Compact Weekly Spending Report, Birthdays, Gifts 1.11. 14 - 1.17.14

Hello! Is it Friday already? (As said by someone who is not out working 9-5 M-F Right? although I could argue a mom's work is never done..)


So here are my numbers. I have to say reporting my spending has made me really stop and think about what I buy. I like having the accountability.


52.02- Gasoline
My car only takes premium gas. Yeah, I know. But the car was given to me, and you don't argue with free. At least I don't.
5.00 - church stuff
7.00 - Thrift shop - 2 skirts for $3.50 each which I will be posting photos of maybe in the future- "thrift shop wardrobe" maybe?
27.00 - okay this was a dinner date for my Birthday last Friday. My husband and I had a gift card and that paid for the rest. This included alcohol at said dinner as well.
8.00- Mother/son date at chick fil a
I took my older son out on a special "mother/son" date. They had buy and adult meal get a free kid's meal special.
7.50- smoothie at gym.
Yes, this was ridiculous. And we belong to a gym?! But wait- before you start wagging your fingers, I actually won the gym membership at a fundraiser. It's a fancy pants gym, and I don't really belong there. (Can you tell I am not very fancy?) I was so hungry I was mad at myself for letting myself get to the point that I needed to buy a smoothie for 7.50, but between that and keeling over ( I have a tendency to pass out when my blood sugar gets low) I chose the "green machine" smoothie.
47.37- Internet Bill
12.00 - Prescription Drug (maybe someday you'll hear about my health issues:)
148.00 - Yearly home insurance Bill
11.41 - Groceries
Yup, that's right. 11.41 on groceries this week. We ate a lot of beans. Plus, I spent so much money last week I had food leftover. I guess that can negate the expensive smoothie?
3.99 - kindle book.
I failed on the free front kindle, but it was my birthday...


Total for week:


$325.30


So in other news my birthday recently passed (all I will say is I am somewhere between 25 and 35) and I had to think about gifts. My awesome husband made a card for me with my son, and gave me some special dark chocolate that I like. He knows me really well and I really appreciated the simple gift.


Now, I wasn't sure if I should tell my family "hey, I am in the compact, no gifts" or whatever, but in the end I didn't say too much. For some people gift giving makes them happy and it is how they express their love (what's your love language?)


 I do have a conundrum- My parents are buying me a bicycle for my birthday, and my sister gave me a baby bike seat she does not need anymore.  I am really excited about this, because I can ride to the state park and to town when its not 14 degrees out, and I am totally psyched about driving less (I would love to be a 1 car family - Mike travels for work and needs a car.) Should I look for a second hand bike in the spirit of the compact? Or is it acceptable to buy new because of the amount of gas I will be saving? Hm, it is a thought. I am so excited about getting a bike- my old one is from when I was young and too small for me now.


And what about gift cards? I did receive gift cards. My thoughts were I could buy underwear and stuff like that, or use them to buy gifts for other people, or give them to other people.


And that leads me to gift giving to other people while doing the compact. I no problem giving/receiving second hand gifts, but I know some people are offended by this. I try to stick to consumables then- coffee, wine, chocolate- something that person likes. Food is my favorite after  books - (reading and eating, with sleep as a close third.) Who doesn't like to get food?


Anyway, that's all for today. Have a great weekend!


Katie

What I'm Reading/Read 1.13.14

Hey all, it's Monday again. The days go by fast.

What I'm reading around the blogosphere:

Garbage and Excessive Spending by Jacob @ Early Retirement Extreme

Just yeah.


Not Saving for a rainy day by Katrina Ryder

I never thought about it this way. Definitely an interesting read.

My not-so-secret love of fluffy books Anne @ Modern Mrs. Darcy

I read fluff like it's nobodies business. I download most of it for free on kindle, and usually omit the titles when people ask me what I am reading, and somehow justify it's okay because the books are Free.. Because, let's face it, it's kind of embarrassing to admit you love fluff. No one wants to admit they are that girl who loves romantic comedy. (Um, that's me.) I should be reading something I don't know, a little more intellectual or something.

And of course for some humor:

The Most Awkward Jesus Painting I have ever seen by Zack Hunt @ The American Jesus

Delivery room Jesus was my husband and my favorite :)

Happy Monday! I am enjoying our 50 degree heat wave!






Katie

Compact, What will I buy new, Spending Log 1. 9.14

Hello All! I guess it was a lofty goal thinking I could get 3 blog posts up this week with the babe. I write on paper first, because that's just me. Also, sitting down to type requires me to have both hands, and writing on paper does not. (Nor does the kindle). And I quite frequently have one arm occupied with my bundle of joy.

 "But sometimes she sticks me in here. Oh the indignity!" (said in haughty British voice)


So, here is the official website for the Compact:

The Compact

I was trying also to decide what to buy new, Katy@TheNonConsumerAdvocate has a list. Here is mine (so far)

1.) Food/Toiletries (obviously. although I suppose you could forage/dumpster dive...)
2.) Undies/Socks/Bras
3.) Bathing Suit- I spend a lot of time at the pool and I am thinking I don't want to buy anything used that touches the privates..
4.) Kindle Books- at this point I am unaware of the ability to purchase used kindle books, although I might challenge myself to only download free books or check stuff out of the library.

I can't think of anything else. At first I was skeeved out about used sheets, but then I thought about hotels and how many people sleep on those sheets and then it didn't seem that bad. (Reminder to bring pillow with me to hotel. Not that I stay in a hotel often.)

And now to this week's spending report for Jan 1 - Jan 9

Every Friday I will be updating my spending. How low can we go? A little background information:

4 people in family-
2 adults
2 kids (age 7 and 6 weeks)
We live in Pennsylvania in a suburb of Philadelphia.

Anything else you want to know? Ask in the comment section!

The Numbers:
.
Groceries: $55.66
Groceries: $62.64
Groceries: $18.02
Honest Company Cleaning Bundle: $53.09
Norton Internet Security Automatic renewal- $74.19
BILLS: $974.00
 Church Offering: $20.00
Kindle Book: $5.99

Total: $1263.59

Wow that's a doozy. I spent $136.32 on groceries. Guess I need to work on that. And totally didn't remember the Norton Security Auto Renewal. 

Well, this is going to be interesting.


Katie

What I'm reading 1.6.14

Wow! I can't believe it is already 2014. I read a lot- here is a bit of what I am reading this week.

Books:

1.) The Bible

I mentioned it is my goal to make it through the Bible this year. (I always seem to get stuck in the Old Testament). I have the New Revised Standard Edition (which I prefer of the English Standard Version). It has an outlined plan to read it through the year day by day- a little bit of the Old and a little bit of the new, which I like. Right now I am at Genesis 13 and Matthew 5 (love the Beatitudes).

2.) I joined an online book group run by Bethany at Piercing the Bubble. We are reading Simple Abundance and having a group discussion through email. Bethany is awesome and I am very excited about this!


3.) I try to keep a fiction book on hand too. I read almost exclusively now on my Kindle, because it is easier while breastfeeding. (Don't get me wrong, I love real books. Nothing beats the smell of a new book..) I download a lot of freebies on my kindle and they are hit or miss. Right now I am reading "Something About Her". It isn't terrible, but it isn't exactly thought provoking. Fine fluff entertainment for middle of the night nursing sessions.




Blogs:

1.) Standard of Living vs. Quality of Life by Jacob at Early Retirement Extreme.

My life looks a lot different than Jacob's, I am not early retired. But, his blog does resonate with me- I like the idea of spending little and being self sufficient. And spending definitely does not define my standard of living.

2.) This is my Brain on Hugs by Jamie the Very Worst Missionary

This cracks me up! I can definitely relate.

3.) Frugal Doesn't Mean Deprived

Yup.

Happy Monday!

Katie

What's Going on with the Blog?

Since I have got some of my blogging mojo back, I decided for 2014 I will start blogging with a sort of schedule, to keep myself motivated. It is very easy with a new baby to let the days go by.

Mondays will be posts of what I am reading. I love reading and want to make that a part of the blog. It will be books, other blogs, articles, etc.

Wednesday will be whatever is on my mind- low waste endeavors, random musings, etc.

Friday will be a weekly spending update and report of how I am doing with the compact. I am so excited about this! I also want to keep it as a sort of log of how much you really need to spend- how little can a family of 4 live on and still be happy and comfortable?

I hope you will follow me on my journey! Happy New Year!


Katie

Low Waste Baby- What did I actually buy and need?

If you read my blog before, you might remember my plans before baby to have a "minimalist" approach this time around with my second child.
Now that he has been here for six weeks, I decided to take inventory of what I bought new, second hand, and got for free and what I actually use.

What I Bought New:

1.)  Baby Bath Sponge - $7.19

I got this to go in the kitchen sink when I wash him. The little tubs in my opinion are not needed. I could have skipped this and used a towel, but it does make bathing in the kitchen sink a bit easier, and was not expensive.

2.) Cloth Diapers/Wipes/Diaper Sprayer - $275.00

I bought half of my cloth diapers used, the other half new. Once again, I probably could have bought them all used, but this kit came with an attachment for the toilet to spray them off, plus cloth wipes. Fancy stuff I *could* have done without. ( And my loving husband has yet to attach the sprayer, go figure.)

3.) Wet Bags $20.00

A Large one and a small one- I use these in lieu of a diaper pail to hold dirty diapers. The whole thing goes in the washing machine. These are awesome! I also carry one in the diaper bag.

4.) Sheet for co-sleeper- $16.00

5.) Nursing Pads - $20.00

6.) Stroller - $179.99

I had not planned on getting a stroller, but it is compatible with his car seat and makes walking to the bus stop everyday with older son easier.

7.) Nursing Pillow - $12.00

Impulse purchase. I do use it but I think regular pillows are fine.

Total for New Items : $530.18

What I got Second Hand:

8.) Car seat- My sister had a baby last year, and he out grew his infant car seat and she passed it on to me, along with a winter car seat cover. - Free

9.) Bouncy Chair- Leftover from first kid- Free

10.) Bottles- a friend of mine gave me a box of glass Dr. Brown's bottles she was done with. - Free

11.) Clothes- all hand me downs. - Free

12.) Baby K'tan  Carrier- bought on Ebay- $30.00
I use this a lot!

13.) Cloth Diapers- I purchased some second hand cloth diapers on ebay, a lot cheaper than new. - $80.00

Total Second Hand: $110.00

Gifts:

I received a lot of baby gifts. While I did not really need anything, people really like to buy baby stuff.

14.) Blankets- I already have a ton of blankets and received more as gifts.

15.) Co-Sleeper- my parents bought this as a baby gift, I asked for it. I am torn on this, so far the baby is 6 weeks old and has yet to actually sleep in it- he sleeps with me in the bed. But, it does give me peace of mind that if he were to somehow roll over out of the bed, he would roll into the co sleeper. Although, I do not think one needs to spend $200.00 on a co sleeper when a bed rail would probably suffice. I know not everyone is into co-sleeping, but I sleep better knowing he is near me, and it is quite convenient for nursing. Our first son slept with us until he was about 5. Given a choice, he would prefer us all to have a giant family bed :)

16.) Pacifiers/Soap/Toiletries- a lot of people gave me these things.

Total Gifts: $0.00

Grand Total: $640.18 <-- Not too bad, and a lot of that stuff I really did not even need.

So, you really don't need to buy much stuff for a baby, and if you have friends and family, you will receive a lot of gifts. Especially clothes. And blankets.

What were essential purchases in my humble opinion? Well, cloth diapers and wet bags. The baby bath sponge. The Baby K'tan carrier. Oh, and nursing pads if you are breastfeeding!!

                                              "I love my Fuzzibunz!"

Katie

New Years Plans and a New Direction

It's that time again- the New Year is coming up and most people around this time start to take stock and decide what they want to change in their life.

I usually set some goals, but in the past have failed because I tried to do too much at once, got discouraged, and reverted back to my former ways (which happens often to me as I suspect it does to other people). Having a new baby has forced me to slow down a bit. (For me, adjusting to having 2 kids from 7 years with 1 has been very difficult).

So, I am only going to attempt a few things, and I am giving myself the whole year.

The first is to read the Bible in a year. I am Christian and love religious stuff (all religions, really. I would be a religion scholar if money were not a thang). Religion tends to make people feel uncomfortable (see here :)

The biggest one is that I have decided I am going to do the "compact".

If you do not know what the compact is, it is a group that buys nothing new (except food, toiletries, etc.) I have been interested in this for a while, but have yet to "take the leap". I will add that only I am doing it, I will not force my husband or children too (although I would like them too!). We already buy most of our stuff used anyway, but I really wanted to kick it up a notch.

 The perfect motivation is that I am on unpaid leave from my job for 10 months to take care of my babe. So even though I wasn't exactly raking in the dough before, our income has been cut and I need to find ways to make ends meet. Buying nothing new will definitely cut down on spending, especially impulse purchases (which even I succumb to, even if it is to things like nursing pillows.)

My husband is self employed- he is a musician and music teacher, so income is already sparse and unpredictable. I would not have it any other way. My husband does something he loves and is passionate about (there is no way I could stop him from creating music), he is also a very active father and husband. My kids get to have their life full of music and quality time with us. What is better than that?

My dream has always been to be a stay at home mom, I love the art of homemaking, I just did not think we would ever be able to afford for me to do so - and we might not. I do enjoy my job in the early childhood education field as well.

So, along with the compact I am going to keep a monthly tally of our expenses to see how little we can live on and still lead a happy life. I think it will be an interesting experiment. I love the challenge of spending as little as possible. How low can we go? :)

I am taking inspiration from many other bloggers, such as:

The Non-Consumer Advocate
Early Retirement Extreme
Living Simply Free
http://moneysavingmom.com/

I will be keeping a weekly tally of my purchases/expenses starting in January with a monthly wrap up.

Hope to see you and hear your thoughts along my journey!

Katie