Crystal Groves

• $29.09 at the grocery store by purchasing what is on sale with my bonus savings card
• $15.22 in coupons from Coupon Clippers website.
• $39.70 at the grocery store by purchasing what is on sale with my bonus savings card
• $24.02 in coupons from Coupon Clippers website.
• $43.99 rebate from my credit card, I guess just from usage. Was a nice surprise!
• $50(ish) by using my “Better World Club” (eco-friendly version of AAA) to tow dads truck to a garage after it broke down. I already had the service since I’m on the road so much. I don’t know how much tow companies usually charge for towing, but its nice to know that I could use this service to tow for free anywhere up to 100 miles

Total Saved: $202.02

I’d like to note that for the last two months I’ve been using this site called Coupon Clippers to purchase coupons on products I already use. For about $5 for a decent chunk of coupons + shipping/handling, I’ve already saved almost $30 off my groceries. That doesn’t count the savings I already get by buying what is on sale. So the purchase of the coupons has already paid for itself 6 times. I find that insanely awesome, and am only disappointed that I did not discover the website sooner. Heck I even have some “buy one get one free” coupons off of there. Of stuff I already buy. That simply means FREE FOOD, people.

I love saving money.

I didn’t used to worry about it so much, but being so hard on myself paying back debt, it’s become a necessity. Not one I was all that thrilled about originally, but once you start seeing the “amounts” of your savings, it starts to become a whole other addiction.

Just now I had to make a necessary purchase that would have cost me about $70. I decided to look up any coupons or promotional codes for this site (I usually use retailmenot.com), and low and behold a coupon that brought my total (with shipping) down to $51. Just a quick search saved me that much money.

I’ve also started paying attention to my grocery store weekly circulars too. My grocery lists are based off of what is on sale (I love taking advantage of 10 for $10 deals), and I try to stick to those sale items. I also started printing out coupons from coupons.com for things I know I can/would use. In addition to that, I have a bonus/discount card for the grocery store that most of them offer these days.

Because of all three of those things, on average I save about $60 a shopping trip, sometimes more.

In addition to that, for every $100 I spend at the grocery store every 2 months or so, I get 10 cents off per gallon of gas. Last month when I was at the grocery store on the last day for that period’s “promotional gas discount”, the woman in the checkout line in front of me asked if I wanted her points cause she wasn’t going to get gas. I said sure, so I let her use my bonus card. With her groceries and my groceries combined with what I had spent lately, I had 60 cents per gallon of gas off that day.

And it’s really not hard finding these discounts. Any time you want to buy something online, just google for a coupon for that website and see if there is anything you can use. Any places you shop regularly such as grocery stores or certain gas stations, see if they have a savings card you can use to save money. If you start tracking these savings, you’ll be amazed at how much you can really save. Yes I know there are some women who can get $200 worth of items for $10, but I don’t know that I have that amount of time to spare. What I do now is pretty good on its own, as well as quick and easy.

Maybe I should start doing monthly posts on savings. Course I don’t shop much so they’d be fairly few in-between, but a yearly total would be interesting to see, you think?

My best friend made me very proud of her last month. I admire her very much. She’s completed something that even I can’t do right now.

Her husband just lost his job a month ago, which I thought would be devastating to their finances. But apparently they live sooo much below their means, that they still have almost a grand extra every month on just her salary. Talk about willpower and awesomness.

It’s something I plan to achieve eventually, living the way I do now and staying that way even if the sweetheart and I move in together with his extra salary. My biggest goal was always to live off of one salary and save the rest. And my friend has already done so.

Of course I’m going to bring up the topic of gaming during a recession, and not just to give props to my own game, I swear!

Granted, gaming is probably one of the cheapest hobbies out there, depending on the type of game. Spending thousands of dollars on Magic cards……not so much. But there are ways to game for absolutely free.

1. Existing Games. If you’re the RPG type like I used to be during my WW days, and you already have gaming books, it’d be a lot of fun to start up a game with friends and family and have a potluck meal.

If you’ve already sold all of your gaming books (like I’m planning to do), then there are supplements online with the basic rules for reference that you can access for free.

In addition to table-top gaming, emulate some old school games. I started playing some NES Dragon Warrior a while back on my computer just for old-school kicks. Free, accessible, and easy.

And don’t forget pulling out some old consoles and playing some of your old games. I’m tempted to break out my SNES any day now and play some Zelda.

2. Free Games. I knew a person once that blogged about how they were at risk of getting thrown out of their house and couldn’t afford food, but they had a WoW subscription. You’ve got to be kidding me. There are a lot of free games out there, or even games that have just a one time fee, rather than a subscription (Counter Strike: Source comes to mind, which I love).

But for those that like the MMORPG feel, you should check out MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons). Think of them as a text-based WoW, where you interact with players from around the world to build up your character in strength or level. You can involve yourself in all kinds of fun like taking over cities and towns, interacting with DemiGods, warring with other countries or races.

You have all of the perks of games like WoW and EverQuest and Star Wars Galaxies, but just without the graphics, and best of all FREE. There are some MUDs that will charge to play, but 90% of the MUD’s out there are completely free to play.

MUDs are a pretty old-school method of gaming from the late 70′s and early 80′s, but it’s stuck around for it’s versatility and being so economical. You can download free MUD clients to access any MUD, so there’s literally no fee to play and immerse yourself. And a bonus to playing a MUD is it will help improve your typing skills, as well as your spelling and grammar

My particular MUD that I run, Advent of the Mists is one of those MUDs. It’s based in a medieval fantasy world I created myself, but there are sci-fi, cyberpunk, and even White Wolf themed MUDs out there as well. You can browse through a hefty database of MUDs over at The MUD Connector.

If you’re interested in trying out a MUD, but don’t know where to start, feel free to leave me a comment

My friend Melissa mentioned in my post about ways I saved money in the last 2 years, that it’d be nice to have some totals. I had been keeping track of how much extra money I saved or found around the house in 2008 for the last several months, so that I could make this post. Essentially any extra money I earned, found, or was given, as well as anything I haggled a discounted price for only in 2008 is listed below.

Dads Prescription Eyeglasses: Normally $250, My cost $84, savings of $166

Hosting for my journal: was $48/quarter, my new Cost is $118 every 2 years, saving $33 a quarter giving me a savings of $132 a year for two years (so technically $264?)

Hosting for my MUD: was $48/quarter, my new Cost is $118 every 2 years, saving $33 a quarter giving me a savings of $132 a year for two years (so technically $264?)

Hosting for the Grove Website: was $48/quarter, my new Cost is $118 every 2 years, saving $33 a quarter giving me a savings of $132 a year for two years (so technically $264?)

Car Loan: was $323.96/month, my cost after refinancing is $246/month, savings of $77/month (or $924/year)
Also 11.95% to 10.79% interest rate

Bronco Tag Renewal: $180/bi-yearly, switched to Historic tags so it’s now $79/bi-yearly, Savings of $101
I also did this for my dads F-150, so his total is $101 as well.
No more emissions fee ($14 per test) adds another savings of $28 to the pile.

$176 in change around the house

$600 stimulus check, which I guess doesn’t really count, but it was extra money in 2008.

$1900 back in taxes, which I put most towards the principle of the mustang

Switched from chemical hair dye ($100 every quarter) to all natural hair dye ($40 every quarter) for a total of $240/year saved.

Donated $86 to CLG of my unused unwanted items to auction off to support my church

Donated $260 worth of books to CLG to auction off and support my church

Phone Bill (Verizon): was $65/month, My Cost (Comcast Triple Play VOIP) is $36/month,
$350-400/year savings.

I called up Comcast and asked for a reduction in prize on a whim, I went from $114/month to $79/month for a total savings of $420/year.

Since February I’ve saved up a little money each month into a new Savings account I had created just for my Car Insurance. By paying the 6 month premium in advance twice a year, I’ll be saving $391/year.

Cut the holiday budget in half by $300.

Went to an old farm for a Christmas Tree, saving at least $30.

Made $14.02 in Zazzle sales for the MUD.

My players donated $270 in 2008 towards MUD hosting costs which obviously saved me $270 worth of mud hosting costs. They must really love to play the game, because I never ask for donations

Got $40 worth of ING referrals.

We were gifted all of the materials for our new chimney, saving us at least $200.

Got a discount from my grandfather for a storage trailer for a savings of $80

My bank accounts have earned $186.87 in interest.

Items sold online:
Malachite Earrings on Etsy: $5
Peridot and Silver Ring on Etsy: $20
Rose Quartz Pendant on Etsy: $20
Complete Xena Seasons on Ebay: $110
Frontline for 11-22lb Dogs on Ebay: $20
Rainbow Opal Ring on Etsy: $20
Suede Journal: $23
Scarab Earrings and Pendant: $21
Native American Choker: $20
Total: $259

Grand Total of Items I had laying around the house (of which I have plenty more to sell!):
79 Ford F-150: $500
Jewelry: $259
Grove Donations: $346
Loose Change: $176
Total: $1281

Grand total of money saved and items sold: $8590.89 saved in 2008

Schwans Food – In our area we have what is called Schwans Food Delivery service. It’s actually rather expensive food delivery of specialty foods. They’d come about every 2 weeks, and we’d spend about $40 each time, for a total of $80/month on only a few packages. I decided to give this up and just stick to regular groceries only, and haven’t missed it since. In total, I spent over $3,000 in my lifetime as a Schwans Customer. Savings: $960/year.

Phone – In June of 2008 I got rid of our phone service with Verizon and switched to Comcast’s VoIP service. When I was with Verizon, our bill was like $60-$80/month. Comcast charged $33/month. Savings: over $400/year..

I’m still considering getting rid of the land line entirely, but dad wants to keep it, so we still have it for now.

Car Insurance Premium – I used to pay my car insurance premium monthly at about $120/month give or take. Eventually I decided I would start saving up a little at a time in my savings account until I had 6 months worth saved up so I could start paying 6 months at a time and get a discount. I was able to complete that in August 2008, so now I only put $96/month away. Savings: $300/year.

Holidays – I did a couple things to make the holidays easier on my wallet. For one I don’t buy wrapping paper anymore, but instead use either plain gray paper that comes in packages I might receive, or newspaper. I’ve even used paper grocery bags or excess fabric I’ve had laying around the house in the past. But in addition to these, I’ve started a Christmas fund, which has been a lifesaver since I started it in 2006. Each month I’ll sock away enough money each pay period to equal the amount of money I want to save for that holiday. In 2006 I put away $25/paycheck, or $50/month away and had $600 to spend come Christmas. In 2007 I increased my payments to $40/paycheck, which will equal $960 towards the end of 2009. I wasn’t able to save up as much in 2008 due to the housing situation, but I kept the $40/paycheck anyway.

Now I don’t have to fret about holiday money anymore. One thing to keep in mind that I forgot initially was to calculate christmas dinner costs as well as decoration (tree) costs in my total as well, so I made sure they were covered.

Banking – I used to get overdraft fees, just like everyone else. Not anymore due to keeping track of my transactions very closely, but I used to get them. Eventually I switched to an ING account, which gives you an automatic credit line on your account to prevent any Overdraft Fees at all. Instead they charge you a small interest on the money they lend you. Generally if I’ve gone over, I’d have like $.13 cents interest owed to ING, but then I’d earn a couple bucks back in interest for my balance. So the savings for this are amazing.

I can’t really put a number on it, but lets say the average person makes an overdraft charge of $35 on their account, 6 months out of the year, that’s $210 savings.

My father would benefit greatly from this, but switching to an online bank would be very inconvenient for him and I don’t -think- there are any brick and mortar banks that offer this. I know some offer an overdraft protection account if you have a savings, because they pull the money directly from your savings to cover it. However those transactions cost $10 a piece, so while cheaper, they still add up.

Postage – I don’t do much letter writing, except to an old friend of mine in prison. Everything else is usually bills. Since ING sends my checks out to me for free, I don’t have to pay for postage or envelops, they take care of it all. I can’t recollect the savings here either because dad is usually the one that goes out to buy stamps, but I imagine it’s fairly significant

Food – In 2007, I worked our grocery budget so that my father and I only had to spend $200/month on groceries for the two of us. Sometimes we go over a little bit, but in general we stick to $100 every two weeks. I don’t know what we used to spend before that, but I’m fairly certain in was possibly 50% more. I suspect when our garden comes in this summer, the grocery bill may go down even more. I will have to keep track just to see the difference. And that’s the thing, keeping track of your finances really lets you know what the difference is, that’s why it’s so important.

In addition to this, I stopped eating out as much if at all. In fact, my co-workers can vouch that I don’t hardly ever go to lunch with any of them, so they stopped inviting me I always pack a lunch because it’s easy to get into the habit of spending $10/day or $50/week or $200/month on eating out. Usually what I do is cook a big meal on Sunday evening and then put it into ziploc bags or containers in the freezer. The night before I need it, I take out a bag and put it in the fridge to start thawing out, and then bring it with me to work the next day. Crock-pots are also wonderful for this because I can cook while I’m at work and come home and my lunch is all ready for me. Talk about cheap eats and time savers.

Clutter – This isn’t an expense I’ve gotten rid of in the traditional sense, but clutter is still an expense non-the-less. All of the unused items you keep around your home are all money that’s just wasting away. It’s just sitting there collecting dust, not being useful, not even really being appreciated. I went through all of my old jewelry, belongings, etc., and though I still have much to sell, I’ve been selling off this “extra money” that’s been laying around the house. I’ve sold shoes, I’ve sold frontline for pets I don’t have anymore, I’ve sold old VHS tapes, I’ve even sold two trucks that were broken down and not doing me a lick of good. That money can then go back into my life, my bills, or any debt to raise my quality of life, rather than dragging me down with cluttered energy. You just feel better when you have more space.

The same goes for loose change. I collected over $175 in loose change around our house last year, and gave it to my father as a gift.

Haircare – I used to spend between $90 and $120 on dying my hair every 3 months when I was blonde. In August 2005 I decided to stop and let my hair grow out to its natural color, which apparently is a dark dark brown, near black. This would save my wallet as well as stop putting chemicals on my head where my BRAIN is. As far as my natural color, I loved the color, but I also wanted some highlights as well as hide any of my…..(obviously) premature grays. So I started using henna as a natural, completely safe, and actually good for your hair, hair-dye. This costs me about $35 every 3 -5 months. Savings: around $300/year

Automotive – Not only did I buy used when I bought my mustang, but I do most of the maintenance myself. It doesn’t take a mechanic to change the oil, check the fluids, rotate tires, change air filters or any of that other junk. I would have saved even more money if I had bought in cash, but I’m saving that experiment for next time. Now I priced brand new mustangs upwards of $29k. I paid $14k for my mustang, with the original warranty still left. Savings: Not counting the interest, this is a savings over $15,000.

Credit Cards – I hardly ever use my credit card, if I don’t have the money then I don’t want to buy it. But I keep them around to help build up my credit. When I initially got them, I had and 18.15% interest rate, and a 28.8% interest rate on my two cards. I called both up and immediately got the 18.15% reduced to 14.5%, and the 28.8% reduced to 16.9%. Just by calling up and asking that they reduce my percentage rates. I will probably do this again later this year when things calm down in the credit world.

Dad’s sugar was really low (34) on Sunday from all of the moving. Fortunately I had 2 beat-up jolly ranchers in my purse for just such an occasion. I’ve bought him some organic hard candy to keep in the house while I’m not there.

I’ve noticed I’m more disoriented in the mornings now because my usual routine is different. I have a bad short-term memory, so morning habitual routines help me to remember to do everything I have to do each day. Now that everything is different and separated, I have a hard time making sure everything is done until I get a new routine situated.

I also need to invest in some lamps. There’s no lighting at all in the office, and I have one light in my bedroom with a switch in the hallway. I’ve already started picking out lamps from Target and making a “housewarming wishlist” at the request of friends and family, which I will post soon.

Otherwise I am getting quite familiar with the house and settling in. I love the living room, and we’ve started hanging up a lot of our old west decor in it (pics will be forthcoming once I’ve fixed my USB issue).

My dad was able to meet one of the neighbors yesterday who came over to meet and greet. It was actually someone he already knew from the country restaurant, so that was a pleasant surprise. Apparently everyone else around is rather old, one woman down the street is 100! I like the idea of living in an older neighborhood because I think they will be more tolerant of our animals and things will be more quiet.

I’ve yet to go explore the woods or the abandoned house next door. I went to the organic market yesterday and didn’t get home till dark, and now that it’s getting darker earlier, my excursions will most likely have to be on weekends.

A woman I spoke to yesterday with the trash company says there is no recycling in the area, which I find hard to believe since I spoke to someone a few weeks ago that said there was. If there isn’t, I suppose that is something I can start being vocal about in the township.

I’m not sure what our next big project will be now that this round of painting is done. I do want to get some white paint to do trim and ceilings around the place, and I do want to start looking into the crown moulding/barn plank moulding I watn to do. Perhaps I will start looking into finishing my bedroom floor, which I will most likely sand by hand (glutton for punishment, that is).

I also plan to start figuring out how to do a lot of these things on the cheap. Painting was fairly cheap for me because I borrowed equipment (roller handles, paint pans etc) from my Aunt and we did everything ourselves. The supplies I did have to buy were rollers, paint, tape, and drop-clothes (which I probably could have done without and used an old blanket or something, but everything was packed). So for under $100 I was able to paint two rooms and have excess for touch-up or additional rooms and/or furniture as needed. I think the dark paint I may use on furniture in the guest room since I plan to eventually paint that more of a sage green.

Maybe I’ll start keeping a tally of these totals so I have a running list of how much I’ve saved updating this house.