1. Pay Down the Mortgage
We were able to make 7 additional principal payments towards the mortage for October thanks to a large increase in ebay/etsy sales, no medical/dental bills, crazy low utilities, no travel and several months of no personal spending {me or the HH}. Just because you make money, doesn’t mean you have to spend it. Seriously. It’s that simple.
2. Buy Nothing New for 1 Year.
I had ZERO urges to buy anything this past week. Although, if you could buy 8 hour blocks of sleep off the store shelves…. I totally would have splurged. 😉
3. Track Spending and Figure Out New Ways to Cut Spending Even More.
Don’t leave the house, unplug the computer, turn off the tv. Ha! If only life were that simple.
4. Try 52 New Recipes.
Yes. I did try a new squash recipe this past week thank you very much for asking. I’ll share the recipe with you on Tuesday.
5. Keep My Grocery Budget Under $100 a Month.
So not happening this year. But hey, if I can keep it at around $150 a month average I’ll be happy.
6. Go on 52 Dates with the Handsome Husband
If hanging out in the hospital together counts as a date, then yes. The HH and I went on a totally free date this past week.
So far this year we’ve gone on 27 dates and spent $416.22 out of pocket for our dates.
7. Turn My Wool Stash into $5,000.
I’m back on Etsy and Ebay and this past week I sold $299.68 worth of my hooked rugs. So far this year I have sold $5523.45 worth of arts & crafts. Not too shabby since I hook rugs in my spare time {while watching movies, in the car, waiting rooms, etc.}.
So far in October I’ve sold $464.47
In September I sold $1259.27
In August I sold $329
In April I sold $29.99
In March I sold $799.53
In February I sold $1077.27
In January I sold $1563.92
8. Get Rid of 1,000 Things.
There is a stack of books sitting on the table I’ve been meaning to box up for the next yard sale but I haven’t gotten around to doing it yet. It’s amazing…. I keep finding things to get rid of.
So far this year I’ve gotten rid of 1093+ things.
9. Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks.
I picked up the book Waste and Want yesterday but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It’s about the history of trash and I am excited to get started on it.
10. Track Hours Spent Working on My Vegetable Garden and do a Cost Analysis at the End of the Year.
I didn’t harvest anything from the garden this past week {although Lucy the puggle trouble snacked on a few fall strawberries fresh out of the garden}. Hopefully this week I can get out there and do some garden clean up becuase the leaves are falling like mad.
So far this year I have harvested 109 pounds 6 ounces of fresh veggies from our backyards. I spent $19.40 at the greenhouse, $10.40 at Wilco and about $16 on mulch. You can read all about my gardening adventures at Dig for Your Dinner.
Time spent working on Vegetable Garden in 2016: 21 hours 10 minutes.
11. 52 House Projects in 52 Weeks.
I didn’t get any house projects done this past week but my mother did rearrange our family room furniture at 7 am on Friday. Maybe that counts? As you can see it’s not the average family room…. no tv, no clutter. We are weird, what can I say? We don’t spend a lot of time “hanging out” because we are all too busy with other things. Most of our conversations happen at the kitchen counter or dining room table instead.
12. Make all Birthday and Christmas Gifts This Year or Acquire Them for Free.
I didn’t make anything this past week but I was gifted a pumpkin IN THE MAIL from Jean at Speechworks. How kind was that? Thank you Jean!!!
Have a great day everyone.
~Mavis
Read About My 2016 Goals HERE.
Debbie says
Hi Mavis Love the furniture arrangement your mom did. I think a new furniture arrangement refreshs a room but beware if your up at night in the dark your path may have an obstacle. My only suggestion would be to add a green plant to the room. So enjoy your blog.
Beth says
I have to ask, how much is your mortgage? So awesome that you guys are living frugally and able to make so many extra payments!!
Angela D. says
I, too, have been wondering about this. Our mortgage is about $1,200 per month. Are we to consider making 2, 3, or more payments of $1,200 each month? When I asked my husband about this, he suggested anything OVER our $1,200 mortgage could go directly to the principal…but he wonders about why Mavis is calling it 2, 3, or even 7(!) additional payments. Is she sending in small amounts every 3-4 days to count them as separate payments? Wouldn’t a person just make a monthly or bi-monthly payment towards a mortgage, for a maximum of either one or two additional payments deemed to go directly onto the principal, no matter the dollar amounts?
Wendy says
I think she’s making just the principal payments. My mortgage statement breaks it down, so I think you could make any additional payments and it goes directly toward the principal.
Robin in SoCal says
Wendy is correct. The beginning of the year Mavis said extra payments are principal only payments
Lisa says
And starting with a 30 year mortgage the principle amount is small each month compared to the interest. It’s amazing to see how quickly a mortgage can be paid down putting extra toward principle each month.
You go girl…
bobbi dougherty says
Love the pumpkin. 🙂
gina says
I know, right? How on earth was somebody able to mail a pumpkin? Like ????? Am I missing something?
Teckla says
Mavis, your monthly grocery bill may have crept up toward $150 a month, but that is still awesome and way better than most of us do! Especially for a family of 4 with 2 guys to feed.
The other thing I’ve been watching is your date budget, and I have to say you and the HH are doing an awesome job with that. You’re averaging about $15.42 per date, week after week. Most couples would spend much more just on a meal, let alone entertainment. It sounds like you are really enjoying the things you do and the time you spend together. Doesn’t take much money to make happiness–just a little ingenuity and a willingness to enjoy each other and what’s around you! You’ve set some wonderful examples this year and I can’t wait to see what you cook up for 2017!
Lisa Millar says
That pumpkin in the mail!! Totally fabulous!!
Helen in Meridian says
Tell you mommy she looks adorable in those red pajamas. Of course she should rearrange your house while there’
Linda says
I never heard such a thing as mailing a pumpkin! Never would have believed it without the picture. Said something to my hubby about it, and he said his Uncle mailed his Aunt a coconut from the Pacific in the Second World War. Whaddaya know????!!!
As for extra mortgage payments, I’ve always added a little to my payment each month -it doesn’t have to be the whole principal payment- and now that the kids are gone add a lot more. You’d be shocked how much interest it cuts off over time.
I’m flabbergasted by your wool stash results- how wonderful! Need to work on my own yarn stash, my fabric stash, my book stash, my craft magazine stash, my picture stash – you get the picture.
Enjoy your blog a LOT.
debbie in alaska says
Okay. Quick question. You’ve mentioned that you don’t plan on keeping this house long term — I recall you saying you want to move east in the next few years — maybe I’m remembering wrong? Either way — my question is this: if you don’t plan to stay in the house long term (less than 5 years, say) how will paying down the mortgage benefit you? I’ve always thought that the savings on the interest only really come into play if you plan on owning the house long term? Maybe I’m missing something.
Wendy says
Just my .02, but if Mavis has a balloon mortgage, or an adjustable, then it could make a huge difference.
debbie in alaska says
Thanks, Wendy. I was hoping I’d get an answer to that question because it’s contrary to what I’ve always thought and I really wanted to understand the thinking behind it — thanks for offering another perspective. 🙂
Jenn in Indiana says
Your mom should have her own blog!