Frugal Boot Camp: This Week From Pinterst

This quote really stood out to me this week from a Moneysavingmom.com post:

"A person can go broke buying good deals."   Indeed! Another good reminder to myself that unless I'm getting a rock bottom price on something I need to keep my money in my pocket.

I seemed to focus on quotes I found in the first perusal of Pinterest.  I didn't note where I found these next two so they may have been memes:

"Budgeting is telling your money where to go, instead of wondering where it went."

"Living on a budget is valuing your money enough to know how much you have and how much you can spend and respecting yourself enough to bother."

You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will control you ~Dave Ramsey

Another post on a No Spend month netted these two steps that were not mentioned in other posts as 'get started' ideas:

#1.  Place your subscription services on hold. I'm thinking this is stuff like Birch Box and automatic order fulfillments from Amazon, and such.

#2.  Shop your closet.  I'm certainly not new to this concept, lol!  Still it's amazing that it was a good reminder to me to do it.

onegoodthingbyjillee.com had a post that interested me no end.   The whole site is a money saving woman's dream source.  All sorts of good information and I mean to visit there and begin an in depth look now the books on my shelves are dwindling down to a mere few.   I gathered these nuggets from there:

#1.  Round up expenses and Round down deposits.  This is something I've only recently been doing in my checkbook.  While I write out the correct amount for bills, I make sure to round up on gasoline, grocery and other miscellaneous expenses.  I had not thought to round up deposits.  In her example Jillee suggested some pretty big leaps.  For instance a deposit was rounded down to the nearest

hundred ($1,163. to $1,100)  and the expenses rounded up to the nearest ten ($163 to $170).   I tend to just round up to the next dollar and I think I'll stick to that for now.  I am going to start dropping the cents off any deposit so if we deposited $563.63 I'd write it in as $563.   Those cents add up to dollars soon enough with this method.

#2.  Pack a lunch when you're running errands.  Brilliant!  I have often mentioned packing a lunch when John and I were making a road trip.  I recall Amy Dacyzyn saying she packed  a snack and water for yard sale days.  I have not thought to pack a lunch for my errands day though...And I'm going to try to start being mindful of doing this!  It's usually my pocket money that gets spent but it's a savings for my pocket.

#3.  Drive no more than 60mph...we pay $.20/gal more for gasoline when we drive 65mph.   65 is about a standard speed limit on highways (and sometimes higher).  That's what the slow lanes are for, right?  And yes, I do tend to drive the speed limit....however, I made it a point after reading this to set my cruise control for 60mph.

I didn't note where I found this hint either. For years I saved my pocket change which we used to help offset vacation costs.  A few years ago we had another purpose for our pocket change and that is where we've continued to purpose it.  I saved $1 bills but used those to pay rent on my booth these past two years.  However, last week I posted that we should put $20 a week into an envelope to save over 50 weeks.  Then I read this hint to save every $5 bill that comes along.  Well why not save each $5 until I have my $20 each week?  I'm going to give it a try!  I have $35 set aside at present, nearly two weeks of 'savings'.  And I did it all by putting the $5 bills aside.

I continued to research Pinterest this weekend and first part of this week because frankly I am worn out with boot camp.  Not worn out enough to quit but just needed time to let my brain rest a little.  It's easier to sort through Pinterest pins and posts with it's limited information.  These things stood out to me:

Nine foods that last forever:  (1) Honey (2) Salt (3) Rice (not brown however, it breaks down sooner than white) (4) Cornstarch (5) Sugar (6) White vinegar (7) Pure vanilla (8) Hard Liquor (9) Maple syrup...  I'm not sure all of these would technically last forever, but it's true that they all have long shelf life and are good additions to any pantry in my opinion.  As with all things, rotate and if there are things here you don't use don't waste the shelf space storing it.  Hard liquor is nice enough but we go through possibly a small bottle in a year's time.  It would be silly to store a quantity of it when we've limited storage.  Cornstarch is another item I use only very occasionally.

This little list was a good reminder of why the rich get richer...and why frugal people save as much as they do!  10 Things Rich People Don't Do:
1:  They don't spend money just because they have it  This referred specifically to windfall amounts.  I confess that windfalls in our household DO get spent, usually paying off a bill or used towards a major repair that is needed.  We do not spend windfalls on frivolous things.
2.  They don't ignore retirement funds.  sigh on this one.  It wasn't that we ignored them, we literally couldn't afford them.
3.  They forget to give to others.
4.  They don't waste precious morning hours.
5.  They don't forget to take care of themselves.
6.  They don't turn away from the advice of others.
7.  They don't take any financial situation lightly.
8.  They don't buy without comparing prices.
9.  They don't forget to set goals.
10. They don't share those goals with anyone.

Being frugal, naturally I was interested to read the 10 Habits of Frugal People:
1.  Use coupons (even $.50 or $1 is a savings)
2.  Have clear goals
3.  Stop comparing themselves to others  (no keeping up with the Joneses).
4.  Eat out less.
5.  Keep a thorough budget (that means not letting major annual expenses go unplanned for)
6.  Don't drive outside your means (used cars that fit income and lifestyle)
7.  Stay in contact with their spouses about finances, goals, etc.  Never assume you are both on the same page.
8.  Know your indulgences.  Mine are hard back books, good perfumes and decent shoes.  John's are generally related to music equipment and books.
9.  Aren't house poor.
10.  Keep their priorities in line.

And finally this little nugget was tucked in an otherwise droning post:  Buy for quality, not for price.  A spin on the old "buy the best you can afford" but for some reason this quote resonated more with me than the older axiom ever has.

That's my Pinterest gleanings for this week.