January 2010 Cheapchievements

January is always an inspiring time to renew commitment to the great cause, Frugality. And this January is no different.

So far I have:
*Put the reins on eating out.
*Which means, I have cooked a LOT at home. I’ve been extra not-lazy and done things like make my own bread, prepared powdered soup-mixes (for use in casseroles), and made home-made versions of my favorite french-vanilla coffee creamer.
*I’ve been helped a lot on my Frugal Journey by the weather. It’s been so cold that I haven’t wanted to go out much. No going out means not spending money, or less money. For instance, last date night was take-out Chinese instead of going-out-to-the Steakhouse. Turns out take-out Chinese is about half the price of sit-down Steak. But I’ll be back to my old ways as soon as the weather warms up, so don’t get too excited.
*Oh, boy, I love my Kindle so much. I mean, it’s like crack. I’m not kidding. The good news is most of the things I want to read are pretty cheap. But even cheap things add up over time (that’s the bad news). But wait a minute: if you have to be addicted to something (and I think every human, except maybe the Dalai Lama, has to be addicted to SOMETHING) than reading books is probably a pretty happy “addiction”. And Kindle downloads are probably actually cheaper than crack.
*Regarding the above, I’ve been using the new library branch that has recently opened closer to my house quite a bit. It’s right on my circuit of housewifely errands, so I don’t even really have to go out of my way or use extra gas. I am so lucky!
*I’ve been thinking ahead to birthdays and working everyday to finish up crafting projects I’ve had sitting around. I started them last year, intending them for gifts, but of course I got bored with them and never finished them. Well, there’s something to be said for self-discipline. I decided I’ll just work on them a little bit every day, and even if I think the amount of work I do on a project in a day is insignificant, still, all those little bits add up. I know this is true, because I actually managed to finish ONE WHOLE PROJECT this month just doing a little bit at a time every day. Even ten minutes a day will get ‘er done (eventually).
*Awesome grocery-shopping score: a local store had a great sale on ground turkey (90/10, which is ok, I usually go for 93/7). It was a BOGO deal and worked out to $1.50/lb. I got twelve pounds. That will last me a long time.
*Oh, wait a minute. That same day they had whole chickens for .55/lb. That’s very excellent. I got five of those.

On to February, the weirdest month of the year!