Compare, Contrast, Consume.

After all that wonderful freedom and Me Time I was just talking about, the universe decided to balance out my life. This weekend (and so far this week) at least one of my children has been at home, sick. Thankfully, Corey can work from home, so he stayed home with Carrick on Tuesday (Monday being a holiday, so there was no school.) But as soon as I got off work, I was on Kleenex Duty. The school even sent him home yesterday, in spite of having no fever and no other symptoms besides a raspy-sounding cough. He has a tendency to cough over dramatically anyway, so he probably sounded more ill than he actually was. At any rate, we are keeping him home one more day to get rid of the cough, because why bother sending him to school if they are just going to turn right around and send him home? To add to the layer of sick we already have, Lily contributed her own fever as of last night. So all my new-found freedom will have to be put on pause while I do the mom thing and snuggle these wee ones.

It will also give me a moment to catch up on my Fun Dollars reporting (sick kids= less time to write). This past Monday began a new pay cycle. I started making a new wish list over Christmas Break, and I am slowly checking things off. One such item that I have been looking forward to spending Fun Dollars on is a six-pack of vino at Safeway. A trend in liquor sales is selling mix-and-match six-packs and offering a discount of some sort. Since I am not buying beer or soda, I am curious about trying various wines, sort of like a home wine tasting.  I know which wines I really like, so I usually just buy the same ones over and over. With this "experiment" I am wanting to branch out and try some new wines that I have been intimidated to try thus far.

My mix included Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, Robert Mondavi Chardonnay, Bogle Chardonnay, Rex-Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon, Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel, and Purple Cowboy Tenacious Red (Blend).

We opened the Rex-Goliath first. I bought this one to see if a 4-buck chuck would be worth buying again. At $4.65, if we liked it, we could buy it when we don't want to spend a too much on wine, but still want something to go with dinner. It turned out to be a decent red. I don't think I would buy it very frequently, but if I only have $5.00 Fun Dollars left, it certainly is a "passable" choice. Some cheap wines are exactly that...cheap, but Rex-Goliath is inexpensive and somewhat tasty.


The next night, we opened up the Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc. I have had Noblio before, and I knew I liked it, but it's been over a year (I think ) since I have actually tasted a glass. Last week, Corey bought two bottles of Kim Crawford (my favortite Sauvignon Blanc...actually, my favorite white wine period) so I wanted to taste the Nobilo against the Kim Crawford while it was fresh in my mind. As it turns out, the Noblio is a perfectly acceptable substitute which costs $10.00 less than Kim Crawford (regularly priced).

Corey opened up the Robert Mondavi last night, but I haven't tried it yet. I bought this with the intention of trying an inexpensive white to add to our "dinner collection". I know that I already like the Bogle Chardonnay, and the Robert Mondavi is a few dollars cheaper than Bogle, so I wanted to taste them side-by-side as well.





As for the last two red wines, I have had both of the before. I fell in love with the Gnarly Head last week, while Corey was on a spree of spending Fun Dollars on wine. (This also was a prompt to act on the six-bottle discount. He bought several bottles individually last week, and I kept thinking, "If he bought them all at once, he could have saved enough for an extra bottle!") I tried it next to Bogle Old Vine Blend, and prefer the Gnarly Head. Normally, Bogle is my go-to brand for tasty-yet-inexpensive wine, but in this case, the Gnarly Head won, hands down.

 
         
I plan on saving The Purple Cowboy for later. A friend of mine brought over a bottle once for a BBQ several months ago and I was blown away. Mostly, I just want to have a bottle for myself saved away for a good steak dinner and wanted to capitalize on the six-dollar discount when I bought it. This was the most expensive bottle in the bunch at $11.00.


                                                                                         
All said and done, with my Safeway coupon app and the six-pack discount, I spent $48.00 on 6 bottles of wine. I am enjoying my little wine tasting experiment and, so far, am pleased with the results.

6 bottles of wine at Safeway- $48.00
Balance this pay cycle- $52.00
Happy Spending!

Finding Freedom

This new year has been a busy, yet productive one. I started working again this past fall, going to work three days a week. After the holiday break, I picked up another day of work...sort of. I only added enough work hours to cover the extra day of daycare for Lily. So, now, I spread my hours out over four days instead of three. What I am essentially doing is buying myself some guaranteed "me time". That's how I was able to catch the Hobbit matinee earlier this pay cycle.

So, aside from seeing a movie every now and then, what's a mama to do with all that free time without the kids? For starters, I have had two "gym dates" with Corey. I added myself to his Snap Fitness account for $20.00 a month (not out of my Fun Dollars, mind you). Now we can go to the gym together. I love having a "personal trainer" teach me about proper form with dumb bells and squats. We go in the mornings, twice a week after the kids go to school and before I go to work.



Of course, aside from working out and catching movies, there is my all-time favorite free-time activity, Bargain Hunting. I don't say shopping because that's not as fun for me. What I enjoy is pricing, looking, waiting, deciding, then pouncing on a great deal. It's not as easy to do with the kids in tow. If I take them with me, I get distracted, or frustrated, and I might make an impulse buy, or pass up a great deal. It's not entirely impossible to go shopping with one or both of the kids, but if I want to stay focused on what I'm doing and enjoy it, that means I need to be solo. I don't want to have to entertain them or keep their hands off the shelves as I'm shopping.

So on one of my workdays, I got off early enough to make a trip to the Village of Oak Creek Outlet Mall. It's a small outlet, but it has some really great gems in there. Allie Ollie is one place I love finding  threads. Famous Shoes gets my business on a regular basis. Tuesday Morning is an inexpensive place to get birthday presents for all the childrens' birthday parties we attend, and the Gap Outlet runs sales that are too good to miss for kids and adult clothes.

I realized after the holidays that the sweatpants that I took with me on our two-weeks trek to visit family were ones that I bought when I was pregnant with Lily. I had an XXL hoodie and size L sweatpants that I actually bought with my Fun Dollars back in late 2012. Since I no longer have a pregnant belly to cover up and a booty to match, it was time to retire these two items from my wardrobe. Since Gap still had their 70% off sale still running, what better time to replace these outdated clothes from my closet?

I found a pair of  light brown sweat pants (in a size that fits), a white Gap sweatshirt with silver glitter letters that I drooled over all season long, as well as a pair of silver flannel striped pajama pants. I was also sad to see a pair of pink flannel pajamas that I already owned finally bite the dust, thus they needed replacing. Sounds meticulous, but I have found that having an excess of clothes just makes more work. So I try to keep a balance, when an old thing goes out, a new thing can come in to replace it. I don't go out just buying stuff for fun, or just because it's "on sale". If I don't truly need something, then it doesn't matter how much the discount is, I am still spending money on something I don't really need, so I am actually loosing the money, not saving it. True savings only comes when you actually need something.

Building the skill of deciding what is needed and important has been a valuable one that I have strengthened over the past year. Ever since I started looking at my Fun Dollars expenditures, it has become easier and easier to say no to something that I truly don't need. By doing this, I have sustained my Fun Dollars and got some really good use out of them. They are always there for me because I handle them consciously. I splurge sometimes, it's true, but I never have regrets because I know what I want and how it fits with what I need. It's all about finding the balance, and therein lies the freedom of spending that comes with Fun Dollars.

Two pairs of "lounge" pants and a sweatshirt at GAP- $26.00
Balance this pay cycle- $0.00
Happy Spending!

Into the Woods to Battle Five Armies

Of course, right after I declare that I gave up bubbles for my New Year's Resolution, I find myself sipping on Sprite.

It's a lame excuse, but it was my "night out". I had scheduled a movie night with a friend of mine, which commenced shortly after Carrick's karate class let out. Corey was at home while I was at karate, and when I returned home, supper was not as ready as I had hoped. I knew that I wouldn't make it until the movie was over to eat something, so I the ticket and a medium bag of popcorn (with the last of my Christmas money) and took $2.00 out of Fun Dollars to cover the soda.  I even looked for a non-carbonated alternative like Powerade, but alas, all I saw were bubbles. Oh well, One drink of bubbles in a week's worth of not having bubbles seemed OK. Sometimes a "break" in a fast helps keep the fast going.



My karma for breaking my fast was dropping my soda on the floor, missing the cup holder I was aiming for 20 minutes Into the Woods. That will teach me, right?

Well, as fate would have it, I was given another chance to go to the movies earlier this week. On Monday, Corey and I hit the gym while the kids were at school. It was a nice "date", where he explained some of the gym equipment to e and we did a 20-minute cardio together. I only did the 20 minutes because it was my last chance to see the Hobbit. A perfectly-timed matinee at 11;45 guaranteed me some alone time before the kids were released from school.



I used my empty popcorn bag for a free refill, and once again, refilled my Loyalty Cup. (Did you know that if you don't get your free popcorn refill during the movie when you buy it, you can take it back the next time you see a movie and get the free refill then? Well, at least at the Sedona 6 Harkins Theater, that is the case.)

This time, to get into the movie, I used my free pass they gave me when I left early with Lily on opening day of the Hobbit. (Hey, I tried.) Between the pass and the free refill, I only spent $2.00 on the soda. This time I filled it with half Coca-cola and Dr. Pepper. This was my lunch, too, after my workout, no less. But after two and a half hours of Middle Earth, I was able to walk home in the sunshine, adding to my "workout".

Even though I have treated myself to soda twice since New Year's I have not purchased it at Circle K on an afternoon whim, nor have I bought hard cider or champagne. It's hard to stick to it, but having those two little encounters with bubbles at the movies, I do feel a renewed sense of dedication to my cause.

On another note, these two movie experiences highlight another intention I have set for myself in the New Year: Time to myself. As life with two children has slowly spiraled into chaos, I have determined the time has come for more time to myself. This time is just for me to recharge, thus helping me have more "mommy-power" to handle the chaos. I love my kids dearly, but as the are both still young, and have many needs that need to be met, I need to remember to restore myself every now and again so that I can meet their needs with love, and not frustration. So if that means giving myself bubbles once in a while, it seems like a small concession for a much bigger reward.

Two soda refills at the movies- $4.00
Balance this pay cycle- $26.00
Happy Spending!

A Year Without Bubbles

Now that I have a year's worth of observation related to my spending habits I can now make informed  buying decisions based on what I know. I feel empowered to take steps to better myself through my spending. I feel wiser about my relationship with money, and a lot less impulsive.

That said, I have come to a conclusion about a singular New Year's Resolution. I am going to give up beverages with bubbles/carbonation for an entire year.



?????? Why??????

After observing the way that I spend, I realized that certain cravings and urges would surface when I drank soda, beer, hard cider and champagne. If I bought a soda, I would often buy chips to go with it. If I had a glass of champagne, it would turn into three glasses without me even noticing. If I had a burger, I would want a beer. If I ate pizza there was usually a hard cider to go with it.  In each of these cases, my fizz-fix would lead to consuming more calories than I would otherwise.

I'm not a calorie counter, or a health nut, but I am one person inside one body. If this body doesn't function at its best, what am I left with? It's something I have heard my father say before, and while I agreed with it, I had never fully put it into practice. I think that by taking this small step, I can start a snowball effect to becoming a healthier version of myself.

The added benefit of eliminating bubbly beverages is that I won't be spending my Fun Dollars on them. Last year, I easily spent over $100.00 on bubblies. That is $100.00 I could put towards a plane ticket to visit my sister, or a day trip to Phoenix to go shopping. It's like a bonus pay cycle of Fun Dollars.

I also noticed that if I am not spending money on those drinkables, I am also not spending money on the "extras" I crave when I  consume them.  Think about how many Fun Dollars I spent on Domino's last year? It's probably in the $100.00 range as well. I'm not saying that I won't spend some money on pizza, or chips at Circle K, but if I am not drinking the beverages that put those cravings into my psyche, I am far less likely to actually act on the cravings and urges, thus saving even more of my Fun Dollars.

The truth of it all is, folks, that no matter what I am buying with my Fun Dollars, if it goes into my mouth, it comes out in the toilet. I want to reduce the amount of money I flush down the toilet this year. Taking out the bubble factor will be the easiest and the greatest impact on that decision.

What are you resolved to do in the new year? Does it involve money, or eating? Is it something that is sustainable, something you can actually stick to doing? How will it make you a better person, and what do you hope to achieve by doing it?  Food for thought....that you can't flush down the toilet.

Current balance this pay cycle- $30.00

Happy Spending!

Back and Ready for 2015!

WOW!!! I forgot how much money can slip through my fingers when I'm not paying attention to it. Corey and I set a Christmas budget that we followed strictly....until we landed in Macomb, IL for Christmas. From the Winter Solstice to Christmas Eve, he and I were both spending money on last-minute presents, tissue paper, and stocking-stuffers. (I don't want to brag, but because of his last-minute spending, I am now the happy and proud owner of a pair of diamond stud earrings from the Diamond Den in Macomb, IL. This is the first diamond anything I have ever received other than a wedding ring. Woo-hoo!)



Before we left for Illinois on a two-week vacation to visit every single family member we could squeeze in, we took out $400.00 cash. $200.00 of that was our Fun Dollar allotment for the trip. The other $100.00 that we each received was to just have "cash on hand". We used it to pay for dinner at Denny's in Tucumcari, New Mexico, picture frames for family members' Christmas presents with the kids' portraits in them, and mostly food-related things. I went to Walgreen's to print off the copies of the pictures for the kids, and ended up filling up the cart with other Christmas presents, and lots of chocolate for the stockings. I whipped out my $100.00 extra cash and paid for the $97.00 worth of merchandise I piled into my cart. I don't think I have ever before been so smitten with holiday spending!

I also made three different trips to the Dollar Tree in Macomb in search of stocking-stuffers to accompany the Lindt Chocolates from Walgreen's. It's amazing how I can preach all year about accountability with money, and in three days' time manage to blaze through almost $200.00. Christmas doesn't come from a store? Ha! It shouldn't, but it does...mostly...I can't argue with that one. As idealistic and frugal as I might like to think that I am, I will still spend money if the "why" is right.

So, after reflecting on the spending habits for the past year, and looking at my "generosity of spirit" this Christmas season, I decided that my first purchase for the new year should be a present for someone else. My Aunt Peggy's birthday is tomorrow and I want to get her something special. After seeing her as a part of our holiday visiting spree, I decided that a pair of L.L Bean Shearling Slippers would be the ideal gift to send her using my Fun Dollars. Corey bought me a pair last year, and I use them every evening from October to March. Every time she puts on these slippers, she will remember her niece who lives 2,000 miles away. And since I have never before sent her a birthday gift, I think that splurging a little is definitely OK. I will still have money left for the rest of the pay cycle (and some Christmas gift money left over too, yay!)


Happy New Years, Fun Dollars readers! I hope that your 2015 is prosperous and wonderful.

L.L. Bean Shearling Slippers for Aunt Peggy's Birthday- $70.00
Balance this pay cycle- $30.00
Happy Spending!