the spreadsheet itself, because you can read about all the different categories and features here… but instead, I’ll give you a quick overview.

Basically, the workbook has 7 worksheets or categories {see image below}

Each worksheet provides a place to track monthly and weekly income, bills, expenses, debt reduction, giving, and investments.

You can see the summary of everything {including your overall surplus or shortage} on the last worksheet.

So the idea is that if you faithfully record ALL your income and ALL your expenses, you should be able to quickly and easily see how much you are spending on a monthly basis AND for each category {like gas, groceries, clothing, utility bills, etc.}

After you’ve tracked your finances for several months or an entire year, THEN it’s time to sit down and figure out where you might be able to cut back a little {or a lot} and create your budget based on those numbers. Creating a budget based on real-life numbers will be so much easier than just pulling numbers out of thin air; and you will be much more likely to stick to your budget — which is the whole point!

If you’ve never taken the time to track your saving or spending before, this could be an eye-opening exercise for you {numbers don’t lie!}… but I guarantee it will be worth it in the end!

Download your FREE 2012 Financial Workbook here!!

• Here is a link to the “regular” Excel File

• Here is a link to the “97-2003″ Excel File {if you are using an older version of Excel}

• Here is a link to an “Open Document Spreadsheet” — in case the others don’t work

• Here is a link to it in Google Docs. {some of the formatting is different here}

NOTE: The files will automatically download to your computer by clicking the link above. You will need Microsoft Excel on your computer to be able to use this worksheet — and you should save it in a convenient place {like your desktop} so you can easily update it on a daily/weekly basis.

I created this workbook so that you will be able to edit everything — because that only makes sense to me! However, even though I’m giving you full access to use and edit this workbook, I hope you don’t abuse that by trying to pass it off as your own

If you are trying to save more and spend less this year, download my FREE 2012 Financial Workbookand get started today!

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