Thrifty Cheapskate

TWO BEST CATS IN THE WORLD I THINK Here is Blue The Siamese and Gypsy Rose The Albino

2012-01-23T09:22:00.000-06:00

We had Spooky the cat for about 16 years and finally her health gave out. We sobbed as we knew we were letting her go. We could not think of getting another cat for over a year. It hurt to bad.

Here is spooky, she is in the back of the van that is piled high with stuff as we moved from Houston back to Minnesota in August 2010. She found what she thought was a safe place my wicker trash can.

Finally I started to get the feeling it was time to open up our heart to another cat. We talked about it for several weeks and finally one weekend stopped at the animal shelter to JUST LOOK at what they had for cats.

We looked at the dogs and which we could get one, but knew that with our life style of being gone so often it would not be fair to a dog. A cat fits best with our life style of spending time gone. We are out searching thrift stores, garage sales ( when it is not winter in Minnesota) and going to the auctions two nights a week.

So we wandered the rooms looking at the cats and reading their short biographies. Well if one cat is good, two would be great. They can be friends and keep each other company. Question was which cats of the many should we choose to take home.

We decided and told them we wanted two cats that others may not want. Those that were hard to adopt. But we wanted them to get along of course. I can dream I guess.

Blue is a 14 year old chubby Siamese female. Loveable, cuddly and purrs on command. She is crossed eyed and beautiful. Loves to sleep any where she wants, usually on my desk chair if I am not sitting in it. She loves to eat as you can see in her picture. Early in the morning she will jump up on the bed ( if Gypsy Rose has departed) and gets between hubby and me. She wants to be petted, told how beautiful she is and how much she is loved. Blue does not get on the tables as of yet so no cute pictures of her there.

And this is our princess Gypsy Rose. She is a 10 year old albino female who is deaf. We were told she was a spy, would hide and watch us but we would not know she was around. Wrong, she is out wandering alot. Sleeps by my feet or head every night. She does hide at times in the closets but we know where to find her if we want to. She sits where she wants to and I have to move all my pretty stuff together so there is room for her to lay on any table she chooses.

Sadly they really do not like each other. They do not cuddle or clean each other. They some times pass each other at a distance and at other times Gypsy looks at Blue and chases her to show her who rules the roost.

I hope that over time they will bond but I really have little hope for that.

They are wonderful additions to our family and are the best cats in the world I think. But of course I am sure you think the same about your pets. If you are looking for a pet please check out the Animal Shelter. A new friend could be waiting for you.

SUNDAY COUPON PREVIEW 1/22/11

2012-01-20T18:37:00.000-06:00

This week we can expect 2 inserts, a Smart Source and a Red Plum in the Sunday newspaper.

You can go here to see what you may see in your coupon inserts.
Please remember that coupons can vary depending on where you live. My local paper has very little coupons but if I buy paper from one of our larger cities I can get almost all the coupons offered out there this week.
Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

FRUGAL FRIDAY TIP SAVE MONEY USE THE LIBRARY

2012-01-20T18:14:00.000-06:00

One of the best ways to save money is to use your local library. Rather than buying a book new you can go to your local library and sign it out. Besides books they also have movies for you to rent.
We were involved in a reading group and borrowed the book.

Now a new book has been chosen so hubby and I will go to the library tomorrow to take out the new book. It is also the book that the city wide reading group has chosen to read. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

And if you are into genealogy like or have been thinking about starting to do research, check out the research section they have. I am like a kid in a candy store.

So much can be found at your local library and as long as you return them on time there is no cost to you.

Thanks for stopping by for a Frugal Friday tip.. Grace

MONDAY MENU PLAN What's For Dinner Saving Money Eating At Home

2012-01-14T17:56:00.000-06:00

With going to the local auctions twice a week I want simple easy dinners for hubby and me.
This week menu is
Monday auction night we will pack a tuna fish sandwich and a few potato chips to eat at auction. Otherwise we get hungry and spend money on food there.
Tuesday Calico bean hot dish and mash potatoes. Perfect for a cold night at home.

Wednesday home made pea soup with hot bread
Thursday auction night egg salad sandwiches and chips
Friday left overs
Saturday Frozen pizza night
Sunday Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

The Saved Quarter Challenge: Make a Budget For The Coming Year Income

2012-01-14T10:31:00.002-06:00

Good morning everyone. This posting is on the first and second week of the New Years Saved Quarter Challenge
My sweet hubby takes care of the budget of our fixed income. Money comes in, money goes out. Every penny is counted and spent. Of course there is not enough money. When you are retired and did not really plan for retirement things are tight. This is a HINT for all you younger than us SAVE today and SPEND less than you make.
I can not really complain there are so many who do not have the income we have and still attempt to support a family the best they can. For this very reason I look for ways to share with others food and personal items when I find them at a good price. They will go to the food shelf via the church.
As I have shared before one of our biggest expenses is health insurance and will stay that way until I reach 65. It then will go down some. I am in no hurry to age to 65, but it is coming faster than I like.
So what is someone to do.? What we do is work at making extra money selling on eBay and Amazon.
We go to the local auctions to buy items to resell at those on line venues plus at the antique stores.
I always estimate that about one third of what we make on eBay goes to fees from eBay and Paypal.
Amazon is totally different, at this time we do not sell enough in a month to warrent paying a fixed monthly fee, so instead it cost us an extra $1.00 to sell. We would need to sell more than 40 books a month to make it pay, the sellers fee is $39.95 a month.
Besides eBay and Amazon we are selling at two different antique mall. We have a glass case in mall #1 and a case and small space in mall #2. We just expanded to the all of the small space the beginning of this year. Before that we had a glass case, a book case and few things in the area. Time will tell how we do but I feel it will be a good thing.
Payment to us at the antique stores is every two weeks. A friend of ours who has been in the antique business for over 30 years that we should set a goal to make at least three times our rent. One third is the cost of the space, one third is cost of goods returned and one third to us to add to our living expense.
My goals are to attempt to find more GOOD books to sell on Amazon. Finding good books is tough. To make it worth while you want a book that you can sell for at least $10.00. So many sellers on Amazon are penny sellers, this is not worth my time.
I look forward to increasing our sales at eBay. We sold about $6,000 gross last year. I would like to see this double if possible. At one time we did sell at least $1,000 a month but we have slipped from that sales amount.
Another way we make extra money is during the garage sale season we find items to resell at the local auctions to make some fast cash. Rather than wait for it to sell at the antique stores we turn some cash fast. We even do this during the winter time if we come across something at a thrift store or at one of our local book stores. I some times can find some good books that I can sell at the auction house for a profit. Just this week we have some gun books at one auction house and this next monday we have a few items to sell at the other auction house.
So my goal for this coming year is to bring in at least $1,000 a month to us after expenses at ebay, amazon and the antique stores.
1/4 would go into savings.
1/4 would be added to our income for the extras like eating out, a movie or just something fun.
1/4 would go towards paying extra on what debt we have
1/4 would go back into making more money

Week 1 and 2 are over and nothing went into savings as of yet. Money coming in has not been as good as needed, but that can change over night.

During the first half of the month on eBay we grossed $73.88
Amazon we sold 4 books for gross amont of $58.32
More time and effort need to go into our internet work.
I will update this after I find out what happened at the antique stores during the first two weeks of the month.
I was asked recently if I had tried etsy. My answer was with antique stores, auctions and internet business I have enough on my plate already.
Add into this time with family and work on my family research and my days are pretty full.
I am sharing all of this at Saved Quarter Challenge. Take a moment to see what others are doing.

Thanks for stopping by.. check back in a few days to see how the antique stores did. Grace

SUNDAY COUPON PREVIEW 1/15/12

2012-01-14T08:28:00.000-06:00

This Sunday there will only be one coupon insert. You can see what may be in your coupon insert here.
Please do remember that coupons can differ around the country..

Thanks for stopping by..Grace

Free tax return help at Wal-Mart For 1040 EZ plus Low Cost Check Cashing

2012-01-11T08:51:00.000-06:00

Now that the New Year is here it is time to start thinking about preparing our income taxes. As usual both H R Block and Jackson Hewitt are offering to do the 1040 EZ for free. So if you fall into this catagory that can be a benefit for you.
And as they have in the past Walmart is having kiosks in their stores for Jackson Hewitt and H R Block will have 250 of these kiosks.

Of course if you have children, own a home or any thing else that takes you past the EZ return you will pay to have your tax return prepared.

Plus Walmart is offering low cost check cashing for their customers who receive their refund in the mail.

Smart move for Walmart, they get the customer in their store and that same customer may very well spend some of their money at that same time.

Hopefully you are starting to pull your own financial papers together to get ready to have your taxes prepared.
Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

WHATS FOR DINNER HOW ABOUT HOME MADE CHICKEN PASTA SOUP WITH VEGGIES

2012-01-10T22:02:00.000-06:00

Whats for dinner? How about a bowl of chicken soup with pasta and mixed veggies. Add some hot garlic bread and everything is warm and comfy around here.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

TIDY TIP OF THE DAY BY THRIFTY CHEAPSKATE

2012-01-08T15:29:00.000-06:00

Today's Tidy Tip Of The Day is to store your sheets inside your pillowcase. Keeps every thing neat in your linen closet and easy to grab to put new sheets on your bed. Plus add a bar of open bath soap to your linen closet will make everything smell much fresher.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

TIDY TIP FROM THRIFTY CHEAPSKATE TAP UNUSED FREEZER SPACE

2012-01-07T09:23:00.002-06:00

Here is a clever tip from 1001 Timely Tips for Clutter Control.

Tap into unused freezer space. Lack of shelves steals away lots of space in the top half of your freezer. Learn a lesson from side by side refrigerators. They have handy space saving freezer shelves and yours can too. The same inexpensive wire racks and baskets that organize cabinets can help you use all the storage space in your freezer instead of just the bottom shelf.

What a clever tip to organize your freezer. Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

PRINTABLE INTERNATIONAL DELIGHT PRODUCT

2012-01-07T08:47:00.000-06:00

There is a new printable coupon for International Delight. I was able to print twice. Expires30 days from print.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together. Grace

WOW SUPER COUPON INSERT PREVIEW 1/8/11

2012-01-06T17:51:00.000-06:00

Wow what a weekend this will be. Our Sunday paper will hve 6 coupon inserts.
6 Huge Inserts This Week To Get You Back To Couponing In 2012

1-8 RedPlum Coupon Preview
1-8 Smarsource Coupon Preview Insert 1 & 2
1-8 General Mills Coupon Preview
1-8 Target Johnson & Johnson Coupon Preview
1-8 Walmart Coupon Preview

We will be starting the new year off with a bunch of coupons. So lets grab our scissors and start cutting some coupons.
Thanks for stopping by lets keep saving together.. Grace

WHATS FOR DINNER HOW ABOUT Yummy HAMBURGER HOT DISH AND GARLIC BREAD

2012-01-04T20:52:00.000-06:00

What's for dinner? Tonight it is home made hamburger hot dish and garlic bread on the side. Easy to make and warms up not only my home but my tummy.
Easy to make just brown the hamburger and take out the grease to this I add some salt , pepper and basil to taste and one can of tomato soup and can of diced tomatoes.
While hamburger is browning I boil up a big pot of water and cook my pasta of choice. Mine is egg noodles. Once drained we add another can of tomato soup. After mixing hamburger mixture and noodle mixture we pour into a casserole and add a handful or two of shredded cheese. Bake for 45 minutes and dinner is done. Yummy

Thanks for stopping by to see what's for dinner.. Grace

MONDAY MENU PLAN 1/2/11 to 1/8/11 Spaghetti and Home made Chicken Soup planned

2012-01-02T09:04:00.000-06:00

The fact is we normally go to the auction house 2 to 3 times a week to hunt for items to buy and sell. Yes you can call us pickers. We have easy meals those days or eat left overs when we come home.

This week I plan to make Spaghetti and home made sauce or just use frozen meat balls depending on how I feel. We are suffering from light colds and while not feeling totally horrible just do not feel perfect.
That is the reason another night will be home made chicken soup with frozen vegetables and some pasta from the cupboard.
If my cold gets better I hope to pick a new recipe from one of my cook books. If so will share that with you then.

Take a peek at my recipes on the side bar. There is some good tasting recipes there. Thanks for stopping by Grace

WALGREEN'S SHOPPING PLAN WEEK 1/1/12 to 1/7/12

2012-01-02T08:24:00.000-06:00

Since I happened to buy the out of town paper so I could get better coupon inserts than is in my local paper I did not receive any ads.
That of course included the Walgreens ad. I was able to look at the Walgreens ad on line.
Not a lot of interest to me. All those deals are for products I do not need or want. I do not use Alka Seltzer so why would I buy it just to get it at a low price. All the other products that give register rewards is also not of interest.
I will take a look at the toothpaste deal and see if I want to purchase that.
What I did see is I can buy low dose asprin which is good for the heart at a low price with my coupon from Sunday's paper.
Coffee mate with the printable coupon I printed a while back is a okay deal also. 2 for $3.00 minuse my two 75 cent coupons and ends up costing me 75 cents each.
Grab your ad and see what there is for you. I feel it is important to only buy what is of use or what I can buy at a good price to give to the food shelf.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together. Grace

WHATS FOR DINNER PURE COMFORT FOOD GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO SOUP

2012-01-01T19:28:00.000-06:00

Weather is cold and lightly snowing. What we needed tonight was comfort food, something to warm us up. My idea of a perfect choice was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Add a hand full of ripple potato chips and supper is done.
Fast, easy and thrifty choice. Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

BOOK LIST 2012 READING MORE THIS NEXT YEAR

2012-01-01T19:22:00.000-06:00

One of my goals is to read more this next year. I hope to read a fiction and a non fiction every month. I also plan to read the 5 Minute New Testiment. Just read day one.
I am adding Proverbs to my daily list. A chapter a month this month and every month. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. David Ramsey says he reads it every month, a chapter a day. Plan to add that to this list.
Since one of my main interests is my genealogy project some of my non fiction reading will be something historical or to do with working on my family tree.
For my first non fiction book I will read Lincolnites and Rebels A Divided Town In The American Civil War by Robert Tracy McKenzie. The divided town is Knoxville Tennesee. This will give me an idea to what life was like for my ancestors. My 2nd and 3rd great grandparents lived during this period with three of my great grandparents being born during this period of the civil war. I had one great great grandfather fight in the civil war. Two were born in Tennessee but by the time of the civil war had moved to Iowa.
I just finished John Sandford's Storm Prey and will now move to his next prey book Buried Prey.
What are you planning to read this year. Do you stack a pile of books together or just go month by month. I tend to go month by month since I never can decide what I want to read till I pick up the book.
Have a great night and happy reading. Grace

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY ONE ~ MAY GOOD FORTUNE FAVOR YOU

2012-01-01T07:48:00.000-06:00

Here is a wonderful vintage New Year's post card in my collection. Young child sitting on a horseshoe swing.

Telling us Good Luck and a Happy New Year postmarked Dec 30 1911. One hundred years old. How great is that.

Grace

EATING OUT WHILE SAVING MONEY IN 2012

2011-12-31T18:46:00.000-06:00

If you are like me and like to eat out there are ways to do it on the thrifty side.

1. Use coupons when possible. We like to go to Subway or Quiznos and can often find a coupon in the Sunday coupon savers. We carry these in the car in a envelope with other coupons. When the hungers come we can grab the coupon and go.

2. Avoid the beverage will save you some dollars for sure. I do like my soda with my meal but some times the cost is just unfair and I refuse to buy soda or just boycott that restaurant all together. There is a little cafe in Two Harbors Minnesota and we stopped there on Sunday after church. Order the soda with out looking at the price. Will not go back there again because on the menu it even said NO REFILLS. Just bad business in my opinion.

3. Check out the appetizers section. Now this can be costly but again can me a meal for me. I like Famous Daves small size not your normal nachos. To much for me to eat and I end up bringing some home for hubby to snack on next day.

4. Find something on the menu that will reheat up and still taste good. Buy that eat half of it and have left overs for lunch or next night's dinner.

5. Look for daily specials at some of our local restaurants. Famous Daves has hamburgers every Monday for $5.99 in our area. Another place as Spaghetti dinner cheaper on Sunday nights. Just check around and see what is the great deals in your area.

6. One of my favorite ideas is to go to lunch rather than dinner. Prices are normally less.

7. Some times the food is so generous that hubby and I will share or I will order something small and have a little of what he is eating.

8. Get daily deals Sites like Groupon and Restaurant.com sell restaurant gift certificates for less than face value you may be able to score a $25 coupon, but pay only $10.

Here are 8 ideas for you to maybe save some money eating out but still have the fun of dining out.

Thanks for stopping by.. hope to see you again real soon.. Lets keep saving together.. Grace

SUNDAY COUPON PREVIEW 1/1/2012

2011-12-30T19:01:00.000-06:00

Time for Sunday Coupon Preview. There will be three coupon inserts in most newspapers. We will have a Smart Source, Proctor and Gamble and a Red Plum.
You can see all that will be in the inserts by going here.
Please remember coupons can vary depending on where you live. If I buy our local paper my coupons STINK. If I buy the paper from the twin cities than I get a good selection of coupons.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

Decorating On The Frugal Side Hunting For Treasures

2011-12-30T09:40:00.000-06:00

Good morning everyone hope that your end of year is going good, safe and full of time with family and friends.

I always love to read about decorating my small little apartment. 5 Ideas to Decorate a Small Apartment on a Dime by Emily Co. My apartment is small but not as small as some but small.
What I do have is a fantastic view of Lake Superior from the living room, our office and our bedroom.
Unbelieveable, every morning I pull up the shade and am amazed at the beauty that is before me.
I love to go to auctions, estate sales and garage sales not only to find items to resell but items to put into my home.

For $4.00 at a moving sale we added these two nautical pillows to our bed. Since we love the nautical feeling they were a perfect buy.

Hope that you all have a wonderful day.. Grace

Every Wonder What To Do With Cheap Vodka or The Butter In The Fridge Read On Thrifty Thursday ideas

2011-12-29T04:49:00.017-06:00

It is four in the morning and I can not sleep. Snowing lightly and I hear the plows outside. After tossing and turning for an hour decided to get up to see if I could find something of interest on the Internet.
How about nine household items with multiple uses.

This is ideas for items that we may have in the home that can be used for other uses. Other than the vodka I have everything in my home.

I like the idea of putting butter on my hard cheese that has been cut to prevent molding. I have never tried this but will have to give it a try.

The jars are great ideas, I especially like to look for pretty inexpensive bottles at yard sales or antique stores and use as a piggy bank on the window sill. One bottle holds dimes, the green one is nickles and then there is one for found marbles and one for a small American flag.

Click on the link above and then check out the ideas posted. Enjoy and hope to see you again soon. Grace

Year End Financial Readings Budget

2011-12-28T08:42:00.000-06:00

With the end of the year nearing it is time for many of us to look at how our financial house is. Did we pay down debt or take on more debt. How is our savings account. Doing good with money being added each month or nearly empty if not empty.
I am spending a little time looking around the internet to gather articles I find of interest. I will share those with you.
First one is the 50 30 20 budget sounds great and how wonderful it would be to put 20 percent into savings each month. 50 percent is for needs and 30 percent for wants. Paying for our health insurance throws our budget off.

One of the best financial sites is David Ramsey for financial help. Click on the link to read about his baby steps to get out of debt.

This is just two sites that I am high lighting. You can go to msm money and spend some time looking around for other articles on our money.

Thanks for stopping by.. lets keep saving together.. Grace

TIDY TIP TUESDAY ~ PURGE THAT PANTRY FOR CHARITY

2011-12-27T09:13:00.002-06:00

Tidy Tip Tuesday this week is purge your pantry for charity. There are so many people that are in need of some extra groceries. Bag up those extra items you will not eat and give to your local food shelf or church. Be sure to check for dates and throw away old items that are past date.

Up date on my brother is he is awake and doing much better. He has been in the hospital for over two weeks and my thoughts are on him more than other things. Christmas was not as happy as it could of been because he would of been with us. But he came out of his sedated state and opened his eyes for me on Christmas eve. How about is that for a Christmas gift.

I knew that my brother had package goods in his home he did not want. He had mentioned that he wanted to give them to hubby and me. We went to his apartment and bagged up these items and will bring to church on Sunday. From there they will go to the food shelves in our area. While doing this we found three boxes of food that had been sitting in the cabinet way to long. This went into the garbage to make sure no one would become ill.

I hope that you will take a few minutes and check out your kitchen cabinets for food you know you will probably not use and give to the food shelf. After this how about checking the bathroom cabinets for extra personal items some one could use. Everyone needs shampoo, tooth brushes, tooth paste and body lotions.

Thanks for stopping by to read Tidy Tip Tuesdays posting. Lets keep saving together and sharing our bounty with those in need.. Grace

eBay Offering FREE listings for 3 days Dec 27 to the 29 th

2011-12-27T08:53:00.000-06:00

List FREE for 3 days Seller Special: Dec 27-29 on eBay. The free listings are for auctions only and Buy It Now is FREE.

So time for me to concentrate on selling on eBay over the next three days.

Do you sell on eBay already if not give it a try. Easy to do and we can all use extra cash and help clearing out the clutter.

Thanks for stopping by..lets keep saving together. Grace