BTW, I wanted to thank everyone who commented on my request for help w/my once a month paycheck and shopping. I have finally settled on shopping once a week and my meal planning consists of a plan for one elaborate meal a week, which, as a single person, will feed me for probably 2-1/2 to 3 days and the rest of my week plain fare, e.g. eggs and toast, oatmeal, tuna salad, soup. I’m kind of excited about it. I’ve been trying to glean ideas fm the moms who post vids on feeding their family on $10 a week! ☺️
I like your plan! I am going to adopt it. I have been over complicating this. Good job😊. I shop once a month. I am single and on social security. One meal a week planned and a list of easy things to eat. Hmmm why didn’t I think of that lol
@kathileedean3851- I am retired and also only receive one check per month. I sketch out a general list of meals for the month with B/L/D and a snack. I do my major shopping once a month a Dollar Tree and Walmart- there are no budget grocery stores in my area. We have two price gougers that I refuse to shop at as even their lost leaders are more expensive. In between, I may shop once or twice for fill in produce or dairy. There are two channels that have helped me greatly (with menu planning and dollar stretching) in addition to Emmy and Paul- they are Dollar Tree Dinners and Frugal Fit Mom. Good luck.
If you are eating soup/ stew, please look into how people are using thier little bits of left overs, what many consider veggie scraps, bones (no real need to bake them first), and other items to make from scratch soups. Until you have enough for soup, store these items in your freezer; since they are going into a soup you can mix them in the same container or repurposed bread bag. I like to use the crock pot on low. Sometimes ill use the liquid in a can of green beans instead of water. Often ill use a little granular bullion or especially a product of the brand name Csnt Believe its Bullion in place of salt; the amount varies by the number of other salty ingredients. I often mix meats and they are often left overs. Sometimes ill add a small can of tomato sauce or some other tomato product. Diced or chopped potatoes create an inexpensive filler that doesn't disintegrate like noodles and gives more nutrition than rice. Once you've got a big (er) pot of soup, freeze the left overs in a portions worth so you're not eating the same thing fir a week.
Pot of homemade soup goes a long way for one and if you get tired of it put leftovers in the freezer for next month. I have gone for a month only spending about 3.00 a meal!
I love Salisbury steak, but it has been a while since I made it. Emmy, I'm embarrassed to say that I cannot comment on our no spend or low spend journey because we aren't on that journey. I am retired (70 yrs old) and hubby is still working as a piano technician. He cannot pull the trigger on retirement because he thinks we can't do without his income. I am determined to get our budget under control and to be able to tell him "Honey, we can make it if you retire". He is getting so worn out because tuning and repairing pianos is hard work and hard on the body. So I found the expense tracker and printed them off. I'm going to start today in writing everything down. That's my first step. I've finally got my husband trained to at least give me his receipts now when he's gone to the store so that I can track them on Fetch! We each go grocery shopping and neither of us knows what the other is buying or spending. Crazy, right? We've got to come together on this and work as a team, so I'm determined to get this under control. Thank you so much for being so encouraging. My prayer is that by the end of 2024, we will be in a much better position with our budget than we are right now. -Brenda
When I was considering the idea of retiring (one income home), I did a test run on the retirement idea. I got an estimate of what my retirement would be. Then my next step was to only use that amount of money in my budget. The extra amount that I was actually earning I pretended I didn't have and invested it. So I made myself live on the amount of proposed retirement. I was pleasantly surprised! So, I "bit the bullet", as they say, and I retired the following year. I was also putting my daughter through college at the time. Frugal was already my middle name! So, I suggest giving retirement a test run. Good luck!
Our family use to go out for dinner every Sunday. I cut it back to 3 Sundays a month. Then, we just stopped going out to dinner because it got so expensive and the food quality was better at home. The key is to make dishes my family would order out and to have quick meals (like you suggested) for the nights when I am tired. Thank you for keeping all of us motivated in this low spend/no spend month. I can't tell you how much I look forward to your great ideas and positivity. You are both priceless gems. May God bless you. ❤
Hello, Emmy and Paul! You really hit the nail on the head with the importance of contentment in the home. It is the key to not only limiting spending out of boredom or unhappiness, but I believe it is the source of comfort and joy in general. 😊
I just did the year-to-year comparison (I have expense speadsheets all the way back to 2012). Cable/internet bill went up $216. Just got notice that it will go up another $134, so I called and downgraded the service to just 10 local channels. Electricity went up $55. Grocery went up $12, which sounds pretty good, but I know that I used to spend about $115/month and now I'm up to $175. I think it's because I've been loading up my pantry and freezer. Medical went down $200, prescriptions went down $800, Home insurance went up $39, Car insurance went up $41 and my charitable giving to animal rescue organizations went up $75. Property taxes have gone from $798 in 2020 to $1444 in 2023. I make salisbury steaks at least a couple of times a month; it is so easy to change the flavor profile. I like to add sage. They also do nicely in a tomato sauce with cheese on top - a version of chicken parm. I'm doing no-spend January and so far this month have spent less than $100 on groceries. I do miss fresh vegetables this close to the end of the month, so the first thing I'm going to buy on February 1st is a big bunch of broccoli ;o)
I would be hard pressed to find a couple that tries as hard as you and Paul to save money. You did great for the year . The Salisbury steak looked great .
Here in the Hudson Valley, biggest increases were for Homeowner's and car insurance....like you no claims; health insurance went up and FOOD! I make everything from scratch, so no take out or restaurant expenditures but the grocery expenditures have gone up. It's all I can do to keep from bursting out laughing when I see prices in the supermarkets. I just keep forging ahead with my four principles of frugal living: Use it up! Wear it out! Make do with what I have, or do without. Be careful shoveling all that snow. Have a great weekend! Mrs. D.
I love how you teach home contentment. This definitely reminds me to enjoy being home. I have been sick, but on the bright side, I haven't spent any money. BTW - our real estate tax went up $400 and our personal property tax went up $400. Our gas/electric/water went down ( because 2 of kids are away at college and I have been diligent about turning off things)
Your Salisbury steaks looked delicious but my southern heart was screaming, “don’t pour out the grease!” I was taught how to cook by my grandmother. I’m in my 30’s now and think of her every time I’m whisking my gravy 🥰 she would probably roll over in her grave if I poured out the grease! Thanks to her taking the time to teach me how to cook just like her, I rarely look at recipes, measuring spoons are just a suggestion, I measure with my heart! I don’t have a recipe for my gravy but I always use the grease, butter, chopped onions, eyeball the flour, salt, pepper, sometimes add onion powder and garlic powder, and beef broth. I’ve substituted the beef for chicken broth before and it is delicious but I prefer the beef broth for beef recipes. Down here in the south, gravy is its own food group 😂 if made right you should get one of four responses: 1. “That’s so good it’ll make you wanna slap ya mama!”(southern slang not literal) 2. “Mmmhhh” with each bite 3. Dead silence at table because it’s so good nobody wants to speak, they just want to eat. And the best one and hardest to earn, 4. “That tastes just like my grandmother’s!” I absolutely love your channel! You and Paul are such a delight to watch and I learn something from each video! I’m doing a low spend January and it’s going well so far! I’ve had a couple of unexpected expenses pop up but quickly dealt with them and moved on! I’ve been staying on track and what a great feeling it is to be so mindful of what I’m spending my money on! I’m planning on continuing a low spend month into February and probably the rest of the year! You two are an inspiration to me and are the reason I decided to do a low spend January! Thank you!
It is refreshing that you are not minimalists! I enjoy seeing your cozy and cute decorations in your home. The birds you drew were lovely!! I love your cooking in the kitchen. I will make the Salisbury steaks. Thanks for your loving good cheer and wonderful tips. ♥ Sue
Your recipe looks really delicious. That will be on my menu as I have hamburger in the freezer, mushrooms and onions in the pantry, and home grown potatoes and green beans. Last night I made crockpot pulled pork chili using my home grown canned tomatoes and a 1.5 lb. boneless pork loin from my freezer that I bought for $3 last month and 2 cans of red beans from my pantry. I top it with sour cream and make homemade cornbread and that gives me 6 very inexpensive meals. I am doing the no spend January for the first time. So far this month I spent less than $100 and $21 of that was for groceries. I did not even buy gas for the car. My water bill is typically less than $15 / mo. as I have new toilets, washer, shower heads, and dishwasher. My sewage is with a cavitette and that saves a bundle on my water bill. My 29 year old AC and gas furnace were replaced this summer with high efficiency ones and that cut my utilities by 35%. I also have a high efficiency water heater. I have always kept track of all my expenses and still have those records, but I have not tallied them up for quite a few years. I just pulled my 1973 budget book. The total expenses for the year including mortgage and insurance for our family of 3 (1 new infant ) was $9663.84. We were able to invest $1955. In July 1973 we paid $7 to the pediatrician, $183.30 for a hind quarter of prime beef, $28.36 was the gas and electric bill, $10.72 for the phone, and $37.20 for gasoline for one car. My husband's haircut was $3. I spent $49.49 on food for the month. My mother saved the bill from when I was born in 1945. The normal hospital stay was 12 days and she had 4 nurses caring for her and me. The total hospital bill was $68.25. The doctor was $50.My father's insurance covered all but $12.60 of the total cost. Calculate this inflation and it should give someone starting out today an idea of what they will need to have in retirement income 50 years from now.
Fun read. I and my twin brother were born in 1947. My hospital bill was around $36 for a week and my twin brother’s was $45 for two weeks. I asked my dad why my twin brother had to stay an extra week and he said because “I had to work another week to afford to pay to get him out.” Mom and Dad did not have health insurance. No one could pay for a hospital birth today with a week’s worth of pay.
I'm doing a no spend year. If it's not essential, I will not buy it. Does not matter the cost. If it's not a need,it stays right where it is. I am adopting this lifestyle,as well, simply because I don't want a bunch of garbage in my life. If it's not being used,why have it? It's just clutter and waste. Things are too expensive to be wasted.
Hi Emmy, I don't usually leave comments, but I wanted to share how much my family enjoyed the salisbury steak recipe. Every Sunday after church, our family gets together at my grandmother's home for lunch. We take turns cooking, and my husband and I cooked these salisbury steaks last weekend. They were a huge hit and definitely a keeper in my recipe book. Thanks for sharing both the recipe and your videos; I enjoy watching!
Up slightly-groceries, electricity, public transit, gifts. down- gasoline,vacation,medical (prescriptions). I have adopted an essentialist lifestyle because I am tired of our consumerism culture.
I have only 2 sweaters and was looking to buy a third because sometimes they are in the wash at the same time. I just remembered my husband has decluttered a sweater because the sweater arms shrunk He’s 6’ and I’m 5’3” and somewhat overweight so I’m going to pull that sweater back out of the donate box and use it. I’m actively losing weight and really didn’t want to spend money on a one season sweater. Now I don’t have to. Though I’m not officially on no spend, Hubby and I are cutting eating out even more. Hubby even commented we haven’t been going out after doctor appointments and other occasions when we usually would have. I’ve tried to start meal planning a little. I always have two to three dinners I can make per night and then offer Hubby a choice of the two I feel I’m most up for making. I really, really dislike cooking.
You've been really smart with alternatives. I'd suggest a cooking "competition" (or call it something else) with your husband. You cook one night, he cooks the next. You could also do three days by one, three by another. With the latter, you could see who is most creative repurposing/reusing leftovers in a creative way. I hate cooking too, and it's not fair that only one person handles it.
@@FrugalMoneySaver Thanks. I tried on the sweater and it is going to work. To be honest I prefer v-neck over crew neck but it is in my favorite color green and I’m only going to need it for 3 more months so everything worked out well.
@@cltinturkey This is a good idea. Not going to work in my situation because hubby has lost almost all his vision and is a fall risk. I banned him from the kitchen when he almost fell into the hot oven trying to help.
Hi Elizabeth, one suggestion I can offer is if there are meals that you know your husband likes and that freezes well, when you make that next time, make 2 and freeze one. Do one of those a week for a month and then you will have meals in the freezer besides your 2 options for dinner. Hope that helps.
Car insurance went up. No claims. Dr. Bills 20pc went up. Food bill went up. I make a similar dish called Hamburger Brennan from a New Orleans cook book. I always serve with mashed potatoes. The only way to see if you are really saving money with the fuel oil is to see how many gallons you used for the year. Also make sure you get your oil burner serviced every summer. I cant believe how much fuel oil costs compared to when we first bought our home in 1969.
I need encouragement please. I have autism and I struggle a lot but when I’m stressed I spend. And atm I’m stressed 😩 big time. I have slipped up with the low spend month… but I know that’s coz I’m stressed out. But I am pleased I waited a few days to order my new slippers, but waiting till today I got an email for 10% extra off so I saved another £4.50 And they are originally £75 and I paid £45 delivered. Think I did well on them. I know it sounds alot but I need to be careful with my feet so buy ones that support my feet and ankles. I’ve been wearing this pair for 3years min so at that price it’s well cheap for the time. But the backs are broken and struggling to get my feet the backs now. So I must have new ones. And these older ones I’m gonna take to my friends hours for when I’m there. So they will sill get some use and not going in the bin yet.
@@chrislear6676 thanks for the support. I think with the struggles I have and the way I feel about them is what’s getting to me atm. I’m bottling up my emotions and trying to keep going, it got to tonight and now is bubbling out…. Maybe not good but I’m trying my hardest in life. Sorry to put it on ya. Thanks again x
I am doing great with my no spend on gtoceries this month so i plan to continue into February as long as i can. I may spend a bit on loss leaders which i havent even done in January, if they are good prices. I have an all electtic house with a heat pump and my bill was over $200 less in 2023 than in 2022 My water went up per gallon but i was careful and spent less in 2023 than in 2022. The Thing that i have no control over is health insurance. So i just am careful and save where i can!!! I love my little home and enjoy being in it. I know someone who goes stir craxy if she cant go out every single day. We are snowed in right now and it is driving her nuts. I just dont understand. My home is my haven. 🏡
In 2023, My car insurance went up 21% and my homeowner's insurance went up 33%! I had no driving distance changes, no new car, and NO claims on Either the car or home insurance policies! I love Salisbury steak and am excited to try your recipe! I love you guys! I Super love how you work Together ❤
My low spend/no spend month has been a success. Watching this video made me realize how much more important it’s is to continue the process into February too. Yikes! Most categories went up I would like to start tracking what you did last year. Do you have a detailed video on it? Thanks for your encouragement. ♥️♥️♥️
I have the expense tracker listed in my description box. Keep it by month. Every time you purchase or spend money something add it...no matter what it is. You will have 12 months worth at the end of the year to add up and figure out.
Do you track food expenses for the year too? I was watching another channel who calculated the percentage of increase from last year to this. It was very interesting. Made me glad I have gardened for about 12 years now and fill the pantry with canned and frozen veggies.
Emmy, your bird art was wonderful. We always enjoy your videos. It's been crazy lately, my mom took a fall, had partial hip surgery yesterday, she's 94 with a bit of dementia. Things are a challenge to say the least. I delighted in telling the staff at the hospital who I met she was an Italian club Italian Queen in the city back in approx. '48. Now poor hubs has had to bring his 100 yr. old mom (who still drives!) in for an emergency healthy problem. When it rains it pours. The hospital where my mom is usually calls between 3 and 5am because she is so out of sorts and we have to calm her down over the phone....So please pray for us. Just wanted to stop by. Hope all is well over there. ~Amelia My Forest Cathedral
@@FrugalMoneySaver Thank you so much, Emmy. I so need those prayers! So, you know how it feels....It is so hard, although I do feel God helping me....Today I have to pick a place for rehab.
We are doing very well with our low/no spend January. Our favorite part of the program is the cooking section using what you have on hand. Also, we like Paul's approval segment. Thanks for the reminder of averaging out the year's cost. I usually do this when I fill out our taxes for the year.
Also … over the past few months, the only time I buy groceries is if the items are on sale . I buy staples like milk & bread, but other than that, I wait until items go on sale & I buy multiples . It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made . We are saving on groceries ! 🎉 I am building simple meals from sale items . No fancy spices or ingredients. No complicated recipes . 😊
I do the same thing. I don't know how people can get by without doing a yearly audit of your expenses, not just a monthly. I know how much I spend daily. For my housing, utilities, food, clothing, ext everything. It helps me to be centered. If my total housing expenses for each day with my taxes, homeowners insurance, and utilities are 14.53 a day. It's hard for me to justify spending 20.00 out on a lunch or dinner without a very special occasion being attached to that splurge of cash. Doesn't mean ever once in a while. I can't go to Taco Bell and treat myself to a 5.00 Baja meal. It has two large main items, a cinnamon chips desert with a large refillable pop. I can justify that meal. It's a great deal. Can't cook it for that. Great video.
My car insurance went up 3 times last year!! No claims ever. My car is 20 years old and I drive less than 140 miles a year. All my bills increased from last year except my property taxes. No spend January is going well! Love Salisbury steak!! My gramma's name was Myriah Salisbury and she would tell us it was named after her. Wonderful memories. Stay safe and warm.
Thank you, Emmy, for a great video, as always! I so agree about packing snacks when you are out and about! Not only does it save money, but it can be much healthier! I always pack some veggies, nuts and cheese and crackers. I take my lunch pail in the car with ice packs in it. No need for drive-thru!
Dear Emmy & Paul, thank you for taking me on the No spend/Low spend journey. I realy need it snd your, and this community here, support makes it possible. My beloved country is going through some very turbulant times and income is somewhat problematic at the moment. I am going to keep on the Low spend/ No spend duting February as well. Prices have bern crazy here, even before October 7th, and they will probably keep rising in the coming months. Thank you for creating this motivational channel.❤
My no spend January has been going well except for my busted water heater on January 1st😮 For this month so far I’ve spent zero in food. My work gave me $10 gift certificates for working each of the holidays and some co workers didn’t want theirs so they gave me theirs also. The certificates can be used in any of our 5 cafeterias or our Starbucks. I ended up with $70 and a $25 Starbucks card. Last weekend was the first time I’d been in a Starbucks in probably 5 or 6 yrs. That was an eye opening experience 😮 I bought a bag of the holiday blend coffee beans for 75% off with my gift card. Lol … even with “free money” the frugal person comes out.
Our property taxes increased $1,100 for the year, our electricity increased $20.00 per month. Our water bill is expensive regardless of usage, our city need to improve the sewer system, so the cost was tacked on the monthly bill. We pay $125.00 per month for water for two people. Prices are crazy, so we are being very mindful of how we use our money for our variable expenses. Take care.
Emma, I keep all unnecessary electrical appliances unplugged. Electricity will still flow through that outlet but there will not be any appliances using it. I have worked on keeping all lights turned off if we are not in that room. The only appliances I have plugged in are the stove, refrigerator, freezer, washer and dryer. Hope this helps someone.
Our electric/gas company shows usage for each month compared to last year. We’ve used less monthly every month but our bill is significantly higher each month because of ridiculous price increases. Same with water. Our insurance and taxes went up for the same reasons yours went up. I’ve tracked eating out and the cost was the same but we had cut our eating out in half. All in all the cost of everything is outrageous. Thankfully we are blessed with enough money to cover the increase in bills. We are both retired with no interest in side hustles.
That Salisbury Steak looks like perfect comfort food! I've never made it. Might have to give it a go. Sitting here on Jan 19th and proud to say, I have not purchased anything I deem as non-essential! I haven't purchased any groceries yet and had set a budget on that of $50 for the month. I hope you are staying warm! It's been so cold I don't miss going out. Have a wonderful weekend my friends!
We're doing well for our low spend month. I was excited to see just how much we'd saved in 2 weeks. I mean the dollar amount wasn't huge, but I was very proud of myself for having saved that amount! 💖 We had Salisbury steaks last night! To mine, I add an egg, salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of rooster sauce ("wash your sister" sauce). I omit both the onions & mushrooms b/c my teen doesn't like them. Also, I use just a touch of better than bullion roast beef for the gravy. That's it.
Omgosh you cracked me up 😂 with "rooster, or wash your sister sauce!". EVERYONE except people who grew up in New England, struggles to pronounce Worcestershire sauce! Thanks for the chuckle!
Our grocery costs were out of control in 2023. A lot of it was laziness and not taking that extra time to shop for sales. We were averaging over $1,000/month for a family of 6. We have made major changes this month, and I am being diligent about watching sales and shopping for the entire week. It's already making a difference in our grocery budget for this month!
I made this recipe once a week when raising my family of five was cheapnand so good. Been married 57 years and I still make this about once every threee weeks sometime twice a month I only make one Pattie for hub and I alway divide our ground beef dive into 1/2 pound packages I need more I just pull out how much I need buy all my meat one sale. I t is one of my favorite meals too.
Hi Emmy! Enjoy your videos very much. I am enjoying doing my crosswords, other puzzles ( I used to work in retail where the magazines and puzzle books were dumped into recycle monthly so we could take them! I have tons and enjoy them. Have given many of the Word Seeks to my mom as she enjoys those.) I also have completed a jigsaw puzzle which I passed onto my sister and started another one. I am a big crocheted and always have several projects going. I haven't purchased yarn in years as I was gifted it twice from my friend who found a bunch at Goodwill as well as from her mom who was clearing hers out( I sent her a lap blanket I had made and some little gift cards for restaurants in return which she didn't expect). I am never bored! I also enjoy reading and do that daily too. Hello from Myrtle Beach.😍🏝🏖
I had the same with my car insurance. It was raised and I called to ask why as I have had no accidents. I was told it is a general increase for everyone.
Property taxes up 1200.00 for the year or 100.00 a month. Home insurance up a 12.00 a month. Electric up 27.00 per month. Propane for heating up about 10 cents a gallon. Car Insurance up $200 a year. Nothing is going down in my area.
Our hydro company (Toronto Hydro) shows a yearly comparison with each bill which is very helpful. We replaced almost every light in our home (a two story home) with LED lighting and it was a HUGE savings! Our home is heated with gas and we have a gas fireplace. But we keep our home very cool so our bill went up only marginally for December. It's now much colder so our bill for January will be higher...but again the Gas company shows us a comparison from last year. We have found that food prices are high and our property tax will be going up although Toronto has very very low taxes (as this point). Thanks for all your excellent videos and suggestions. You and Paul are so inspiring and my husband and I also enjoy lots of 'home' time - our hobbies etc. When it's cold we keep up our walking in the Mall (NO shopping - just maintaining a brisk pace and then after forty minutes - we go home!!). Our biggest expense of course is family - (three adult kids plus their spouses and nine young grandkids) but that is where we are very happy to spend! Cheers from Toronto.
It has been years since I have had Salisbury steak- yes the most delicious comfort food with the gravy,beans,mashed potatoes. My stomach is growling lol. Can’t outrun inflation but what a blessing to have saved on gas to off set the other increases. Cutting back and making wiser choices about needs vs wants is the only way to try to prevent huge problems in budgets . As you said there are so many things we can’t control but we certainly can control ourselves. Thanks again for great video and now I need to go eat!
I make a super easy Salisbury steak dinner in the crockpot with cube steaks, a can of beef gravy, can of diced tomatoes with juice, can of mushrooms (drained) and a sliced onion. I’ve substituted a pouch of brown gravy mix with water for canned gravy. I recently had leftover pot roast and gravy became a wonderful Salisbury steak dinner! I’ve made it with leftover hamburgers, too. It’s a very flexible recipe and my guys love it with masked potatoes or noodles 😊
No wonder there are more and more homeless people!! Crazy! All of the increases in those budget categories really add up! For people who are living paycheck to paycheck those yearly increases could mean choosing to heat their home or eat. 😬
I want to thank you for recommending the absolutely best sandwich bread recipe I’ve ever made. I watch your channel regularly and we live frugally. About 6 months ago, I messaged your channel and asked for a sandwich bread recommendation, and you referred me to an Amish White Bread on your site. I got around to making it just a few days ago and it is fabulous! It rose beautifully and my family loves the bread! And the price of each loaf is so economical! Thank you again and may God bless you and your family. You are such a blessing and a help to so many people in these hard times.
I have to say that routine care for my beloved dog has increased a lot. She's healthy, no meds except for flea and tick and heartworm prevention. Oh my goodness!!
Last year (in the uk) my water bill went up by £13 per month and my home insurance by £30 per month. Although I’m trying to declutter I don’t think I could get rid of all my dvds and cds etc. I like to put a cd on when we eat dinner. Recently we try and eat lunch and dinner together in the dining room, instead of on the sofa in front of the tv. We eat better, connect better and are more inclined to clean up after rather than slob out on the tv! We generally don’t eat out much, bar one or two restaurants locally (Indian and thai) other than that I prefer to cook and eat at home! Cheaper and I know what I’m getting. With the exception of our favourite restaurants we often come away feeling disappointed and ripped off!! I’d rather go to a pub for a drink then cook at home, to satisfy my craving for variety! Thanks Emmy, Paul and Dixie ❤️❤️❤️
I keep up with the rising cost of utilities as well, but my electric and gas companies do that for me. I can log in to my account and look at the usage and how much we paid. They even show a graph. My water company doesn't do that. I really haven't kept up with our gasoline use, but I am going to do that this time. Thanks for all of the ideas and suggestions you and Paul share with us each week. I watch several channels that encourage having an emergency pantry, not for food shortage, but for money shortage/loss of a job kind of situation. I do like y'all do, if something I keep on hand (butter for example) is on sale at a really good price, I stock up on it. I saw someone the other day showed where butter was a great price at her grocery store but she decided not to buy because she wanted to use up what she had left over from Christmas. I would have bought several and put in the freezer! Use to, my grocery stores would have great sales every week and they rotated, so no pressure to stock up, but now, it is rare to see a really good sale price on common every day things, so when it goes on sale, I grab it up!
Low spent was sadly interrupted for us by an emergency we lost power at freezing temps so it was a tough challenge. But will continue low spent for several months and hope this will even out. All went up for 23 in particular food and monthly bills. Only by shopping around did I cut costs to car insurance, was also told by old insurance company same line claims for others etc. only for the following week to hear a story in the news that all insurance companies in our area had less claims due to a change in legislation, they need to be challenged more by us consumers and consumer protection.
Just finished dinner…I made the Salisbury steak recipe using ground turkey, and baby portabellos and onion in the sauce. This was so easy and very delicious! Served it over mashed potatoes. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Well, our no/low spend month was a slight fail. Our baby boy (dog), Bubba got sick & we spent $256 at the vet for emergency exam and medicine. He went 2 1/2 days without eating and drinking! Thankfully, he is better now! Also, i looked at the calendar wrong, and we drove 30 miles to an Opthamologist appointment that wasn't till the next day! Oh boy! 😅 The months not over & I'm chugging along again! Our baby always comes first! I was wondering when Paul was giving his review, how you keep Dixie from begging & right then she shows up to check Paul out! 😂 My Mom made Salisbury Steak & I haven't made it in years. Guess what we're having this week! THANK YOU for another great video! Be blessed!
Last year our property taxes went up 800.00 and the year before 300.00. Insurance went up about 75.00 a month, this is for home and auto bundled. These property taxes and insurance costs are just things we have no real control of. People feel inflation immediately in food, gas and utilities, it takes a year for the inflation to hit on taxes and insurance. We just keep tightening our belts. Our No Spend/Low Spend is going pretty well. Haven't purchased any items off of my No-No list so I'm feeling pretty good about it. We are freezing cold and snowing here as well for the last 10 days (the cold) so we have been staying home as much as possible which helps the budget.
Hello, In the high desert in Southern California our home insurance went up $1,000.00. Making your recipe for dinner tonight. Thanks so very much, Nora and Tim❤
Water, electric, gas (for heat and water tank), rent and food have increased in spite of using less than last year. Gasoline has decreased as were seeking to be more aware of clustering errands and grocery shopping less frequently. We all but eliminated eating out. Car insurance, part b medicare, supplemental and part d have increased. Husband is still working, but will retire soon, so we'll see how it goes.
Unfortunately I’ve been sick with covid and now sinus infection since January 1 so doctors visits and meds added up but that’s ok! I’m getting better. With that said, I’ve really turned to whole and simple foods to build up immunity. I made a delicious vegetarian black bean soup last night with rice and sides to make a beautiful bowl of soup. 2 nights worth of dinners for 2 people and lunch for tomorrow. Like Emmy says it’s a total win! Have a great week everyone.
20:08 Yummy supper! Here in costal Carolina they say some areas will have a 99%increase in homeowners insurance!!!!😮 I blew it on the no spend Jan...I PAID OFF MY MORTGAGE!😊 Home taxes, HOA fee, water, medical insurance, and electric went up. Car insurance, gas went down. I was able to cut back on my electric spending to balance the increase.
Oh my! Are you in North or South Carolina? I am in North Carolina and hoping my insurance doesn't go up that much. I am not in the coastal area though.
I track all expenses but don't compare year to year except food. Food went up $87 from last year. The Salisbury steak looked so easy and delicious, and I love the plate!
I would say that for the most part, we are doing ok, but I think we could do better. I am tracking the days when we spend money on non essentials, and although not many, they still burn a little (I'm guessing you can relate?). I also have a conundrum coming up, as where I work, someone is offering yoga classes once a week, and I feel I'm going to have to participate... and pay for it, obviously. Can you talk about peer pressure at work one day? In 2022 I put all the fixed categories together on my expense tracker, so I would have to break them down to find out the increases. But I did break them down in 2023. One item that was separate from the fixed category was the heating oil. We spent less in 2023 because we changed a piece in the burner that helped us regulate the temperature better. Paul is getting better and better with every food report, I love to hear it! Esther
Esther, I have several on not letting others dictate our spending here is an older one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-LHNDPBw8STA.html
Hi there , Emmy and Paul , Every time I go food shopping . I plan my menu for the week as I like to have fresh veg and legumes .and fish frozen . And chicken fresh . Prices are are up in everything. You have help me to shop 😊 In grocery . And in no spend January . Emmy and Paul thank you . And God bless you both and your lovely home . And your family 💛✨
I was recently shocked to hear what my brother's school and property taxes are. He also pays city income tax. We dont pay school and city tax in Alabama. I say this to say, if something is expensive or the cost keeps rising, look around. We had no idea we would pay half the amount on electric, water and insurance if we moved just 15 miles to another area. Some people can't or dont want to move but knowing your options is a good thing.
Thanks for sharing the Salisbury Steak recipe. If we have leftovers when I make meals like this, I put them in the freezer so on nights we don't want to cook or want something quick it's right there. Everything in my budget went up this year. My plan going forward is to do a few low spend months this year.
Up homeowners taxes 600.00 up electric avg 10.90 per month water stayed about the same I have found my oil is not going down as quick my burner 2 years old I filled up in summer and once in dec.will need again in Feb last bill was 625.00 I am down if correct 400.00 but waiting really until till summer for avg. Just got car ins up 56.00 dollars but agree with you and that's the best for me as well.all in all still doing ok still able to safe each month so there goes a Win!! Many can not I am truly blessed..thank you for a great recipe and channel.
I haven't made salisbury steak in so long. I need to do that again. That looked delicious. I haven't tracked like you have, but our home gas has gone up, but we'll see what happens when they do the 6 month review. Maybe it will go back down a bit. Of course groceries have increased. Trying to cook from the freezer and pantry and stock up when food is on a good sale.
I love Salisbury steak. This looks delicious. I’m going to try it. My goal for February is to make some casseroles/lasagna to put in the freezer to enjoy later. My worst habit is ordering takeout when I don’t feel like cooking and I’m determined to break that habit by having ready to go freezer meals that I can pair with a salad.
Hi Emmy and Paul, I made your Salisbury steak tonight for dinner. I had everything to make it,so I gave it a try. The Salisbury steak was so good. My husband and son liked it too. Thank you for the great recipe!
I have yet to look at my year end totals but for the most part our spending is pretty much the same. However, we’re buying less meat, less organic, and less dining out. Everything is up in price so we pivot. So glad you shared today. ❤
We are just coming out of a huge wind/ice storm in Portland Oregon. We had about 24 hrs of power during the last 6 days. Fortunately, we were able to cook on our gas stovetop. This dinner will be perfect! As you said earlier, storms help to curb spending! Stay safe and warm.
My insurance is less because I do the AARP driving course. Now it can be done on line. I also get a discount for having homeowners and car insurance from same company. Doing great because it is too cold to go out!
My water bill was up, partly because the rate had gone up but mostly because we had a terrible drought , so had to use more. This increase was off set by having lower electric total due to being very careful and strict with usage. I was pleased to see overall I had stayed just below the total of my overall budget for the year thanks in part to your tips and encouragement.
Well okay then. We will be making salisbury steak and mashed potatoes in the near future. Thank you for reminding me of it. I only ever had it in tv dinners as a kid and loved it then. So Yay! Well, our gasoline consumption went down because my husband reduced his work week by a day. We have bought fewer manufactured cookies and breads - have been baking our own. I don't know if it saved money, but it sure tastes better and is fun to do. My husband is the cookie baker and loves his new hobby. We try to take fast showers. We also (as empty nesters) rarely run the dishwasher. We keep our winter thermostat at 68° which is fine for me, but my husband wears many layers to stay warm. (I am insulated naturally.) Something we do is get a Costco rotisserie chicken (at $5) and make at least 4 meals including cooking down the carcass to make stock and then chicken soup. (You can do the same with a big package of hamburger - divvy it up for meatloaf, patties, meatballs and ground loose. Or a roast.) Sometimes I just cook everything up and freeze the meals we aren't eating right away - for like you said "THE FUTURE". I love my ambitious PAST SELF that stocks the freezer for me when I'm tired or feeling meh.
My car insurance was going to go up $50 per month, when I rang and asked if there had been a mistake I was told it was for future natural disasters. I told the insurance company I do not live in a bushfire area and I live high up on a range so wouldn’t ever get flooded, no use. Rang another company, who is a better company and their price was $9 less than what I was currently paying. Both cars are now insured for agreed value not market value so that was another bonus!
we went up in home insurance and auto insurance. A huge increase and we are getting the good rates. I feel for those who are not able to get a good rate.
The Salisbury steak looks delicious ! We use Nationwide and our premiums went down like $30/month. Maybe they were worried we would switch? Thank u Emmy & Paul for your inspiration and keeping us motivated! 💗
We raised our deductible on our homeowners and that helped by $200 per year. Thank you for always encouraging us to find joy and comfort in our homes! I copied the Salisbury Steak recipe. I've not made that in years, but plan to soon! I'm doing great on the No spend/low spend and hope to continue in Feb.
When I did my year end comparison for 2023 I wasn't overly surprised for most categories (home heating (gas) was the biggest increase, home insurance and auto insurance, same as you, electric was about the same) but the most interesting was food has dropped about 10%, mostly just changing the way I shopped and what I shopped for. Will be interesting to see what next year brings.
Thx for sharing the Salisbury steak recipe !!! What a wonderful idea !!! Love you both ! God bless y’all! We got 10 inches of snow here in East Tn . Extremely rare for us ! This entire week has been a winter wonderland for us . I’ve been doing a lot of baking & I even pulled out my coloring books / colored pencils . Our family has played several board games . Been making the best of the cold weather ! ❤
For the items increased you had no sayin those matters- a girl that I know owns an insurance company said- I know you’ve probably been told insurance premiums will go up- it’s not an if’ they go up it is when. Again, you pay when the insurance companies pay out others for claims!☹️ Y’all did great on the things you can control. Very frigid temps here - not sure what our electric bill will be for January. Thankful we still have electricity, too cold even with wood heat we have used additional small heaters. Watched deer and birds foraging today- love it. Staying home does have its advantages.
I came on late, but enjoyed the video. I'm hanging in there on the no spend. Only couple of items I purchased were needs. I think I'm having "want" withdrawal symptoms😊 I will be trying that dinner recipe. It looked delicious. Have a blessed day❤
I think the reason for the lower price in gasoline, (because my gasoline costs were lower also), is because the price of gasoline dropped. Right now we're only paying $2.46 a gallon and last year at this time, it was much higher. Food prices, however, are through the roof. I am incorporating a lot more vegetarian meals. Even the price of fresh fruits and veggies are much higher than in 2022. Looking over my budget, I think almost every category is much higher than it was in 2022.
A really good video Emmy & Paul. Always love what you say about making home a place where you can enjoy being and can feel contented and relaxed. The cost of electricity has gone up in England too. Like you, I'm having to think of how to bring expenses in that area down a bit. Food is always on the increase, so one of the things I'm doing is having fresh fish once a month as a treat and using canned fish for the other times in the month when we'd have oily fish. This is much better. We are more careful generally to keep our costs more reasonable. Your meals are inspiring and look so delicious. Thanks for all that you share with us. It's very encouraging. Have a wonderful week and God bless you both.❤
