Quarterly Clothing Expenses: January -March

January:

Sandy sweater  $5  thrift store
Sandy boots  $7. Thrift store
Mike slippers  $5 .Costco sale
Mike sneakers  $15  Costco sale
Sandy  7 bras  $57.98 plus 6% cash back from ebates .JCPenney sale
Mike 10 white t-shirts  $19.93  Walmart
Mike insole for boots  $1.96 Walmart

Sandy Total:  $69.98
Mike Total:  $50.89

February:

Sandy 3  skirts from thrift store .$11.47 (Eddie Bauer, Talbot, denim)

Sandy Total:  $11.47

March:

No purchases:

Quarterly Totals:

Sandy:  $81.45 or $27.15/month
Mike:  $50.89 or $13.96/month

The goal is no more than $25/month/person.

Sandy is just over and Mike is under.  Together, at $41.11/month on average they are under the combined goal.

I'll take it.  After all, it takes more to make a woman presentable in all situations.  :)

Quarterly Linus Project Report and Yarn Costs for January -March

January:

I made 8 afghans for babies this month. I bought no additional yarn, working from my stockpile.

February:

I donated ten red newborn baby hats to St. Vincent for their February Little Hats, Big Hearts Promotion with the American Heart Association.

I made 7 baby afghan for the Linus Project.

March:

I purchased 3skeins of yarn from a thrift store for $3.18

I purchased 12 skeins of yarn for $12 using the 50% off yellow sticker promotion and the 1% military discount.

I got an additional 22 skeins from a thrift store for $18.47.

I donated 10 Pet blankets to the local animal shelter.

I made 6 baby blankets for the Linus Project.

Quarterly Total:
21 baby afghan for the Linus Project
10 animal blankets for the animal shelter
10 baby hats for St. Vincent

37 skeins of yarn purchased for $33.65 an average of 93 cents/ skein.

Quarterly Buying and Eating

January:

$56.40 Groceries
$11.21 Eating Out.
$67.61 grand total

February:

$157.18 Groceries
$44.63  Eating Out
$201.81 Grand Total

March:

$121.77 Groceries
$ 80.31 Eating Out
$ 202.08 Grand Total

The U.S.government says a frugal family should spend $11.91/ two person family.

For the first quarter of the year we averaged $5.24/two person family.

Buying and Eating: April 1-12

We are leaving for vacation on the 13th so I have only budgeted for twelve days this month.
$142.92 with a cushion of $599.83


What We Ate: leftover pasta carbonara ;potato bar, Brussels sprouts, yogurt with strawberries; garbanzo tiki masala, green soy beans, garlic bread; vegetable pancakes, cooked Apple's yoghurt with strawberries; cheesy crabmeat pasta, salad; nachos; ham salad sandwich with split pea soup; leftover ham loaf, leftover pasta with crab meat; leftover tiki masala; pepperoni pizza, curried potatoes

What We Bought:

Price Rite: oranges, butter (2), cottage cheese, eggs (2)  $8.65

Giant Eagle:  orange Coke . Free with coupon

dollar Tree:  lentils, beets (3),gnocchi ,mushrooms ,dill pickles  $6.37

Tops:  cheese (3), web-based morsels, bananas sugar, fl flour  $12.36

Aldi:  flour (2), butter (6), cheese (4), bleu cheese (2), spiral sliced ham 12#)  $36.60

Total:  $63.98

Eating Out:

Lunch with Ginger  $4.01
Lunch with Mike  $$17.16

Total:  $21.17

Grand Total:  $85.15

To Cushion:$ $57.77
New  Cushion Amount:  $657.60

The Menu Plan: April 1-12

Pasta:  leftover pasta carbonara; cheesy crabmeat pasta (2)
Potato:  baked potato bar; curried potatoes
Vegetarian:  vegetable pancakes
Beans:  Garbanzo bean tiki masala(2)
Regular Meat:  ham salad sandwich with split pea soup(2); ham loaf
Low Meat:  pepperoni pizza


Vegetarian:  5
Low Meat:  4
Regular Meat:  3

I like this balance.

March Personal Care and Household Expenses

Personal Care:  Sandy haircut $11

Personal Care : Mike  haircut $11

Household : aluminum foil sheets (2)  $2.12 Dollar Tree

Household:  oxiclean laundry detergent $0.99 or approximately 4 cents per load after sale and coupon at Walgreens

Personal Care:  $22
Household:  $3.11

Frugal Things In March

1.  $11 haircuts for Mike and I.  If I had waited a week they would have been on sale for $5.99 but I didn't know that until after.  Drat!

2.  Making five different large batches of homemade soup each for about what a can or two of soup from the store would cost me.  And, I know exactly what is in these soups.

3.  Starting another batch of homemade vanilla so it has time to age before I need it.

4.  Getting $15  worth of free groceries by transferring a prescription to Giant Eagle.  By shopping the sales, I was able to purchase 10 bags of frozen vegetables and eleven cans of vegetables for 39 cents!

5.  Finding yarn at thrift stores for less than $1/skein.  I got 22 and they will keep me going for awhile.

Eating and the Meal Plan: March 16-31

Vegetarian: dahl;  Vegetarian pot pie
Rice:
Pasta:  pasta carbonara
Potato:  corned beef hash (2)
Bean:  vegetarian chili; bean burrito
Egg:
Soup: vegetarian vegetable soup (2); chicken noodle soup; fish chowder
Low Meat:  taco salad; pepperoni pizza
 Regular Meat:  Reuben sandwich; roasted whole chicken;  ham loaf

Final Numbers:

Vegetarian  6
Low Meat 7
Regular Meat  3

I really like how these meals turned out but I doubt very much if it is sustainable.  Mike likes his meat too much.

Buying and Eating: March 16-31

Remaining allotment  $297.16

What We Ate:  taco salad; Reuben sandwich;  vegetable soup; dahl, salad, homemade flat bread; chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad;  Vegetarian chili;  fish chowder;  homemade chicken noodle soup; ham loaf from the freezer, sauteed cabbage, noodles with garlic and cheese;  homemade chicken noodle soup; Vegetarian pot pie from the freezer; corned beef hash, winter squash, cantaloupe or yoghurt; Vegetarian vegetable soup and grilled cheese; leftover corned beef hash; bean burrito; pasta carbonara; pepperoni pizza


What We Bought:

Aldi:  red potatoes ( 10#),  onions (3#), sauerkraut  $5.76

Aldi:  crAckers (2)  $2.14

Price Rite:  cheese (3)  $2.97

CostcoCostco:    whole pepper corns, Tilamook cheddar cheese (2.5 lbs),Romano (1 lb), feta (2.5 lbs) $30.92

Trader Joe's:  peanut butter (5), shelled example (2)  $13.93

Total Groceries:  $55.72


Eating Out:

Breakfast with Cindy  $10.50
Breakfast with Dad  $10.83
Lunch with Joyce $15.50
Mike lunch $3.07
Lunch at Costco:  $4.32
Lunch to D.C.$7
Lunch at D.C .$7.21
Lunch from D.C.  $15.88

Grand of Eating Out:  $74.31

Grand Total of Both:  $130.03

$121.77 Grand Total  Groceries for the Month

$80.31 Grand Total Eating Out for the Month

$202.08 Combined Grand Total for the Month

To the Cushion:  $167.13

$599.83 Grand Total for the Cushion Year to Date