Tag: saving money

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Shopping with mom

Yesterday I went with my mom to “pick up a few things” at her favorite super store. I actually thought she would stick to her short list this time and not buy items that weren’t on this list. Wrong. We went down every single aisle in the food section of the store. Granted, both of us got some great deals, but it took nearly an hour and a half to go shopping for “a few things” that my mom didn’t even really need.

I enjoy spending time with my mom, there is no doubt about that. When she asks me if I want to go to her favorite store though, I have to remember that the list grows and to know that we are going to be in that store for quite awhile!

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Late seed and plant shopping

Today, my mom, daughter and I went late seed shopping. It’s not really late, since our growing season last into fall, but it’s sometimes iffy to plant late like this. Still, mom knew of some stores that had seeds really cheap and if I don’t use them this year, I’ll use them next year. Unless seeds are a few years old, I don’t pay much attention to the expiration dates. I keep them in air tight and water resistant containers, so I’ve never had a problem with them growing.

Tomorrow we’re going to take my mom out for dinner for Father’s Day. She doesn’t want me to spend my money on this and wanted to cook us dinner. That is just the way she is. Today I bought her some great inside plants that she’ll get tomorrow. It was hard to get them into the cart and paid for, then into the trunk of the car without her seeing them, but I had my daughter distract her. Actually, mom has eyes behind her head and doesn’t miss a trick, so she no doubt saw them or had an idea that I got them for her. She’ll act surprised though.

My garden here is starting to look really nice and I’ve been working on my son and my bale garden. It’s fun and interesting to see how well the veggies are going to do planting this way, since we’ve never done it. I’m getting a lot of advice from my friend Lindsay though. It’s been a long day, I’m tried after walking all over today. I’m looking forward to scattering s0me seeds tomorrow though in a spot I dug up along the sidewalk.

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Home repair grants

Having written about home repair grants in the past, I am a firm believer that more people should take advantage of this service. I’m in the process of looking for a contractor to help with venting and also repairing the old pipes in the bathroom, and believe me when I say it can get very expensive. With the economy the way it is, any help with money situations is a big deal and it’s worth checking out to see if you are eligible. It only takes a bit of one’s time and it can make all the difference in the world.

A friend of mine moved back to where she had been renting out the home she owns. When she got there and was settled, she decided to check out assistance with home repairs as the old tenants had trashed her house, then skipped out on the rent and repair bills. My friend was in dire need of assistance to help with the repairs since she couldn’t afford it on her own.

I was told an insulation assistance in NJ was just the thing she needed, as my friend’s previous tenants had even run up a heating bill in the winter that was outrageous. The utilities had been included in the rent so she went into debt with that also. I’m glad she is using her head and checking out various grants and professionals to help with and do the work she needs to have done.

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Attic renovation and organization

After spending the day upstairs in the attic yesterday, I’ve decided it is in dire need of some organization and in general a major overhaul. I’m seriously thinking about putting better flooring in and also drywall. I need a dumpster first to throw out junk I’ve sort of hoarded over the years, that I really don’t have any use for. I went shopping and got storage containers for clothes but I know that the boxes that are in the attic need replaced by something plastic, since the air despite of the vents in the attic, was a bit humid.

There are basically two rooms up in the attic, and I took measurements of the one side we don’t use. It could be made into another room, and I want to contact a contractor or even a few of my guy friends that know how to renovate rooms or “transform” attics to see what it would cost to make a useable room out of this room that is basically gutted.

I found a bunch of wall hangings and items I forgot I had and am switching the decor in my living room. Sort of swapping things. This will save money on redecorating also, since no one has seen this stuff. We’ll see what the professionals say about fixing the extra room up there and I’ll have another winter project!

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Shopping for summer

I’ve noticed this month is the best time it seems to shop for our summer clothes. I went to some various stores last week, and didn’t find many sales so instead I sort of held off in hopes of finding better prices on clothes and shoes/sandals that we could wear this summer.

While picking up some bath and shower items that my daughter and I were low on, I had to pass the woman’s clothing section. Wow! The store I was in had so many sales I nearly forgot the bath things. I got my daughter the basic skinny strap tanks she loves to wear for only about 4.00 a piece, compared to 11.00. I went a bit nuts on these, buying one of each color I could find. They will be put to good use though, as she wears these as “undershirts” in the winter also. I’m saving a lot of money so I’m glad I waited a week before buying these kind of items. I also got some great storage containers on sale to store the winter clothes after they are organized. I like this kind of shopping!

The shoe department at that store didn’t have much to choose from in way of sales, but I went to a popular shoe store at the mall and found great sales on sandals there. Some were buy one and get 50% off another pair, which was great, as most of the sandals were only about ten dollars. So all in all, I did pretty good this morning and it’s still early. I needed to come home to get my daughter so she could pick out her own short and underclothes!

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Pool and Spa service

This time of year, everyone either has their pool ready to fill or may need repairs done, and my daughter was telling me that her husband had been looking into True-Blue-Pool-And-Spa.com to do the repair work on their built in swimming pool. When they bought their new home, of course they knew that the pool would need some minor repair to get it ready to be filled for summer fun. He owns his own concrete company and was able to get the walkways around the pool finished, but after realizing that he would not be able to repair the pool and then put in the liner himself, he decided to look into the professionals to do this.

The kids have been really patient for the pool to get finished, an it has to be kind of hard on them seeing the pool every day and not being able to swim in it, but they know it will be great once it’s repaired and since there is a heating system for the pool, they also know that this will extend their swimming season a lot longer. True Blue Pool and Spa has a wide array of services available for the pool owner and I personally would want someone to maintain my pool, as no matter how hard I have tried, I have never been able to keep my water clean for extended periods of time. I think it is less expensive for someone who is a professional to do this, and it would save money in the long run.

Summer is my family’s favorite time of year, so we are all swimmers and love the water. I enjoy the fact that we don’t have to pack up all kinds of swimming gear and things to have a cook out at the lakes, unpack it and then pack it all up again. I have a feeling that my daughter is going to really enjoy her pool once it is repaired and filled. Judging from what my son in law told me, it won’t take too long for this to be done. They will all be swimming in no time!

 

 

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Market day and sky high prices

This morning I had to go grocery shopping and once again, the prices of food bummed me out. It’s getting harder and harder to feed my family and I know I’m going to have to once again tighten up the purse strings and go back to basics.

I can cook creatively, but now I’m going to dig out old recipes that my mom had used while raising us. She was a pro at cooking something great with the minimal of resources. I admire and respect her for this and a lot of other reasons.

Online there is a site that I go to, which tells what items, food and otherwise, is  found cheap during the month of June. It’s looking like meat prices are not in the cards, but berries and produce are. LOL.. there I go, I’ll fix my kids berry squash casseroles and see how that goes over. NOT!

 

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A new screen door

For the last few months, I’ve needed a new latch on the storm/screen door. Finally I looked at the darn thing to figure out what I would need to fix the handle and latch. I figured it shouldn’t be that hard, though I’d never done it before.

The guy I talked to at a store I will not mention right now, took over the job of “helping” me, and though I thought it was a nice offer, I told him I didn’t need help. He tagged along anyway. Nothing bothers me more than a person trying to sell an item, not because a person needs it, but because the “helper” will make a commission. Heck with the part or piece works or not on what one needs it for.

I finally went to another home improvement store, and brought a brand new door. It was on sale, fit perfectly, and it was one I had my eye on for awhile. The kicker is, it was only 15.00 more than the parts the little “helper” had try to sell me.

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Great cloth diapers and diaper covers for gifts

It seems that all of my oldest daughter’s friends, have decided this summer is the time to have their second and third child, which means my gift of  cloth diapers and even diapers services are now to be thought about. At last count, there are four of the girls who have been best friends for years, that are expecting little ones in the next five months. They, I noticed spaced their children out in age, so they didn’t have two little babies in the home at the same time. In this period of time, things have change a lot for all of them.

When my daughter first got pregnant, I asked her to consider using cloth diapers and saving some money while doing so. She wasn’t too keen on the subject, since she was 13 when I had her first little brother. She saw me washing diapers and at that point in her life, she wasn’t into doing her own laundry, though she would help fold the diapers and diaper covers for me.

While my daughter and I were together last week, planning on big baby shower for all four girls together, such as tradition I showed my daughter the site I had found online shopping, that carries every type of diaper one could possibly imagine. The little covers are so awesome and cute now. It’s changed so much since I had to diaper my baby in plain white. Now it’s might be fun to change a baby’s diapers!

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Mother’s Day flower boxes

The kids made me shut my eyes as they led me outside to reveal my Mother’s Day present, which were a set of flower boxes. I loved them right away! I’ve been wanting regular flower boxes for a long time, as I have a sort of project in mind,, using them and some other garden items, in the front yard, and now I can at least start on this project. The lovely flowers of all sort that apparently my kids bought and transplanted into the box, were the finishing touch on my present.

I love window boxes also. When we bought the house, there were some on the house, but they were in sad state of repair. I finally got them down and they literally were falling apart in places because of wood rot, and the fact that they were super old.

A window box in each of the front windows, as there are two of them, would look really pretty. It’s on my list of things I get while saving up my pennies. OR, I could save money and try to make my own.