Saturday, January 22, 2011

A Month of Saving Day 14

Today, we went to the bulk food store in Shipshewana. My parents had been there recently and one of my best friends lives near there, so we thought we would check it out. They have TONS of baking items, as well as regular groceries. We bought powdered sugar, Haitian vanilla (the best vanilla on the planet... I was so excited to find), nacho cheese, some dip mixes, and several other items. When we got home, we made 2 loaves of bread, 36 dinner rolls, 2 large bags of egg noodles, and an angel food cake from scratch. YUM!! The rolls are in the freezer, we made paninis tonight with the bread, the noodles are in the freezer, and the angel food cake... well, it's in my tummy!!! Last night, we also made a drastic change in our family room... the TV is gone! GASP! OK, before you start throwing tomatoes at me or something, we still have a TV and this really wasn't about saving money. For awhile now, we have noticed that our children are both glued to the television if it is on. One of the first words out of Matthew's mouth in the mornings is, "Let's watch Mouse." We were getting frustrated that they were always wanting to watch one of their favorites shows and it also let us off the hook in terms of being creative and playing with them. So, we got rid of it! We moved it to our bedroom (thank you, Uncle Kyle), so for the first time since we got married, we have a working television in our bedroom. I really think it will become a dust collector in there, but I am not sure Ryan was ready to move it too far away just yet. We had a great day playing with our kids and they never asked to watch the TV one time!!! Not to mention, I got to rearrange my family room and I LOVE the new set-up! Jason: If you're reading this, we were able to get the leather chair we thought would sell with the house out of the basement last night! It looks great in my family room!
Today, when I thought about saving money, I thought of our flexible spending account. I realize not everyone has this option with their health insurance plan at work, but if you do... TAKE ADVANTAGE!! We have 2 sick kiddos right now, and while we typically enjoy fairly good health around here, we do have occasional illnesses or doctor visits. The flexible spending account is pre-tax contributions from your paycheck that can be used for healthcare expenses throughout the year (read the fine print to make sure you know what is eligible under your specific plan). For example, I am getting a crown on Wednesday and the $450 (puke) that are not covered under my insurance from work, I can pay for with my FSA. While I realize I am still paying for the crown, I did not have to "budget" for it in our monthly expenses. In fact, I was supposed to have the crown in December and called to reschedule it so that I could take advantage of the funds once my FSA reset in January. We are very fortunate to have my mom watching our kids for us, but I believe there is some type of contribution like this for childcare expenses as well if that pertains to you. If you work, make sure you know the benefits your employer provides for you... many employers have deals with cell phone companies, gyms, or other vendors that provide nice discounts or incentives to their employees. One of the incentives from Ryan's health insurance is a 10% discount on a zoo pass!!! I've begun to realize that often there are discounts available and I just didn't know or failed to ask.
Have a great weekend!

If you're really worried about our children's deprivation from television, we do have a TV in the basement that I am sure we will be using from time to time!!!

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, I am reading this. I remember well taking that chair to the basement. Did you cut a hole in the floor or what? Bob McGregor would be proud. P.S. don't drop a sofa on your toe.(ask Ryan)
JB