spare change and leftovers
March 7, 2011 § 8 Comments
I’ve always been a lot better at spending money than saving money. I’m not necessarily irresponsible with money; I just like to enjoy myself. Given I’m not working as much as I typically do (ahem, not making the same dough) and next week I have a very special week in store, I’ve decided to assess where I can cut back this week. I’m hoping people will have lots of tips to send me of their own that could be of help.
I’ve never felt like saving money was all that fun, so I decided to start the week off with a game for myself. I rounded up all of the spare change in the house which came to $55.27. I’m also doing an inventory of the food we have in the fridge & pantry (i.e. bulk Costco remnants). This week I will have to feed us on $55.27 and the food around the house. That may not seem like such a big deal, but my husband and I usually spend quite a bit more between eating out a couple nights a week, takeout and groceries (some of which we never end up using). Oh, and we’re having house guests on Thurs night and I’ll be feeding them dinner too. I will post the recipes as I go. The only cheat will be that my husband will be on his own for lunch.
As I was reading about savings, it was interesting to learn that piggy banks are becoming “extinct” because children are now investing early by opening jr accounts.
For a little fun trivia, piggy banks go back centuries. Pictured is an Indonesian piggy bank from the 15th century. Money boxes supposedly date back to the 2nd century B.C. In Middle English “pygg” referred to clay used to make common household objects including money jars. “pygg jars” evolved to “pig banks” in the 18th century. There’s also the theory that in Germany and other cultures pigs were symbols of good luck or good fortune, hence the piggy bank.
If anyone has savings tips, pass them along!
52 To Do 
Skipping meat saves a lot for meals…when we lived on the farm we ate primarily vegetarian.
i bet it will also save me some lbs too! i’ll definitely have to do a veggie night. john made duck rillette from the leftover duck this weekend. looking forward to eating that!
Darcie, Let me know when you do a spa week. Count me in!
colleen, i think you’ll enjoy next week! not spa week but just as fun.
set up an automatic withdrawal from your checking account to an savings account. I use ING direct.. you can do as little as you want. You won’t even notice the money is gone and at the end of the year you will have this pile of cash you had forgotten all out about.. I also like bofA’s keep the change deal..have fun!
brilliant! are you enjoying life outside of work? 🙂
How about rummaging through your closets for ebay and/or garage sales. I just did it and have my first item up for sale and 1 person has bid so far!
I also sell used books to Powell’s in Portland. Dare I say cut coupons 🙂
What’s on the agenda next week?
So happy you’re getting down time!
that’s a good one, Julie! maybe I’ll do a spring cleaning this week. I love Powell’s; I’ll look into a bookstore nearby here. what are you up to these days? let’s catch up!