My Summer of Saving

Update:  Verizon Bill down $67.74 this month Update:  I ordered coffee again from Bed, Bath and Beyond.  This time I realized I could use a Bed, Bath and Beyond coupon for 20% off.  This brings each cup of coffee down to 27 cents a cup from 33 cents a cup, an additional 6 cents a cup.  Additional Yearly savings:  $22  Total yearly savings on coffee:  $230.

    I have written much about how to save money.  This is one about how I should have spent money!  I used a company for the last couple of years for fertilization of my lawn.  The lawn looked great. My house also came with a sprinkler system which I have had turned on in the spring and off in the fall since I have been here.      I decided in my summer of savings not to have the sprinkler system turned on.  We would water less and just use the old fashioned sprinkler when needed.  I also decided to not have a company fertilize, we would do it if needed.     Well, I now have dying weedy grass.  I have tried to be a gardener.  I am not a gardner!  I need to repeat that a few times.  I am NOT a gardner.  I am NOT a gardner.  I keep trying to be one and failing.  I do not enjoy gardening.     I do have a daughter who loves to garden.....when she feels like it and what she feel...

          This blog post is a bit of a stretch when it comes to saving money.  I bought shoes yesterday at DSW.  I bought them in the clearance section for 30% off.  I checked to make sure I did not have any rewards coming or that there weren't any coupons online that I could use.  All the above is using good money saving strategy.         I have quite a bit of black and white in my fall wardrobe for school.  I went looking for some fun black, white or black and white sandals kinda like this.       While I was searching the clearance section I found some great orange sandals.  I tried them on and I absolutely loved them.  I put them back.  After all I was here for black/white sandals.  I found some black ones that I liked (not loved).  I had to make a call before I checked out to let my guy know what time to expect me.  When I called I told him (like he cares) t...

    Will is moving into his first apartment!  It is an unfurnished studio apartment in this big old house.  It is in a neighborhood of many of these old beauties filled with student apartments.       We went to some garage sales.  I realized after several sales that this was a slow way to find items.  We did find a cool industrial desk lamp.     The price was $25, we  payed $20.  We found it on eBay for over $200.            We found 4 nice glass "root"beer mugs.  Of course Will found a nice motorcycle helmet for $10.  Maybe the helmet could be wall decoration?      At that point and two hours later Will came up with the idea of Fred's.  Fred's is an institution around here.  Anyone who has never been there should go at least once because there is nothing else quite like it.     Picture Grandma's attic but Grand...

    Someone asked me recently why I write.  They genuinely wanted to know why I was writing about saving money instead of just doing it.  Why the extra step of writing about it too.      I would not have known quite how to answer that question before I found out about Gretchen Rubin's four tendencies.  She writes about how different people are motivated to make changes in their habits.  I took the quiz at gretchenrubin.com and found out I was an "obliger".  I meet outer expectations (commitments to others) but I have a hard time meeting my own expectations.  This rang so true with me.  Obligers like me need some form of accountability to really get personal goals met.  That is why things like Weight Watchers, gym memberships, walking partners and Bible Study groups are popular ways to meet goals.      So when I had the goal of looking for ways to save money this summer I came up with the...

     I have been putting off tackling my cable bill.   I have AT&T for internet and cable T.V.  I have a pretty low key cable package, one up from basic mostly for HGTV and the Hallmark channels.        My first idea was to try a streaming service called Sling, which is an a la cart service for $20 a month (you choose which channels you want).  I signed up for a free 7 days only to find that my T.V. can not support it.  I unsubscribed.      I then called AT&T and told them that I could no longer afford cable TV for the little we use it.  The representative gave several options and I told her I would need to think about it.  That's when she came back with a "new" plan that offers me exactly what I have now except a higher internet speed, a $25 signing bonus and all for $44 dollars less a month than I am paying now!  No contract either.     I read online that you should not jum...