Sunday, January 8, 2017

Ninja Skills (as my youngest grandson Isaiah would say) Frugality

  
Bread dough rising on the pellet stove.


   Jeff and I had a long talk this morning about our finances this month due to the unexpected Emergency Room bill from the  hospital that finally showed up here 9 months after the services rendered and after we had been asking about where it was for months.  They demanded payment upon receipt.  We also had to buy another ton of pellets since we were down to 6 bags and that is what we use in our pellet stove to heat our home.  We had budgeted for the pellets but not for the bill from the hospital which was higher than we had originally been told because someone fell down on the job and did not bill out for professional services or something like that in a timely manner and apparently just found those charges and sent them to the insurance company months and months after the fact.  Personally I think someone should lose their job! 😡

   Anyway, those 2 expenses alone took up most of the money that we have left after paying our monthly bills.  Time to use my mad ninja frugal moves for this month!  I am pretty frugal for the most part, but we do still go out to eat, have fun shopping at thrift stores, and maybe go out to see a movie.  Not this month!  This month we stick to a bare bones budget and cut spending down to a minimum.  You can't spend what you don't have and we need to avoid using the credit card.  So here is what we are doing.




   We contacted our Credit Union and did their skip a payment service on the credit card for this month.  We did incur a $15 fee but it could not be helped.  Our bills had already been high this month with taxes due on a loan we had to take out on my life insurance policy several years ago for a horribly painful and scary breast biopsy that I had to have done.  By being able to skip credit card payment and taking some money out of our savings, we were able to pay the Emergency Room bill that just arrived.

   Our grocery budget has been slashed dramatically this month.  I have 2 grocery lists going.  One for the things that we absolutely need and another for things that I need to restock but that can wait until we have more disposable income. Things on the needs list are milk, cheese, fresh fruit, and veggies. Things on the restock list are liquid smoke (I just used the last of it), certain spices, etc. and can all wait awhile to be restocked. We are also shopping our pantry, fridge and freezer.  I have been making our bread and looking for new recipes for things like English Muffins, which we really enjoy, that I can make at home.  Back to back baking sessions will be used so that I don't waste the heat of the oven. I went through a local Hawaiian cookbook that I bought at a local thrift store a couple of months ago and an finding lots and lots of recipes that I grew up eating.  Many of these recipes use things from your pantry that have long shelf lives because almost everything has to be shipped in by huge boats.  I have most of these things on hand because my pantry is well stocked with these items.  I grew up with a mother who knew the value of a well stocked pantry since a storm, longshoremen's strike or damage to a harbor could delay shipments getting to the stores. I will never forget the toilet paper shortage, along with other needed items like milk, that happened when the boats could not get to us in Hawaii and the stores had no backstock.  I now have a stockpile at home of toilet paper because I know what it is like to go without...not fun!  We are using all the fresh produce and things with a close experation date first and then going to canned and frozen produce.  Luckily I took having a well stocked pantry to a much higher level than my mother ever imagined so we are set for months!





   We have at least a year's supply of  shampoo, conditioner, body wash, liquid dishwashing and hand soaps on hand.  We also are well supplied with OTC medications, antiperspirants, feminine hygiene items,  toothpaste and just restocked our vitamins and supplements, so we will not have to worry about those for awhile. I made at least a 3 month supply of laundry detergent so that is taken care of as well.  I also just used a Walmart gift card that I earned through Swagbucks to buy a huge bag of dog food for Caesar that should last us through the month and I have enough of Doofy's expensive cat food to last the month.

   Entertainment this month will be borrowing movies and books from the library and watching lots of movies and shows through our Roku that we bought for $25 as a Christmas gift to each other.  That was money well spent since we do not have cable or satellite anymore.  We also will be getting together with family and friends either here or at their homes and sharing meals and lots of laughter. If we go out to eat, we will be using gift cards given to us for Christmas.  More board and card games will be dug out and played near the warmth of the pellet stove.  I plan on reading some of the books that I have here in my own personal library that I have meant to get to but have not yet.  Of course we will continue to use our hot tub which is a luxury that we love but keep it on economy mode when not being used.




   I will be limiting my using of my car as much as I can.  I do have work 3 times this month as well as a doctor's appointment and a medical procedure that needs to be done so the plan is to combine those with any other errands I may have.  I'm sure we will be going to see the grandkids and can use my hubby's little commuter car to do that if the roads are good.  My car has 4 wheel drive where my hubby's little car is only front wheel drive.

   Since my husband works nights and sleeps during the day, I will keep the thermostat down on the heat as much as I can and dress in layers.  I never thought I would be thankful for hot flashes, but I must admit that it does help to have my own "internal thermostat" turned way up this time of year. 😉  We dress in layers, wear warm socks and house slippers in the house and also snuggle up under cozy quilts and throws.  I make good use of the curtains to hold heat in and open them to let the sun in to warm the home during the day and I close doors to rooms that we do not use.  He does bump the heat up when he is up and about, but I can handle it a little cooler when he is not.




   So that is the plan for this month's Frugal Ninja Skills test.  Hopefully we will not be thrown any more financial challenges this month.  I think our plate is full enough already.












30 comments:

  1. I like your frugal Ninja skills Debbie. I'd be interested in some of your Hawaiian meals, never thought of anything to do with Hawaii as being frugal, but I can see how it must be for the ordinary, non-millionaires that live there. Making your own English muffins, is not as hard as you might think, as a matter of fact they are quite easy. Stay warm!

    Hugs
    Jane

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    1. I am so glad to hear that about the English Muffins Jane. I belong to a list where a recipe was shared for them and everyone there loves them and says they are easy to make. I am going to try them this week. I'll also try to share some of those recipes from Hawaii in future blog posts. It's funny while reading them that I finally made the connections. I just grew up eating them and never thought that some of them were born out of necessity. :) Be blessed!

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    2. Debbie, like Jane, I never thought of Hawaii as being frugal but of course for the normal people, it would be a necessity.
      Thank you for the social studies lesson 😄
      I know you are normally a frugal couple but you are certainly going to be tested even more until these bumps get evened out. I'm glad you have so much stockpiled. I'll be rooting for you!

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    3. Thanks Rhonda. :) Hawaii has always been an expensive place to live but has gotten to the point of ridiculousness within the past 20 years. Jeff and I did the math once when my parents actually offered to GIVE us a home in Kona that they ad bought as an income producing rental. He would have to work 2 jobs, I would have to reach full time and our children would spend most of their time in daycare. Not how we wanted our lives to be. We opted to stay on the mainland and settle in a small farming community where our mortgage is about 1/5th the price of the larger college towns near us.

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  2. Sounds like a good plan to me. I am tremendously grateful to have a well stocked pantry and freezer as well as a good supply of TP and toiletries too. Stay warm and healthy!

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    1. Hi, I am so sorry to hear about the damage to the schools in your area from these storms. Praying they can get them fixed quickly!

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  3. After a cyclone we too ran out of loo paper. It was not nice at all. I was able to cut up some Tshirt fabric I had in my stash and this was used and washed. With two small children at the time the made loo paper saved us. I now have a loo paper stash that many people don't understand, but I know you will. Hope your Ninja frugal skills get you across the line.

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    1. HI Jane. I'm glad that someone else understands the whole toilet paper thing. ;) It's funny how something like that "haunts" you for the rest of your life. :)

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  4. Wow, you are stocked up. My stock is down in many items right now. I hope to be able to start restocking soon. Money's been so tight. So, do you live in Hawaii now? I'm confused since you are trying to keep warm.

    Hugs,
    Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
    lauraofharvestlane at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Laura. :) I was raised on the Big Island of Hawaii (the one with the active volcano) and then moved to Idaho for college where I met my hubby. We moved to Oregon for 6 years and then moved back up to the Idaho/Washington Palouse area to raise our kids near my husband's parents. Eventually my parents and most of my siblings moved to Washington state and Montana so we are within a 6 hour drive of all of them now too. :)

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  5. Fleishmans yeast website has some great bread and roll recipes. Just tried the english muffin bread..I liked it toasted with butter and honey. Stay cosy.
    Barb in PA

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    1. Thanks Barb! I do have a recipe for English Muffin Bread that I used to make in my breadmaker. Thanks for the reminder and for the link to the other recipes as well! Be blessed!

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  6. That is one of the reasons I keep a well stocked pantry. Although I do need to do a little stocking on shampoo as I am getting ready to open my last bottle. Best wishes as you stretch the budget!

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    1. It is a wonderful resource isn't it Wendi? :) While going through things I noticed some holes in my stockpile so I will be looking for sales on those items starting next month. I wish you lived next door to me, I'd gladly share some of my many bottles of shampoo with you. :)

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  7. So many thoughts on reading this post. First, did you think to contact the Hospital Administrator,ie jump over the heads of the very poor accounting staff? That is inexcusable.
    It does remind me though, of a foreclosure notice that I received on my house. Turned out the company holding the second mortgage had not taken out the payment one month. Months later, with no contact whatsoever in between, I received a foreclosure notice. Even though I'm accountant by profession, I hadn't noticed the missed payments. irghh. So I get that staff make mistakes, but really? A demand notice after 9 months of no contact??

    You'd appreciate my stockpile - I keep a year's worth of tp. hahaha. I was forced into all things frugal years ago when I was first out of school but had yet to complete the professional exam (they allowed you to pass the test in multiple stages and I used every one of them - so it took 2 years to pass). So I had the schooling but not the letters behind my name, so to speak.
    Anyway, I was at best marginally employed seasonally and kept getting laid off work. I found the Tightwad Gazette and the More with Less Cookbook I think in the same week. I never made English muffins, but I did learn to make my own crackers (wheat-thins and cheeze-it style). And that's when I started baking bread as well. And making pizza. I just figured out how to cook, finally.

    Good for you to talk your finances over with Jeff. You're so blessed to have a husband on the same wavelength as you.

    I found a blog called Frugal Abundance that has some yummy, pantry friendly and cheap recipes. I'm not affiliated at all with it. Just have used some of her recipes. She's not currently blogging but the site is up and the recipes are available. It's a good read. Her writing sounds like she's really had some hard financial times.

    Hang in there. I know it's tough when the finances hit the skids. But isn't that one reason for the pantry and the thrift shopping and other intentional spending? With that mindset - and I believe God's providence - you can do it. SJ

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    1. Hi SJ. :) No, we did not contact the administration there. Let's just say that it has been the experience of good friends that have worked there that the person in charge is not sympathetic and is not pleasant to deal with at all.

      Good for you on the TP! And I do get it. ;) I love the two books you mentioned and have them too. I had forgotten about the blog Frugal Abundance but used to read it all the time when she was still actively writing. Thanks for the reminder! I know we can do this and I do appreciate you cheering me on! Be blessed!

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  8. What a blessing to have that well-stocked pantry of yours! Glad that you are able to defer on one month's payment on the c.c., even if you have to pay a fee to do so. You are a very resourceful person, Debbie; I know you'll be able to get through this hurdle. Keep your spirits up. (((HUGS)))

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    1. Thanks Bless! I know we will make it. We have gone through much worse in the past, thus the stocked pantry now. I want to always be in a position not only where I know we can take care of ourselves but also our family, friends and community if anyone falls on hard times and needs some help. :)

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  9. A stocked pantry IS the key, isn't it? My mom always had a stockpile, including the jars and jars of home-canned items and freezers full of food. She taught me to do the same. I got married young--at 19. Before I did, she told me to always buy more of 1 of any item I frequently used when it was on a really good sale and the extra cans would be like "money in the bank" for me. It was a very simple way of explaining stockpiling to me, but I mostly learned by her example. I never forgot her way of looking at it and it's served me well.

    What a good challenge, and you'll be so glad the bill is paid when it's over.

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    1. Becky, your mom is a very wise woman. :) What a blessing to how a mom who knew how to can also. I had to learn to do that as an adult and was blessed with some Godly older women here in our small farming community who took the time to teach me that, about gardening (and shared many plants and bulbs with me), and how to tie quilts.

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  10. I was just thinking, as I was reading this, "If anyone can do this, Debbie can". You do have mad ninja skills! I was sorry to hear about the unexpected bill, that has happened to us many a time. I try to keep my pantry and freezer well stocked as well, just in case. I hope the rest of your month goes smoothly! 😃

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    1. Aw Jessica, you are so sweet! So far so good. We have bought bananas, salad and salad dressing so far and spent under $5 for those.

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  11. Hello Debbie,

    In addition to natural disasters, situations like this one you currently describe is exactly why I encourage EVERY home in America to maintain a MINIMUM two week grocery, medication and hygiene stockpile. I also encourage folks to live a bare minimum lifestyle until they have at least 3 months living expenses saved into an emergency fund.

    Also, I don't know if this would apply to your situation regarding your hospital bill but ... 18 years ago when our daughter was born, the physician and lab(s) submitted the insurance claims and sent us a bill for our 20% portion which we promptly paid. However, we never received a bill from the hospital itself. The hospital never processed the billing, insurance claim, or anything else related to our hospital stay. (talk about someone failing to do their job). More than two YEARS later when they discovered their oversight, the hospital tried to force us to pay the ENTIRE bill out of pocket because the time period for our insurance to process any claims related to our daughter's birth had passed. I, of course, decided I was not going to be financially penalized because of the hospital's mistake. I contacted my insurance company to see if I had any recourse. Texas insurance law was on my side. Legally, I was only responsible for the 20% my insurance would not cover had the claim been submitted in a timely fashion. My insurance company worked with me to figure out what my portion of the bill would have been IF the claim had been processed. Along with a certified letter outlining the specific Texas law insurance statute, we sent in our 20% portion. Basically, in the state of Texas (at that time) if the medical provider failed to submit insurance claims within a set amount of time - the health care provider could not hold the insured patient financially responsible for any amounts above the patient portion in accordance with the insurance plan. Despite original threats to abscond money from us via a collection agency, once they realized we knew the law and acted in accordance with the law, all threats stopped AND from then forward they never pursued any monies above the 20% that was our legal responsibility. Nothing went to collections nor was our credit rating ever affected.

    Since insurance laws have changed, (specifically implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act), I don't know if our situation would be different today. But, it may be something worth looking into if you think your situation may be similar to ours.

    Blessings to you and yours,
    Mrs.B

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    1. Oh my goodness Mrs. B, what a nightmare that must have been for you. I'm glad you got it straightened out. Our case is a bit different in that they finally did submit the claim, it was just months and months later. Thus the holdup on the bill. They chose NOT to tell us that they had screwed up or communicate with us when we asked about the bill numerous times. I am really hoping that we do not have another screw up with billing since I have a routine screen colonoscopy there next week (which I believe is totally covered by my health insurance).

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  12. Sorry to hear that there is no recourse to complain about how they handled your billing. You two were very blessed to be able to handle the situation, even if money will be tight right now.
    Funny - I started with the Tightwad Gazette after reading about her in Parade magazine in the Sunday newspaper and became a subscriber to her monthly newsletter. I found her during my 2-year time of marginal employment. What a blessing. Like you, I didn't have a Mom or other family to show me how to can or how to shop for groceries/manage a kitchen. I learned how to can because my house at the time was very close to a huge blackberry patch. So I just figured it out.
    I also liked the TWG idea of the 'snowball principle' where you spend money to save money. I spent money last winter on new insulated drapes and boy have they cut down on the draft and saved me money on heating. I also set-up my pantry using her guidance - stock what you cook rather then shop for a specific recipe. Simple ideas really, once someone explains them
    Just in from thrift store shopping. It's the senior 30%off day. My finds were books(buy4 get the 5th free), a dvd and some sewing notions. Also and the best score -- 6 pint jars & 4 rings for $1.60. Total spent about $20. Yea!
    Some time, if you're willing, could you write about the Roku? I've looked it up online and can't tell what's free vs what's pay. In big print, they say it offers Netflix but then in another part, in small print, they say some services require payment. I can get the cheapest stick here for $39Cdn but don't know if that's a deal or exactly what I'd be getting. I'm all for talking with the sales people but want to be as knowledgeable as possible going in. I'd love to drop the tv portion of my cable - that would save a bundle. Right now I get phone, internet and tv from the cable provider.
    Cheers & stay warm. SJ

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    1. Hi SJ, you got some great deals at the thrift store! Yay you! I'll try to do a post on the Roku for you soon. Netflix is not free, you have to subscribe to it, but it is only $6 something a month. For us it is free because Jaysn and Rachel are able to have several people on their account so they gave it to us. There are many free channels though through the Roku and you can view YouTube on it also.

      Be blessed!

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    2. We use our Roku for Sling TV and Netflix, even with both it's much less than our satellite tv was! We don't have any complaints at all. Reading your memory of the toilet paper shortage brought back memories, my dad was in the Navy stationed at Pearl Harbor and then Barbers Point, we went through that shortage too!! I can still remember my dad laughing about a radio station giveaway if you were first caller during the song "rolling on the river" you won a roll of toilet paper!

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    3. Oh my goodness! I love that we have shared memories of the TP shortage in Hawaii! Mahalo for that!

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  13. I also meant to mention that your pellet stove looks just like mine, we really like ours.

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