<< Back to all Blogs
Login or Create your own free blog
Layout:
Home > One Big Chunk

One Big Chunk

August 22nd, 2016 at 07:46 pm

To deal with DH's upcoming pay cut, I have been nosing around for more bargains. Here's what I've done, starting with the minor.
A large pot of soup for lunches and tonight's dinner successfully using some wilting veggies.
Less expensive back-to-school shopping than anticipated. DD is fine with much of what she has. We can buy more to supplement as the school year progresses.
A Costco trip that filled in some gaps
A cheap Hotwire motel for next week's Minneapolis trip.
and my large triumph--a truly bargain flight for DH's trip to his nephew's wedding in October. He's going alone as mid-semester trips are impossible for DD and me. I'd been looking for weeks for a good fare between Chicago and Heathrow and struggling to find anything in the strict timeframe under $1000. We'd used consolidators before without any problems, and since he's flying alone, I thought, "why not?" The ticket has gone through, he's flying AA for under $600. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. If you have a consolidator horror story, please don't tell me. Crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

And on the income side, my grades are in for my summer class, learning platform and assignments ready for tonight's new eight-week class, freelance project bill ready to be submitted. I still have loads of freelance work, but it can wait a few days.

DD and I are off to visit my brother and fam in MN tomorrow. Hanging out at the lake seems like a good way to wind up the summer.


Posted in Junk and more junk, Food, glorious food, hit the road, jack | 9 Comments »

9 Responses to “One Big Chunk”

  1. ceejay74 Says:
    August 22nd, 2016 at 07:53 pm 1471895580
    1471895580

    I don't know what a consolidator is but if this works out, I'd love to know your trick! Our tickets averaged out to $1100 per person for our June-July round trip to Heathrow.

  2. CB in the City Says:
    August 22nd, 2016 at 08:05 pm 1471896350
    1471896350

    Making strides!

  3. snafu Says:
    August 22nd, 2016 at 08:56 pm 1471899366
    1471899366

    Terrific flight rate Get everyone pitching in for meal planning and prep based on busiest days to least busy for meal + plan-over. The government research insists frozen veggies have the same nutritional value as fresh when cooked. They are regular loss leaders and less waste as you prepare only what's needed. Any child over 8 y/o can measure ingredient and place in order in crock pot. Child #2 can help put most items away, set and clear table. By avoiding convenience foods and items they dislike, you can easily cut the food budget 20%.

    Ask/bribe the kids to research and list life 'hacks' that work for your family. All those simple ideas free up so much time and frustration. I began making detergent because we had an allergic reaction to a new product sample in the mail box. The initial outlay seemed high but I didn't realize it made several batches. I've continued to make it because it's so much better than Tide or Gain and costs about .03 - .05 cents a load. I'm making DW detergent with mixed results. Find I use it for less complex loads.

    I've examined and experimented with most of the housekeeping processes. Find it's cheaper and more efficient to manage laundry by categories. Only sheets, pillow cases and towels need hot water wash. The machine's manual defined 'load' and only full load goes through at a time can wash in cold water. Dryer is most expensive appliance I have. Rules for usage.

    sorry it all sounds penny pinching but it saves major dollars.


  4. creditcardfree Says:
    August 22nd, 2016 at 09:00 pm 1471899633
    1471899633

    Great job, MEC! I also don't know about flight consolidators. Do tell us more!

  5. starfishy Says:
    August 23rd, 2016 at 12:35 am 1471912513
    1471912513

    you're doing well with the frugality measures! i also want to know what a consolidator is??

  6. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    August 23rd, 2016 at 02:08 am 1471918085
    1471918085

    A trip with family sounds like a grand way to end the summer!

  7. My English Castle Says:
    August 23rd, 2016 at 03:13 am 1471922016
    1471922016

    You've seen those consolidators--Kayak lists them. I used justfly a couple times with no problems and cheapoair once. This time it's cheapfareguru. They work best on intl coach seats--and although we used them with connections, I prefer them without connections. They're legit, but have NO customer service to speak of. Not sure I'd use them for all three of us, but DH travels light.
    http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/3802617/all-about-consolidator-airfares/

  8. ceejay74 Says:
    August 23rd, 2016 at 05:27 am 1471930059
    1471930059

    Hmm, maybe we always book too far in advance to see these kinds of deals. (We seriously book 6-8 months in advance when we're going to UK!)

    Are you going to the State Fair while you're here in Mpls?

  9. rob62521 Says:
    August 23rd, 2016 at 09:08 pm 1471986517
    1471986517

    Folks who don't work in education often do not understand you can't do things throughout the year unless it is during a break. Sorry you have to miss the trip, but it sounds like you got a great deal.

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]