So DH called to cancel cable but the problem is our cable and internet are in a bundled deal. Right now, our internet is only $15, but if we cancel cable, our internet will go up, and our total savings will only be $15 a month, versus $50 as I thought it would be. They have internet specials, but they are for new customers only. We are thinking of canceling our cable AND internet for 30 days so we can be considered new customers again and get a deal on internet. I have to have internet for school, but since I am in summer school right now, I think I would be okay for 30 days since I am taking fewer classes. Hopefully by next week we can cancel both and save a lot of money for a month, and then get a good deal on internet after that.

Well, I'm about to go to work in an hour. I have a tricky situation with walking to work. We live VERY close to my work, but to get there I have to pass buy a very sketchy trailer park. Now, I'm not judging, I grew up in trailer parks till I was 12 years old. However, the few times I have walked home, I've gotten drunk men following me, yelling obscenities at me, and it's really scary. DH definitely prefers me to drive. I hate to waste gas to drive literally 2 blocks, but idk what else to do. Sometimes, even when I get home and get out of the car, drunk men will start yelling at me and I have to hurry and get inside. I'm not assuming drunkenness either, I've seen them holding bottles either straight out, or in brown paper bags and stumbling about. The problem is, I work evenings usually, so it's the worst when I get off at 11pm, but i've had them yelling even during broad daylight. Any ideas? Should I just keep driving? Maybe it's not TOO much gas since I don't go very far.

Anyway, I better go get ready.



Personal Health Challenge: $0.50

DH and I have had issues with our weight for a while now, though it's hard to understand how being poor allows you to overeat. We buy a lot of convenience foods: chips, cookies, taco bell, etc. These foods can be cheap, but eating healthy can be cheap too. I need to prove that to myself. I'm going to start a challenge for myself to improve my health. My clothes that fit are very limited. A month or so ago, I actually split my favorite pair of jeans when I bent over. I feel guilty buying bigger sizes because 1. they cost more, and 2. I'm throwing away the money I spent on the jeans that fit for maybe a month and haven't fit since. I will give myself a little bit of a break because I have hypothyroidism, but I am on medication for that. Here's how my challenge will go:

For every meal I eat healthy, I will add $0.25 to the pot.
For every snack I eat healthy (my worst vice), I will add $0.25 to the pot.
For every 15 minutes I exercise, I will add $0.25 to the pot.

I'm not rewarding myself for pounds lost, because that isn't always a sure thing. I am rewarding myself for making healthy choices, and hopefully will turn them into regular habits. At the end of each month, whatever my total is will be my limit for buying a new pair of jeans, shirt, underwear, whatever. If I am doing really well, I should be able to fit into smaller sizes and need new clothes as I'm doing this anyway. If I don't lose anything at the end of the month, I probably haven't been doing very well and won't have much to spend anyway. I currently have exactly 1 pair of jeans that fits well, and one pair that is about to not fit anymore. I have several shirts, that I hate, that were given as gifts years ago but were always too big, that now fit, but wearing them reminds me of that, and makes me feel mad at myself.

One big thing that motivated this was last weekend, I saw a shirt that I walked past everyday (I work in retail) that I wanted really badly. I loved the color, style, everything. However, it was $7, which seemed too high. I told DH about it and he said I was being stupid and I should just buy the shirt if I wanted it that bad. Well, I decided to try it on first.

I got the biggest size they had, an XL, went in the dressing room, and... it looked disgusting on me. It was way too small, I had to double check the label to make sure it wasn't a size small or medium. It was an XL and made me realize just how much weight I've gained. At my healthiest, I was 120 lbs. (when I started college), and now 5 years later I'm in the 170's. I'd like to lose 50 pounds. Anyway, I realize I've been rambling for a while, so I'm gonna get going so I can catch the bus in a few minutes anyway.

Someone asked me in a previous blog how I keep my electric bill so low ($41 this past month), so I thought I'd share my methods with everyone. I make sure to keep lights and computers and such turned off whenever they're not necessary. I switched to the compact florescent bulbs in our 3 rooms that we need the light for the longest periods of time. I wash clothes in cold water only and only wash clothes and dishes when there are full loads. I do dry my clothes, but always make sure the lint trap is cleaned before each load, and dry for the minimum amount of time necessary. If I'm doing multiple loads, I make sure to be prompt about putting a new load in the dryer as soon as the first one finishes so the heat isn't wasted. I also unplug things that use electricity even when they're off, such as my laptop and cellphone charger, the microwave, etc. It helps that I live in the mountains where it doesn't get too hot, but we dress in light clothes i.e. tanktops and shorts indoors and use box fans and drink ice water to keep cool (we don't have air conditioning). If it's really hot, I take a quick cool/lukewarm shower so my wet hair will help keep me cool when I get out. We have low-flow shower heads in our showers which helps preserve the hot water. I use cold water to brush my teeth and rinse dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. All of this may sound like a lot, but once you make it your regular routine, it really doesn't feel like any effort, and it truly makes a huge impact on the electric bill. Good luck everyone!

Well I panicked and asked DH to wait a couple of days before canceling cable because I got scared I would miss it too much. However, in that time I was able to discover I spend more time watching movies (we have Blockbuster Online) and playing video games we already have than I spend watching TV. So DH will be canceling it today.

Oh, and we got our power bill in yesterday, I've gotten it down to $41!! YAY!! A few weeks ago I installed the energy efficient bulbs in both of our bathrooms, and they're in the kitchen already and it sure is helping. My next task will be shopping for food. For now, we have cereal, bread for pb&j, and a few frozen meals but I'd like to get some new stuff before we run out of those so they can become back-ups for days when I have no time or desire to cook.

Oh, I also got a rebate check from my CC yesterday for almost $60! And now the balance is getting transferred to my 0% card so I will have nothing left on that card. Well, I better get going so I can catch the bus to campus on time, bye!

So my cooking skills are very limited and it's very hard to get my grocery bill down when I'm buying frozen dinners all the time. DH and I are trying to lose weight so we need to eat reasonably healthy. I buy bread and do low-fat pb and j, but there are only so many pb&j sandwiches you can eat. Plus, we usually do the sandwiches for lunches and frozen meals for dinner. My cooking knowledge is tiny, but here's what I know how to cook: spaghetti with canned pasta sauce, hamburger helper, shake and bake chicken, and boxed macaroni and cheese. I do have a George Foreman Grill, but all I've made on it is hot dogs, hamburgers, and plain chicken - and the chicken can get very boring. Hot dogs would be cheap but we only eat the low-fat ones so that adds up the price. Hamburger meat is expensive.

The Shake and Bake Chicken is something we like, but it takes so long to cook.. I think we generally like the frozen meals for their convenience. I've read somewhere about people making their own "frozen dinners" by cooking and freezing them in little trays or something. I like that idea but how do I prevent them from getting freezer burn?

I was thinking of getting a bag of frozen chicken breasts and making a bunch of them with the shake and bake seasoning and freezing the extras. I have tupperware, clear clingwrap, aluminum foil, and freezer ziplock baggies. What do I need to do to keep them from getting freezer burn, and how long should they be microwaved for when we want to eat them?

I apologize for all the silly questions, but my mom never taught me this stuff growing up, and now that we don't speak anymore, it's too late to ask. I'm also too embarrassed to ask people at work, so I hope some of you wonderful cooks out there can help me. Thank you!

Well, I've been gone for a while. I didn't feel right calling myself frugal when I was spending money on my wedding and honeymoon. Luckily, since we already live together we asked for honeymoon donations instead of regular gifts, and wow were we shocked! We got over $1800 in donations. People were so generous. Between that, my tax refund, and 2 bonuses at work, our entire honeymoon and wedding was paid back.

Now I'm back though. I am determined to get out of debt and cut up all those darn credit cards once and for all. I owe $6832.65 in credit card debt, all of which has been consolidated to a 0% interest credit card (until April of 2009). I also owe a lot in student loans, but I will target those after I tackle my credit card debt. I have been picking up extra hours at work and am working on getting a promotion which would mean a nice raise. This weekend I have picked up 11.5 extra hours already! DH will be calling the cable company Tuesday and canceling cable, which will save us a lot! We are also going to be relying on the public bus system around here instead of driving, as the bus here is free for everyone. Now, if I can just learn how to cook and get our food costs down, I will be doing great!