Tuesday,February review, and March goals

    

I was very pleased with February as far as my goals were concerned.  I was able to more than achieve them, but in the end was hit with a huge dental bill and other smaller bills that derailed my emergency fund.  It was also the slowest month of the year in the shop so that made it more difficult to not use the savings.  I also had problems with the flu and a little bit of the blues, that always come in the winter, when it is cold and dark.  Over all I am still very pleased with my progress.

     March will be much busier in the shop, so that will take care of many of the financial goals.  My first plan of attack for the month is to get all the bills paid and the emergency fund back.  Then I will work on everything else. It will be dentist, doctor, savings, in that order.  Then I will attack as much as possible the Home/sewer loan I am working on.  So far I am a head of schedule on this as far as pay off is concerned.  So I am feeling very good about the system I am using.  Every time I get a smaller bill paid off, I tell myself, you don't have to do that next month.  Sears is gone and I don't have my Aunt for another year.  I will have the dentist and doctor gone next month. I will have the emergency fund back up.I should have extra money for debt pay off.  All I can really concentrate on right now is paying off that Home/sewer loan.  I just can hardly wait to see the zero balance, I can feel it, I can anticipate it.  So exciting.


     I am trying to do the pantry challenge this month.  Just buying groceries that we will actually need.  Eating down the freezers and the stock items.  We normally spend about $400.00 on groceries and items for the house.  I have been able to cut this back significantly, by not stocking up on loss leaders and just planning meals from what I have here already.

     To night we are having chicken enchiladas.  I have the tortillas, the chicken, the soup, the chilies and the cheese already in stock.  I don't have to buy anything. I have enough salad fixings for two more days. All of the ingredients for the enchiladas I bought at rock bottom prices making a huge pan of these (enough for 2 meals) will cost under $3.50
Tortillas        $2.50 for 24 (save 1/2 for next time)  so $1.25
Cheese          $5.00 large two lb bag shredded will use 1/4 bag  so $1.25
Soup              .50 can on sale
chilies            .34 on sale




    Tomorrow we will have spaghetti, salad and I will make some french bread.  Everything is here.
I made a huge pot of sauce a week or so ago and froze portions.  I used the last of my .99 cent burger, free onions, peppers frozen from garden, my home canned tomatoes and one large can of tomato paste.  Then add pasta of your choice that you pay .49 a lb for on sale.  Make your bread two large loaves for .50, add a salad.

     We can eat like this for a long time without spending very much at the grocery store.  Let me tell you I have seen a real difference in how much money is left over at the end of the month that I can sock toward the debt.  This works my friends, try it!

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
     A well stocked pantry and freezer is a huge savings, for anyone who is willing to cook.


Personally I love to cook, just don't really like the clean up part.  I also love to see what meals I can knock together, with what I have on hand.