So I thought I'd write an update to last months post. How did I do with estimating what we needed to live off of for a month? Well. . . pretty good with the exception of a few things. The last week we ran out of butter. Rich was a little miffed and suggested I go pick up some but I reminded him that buying what we run out of defeats the purpose. So we went a week without butter. No problem, we just used oil when cooking and put coconut oil on our toast. Yum! I bought too much of other things so when it was time to shop for this month, I just didn't need to buy those things. 2 bottles of Olive oil is too much for us.
This month when I went shopping and then came home to put everything away, I realized I bought some things I thought we were out of but weren't. Like paper plates and plastic wrap. That was a bummer because I spent money I didn't need to. Could I have taken them back? Sure, but I hate doing that. Live and Learn. I need to remember where I've put things!
I'm really digging this once a month shopping thing. It makes my life easier, because I'm not running to the store all the time. I know what we need to make it through the month and. . . what we really don't need. It also makes me aware of how much things cost so that I can recognize a deal when I see one.
So on the "saving money" note, I wanted to share a story with you.
We've needed a highchair now for about 2 months. I had been putting Levi in the swing and sitting myself down on the kitchen floor to feed him. That worked for awhile but was a killer on my back and knees! Over time he began to not really like his swing anymore since he can sit up and his swing is in a somewhat reclining position so I began shopping for a good deal on a high chair. Since we really don't think we will have anymore children, I didn't want to pay much. I do have a flimsy highchair with no padding that straps to a regular chair like a booster seat but the problem with it is we have no extra kitchen chairs in our house anymore! We'll use it for camping.
So the search began. I went to 2 consignment stores and 2 thrift stores. No high chairs except at one store but it was pink and brown polk-a-dotted. I looked at new ones on Amazon and the cheapest one was $55. I did check on Craigslist but there was nothing that day that I looked. One night while on a date with my hubby, we decided to go to Babies R Us to price them. I had a gift card that would give us a small discount. Oh my, I was shocked to see that the cheapest one there was $80!
So one Saturday as I was on my way to buy some fresh produce, I saw a sign for a garage sale. I quickly make a decision to check it out just in case there happened to be a high chair for sale. Sure enough, there was! Really? Now I really wanted one on wheels so that I could well . . . wheel it around the kitchen! It did have wheels! The only problem with it was it was filthy! I mean disgustingly gross filthy. But guess what she was asking for this food caked, who know what splattered all over, filthy high chair on wheels? Five Bucks. She actually said, " I'm just trying to get my stuff out of my garage. All you'll need is a power hose and some bleach to clean this up. I'll give it to you for $5."
Probably most people would have thought, "No way, that's just gross!" But I thought, "I'm not too good for this. A little work and I'll have this looking brand new and if not, I'll only be out $5!" So I took it home and hosed it down with my powered hose and some real soapy soap.
And here we are! Its a Chicco brand which online new cost over $100! It reclines, folds up for storage, adjusts to fit right up to your table, and has safety locks on the wheels if you don't want it to roll. Moral of the story? Sometimes it pays to not be snooty. Or, if you look close enough there might be a gem in that garbage heap that just needs a little polishing!
And. . . the best part about it is that he likes it!
