Our family is on a “no-nonessential spending kick” for September. Why? We had a few hangover bills from a summer vacation and three unexpected car repairs. So a spending freeze seemed like a sane way to get our budget back on track.

Now, we’re pretty careful with our money anyway, so I thought, “How hard can this be?” Well, it’s only September 2. And I’ll tell ya the truth: It’s very, very hard!

I read a suggestion in financial celebrity Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan (which I downloaded for free; you can still read the first chapter here). It was: Don’t spend ANYTHING for one day. So during the last part of August, I kept trying to do that, in preparation for September. Emphasis on “kept trying.” I’d think: OK, this is an easy day to spend nothing. Then we desperately needed milk. Or it was my “mom’s night out” and I wanted to buy a cup of coffee with a friend. Or I needed to send in a check for my daughters’ lunch money.

So I’d put off the “spend nothing day” until tomorrow. But the funny thing was that something kept popping up—sometimes a need, sometimes a very strong “want”—and I found it really tough to go even one single day without spending at least a few bucks! I wondered: How the heck are we going to get through September?

Now, to be honest, it’s not a spend NOTHING month. However, it is a “spend only on really important stuff” month. For instance, we cut eating out altogether. And we don’t even eat out that much. But for September, we’re not even getting cheap burritos on Wednesday night (our typical “eating out” night) out at our favorite (and cheap) Mexican place.

We’ve also cut back on movie rentals and we’ve seriously stripped back our grocery budget for the month. Anything that wasn’t tied down, budget-wise, was fair game.

But there have been some unexpected bright spots:

• Free plants: My garden beds really, really need compost. I’ve been thinking about this a lot, trying to decide how I could get free mulch. And a few plants died and September is the ideal time to replace them. But on a tight budget—how?When you don’t have money, you get creative. And maybe opportunity finds you, too. Yesterday, I glanced at the plants at my local superstore. I noticed a table of pretty nasty looking plants—leaves wilted, etc. Two perennials I’ve been wanting were in the batch. I asked the salesperson if they were on sale, since they looked pretty wilted (but still very much alive.). Her response: “Oh, the store has written them off. They’re not for sale.” The upshot: They weren’t even going to mark the plants down—they were going to throw them away! They’d already been written out of the store’s books. My opportunity: She gave them to me for free! Savings: $30

• Free garden mulch: As I drove my kids home from school today, I noticed that a neighbor was having trees trimmed. The arborist was making a heck of a noise because he was shredding the branches and leaves. Hey, that’s mulch! I asked the guy if he’d be willing to dump the load around the corner at my house, and he happily did so for free. Thanks, Bruno Tree Care! I’ve got more than enough mulch to take care of my garden beds. Savings: $200.

• Free “drycleaning”: I noticed that our bed comforter really needed a cleaning. Normally, I take it to the drycleaners, since it’s too big to fit in our washer. Then I remembered: I have a bathtub. It can be hand washed—or, in my case, scrunched with my bare feet like I was stomping grapes, as my daughters watched and laughed!) And it does fit in our dryer, though it took 3 or 4 cycles to get all the water out. Savings: $40.
  
  Also, my husband has gotten in the habit of taking shirts to the drycleaners, but only because he hates to iron. This month, he offered to trade me a chore of my own if I’ll iron his shirts. I actually don’t mind ironing—especially if I can get him to do something I hate instead!—and we’ll save about $25 on unnecessary drycleaning.

• Free yogurt: I subscribe to The Grocery Game to get weekly lists of grocery sales and coupons to match them. But sometimes your local grocery store has unexpected sales on meat and dairy that are about to expire (they’re still perfectly safe to eat). This week, Yoplait yogurt was on sale at my Safeway for 60 cents each if you bought 10 or more. Two flavors also carried special “50 cents off” stickers because they were within a few days of their expiration. That took the yogurt down to 10 cents each. Pretty good! But I also had two coupons for 40 cents off six yogurts or more, and my store doubles coupons. The bottom line: I bought 12 Yoplaits and store paid me 40 cents back! Savings: $7.60

• Free cupcakes: My daughters were begging to get ice cream yesterday. “It’s the last day before school starts!” they wailed. “We should get something to celebrate!” I almost made an exception. But then we searched through our coupons and unused gift certificates. Found: 3 unused cupcake coupons from last Halloween (!) that almost ready to expire. Guess where we went for treats? Savings: $9
  

Now that I’m in the “no-spend” mindset, I’m sure even more ideas will occur to me. I fully admit: None of these are amazingly original. But when I had easy money in my pocket, I would never have thought of them.

How about you? What could you do differently if you didn’t spend money for a day…or more?

This year’s family spending controversy was this: New kitchen floor or first family trip to Disneyland? Floor or happy kids? Floor or magical family time together? You guessed it: We chose Disneyland.

A major trip like this (we went in July) is quite out of character (pun intended) for my husband and me. When we spend money, it tends to be on our house or our kids’ education–stuff we feel will really last. We love to travel, but lately it’s been sooo easy to put it off. It seems a bit, well, luxurious when there are always so many things that need to be done/paid for at home: New roof, new dishwasher, leaking frig….and of course, the ancient, cracking kitchen floor.

But. My dad’s been seriously ill. Our friends have recently lost beloved siblings and parents. Our daughters are growing up quickly. If we aren’t willing to invest a little money now in the things that are most important to us–people, relationships–will there be time later?

When they’re grown, will our kids remember fondly that we worked hard to buy a new kitchen floor? Or will they remember that we all screamed together on a Disneyland ride and splashed in the pool until our skin pruned up? We all know the answer.

That said, it IS possible to plan a big trip like Disneyland without breaking the bank. Although I often book trips on my own, this time I got help from a fellow writer-turned-travel agent–Julie Sturgeon of Curing Cold Feet. Don’t let her general travel-y looking website fool you. She’ll work with you one-on-one. Plus, she’s a big fan of the Mouse, and gave me great advice on the length of our trip, getting deals on passes, and which hotels were good.

I also loved, loved, loved this book. We got it from the library and took it with us on our trip. By following the strategies from this book, we rarely waited more than 20 minutes for even the major rides. Except for Peter Pan. Which my older daughter had to ride NOW even though the wait was 45 minutes in sweltering heat and we didn’t have a FastPass.

Some things we learned:

* For a first trip, stay at one of the official Disneyland hotels. In Disneyland, that means here, here or here. Sure, it will be cheaper to stay in a Motel 6 close by, but the Disney hotels are easy to reach from the park, linked by monorail, and just very, very fun for the kids. They are part of the whole Disney experience. In fact, I think our kids liked our hotel pool as much as the park! And the little shampoo and conditioners in our bathroom had cute mouse ears!

Also, you can arrange to have your purchases sent back to your hotel so you don’t have to schlep them around with you.

* Skip the Disney dining plan. We bought a 4-day Goofy Meal Plan for 4 people. We thought it would save us money buying food at the park and hotel. But it didn’t really. We essentially got vouchers for the exact amount of money we spent, and we couldn’t use the vouchers in Downtown Disney (the cool shopping area between the parks and hotel). Maybe it works better at DisneyWorld, but I’m not sold. Neither is this blogger.

Look for deals/reviews before you go. I always check this site. And for Disney-specific advice, I liked this one. I used a couple of their links to get restaurant coupons, including one for the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. My opinion on the Rainforest? Phfft. Disney is exciting enough. Our daughters barely cared about the animatronic birds and gorillas. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Save your sanity: Give kids a Disney allowance. Instead of listening to the kids beg for a charm bracelet here, oversize Mickey Mouse hands there, we allocated them each $50 for the week. It totally saved us! It’s amazing what sharp consumers kids become when they’re spending THEIR money. Oldest daughter (almost 12) bought a hat, jewelry and candy, while youngest daughter (7) opted for pins and several sets of Disneyland dressable action figures. Everyone was happy.

Go offseason if you can. But you know that already. Southern California in the summer is sweltering and crowded, crowded, crowded. If we did it again, it would be worth pulling the kids out of school in the fall for a long weekend at the Mouse. But do give yourselves at least 3 or 4 days to comfortably see all of Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure (connected to Disneyland via a main plaza). And don’t miss the Soarin’ Over California ride at DCA! This was my favorite ride of the whole trip!

Do tight economic times have you spending more time at home with your kids? If so, you’re not alone. And it can be a good thing. Check out this article: Tough times mean family time at home.

My question: Will we keep this up even after the recessions passes? I hope so.

Yep, it’s annoying, but I’ve converted to using a shopping list whenever I hit the stores. Particularly the grocery stores. It’s not a new idea, but it’s getting new attention now that we’re all trying to cut back on impulse spending.

I have a standing list on my computer that includes most of our family’s every-week buys. It’s organized by section of store: Produce, Dairy, etc. (Download a Microsoft Word version of my  Grocery List and customize it to your own needs). I just print out a half dozen copies and keep them in my kitchen cabinet. Every week I put a new one up on our frig, so hubby and I can both check off the items we need as we go. I’ve never understood why anyone would keep a grocery list on a chalkboard or dry-erase board. You’ve just got to rewrite it on paper before you leave the house.

I haven’t tried these yet, but apparently a number of companies are now offering online grocery lists. Let me know if you try any of these:  Grocerlist, GroceryWiz, Grocery Note, Knotler,  and Ziplist.

Our project for this summer: Start a vegetable garden. Not only do we hope to save money on produce, I think it will be fun, too!

We’re planning to install two 4′ x 4′ raised garden boxes on the narrow south side of our house. One will be a “salad garden” with arugula, lettuce and other greens. The second will be an “Italian garden” with basil, parsley, tomatoes and the like.

I’ve been wondering, though, how we’d know if we’re really saving money by growing our own veggies.Then I came upon this cool savings calculator that  helps you figure out how much you save by planting your own vegetable garden. Perfect! Now I’m off to the nursery to buy basil and blueberry bushes and tomatoes….

Ahhh. I love my new bills/receipt organizer. It truly makes me feel more peaceful when I use it.

I PAY most bills online, but I still accumulate a bit of financial paper. So I’ve used this simple collection method for many years. My old accordion file had seen better days so I was thrilled when I found this cool one (by Real Simple) at Target. This one is quite similar.

When I get bills in the mail, I plop them into either the “15th” or “30th” category since I pay bills twice a month. I also have a tab for household receipts (HH Receipts), which are ATM and debit receipts I keep until I balance my computerized checkbook–I use Quicken. And I have categories for my personal receipts (Teri Rec.), my elderly dad’s receipts since I handle his money (George Rec.), Statements (to balance) and Discuss (talk over with my hubby).

That’s it. Everything I need to pay bills is in this portable little folder. Once I’ve balanced our accounts or paid bills, I shred. I don’t save much, other than receipts for big purchases or tax-related items, since I can get copies of almost everything else online. Plus, have you EVER gone back to look at an old electric bill? Not me. The less paper, the more zen-like I feel. Ommmm.

I’m so excited! Two of my writing colleagues–Kris Bordessa and Jeannette Moninger-- and I just released a great (if I may say so myself) e-book on how to get started writing for magazines about parenting and kids. It’s Cash in on Your Kids: Parenting Queries that Worked and you can check it out here.

Between the three of us, we write for some great, national newsstand publications– Parenting, Family Fun, Parents, Real Simple, Redbook, Better Homes and Gardens and many more. When we interview parents for articles for these cool magazines, they often ask how we got started doing this kind of writing, what it pays, etc. The real question behind their questions: “Could I maybe do this myself?” Kris, Jeannette and I say yes, you can! Unfortunately, we don’t have time to coach every potential parenting writer who approaches us, so Cash in on Your Kids is our answer.

Two great reasons to read this book: 1) In addition to covering the basics on how to get started as a freelance parenting writer, we include 16 of our actual proposals to big-name magazines–the real queries we sent to actual editors. We tell you why the story proposal was a hit and what we got paid (anywhere from $300 to $3,600). You can learn to write your own queries by reading and analyzing ours.  2) We share email formats for many of the major parenting publications–info you won’t have unless you’re already an established freelance writer.If you’ve ever wanted to try writing for parenting publications, this is a great time. People don’t stop having kids during a recession, and they sure don’t stop reading articles about potty training, discipline and playdate etiquette. That means there’s always a market for freelancers who can write about these issues.

And if you’re trying to move back into the work force, freelance writing is a great option. You can set your own flexible schedule (I quit when my kids come home from school), work from home, and make good money once you get established. We know many freelance writers who are making well over six figures. (We would, too, if we worked full-time.)

OK, end of shameless self-promotion. Thanks for reading this far!

Over the weekend, my SIL told me someone fraudulently tried to charge hundreds of dollars to her credit card for electronics. Thankfully, her card issuer flagged the purchase as suspicious and alerted her. They immediately issued her a new card.

But when my SIL went over past credit card statements to see if there were other bad transactions, she found a little trail of microcharges that were NOT hers. Some were so small she didn’t notice them the first time around. Apparently, the small charges are “tests” the thieves use to see if 1) Your card is good and 2) Whether you’ll notice their activity on your account.

I opened my credit card statement today and couldn’t believe it: It happened to me, too!

I saw a 94 cent Apple iTunes charge from early February. Yes, iTunes is changing its prices, but hadn’t done so in early February; most songs were still 99 cents. Then I checked my online statement for newer charges. Sure enough, another iTunes charge I didn’t make.

How could I be so sure? I went to my iTunes account page and clicked on “Purchase History.” The weird charges did NOT appear on iTunes–just on my credit card account. So I called my card issuer, disputed the charges, and am getting a new card. I also changed my password on my iTunes account.

Apparently this is not a new phenomenon. See this article. Makes me wonder, though, whether someone got my credit card through an online purchase or whether someone has been able to tap into my iTunes account. Maybe on a coffeeshop wifi connection? Anyone have thoughts?

I’ve been “playing” The Grocery Game for more than a year. See this post for more info, but it’s basically an online service that tracks weekly sales at your selected grocery store (I use Safeway), notifies you and tells you how to combine sales with coupons for really incredible savings.

I thought I was doing a decent job of using the Game’s principles. Then I read founder Teri Gault’s newest book. It really opened my eyes.

I realized I wasn’t really doing the Game with full power. After reading this book (it’s a quick, fun read), I buckled down and really shopped right. In just one month, I dropped our household grocery budget (2 adults, 2 kids) by $125! From $560 down to $425. And I don’t think we’ve ever had more food in our pantry and freezer, seriously. I’m actually excited to see how little I can spend this month.

I will say that my husband was a little worried when he saw how much food I bought last month. He was SURE I must be going over budget. But when I showed him the cash left over at the end of February, he became a huge supporter.

And the most fun of all? Sounds silly, but it’s being congratulated by the checkers at my local Safeway for the great deals I’m getting! They’re starting to ask me how I’m doing it. Kudos to Teri Gault and her saving system! I think she is fab. (And not just because we have the same first name.)

One of my all-time favorite money-saving family projects of the past year is our cute backyard chickens. Ok, ok, we also wanted some outdoor pets, since my hubby is allergic to the standard indoor stuff (cats, dogs, rabbits, gerbils, etc.). But seriously, now that organic, free-range eggs are getting so spendy, our girls are definitely earning their keep!

Each of our girls lays an egg a day–fewer during the shorter days of winter. If you’ve never had a really fresh egg, it’s a real treat. The yolks are so rich they’re almost orange. And they come from very happy, doted-upon chickens.

You don’t need to have a farm to have chickens. We’re in a typical, urban neighborhood (50 x 100 lot) and we can have ‘em. In fact, two other neighbors within 5 blocks have chickens. As someone said (I forget who), “chickens are the new pug”!

This cracked me up–Manhattanites with chickens. But we actually kept ours (these folks gave up on having a coop in their co-op). And our girls seem to be putting up with us pretty well.