Fruits

So, this post is actually going to include some prices which is rare for me but I think these are useful.  They are Canadian and I think they're fairly good for across western Canada.  So anyway...  A good general rule, that I have found, is less than  $1/lb for most fruit, but for berries less than $2/lb.  Fruit is best when it's cheapest and in season, which I think is super great.

Here is what I see is good prices for specific fruits:

Cherries (in season about now) - 1.99/lb
Peaches/Apricots/Plums (in season later in the summer) - the closer to .99/lb the better, if you can get them for less even better
Apples (fall) - less than $.99/lb, but the closer to $.49/lb you can get the better price they are
Grapefruits (in season in winter) - $.49/lb
Oranges  - Same as grapefruit
Strawberries (just out of season) - 1.49/lb at their cheapest, but I start buying them at $1.99/lb

Now, I know that isn't every fruit but that should give you a good starting point.

Also, last year cherries came closer to .99/lb.  It doesn't happen every year but last year, I'm pretty sure, was a bumper crop so they were in the stores longer and were cheaper than they usually are.

So, enjoy your healthy (cheap) fruit.

Unexpected Bills

For some preamble:  You may or may not know but only the last couple of months have we gone to a single income and I've become a housewife.  Now I will let you know that my husband and I have been planning since we got married just over 2 years ago that we would eventually live on one income.  Also, I like my savings accounts (I think we have about 5 plus a chequeing account.)

So, earlier this month I was thinking about something which is that in the last year or so we have had to put new all season tires on my car (approx $600) and we ended up replacing our patio door (approx $500).  Both of these expenses were paid out of my cheques when I was still working more full time.  So, now that's really not much of an option and I know that our appliances will likely need replacing sometime in the next couple of years and who knows what else.  That's where the unexpected bills account comes in.

This is a small amount (ours is $150/paycheque) that we put in it's own savings account.  This is to cover those things that we just can't cover on a paycheque to paycheque basis.   It's not meant to be dipped into every cheque, nor is it our emergency fund, nor is it for paying things like car insurance and property taxes.  These should have their own accounts.  It's for those things that aren't part of the emergency fund but still don't happen every month.  Things that I view this fund for are emergency repairs on the house and car repairs (outside of regular maintenance), other items like that.  “We want” items don't necessarily qualify. 

So, obviously this account won't be used all the time.... Hopefully, only once or twice a year.   By next summer I am hoping there will be enough money in that account that we can take a vacation with that money.  Yes, I know I should probably technically have a separate account for that but, I don't. Instead, this is the way I have chosen to do it.  Leave at least $1,000 to $1,500 in the account and then use the rest for a vacation or a “we want” item.  Peace of mind and a vacation on a single income, how much better can that get. 

Going Away on a “Quick” Day/Overnight Trip

You know those.  The ones you “have” to go to or the ones you decide you want to go to and are committed to but in the end you've been away so much you don't want to go so you make it quick.  Our situation was the second this weekend.  It was a wedding about four hours away from where we live.  The wedding did not start until 3pm so we drove down in the morning.  This is my first cost saving trip.  Can you leave in the morning?  The second and obvious cost saving tip is eat breakfast before you go or pack it with you to eat on the road, also pack your tea/coffee, etc.

Writing of food, that can be a huge expense on any trip, especially a quick trip.  Ways that my husband and I often minimize that is that we pack snacks, like juice boxes, fruit snacks, fruit, etc.  As you can see they are usually healthy “munchy” type snacks, which helps in the eating healthy on trips and on the frivolous snack spending.  

The other food thing we do is that before we go I often make a pan of granola or snack bars (there are lots of recipes on the internet – pick one that looks good).  I pack the pan and a sharp knife to cut them with.  VERY SIMPLE.  My husband and I both like to eat breakfast fairly soon after we get up and it is annoying to have to find a breakfast place so we eat the granola bars for breakfast right after we get up.  We also eat them for a sweet snack during the day.  Granola/snack bars are fairly clean to eat too when you are worried about a disaster in your vehicle..... 

The other thing that my husband and I did this trip is that we stayed overnight...  Oooh, expensive you say... Well, we didn't stay in a hotel.  We camped.  Yes, you read that right camped.  It cost a whole $20 plus tax for the night and all it required for packing was sleeping bags, our tent, foamies, and our pillows (don't forget the pillows!).  Very simple.  Easy to pack, easy to crash when you get to the campsite and are tired, simple all around. 

One thing that we did is that we stayed halfway between our house and the wedding.  So, we were going to come back after the wedding and check into our campsite then.  Instead, and this worked out to be a great stress reliever, we stopped by our campsite on the way down, checked in and put up our tent.  Then it was even easier when we came back after the wedding as the tent was already set up.

In the morning we got up, packed up and I will confess that we didn't pack a pan of snack bars for this trip so we stopped at a bakery for scones.  YUMMY and still cheaper than fast food.  Then we drove home.  Quick overnight trip done for hopefully a little less money.

Libraries

Let me just put this short and sweet, use them. 

Ok, now that I've told you that, let me tell you why I like them so much.  I want to research a topic...  I like to look at a book, rather than the internet.  Yes, I'm old fashioned!  So, I go to the library, sign out two or three books on the topic, come home.  Read the books, keep the one I like for the full time or if I really like it I'll even renew it.  Now I've researched my topic for free....  Book clubs and libraries get along well together.  You're not sure you'll enjoy all the books, so sign them out, read them and then return them.  If you really, really like one of them, buy it.  At least you'll, know it will be a book you enjoy.

The other thing I sometimes do is sign out a book on, for example a home renovation project, months before I plan to do it.  Then when I actually plan to do it, I'll sign out the book again.  The library doesn't care that I've signed the same book out twice or three times...

I am a reader.  I enjoy reading, especially novels.  However, I own almost no novels.  Why?  Well, mostly because I don't like the clutter and reading can distract me from what I really need to do.  So, I use the library.  I also take advantage of friend's libraries.  These are even better than the public library as there is no 3 week or 6 week (if you renew it) limit on keeping the book.  Make sure you DO return the book though.  Also, if a friend has read it and enjoyed it they can recommend the book or help you expand your horizons.  They also will often like the same books that I do, so unlike the public library I know I can trust the books from my friends.

What about the fines?  I see it this way.  I usually end up paying about $2 a year in fines.  The way I see it $2 is a whole lot cheaper than even one book.  So, you pay a few fines, first try and return your books on time (take advantage of email notifications, etc.), however, it's still a whole lot cheaper than buying all those books brand new.  Also, I feel like I am supporting the library buying more books for me (and others) to enjoy.

Truck Insurance and Eating Out

Renewing Our Truck Insurance

Today my husband renewed our truck insurance.  It is our second vehicle and because we are not sure if we can for sure go down to one vehicle we have decided to keep the insurance on it for at least for the summer.  Also, we have a wood stove and will need it to get our winter's wood supply.   This is the first conversation to have, do you actually need your second vehicle?  Yes, you can save all the money in the world on the insurance but if you don't need the insurance then it is not money saved.  For example, can you put temporary insurance on it when you need it or just insure it for part of the year or borrow a friends vehicle when you need the second vehicle?  In our case, we have decided, because our situation is not stable right now and we have the money saved up, to put insurance on it for the full year.  This, then, is how we saved money on the insurance. 

The first thing that my husband did is that he did not put the ability to drive back and forth to work on it.  This saved us about $100 and will work well for us. 

Another thing that we have with our truck insurance is that we have no comprehensive insurance on it.   Before you freak out, we still have the items required by law on the truck.  However, we do not have the optional item, which is that if we get in an accident caused by us, we will not get any money to help repair/replace the truck.   This could be a great money saving option that saves you a significant portion (up to 1/3,  possibly more) on your insurance if you chose to go this way and works the best with older vehicles.  Our truck is a 2000 and because if we were to get in an accident it would basically be worth almost nothing so it is worth it for us to take the risk to not put comprehensive insurance on it.

One thing that my husband learned while talking to the insurance agent is that if we decide to cancel our truck insurance part way through the year and put fire insurance on it instead, it will cost the same amount as just cancelling the truck insurance outright. Sounds like more value for our money to me.

Eating Out

One thing that my husband and I have found is that since I have been a housewife is that we eat out way less.  Due to me being home, I am able to think and plan out our meals, especially dinners.  I also see this as part of my job of me being a housewife. 

This isn't to write that we never want to eat out...  So, how do we save money when we do?

The first line of defense is to have your husband on the same page as you.  My husband and I generally don't like to eat fast food, we agree that it's expensive to eat out.  Also, we live in a small town so there are only so many places to eat out and even less that are decent “pub-style”, aka, “I don't feel like cooking” food.  So, once he is on the same page, if he doesn't feel like eating/want to eat out even though you don't want to cook, he may cook.  Bonus, at least in our house where my husband rarely cooks dinner.  He may also come up with an idea of something for dinner which often solves the not wanting to cook feeling.

 

The second thing that I do is keep some quick, easy, cheater foods in the freezer for those nights.  These could be things like microwave dinners, “throw-in-a-pot” prepackaged meals, boxed prepared sides (ex. Pasta salad, frozen heat and serve vegetables, etc.), hotdogs, preflavoured meat, etc...   These foods help me to a least make dinner quick.  Also, because we don't often eat this kind of food it is a treat and that is often one of the reasons I want to eat out.

Now, if that fails, the third thing that we sometimes do is go to the grocery store and find some food that's easy to eat and prepare (see above food, or a whole precooked chicken meal, or ...).  Again, this can be like a treat and is even more like eating out as you are even leaving the house and buying something.  This can be a more expensive option than fast food but is healthier and is still cheaper than eating out.

Another thing that good friends of ours and I do often, is that we phone the other person and see what's for dinner there and combine dinners where we both make part of the dinner....  We also eat at each others house quite often and sometimes those days fall on days when one of us doesn't feel like cooking.

If all else fails, eat out and try to make it a special occasion rather than a “quick, we need a dinner” type meal out.  It will be more enjoyable and you might think twice next time before you eat out.  As in, go out less but go all out when you go out.

An easy way to run your money.

If you are not that much into budgeting or find it too hard, this is a way to run your money that has worked for me for many years in the past...

When you get paid, take a piece of paper and write the amount of your paycheque at the top.   The happy part is done. Then deduct all the expenses that you know are going to come out before you get paid again. If you aren't sure what those are, take a look at last month on your internet bank account, during the same time period as this paycheque.  The remainder is spending.  So, income less bills = spending on everything else.

For Example:

Paycheque                   $2,000

MINUS:

Mortgage/Rent            $600

Vehicle Insurance        $200

2^nd Vehicle Insurance  $300

Cell Phone Bill            $50

Power Bill                   $75

Loans, Credit Cards    $200

Savings                        $100

TOTAL                      $1,525

REMAINING           $475    - This is your amount to spend before the next paycheque.   It covers everything else you have to buy, ex. Gas, groceries, personal care, fun stuff.

If you think this amount isn't big enough, you either need to make more money, find a way to lower those bills you must pay, or spend less.  These are the things that MUST be paid.  They are not optional. 

Pay all those bills right after you get your paycheque to make sure they get paid on time and so you know that the amount in your chequing is the amount you have to spend.

I find this a little easier (but less accurate) than budgeting for each category individually.

I did not put a heat bill in the list as this is only the amounts you knew at that paycheque, if you get paid biweekly, then when you get your heat bill pay it when you get your next cheque.  Same goes for home insurance and any other bills you didn't have at the time or that don't get automatically withdrawn until you get paid again.

I find this whole exercise takes about 5 minutes and an internet connection to look at your bank account. I stick it to the fridge. Mentally and by watching the bank account, I am able to make sure we are not spending more than we make. 

If you think you'll spend to much money withdraw that remainder amount in cash.  When the money runs out, the spending is done.

Washing Laundry

So, yesterday I was putting a load of laundry in the washer and I was thinking about one of the things I do that saves us a bit of money (I had also just read it in a book.).  

Now, it isn't the obvious thing of washing your clothes in cold water.  Oh No!  I don't quite wash my clothes all in cold water as it doesn't quite make total sense to me even though I have read in numerous places that it is a good energy, and therefore, money saving tip.  I have a top load washer, so to compromise, while I am filling up the washer, which usually takes me a couple of minutes, I turn my washer on to the setting of Warm/Cold.  Then when I am done filling and adding detergent I turn it to Cold/Cold.  Ta da!  Clothes washed mostly in cold water with some warm water for my peace of mind.

So, to my main tip which is on adding detergent and that is take a look at your bottle of laundry detergent.  If you're like me you buy your detergent based on the best cost/load.  Well, when you get home look at the measuring cap. Find the lines – usually there will be 1, 2 and the top of the cap which is way above the lines.  Then look at the bottle and find the small print that states what fill line the manufacturer used to estimate the number of loads.  Fill the cap to that line and you will use the right amount of laundry detergent and, theoretically, get the number of loads on the bottle.    Now if you were filling it to the top of the cap that is quite a significant savings.