Chickens: cuter than a bread machine

My $5 yard sale bread machine received upgraded to a $40.91 yard sale bread machine with the substitute of its dough blades. Who doesn’t love beginning the brand new yr with new dough blades?! These small, blade-like objects snap into the bottom of the bread machine’s basket to carry out the essential kneading step within the bread making course of. I’m thrilled to outsource kneading to those blades they usually tirelessly execute their job with out a lot as a squeak of grievance (can not say the identical in regards to the kids of the home to whom I additionally try and outsource… combined outcomes; will report again in 10 years).

I picked up our Zojirushi bread machine at a yard sale about 3.5 years in the past and we’ve made what I estimate to be ~200 loaves of complete wheat sandwich bread since its arrival. After mixing and kneading lo these many loaves, the unique dough blades wore down and misplaced their non-stick coating, inflicting giant clumps of bread to stick to the blades and never the loaf. A brand new Zojirushi bread machine–of comparable make and mannequin to ours–runs $319.99 (affiliate hyperlink). YIKES. What a delight for Mr. FW to find that one should buy simply the blades for a mere $35.91 (affiliate hyperlink)! The brand new blades are put in and to this point, rotating with ease.

Why Bake Your Personal Bread?

Baking one’s personal bread is a implausible and easy ingredient of placing your life on frugal autopilot. When you begin, you most likely received’t cease and also you’ll get monetary savings on bread endlessly and ever. Additionally, it’s extra yum.

It takes ~3 minutes to dump the components into the basket and activate the bread machine. It’s so easy that my four-year-old can *virtually* do it. Plus, the components are less expensive than a retailer purchased loaf. Bonus: heat, aromatic bread aromas permeate your private home.

My VERY keen kitchen assistants a couple of years in the past

Advantages of baking one’s personal bread:

1. Cheaper
2. More healthy
3. Tastes higher
4. Home smells nice

Downsides of baking one’s personal bread:

1. You not have a cause to go down the bread aisle on the grocery retailer
2. When you don’t have time to do it by hand, you’ll need to obtain a bread machine (I’m workforce #breadmachine4lyfe)

Methods to supply a bread machine:

1. Thrift retailer
2. Yard sale
3. Purchase Nothing Group
4. Basement of somebody
5. Basement of somebody you type of know
6. Buy new

Our present bread machine is our third second-hand bread machine and we paid not more than $5 for every one. Bread machines appear to be a type of issues that folk obtain as a present after which by no means use… appears like a conspiracy…. Therefore, I see them at yard gross sales, thrift shops and gathering mud on counters on a regular basis. When you too need to enterprise into self-made carb cubes, ask round and see what bread machines provide themselves as much as you.

Our Sandwich Bread Recipe

Household ski! Mr. FW, Kidwoods and Littlewoods

Since I do know you’re going to ask, our recipe is predicated off of this King Arthur Baking recipe. I’ve modified it over time as I’ve found completely different bread machines work in a different way. In our present bread machine, right here’s what we do:

611 grams white complete wheat flour
355 grams water
37 grams olive oil
90 grams maple syrup
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt

I discover that utilizing our meals scale to weigh by grams is each quicker and extra exact (affiliate hyperlink). The white complete wheat flour is essential for us–once I use complete wheat flour, it comes out like a dense brick (even when I take advantage of very important wheat gluten). Fortunately, we’re capable of purchase white complete wheat flour in bulk from our co-op.

Different Bread Concerns

To get skinny sandwich-sized slices–and never mediaeval hunks–I lower a cooled, recent loaf in half after which lower slices ranging from the middle. Use a correct bread knife and hold it sharp!

For storage pre-kids, I froze half of each loaf since my husband and I don’t eat bread on the fee of a hyena pack. It freezes completely high-quality!

For storage post-kids, I put every half into its personal gallon-sized ziplock bag. This retains it recent for a couple of week (most likely?). Not sure as no loaf has ever laster that lengthy in our pantry. See above observe re. present hyena pack’s bread consumption skills.

I’ve tried storing bread loaves in tea towels, a field, and foil, however nothing works in addition to plastic zipper luggage. I simply re-use the identical luggage again and again.

Glad baking!!

Can I Discuss To You?

Our gingerbread home within the woods

Sure! You’ll be able to rent me to jot down a full monetary plan for you OR you’ll be able to decide my mind for an hour over the cellphone. Have a brilliant fast query? Discuss to me for half-hour.

1. Rent me for a non-public monetary session right here.
2. Schedule an hourlong name with me right here.
3. Ebook half-hour with me right here.

To be taught extra about one-on-one consultations with me, verify this out.

I Love the Free Cash Monitoring Instruments from Private Capital!

I take advantage of a free on-line service referred to as Private Capital to arrange our cash. It tracks our spending, web value, investments, retirement, the whole lot.

Understanding the place your cash’s at is among the best methods to get a deal with in your funds. You can’t make knowledgeable choices about your cash for those who don’t know the way you’re spending it or how a lot you’ve gotten. When you’d prefer to know extra about how Private Capital works, take a look at my full write-up.

With no holistic image of your funds, there’s no solution to set financial savings, debt compensation or funding objectives. It’s a should, people. Private Capital (which is free) is a good way for me to systematize our monetary overviews because it hyperlinks all of our accounts collectively and supplies a complete image of our web value.

When you don’t have a strong thought of the place your cash’s at–or the way you’re spending it–contemplate making an attempt Private Capital (observe: the Private Capital hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks). 

Credit Playing cards: How We Purchase The whole lot

We purchase the whole lot we are able to with bank cards as a result of:

1. It’s simpler to trace bills. No guesswork over the place a random $20 invoice went; all of it reveals up in our month-to-month expense report from Private Capital. I additionally spend much less cash as a result of I KNOW I’m going to see each expense listed on the finish of the month.

2. We get rewards. Bank card rewards are a easy solution to get one thing for nothing. By way of the playing cards we use, we get money again in addition to lodge and airline factors for purchasing stuff we had been going to purchase anyway.
3. We construct our credit score. Since we don’t have any debt, having a number of bank cards open for a few years helps our credit score scores. It’s a grimy fantasy that carrying a stability in your bank card helps your credit score rating–IT DOES NOT. Paying your playing cards off IN FULL each month and holding them open for a few years does assist your rating.

For extra on my bank card technique, take a look at:

Money Again Playing cards to Think about

When you’re now cash-back curious, there are a variety of playing cards available on the market providing fairly good money again percentages. Listed here are a couple of I believe are a superb deal:

This child is at house on the slopes!

1) Blue Money Most popular® Card from American Categorical:

• 6% money again at U.S. supermarkets on as much as $6,000 per yr in purchases (then 1%).
• 6% money again on choose U.S. streaming subscriptions.
• 3% money again at U.S. fuel stations and on transit (together with taxis/rideshare, parking, tolls, trains, buses and extra).
• 1% money again on different purchases.
• Earn a $250 assertion credit score after you spend $3,000 in purchases in your new Card inside the first 6 months
• $0 intro annual payment for the primary yr, then $95. Charges and costs particulars right here.
• Phrases apply

2) Blue Money On a regular basis® Card from American Categorical:

• 3% money again at U.S. supermarkets (on as much as $6,000 per yr in purchases, then 1%).
• 3% Money Again at U.S. fuel stations, on as much as $6,000 per yr, then 1%.
• 1% money again on different purchases.
• Earn as much as $250 – Right here’s How: Earn as much as $150 again whenever you store with PayPal. Earn 20% again as a press release credit score on purchases whenever you use your new Card to take a look at with PayPal at retailers within the first 6 months of Card Membership, as much as $150 again. Plus, earn $100 again as a press release credit score after you spend $2,000 in purchases in your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• No annual payment. Charges and costs particulars right here.
• Phrases apply.

3) Capital One Quicksilver Money Rewards Credit score Card:

• 1.5% money again on each buy, day by day.
• $200 money bonus after you spend $500 on purchases inside 3 months from account opening.
• No annual payment.

4) Capital One SavorOne Money Rewards Credit score Card:

• Limitless 3% money again on eating, leisure, widespread streaming companies and at grocery shops (excluding superstores like Walmart and Goal).
• 1% again on all different purchases.
• 8% money again on tickets at Vivid Seats by means of January 2023.
• $200 money bonus after you spend $500 on purchases inside the first 3 months from account opening.
• No annual payment.

Winter barnyard view

5) Chase Freedom Limitless®:

• Earn an additional 1.5% on the whole lot you purchase (on as much as $20,000 spent within the first yr), which is value as much as $300 money again:
  • 6.5% on journey bought by means of Chase Final Rewards
  • 4.5% on eating and drugstores
  • 3% on all different purchases.
• After your first yr (or $20,000 spent), you earn:
  • 5% money again on Chase journey bought by means of Chase Final Rewards
  • 3% money again on drugstore purchases and eating at eating places, together with takeout and eligible supply service
  • Limitless 1.5% money again on all different purchases.
• No annual payment.

6) Chase Freedom Flex℠:

• 5% money again on as much as $1,500 in mixed purchases in bonus classes every quarter you activate.
• New 5% classes every quarter.
• 5% money again on journey bought by means of Chase Final Rewards
• 3% money again on drugstore purchases and eating at eating places, together with takeout and eligible supply service
• Limitless 1% money again on all different purchases.
• $200 bonus after you spend $500 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.
• No annual payment.

When you’re thinking about journey rewards, individuals love the Chase Sapphire Most popular Card®. You’ll be able to earn 60,000 bonus factors after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening, which is $750 whenever you redeem by means of Chase Final Rewards.

Big caveat to bank card utilization: you MUST pay your bank card payments in full each single month, with no exceptions. When you’re involved about your capacity to do that, or suppose utilizing bank cards may immediate you to spend extra, persist with a debit card or money. However you probably have no downside paying that invoice in full each month? I like to recommend you bank card away, my buddy! (observe: the bank card hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks).

Money Again Earned This Month: $60.45

This little skier is up the chairlift now!

The silver lining to our spending is our money again bank card. We earn 2% money again on each buy made with our Constancy Rewards Visa and, this month, we spent $3,022.43 on that card, which netted us $60.45.

Not some huge cash, but it surely’s cash we earned for purchasing stuff we had been going to purchase anyway! For this reason I like money again bank card rewards–they’re the best solution to earn one thing for nothing.

To see how this provides up over the course of a yr, take a look at How I Made $712.59 With My Money Again Credit score Card.

The place’s Your Cash?

One other straightforward solution to optimize your cash is with a high-interest financial savings account. With these accounts, curiosity works in your favor versus the rates of interest on debt, which work in opposition to you.

Having cash in a no or low curiosity financial savings account is a waste of assets–your cash is sitting there doing nothing. Don’t let your cash be lazy! Make it be just right for you! And now, get pleasure from some explanatory math:

Let’s say you’ve gotten $5,000 in a financial savings account that earns 0% curiosity. In a yr’s time, your $5,000 will nonetheless be… $5,000.

Let’s say you as a substitute put that $5,000 into an American Categorical Private Financial savings account, which–as of this writing–earns 3.4% in curiosity (affiliate hyperlink). In a single yr, your $5,000 may have elevated to $5,170. Which means you earned $170 simply by having your cash in a high-interest account.

And also you didn’t must do something! I’m a giant fan of incomes cash whereas doing nothing. Is anyone not a fan of that? Apparently so, as a result of anybody who makes use of a low or no curiosity financial savings account is NOT being profitable whereas doing nothing. Don’t be that individual. Be the one that earns cash whereas sleeping.

Sure, We Solely Paid $28.41 for Cell Telephone Service (for 2 telephones)

Our cellphone service line merchandise is just not a typ0 (though that actually is). We actually and really solely paid $28.41 for each of our telephones (that’s $14.21 per individual for these of you into division). How is such trickery attainable?!? We use an MVNO!

What’s an MVNO?

Glad you requested as a result of I used to be going to let you know anyway: It’s a cellphone service re-seller.

MVNOs are the TJ Maxx of the cellphone service world–the identical service, A LOT cheaper. When you’re not utilizing an MVNO, switching to at least one is a straightforward, slam-dunk, do-it-right-away method to save cash each single month of each single yr endlessly and ever amen.

Listed here are a couple of MVNOs to contemplate:

For extra, I’ve a full chart of suppliers and their costs right here: The best way to Save Cash on Your Cell Telephone Invoice with an MVNO: I Pay $12 a Month*

*the quantity we pay fluctuates each month as a result of it’s calibrated on what we use. Think about that! We solely pay for what we use! Will wonders ever stop. These MVNO hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks.

Expense Report FAQs

• Wish to know the way we handle the remainder of our cash? Take a look at How We Handle Our Cash: Behind The Scenes of The Frugalwoods Household Accounts
• 

  Winter wooden

  Don’t you’ve gotten a rental property? Sure! We personal a rental property (often known as our first house) in Cambridge, MA, which I focus on right here and extra just lately, right here too

• Why do I share our bills? To present you a way of how we spend our cash in a values-based method. Your spending will differ from ours and there’s no “one proper method” to spend and no “good” funds.
• Are we probably the most frugal frugal individuals on earth? Completely not! My hope is that by being clear about our spending, you may acquire insights into your personal spending and be impressed to take proactive management of your cash.
• Questioning the place to begin with managing your cash? Take my free, 31-day Uber Frugal Month Problem.
• When you’re thinking about different issues I like, take a look at Frugalwoods Recommends.
• Why don’t you purchase the whole lot domestically? We do our greatest to help our area people and purchase as a lot of our meals as attainable immediately from our farmer neighbors. Our city doesn’t have any shops, so we depend on on-line ordering and large field shops for requirements. The closest shops are 45 minutes away and we go a couple of instances a month to fill up on what we are able to’t get from our neighbors or on-line.

However Mrs. Frugalwoods, Don’t You Pay For X, Y, Or Even Z???

Questioning about frequent bills you don’t see listed beneath?

When you’re questioning about anything, be happy to ask within the feedback part!

Alright you frugal cash voyeurs, feast your eyes on each greenback we spent in January:

How was the primary month of 2023 for you?