We Continue To Try to Hold the Line on Expenses

We continue to try to hold the line on money flying out the door but there is some spending that just can't be helped. I forgot to tell you that we spent $ 21.00 for our car inspection last Friday. Today we also paid  $ 29.11 for our monthly alarm monitoring, $ 334. for our yearly homeowners insurance premium, $ 20. for prescription co-pays and $  1.25 for a gallon of distilled water. The $1.25 comes out of the grocery budget which now leaves $ 181.34 for the rest of the month. So the total spent so far this month is $ 854.35. It's so handy to have my little notebook to write down anything we spend while we are out and any bill that we mail out. This will give me a true total of all spending for the month. I promised you I would document it all and I am.

Since we got home the only time I went out was to a Doctor's appointment. On the way home, I stopped and picked up the prescriptions and distilled water at the drugstore. I am trying to consolidate trips and lower the gasoline costs for the month since we spent so much on gas on the trip.

Later today I am headed to the markets for a few necessities and to stock on frozen fruit for smoothies at Aldi's. I am not passing up their great sale prices this week on those. I also need to pick up some things at Dollar Tree to stuff some eggs for our Easter Egg Hunt. My DIL, who I visited last weekend, gave me some great ideas on what to put in them for West. I might also stop at Office Max since it is right next to Dollar Tree.

Yesterday, I did some quick picking up of the house and some dusting. I washed a load of laundry in the HE's using cold water and hung them to dry. I also cooked a crockpot full of beef stew which DH has been having a craving for. I defrosted a sirloin tip roast ( bought on sale for $ 2.99 a lb ) that was in my freezer and DH cut it up into stew beef. I added potatoes, celery, onions and carrots. I cooked it in beef bouillon and thickened the broth for gravy an hour before it was done. I served it for dinner and there is enough for 2 more meals.  After dinner, I rode the recumbent bike for 30 minutes to try to burn off some of those calories.

The picture above is free samples of baby proofing door or cabinet latches, Eucerin repair cream for dry skin and a $ 3.00 Pinecone check that all came in the mail today. I will ask my son if he can use the latches. If not, I will save them to put in a new baby gift basket. The check will get cashed and put in my gift fund.

We continue to try to save on energy around here by making crockpot meals, keeping the lights off until dark and keeping the heat bills down. DH did turn the heat down a little while we were away so that should be a nice reduction on our next utility bill.

Please feel free to leave a comment and  share with all of us how are you are doing saving money.