Grocery Budget

I've been trying to figure out how to budget for my new apartment and the things I need to buy for it--and me.  Like I said before, the nice thing about living alone is that you can really control your circumstances, even to the point of being a bit crazy.  To that end, one of my big plans is to really rein in grocery spending.  I'm going to spend the summer at the Farmer's Market and the winter crockpotting--it's going to be awesome!

But I started thinking about it, and I don't even know what a reasonable amount of money per month is to spend on groceries.  BF and I were spending $300+ each month, which always seemed really high to me, but maybe that's just typical for two people?

Thankfully, I found this awesome chart from the USDA that breaks down what a person or family should roughly be spending on food.

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2013/CostofFoodApr2013.pdf

That's obviously a little small, but click the link to see the full chart.  Man, I just love charts.  This is the part I'm most concerned with though:

As a female in the 19-50 age bracket, I can expect to spend ~$163 per month on food, if I'm on the thrifty plan.  That actually sounds really high to me, but that's going to be my grocery goal for living alone--at least to start.

I'm lucky in that I don't like meat and therefore don't eat it, I like lentils and most of the food that I actually want to eat is pretty cheap.  Hopefully I don't develop a taste for truffles in the coming months (yummy truffles), and I'm also planning on buying less food overall, and hopefully wasting less too.

Wish me luck!

Blogathon Link Love

Even though a lot of the people I'm link loving are not actually participating in the blogathon, I still like the posts they wrote.

--Mad props to Newlyweds on a Budget for kicking their house down payment savings goal's ass!  In two months, they have saved $7000 AND still done fun things.  Inspiring.

--Sarah Houghton aka The Librarian in Black, was just diagnosed with cervical cancer at age 36.  Thankfully, they caught it early, doctors are optimistic she will make a full recovery.  In the interest of people knowing more about this--just sharing information like we librarians do, she will be live tweeting her surgery on Thursday afternoon (Pacific Time).  I've long admired Sarah for her passion for her profession, her tech-savvy and her willingness to just put herself out there.  May she live forever!

--There's a new Sarah Dessen book!!  I've been waiting for this for months!  Perfect reading for this weekend of crappy weather.  Forever YA, the best review site for teen books, was spot on when they said the cover looks like a tampon ad, but I'm still super pumped.

Yup, sure does

 --I love the Non-Consumer Advocate's post The Catharsis of Decluttering.  Even though I de-cluttered aggressively before moving, I'm still finding myself looking at some of this stuff that I own and thinking why did I buy that?  Why did I keep that? However, I hope with some attractive organization, I'll be able to find a place for everything.

--June 5th was National Running Day, and, sadly, a day that I did not go for a run, but I celebrated from my chair.  Another way to celebrate this day, besides going for a run, is to say why you run (if you run).  I run because:  It's fun (usually), it makes me feel badass, it's cheap (minus getting addicted to running gear), you can do it anywhere (mostly), it's a great way to clear your head and organize your thoughts, I could go on...

--Strangely, there has been a lot of debate lately in the field of librarianship about professional dress.  Librarians often do not dress well--sensible shoes and cardigans are a staple, but I will defend cardigans to my very end!  About half the libraries I've worked in, including my present position, do not have a dress code, which can be awesome, but also a disaster.  Anyway, this is a big topic, and I think Elizabeth at Life, Love and Librarianship handled it quite well.

--One Smart Dollar sings the praises of biking to work!  We all know that driving less saves you money, but biking more regularly has far more benefit than just that.


What blogs are you loving this week?  Add the link in the comments!

Things I'm Happy About Right Now

New Running Route
Even though I live a mere five blocks from where I used to live, I'm off of a different major artery road.  So, I went exploring in my new neighborhood the other day, and it was lovely.  Unfortunately, it's a bit more hilly than my old route, but once I get used to living on the 3rd floor, that will be a piece of cake.  I've been in a running, not rut, but more routine, and it's nice to shake things up a bit.  It's also nice that I have that Garmin now, and I don't have to pre-map my run, I can just get outside and go!

Clean Apartment
Is there anything better than a clean apartment that you didn't actually have to clean?  Yes, my closet is a bit of a disaster zone and there are still more boxes lying around than I would like, but everything is currently clean and organized which makes me feel like such a grownup.  Of course, as it always does, the clutter will accumulate as will the piles of cat hair, but right now, my new digs are a shining beacon of minimalism and I love it!

Eating From the Pantry
I'm still in eat from the pantry mode and though I bought a few groceries, I'm determined not to go overboard. It really is a lot easier just buying for one, and since I've been doing a frequent inventory over the past month, I know pretty much exactly what I have.  Now I just need to remember to bring over my cutting board from the old apartment so I can finally cut up that cucumber.

Found Treasure?
BF and I went to the coinstar the other day to unload some change.  While it's always exciting to take a bag of coins and walk away with a $30 Amazon gift certificate, this particular trip was even more exciting that usual.  Next to the coinstar machine was a wheelchair that the grocery store owns, and on that wheelchair were three coinstar gift certificates for the grocery store.  I have no idea if they still have money on them, but I assume that the store would keep them if they were all cashed in? Right?  So, next time I buy groceries, I'll test them out and see if I actually found treasure, or just some litter.

Clingy Kitty
Wee Watson is adapting to the move pretty well, but he has still been rather clingy like he always gets when something changes rather radically.  He has been cuddling me in an aggressive manner lately, and I just love it.  Usually in the summer, he is rather aloof, but not lately.  Of course, he has been shedding buckets, so I look like a much more stereotypical librarian, but what can you do.

Checking out the new (clean) digs

Oh, The Internet

I've talked before about how I don't have a smart phone because I like to be disconnected every now and then.  Well, with my recent move, I've been far more disconnected than I wanted or intended.  Since BF was paying for the internet at our old place, I haven't really had to think about it for four years.  Prior to moving, I shopped around for the best broadband provider, since some things have changed since I last internetted.  Then I just went with what I knew, and scheduled an installation for Thursday June 6th before work.

I spent the weekend moving, and then Monday and Tuesday at a conference, so I figured I'd really only have one night of no internet, since I had to be back to work Wednesday morning and could catch up on my correspondence then.  Of course, to have no home internet in the middle of a blogathon is a bit of an inconvenience, but I am resourceful!

Except.

I waited around Thursday morning, and the internet never came.  Then I checked my email and saw that they had sent me a message saying my installation was on hold and would be cancelled.

Let me repeat that: The company coming to install my internet sent me an email telling me that they weren't coming.  Ummmm, I realize that a lot of people have smart phones, but are we just assuming everyone has access to email all the time?!

So I had to get on the phone, explain the ludicrous situation, tell them that I'm aware of how this all works so I don't need to be there, and they assured me that the would come this morning.  While I was sitting at my desk, I saw a man from the internet company climbing a pole across the street.  He did his thing, whatever that was, and I still don't have internet.  Maybe he wasn't there for me.

Once of the good things about this situation, going back to the Work Perks that I was talking up the other day, my library circulates Wireless hotspots, which are little 4G devices that you plug into your computer and then hop on the wireless signal that it emits.  I told our tech guy about my predicament, and he was so horrified that he immediately lent me one for as long as I need it.  So I can still get online (otherwise it would be a very long weekend), but I still can't understand what's wrong with the people who are supposed to be taking my money in exchange for a service.

Oldies but Goodies

It has its own carrying case!

A while back, I realized that I've had my comb since I was about 14 years old.  That blew my mind a little bit, but also made me incredibly happy.  Recently, I've noticed other things around my house that work perfectly well and that I like, but some are actually older than me.

Wallet
I bought my wallet at The Limited when I was in college.  It cost about $12 and was the smallest wallet I could find.  Apparently this was the time I began flirting with minimalism, or else I just had so much other crap in my bag I wanted to keep my wallet small.  Either way, I've had this thing for ~12 years, and I have no intention of getting rid of it.  Every now and then I think I should get a new wallet, but then I remember that I like the one I have, it's small enough to fit in my purse's cell phone pocket, and it still looks great!

Hand Mixer
My hand mixer is actually a hand-me-down from my mother and is older than me.  She bought a new one years ago and insisted that I take this one.  At first I was confused since I had previously never needed a hand mixer and couldn't think of a reason I would start, but then I learned to make mashed potatoes, and it's been true love ever since. This mixer is still powerful and has twirled its way through countless recipes in the ~10 years I've had it.  Built to last.

Sewing Machine
This is another hand-me down, but from my grandmother! My mother inherited it from grandma when she died and this is the sewing machine that grandma used to make countless projects over the years--including my baby blanket.  My mother was never very good at sewing, so she passed the machine onto me when I was in high school and I've had it ever since.  This thing is a tank, but it still works perfectly.  Maybe if I was a more adventurous sewer I would want to upgrade to a newer model, but for hemming pants and miscellaneous mending several times a year, I'll stick with Old Faithful.

Towel Set
I was in yoga the other day, and I realized that I was laying on a towel I had received as a High School graduation gift. I took the towel with me to my dorm, my first apartment and my move to Rhode Island.  It's not even that great of a towel, but it works perfectly well for hot yoga and I intend to keep it until it's completely threadbare and shredded--then I'll turn it into rags.

What do you have that you've had for years?  Do you have any items that you use that are older than you are?

Best Free Apps!

The following is a guest post from my good friend Stephanie, who blogs (just starting out!) at Backbends and Bookends.  Since I'm still in the land of the dumb phone users, I couldn't do the Blogathon Theme Day #1, so Steph took it on for me!

Just a few of my favorite FREE apps....

Before I start, I have to make note that I don’t play a lot of games on my phone and I delete an app that has just sat on my phone unused for a month.  I don’t like clutter - even the app kind.  Here are a few that have survived the ax:  

Overdrive

I can always have an ebook and audiobook on my phone.  Sweet.  I have become increasingly happy with Overdrive, especially after having issues with playaways randomly stopping on me and the tediousness of putting every disc of an audiobook on the computer to put on my phone (c’mon, everyone does it....).  It’s quick, easy and I never get caught bookless.

Zinio

Recent add to my phone after hubby’s library acquired Zinio.  With Zinio, you peruse through various magazines, add them to your account and get them added to your phone with every new issue.  Then you download them and enjoy.  It can be a little tricky reading an article on the phone, but Zinio has a handy “text-only” button that simply puts the article into text so you don’t have to worry about zoom in and sliding all over the place to read it.  You can purchase magazines as well, but I’ve been very happy with the selections the library has.  If your library doesn’t offer this service I would strongly encourage you to suggest it!

Duolingo

For years I have been wanting to brush up on my Spanish skills.  I stumbled across Duolingo and have enjoyed working through the levels and skill sets.   You get a variety of exercise types - listening, speaking, vocabulary, spelling and translating.  The vocabulary and activities is appropriate and the graphics are cute.

American Red Cross

I was taking my CPR/First Aid Certification class earlier this week, and the instructor suggested checking out their apps.  I downloaded the First Aid app and was surprised about how much information was in it.  It has basically every lesson as well as information on preparing for countless disasters and finding shelters and more.  They also have a separate earthquake, tornado, hurricane and shelter app and said they are working on more.  

Untapped
This is actually my husbands favorite app and is a lot of fun if you and your friends enjoy beer.  You get a status symbol based upon how many unique beers you drink and compete with friends to see who can drink more unique label beers.  He and his friends are very competitive and enjoy discovering new unique IPA’s and the like.  

Work Perks

Almost every job comes with some kind of non-monetary incentive.  This may be something that the employer uses to woo and keep employees like free or discounted coffee at Starbucks (if you work there), an on-site gym, partnership deals with local businesses that get you a discount, etc.  Over the course of my work life, I've gotten some pretty sweet perks--even when the job was lousy.

When I worked in television--a job with the one-two punch of both lousy pay AND terrible hours, the station I worked for established an ad trade with a local women's-only gym so all employees who wanted it, could have a 1/2 price membership (there was another gym for the guys).  The took the money right out of our paychecks, and we didn't even have to think about it.

The university where I still work occasionally has tons of perks.  There's a faculty/staff dining hall that is swanky, has awesome food and is incredibly cheap.  All employees who want can have free tickets to concerts and theatre events on campus--I got eight free tickets to Carolina Chocolate Drops a few years back, tickets that retailed at $20 each.  All employees has access to the incredibly nice gym on campus, if you don't mind working out next to super fit 18-year-olds.

I worked at a coffee shop for years where we got all the free coffee and beverages we could consume.

My current job at the library means that I get first crack at some of the hot new items, I don't have to pay late fines and I can totally ignore the usual 25 hold limit (it's pretty sweet).

I have to say, possibly my favorite work perk of all time is the lost and found.

Since I've been in libraries for a long time, I've become numbed to all of the valuable things that people just lose and then never bother to look for.  Things like glasses, car keys (how do you get home!?!?), flashdrives, a single mitten--this stuff is not particularly exciting, but every now and then you strike gold.

Recently, I've had a bit of luck with the lost and found at work.  Someone dropped a Sephora gift card and then never claimed it.  We obviously hang onto things for quite a while, but after a reasonable amount of time has passed, you know no one is coming back for it.  I took the gift card, worth $27, and sold it to a friend for $20.  Recently people have been leaving a lot of bracelets.  There's a Rhode Island company called Alex + Ani, and they make bangle charm bracelets that people go nuts for.  Personally, I don't get the appeal, but people pay almost $30 for a single bangle, and then proceed to fill up their arms.  Perhaps it is because their arms are so full that people keep losing them in the library because I've gotten four so far.  One had a co-worker's initial on it, so she took it, the other three I sold on craigslist for $15 each.

A while back, a friend went through her work's lost and found and uncovered a pile of Dave and Buster's Power Cards.  We took them, and had a lovely afternoon playing skee ball.

So perhaps the Lost & Found isn't a traditional work perk, but  I have had some seriously good luck over the years.  I've also thrown away a lot of crap too, don't get me wrong, but every now and then you find something good.  The thrill of the hunt!

So What Did I Save?

Articles always tell you that you can save something like $500 a year by doing things like making coffee at home instead of buying it, but who really tracks that?  I mean, money saved isn't really income, so unless you take that amount and consciously do something with it, you don't really notice.  For the month of May, I decided to take a look at where and how much I saved, and it's kind of an interesting list.  I'm not going to do anything with this info, besides feel a little bit smug, but it's a nice reminder of all those little tweaks that net real savings.

Yoga:
The yoga studio I go to is rather expensive and I would never be able to afford it normally.  The best priced package is $100/month, and since I often only go once a week, that would just not be worth it.  I used to buy a 20 class card for $250, which is a lot of cash to pony up at once, even if it is the best value.  What they also do, however, is a scholarship program for those who love the yoga but can't quite afford it, and a work trade program.  I'm a part of the work trade program, which means that after my 10am Monday class, I stay late and clean the studio.  For the cost of 30 minutes spent vacuuming, washing towels and swiffering, I get unlimited free yoga.
Savings: $100

Eating from the Pantry:
Since we're moving, we have barely bought groceries for the month of May.  Instead, I've been concentrating on only eating food we already have because that's less to move.  Yes, I've had some strange meals this month-- frozen pizza with baked beans comes to mind, but I don't really care.  It's all food I like, after all, or I wouldn't have bought it.  I've uncovered foods tucked away in the deep freeze that I forgot I ever bought, and I'm rather proud of my ingenuity.  This is something that I try to do (or at least think about trying to do) a couple times a year, but I always kind of stall out at the beginning of the project and don't make much headway.  This time, I kept telling myself that it made no sense to buy more stuff just to move it twice.  As a result, the only bread we've had in the house for the past two weeks has been pita bread or English muffins, and I've learned that you can just put EVERYTHING on an English muffin and life goes on just fine.

Savings: $200

Pizza Groupon
In addition to eating from the pantry, I have been subbing in the occasional takeout pizza because, let's face it, sometimes a bag of frozen veg with a side of baked beans and  Trader Joe's frozen dumplings just doesn't sound appealing.  What's better than takeout pizza?  Abundant takeout pizza subsidized by a groupon.  I bought two groupons for $15 each that redeem for $30.  The place I bought them from makes huge pizzas, so we got two days of leftovers out of it.

Savings $30

Dinner Coupon 
Similarly, the other night we wanted to get out of the house and eat somewhere moderately fancy.I dug into my coupon caddy and came up with a gift certificate for $50 that I only paid $25 for.  We were able to have a nice dinner for far less than we normally would have paid.

Savings $25

Biking
the weather lately has been perfect for biking.  It's been a bit cold for actually doing stuff outdoors, but I prefer it chilly when I'm pedaling, so I biked a lot this month.  It got to the point, after a while, where I was actually resentful of the days I needed to drive.  I love my bike.

Savings: ~$10

Can Redemption
Massachusetts gives you back $.05 for cans and bottles.  We had a ton of cans in the basement because we're lazy about cashing them in, but since we need to get rid of them anyway, I sucked it up and made the trip.  Four bags of cans equals $18 toward the purchase of delicious beer that I would have bought anyway.
Savings $18

Car Insurance
I always pay my car insurance in six-month chunks, which saves me $51 off the price of the policy.  I also reduced my premium amount owed by $53 by using that Big Brother device that monitored my driving habits, and I dropped my coverage to liability only since my car is pretty old and not worth much anymore.  I still think the amount I pay is too high, but at least I'm saving $106 every time I renew, and it's about time I started shopping around for a new provider.
Savings $106

Total Savings $489

Not bad!  Of course, I have to turn around and give that money right to the government in the form of  student loan payment, but better than blowing it all on hats!  What other areas of savings have people found?  I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking, but it never, ever hurts to ask.

May Bonus Money

May was an expensive month, and, unfortunately June will be too.  In May, I had to put down the security deposit on my new apartment, and in June I have to pay rent on two places *fist shake*.

However, somehow the universe managed to align itself in such a way that I actually almost broke even on my extra expenses for May.  I don't normally track bonus money like some other bloggers do, because I really don't make that much, but for an expensive month, it's nice to take a look at all the little extras that (thankfully) added up.

Bonus one: Selling Stuff

Since I'm cleaning out my closet and packing things, I'm also doing a lot of purging.  In the month of May, I managed to sell my rowing machine, treadmill, a purse, several bracelets and a gift card netting me a cool $250.  Unfortunately, in the case of the treadmill, rower and purse, I sold them for what I paid for them, so it was really a breakeven, but I'm still looking at it as a positive!  Especially since the purse was barely used, and I had been planning to just drop it off at the thrift store.  Now my friend Danie is carrying it around and posted this update on my fb page: "I have my whole day (extra shoes and file folders) in this bag. And it's not bursting at the seams. It's perfect for me. That is all."

I am bumming hard about my beloved treadmill though, but at least I know that my friend's mom is using and enjoying it.

Bonus two: Blog Income
I barely make any money on this blog, which is fine because I don't do it for money, I do it for love!  However, it is nice to make a little extra every now and then because that's the money I put in my travel fund.  For the month of May, I made a cool $40, which is a happy little treat for me.

Bonus three: Extra Shifts
At one of my jobs, one of the regular staff quit and someone went on vacation, so I was able to pick up three extra shifts for the month.  Two of them were Sunday shifts, which were time-and-a-half, and one was a Tuesday where I took a vacation day from my regular job (I had more days than would carry over at the end of the fiscal year), so I got double paid! It kind of sucks, because this money is all going toward car insurance and not something fun, but at least I don't have to worry about where I'm going to get the car insurance money.  Extra shifts means about en extra $300.

Bonus four: Extra Paycheck
May and November are three paycheck months.  Obviously this isn't really bonus money, since it's just a paycheck at the end of a two-week period, but it actually is extra awesome because when we get three paychecks, they take less out of the third one!  My health and dental insurance come out of my first paycheck of the month, my 401k and union dues come out of the second.  Since those are already taken out, we get more take-home pay in the magical third check something to the tune of an extra $100.

All totaled for the month of May, my bonus money was $690, which is not quite enough to cover the security deposit, but quite a lovely chunk of change nonetheless.  Huzzah for bonus money!

Schedule of Events!

It's day one of the blogathon, and as you read this, I'm likely moving boxes into my new apartment and cursing stairs.  So, unfortunately, this entry is a bit of a cop-out, but also a chance to tell you, gentle reader, what to expect in the next month.  During the month of the blogathon, there are theme days every now and then, some of them are fun, others are a bit ridiculous (remember my personal finance haiku?)  There are a lot of things going on over the month, and you can see the full list here, but I mostly focus on the theme days.

June 5 - Theme Day #1. Participants are encouraged to write on the same theme: My 5 favorite apps. The post could be about apps you use for writing — or keeping yourself away from distractions while writing — smartphone apps, or plugins or widgets that you use to run your blog. Don’t use apps? Find out about some that you’d be interested in trying and write about them, or ask friends for their recommendations.  Theme days don’t fit into everyone’s blogs, so it’s up to you whether or not you play along.

---I will not be participating in this theme day because I do not have a smart phone or iPad and am app-less!  If someone wants to contribute a guest post on this theme, that would rock!

June 17 - Theme Post Day #2. We’re trying something new for the second theme day — asking everyone to record and post a video. More and more video content is being posted on YouTube, websites and blogs — why get left behind? Don’t worry if you haven’t ever done a video blog post before. I’ll be sharing tips in a post on June 6 so you’ll have plenty of time to prepare. And remember, you don’t have to participate in theme days if it doesn’t fit your blog or comfort level.

--Hmm, another one I will not participating in.  Since I work with the public, and have had far too many creepy men express an inappropriate level of interest in me over the years, I do not put my face on the internet.  Also, I hate to be photographed, always have.

June 24 - Haiku Day. A day devoted to writing a three-line poem — who knew this simple throwback to grade-school English class could be so popular? Yet in the two years since we added it, it’s become one of the highlights of the month. Pick the topic of your choice and write about it in this Japanese poem form. Find out more about it on this how to write haiku page and read these haiku examples from a previous blogathon.

--I'm actually looking forward to this one!  Strangely, my  haiku post from two years ago was my most-read post up until I wrote about How to Do a Juice Fast Without Spending $150 on a Juicer.

June 30 – Word Cloud Day. Use Wordle or another word cloud tool to turn your words into a picture. If you’re not sure what a word cloud is or how to create one, read these instructions. Then go relax, your blogging work for the day — and month — is done. Participants who posted all 30 days will be able to collect an “I did it!” badge to display on their blogs. Watch for details on the WordCount Facebook page.

--Always a fun time.  Man, I can spend hours playing with wordle--it's nice to have an excuse!

What are you most looking forward to for the blogathon?