Don't you HATE to move?

Well, my friends, the ultimate money saving idea..... moving to a more affordable home. Over the past few months, it became painfully obvious that there was no way around it. We simply had to move from our 3 bed 2 bath house to a smaller apartment. This was not an easy decision to reach. I think I will miss the back yard where my grandchildren played most. And there is cost involved in moving.

Renting a truck for 3 days ... almost $200.
Buying boxes to pack..... $70.
And that is with getting free-bee boxes from everyone we knew plus scrounging grocery stores and liquor stores.
Renting of storage..... $150 per month.
Eating out while kitchen is in boxes.... at least $200.
Breakage of items that will have to be replaced.... incalculable.

However, the savings far out-weigh the cost in the long run. We moved into a one bedroom. Even with most of what we own in storage, we will save:

Water, sewage and garbage bill every month.... $80
Lawn service every month..... $80
Electricity bill so far..... $75
Difference in renting house vs renting small apartment per month... $400

I hated the move. I would rather have taken a beating. But now that it's over, I'm glad. I was sore and exhausted for weeks but now that I am settling in, I see that I was surrounded by things I didn't need. I just had them because I had space for them. Perhaps if I had let go before of the things I held so tightly, it wouldn't have been such an ordeal.

I wouldn't wish moving on anyone but it is a reality in this economy that down-sizing has it's advantages. And in the whole scheme of things, I am better of than most of the rest of the world. I'm not living in a box by the side of the road, thank you Jesus. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Natural Beads

Chinaberry, sometimes called Umbrella tree, is a native of Asia, brought to the United States in the 17th century. It is an invasive tree with suckers growing from the roots sometimes forming hedges. The sweet-smelling flowers have five white petals surrounding a purple tube. The fruit is considered poisonous to humans and small mammals although I have known ground squirrels to eat them. The seed is hard and woody and can germinate even after being dried for many years.
These trees grow throughout the United States, especially in the south. Here in California, we have many of them in yards as ornamental trees.
The seeds have an interesting fluted shape and a natural hole through the center. Whether dyed or natural, they make perfect beads for jewelry.
• Pick as many berries as you can use. Wash them and remove the stem.
• Boil the berries over the stove for 20 minutes, or in the microwave for 5 minutes.
• Cool to handle and slip off the outer peel and pulp. Wash and towel dry.
• Prepare food coloring dyes in cups, using ½ cup water, 1 teaspoon vinegar, desired food coloring per cup.
• Dip seeds in dye and allow to steep in dye for desired color intensity. The longer the exposure, the deeper the color.
• String as desired using string elastic or fishing line. Accent with glass or plastic beads as desired.

What can be cut?

It's been hard saving lately. I feel we cut everything that can be cut. Last year we cut off the cable and saved $130 a month or $1,560 for the year. We switched to AT&T for the phone and internet at $75 per month but that too started to increase so we called AT&T and said we want the land line to be eliminated. We weren't using it anymore. We only occasionally used it; mostly using the cell phone. And the cell phone is a pay-as-u-go type so we know exactly what that will cost per month and nothing more. But AT&T called us back and said that the phone and internet were linked and they couldn't eliminate the phone line. You and I both know that's a lie. They can turn of anything they want to.. but in arguing with me they lowered my bill to less than the internet would be by itself. I'll be saving $480 over the next year. However at the end of the year the price will go back up again. And once again, I'll have to call and complain or try to turn something off to get a better price. This is all competitive, I understand, and unless you complain you get what you get. Are we back to the old way of shopping? Dickering for the best prices? Apparently.

During the winter months, our heater went out. We couldn't afford to have it fixed right away so we sat in a cold house. We used a small space heater to heat only the room we were in, and then went to bed with it. It's not that we wanted to cut our utilities intentionally, but we did. And recently I got a grateful note from PG&E stating because we participated in the "cut your utilities during the winter" program, we get a 20% decrease on the next bill. Nice. We didn't intend to participate but now I'm kind of glad the heater went out. We saved about $250 over the winter and another $50 off the most recent bill.

Saving on TV and Beauty

So saving and earning haven't been real easy lately. With my husband out of work and my hours cut drastically, we have been struggling as lots of people are. We don't eat out like we used to and haven't seen a movie-theater movie in over a year. We even got rid of TV. That's right. No cable, no satellite, no antenna, no box. However we still have internet (for business purposes) and find that HULU.com has free TV shows to watch at your convenience and with little time on commercials. How great is that? Sure there is little to no educational stuff, no news. But the internet is full of news anyway at other sites. Who would go back to regular TV with all this?

This may sound crazy but AVON is a great help too. I'm no salesman but I find people all know about Avon. They either like it or not. I don't have to "push" it on anyone. Also, as a representative I can get all the products I would like to have at an extremely reduced rate, depending on how much my order is for. (The more products you sell the more your percentage of profit is.) So I can buy my shampoo, deodorant, hair spray, make-up, lotions and creams for myself and my husband at almost half the cost I would have spent at the store. Not bad. And if I were a pushy-er salesman, I would be making a better profit too. The only down side is that if I'm not careful, I could become my own best customer. I have to really keep a tight watch on my spending on great products so what I buy for myself does not exceed my profit margin.

Cheap Food

I have found that the dollar store has a few things that are cheaper than the regular stores but you have to really shop to find the bargains. For instance, the pastas are usually just as good and much cheaper.. unless you aren't careful and bring home a box infested with bugs. Then everything in the cabinet becomes infested and you haven't saved at all. However I have had that problem happen with things purchased at a regular store too.

Toilet paper is cheap but the rolls are small and rolled loosely enough that you go through them much faster than the more expensive name brands. So are you saving? Yes, if you only had a dollar to spend and were in a hurry.

Candy is definitely a bargain because it is mostly the name brands they are offering at the dollar store. But who needs that much candy especially after making New Years resolutions to cut back on that extra spare tire.

Greeting cards are a bargain at the dollar store. They are obviously last years cards but who cares. However, with the advent of ecards, how many people really send cards anymore? Well, I do. For thank you's and birthdays. And I know a lot of people who still do too. We may be a dying breed but we are still hanging onto the old habits. And really, there is nothing like having a card arrive unexpectantly wishing me well or thanking me for some small thing. It is a treat.

There are day-old bread stores in almost every town that sell perfectly good bread at less than half the price of the regular stores. The problem here is that you have to consider the gas and time to go to these extra stores against how much you are actually saving. Sometimes it isn't worth the dollar or so to drive across town. This is where you find friends to carpool with or trade off turns going and buying several weeks worth (to freeze) to make it worth the trip.

Costco is a member store that sells wholesale food and things in bulk. For a large family it is perfect. But for just my husband and myself, it is not worth it. I always spend more than I meant to and go over my budget because you have to buy bulk there.

Walmart has some store that sell food too but you have to shop and look for the bargains. Some things are and some are not. This means that shopping becomes like a research project or a military operation instead of a pleasant outing. You have to be armed with a calculator and be alert at all times. This is where I have problems. I'm not as alert as I used to be and all the addition and multiplication makes me tired.

Anyone have any better ideas? I'd love to hear them. Maybe there is something I missed.