Keep Every Penny

This morning I had the opportunity to watch Paul Evans’ presentation on Core Strategies for building an online business. As is usual for Paul’s presentations, the information was incredibly powerful, relevant, and applicable for anyone contemplating or already involved in an online business.

This is what I learned:

1) My business online and offline is centered around family - mine and others.

2) My business concerns three aspects of family life: finances, education, and history/geneology.

3) Since I would characterize myself as a life long learner, I have a lifetime of education and experience to offer anyone who wants to learn about what it takes to rear a family in this challenging day and age.  At this point, my “result” — the outcome of my experiences, is my adult children. My oldest just graduated from college with a Masters degree in Pastoral Theology. My daughter is a senior about to start student teaching to complete her major in Elementary Education.

I am blessed and would like to share my blessings with others.

Why do I share this information here?  Because when I listened to Paul’s presentation this morning, the information he shared helped me to bring my goals and vision into laser sharp focus. For that I am incredibly grateful and incredibly excited to take the next step toward accomplishing those goals.

Yes, it’s been a while.  The reason I said “We’re back” is because I have added to my family.  It’s definitely an adoption of the heart, but an adoption nonetheless. I have had the opportunity and the privilege of spending incredible amounts of time with 2 young adults who very much needed a “mommy” at the time.  And now, as life would have it, I need them as much as they needed me.  The give and take of family is a precious thing.

What did I learn??  I learned that just because someone has a biological mother doesn’t mean he or she has a mother of the heart, someone who listens and who really cares and looks out for the child’s best interest.  I haven’t seen myself to this point as a mother of the heart, but my new children tell me that’s what I am.  And you know what?  –  I will believe them because they are precious and incredible people whom I have come to value and to love very much.

Were there and are there heartaches associated with adopting these new children — even if only an adoption of the heart?  Oh my goodness, you’d better believe the heartaches are deep and real.  But as low as the lows are, the highs are incredibly satisfying and enriching and fulfilling, and definitely worth the investment of time and love and tears.

And why am I posting this on this site?  Because that’s what this site is about — saving your resources so you can spend more time with your kids, your family, your loved ones.   Some people earn more money. Some people pinch every penny.  I would imagine most of us fall in between — working at earning more and saving some.  However, at the risk of sounding trite, all the money in the world cannot buy love and happiness.

I value family — my family and others’ families as well.   Whether your family is biological or a family of the heart, I encourage you to invest in and cherish it.  The return on your investment will be one you will treasure.

Tomorrow — back to money-saving tips for Bay Area folks — helping you ….keep every penny!

Jennifer Openshaw’s article at Marketwatch entitled Cut your grocery bill now has some interesting tips for you.  She outlines Seven Cash Traps to Avoid at the Grocery Store. Check out what she has to say at –     http://budurl.com/6hsv

Another shopping tip coming later today—

I promised some money-saving strategies, and here is one.  One of my favorite places to shop and save a bundle is the 99cent Only Store.  This is not an ordinary dollar store.  Many of the products sold there are name brand — like Stokely vegetables, Ragu sauce, Lipton ice tea mix, and Oscar Mayer cold cuts.

Here is an example of the kind of savings you can expect:

Lipton Revitalize Ice Tea Mix to go - 10 packets     Local grocery store - $4.65  99cent Only Store - $.999    Percent savings 79%

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Turkey Breast   Local grocery store - $4.79   99cent Only Store - $.999         Percent savings  79%

These are identical items, identical sizes.

OK - now for something not identical but equally functional–  Local Store Brand Laundry Detergent - $4.49 for 50 oz./26 loads  - $.089/oz.

LA’s Totally Awesome Laundry Detergent - $.999 for 64 oz/32 loads. - $.016/oz

Percent savings  82%

To me, that is absolutely astounding, but it is savings like this that allows me to stretch my dollar beyond belief.  I will post more next week.  In the meantime, go visit the 99Cent Only Store website:
http://www.99only.com/
I think you will be surprised and pleased at what you find.

I ran across this interesting article profiling several British personalities who tell  what they can’t live without in this economic crunch and what they are willing to give up.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1131418/To-have-Our-cr-dit-crunch-sacrifices.html?ITO=1490

Enjoy!

Last night I had a very long talk on the phone with a friend who is struggling to save her house from foreclosure.  As we discussed some of the options she had, the topic of purchasing some personal and household necessities came up.  I found myself saying, “Oh — don’t go there to buy that.  Check out “this other store” for what you need.” OR — “Don’t pay full price for that until you check the thrift store first.”

I realized once again that I have information that may be able to save her and you hundreds if not thousands of dollars, and I need to share it.  My friend and I live in the Bay Area of California, one of the most expensive places to live in the country.  Even so, there are ways to save 20% -50% and more on food and other items on a regular basis.  Some things can even be obtained for free without coupons and with a little work.

Tomorrow I start sharing my strategies to live better with less.  Stay tuned!

This recipe comes from the stash of healthy and money-saving recipes over at the HillbillyHousewife website.  Susanne has a marvelous treasure trove of recipes to keep your family happy and well fed, and your budget intact.

This is my favorite of all the recipes!  This hot cocoa mix is so yummy and so satisfying for a snack on a cold winter’s night, or a breakfast drink on a chilly morning.  My kids beg for large containers of this stuff to take back to  college with them, and I happily oblige.

I appreciate this recipe because the first ingredient is nonfat dry milk powder, not sugar like the commercial brands.  Be sure to add the pudding — it’s the magic ingredient!!

Hot Cocoa Mix a la Hillbilly Housewife

• 4 cups instant nonfat dry milk powder
• 1-1/2 to 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer (coffee lightener like Cremora)
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 package of instant store-bought chocolate OR vanilla pudding mix (optional but very good)

Measure all of the ingredients into a dry clean bowl.  Use a whisk to sort of stir everything together.  If the cocoa clumps up, smash the little balls with a fork.  When everything is evenly distributed, transfer the Hot Cocoa Mix to a clean coffee can or a sealed canister.  Use 2 cups of sugar if you are making this for kids.  The extra sweetness makes it especially kid-friendly.  For grown-ups you could add 1/4 cup of instant coffee for a nice mocha flavor.

To Prepare: Spoon 1/3 cup of the Hot Cocoa Mix into a cup or mug.  Add boiling water to the top.  Stir and serve.

Enjoy!!  Go visit  www.HillbillyHousewife.com for more great drink mixes and recipes.

This year I did my Christmas shopping at three places — the L.L. Bean Catalog, Savers (for profit) Thrift Store, and the 99 Cent Only Store.  I have never shopped for Christmas presents at any of these places before.  I had never done Christmas shopping before at a thrift store or an extreme value discount store which the 99 Cent Only Store is.

I must tell you that all the gifts that my daughter and I purchased from the thrift store and the 99 Cent Only Store were name brand items.  The Savers Thrift Store items looked brand new or very gently used.  We didn’t make an announcement about which presents came from what store.  We simply wrapped them in beautiful paper and put them under the tree.

All the presents were well received.  Family members were just as pleased with what they got this year as opposed to other years when I had spent a lot more money.  And now — in the second week in January, I am experiencing the most incredible peace.  There are no credit card bills to worry about paying off.  I did not turn the household budget upside down buying gifts that were a stretch.  I don’t have to “get back on track” with my spending—–I never got off track!!!   The lack of disruption in the family budget is well worth every economy that I made.

This is what I learned:

1)  With some work, you can find suitable and appropriate gifts for far less than you thought possible.  It takes patience to wait until you can find what you want for the right price.  However, the final outcome is sooooo worth the patience and the planning it took to get there.

2)  Christmas can really be about the shared experience of sitting around the tree and enjoying each other’s company.  With less stress because you bought what you could afford, and less focus on the value of a present or the impression that the present has to make, there is more opportunity to focus on the people around you and the relationship you have with them.   The focus on people is so much more satisfying than the focus on things.

I am sure there will be people who read this post who have figured this all out before.  However, it was a new and wonderful experience for me and my family.  I will confess to being a slow learner.  But I will also confess to being willing to step way outside my comfort zone to try something new in the gift giving department.  Let’s face it — it takes courage to blaze a new trail especially in a holiday so deeply steeped in tradition.

Well, this particular adventure turned out well; so well, in fact, that I will see about doing it next year.  I am glad that I found a new way to help me — and you — keep every penny.

Savers, Inc./Value Village is a privately held for-profit international thrift store chain with 200 locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.   For-profit thrift stores are the high-end stores of the thrift store industry.  They buy the top quality goods from other charities and resell them.   What that means for you, the Keep Every Penny reader, is high-quality used and sometimes new merchandise available at bargain prices.

Savers stores have Christmas items in stock right now.  Check to see if there is a Savers store near you.  Here’s a link for Savers’ Christmas promotion:  http://www.savers.com/instore/saledates.php

If you do not have a Savers store near you, check the Internet or the Yellow Pages for your area to find the closest for-profit thrift store.

For-profit thrift stores can be great fun to shop especially during the holidays and are a great way to help you ….. keep every penny.

Freecycle is one my favorite ways to keep every penny.   If you are not familiar with Freecycle, it is a network with local groups in many cities and towns around the world.  Freecycle’s mission is to keep items which have more usefulness left in them out of the landfill.  So– members of the  local groups post offers of items they no longer want or can use on an email list.  Other members respond if they can use the items offered.  For more information, check out this link: http://www.freecycle.org

Today on my local Freecycle list, a member was offering several brand new items described as “gift quality” which could be used for Christmas gifts.  She even had suggestions for people the gifts could be used for, i.e. — a student, young child, etc.  She is one clever Freecycler.  She is blessing others with her excess in a season when her items could really be a help to someone else.

Every Freecycle list is different, but please check out your local list.  If you are not a member, sign up today.  You can bless others with items you no longer need, and you can be blessed in return by items other members no longer need.  On my list, items described as “new in box” are regularly offered.  You never know what you may find on the list, but that is half the fun.  Perusing your Freecycle list can be like a treasure hunt.  The old saying goes –”One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  And– by using Freecycle you are recycling and keeping things out of the landfill.

So,  check out Freecycle during this holiday season.  It can be a great way to ….. keep every penny!