5 Frugal Goals for the New Year
Though I'm not a big New Year's Resolution kind of girl, I did post a list of finance-related goals last year. I reported on them pretty regularly for the first half of the year, and then I kind of fell off the wagon with the updates.
So, here's a new list, and hopefully each month I'll manage to write a post about how I'm doing with each of these goals (feel free to nag me about it if I forget!).
1. Eat non-cereal breakfasts 4 days a week
I made quite a bit of progress in reducing our dependence on breakfast cereal over the last year, but I still feel like I could stand to improve in that area. I mostly want to do this for financial reasons (cereal is expensive), although there are some green benefits (cereal does have a fair amount of packaging) and some health benefits (as long as we don't switch to sticky buns 7 days a week! In that case, shredded wheat would be a better choice!).
The difficulty is that most non-cereal breakfasts require a bit more time and effort on my part, so to try to counteract that, I'm going to try to be more intentional about this and do some planning, just like I do with my dinner meals. If I don't think ahead, I'm much more likely to serve cereal than pancakes, but if I plan for pancakes, I think things will go more smoothly (I know I could make them ahead of time, but I really do not prefer reheated pancakes!).
Another difficulty is that some of my kids, especially my oldest, are big cereal fans and not such big pancake, oatmeal, and toast fans. But, the fact that some of them, especially my oldest, are not big fans of spinach and broccoli has not kept me from serving them, so I think that perhaps for four days a week, breakfast will just have to be less of a multiple-choice affair. There are worse things than having a mom who insists on serving homemade bread and granola at breakfast, right??
2. Update Quicken once a week
This goal is a repeat of last year because I was a big fat failure at it (I did pay every single bill on time, and I did record every bit of tax-relevant information, though).
I think I was maybe not specific enough last year, so this year, I am setting a very concrete goal of updating it once a week. And I am going to have my husband help to keep me accountable too.
3. Start saving to pay for a new van in cash.
I know this goal is sadly lacking in specificity, but I'm just not entirely sure at the moment how much we will be able to save each month (I'll figure it out shortly).
I currently drive a Sienna from the year 2000 (we bought it used in 2003), which has just shy of 100,000 miles on it. It's a Toyota, so we are hopeful that we can get another 50-100K miles out of it, but since it takes so long to save up for a vehicle, we thought we should really get started on that now.
Happily, I stay home a grand portion of the time, so it'll take a while for me to put even another 50,000 miles on the van, and that = time to save.
(Obviously at some point we need to save up to replace my husband's vehicle as well, but since mine is way older than his, we're saving to replace mine first. Once that's done, we'll save to replace his).
4. Spend $80/week on groceries whenever possible.
I'm still going to budget for $100 a week, but I'm going to aim for $80. Each month, I think I will pick a different purpose for any extra money, just to keep me motivated...a charity one month, a fun date with my husband one month, and so on.
5. Save up enough money for a new camera body by vacation (in September).
This is arguably the most frivolous goal on my list, seeing as I do have a camera body, and I don't really NEED a new one.
I would really like a new one, though, for the following reasons:
- My current camera body is the entry level SLR model. It is not made to withstand the incessant shooting I do. If I keep up at this current rate, it will give out on me at some point, and I am going to be one sad girl if I don't have the money saved to replace it/fix it (what is life without a camera, anyways?? and how would I blog??).
- I will get better image quality with a better camera body, and I'll get more focus points (the limited focus points on my current body are driving me nuts!). There are a lot of other features that would come with a new camera, but those two are the important ones to me.
- I would love to have a backup camera body, especially when I am doing paid photography, and especially for vacation (thus the September goal!). Being on the beach is bad for a camera, and I'd like to be able to use my old camera body for stuff like that, and keep a newer camera body for less messy shooting.
I haven't decided for sure which camera body I even want (I am vacillating between the 50D and the 7D, for those of you who are interested), but I'll probably need to save up at least $1000.
That's a lot for a frugal person, I know, but to me, being frugal isn't just about saving every single penny possible. It's about spending your resources in way that reflects your priorities. Photography is something that brings me a lot of joy, so for me, it's a worthy savings goal. And, because I earn money with my camera, I can deduct the expense from my self-employment taxes.
However, because this is a want and not a need, I'm not going to take money out of our regular budget to save for this. I'll use what we call "fun money" for it, which is money that I get as gifts or that I earn on the side when I do things like photography or playing for weddings/funerals.
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So, there's my list. I'll be back at the beginning of February with an update on my progress!
photo by faeryboots
Here's a great site with detailed steps on how to achieve success with your New Year's Resolutions
The Definitive Guide to Sticking to Your New Year's Resolutions
http://zenhabits.net/2009/12/the-definitive-guide-to-sticking-to-your-new-years-resolutions/
As for Quicken, I started using the online version recently and it's been very beneficial and free, I'd recommend it. I especially love how you can put in your regular bills and you get a view of your bank balance for up to a month in the future.
I think all those goals are good, obtainable ones 🙂
I wish The Boy would be more inclined to eat cereal more frequently, I have a heck of a time during the week getting him breakfast (I know, at 17, he is self sufficient, but it's the mother in me that needs to be sure he eats breakfast) ... his theory is cereal is not meal quality food, got a point 🙂
A quick question if you have the time...
We are just getting ready to buy our first (not high-end) digital SLR with saved fun money and Christmas money and are a bit overwhelmed by the choices out there. We'll use it mostly for family, pet and nature shots. Do you have any suggestions of features we should definitely look for or anything to avoid?
Jenni-the camera body I have is an entry-level SLR...it's the Canon EOS Rebel, and it's served me well for the two years that I've owned it.
Everything I read says to put your money into nicer lenses rather than a nice camera body at first, so an entry-level SLR would probably be perfect. I'd buy the basic EOS body and then save up for a nice lens if I were you rather than spending more for a fancier body.
I got the kit lens with my SLR, and while I hardly use it now, it was a good starter lens for me while I got used to the whole SLR thing.
Let me know if you need more info.
Our Sienna has 225,000 miles and is going strong! I give my husband all of the credit, because he does a wonderful job doing preventive maintainence on our vehicles.
Have you tried overnight french toast? Put stale bread in a pan, pour the typical custard mix (say, 2 eggs per cup of milk + some vanilla) over it, rest overnight, bake in the morning about 15 min at 350F. You can add sugar to the custard, or leftover ham or bacon, or dust with sugar, or serve with jam.
I love it for a crowd because it's so easy, makes a ton of food, and is very inexpensive. Over Xmas I had almost a dozen in my house. I made two pans with the bread leftover from Xmas dinner, topping one with sugar before baking so it carmelized a bit. Both pans were gone within the hour.
In my opinion, waffles do much better reheated than pancakes. Especially for those of us who like our waffles crisp.
I also like frittatas. The key to a non-weepy frittata is to cook the fillings in advance so they're cold and not wet when you add them. Put the seasoned beaten eggs in the pan, add the cold additives (mine are usually veggie, especially onion and mushroom; cheese is also really good) and stir a bit. Cook over low heat. When the eggs are mostly set, cover the pan with a plate, flip the eggs onto the plate, slide back in the pan so the other side gets fully cooked. It's my go-to 15 min meal.
heh, we drive a 1989 Nissan Sentra and it's still going strong! It's so ugly that I never bother locking it - who would want to steal it?! 🙂
I find it really useful for making pancakes to pre-mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl, all wet ingredients in another (store in fridge.) Then in the morning, you only have to heat the griddle, pour wet into dry, briefly mix, done.
Similar for muffins. They take a while to bake though, so for faster breakfast I've bought silicone muffin pans and make them in the microwave. Takes only 5 minutes, and while not quite as good as baked ones, is pretty decent for a superfast breakfast.
On sunday I make a big batch of scrambled eggs and then microwave what I want to eat each morning. Perhaps your teens would like eggs with their toast some days? Pancakes are also another good breakfast food that can be made ahead and nuked later. I also enjoy Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut oatmeal that cooks overnight in the crockpot. My teen likes oatmeal in the morning so we make this up at least 2 nights a week for a quick hot breakfast the next morning.
Alea, that is awesome to hear! In the time it takes me to put another 125K miles on my van, we could save up a NICE pile of money.
William, I need to try that. I have some recipes in my to-try file that are like that!
Charlotte, I totally do that when I make muffins for breakfast. But, it requires thinking ahead, which requires planning, which I haven't been doing. I will be better this year, darn it.
Pat, my kids aren't quite teens yet! My oldest is 10, so I've still got three more years without teenagers. lol Some of my kids like eggs, and some don't, but yes, eggs are on my list of breakfast possibilities.
I love that your list of goals is so varied, from cereal to a new camera and a automobile! We too are trying to cut back on cereal to save money. Best of luck!!
Have you tried Amy Dacyczyn's muffin formula? That might work for ya'.....I really enjoy your blog!
"There are worse things than having a mom who insists on serving homemade bread and granola at breakfast, right??"
Um, yes. My mom fed us Hostess "chocolate" (was that glue-like glaze actually chocolate?---I don't know) donuts every morning or Pillsbury instant breakfast. I'm sure there's enough preservatives in my body left over from the '70's to keep me fresh long after I'm gone!
So keep up the good work, your breakfast routine is better than that of MANY moms out there. Luckily for me, my son likes reheated pancakes 'cause that's quicker than even toasting a bagel, and I always make my pancakes with at least half whole wheat pastry flour for extra fiber. He does like cereal too but just plain "Joe's Oh's" from Trader Joes (their version of Cheerios) and at least those are good for him.
Ooooh I like that #2 up there 😉 I just use a spreadsheet myself, but it's the whole updating part of budgeting and tracking our finances that makes it happen! Good work, I'm sure you can do it.
When I was growing up I loved spending the night at my best friends house because her mother was a great cook. She was good at thinking outside of the box when it came to breakfast food and leftovers played a big part. I remember eating left over roast beef, and roast chicken, and once she made fish sticks. My kids liked leftover pizza or cheese quesadillas or grilled cheese. It's easy to get into a breakfast rut with pancakes, waffles, rolls, cereal, etc. Good luck!
You really don't need to keep chasing camera bodies, especially with Digital. Top of the line cameras today are only marginally better than the high end film ones that sell for less than $50 on eBay.
I'm hanging onto my old Yashica FX-3 and its nice lenses. So long as film is made, that's where I'm staying.
Hi Kristen-
I have been a reader and fan from afar for about a year now and I just wanted to tell you how much I love your blog and your photos. They are SO beautiful!! I feel that I have so much in common with you, even though I don't even truely know you.
Anyway, we have a new Sienna (program car through my husband's job) and we LOVE it! My husband also has an Toyota Avalon that has over 130,000 miles on it and it is going strong!! Whenever we need parts, we get them at a discount through his job and he does the easier work himself. (MY DH works for Toyota) So...you might ask around to find out if anyone you know works for Toyota for parts, while you save up.
Anyway, photography, piano, homeschooling, and frugalness - they are all things I am passionate about and am so happy that you are sharing your experiences with us. Keep up the great work and I'm sure your goals will be obtained.
One other question for you. Do you have a strategy to shopping at Goodwill? Our store here had over 300 donations at the end of the year and I'm waiting on them to catch up to get the stuff put out. I saw a lot of great donations in the time that I was there.
Do you go at a certain time of year, day of week, season, etc? How do you stop yourself from getting the things that are great deals, but you really don't need them?? 🙂
Thanks!
Found your site through Re-Nest. I love your ideas on reusing household items!!!
If you are looking for a camera body, I would suggest looking through craigslist. A nice 40D can be found for $600 and spend the rest in getting a nice used lens. 40D has live view which is really useful for shooting stills. All of the photos on our site is taken with the 40D with the 100mm macro and 50mm.
Just came across your site. You mentioned lowering your grocery bill to $80 - my friend uses e-mealz that will plan your meals for the week using the store of your choice's coupons and sale items at the cost of $5 a month. It's suppose to a feed 4-6 people and average $75. She loves it - I just can't cook. 🙂
I am already planning a joyful and frugal 2014. I am looking forward to reading your 2014 New Year thoughts. I read your posts every day. You give me energy, creative collaboration and purposeful planning.
Many blessings to you, dear sister in Christ.
May you and your family experience the deepest peace and greatest joy in 2014