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| The calendar behind me as I sit at my desk |
January 2025 is half over already. I have spent the first few weeks remembering to write "2025" when a date is required on anything, clearing out (more) clutter, preparing for another year of volunteering, and, of course, reading. (It has been pretty cold lately, so my indoor reading time has grown.) Add to that activity a deeper dive (my toes are in the water at least) into our household finances, and that captures a lot of January at the halfway mark.
On the clutter front, some progress has been made. Last week we took a carload of donations (household, shop, other) to Goodwill. Just this week, I (finally) emptied, recycled, and either disposed or saved three boxes (from holiday gift shipments), clearing them off the coffee table in our downstairs study (which is presently also serving as a holding station for Hyer Percussion). Gone, gone, gone.
Along with good friends and colleagues, I am gearing up for the 2025 Justice Bus season, which will begin the first Thursday in February. I am the attorney wrangler. I also advise. New to my mix this year is cooking. After hearing and seeing clients struggling with being able to afford food, we are adding food to the program. Just something hot and transportable (think crockpot shredded turkey, for example). We have always had "snacks" (granola bars, for example), courtesy of our wonderful community partner Andrews House, but after several of us talked about the situation in November and agreed our clients (and volunteers) could use something heartier, I said I would bring a crockpot with the shredded whatever in it and the buns. We'll see how it goes.
On the grocery front, because I put this in my end-of-2024 post, I will note that our "only buy perishables (or something on a really, really whopping great sale)" January is going great. As of today, we have spent a total of $23.33. I push myself to get creative with our meals: a shredded apple/carrot salad when we did not have any salad green in the house, for example. It was delicious.
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| The apple/carrot salad |
I mention the groceries because that topic ties into a deeper dive into our household finances. The combination of my updated prognosis, Warren's business ramping up, and some short-term and long-term expenses—a transmission replacement (immediate), traveling to the Pacific Northwest this summer (not that far away), a new-to-us car sometime in the next 3-4 years paying in cash to the greatest extent possible (long-term)—is leading us to talk about ways to start saving for those big ticket items and to run our household frugally so we don't get off track. Even the small wins make me smile. For example, it turns out that because we are both over the age of 65, we are entitled to a 25% reduction on our monthly City refuse collection fee, which just went up to $27/month. That reduction comes to a savings of $81.00/year. Combine that with our City now charging a service fee on all utility payments made by credit card, debit card, or autopay (cash or check is still accepted without a fee), but waiving the fee if you submit an ACH form to have the City pull the monthly bill directly. You bet I got that form turned in ASAP. That's $1.95/month savings: $23+ a year. Combine those two savers and we're saving over $100.00 a year on our City utilities. Easy peasy.
And that brings me to reading. As of Monday, my savings to date from using the library in 2025 are $308.78. I kid you not. Great savings, great reading, great life.
6 comments:
The bits of increases everywhere is having a negative cummalitive impact on my cash flow, so I took am looking for any of those wins. Good luck on your meal service. That's such a kind offering to your clients and volunteers.
I love the way you're finding small savings, which as we know, all add up. As I'm also in the over-65 crowd, I should look into similar things for this area. Thanks for the reminder. I bet your warm meal offering will be a great success.
Sam, we're in the same boat in terms of negative cumulative impact, so yes, scouring for small wins wherever they are. As for the "hot sandwiches to go," I think it will fly. (We used to do full meals with a pre-Covid once-a-month evening Legal Clinic; this is much more modest.) I'm excited to see it launch.
Laurie, I am someone who does not hesitate to say "YOU BET I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN!" when there is a discount. (Trust me, I have friends who don't share that information, because they think they are still youngsters.) As for the sandwiches, as I mentioned in my comment to Sam, I think they will fly. We'll find out on February 6!
I knew eventually the use of CC for utilities would be costing. After all it costs them and then that is put back on us. Dang the convenience though. I too worry about food insecurity with seniors. *Snort* I am a senior. They just can't or don't cook and good food is so expensive. So they rely on TV dinners and processed junk.
Kim, not just seniors on the food issues. (LOL: yes, you are a senior!) The hardest one was the individual, a veteran, who lived in another county with few food resources: he felt there were others that needed the food more than he did ("There are folks way needier than me") and so he ate about 1 meal every other day. One thing to read about it, another thing to hear it.
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