Frugal Accomplishments

This was a pretty normal week for us.  I tried to keep grocery spending low, and succeeded at about $15 with coupons, e-coupons, and apps, such as Ibotta.  We're looking toward some more wintery weather this weekend and next, so are glad to have kept things within budget in terms of electric use, thanks to the new thermostats and moderate December temps.  It will be interesting to see how switching Benny over to my workplace health insurance affects my paycheck this month, since that money will be pulled out pre-tax.  We're anticipating not a significant increase in our total income, but it will obviously drop my paycheck some.

So, here are this week's accomplishments, including some that work toward my efforts to form some new habits:

• All meals were eaten at home.
• We tried a new recipe for a brown rice salad with olives, feta, and cucumber.  I liked it, but I don't think the boys did much, so it might just be something I make occasionally with leftover rice to fill out my lunches.
• We used the crockpot twice, once to make black beans, and again to make black bean chili.  That provided lots of leftovers for lunches and dinners.  This saved us substantially on energy usage and on cleaning up the kitchen.
• Made waffles, zucchini and flax muffins, oatmeal, and bread for breakfasts/snacks.
• Used applesauce and baked beans from the freezer to fill out some meals.
• Composted and recycled as usual.  We continue to only fill about one kitchen trash bag/week with our family of three.  We hope this continues as we become a family of four.  We continue to look for ways to reduce waste further, such as reusable produce bags and buying things from the farmer's market, which generally come with less packaging.
• Washed all clothes in cold water.  Diapers and towels are always run in hot water.
• All clothes and diapers were hung to dry.
• Working diligently on potty training, and little man is doing great with very few accidents, so that's eliminating some extra laundry cost (at least until #2 comes along in March).  Used a printable potty chart found online and stickers we already had to make it more fun, and less about sweet treats, for little man.
• Carpooled to work daily, using only about 1/2 tank of gas by using the most fuel efficient car, as it was my week to drive.
• Combined errands to make the most efficient route possible.
• Benny stayed home with little man at least two days this week, saving on gas.
• Watched a few shows for free online.
• Tried to close curtains nightly to save on energy loss, and kept them only partially open during the day.
• Washed my hair every other day to save on shampoo, water, etc. and also keep my hair from drying out as much in the winter.
• Benny began sanding, priming, and painting a shelf for the living room that was upstairs.  This will be additional toy storage for the living room, and with the new coat of paint, will blend nicely into the room.
• Tutored twice after school to earn $35.  
• Our new tenant moves in this weekend, which will provide income from that space.
• Posted room ad for upstairs with Samaritan's Purse.  Will post it through the university in February to have it filled for summer/academic year starting in August.
• Used Evite to send out little man's birthday invitation, saving on the cost of paper invitations and postage.
• Plan to move recycling to the basement and put a kid sized table in its place this weekend.  The "new" table is coming from my mom, so it is at no cost to us.  It will just need to be cleaned, as it has been in storage.  We will have to figure out a new system for recycling, though, to make it easier with kitchen/office recycling, so that we're not going downstairs multiple times a day.
• Set up diaper changing station using things from little man.  Also brought out newborn clothes out of storage to wash.  We plan to reuse everything we have for #2, so that we don't have to buy new.  There may be a few seasons that we are off, so some "new " things may need to be purchased.  If this is the case, we will shoe thrift stores and consignment.

I'd love to hear how you lived and saved green this week!  Leave some love in the comments!