Five Frugal Things | Of FSAs, Insurance, Slow Shipping, and more
Last Thursday, I did miscellany, so this Thursday, it's time for a Five Frugal Things post. Saddle up, pardner!
1. I paid bills with our FSA card.
Our health insurance is a high-deductible plan, and it comes with a Flexible Spending Account card. We put some pre-tax money onto the card every month, but Mr. FG's company also loads it with some money, which is pretty nice.
The card hasn't had enough on it to cover all of our medical expenses for the year, but we've been able to pay a fair amount of them with it, so, yay.
2. I paid our car insurance bill for the whole year.
Our car insurance company offers a discount if you pay for a whole year in advance, so of course, that's what we do. 😉
I keep an account open at Capital One 360 for this purpose, and money gets funneled into that account each month. That way, we have the right amount to pay the bill when it comes once a year.
3. I got a refund for late shipping.
Mr. FG and I had to overnight a document for Saturday delivery a couple of weeks ago, and it didn't get delivered until Tuesday afternoon.
Whoa.
Luckily, The UPS store was very nice about apologizing about the delay, and they refunded the whole $42.
I have nothing but good things to say about the customer service at The UPS Store...every one I've been to has been staffed with helpful, friendly people who do their best to take care of my needs.
(I'm not paid to say that, just fyi. The UPS Store doesn't know me from Adam. 😉 )
4. I modified a dress for Sonia.
My kiddos are all rather slender, which means that sometimes often, clothes off the rack don't fit.
So, although I'm not trained as one, I need to put on my tailor's hat pretty often.
This time the problem was a sleeveless dress that was gaping on the sides by the armholes. Luckily, this was a pretty easy fix, involving a new side seam that erased the gap.
5. I got two non-food things at Aldi.
You all know I love Aldi for the super affordable food they carry, but sometimes the non-food Special Buy items are pretty handy too.
(See some of my household items from Aldi here.)
Yesterday, I popped in to buy a few things, and found a hamper (Lisey's been needing one) and a trash can (Sonia and Zoe have been needing one).
Schweet.
_____________________
Paid two bills yesterday in time to get 10% off of each.
Placed multiple Amazon orders lately with no-rush shipping, which means I get free shipping on a few Prime Pantry orders.
Salvaged some past prime strawberries by putting them in a smoothie.
About point #2 - this aligns perfectly with the blog post I wrote today! It's about the connection between frugality and wealth. Doing stuff that's considered ultra-frugal might make some people feel "poor", but it creates margin in the budget that allows them to do smart things, like pay their car insurance yearly, which ultimately saves money.
A few of my latest frugal things:
- melting down two crushed lipsticks (thanks preschooler!) to make a new lip color
- cutting up a half-eaten apple and combining it with the last bit of applesauce to make a yummy sauce for pork chops last night.
- combined coupons and a store sale to get two tubes of toothpaste for less than $1 at Walgreens
- going back to cloth diapers with my toddler
I do the same thing with our car insurance and it saves us a lot. Putting it in the 360 account specifically marked "insurance" makes me feel better when it comes time to pay the bill (because, oy, that is a big bill....bad neighborhood, bad roads, living in MI blah blah blah).
1. My garden is going strong and right now I am up to my ears in zucchini. Unfortunately, no one here likes zucchini on its own so I've froze some for soups, made a bunch of bread, and gave some away.
2. We have been doing a ton of repairs/freshening around our house in preparation of having a real estate agent over to appraise it. We are hoping to move in the next year. We have done all the work ourselves, with help from family and a neighbor. My husband also works for a hardware chain so we get a discount.
3. Went through several bags of hand me downs. I had so much stuff for next winter for my daughter that I gave some of it away. Hooray for hand me downs! I also passed on some outgrown clothes to my niece.
4. I had $65 in coupons/mperks credits (a loyalty program for our big grocery chain here) which led to a really low grocery bill this week.
5. I made bread this week after a several month bread hiatus. I also made a dozen English muffin, egg, and ham breakfast sandwiches for the freezer for my husband's breakfasts. I am trying to reduce the amount of cereal consumed in our house.
Cooking Light has a fantastic recipe for chocolate-zucchini cake.
Yes! If you don't save up ahead of time, it's really painful to pay car insurance all at once.
There's also a recipe on allrecipes for zucchini brownies that is delicious! No eggs.... It through me for a spin the first time I made them. I had to read the recipe three times to convince myself that there really weren't eggs in there. Can't wait till I get zucchini just so I can make these brownies!
I will definitely have to try these. Thanks for the tip.
Brownies without eggs would be a dream come true as I am allergic to yolk. I am off to look.
Q: Why do Minnesotans lock their car doors in the summer?
A: So their neighbors won't slip zucchini on the seats when they're not looking.
Ha, ha! My parents once took off to town to quietly slip garden produce to their relatives' and friends' doorsteps, making their across-the-road neighbors' house their last stop. The neighbors weren't home; it turns out they were out doing the same thing, and had left a bag of produce on my parent's doorstep while my parents were gone! And yep, lots of zucchini going out and coming in.
Lol! These stories are funny. I had no idea zucchini was so prolific. This is my first time growing it and I definitely did not need so many plants.
Lol. Love it! As a Georgian, I cannot relate. 🙂
Can I ask what insurance company gives a discount for paying for auto insurance yearly? We have GEICO and I have not seen that option.
1. I just wrote a check for our property tax bill. By paying it this month we get a discount and by paying annually we save a bit more.
2. The only thing I have bought this week is produce, and a carton of juice. We are working on eating from the pantry, refrigerator and freezer. Aldi has had awesome prices on blueberries the past couple of weeks.
3. I have a bunch of e-books on my Kindle that I borrowed from the library. I love having a selection, in case I don't appreciate a book.
4, I've been able to go out the past two nights. One night I met friends for crafting and another night I met a different set of friends at a friend's pool. I brought dessert to share.
5. I am continuing to use Ting for my cell phone service, thanks to your recommendation. It's about $40/month for two of us.
We have Erie, and we used to have State Farm. I've never used Geico, so I'm pretty uneducated about options with them. It might be worth a call to your agent, though. The worst you can hear is no!
I'm so glad that Ting is working out well for you guys.
For most insurance companies there is a built in fee for paying your bill in more than one installment. Our policy is a 6-month policy. We have the option of paying it all at once or paying it in installments each month. If we choose the monthly option we pay a fee of something like $5 for each payment. It seems like most auto insurance companies do 6 month policies, though we did have one recently that had an annual policy. It was great insurance and a big savings for us....until we had to add a young driver, then I had to do some insurance shopping. Allstate gave us the best price, and I like that you can earn "credit" for good driving. They also have something called "accident forgiveness" that we liked the sound of.
We use Safeco, but I'm not sure if that is purely a MI company or not.
We have Safeco also and live in Missouri - it is cheaper to pay the year up front with them too.
I am glad you are having good luck with Ting. They have excellent customer service. My hubby & I used it for a little over a year. With 2 flip phones and a Wi-Fi device it was running us over $120 a month. I was the problem! With several relatives that enjoy chatting over 45 minutes a call, the pay by the minute was too dear for me. We left the hubs with Ting, and I switched to an unlimited talk & text plan that is pay as you go. My phone bill is now much more reasonable. $40.
1. Instead of eating leftovers for lunch, we've been eating simpler lunches so that dinners last two days (when possible). This is really stretching our grocery budget.
2. We are moving at the end of the month, so I'm doing my best to menu plan around all the food left in our house and not restock anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
3. I went through my baby clothes and found enough outfits that will work for our new one due in September that I don't have to do any shopping! I thought I'd be buying a ton, so I'm glad I "shopped" in the basement before I started really shopping.
4. I opened a new credit card that will give us major cash back incentives on some of our moving expenses and a $150 new cardholder bonus. We won't carry a balance.
5. I listed a ton of items on local for sale Facebook pages yesterday.
1) We stayed on top of the food game. I didn't get the birthday meal I had in mind, but we made steak and potato salad and a cheese board all with leftovers. Pretty sweet. It felt like such a restaurant experience I totally expected a waiter to take the dishes away from my table... in my own house! 😀
2) I am participating in my library's adult summer reading program. For each month you complete five "challenges" (related to reading or library patronage) you get to pick a new book off a prize cart, to keep!
3) I made a baby quilt top to finally use this cute fabric I bought ages ago. (Two nephews to quilt for this summer!)
4) My husband suggested we play a puzzle, which came from my aunt. I never knew they had whodunit jigsaw puzzles - very fun entertainment when it's too hot to go outside.
5) We made my birthday cake and filled it with jam made from cherries and berries from the freezer. Since it's just the two of us, we also both took in slices of cake to share with coworkers.
We are so enjoying our herb garden! Lemon thyme, green onion, and parsley sprinkled on a green salad -delicious.
I paid cash for a prescription instead of using insurance. With insurance, $10. Without insurance, $4. Crazy!
Instead of buying cards I sent a sympathy note and a "congrats on the award" note, both on my own stationery.
The self-employed hubs tracked down a great deal on his business flight and spent $75 less than budgeted.
We save our change all year and donate it to the hospital that saved the lives of my sister and my nephew. It's a painless way to save and it feels GREAT to make that 3-digit donation every summer.
This past weekend we were very industrious!
1. We visited family over the Fourth of July weekend and partook in far too many greasy, delicious foods. We came home Sunday night and we were exhausted and felt gross. Instead of picking up fast food or eating out, I defrosted a few bags of spaghetti squash. I bought the squash a few weeks ago and cooked and stored it for a rainy day. I prepared it lo mein style with a soft boiled egg on top. It. Was. So. Good!
2. My in-laws sent us home with a free dozen of eggs from their yard chickens, so we didn’t have to buy eggs this week. Score!
3. Blueberries were on sale for 97 cents a pound, so we bought four cartons of them. We washed, dried, and froze them. I used a cup of them to make a blueberry pound cake, which also solved our problem of having too many eggs!
4. I made croutons out of old bread bits and ends. We save any stale or uneaten bread in our freezer. Once the bag is full, I either make croutons or bread crumbs. Cheap and delicious!
5. I made my first sort-of-okay attempt at sewing a work shirt. It turns out that I need to learn how to adjust sewing patterns, though. The shirt looks beautiful but it’s too small for me in certain places. Curses! Oh well, it’s been a good learning experience. I picked up a few sewing patterns at the store this week and plan to use my cheap Goodwill fabric for more “learning” projects.
I don't know if it qualifies as truly frugal but today is my money day. So last night I emptied all the change in my wallet into my savings tin. With our $1 and $2 coins it was just over $27 (Aus). I am back on my plug the leaks crusade so I have been writing all my spending down. It is amazing how silly little things add up. Today was shopping day and I tried to be very careful and managed it with the exception of some winter vegetables that are a very rare treat. Even though it has been quite cool in the mornings I am still line drying our wash. Finally I have managed to use some leftover foods to create another meal that was truly great.
Hi Kristen, My FSA allows me to spend my annual total even if I haven't yet deposited all the money for the year. For example, if I plan on depositing $2,000 into the account throughout the year, that money is available to me on January 1st. Obviously, you know your plan better than I but it may be worth checking. 🙂
Oh, interesting. I had no idea that was even a possibility!
That is typically how the FSA works. The money is there at the beginning of your plan year and you can use it as you go along, even if the money hasn't been taken out of your paychecks yet. Our plan year starts on 7/1/16 so my FSA is instantly funded with the amount I chose for the year. They separate it out of my paychecks for the remainder of the plan year. Helps for if you have a major expense right at the beginning of your plan year.
Can you tell I'm an FSA noob?
Yes, we paid off braces at beginning of year and used up FSA even though it technically wasn't "there".
That is how an FSA works, but not typically an HSA. Just a note!
I'm so glad this popped up this morning, Kristen! I needed a pick me up and a reminder of how the small things count!
1. We had a garage sale last Friday and Saturday that I was less than enthusiastic about since we're trying to get our house ready to sell. But we made a ton of money and got rid of lots of things we didn't need/want for the new house. Less to move!!!!!
2. I'm packing up for the move and am using boxes from my husband's work and leftover boxes from my niece's recent move. Although she gave me some bubble wrap, I haven't need it yet since I've used my tablecloths and napkins to cushion the kitchen breakables.
3. We're eating as much as possible from the freezer and pantry. Basically, that means buying only a few fruits and vegetables so our grocery bill has been crazy low even for us!
4. The garden is starting to produce so we're enjoying what it's producing. I've not concerned about freezing this year because of the move but there will be plenty for us and plenty to share.
5. I'm trying really hard not to get discouraged with the mess this move is making. Counting the blessings this new house can bring is helping. Coupled with the fact that although the next house is bigger, we're selling much more than we'll buy is also helping. That is the 'frugal' for my last of my frugal five!
I am so grateful for our Health Savings Account. My husband's employer also contributes to it plus they give us incentives to earn extra; regular exercise or well care check-ups, which are covered under our insurance anyway. If we know we an a big medical expense coming up, we raise the amount we put in it so we can pay the bill all with pre-tax dollars, or as much as we can.
Yes, part of the contributions we got had to do with participating in the wellness program. If you get a checkup and meet goals and such, then you get more dollars sent to your HSA.
So Kristin, I have to admit to being confused. Do you have an FSA, an HSA or both? There are some pretty strict rules about using a FSA if you have a HSA/HSA eligible plan.
So, I looked it up, and I wrote the wrong thing! I have an HSA, not an FSA. Oops.
1. Though this is not instantly frugal on our bank account, we joined a local CSA. This CSA also had a cheese option. Our new home is right down the road from the U-pick garden, so I see us wandering down there quite often to pick veggies. I am excited to get our first share of veggies. We've already received our cheese share and love it.
2. There is a folk festival in the town I work. I've never gone to it before because of the entry fee. But because I work in town, I get in for free over the lunch hour. I visited yesterday with a few co-workers.
3. I did buy lunch at the festival (not frugal) but carried in my own soda so I didn't spend any on drinks. I bought from the local high school band association food stand, so in the long run, I supported the school where my little ones will be attending soon. (and learned that as a "band mom" I'll be working that stand some day!)
4. Probably the biggest cost saving event in our house is the fact that my son is finally catching on to potty training. He has only wore pull ups at night for the last week or so. I believe there is a light at the end of the "diaper tunnel."
5. After I drop my children off at daycare I normally would stop for an iced coffee at Dunkin Dounts. This week, I stopped off at home and made my own.
6. Oh, one more: I glued the bottom on a pair of shoes AGAIN.
Ok, so what wasn't frugal? I'll admit to it:
1. Buying super cute birthday t-shirts online for my kids' upcoming birthdays.
2. Brewing a cup of coffee at work without a cup underneath. Oooppps there is a k-cup wasted.
Oh man. The cup under the machine is surprisingly important, isn't it?
1. I attempted freezing spaghetti last week when I made too much. I had some of it last night and while the texture was a little off, it still made for a filling meal.
2. I finished two library books this week and am about to start a third. I will return the two I've finished when I have an errand in that area next week.
3. I finally replaced my watch last night using a gift card from Christmas. I was tempted to shop for other things while at the store, but decided to save the rest of the gift card until I need something.
4. I found a used book for a baby gift. I sold some items back to the store so the book itself only cost me $1.35. I will knit something to accompany the book.
5. I'm putting together a bridal shower gift for a friend. I found some snack plates (used!) that she'll like, and will put together the ingredients and recipe for a favorite dip that she and her fiancee will enjoy. I'm in the wedding party, so she assured me I don't need to do multiple gifts for all of the occasions, but I want to do something small for each.
My employer offers an FSA but contributes nothing to it. I use it, simply because it helps on taxes, but it's all my own money I'm using. Rats.
I used to pay my insurance all at once instead of monthly. Since my husband had to quit work, it's been a slow slog, but I have hopes of getting back to paying six months at a time and saving the fee for installments. I don't get a discount -- I just save the installment fee if I pay all at once, so it's not been that high on my priority list.
Anyway, here's my FFT:
1. I pay my property taxes quarterly for now, because it's too big a chunk at once since our income was so drastically cut. However, since it means I pay 3 of the 4 payments way ahead of the due date (I'm paying now what is owed next March), I do get a discount for those 3 early payments.
2. We have too many tomatoes to eat fresh, not enough to put up a full canner load, so I'm putting them up a jar or two at a time. I use my old stockpot with a little $1 roasting rack I found at a thrift store as my small canner, rather than pay $25-$30 for a "real" small canner. Plus, less to store.
3. I've been buying a little extra in the way of lunch type meal ingredients, because the temptation on weekends to grab a lunch from town is strong when we're busy and there's nothing in the house that is quick and easy to fix. On three occasions in the last two weeks, my husband suggested lunch carryout, but I was able to make a good, quick lunch instead, for a lot less. Weekdays, we eat leftovers, me at work and him at home.
4. The wife of an elderly couple I've known for decades died recently. They haven't lived near me in several years, but we've stayed in touch. I'm writing the sweet husband a letter instead of buying a card to send. I've had several people tell me how much they appreciate the letters I've sent in sympathy for a death, so I'm not doing this just for frugality, although that's part of it.
5. My outfit is consignment, thrift, and clearance rack today, as it is nearly every single day.
I had the same tomato problem last year. I ended up washing them and then freezing the tomatoes whole, with peel on (just trimmed off the stem part) in freezer bags. Once all my plants were done and the weather was cooler (and the kids were in school) I dumped them all into a pot just slightly defrosted and made and canned tomato sauce. It turned out great and I plan on doing it this year as well. You would never know I freezed them first.
We have a FSA also. When we get a medical bill I pay it and then submit documentation to get reimbursed. Yesterday it dawned on me that I can pay the bills by phone with my own credit card, which then gives us points, and then get reimbursed before the credit card bill arrives. Plus I don't have to pay postage to mail in the payments!
Only small successes this week:
1. Trying to restock the freezer slowly, to take advantage of sales. Mixed results so far - I don't want to eat pasta every night till there's a sale on meat I want. Froze the last random bits of fruit, for future smoothies.
2. Cooked: 6 servings of Black Beans and Quinoa for lunches; 3 servings of Corn Chowda for lunches (using leftover corn on the cob, and bacon grease rather than buying salt pork); I bought too much broccoli so I blanched, froze, and vacuum-packed it. I haven't done this before so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
3. Pastured eggs at the nearby farmer's market prices are all the same price, regardless of size, so I look for the XL. Also signed up for the same farmer's market email to take advantage of the weekly special. You don't have to print out the email, just mention you received it.
4. My plan to eat out on Monday was foiled by the holiday. So when we went there on Tuesday, I asked if we could get the Monday discount since they were closed on Monday. Success. Remembered to tip on the original amount, not the discounted amount.
5. Still staying on top of medical bills. It's amazing what insurance companies will mess up or not pay, if you don't hold their feet to the fire.
Possible #6: I'm considering trying to see some items on Craig's List. I've had low levels of success in the past but maybe I'll try again.
Good gracious yes, about the medical bills. Though I've had more issues when we've had a PPO vs. an HMO. Our PPO in our early marriage years messed things up so many times!
My mother's bought duvets, bedding, roller blades & saucepans at Aldi. The roller blades have been through two children and are still in great shape. They had proper wheels with bearings, they were extendable so each child had them for several years. The bedding and saucepans were great quality too and I still have them all. Aldi is The Best!
We still have our Aldi rollerblades too, many years later. They've been great!
I stopped by your blog today. I'd like to invite you to be a guest on my blog if you're interested.
Ann
This may be slightly off topic, but I saw something recently that said Aldi is expanding to add 500 stores (hoping Denver is on their list) and that they are switching all of their house brands to all organic! Apparently this includes the produce. Just wondering if anyone out there knows anything, and/or if they'll somehow be able to keep up the bargain prices once it's all organic.
We have a super wonderful UPS store by us, too. The woman who's there most often is so great that this past December, in front of a packed store, I told her that she is one of the most helpful and pleasant people I've ever met!
Then everyone cheered. Made my day!!
Although FSA (Flexible Spending Account) and HSA (Health Savings Account) have some similarities they are two different things. It is true that for an FSA, you can spend the total for the calendar year before you have contributed it. So if you sign up to contribute $1000, you can spend it before it has been deducted from your paycheck. However, the disadvantage is that with most employer plans you must use the FSA money by year end or you lose it . About 2 years ago the IRS changed the rules a bit and now if the employer sets up the plan in this way, you can carry forward $500without losing it. (Another FSA secret is that is you quit your job and haven't put in all the money you committed to for the plan year, but you already spent all of it, your employer really can't do anything to recover what has been spent.)
An HSA is the type of medical spending account that is connected with what the IRS defines as a high deductible plan (usually $2,600/person or higher). The HSA is owned by the employee and is essentially a bank account that belongs to the employee regardless of whether the person stays with their employer or not. This is the type of account that employers often provide a match or other funding for, and the money the employer puts in belongs to the employee. Individuals can build up considerable balances in their HSA account and many accounts allow for tax free investment within the plan. (It has some of the features of an IRA.) Another advantage of HSA accounts is that they can be used for any expense after age 65 without a 10% penalty. (The penalty applies to younger folks who use the money for something other than allowable medical, dental and vision expenses.) You can only spend what is currently in your HSA account, not what you will put in during the plan year.
My husband found puddle-jumpers at Aldi just when we were about to buy them somewhere else. Cheaper by several dollars at Aldi!
We're on vacation in Iceland.
1. We're eating almost all meals in our home exchange where we're also doing laundry for the price of detergent. Save cash for excursions!
2. Even still, groceries are outrageous, so we're indulging our always-picky five year old and letting him get his fill of grilled cheese at every. single. meal. We are on vacation. It's nice to see him just sit and eat without a fight or negotionation.
3. We reserved a car before we arrived and got a great rate. Now we can explore outside of Reykjavik without buying into a pricey tour.
4. Our souvenirs will probably be chocolate, volcanic rocks, and photographs. No pricey sweaters or cheeky do-dads.
5. We went on a whale watching tour today. It was worth the expense, and we happily avoided the gift shop and the snack bar.
Oh, how fun! I hope you guys have a wonderful time in Iceland.