I Cut $10,000 (and Also Made Crackers)

[oldtoyota]

I spent a lot of today reviewing everything I could find that we spent in 2012. Thanks to that exercise, I'm able to see where I can cut $10K. Yay for a credit card that helps categorize expenses!

Also, I made crackers from scratch. Very inexpensive and tasty.

[N]

cracker recipe?
Ive made some before, too. fun and tasty.

[oldtoyota]

Here you go:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2013/04/10/crisp-rosemary-flatbread-crackers/

I am making two big batches to give as Mother's Day gifts. No store purchases for me this year!

[BWholehearted]

Thanks for the cracker recipe!  I've been meaning to learn how to make crackers for both the cost savings and minimizing my trash/waste (see zerowastehome.blogspot.com)  Has anyone tried making any kind of breakfast cereal? 

[crazy jane]

Thanks for the cracker recipe!  I've been meaning to learn how to make crackers for both the cost savings and minimizing my trash/waste (see zerowastehome.blogspot.com)  Has anyone tried making any kind of breakfast cereal?
[/quote

I put 3 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup of grape nuts, 1cup of raisins, 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup sliveded almonds in a big Ziploc bag. Mix and enjoy with fruit and yoghurt or as regular cereal with milk.

[BWholehearted]

Thanks Jane, I'll have to try that. I like that it's nice and simple!

[oldtoyota]

Here is another cracker recipe. I have not yet made this one:

http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/pizzasflatbreadswraps/r/Gluten-Free-Grain-Free-Parmesan-Flax-Crackers.htm

[MrsPete]

I like making homemade crackers.  The only negative:  They don't have a long shelf life. 

Breakfast cereal isn't worth the effort.  It doesn't stick with you as long as eggs, and eggs -- if you're doing just eggs rather than a whole bacon-eggs-toast-grits meal -- don't take long on a workday morning.  What I do enjoy is making real steel-cut oatmeal (which takes 45 minutes) and storing it in small canning jars.  It'll stay good a whole week. 

[crazy jane]

Thanks Jane, I'll have to try that. I like that it's nice and simple!

You're welcome. Let me know how it turns out. I sometimes just eat it by the handful as a snack.

[oldtoyota]

I like making homemade crackers.  The only negative:  They don't have a long shelf life. 

Breakfast cereal isn't worth the effort.  It doesn't stick with you as long as eggs, and eggs -- if you're doing just eggs rather than a whole bacon-eggs-toast-grits meal -- don't take long on a workday morning.  What I do enjoy is making real steel-cut oatmeal (which takes 45 minutes) and storing it in small canning jars.  It'll stay good a whole week.

True. The ones I made only stay good for five days. They are fun to make though. =-)

[Self-employed-swami]

It had never occurred to me before, to try and make crackers.  I need to give this a try though!

[kendallf]

Nobody's going to ask about the $10k in reduced expenses?  OK, I will.  Sounds like a lot to cut out of your budget!

[savingtofreedom]

When I first read this I thought that you were eating a lot of crackers....

[velocistar237]

When I first read this I thought that you were eating a lot of crackers....

My wife asked me to click on this thread for the same reason.

[Self-employed-swami]

How did you cut out $10,000?

[oldtoyota]

Nobody's going to ask about the $10k in reduced expenses?  OK, I will.  Sounds like a lot to cut out of your budget!

LOL. Funny.

Here are some of the ways I cut money (expenses are yearly):

--got rid of land line (savings $876)
--stopped buying clothes (hard to say for sure but at least $1000 per year)
--paid child's tuition early (savings $200)
--cancelled newspaper subscription (savings $420)
--work from home 2 days per week (savings $768)
--stopped parking at subway  (savings $960)
--gave up expensive hobby (savings $2400)
TOTAL SO FAR $5724
--No classes for adults (savings $3,000)
--No lunch out (savings $540)
--No snacks from vending machines (savings $46)
--Reduce grocery costs (savings $3600)

That is actually $12,910. And I have not even switched over the mobile phone plan to Platinumtel yet! That will save another $480 per year.

[oldtoyota]

When I first read this I thought that you were eating a lot of crackers....

My wife asked me to click on this thread for the same reason.

LOL =-)

[swick]

Has anyone tried making any kind of breakfast cereal?

I make a batch of granola a week. This method: http://www.bojongourmet.com/2012/11/maple-bourbon-brown-butter-granola.html

Is AMAZING! so easy and so customizable, you can make pretty much any flavor combination you like and is very useful for using up those little bits left at the bottom of bags. The method is really the key here. I use to HATE making granola because it was sticky and a pain to have to stir on the pan to keep from burning. Also fills you up really well - I always include chia seeds.

[oldtoyota]

Nobody's going to ask about the $10k in reduced expenses?  OK, I will.  Sounds like a lot to cut out of your budget!

LOL. Funny.

Here are some of the ways I cut money (expenses are yearly):

--got rid of land line (savings $876)
--stopped buying clothes (hard to say for sure but at least $1000 per year)
--paid child's tuition early (savings $200)
--cancelled newspaper subscription (savings $420)
--work from home 2 days per week (savings $768)
--stopped parking at subway  (savings $960)
--Printing: $1160
--No classes for adults (savings $2,462)
--No lunch out (savings $540)
--No snacks from vending machines (savings $256)
--Reduce grocery costs (savings $3600)
-- Vacation: $1080
--Book project: $500
--Netflix cancellation: $96
--Lynda.com cancellation: $450
--No Mother's Day Gifts/Cards: $50

TOTAL SAVINGS: $14,418 per year

And I have not even switched over the mobile phone plan to Platinumtel yet! That will save another $480 per year.

[little stache]

Serious bank! Chop Chop Chop! And Crackers too :)

[oldtoyota]

Has anyone tried making any kind of breakfast cereal?

I make a batch of granola a week. This method: http://www.bojongourmet.com/2012/11/maple-bourbon-brown-butter-granola.html

Is AMAZING! so easy and so customizable, you can make pretty much any flavor combination you like and is very useful for using up those little bits left at the bottom of bags. The method is really the key here. I use to HATE making granola because it was sticky and a pain to have to stir on the pan to keep from burning. Also fills you up really well - I always include chia seeds.

Thanks! I marked this recipe so I can try it out--maybe this weekend!

[mjmphx]

Muesli is another great breakfast option, if you have bulk oats.  In the evening, fill a pint jar ~1/3 full of steel-cut oats, add cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to taste, add ~1-1.5 cup milk and let stand overnight. 

It can be left on the counter as long as the milk is not too old, but the fridge works, too.  I usually add Craisins to my bowl for some goodies, but I add these in the morning for minimal sogginess of the fruit. 

It's delicious, you can flavor it however you like, and it's an instant breakfast (if you remember to make it the night before).  It stays with you as well as oatmeal, not as well as eggs 'n bacon, but plenty good if you're used to cereal.  Also, it will keep a few days, if you make a quart jar of it.  No downside except the non-paleo-ness (if that's a thing for you).

[oldtoyota]

Muesli is another great breakfast option, if you have bulk oats.  In the evening, fill a pint jar ~1/3 full of steel-cut oats, add cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to taste, add ~1-1.5 cup milk and let stand overnight. 

It can be left on the counter as long as the milk is not too old, but the fridge works, too.  I usually add Craisins to my bowl for some goodies, but I add these in the morning for minimal sogginess of the fruit. 

It's delicious, you can flavor it however you like, and it's an instant breakfast (if you remember to make it the night before).  It stays with you as well as oatmeal, not as well as eggs 'n bacon, but plenty good if you're used to cereal.  Also, it will keep a few days, if you make a quart jar of it.  No downside except the non-paleo-ness (if that's a thing for you).

Yes. This is amazing. I made it the past three days during a heat wave. My child loves the "cold oatmeal."

[oldtoyota]

Instead of starting a new thread, I decided to update this one. I sorta wish this was my journal. Maybe I'll start a journal in the journal section and move some of my info over to it.

In addition to all of the savings I listed above, here's more that I've done in the past 2-3 months. I've been going full steam ahead.

• Reduced mobile phone bill (has turned into a fiasco but I'll be paying a lot less in the long run)
• Started using YNAB to track $$
• Thanks to YNAB, I've been able to see exactly how much additional I can save. Before, I never felt certain.
• Stopped eating lunch out at all
• Ate a cantaloupe I grew on my own (sadly, the others have been attacked)
• Went to several music concerts for zero dollars
• In May, I did not out at all. Now, it's just a bit here and there. Much reduced.
• Stopped buying clothes for myself for two months (just spent $17 today on four items and one was for the kid)
• Started tracking the stores with the cheapest items. Work in progress.
• Cultivated some DIY attitudes. Purchased new shutters and saved money by having shutters to give to handyman, painted my front door and porch, recovered my own dining room chairs, spray painted my the front foot mat using a design I made up.
• Groceries are another work in progress. My bill is about $50-$100 less than it used to be, but it still seems a bit high to me. What was cool is that one month during this process we stopped eating out 100% but our grocery bill stayed the same. That seemed like progress to me--and a bit strange!

In May, my frugal husband was not so happy about the no-eating-out challenge, yet it was important to me to stick to it. I did not forbid him from eating out--even with our kidlet. Maybe because I was not forcing him to do anything, he ended up going along with it. I am not sure. On our June vacation, we ate out just the tiniest bit and mostly made meals in our kitchen and/or took picnics to the places we were going. I LOVED it, because we did not spend vacation time sitting around a restaurant.

I just noticed today that we've barely gone out in July either. Not eating out has become a habit!

[oldtoyota]

O. M. G.

It's halfway through Sept and our grocery expenditure is $194 so far. This is really good for us.

[swick]

O. M. G.

It's halfway through Sept and our grocery expenditure is $194 so far. This is really good for us.

That is awesome:) keep up the good work!

[oldtoyota]

O. M. G.

It's halfway through Sept and our grocery expenditure is $194 so far. This is really good for us.

That is awesome:) keep up the good work!

Thanks!