DAY 44 +45 +46

Lizzy - Oh man  I am getting behind on this. I wanted to make sure every day was accounted for so I have to back track. Monday was a normal day. No outings to spend money on. Just work and home. Tuesday Gracie had school and I had no car. It has to be fixed so Ryan took it to work with him to have it looked at. It left me at the house which was fine. We ate over at a Christella and Dans and she made the BEST wonton/chicken/rice meal ever..we loved it. And its always fun to get out and visit. Her daughter is Gracies age and its so fun watching and listening to them play. It amazes me how alike they are. Cute and quirky:) We had to stop by Sams club that night and exchange our detergent and get Jack some formula. It amazes me how we are in and out of a store now in no time. No wandering around and picking up random items. We said what we needed and only got what we needed. It was great.
So today we are all feeling a little tired. Both kids have been sleeping and I myself feel like dozing off. I wonder if we are going to get sick or if its just the weather? I don't know but whatever it is I am enjoying the quiet afternoon...I wont complain:) I think since Ryan works again tonight I may take the kids up to the library and get some new movies/books. I was invited to go to Jumping Jacks today with a friend.

So yes another outing that's not too far and "cheap" but doesn't fit the bill this year. Next year I am sure the kids will still love it. If you haven't noticed most of our days are not out and about now...we sometimes spend all day at home. And I am actually liking it:) I feel less stressed and getting more personal things done than I would have had I continued to fill my days with outings and shopping:) But still....those days will still hit where I may lose it hahaha!

Ryan - I've been so busy and tired this week, I have really slacked on entering my blogs. Sorry for the short entries.
Monday - Worked on a roof. It's getting late in the season, so this will be my last one this year. I'm hoping to finish in a week and a half. I'll probably take a day off at work to get is done before the weather turns bad. Took the Passat to Mike and he said it should cost too much to fix. We were estimating $1000 worst case scenario. I may be around $300.
Tuesday - Pretty uneventful money spending day.
Wednesday - Was sick most of the day so didn't feel like doing much, but it doesn't matter. We can't spend money, so we'd be home anyways or on a walk.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM:Jumping Jacks

COST: $5

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $2984.56

L

DAY 42+43

Saturday
Lizzy- Today was another free lunch at Sams Club and tonight I am attending the womens conference and dinner before hand. I will offer my services to clean up tonight as well so that I feel accepting of the free meals lately. Although there was no urge to buy something specific I am starting to see all the Halloween decoration out on display. This is my favorite holiday so to not purchase a little something to add to my decoration collection will be dificult. But wont count any money saved for those until I see something that is hard to walk away from.
Ryan - I spent the day working at Chad's as part of our trade out work. I building a retaining wall for his trampoline. Watched the kids while Lizzy went to a RS dinner. The kids fell asleep early and I worked on my lesson for Sunday. Pretty uneventful financially.




Friday
Lizzy- Friday was a special treat for us. After the typical work day ended my mom wanted to let Gracie spend the night at her place. Great for everyone all around although from what I heard Gracie never really slept which means grandma didn't sleep. But that's the excitement of sleepovers for kids. You forget as an adult that staying up late is fun and exciting! After we dropped her off we headed over to Rafael's (now don't panic...no money was spent) A neighbor (who doesn't know about our plan by the way in case you think we are moochers) gave us a gift card to Rafael's. I'm not sure if they just had extra or they don't like the place or just couldn't go before it expired but in any case he gave it to us and we were very excited. Of course it was only $20 so we had to be very careful. The card also said that we could not use it as a tip for the waiter so we first thought "well...then I guess we can't go" Until Ryan came up with a better idea. His friend Chad was coming with us so we decided to let him use $5 of our ticket (that we would have given the waiter) towards his purchase if he would use his cash to pay for the tip. It worked out perfect. So for $20 we got the free

chips and salsa that kept coming to the table, a pina colada, an all you can eat salad bar and a chile verde burrito which I must say both the burrito and the pina colada were HUGE. The portion sizes could have fed 3 people. However I am sure we each would have chosen our own entree and drink. So $12 more dollars would have been spent that night. So both of us walked away very full. After Chad wanted to treat us to frozen yogurt  (he was the one who came with us before all those times) So we were hesitant but he insisted and Ryan is always doing some work for him on the side free of charge so we accepted his offer. Normally we would have used our own money or even bought his yogurt on our next outing. It felt so wonderful to sit in a restaurant and enjoy the weekend experience. Now that there are few  we are cherishing every moment!!!
Ryan - I'm just trying to catchup here, unfortunately this usually results in a subpar entry. Since I work all day I'm not dealing much in finances other than earning a paycheck.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM:Rafael's (separate meals) / Yogurts

COST: $12/$10

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $2979.56

DAY 40 + 41

Lizzy- Yesterday was a busy day. I woke up early to go to my spin class which I missed on Monday. Its very hard getting up at 5:45 to workout when your up twice a night with a baby. But each time I am in the class I feel good about myself and about the day ahead of me and think "why do I struggle to get here....when I am here  I love it" So that will be my mental challenge in the mornings. Then it was off to work and spent the rest of the day with the family watching movies playing games and relaxing. Today I sent Gracie off to school and then she went to a friends house. Its given me much needed time to catch up on the cleaning and spend time with Jack. I also got a call this morning from a hotel that wanted to hire me for weekends as an attendant. I have been looking for part time work but it seems that nothing is matching up to my schedule. This one was perfect in that it started from 5am and went till 12 or 1. It was only Sat and Sun which at first seems IDEAL so that it wouldn't interfere with my family's schedule and it would bring in and extra $650 a month. Which is great now that winter is coming and Ryans side work will slow down. The struggle was Sundays. How can I miss every Sunday morning and church service with my family and what does that teach Gracie? She struggles herself right now wanting to go but I think this would be a terrible message to her as well as to myself. I feel blessed I was offered the job when I wanted it but don't feel right compromising the seriousness of the issue. We are told only to work Sundays if we have to. And for many there is a half to which is unfortunate. But for me its not and I have to be honest with that. So I called and offered any other day but I am not sure they will accept that. I am hoping better things come of this decision.

As for money I am going to do the big update with the phones. So here we go. We have decided to cancel our cell phone service with Verizon.

Two main reason are 1. Ryan has had another cell phone and free service since he started his new job. They provide him with this at no cost to us so for him. He carries around 2 phones all day so why not just use 1 and not have to pay for it. 2. Of course it would save money this year for our challenge. Now here are the concerns we had as we were making this decision. Ryan does lots of side work so for him to lose his number would be a great loss to us because of contact that have his number from YEARS ago that still get in touch .It would not be an easy task to reach everyone nor would we be able to. So it was vital that he was able to keep his number. But then by switching his number to his work phone how would that go over with his company? Well...it worked out perfect. His boss is an amazing guy who is very open and supportive of this and said it would be no problem to have Ryan use his work for personal and to switch the number. So we called cricket (who they go through) and had it done a couple days ago! So he still has the same number...no loss contacts...no extra money spent...easy. Now the next concern was my phone.

Since we are getting a land line (ever heard of these?) I wont be able to have the same number. But really...my contacts can easily be notified and when we look back how often did I ever answer my cell phone? maybe 20% of the time. I can't hear the ringer...I can't hear my text messages...I often am busy with the kids and don't want to answer the phone in which case I call back....and lets face it...how many times have I lost my phone??? A LOT!!!! I don't do well with cell phones. I leave them in the car...let the battery run out and just plain don't want to be glued to it. So my change is going to be an advantage for everyone. My home phone will be a lot easier to locate and use. The next concern was for myself again not having one for emergencies. Another reality check here. How often am I in an emergency? Almost never. Have I classified things as urgent? Sure but never EMERGENCY. I do remember having to pull into a gas station and call Ryan to come put oil in the car because it kept beeping at me. So it was handy however I am sure that wherever I am going I could EASILY find someone with a cell or even "heaven forbid" use a payphone or store phone. I don't think communication is hard to find nowadays. So I think I am good on this one. I also find this not only money saving but important for my kids safety while I am driving. Law or not I have been more than guilty of answering the phone or making a quick call while on the road. I don't think its right, I dont think its safe and I dont think its worth it for such a short time to use the phone and put anyone at risk. So I feel good about not having that temptation in front of me anymore. Another and last concern was that Ryans dad is on our plan. He had already paid in advance for the service so we felt bad that he would no longer be able to use his phone. But just as we hoped he was more than ok with it saying he never really used it anyway and told us not to worry about the difference in $. So that all fell into place. Now comes down to the pros and the big money saver. I called around to different services asking what the package deals were for the internet and land line.

After talking with a few places I called comcast one evening and the guy over the phone quoted me a plan for 1 year of $35 a month. Now, when I called back to start that service they told me that was a mistake in pricing and was only if you had cable that we would get that price. Well if you know me you know how much I love working with call centers (sarcastic smile)

I was ready for the fight. Whether or not he told me the wrong price he knew I didn't have cable and still offered that price to me. The best offer they could now give me was $40 a month for only 6 months then it would go up to $60. Ooohhhhh NOOOOo my friends...that was NOT acceptable to me. Just because he did something wrong didnt mean  I was going to be punished. I told them I wont accept anything but the $35 for 12 month as quoted...they said "only a supervisor can arrange that" Ok well...get him on the PHONE. Then the supervisor said "I would have to listen to your phone call and see how everything was said" OK well....LISTEN to the call. Dont tell me you can't do something. I have worked in call centers long enough to know you CAN do it. So it took 3 days....6 phone calls and me not giving in to their "games" and what happened? I GOT THE DEAL! Dont like how I had to get it but if your going to train these employees and offer great customer service then I expect it. And had he told me the $40 at 6 months first I would have taken it. But that was not my doing. So let me break down what we are spending now;what we would have spent had I given in to their chastisement and taken the 2nd offer and what we will be paying now that we fought for what we were offered in the first place.
Right Now : Verizon $110/month  and Comcast internet $45/month
Total : $155 month / $1860 for the year
Canceling cells and what they were trying to get us to take : Verizon $0/month Comcast $40*6month/$60*6months
Total : $600.00 for the year
What we will be paying : Comcast $35/month for 12 months
Total: $420.00
WWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW
We just went from paying $1860 for phone and internet down to $420. Thats $1440 we just saved this year WAY COOL!!
Ok that was a very long entry and explanation but really I had to share. Its a huge deal. I will be updating on how things go with just a land line. Im sure the challenge will be harder some days than others but overall I feel really good about it.

Ryan - I love Lizzy's determination, it definitely helps in cases like these, but when it turns on me that's a completely different story, but I'll leave that for my personal journal :).

This is also a tip, but my boss told me that when we disconnect our cells phones, we shouldn't just throw them a way, but we can still use them for emergencies. All cell phones have the 911 feature available whether you have a service or not. This is a requirement by the government or FCC or somebody like that. So Lizzy keep your cell phone in the car and keep your  charger too. If you're ever  in an accident or any type of emergency, you can use your cell phone to call 911.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM: phone and internet service (no change in what we have now)

COST: $1860

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $2957.56

DAY 39

Lizzy: So things are already falling apart "literally". My sandals snapped the other day when I was out for a walk. These were great sandals and I only have 1 pair. This is very disappointing because I don't have anything to wear with my capri's. The one good side is that its fall and I can start just wearing pants and shoes. The bad part is come spring this will be VERY hard. I also use them for church and don't have any other shoes that go with a brown skirt. So the dilemma was trying to figure out if I should just go get another pair. But of course I can do without for now. And when the time comes to wear summer attire my mother offered to let me borrow hers that she doesn't wear anymore. So we will see how this goes. I am also going to try and see on KSL if anyone is giving away shoes..maybe I can snatch them before they get dumped at the DI. So my quest for free sandals begins and money saved is about $15 for a new pair.   And the phone savings is coming soon. I will have more details in the days ahead. I will get my calculations in order and do the math. I can already tell you though that by getting rid of the cell's it is at LEAST $1000.00 for the year. Its very exciting and I did get a killer deal when dealing with comcast. I had to be a bit of stubborn customer but in the end it worked out to our benefit. So I will tell the story tomorrow. 


Ryan - This week I was going to eat soup for lunch. So on Monday I packed the soup can, a bowl, spoon, and crackers. Lunch time hits and the stupid can needs to be opened with a can opener. That's what you get when you don't buy Campbell's. So I starved today. Wasn't too bad, since I was really busy at work. My sister-in-law (who I won't name) says she doesn't agree with the starving. That may be true if I were dying, but missing a lunch here or there won't kill me. This is just an incentive to remember a can opener. I weigh less now too, so that's a bonus I guess.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM: Sandals + Lunch

COST: $15 + $6

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $1103.56

DAY 38

Lizzy- Ok...HUGE setback. I just about ruined this whole thing on Sat. Luckily with my husbands reprimand and my own acknowledgment I saved everything. So I have only 1 pair of pants that fit me and I have been wearing them to the point that on Sat I got a big hole right where you don't want one. There is no way to patch this up so it only left me with the option to go get new ones. Instead of the mall and spending 40+ on a pair I run over to Kohls (where you "expect great things"...and I did:)...used a coupon to get %20 off and got the jeans marked down to $10. Great deal! But with that deal I got consumed in wanting to buy a couple more things. I ended up walking out of there with this really nice sweater for $22. I get home and the first thing Ryan does is grill me on what I bought. So right there I was called out on the sweater. Only were the jeans needed so of course I put up a defense because I like the sweater and in my closet I have 'nothing to wear' (at least that's what I tell myself regardless of the 20+ shirts hanging there) Its not that I didn't have a shirt its just that its winter and I have no new winter clothes so I "needed" it. Well...slap in the face. No I don't need it. I can wear last years clothes...even though some are a bit bigger because I was pregnant. But still we are putting aside fashion for this challenge and its a sacrifice we agreed to make. So today...I take back the sweater, get my $22 back and have to be honest here I am NOT happy about it, but this is what I asked for (I am learning self control and budgeting and its hard as rocks but still possible. So goodbye sweater and hello $$$).

Ryan - Let me first say, I didn't enjoy talking to Lizzy about the sweater. I was concerned we were slipping into justifying our actions, which is a trait that things are coming apart. Honestly, even the pants I still wonder, but I never had to wear a skirt or dress either, so I won't judge too harshly.When Lizzy came home with the shirt, I felt that crossed the line. I am proud she took it back. I sense the line is getting a little blurred (groceries and clothing) and when we take offense that is usually a sign we've crossed over it or are tempted to do so. I'm glad we have each other to give a different perspective.
When talking tonight about this issue with family, it was interesting to get differing opinions of wants and needs. One person thought that foregoing medical insurance for two months was too extreme. Or that buying  clothes was a necessity. This is a debate that I suppose will go on while we are doing this goal, but like most things, the heart is the deciding factor for me and hopefully for our family. I wouldn't want to put my family's health in jeopardy, but it's a calculated risk, since we have done all the visits and we are not scheduled for a visit for six more months. I could honestly reason the with the family member who wouldn't chance it. The insurance we are picking up in a month isn't much better than going with out insurance. It's a high deductible ($5000) and only "in" and "out" patient visits are paid with a copay. everything else is out of pocket. We may switch to a more traditional medical plan. We will need to put money into a Health Savings Plan (HSA). Money we put there is tax exempt and can only be used for medical related bills or purchases.

To end on a positive note, we took a big step to saving a lot of money. I was able to transfer my phone number from Verizon to my Cricket work phone. I still have a mobile phone, but it's paid by my employer. It has unlimited minutes, long distance, text messaging and voice-mail. It's just a crappy phone, but it's "phree." The total saving will take place when we cancel our service completely on October 10th (the end of the billing cycle). When you cancel Verizon won't prorate the bill. In place of Lizzy's mobile phone, we are getting a land line and I'll let Lizzy explain the details on how she basically got us a huge savings from what we are paying now for internet. She's a great bargain hunter.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM: Beautiful green sweater

COST: $22

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $1082.56

DAY 36 + 37

Lizzy-Last night was a ward BB-Q and camp fire. Everyone played games and sang and ate dinner. It was fun! And this morning Gracie went to a friends birthday party up at Silver Lake. I wanted to go but Jack is still feeling bad so I didn't want to take him up the mountains this morning. So it was just Ryan and Gracie. Then we did our shopping and finishing some errands. We did end up spending more money than normal on groceries but we thought by saving time driving to Winco was that same as just shopping closer at walmart....big mistake. For what we were buying it was a lot more expensive. Lesson learned. We did have a huge decision about our phones though and I will have more info to come next week when we finalize everything its going to be a big money saver:)

Ryan - We went grocery shopping and we initially thought that if we did our shopping and Sam's Club and Wal-Mart (since both were next to each other), we'd save some money. Wrong. We spent more that expected. We learned we need to shop with purpose.

DAY 35

Lizzy- Today we stayed home so no money spent. Jack has not been feeling well for a couple days and today was the worst.  But I think with some more rest tonight he should be better soon. Gracie had another great day at school and silly mom forgot that it was picture day until we were packing her bag. I did not get to fix her hair nice at all but oh well. It adds character right? Ryan and I discussed the possibility of getting a home phone and getting rid of the cell phones. He has a free one from work anyway and I can never find my phone and always seem to forget it so why bother with it when I am home and can check messages here. It would save us over $100 a month so I think tomorrow or sometime soon the decision will be made.

Ryan - As we consider eliminating unnecessary expense, these decisions don't seem as drastic now as would have been 3-4 months ago. It's funny how a shift in our mindset has devalued the use of things in our lives we thought were essential. It just turns out they were a convenience. I don't know why we didn't think of the mobile phones sooner. The savings would be great. We'll see what happens.