Friday, September 9, 2022

Saving and Spending

Thank you to everyone for the thoughtful comments on my previous post. I do appreciate that some people make mistakes and overspend. Some of us make mistakes because we don’t have anyone to tell us, were never taught and or did not educate ourselves at the time. In my case, the “money management” mistakes I made at the beginning of my widowhood were saved by my pension and SS but perhaps should be a lesson for others:

To wit, at 55, I put ALL of my husband’s benefits into an IRA except a few thousand dollars. Literally. I mean, hell, I was a federal employee and only fifty five.  I would work and it could sit there. I never found another job (I was fifty five, had dependent kids, and was already unable to do any “standing” jobs such as retail). I had kids to support, a move to make cross country, a new home to provide, and so on and so forth. I ended up needing that money, and pulling out a bunch between fifty five and sixty two. Which would have been forgivable. Except those capital gains. Capital gains on taxes had me owing the IRS almost as much as I had taken out. And here as the movie says, ends the lesson. Even intelligent, mainly frugal, thrifty, smart people can make really stupid financial mistakes.


And now, a few thrifty things of the week.


Thrifty?  Not Thrifty? You Tell Me:  I have managed to keep the grocery budget at under $400 for one person. And have budgeted a goal of $350 to $400 through the end of the year. Nationally I am unsure if that is good or bad, so I guess you all will tell me!! That does include a few things like dishwasher tabs and detergent, but not personal products which I get from Amazon. I do eat meat, drink soda and enjoy wine. I also eat almost anything so I am willing to substitute beef for lamb for chicken for pork as needed, and I live in an area where most foods are in season most of the year. I eat a high protein diet that includes eggs and meat every morning and move on.

Also, this budget includes prepared meals like Home Chef Fresh and Easy and a local company called Front Porch pantry that delivered home cooked meals for two as well as the occasional order in. Not included is eating out. I put some of my local food prices at the bottom for comparison.

I got it cheaper: I hit up the local independent thrift store and found two pairs of good jeans and two “department store designer” type tops for twelve dollars. I actually went to look for a bunch of small pretty storage containers like tins and metal and good baskets I could paint and I also got some of those.  I'm a follower of the blog the Non Consumer Advocate, and while I am never going to buy nothing but undies and food new, I am committed to used first when it comes to decor, linens, clothing and such for the rest of the year. I did see lots of large sized bright men’s dress shirts I could have turned into fabric, but time was short.

I found new ways to save (not spend):, I literally just today found out that while my library does not offer the Washington Post, it does offer something called Kanopy which offers me ten free movies per month, and unlimited plays of the Great Courses and I am now watching Optimizing Brain Fitness.  Also a library benefit is a Rosetta Stone membership to supplement my German Pod Youtube classes and a Creative bug crafting classes membership.

I got it free (sorta):, I got my annual pair of orthopedic shoes from Medicare. Yes, you can get one free pair a year depending and they measure your feet with a machine. They’re clodhoppers, having inserts and being padded and all but at this point I will take any heavily padded shoe.



And because there always has to be an “Oh Darn!” in the mix, I may end up paying full price for a prescription I left somewhere and need refilled before its date. Hopefully it will not be too much as it’s a generic thing. Live and learn, live and learn.


And now, for comparison, a few of my north Texas prices this week:


80 percent ground beef 2.49 on sale

Bakery muffins four count 3.98

Generic butter 3.98 at Walmart

Boneless chicken thighs 3.48

Regular large white eggs 3.47

Happy organic eggs 5.68

One pound of strawberries 2.98

A pint of blueberries 3.18

Honeycrisp apples 2.92 a pound



17 comments:

  1. Life is all about learning. Often, we learn about saving and spending money through trial and error. For many of us, our mistakes teach us more than our successes. I appreciate your sharing your experience with the unexpected capital gains taxes--that has tripped up many of us. Isn't it ironic how private most of us are when it comes to sharing financial information. I'm guessing many still believe it's in poor taste to talk about money. Surely it would be beneficial for parents to talk to their children and grandchildren about their lessons learned. My parents/grandparents never talked about money. We hoped everything was okay, but upon their deaths, we learned that my grandparents were actually living on very little. Our society seems to be opening up about nearly everything else, and I hope the same holds true for the subject of finances.

    Barb, I think $400 seems about right for one person. Yesterday, I visited with a cousin and she said that's what she's aiming for. I believe she said that includes paper and cleaning products. Your price list looks comparable to our prices in southeastern Illinois. Except for your ground beef--I haven't seen anything priced that well in ages. This week I paid $3.99 for 80 % ground beef on sale.

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    1. In my case my husband was a financial.analyst as his profession. I ha led daily spending and planning and he did the rest. We never had any serious conversations which was more my fault than his.

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  2. Your grocery budget makes me feel better about the increase in ours to approximately $800 a month for 2 people. We could make it less if we did not buy any alcohol and some other things but that is what it is averaging now.

    The shoes look comfortable and comfortable feet mean the whole body feels better.

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    1. I think food is going to be what it's going to be for awhile. The shoes are a bit heavy but probably a good thing with the osteopenia.

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  3. My wife and I love thrift shopping. Yesterday I was wearing a pair of cargo shorts I got for 99 cents last week! They look new. We enjoy the hunt for great deals on things we use everyday and those little treasures we never knew we needed until we found it!

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    1. One of the pants don't really fit, but at two pucks I'll turn it into fabric or offer it upon my buy nothing group.

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  4. We’re traveling in our RV currently, and I am increasingly aware of how my shopping practices back home have enabled us to continue to eat very well on $100 a week for two people, primarily by shopping at multiple markets to leverage each one’s price advantages, and buying ahead when things like salmon, ground turkey, chicken and steak go on sale. In my RV with it’s limited storage and teeny fridge and even tinier freezer, I can do none of these things, which our travel grocery spend shows.

    All to say that I am newly aware of how much energy I put in to keep food inflation at bay when home. Not sure I really understood both that effort and it’s impact until this trip.

    Tamara R

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    1. These days I only have a fridge top freezer. I'm pretty much foing all my shopping at Aldi and filling in and getting loss leaders at kroger.

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  5. I dunno, to me it sounds like you're being very smart, very responsible. Those hopefully-no-longer dependents should be very proud of you!

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  6. There are always lessons to be learned in life. The fact that you've managed on your own while raising children and assisting other family members says you've done a good job.
    I do love finding bargains and so the thrift stores are definitely my cup of tea. Other than undergarments and shoes I pretty much buy everything else there.

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    1. I am looking to buy more, and use poshmark online as well.

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  7. Besides Kanopy, check Clark Howard on Facebook ... several FREE movie streaming sites .... https://clark.com/save-money/free-movies-online/?fbclid=IwAR2nbceejZ8EIiRfuB3NyMD-JNPShzbAa7sTfoSOneAtZ-OeKgwX13ZWMo8

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    1. Thanks I will look. Although my primary Kanopy use is the great courses rather than films

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  8. We always learn from our mistakes. Sometimes I have to learn the lesson twice.

    I wish our thrift stores were as good as yours, but they aren't so I usually only use them for fabric and yarn. Sometimes the occasional novel or cookbook. So tempted to try some of the stores in the big city the next time we go.

    God bless.

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    1. I have to search wctra hard because of my big books but I also use poshmark online and other places and generally find a lot of linens and decor as well.

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  9. Barb, seeing your new shoes, made me wonder if you're still liking your SAS shoes. I know a person's feet can change over time. I have experience with just one style of SAS and am thinking about trying another style.

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    1. I love my SAS shoes and a new pair of sandals is on my list. I have never worn their tie shoes although a friend swears by them. Im.honestly not sure I'll wear these black shoes much as opposed to the SAS or asics.

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