As the day wore on, I started to wonder if I would hear from him. I didn't call him because I didn't want to bother him: he had mentioned working on his correspondence stuff and I didn't really have anything to say, I just wanted to hear his voice. After the struggles he had before work on Monday, I thought for sure I'd hear from him before he left for work. At 2:15 I sent him a text message telling him I hoped he had a good day and that I loved him. Nothing.
Walking out to my car after work, I had this... feeling come over me, and I thought to myself "Oh, fuck. I bet he didn't even go in to work. I bet he's at home, and THAT'S why he hasn't called me." Imagine my
He poked his head into the kitchen after I walked in, expecting to scare me. My emotions were reined in tightly, but oh-so-close to busting loose. He did call in "sick"; he did play dumb when I asked why he hadn't called; he did hold me tightly when I lost hold of said emotions and burst into tears. You see, I had pretty much just gotten off the phone with our account manager at the bank, and the remortgaging that will take care of his car payment and our credit card debt was going to result in a larger mortgage payment than we had initially anticipated. So all of a sudden, we were back to needing more money than we thought. (Also? I'M NOT ALLOWED TO MATH WITHOUT A CALCULATOR EVER AGAIN.) He told me that he hadn't quit - yet. However, he had another episode pretty much upon waking.
We talked. More. Again. We do a lot of that (thank Ceiling Cat). I pulled out my budget notebook and laid down the numbers for him in black and white. We realized that, really - unless we want to cut health insurance - the only place we can cut back is groceries, which is fine because we overspend as it is (at least $600/month for the two of us, and that doesn't include dining out). He told me about his concern regarding finishing his correspondence in time to start at the university for the fall semester, and how he thinks he might have to put it off to the winter (2011) semester. He told me that, if that's the case, he'd like to find a full-time job for the next eleven months. He promised me that he's committed to finding another job, that he'll apply everywhere, that he'll take anything, that he won't let me down. (Heart go oof.)
He called me this morning after he quit. He sounded lighter. I'm kind of... numb? I just keep swimming. Heh. We'll be okay: we have enough in savings to cover the shortfall for about six months. I put the call out to the Twitterverse last night and got some excellent tips from some lovely ladies that will serve us well. That being said, we could always use more! So, your favourite frugal shopping/cooking tips/websites/blogs: HIT ME! (Just as an aside, we're in Canada, so we might not have some of the grocery stores you might. :) )
Hi there. Hang in there. You can cut your grocery bill. Buy the bigger sizes of meat (they are called value packs here) and only when they are on sale. Then divide it up into separate bags when you get home and stick in the freezer...or cook it all then eat what you would for dinner...and slice the rest and put it in the freezer for easy to defrost meals. Find warehouse type stores...or stores with bulk foods. Rice and pasta and dried fruit and beans are all MUCH less expensive this way...as is herbs and nuts and such. Figure out the best store in your area for good inexpensive produce..and hit that once a week to stock up on fruits and veggies. Eating whole and real food (meat, eggs, fruits, veggies, beans, rice) instead of processed food is SO much healthier and often costs less. Beans and rice are a complete protein...and are very inexpensive (and yummy) for dinners and lunches.
ReplyDeleteOH...and...whole chickens are the way to go. Roast it whole and eat it for dinner..yum! Then cut off extra meat and put aside for leftovers. Then, put all the bones in a pot and (or slow cooker) and fill with water and simmer overnight. Toss in some onion or other veggies for flavor. Then...in the morning...strain the broth and toss the bones and veggies. Voila...your own broth that you can use to make easy soup. You can add the left over chicken to it....some carrots, celery, onions, parsley, garlic, salt, wild or brown rice...and you have a wonderful soup that will last for several meals. ALL from one chicken..which you can sometimes get on sale for $3.
Ok...I could go on...I am the queen of frugal cooking...LOL...but I don't want to scare you. :)
Hey! Sorry to hear all of this is going down. Glad you're back on here, though. I'm not sure what part of the LM you're in, but in short, my answer is NO FRILLS. I don't buy produce there, and I don't eat meat but I probably wouldn't get that there either, but for everything else, it's amazing. It's PC brand but it's their cheaper cousin. Bring your own bags or you have to pay for them (5 cents). I find everything is about a quarter of the price that it is at safeway. Same quality. And they even have dollar days (like right now) where they have all kinds of specials for a dollar. I got frozen salmon fillets for a dollar each. Not amazing fresh stuff that you would get at the market, but good enough to eat.
ReplyDeleteBummer! Thinking positive thoughts for you guys! The way we save money is with a list. We also buy things in bulk and when they are on sale. We save more money when John goes to the store instead of me. I like to impulse buy...
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some good ideas, b/c we need to do the same thing. SO I will keep checking your comments. LOL
ReplyDeleteI <3 you. I wish I was closer so I could help and as much as this sucks - I don't know if you have them in Canada or would even qualify - but look into food banks, food stamps.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate to admit that I shop there - Wal-mart. We have a new super Wal-mart with groceries. I save so much.
Menu Planning!
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to do an entire month at a time to make it save time & money. Even a week (or more if you're willing) will help. You check the store's ads for the week & what you have on hand. Plan your meals for the week(s) around those items so you save on sales & use up what you already have.
If you don't mind meal repeats, you can always plan out 2-3 weeks & then just repeat. Stores repeat sale items often enough that it will work out...plus if you start to 'know' what you'll be needing you can watch in advance for items when they are on sale.
Freezer cooking in mini sessions!
You buy main ingredients when on sale, i.e. chicken, ground beef/turkey, beef, tuna, etc... & then do mini sessions of cooking (like take a few hours on the weekend) & then you freeze the meals (or you can tuck a few in the fridge for that week). This way you're making stuff that is on sale (saving money) & you stock your freezer with meals (& you don't need a huge amount fo freezer space) so you can just toss something in the oven or into a pot with little notice which saves time & money since it keeps you from eating out as much.
That just happens to be the one I'm looking through right now. There are quite a few once a month, mini session, freezer cooking books & websites out there. Check your library & the net.
Now, I'm in the midwest US, but I only spend about $350-400/month for groceries & all household/pet/baby items. This means cleaning supplies, TP, diapers, dog food, etc... in addition to food for a family of 4 with 2 big dogs. I don't use a lot of coupons (no time...well, okay, more like I'm not an organized type person) but I do menu plan & freezer cook.
Best of luck!
Lynn
I know how you're feeling - my boyfriend was unemployed for EVER, it seemed, and then I joined him, leaving us scraping by, both basically unemployed for nearly a year, with the exception of occasional side jobs (he started working full time again a couple months ago--just in time, mentally I was ready to break). I wish I could offer some specific tips, but I don't know exactly how we made it through - we were just always active about not spending money unless we HAD to. And I became OK with paying some bills late, though I would pick and choose which ones.
ReplyDeleteOne thing, though: every time we didn't spend money on something unnecessary that we normally would have, I put that amount away in a secret hiding place (or a separate account that you don't have a debit card or check book for) for emergencies (e.g., after the savings runs out). Just cooked instead of bringing home take out? You saved $10 (or whatever), put it away. Little amounts add up to a lot over time. But make sure when you dip into it, it's a TRUE emergency and nothing less.
Our bills were always paid and with a little diligence yours will be, too. Especially if you actually have some savings, that helps! If you have the space, growing some of your own fruit and vegetables will save some of the grocery money. And they're SO tasty when they're fresh off the vine.
I don't know if these suggestions will work for you or if you've already heard them, but maybe they'll give you some more ideas!
Clip your coupons, buy generic, and cook (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). I've also heard lots of folks say they canceled cable/dish and any DVD rentals like Netflix and relied on hulu, etc for tv entertainment. You could always do the cheap Netflix option and cancel the cable (if you have it).
ReplyDeleteI hope he finds something quickly. My sole piece of heart-advice is to take a deep breath. You're going to be okay.
Beans are awesome, cheap, filling, versatile and healthy :)
ReplyDeleteI second plan your meals, yopu'd be am,azed what you save when you know what you're going in to buy and how you're going to use it. Cut back on the eating out (I'm sure you already know this one).
Not to be insulting, but would it really have killed him to work the job he didn't like for a little while until he found one he did? With all the trouble you guys had finding it to begin with, it seems a waste to quit immediately (and mess the employer around but calling in 'sick'/quitting right after being hired). I know things have been hard and don't want to offend either of you, but it didn't seem right to me.
Just stopping by... I don't know your whole story, but I feel like I can be a little helpful... Maybe? I religiously pare down our grocery bill as much as I possibly can and I've been able to get the cost down to $85 maximum for two weeks of groceries. And I think we're able to eat in a relatively healthy manner. I make a menu plan, and sticking to it is imperative. I also stumbled on this blog yesterday: http://cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/. I also use recipes from here a lot: http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/.
ReplyDeleteGood luck! I know it's daunting to face money issues, and it takes work. But you can do it!
Caitlin
http://everythingisjustwonderful.wordpress.com/
Big hugs. Money sucks and so does coupon clipping, paying rent/mortgages, insurance and all that other bologna that comes with being an adult. I say fuck being an adult. Let's all go to Disneyland!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGet the $5 Dinner mom Cookbook, I just bought it and the woman is AMAZING! The whole beginning of it is tips on how to save money using coupons, sales, store deals, etc. Its awesome! My family is nearly twice the size of hers so we have to double the recipes at least (sometimes more to make sure there are leftovers for hubby for work) but it works out wonderfully... for a family of 6... we spend like $350 a month on groceries :)
ReplyDeleteI stopped eating lunch out at work and stopped buying coffee every day. boo. but it works.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, think meals that stretch, lasagna, pasta, casseroles. I can give you some recipies if you want but the one thing i have noticed is I'll buy fresh veggies if they are on sale or i know i'm using them right away like in a salad, otherwise i'm a huge fan of those "steam fresh" I think green giant or Birdseye is the brand. They taste so good. You can always email me if you need to.