Penny Pinscher

Paying Almost $500 Less Monthly and Gaining Home Ownership, A Hobby and A New Love

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Like many people these days, I have been struggling to not only make ends meet but just to have ends. I have over 100 job applications in. The days of deciding where I'd like to work are past. I just want a job, any job. Formally a professional writer, presently one month shy of panhandling.

A problem I was running into though was that I needed more then a job...I needed at least two to pay my monthly expenses. I live very frugally, drive a motorcycle to save gas and insurance, eat A LOT of tuna (mercury poisoning is less fatal then starvation) and pretty much have cut so many corners I don't have any left. Still I was looking at potentially living in someone's closet if something didn't change soon.

Then inspiration came in the voice of my dear friend Margie (aka my guardian angel I think sometimes). Financially savvy, her and her husband are 100% retired in these lean times. When she talks, I listen. And recently she was talking about an upcoming rv vacation, and listening has paid off big time.

Mentioning an rv spot cost them $250 a month, all utilities included meaning internet and cable TV also, a light bulb went off in my head. Why couldn't I do that permanently? Calling around, I found a park near where I live for $375 a month, internet, water and cable TV part of the deal. I pay electricity. Just that brings my total monthly expenses down by almost $500.

In addition I'm with in walking distance now of Walmart, a large Goodwill, a bakery and an old fashioned green grocer. I get a small yard I can fence off, access to a laundromat, an address with no apartment number and the pride of owning my own home. If I wanted a pet I could have one with no deposit or fuss. If I hadn't given up smoking I could now smoke in my own place.

Better quality of life, increased opportunity to save money and reduced monthly expenses as well as buying an investment that I can live in and enjoy. And the downsides are....

I'm SO glad I had my listening ears on! ^.^ See photos of my new home in my albums!

Survival Savings

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Been awhile since I last posted to Penny Pinscher and a lot has changed in my life.

I went through a sudden divorce, moved out on my own and have been figuring out how a divorced writer that stayed at home with her kids for the past 17 years is supposed to make it in a job poor economy. I thought I was frugal before.... I wasn't even close. I'm getting a crash course in survival economics.

The past year has been an interesting one. I cringe when I think of some of the money I wasted and I have learned many new things. The whole last year of my life seems a little unreal, like an overly dramatized movie. I can see it now...

~Crouching Pinscher - Hidden Pennies~

A acolyte of frugality climbs up the mountain to see the wise man at the top who could give her the secret she yearned for. After a long montage rich with scenes of suffering and struggle she reaches the top to stumble and fall at his feet.

"How do I save more?" she gasps. He looks down at her now lean from long months of eating tuna and walking to save gas.

"If you want to learn to be a truly frugal saver you must first learn to save frugally." His voice creaks as his bushy eyebrows knit together like hairy caterpillars having a smooch. She looks at him imploringly.

"Can you teach me this knowledge?" The only sound is the wind blowing through her empty change purse, whistling mournfully. Their eyes meet, and from somewhere in the cave music from Rocky starts playing.

"I can teach you, but it will be hard. You will save like you have never saved before, eat things you never thought you would eat and learn new skills. You will want to quit, you will fail and have to try again but if you persist you will succeed and become a master like me."

"And live rent free in a cave?" She asks hopefully.

"If you are lucky and learn well, Grasshopper." (fade to black)

Well, I am learning. Necessity is a great teacher and I have already learned so many new things I look forward to sharing. At the moment I am making a move that saves me $500 a month which I will be discussing at length here. And no, I am not moving back in with my mother.

I'll be dishing out the details later today and redesigning a few things. Penny Pinscher has grown up a bit and is entering a whole new arena of savings.

Rubber Roast

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:41:00 +0000

This month I have spent $135 on groceries to feed a family of five, plus three cats and a large dog. I include pet food, cleaners and toiletries in with my grocery money. That's $35 a week to feed everyone, and I've got some big eaters.

I keep the food bills low several ways:

I get free cereal and snack foods at CVS and Walmart by use of coupons with sales.

I keep my eyes peeled for windfalls like wild fruit or a neighbor's over productive garden.

I make leftovers on purpose and use them up.

I keep chickens, so I have a source of high quality protein (eggs) for very little expense.

I trade my eggs for other food items.

I make recipes like Rubber Roast to stretch our food dollars.

I use the term "recipe" very loosely in reference to Rubber Roast. It's more a conceptual menu then a recipe. It expands and contracts easily to fill in a week. This elasticity is why I call it Rubber Roast. Besides, it just sounds funny.

Here's how you do it. First, purchase a low cost pork roast. I try to purchase my meat for less then $1 a pound. My last roast cost $1.13 per pound.

Day One: Fried Pork Steaks, Boiled Potatoes and Salad

Prepare the roast for surgery, and cut thin slices off one end. I have five people in my family, so I made five slices.

I boiled up ten large potatoes and put the rest of the roast in a large pot of water with a little soy sauce and as many carrots, onions, tomatoes and other veggies as would fit in the pot with the water and roast.

I fried up my pork steaks and served meat, potatoes and salad.

Leftover potatoes and pork roast went in the fridge for tomorrow.

Day Two: Chopped Pork and Veggies Over Cheesy Potatoes

Pulled out boiled roast still in its pot and heated it up.

Chopped up remaining potatoes with butter and cheese and microwaved them. I use a pastry cutter and a bowl to make it quick and easy.

Spoon out some meat and veggies with a slotted spoon to keep liquids in pot.

Add grains to remaining liquid and continue to heat. There will still be plenty of veggies and meat bits left in the pot. Remove bone and save.

Serve meat and veggies together with cheesy chopped potatoes and salad.

Day Three: Vegetable Pork Soup with Fresh Cuban Bread and Salad

Take the soup out of the fridge and start heating it up. Add water if it needs it and any spices to taste.

Make easy Cuban Bread from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette.

Serve soup, salad and fresh bread.

Reserve about 4 cups of soup, watered down as needed.

Soak dried beans - enough for another meal.

Day Four: Pork Fried Rice and Veggies

Make rice, using the remaining soup, veggies and meat instead of water. Try to make enough to have a little extra.

In a skillet saute chopped carrots, green beans, onions, celery and whatever you have on hand. Add soy sauce when they have softened.

When rice is done, add to skillet and mix everything.

Start your beans boiling with your pork bone.

Put leftover rice and veggies in fridge.

Day Five: Pork & Beans With Cornbread

Start heating up your beans from yesterday. Remove pork bone at this point and discard it (or give it to your large dog).

Make your cornbread.

When your beans are hot, add rice and veggies from yesterday. Rice and beans make a complete protein and are delicious and satisfying together.

Leftovers from this meal go into the fridge for their final act.

Day Six: Quesadillas and Salad

Spoon beans, meat and veggies from container and microwave.

Chop lettuce, tomatoes, olives and anything else you like in a Mexican salad.

Lay a tortilla in a hot pan, add beans and cheese and top with another tortilla.

Serve with salad.

And you're done. You've just saved money by stretching that roast out over nearly a week. You've also saved a lot of cooking time since after the first day everything is practically instant. You probably haven't eaten out much either, saving more money.

Next week I'll be pulling out my crock pot and seeing if I can stretch a chicken for a week. I think I'll call it Everlasting Chicken;)

Free Bellsouth Two-Way Talk Radio

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:42:00 +0000

Hot Freebie Deal From iMommies:

From Penny Pinscher: I just did this deal and now have two radios on their way for $0. This will be great to use with the kids to keep track of them! Thanks iMommies... please make sure yyou check out her great site for more deals!

Regularly priced at $29.99, this Bellsouth Two-way Talk Radio with a five-mile range is on sale this week at Buy.com for $10. Use the Google Checkout promotion to discount your purchase by $10, and pay $0 out of pocket.

Of course, this is only for ONE radio, so if you don’t already have one in your household, it would be most helpful to purchase TWO! Only one use of the Google Checkout promotion discount is allowed per email address and credit card, so if another member of your family has not yet used Google Checkout…shop away! The promotion ends June 30th!

1.) Click HERE to access Buy.com
2.) Click the Weekly Advertised Deals tab at the top of the page
3.) Click on the $10 Bellsouth Two-Way Talk Radio image to display the product details
4.) Add the item to your Buy.com cart
5.) Select Google checkout to receive the $10 discount
6.) Select free shipping. (If your total isn’t $0, you’ve missed a step (unless you live in the sales tax states of California, Massachusetts, or Tennessee.)
7.) Receive your free Bellsouth Two-Way Talk Radio within a few days (usually much faster than their website indicates).

Buy.com allows one free Google checkout item per email address and credit card. (You’ll have to enter your credit card information to check out, but once the Google Checkout discount is applied, your item will be free.)

There IS Such a Thing As a FREE Lunch!

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 04:31:00 +0000

Working at a school can help you learn some interesting things. I've learned that the teacher's lounge always has some sort of baked good waiting there. I've also learned that kids are much more fun when you don't have to clean up after them. And recently I learned that a majority of schools around the nation serve free lunch and breakfast to any child under the age of 18! There are no forms to fill out, no income to verify, no IDs to show. Children just walk in and get lunch.

It's all part of the Summer Food Service Program created by the USDA. While I couldn't find a comprehensive list of all sites involved, I did find plenty of info on Google. Looks like most states participate. I called the schools near my house to find out which ones participate.

I've actually had personal experience with this program prior to rediscovering it. A few years ago I would take my kids to the park at noon and there would always be a group of moms and their kids gathered for lunch.

The kids would have a blast getting out of the house to meet friends, and I loved having the midday meal taken care of every day. It was playdate and lunchtime all rolled into one. I loved it.

I'm curious to see how the program works in other states. In New Mexico it was held in a park, and here in Florida it is held in all the schools. Let me know how it is where you are in the comments section and be sure to spread the word. Who doesn't appreciate a free lunch these days?

Super Saving Saturday!

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:44:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I did my SSS update. The truth is, I've been working like crazy and have been too busy to CVS. *GASP!* I know, that's hard to believe...

The one trip I've made recently was to get three Colgate toothbrushes, two bars of Johnson's Buddies soap and six Cadbury chocolate bars for 13 cents OOP plus $12 ECBs back. Not too impressive, but I'm still happy with it.

Now that summer is four days away, I'll be down to two jobs and have TONS more time to spend at CVS and at Penny Pinscher. Four days to freedom! Wahoo!

Note from Penny Pinscher: New to CVSing? Crystal over at Money Saving Moms has an excellent CVS primer you can read here.

Flashback Time: Remembering Redneck Economics

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Wed, 28 May 2008 04:35:00 +0000

The other day a friend of mine told me how to catch a gopher. At first I was perplexed.

"Why do you want to catch a gopher?" I asked.

"To eat him!" was the matter of fact reply with an implied "Duh!" for punctuation.

"Oh!" I answered, and a light went on in my head.

Gophers are made of meat. Gophers are made of free meat. Gophers are free range, antibiotic free and pretty much organic. They apparently taste like chicken. Did I mention that they were free? My interest was piqued. There are only a few problems I could see.

I've never caught a gopher.

I don't know where any gopher holes are.

I'm not sure I really know what a gopher looks like.

I'm not sure I could really drag a fuzzy little creature out of a hole with a broom handle, nails and can contraption, look in his soft little eyes and then bean him (even if he is made of free meat).

Suddenly I realized my limitations as a child of the suburban middle class. While I was wasting my teen years gawking at A Clockwork Orange and David Bowie, my redneck counterparts were learning useful skills like automotive repair and gopher catching.

When the economy starts sliding and push comes to shove, what skill have I got? I know how to apply eye liner like Robert Smith. What about my redneck brethren? He's smacking down gopher soup that he caught last night with a Busch Lite can.

The heat is on in our country and suddenly The Great Depression doesn't look so much like ancient history. The rich are insulated with a fat pad of wealth and the brains to keep it. The poor were already in the middle of a fight to survive. It's the middle class that gets the brunt of the shock wave.

In my two car, two and a half bath world it's a nasty surprise to look around and think "What do you mean, I can't afford milk?" It doesn't compute to the Liz Claiborne and Areopostale set. It's taking some of us a moment to let the new reality sink in. Driving and food are expensive. Computers and cars don't really need to be upgraded every year. No, we can't move up into a better neighborhood in the next six months.

My gophers-as-food conversation brought to my attention, however, that there is a valuable subculture among us that can help us all, if we can keep from turning our noses up. Like the Indians showed the early pilgrims how to hunt and grow corn, our twangy accented neighbors suddenly seem invaluable for their do-it-yourselfer ways.

A few days later I had another short conversation that made me re-evaluate our nations middle class values. At the school where I work I was urging children to look through the heaps of lost & found items that had gathered on the cafeteria stage before they were donated to charity.

"Make sure you look for any lost items!" I reminded an Abercrombie & Fitch clad mini fashionista as she cruised by without a glance. She waved a rhinestone covered hand dismissively in my direction.

"My mom never wants me to bring back items if they have been in the lost & found." she declared with a sniff. "They might have cooties."

Amazed, I thought "Good for her!"

One of these days her mom will look around and realize that her credit's run up and American Express is no longer her friend. In the meantime, I'll take her $75 cast off pullover home with me. I have an old fashioned machine called a 'warsher' that kills cooties, and I need something to wear while sitting around the fire pit enjoying my Fuzzy Catch of the Day Fricassee.'

Note from Penny Pinscher: Originally posted on January 23rd, Redneck Economics has been one of the most popular posts ever to appear on this blog. Besides making numerous networld appearances and being forwarded into inboxes everywhere, the opening lines of Redneck Economics were selected as Wisebread's Quote of the Week. We hope you enjoy this flashback!

The Cost of Clutter

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Tue, 27 May 2008 03:15:00 +0000

Many times I have read self help information aimed at getting me to cut my clutter. Oftentimes they claim that de-cluttering will save time and money. Saving time I can sure understand. But money? I never have made the connection as to how my clutter, innocently piled up at the bottom of my closet, is costing me anything...that is, until today.

Recently I found that I could no longer close my closet door due to the large pile of miscellaneous stuff that has been growing there. With an extra day off to kill and no gas money to go anywhere I decided to attack the pile. Armed with garbage bags and a gritty determination to NOT save anything for a garage sale, I began my quest.

Pulling out piles of clothes and sorting through them I began to see a few things about myself. One thing I realized is I see value in everything. That's a good quality for a tightwad, but it can be over done.

The poorest person in America can have a wealth of free clothing just for asking - do I really need to save my super worn out, holey and stained T-shirt for charity? And yes, I already have enough cleaning rags. I tossed the T-shirt.

I also realized that because I see value in everything, I am reluctant to let anything go without getting some compensation. That dooms me to piles of clothes in my closet that will someday go to my big garage sale where I will make a million dollars from selling my valuable, super worn out, holey and stained T-shirts. It made sense until I thought about it.

The final thing I realized is that I am so busy seeing the value in holey T-shirts that I miss real money issues. For example, I just went out this week and spent $10 on a pair of denim shorts because it has been very hot and I wanted them that afternoon.

This afternoon I uncovered a stack of at least 10 pairs of nice denim shorts in my closet. Suddenly I remembered someone giving them to me last Fall. They have spent the winter languishing under piles of clutter until I forgot they existed. I had just spent $10 for nothing. My firsthand lesson in how clutter costs.

I also recently bought a pair of sport shorts so that I could ride my bicycle more. There in my closet was the exact same pair of shorts purchased last year. I wanted to scream with frustration; not only did I waste more money due to a cluttered closet but I realized I must be pretty boring to buy the exact same pair of shorts a year later.

Losing money always wakes me up, and I took the lessons to heart. I pulled seven bags out of two closets to give away, with even more going straight to the garbage. I quit on the mythical garage sale and the thought that someday we might need half a dozen T-shirt rags.

As a reward I now have a nice clean closet with everything in clear view. Shorts, capris and shirts are stacked in efficient rows. Gift bags (free from CVS, of course;), my emergency present box and my change pot are all within reach. Tomorrow I will shave 20 minutes off my getting ready time because I won't have to look for socks.

Organization feels good, looks good and is good for my wallet. Now if only I can keep it that way! How do you handle clutter? Leave a comment!

Stamp Out Future Postage Hikes With Junk Mail

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 17 May 2008 13:16:00 +0000

As of last Monday we are all now paying more to mail the same things.

Like everyone else, the United States Post Office is feeling the finacial pinch and looking for ways to bring in a little more moula. There are only two ways for anyone, inclusing USPS, to get more cash; bring in more and keep more. I don't know what the Post Office is doing to reduce their expenses, but I'm not happy with being part of their "bring in more" equation.

What most of us don't realize is that we all have some 'friends' (their self appointed title) that are willing to pay USPS for us. They send scores of letters everday - literally tons of mail nationwide. Why not send them mail back? They are so desperate to hear back from us they even pay for the postage!

Of course I'm talking about junk mail. Everyday I get 3-7 letters of solicitation in my mail. They want me to buy into their magazines, credit cards, polyesther pants and book club plans. I stacked up all the junk mail I recieved at Christmas one year for a week and the pile weighed more then 5 pounds!

Besides cluttering up my mail box I have to pay to throw it all away. It chokes our landfills, costing the environment. All the bleach and dyes used to print the junk goes out as poison waste into our streams. I'm not even going to get into all the trees that are cut down to make the paper that is destined for garbage from the start...

Why not send these 'friends' of ours a message back and help the USPS keep rates low at the same time? All it takes is a few minutes a day to send back the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelopes that come with all the offers.

We look forward to junk mail around here. The kids snicker mischievously as they look for interesting mail to send back in the free envelopes. After I remove anything that has our information on it (I shred personal info to be used as chick and ferret litter) the rest gets mixed up and stuffed back in. Citibank may get pizza coupons. Discover may be invited to join a book club. American Express gets an amazing offer to purchase credit card insurance.

Sometimes the kids add our own papers from school. Who wouldn't want to receive a star math paper back in the mail? Or a solicitation to buy cookie dough? Or old field trip information fliers?

The results are less junk for me to haul to the curb, a satisfying way to tell solicitors what I think of them, financial support for the post office and I always know when my new mail has arrived because the flag will be down again. If everyone in America sent those envelopes back to the companies the USPS probably wouldn't have to raise rates again for years!

And for anyone who's embarrassed at what their postman (or postwoman) would think of seeing fat envelopes waiting to be picked up on a daily basis? For the three workers I've personally asked, they love it. "It's job security!" was the general opinion.

I was also told that this is not a revolutionary new idea - folks have been sending back junk mail for years. A common trick was to tape the postage paid envelope to a brick and mail it back. The post office does discourage mailing bricks, but nice fat envelopes of your child's latest crayon masterpieces are welcome.

Some tips to remember when return junk mailing:

As a rule, I never send anything with personal info on it. Kid's first names are okay to me, but no last names, school names or addresses. I also watch out for envelopes that have "offer id codes" on them.

Shred all personal info to keep it out of the hands of identity thieves.

Process mail on a daily basis to avoid having heaps of clutter piled on your microwave waiting to be stuffed.

Pass this info on to everyone you know that is tired of junk mail and rising postal rates... I think that would be about everyone!

Our April Financial Check Up

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:56:00 +0000

April was a great month for our finances. Basically this last month I had three goals.

Pay off as much credit card debt as possible. We only have one credit card left, and the balance was $10,000 at the beginning of the month.

Double our Emergency Fund to $2,000. Since everything is becoming so much more expensive, I reason that emergencies might also go up in price. Best to have a little more fat in lean times.

Reduce our expenses as much as possible. This included walking instead of driving, diligently turning off lights when not in use, and conserving water.

Goal number one was accomplished in a big way thanks to 'pinsching' our pennies and using our tax return. Our credit card debt now stands at $5,000. I was also able to accomplish goal number two and goal number three.

Reducing our expenses (gas, electric, water...) was the only way we were able to meet #1 and #2, though that tax return was a big help. I also took all the extra work I could find (without neglecting my kids;) to make extra money.

May's goal? Finish paying off that credit card debt. Can you guess where our economic stimulus check is going?

Houston, We Have A Problem...

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Fri, 02 May 2008 02:42:00 +0000

Fact: The economy is tight, and only getting tighter.

Fact: Waste costs money going in and going out.

Fact: Few entities can afford unnecessary waste in today's economic climate.

Take a look at the picture I took today of typical lunchroom garbage. On any given day about 24 bulging bags go out to fill the big green dumpster outside. But what can we do about it? The kids have to throw away their trash, don't they? I think not.

When I look inside the great plastic cans I see more than waste. Pounds of food go in there to petrify in our landfills, food that my chickens would be glad to devour every day. Feeding the scraps to farm animals would probably reduce our garbage usage by at least half, and the remaining bags would weigh almost nothing.

One strategic change and suddenly the school saves money on waste disposal, gets good public relations when the media finds out what they are doing to make a difference for the environment and makes a whole lotta chickens happy. All it takes is a can dedicated to scraps and an open mind.

Another issue I see are all the Styrofoam dishes we have to use. While they don't weigh much, making them cheaper and easier to dispose of, they cost money whose ultimate resting place is the garbage. Whatever happened to the old plastic and metal trays I used growing up? Use 'em, wash 'em and reduce garbage to the almost gone stage. Buy it once and they last forever.

Of course, I'm just dreaming. I'm not factoring in water costs to wash all those reusable trays, nor the extra labor that would have to be added to wash those trays. But without dreams where would we be? Stuck in the stone age with Fred Flintstone as a neighbor.

It's something to think about.

Calculating Your Fuel Costs

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 08:36:00 +0000

With food prices in a wild race with gas prices, I've realized that it's time for me to take our personal frugality to new extremes. Each week I'm going to try a few new things to see if we can't cut back on utilities, food costs and fuel.

First off, I found this nifty Fuel Mileage Calculator to help me figure out how much it costs me to drive per mile. This was beneficial because I realized that my old minivan is much more efficient then I give it credit for and my per mile costs are much less than I thought. Knowledge is power, and in this case it helped me avoid a costly mistake.

I was planning on buying a bike rack for my minvan so I could cut out one school trip a day by leaving my van and riding back home on my bike. That would save me 6 miles a day. According to this calculator, it costs me about .19 a mile to drive around, so cutting 6 miles would add up to $1.14 a day. With only 30 days left in our school year that would save me $34.20.

With the cheapest bike rack I could find costing $53, I would have to use it for around 99 days to break even. If I would use the bike rack in other situations, it would be worth it. In my case, however, I will only be using the bike rack for the next 30 days. It’s cheaper for me to continue driving the extra 6 miles a day.

Over this summer I plan on using my bicycle and the bus system to save money. Right now I drive an average of 20 miles a day. That equals $3.80 a day for me to drive. That adds up to around $115 a month. That’s pretty significant over the course of the summer, not to mention the exercise I’ll be getting. I think I’ll probably shop even less then I do now since I’ll have to haul it back in my back pack or return for it with the car.

Calculate your own fuel costs so you can make informed decisions instead of knee jerk reactions like I almost did. To make it easy, simply write your odometer reading on your gas receipt every time you fill up and slip it in your wallet. Then all the info you need is right there when you need to calculate your gas costs.

The "F" In Frugality Is For "Fun"

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 07:07:00 +0000

I have a confession: I'm not overly upset over the high cost of gasoline and food.

I'll admit that I have my moments of worry. Every time gas prices go up I feel obligated to raise my eyebrows, puff out my cheeks and read the new price out loud to anyone in the car with me (usually my kids). In the grocery store I've started talking out loud to the 'luxury items', such as tea. "$1.60?!?" I exclaim to the boxes and tins. "A few months ago this peppermint tea was 99 cents!"

Secretly, though, I think I'm enjoying all the furor in much the same way a gossipy neighbor enjoys bad news. Saving money is one of my favorite subjects to ponder, but it used to be a lonely topic of conversation. Six months ago if I tried to bring up how to container garden using free 5 gallon buckets I would have gotten disinterested signals and a quick change of subject.

Now frugality is "in", and I suddenly find my pet topic awash in popularity. Everywhere I look it's all over the media - how to save cash, gas and utilities. Bikes are suddenly hot (who's got money to spend on a brand new hybrid?), reusable bags are the new tote in demand and refilling your drink bottles makes you a noble global consumer, not a tightwad.

Years of trying to come to grips with "being cheap" are finally paying off socially. No longer do I have to justify why I avoid convenience foods and hang my laundry. Ahhh, but being "in" feels good... as long as it doesn't cost anything extra.

Stop the Train! I Wanna Get Off!

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:48:00 +0000

TWO WEEKS!

Two weeks since my last post! I can't believe it... but as I mentally review recent events I'm surprised I am posting today.

The big chaos event that occurred (and really seemed to start the karmic chain of events) was that a "situation" happened with my husband who is temporarily overseas in a very sandy and not fun place. He is okay, but the ensuing stress was enough to knock me out of my "pennypinscher" groove. I fell off the bandwagon and into the waiting arms of Ronald McDonald.

Another chaotic event that was much more positive was two of my kids getting accepted into two different talents shows. I was suddenly tossed into whirlwind preparations with costumes, music CDs, rehearsals and filling out paperwork.

Besides the above happenings, we've been maintaining baseball schedules, homework, Scout-o-rama, emergency babysitting, had a prowler, daughter's iPod was stolen from our car, planted sweet potatoes, helped out at school, took on extra work, de-ratted the chicken house, watched my sis-in-law do a bellydancing show and taught a friend to CVS. Whew!

The dust is settling again, thank goodness, and I am back to posting. Thanks to our tax refund, I managed to add to our Emergency Fund and pay off half our credit card debt. Another few months and I should be able to get the rest knocked out. Then I can start on the Home Equity Loan. Here's what I'm doing to scrape up the extra money for payments:

Conserving funds - hanging my laundry, turning off electricity when not in use, walking instead of driving, no eating out (except for my recent exploits), buying nothing but the bare necessities
Taking on extra work - house cleaning, substituting for other positions at work, doing surveys for Pinecone in my spare time, working with Adsense and Associated Content

Trying to maximize my opportunities - I signed up with Revolution Money Exchange to get my $25 and am trying to pay attention to referrals when I can.

Selling off all the extras-Everything we don't need must go. In return we're getting a little cash, the space and less to keep track of.

That's my update at the moment. I've found some really good articles lately, like this one that talks about why we pay sales tax on coupons. I never thought about that.

Another one I liked was Secrets of SuperStar Grocery Shoppers. A lot of common sense info that most of us are already doing, but it never hurts to go back to the basics.

And finally, I got a real kick out of reading about how a dollar saved is really $2 earned. I know I've sent this out to friends and family, but this is some good info that always makes me feel like my frugality is really making a difference.

Spring Cleaning at Penny Pinscher

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:50:00 +0000

I love working on Penny Pinscher, but I have had some feelings lately that she is missing her mission. I first started Penny Pinscher as a means to chronicle our journey out of debt, but when the first posts went up I suddenly felt shy to reveal intimate details of our finances.

After all, I see some of the people who read Penny Pinscher on an almost daily basis. (Hi Helen, Rosie, Glory, Kris, Mom...! Did I miss anyone?;) Instead, I started writing about other, more fun things like SSS.

I don't know why I was suddenly beset by shyness, though. Anyone who personally knows me quickly realizes that I don't really have a lot of secrets. I don't exactly advertise my personal info, but ask and I'll tell you honestly.

I like who I am, so I don't see any reason to hide anything. This includes my weight (I weigh 100 pounds), my age (I'm 22), my finances (I'm richer then Paris Hilton)... oops! Sorry, I was fantasizing again;) Really I am in the middle of about everything - middle aged, middle class and not rich or poor.

More and more it has been coming to the forefront of my mind that I need to either dish the dirt or bury Penny Pinscher. Pinscher was to reveal how we were getting out of debt so that other people could read that they are not alone - there's hope for a credit free life. I also hoped that it would act like my own ongoing financial accountability sermon to keep me on the tightwad straight and narrow. So far I think Pinscher has missed the mark, and since I don't want to bury the whole thing I guess I'd better start dishing.

So, here's my confession:

Two years ago we were almost out of debt with a low mortgage, two paid for cars and and a steady paycheck. Then my husband deployed and I had the bright idea to take advantage of the situation by getting rid of our old nasty carpet and putting in tile. I had set aside $4,000 cash to this end and found a tile guy who gave me a reasonable deal. It was going to take two weeks.

Three months later, after going nearly insane and watching any nice furniture I had become damaged by grout and moving, we were almost done tiling. I was starting to see the light at the end, and then my husband came home. He liked the workman I had hired. He liked him so much that they decided to rip out the entire back of the house and 'fix it'. My neighbor across the street joined in and the demolition party was on at our house.

Unfortunately, anything that was supposed to be simple turned out to be anything but. Every job had issues and cost twice or three times as much as originally planned for (not to mention double or triple the time it was supposed to take). When everything was at its worst we ran out of money and turned to credit. And more credit... and just a little more...

Now we stand at some odd $10,000 on a credit card plus a HEL of around $75,000. Granted, not all the HEL went for the house - we paid off $25,000 in personal debt owed to family and a friend and we would do that again in a heart beat. But we are still here left holding a bag with an $85,000 dollar hole in the bottom.

Just when we were getting our debt dug in, the already emaciated economy started taking its turn for the worst. We came to the end our our debt accumulation nightmare all inspired to tighten our belts and pay it off. It didn't take us long to realize that we were tightening our belts to stay afloat and we were going to have to get corsets if we wanted to make any gains.

So here we are. Penny Pinscher was inspired by Save Leigh Ann, who paid off her credit debt in a year. I don't think we'll get it paid off that fast, but miracles do happen (You can help them happen by clicking on the little ads at the bottom of each post...hint...hint;). The important thing to me is that we learn from our remodeling mishap and go on. Abe Lincoln used to say after every failure (and he had many) "It's a slip, not a fall."

So we slipped, and are now seeking to climb back up by whatever means possible (legal, of course). The economy seems to be plunging into free fall - not a good time to be in debt. If you ask me, not that I'm any kind of $ guru, I'd say we are headed back to the Depression era. It's a good time to have your sails trimmed and ready for a squall.

From now on, Penny Pinscher will be dedicated to detailed doings of of our debt derailment. All SSS posts, fun as they are, will be posted at Dollar Diva, my site that is dedicated to good deals on the Emerald Coast. All posts about our urban farming efforts will be posted at my new site Big City Farm. That's where you can read about the chickens and other critters and how we are getting along in a neighborhood.

I hope my regular Pinscher readers will like the new directions my blogosphere is taking and stick with me. Hopefully Pinscher can inspire your own path to debt freedom, lighten your load through laughter and provide you with useful tools. And as always, thanks for reading!

Super Saving Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 04:56:00 +0000

The pickings seemed pretty slim for good deals this week, but I still did pretty good. I did two shopping trips at CVS. First, I got in on the Glucerna deal and the beauty products, spent $3.07 opp and received $9.50 in ECBs - I had $5 ECBs to start.

Later I went back for the Spa Body Wash deal and got two bottles for .50 opp and received $9.98 in ECBs. I also received a free T shirt from a music store here for walking in the door at the right time (happy surprise!) which my older son claimed.

In addition, I made a stop at Goodwill and finally found my cast iron dutch oven for $8.00! That was also all I needed to complete my blue card and be eligible for $20 free there.

On a final note, I received my $25 for signing up with Revolution Money Exchange and am debating whether to just request it in a check or keep it in there to use. I love the no fees part - much nicer then Paypal.

So all in all, it's been a pretty good week, despite starting out with such lack luster potential. I can't wait to see next week's deals!

Oh- I almost forgot! After I posted last Saturday I found this grill at a garage sale for $20! I've wanted one for a while, and this one is like new. Oh happy day! :)

Revolution Money Exchange - Free Transactions & $25 To Boot!

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:13:00 +0000

For everyone that exchanges money over the internet:

I just found out about Revolution Money Exchange, a new alternative to Paypal. The best part about it are there are no fees when you do anything with another account holder. That means when someone buys your ebay listing and they are signed on with Money Exchange - NO fees.

FREE to register for an account
FREE to add money to your bank account
FREE to send money
FREE to receive money
FREE to request money
FREE to transfer money to your bank account

That beats Paypal all to pieces. Money Exchange is secure and backed by First Bank & Trust in Brookings, SD (Member FDIC) and uses SSL to secure every transaction. It will be nice to send money back and forth without leaving a chunk with Paypal.

Plus, if you sign up before April 15th, 2008 you will get $25 in your account to spend as you will. You can even request it as a check ($2.50 fee applys to checks). Remember when Paypal did this to get people registered? Now's our chance to do it again with Money Exchange.

I'm really excited to check these guys out - makes eBay almost worth it again;) Sign up for your $25 here:

Super Saving Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:48:00 +0000

That time again, and I can't believe I've only made one post this week! It has been really busy around here with preparing for spring break, baseball, my older son recieved his Arrow of Light for Cub Scouts, a talent show audition, school dance, a teen age boyfriend break up... TGIF!

As far as shopping is concerned, I didn't do much. At first I was disappointed that I didn't have that much to report. Then it occurred to me that not shopping made this a REALLY Super Saving Saturday. Sometimes I think I'm caught in this treadmill of aquiring more things. Eventually enough is enough. Even if something is absolutely free, it still cost me time and gas to go get it. Just something I've started to ponder - is this item worth my time and gas?

That being said, I did wind up finding a great sale on clothes. I took a $50 pressure cooker back to the store and recieved a credit due to a lost receipt. I needed printer ink anyway, but then found all these boy clothes at 75% off. Among other things I bought a tank top for $1.50, basketball shorts for $4.49, a wonderful chenille hoodie (for me!) for $4.50, and Pantene for $1.88. I also bought discount Easter treats and my printer ink. I paid $25.01 out of pocket. I also used the $50 credit.

All in all, I think I'm starting to like "unshopping". Lately when I "need" something I've been realizing that I can do without it. Maybe next Saturday I won't have anything to report at all, then it will really be a Super Saving Saturday.

Super Saving Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:29:00 +0000

All this for $1.03! And later on another CVS trip was .79 and netted MORE soap and two boxes of chocolate. What a week!
This has been a fun week for freebies and rebates. The week started with getting a free tank top from Aeropostale - just bring in a printed homepage from seventeen.com and you can get one too.

We were at the mall for my son's Pinewood Derby race (he won first place in the district, not that I'm proud or anything;) so we did some returns while there. I actually left the mall with more money then when I arrived - that's got to be a record!

Later in the week I loaded up on free soaps and shampoos (CVS had trial sizes of Johnson's Baby shampoo) and am now fully stocked for awhile on the Buddies soaps. My kids love them - even my 14 year old. My CVS trips ended with getting the Pot O' Gold boxes of chocolate (teacher's gifts!) for free with $5 ECBs still in my pocket. Johnson's also sent me two more $2/2 coupons in the mail - 4 more free soaps! :)

If that weren't enough I had an amazing thrift store trip. I found everything I needed in less then 10 minutes and spent $20. This included a pair of like new Nike Airs for $5. My son had just informed me that morning that he had just outgrown his old shoes. To top it off, the cashier gave me a senior citizen's discount! My son laughed and said I should be insulted, but I told him a discount is a discount - I don't care what it's called. ;)

Then all the rebates and freebies started coming in - about $67 in rebates. And the cherry on top? I was offered a small housecleaning job for an extra $40 (that's almost a tank of gas!).

It was a happy week.

Turning Straw Into Gold

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:49:00 +0000

Marriage comes with certain expectations. Whether you went for the fairytale wedding or, like me, just decided to cut out the middleman and elope with Prince Charming, we all had somewhat of a preconceived notion of what marriage would be like.

Some of us wake up one day and wonder what happened to the all the roses and champagne. Others marvel at the fact that Prince Charming leaves gross, sweaty socks on the floor of the bathroom every night. Even if your handsome prince picks up his dirty clothes by himself, like me, you might wonder what Cinderella looked like after four kids and no time to work out.

Married life has its challenges. Sometimes I feel like the peasant girl who was locked in a room full of straw and told to make gold by morning. I imagine her face in the dark of the night, pondering the piles of straw and wondering how on earth she was going to get through this. I’ve worn the same expression, standing in my laundry room at night, pondering piles of clothes I had forgotten to wash earlier and wondering how on earth I’m going to get through this.

For me, though, I know there will be no Rumplestiltskin to pop in and do the task for me in exchange for a ring. The task is mine alone, but somehow I always get through it easier than I expected. By the next morning, the laundry will be washed and hung and I can wake up feeling proud of the accomplishment that hours before seemed impossible.

In a way, we are like fairy tale heroines with bite. Like Cinderella, we have slaved away preparing our houses for birthday parties as well as balls. Like Repunzel, we have sat isolated in our bowers when no understood how hard it is to be mom. Like Sleeping Beauty, we have felt tired enough to sleep for a century.

The difference is, in our stories we are independent. We are rescuing knight and damsel in distress all rolled into one. We must clean our house sans fairy Godmother, climb out of our bowers on our own and resist exhaustion until at least after the kids are in bed.

As modern day spouses we gather up whatever life gives us, ponder the possibilities, and set to work. Late hours, laundry, dishes and homework pile around us and become our raw materials. These mundane details whirl around us turning days into weeks, weeks into years.

The hectic preparations that make us crazy turn soccer games and school plays into gems that stand out from other moments. Each success and trial, through our efforts, becomes a jewel to place in the family treasury. We struggle along, feeling like there is never enough time, but it is time that turns the moments we rush through into gold.

We gather the moments to ourselves as we live and forge priceless memories and family tradition from them; the result becomes treasure for our children. With no fairy godmother we make magic. We do the impossible with every day. We spin straw into gold.

Super Saving Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 05:01:00 +0000

Saturday has rolled around again and it's time to anticipate Money Saving Mom's weekly question - what were your good deals this week?

Aside from 4 MORE boxes of cereal at .26 a box, 9 cans of Glen Muir Organic Tomatoes for free (they actually paid me .09 to carry it out of the store ;) and a month's worth of bread, rolls and extras for $5 - I saved 20% on my last grocery shopping trip. My total coupons were $21.45.

I probably could have done better but I included groceries for two other people with my shopping, and I didn't have time to look up coupons for their items. Still, 20% is as high as I've ever saved on a routine, once a month shopping trip, so I'm pretty happy. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this coupon thing.

I may even laminate my reciept for the fridge!

Work Only A Mother Could Love

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Ages ago (I won’t specify how many) in my fifth grade class I was once given an assignment to draw my future self in my ideal career. I set to work with my Crayolas on a large piece of Manila paper and drew a mom. I wasn’t thinking about pay scales or women’s equality at the time. I just knew I wanted to have the most important job in the world. Carefully I printed the word “Mother” at the top of my drawing in purple crayon.

I had read the entire series of Little House on the Prairie books so many times that the pages had begun to separate from their bindings. I knew mothers had a sort of magic that could turn terrible days into wonderful ones. Mothers had innate psychic powers that allowed them to know when you were fibbing and when you were thinking about misdeeds. Next to God, I was certain, were mothers. They could be as frightening as thunderstorms when you deserved it, and as refreshing as a rain soaked meadow when all was forgiven.

Sometimes I would dream about when I would get to take my honored place as a mother. Scores of beautiful, well-behaved children in white pinafores would be gathered around me, faces shining with adoration. I would glide among them, a beneficial queen, kissing boo boos and helping out with homework. When I finally had my first child, she was everything I had expected. Perfect and sweet, she lay like a miniature angel in my arms, and I was the epitome of motherhood. Then reality kicked in.

Reality found me fumbling with diaper pins at three in the morning wearing sweats that needed to be washed and hair that would have turned Medusa into stone. I found out that I wasn’t as patient as I had thought and that white pinafores were a horrible way to dress children. I went from maternal queen to grimy servant in less time than it took me to hit puberty. I threw out my Little House books and dug in for a long battle against perpetual sticky spots, stains and all things stinky.

By the time my third child came along I had learned a few tricks and could pass myself off as fairly capable. I knew which brand of sippy cups really were no-leak when turned upside down, to never put soda in a sippy cup and to avoid purple grape juice like the plague. I found out how many times I could sing Mister Golden Sun while dozing off and that Oreo cookies still taste pretty good after someone else scraped all the middle out.
Nature had to throw me for a loop, though, and gave me a boy the third time. Just when I had gotten it somewhat together, all the rules changed.

Boys, at least mine, are definitely different from girls. Their noses need more wiping, their clothes seem to stain quicker and there are always raspberry noises coming from some part of their body. My third son taught me that not only can any sippy cup leak, but it also makes a pretty good missile on boring car trips. The Power Ranger’s theme eclipsed Mister Golden Sun in my impromptu late night concerts and I gave up on Oreos after cleaning them out of the carpet for the hundredth time.

Sometimes, four children later, I wonder what I was thinking all those years ago when I wrote “Mother” as my career choice. The hours are terrible, the work is unsanitary and some days I’m not even sure who the boss is. I’m still wondering if I have vacation days accrued and if I’m earning overtime and hazardous duty pay. Wait – am I even getting paid for this?

The perfect housekeeping diva I was supposed to become has never materialized for me. As for the scores of children I was destined for, I’m throwing in the towel after four. This has got to be the hardest and most discouraging job I have ever had, and that includes being a dishwasher at a rat and roach infested tavern. But for all that, I wouldn’t trade a minute of my maternal mishaps for any other job.

I’ve grown a lot since those early idealistic days before momhood hit me like Tonka truck. The spills, crumbs and broken knick knacks has taught me that being a mother isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being there. I have been gifted with four energetic, independent and curious souls to try to guide into productive, happy adulthood. I’m less a queen of the house and more of a steward trying to manage all I’ve been blessed with. Indeed, my cup runneth over, but I no longer mind wiping up the mess.

Next to God, I’m still certain, are mothers. Whether male or female, biological moms or adopted, motherhood is the ultimate philanthropic work. Moms heal the sick, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked, working miracles in their own way. It’s work only a mother could love, and love is the only way it can work.

My Lost $10 & My Shrinking Dollar

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Woe to me!

I was Walmart last Saturday and I accidentally dropped a $10 bill onto the floor. By the time I discovered the loss, it was a goner. I had hoped someone would turn it in at the desk, but hope is the stuff that dreams are made of, and my $10 bill went to live with someone else.

I can still remember the days when the loss of a mere $10 wouldn't have had such an impact on my life. As I wandered the aisles looking for my runaway bill, I was almost in tears. Why did I care so much, I wondered. It was just $10 - a meal at McDonald's, a stop at Starbuck's, drinks at the drive thru... Then it hit me. I don't do those things anymore.

Now my $10 is for vanishing into my gas tank to buy me a few more trips. $10 gets me two gallons of milk or mailing a package to my husband overseas or a (very) small bag of groceries. That's why it hurt so much to lose it. It suddenly seemed like a precious lot.

The me that remembers abundance argues with the me that cries over a lost $10. The old me says that giving the kids water to drink at meals instead of milk or juice is not very nutritional. The thrifty me reminds her that Americans tend to be over sugared and soaked in fat, and in many other countries water is a beverage, not a punishment. The new, thrifty me usually wins. She has to.

The Dallas Morning News reported today that grocery prices are set to skyrocket. Huh? Isn't that old news? I thought they already did skyrocket! The thought that they may go higher makes me want to weep over my lost $10 all over again.

Bread has increased by 5.4% over the last year. That's because it's been a bad few years for wheat. It went from $3.50 a bushel in 2005 to $8.55 by January. All wheat products from pancake mix to pumpernickel go up. Fortunately, I still get my bread at less then a quarter a loaf, but still. What about donuts, cake and cookies?

It's time to look elsewhere. Some cultures don't depend on wheat as much as we do. Rice, beans, potatoes... they all make delicious starches for our table. How about growing sprouts in the kitchen for greenery instead of always buying high priced veggies that have been shipped from Timbuktu? It's easy, tasty, cheap and satisfying.

I've also been growing lettuce and cabbage all winter. At Christmas and Thanksgiving we had the best organic salads. They were fresh (picked minutes before eating), cheap (how much does a lettuce seed and some recycled dirt cost?) and gratifying. My youngest son was proud to help me cut lettuce for the table, lettuce he himself had helped to grow.

To provide protein in our diet, we invested in a few chickens for our back yard. They are free entertainment for all the neighborhood kids, save me from having to maintain a compost pit (they are the composters!) and the eggs are like nothing I ever tasted from the store - even the expensive Eggland's Best ones!

There's veggies and protein. I'm thinking about getting a dwarf goat for milk and cheese. Rice and beans are still pretty affordable. That pretty much takes care of our diet. Instead of thinking of food as something that has to come from the store, think of where it comes from and whether or not you can become your own source. And don't give me the excuse that you don't have a farm. Neither do I. We live in the city on .34 of an acre with a house in the middle of it.

Then $10 can go back to being $10, instead of something worth crying about.

By the way: I did finally pulled myself out of my pity party. I had to imagine a broke mom with hungry children finding my $10 after she prayed for a miracle. It helped...some.

Financial Shape in 2008 - Monthly Check Up

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:37:00 +0000

I love going over to Money Saving Mom's site because she asks starts so many great, interactive discussions. Today she asks for us to report on our financial health this month. I have definitely done some things to try and improve our finances lately, but I haven't made any clear cut goals. That will be my first goal, to make a plan for March. Our finances definitely need tweaking. Our mortgage went up by $120 this month - surprise! We have a fixed rate, too.

Here's what I have done recently:

1. Taken a job. I started a part time job at my kids' school so I can earn a little extra money and still always be around for them. I've also been taking on all the substitute work I can find. Every little bit helps!

2. Stopped buying books and movies. Believe it or not, I used to think nothing of dropping $500 at a school book fair. I figured the books were a good deal, it supported the school, and reading is somthing our whole family loves. Now I have been using the library and getting my books for nearly free with paperbackswap. I've never been a big movie buyer - we've usually just rented. However, recently I've started using swapadvd. When I have a dvd we're done with, I just post it and trade it for what we want. This has been a great program that we have enjoyed using.

3. Cut down on utilities. Lights off, water used sparingly, heat on only when it's very cold. I've also tried to cut down on my driving to save gas.

4. Stopped shopping for 'deals'. Sometimes enough is enough. I realized recently that a lot of my 'deal shopping' was unnecessary. I realized this when I bought 30 1 pound bags of M&Ms because they were .28 a bag. I used them in cookies, and we ate some, but soon it became apparent that one can indeed have too much of a good thing. So I have stopped stocking up on treats, and try to focus my spending on necessities.

My goals for March are to formulate concrete goals and make a spending plan. I am also going to cut down on eating out (our main weakness) and on spending for school lunches (which means making a menu plan, etc.). If I can accomplish those two goals this month I will consider this month a success. With my husband gone overseas, it seems like I have no time for anything. How do single moms do it, I wonder?

Wish me luck, and I'll report again in April.

Super Saving Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (:Dandilyon) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:31:00 +0000

Wow! Each Saturday seems to come sooner then the last. I also have a hard time believing it's March already! Whew! Someone slow down the clock...

Anyway, it's the blogospere's weekly show & tell - what good deals did we all get this week? Here's mine from the beginning of the week. Unfortunately it has been a crazy week so I misplaced my reciept for all this, but I do remember the photos were almost $20 saved alone. I spent around $10 for the rest, which of course was reimbursed in ECB's, making it free. I was also able to take advantage of the cereal for .26 a box, free Glen Muir organic tomatoes (with about .20 overage) and the free Johnson's Buddies Soap. I just didn't take a photo of it all. Next week I'll be more organized - this week I was just trying to survive. ;)

So it was a pretty good week for savings. I estimate I probably spent maybe $15 and brought home at least $60 worth of stuff that I'll use. See ya'll next week!