The Thanksgiving Turkey And Totally different November 2021 Payments

November 2021 was the Month of Cars and Carving

I am assured our autos are in a covert coven requiring them to interrupt down in synchronization. Far be it for one car to have a problem and the alternative car to be great. Nope. We might want to have parity in all points and we, the autos, keep unsympathetic to your transportation desires.

In basically essentially the most spectacular break-down I’ve ever expert, the Prius began emitting an ear-splitting, interminable beep as I was pulling into the school car parking zone to decide on the kids up one afternoon. There have been no dashboard lights and 0 indication of the place this unremitting beep stemmed from. The auto itself was screaming, “HELP HELP HELP!” from the bowels of its existence.

In case anyone else owns a Toyota Prius and has this happen to them, this was the auto informing me that the brakes have been absolutely shot. Luckily, I made it safely to highschool and parked sooner than the complete brake fluid flowed out. And I do suggest the complete brake fluid. A novel experience for me, having not at all sooner than had a car berate me so personally, so intentionally, so loudly. And so, the Prius was towed to the mechanic’s and its brakes have been fixed.

Feeling neglected, the truck decided to throw a rock onto its windshield in a decided, and I have to say worthwhile, bid for our consideration. We ignored the crack for each week. Two weeks. Three weeks. A month. The truck escalated points by branching the crack out all through the entire windshield. Okay, truck, to procure your need: a mannequin new, $315 windshield.

Cars, are you every joyful now? Joyful that we’ve paid adequate consideration to you? Positive? Good. Don’t forget that good leisurely tow and your shiny new glass the next time you’ve got the urge to pop off.

Public transit and walkability are the problems I miss most about dwelling inside the metropolis. The reality that we should always private two autos as a strategy to survive out proper right here is an important, and really the one, draw again. I beloved my car-free strolling, biking, subway-riding metropolis days and think about them fondly as I’m driving down a mud freeway in a car that’s screaming at me. Nevertheless, on steadiness, it’s effectively well worth the trade-off for our nature-encased life.

Updated 12/11/21:

There have been a number of questions on our autos inside the suggestions half and I respect all people’s points in regards to the Frugalwoods fleet. I perceive I didn’t outline the entire car story and so, since there’s loads curiosity, I’ll be joyful to. Buckle up, it’s a protracted story :)!:
-Every of our autos are 2010’s, which we’ve owned and religiously maintained since 2015 (Prius) and 2018 (Tundra truck)
-The Prius had been inspected and serviced by our mechanic a mere WEEK earlier to the brake failure. We’d had these brakes modified on schedule as correctly. Sometimes, points happen.
-The truck windshield crack was not the type that is likely to be stuffed–we undoubtedly would’ve executed that if it’d been an opportunity.
-The rationale we didn’t have insurance coverage protection cowl the windshield is that we very intentionally would not have full insurance coverage protection because of we’re in a position to afford to pay cash for these type of repairs (or to modify the auto absolutely if wished). It’s loads cheap whole for us to go this route and to instead carry completely essentially the most in obligation.
-We really began car buying closing spring for one factor to modify the rising older Prius, nonetheless, as you all have seen inside the info, the availability chain has made autos unbelievably expensive and flat out unavailable. We spent months researching used Toyota RAV4s along with Honda CRVs and suppose we’ve narrowed our search proper right down to recent-year RAV4s.
-We found that many of the used RAV4s within the market have been really MORE expensive than mannequin new RAV4s!
-Upon finding out this, we often called all the sellers in our space to see about looking for a–gasp–mannequin new car. Their responses have been that that that they had no inventory and did not know after they’d have new ones in stock as all on the market and upcoming stock was taken by folks on prepared lists. Nevertheless, they’d be joyful to advertise us used RAV4s for over the asking value of a 2022 model. YIKES!
-After this exhaustive evaluation (along with saved Craigslist searches and native private sale evaluation), we determined that now is not the time to modify the Prius. Our hope is that points normalize inside the auto market by spring/summer season and we’re in a position to switch forward with altering that car.
-All that to say, rest assured folks, we’ve executed our evaluation and arrived at what we actually really feel are the best alternatives for our family.
-I’ll put up this up inside the put up so folks can merely talk to it.

Thanksgiving Tenderness

We had the privilege of web internet hosting Thanksgiving this yr and it was a JOY to be throughout the desk with my mother-in-law, father-in-law, and sister-in-law and her new girlfriend (who we obtained to meet in-person for the first time)! Such a warmth change from closing yr’s pandemic trip. We’re deeply grateful that all of us are vaccinated and have been ready to have enjoyable collectively.

We went as native as doable with our substances, along with an 18lb turkey, potatoes, and cranberries from a farm down the freeway, sage from our yard, cider pressed from our apples and eggs from our very private chickens!

Kidwoods turned SIX in November and we celebrated with a family celebration the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The benefit of a trip(ish) birthdate is that she usually will get to have a celebration with a minimal of some of our extended family! Amongst her birthday gadgets was the princess snow globe I found at a thrift retailer closing month. She has it on her bedside desk and instructed us it was the best present ever. $3 very correctly spent.

Thrift Retailer Success

My thrift retailer success streak continued this month and I found:

• A winter ski coat for Mr. FW for our upcoming ski terrorization lessons
• A pair of snow bibs for me
• A bunch of clothes for the kids
• A bunch of books for the kids
• HOLIDAY-THEMED espresso mugs (a selected need)
• One other winter gear I neglected to write down down down and now can’t keep in mind…. gloves, presumably?
• Two garments for me (I do know, I do know! I need to restrain myself… )
• One other stuff… oh geez, I truly should’ve written it down correct after I bought it…

Littlewoods Lunch Date

In November, Littlewoods had a day off preschool on a day the place Kidwoods did have school. So, I took her out for a very specific and fancy lunch date: I bought sandwiches, chips and cans of seltzer from a typical retailer and we ate them inside the car collectively.

Since she’s not old enough to be vaccinated, I’m not keen on her consuming inside a restaurant. No draw back as you’d suppose I’d taken her to the Ritz Carlton for prime tea. She was ELATED and could not stop talking about it.

reminder to me of how specific one-on-one time is for each of my kids—and the way in which low-cost it could be! Sandwiches eaten collectively inside the car = major win.

Personal Capital: How We Handle Our Expen$e$

I make the most of a free on-line service often called Personal Capital to take care of monitor of our money: our spending, our web value, our investments, our retirement–the whole thing.

Monitoring payments is doubtless one of many biggest–and greatest–strategies to get a take care of in your funds. You utterly, positively cannot make educated alternatives about your money once you don’t know how you’re spending it or how loads you’ve got. In case you’d want to know additional about how Personal Capital works, attempt my full write-up.

With no holistic picture of how loads you spend every month, there’s no method to set monetary financial savings, debt reimbursement, or funding targets. It’s a ought to, folks. Personal Capital (which is free to utilize) is an efficient approach for me to systematize our financial overviews as a result of it hyperlinks all of our accounts collectively and gives an entire picture of our web value.

In case you’re not monitoring your payments in an organized pattern, you might take into consideration attempting Personal Capital. Proper right here’s a additional detailed rationalization of how I make the most of Personal Capital (observe: these Personal Capital hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks). 

Credit score Enjoying playing cards: How We Buy All of the items

We buy the whole thing we’re in a position to with financial institution playing cards because of:

1. It’s less complicated to hint payments. No guesswork over the place a random $20 bill went; all of it displays up in our month-to-month expense report from Personal Capital. I moreover suppose I spend a lot much less money because of I KNOW I’m going to see every expense listed on the end of each month.
2. We get rewards. Financial institution card rewards are a simple method to get one factor for nothing. By way of the enjoying playing cards we use, we get cash once more along with lodge and airline elements just for looking for stuff we have now been going to buy anyway.
3. We assemble our credit score rating. Since we don’t have any debt, having a lot of financial institution playing cards open for a number of years helps our credit score rating scores. It’s a unclean fantasy that carrying a steadiness in your financial institution card helps your credit score rating ranking–IT DOES NOT. Paying your enjoying playing cards off IN FULL every month and retaining them open for a number of years does help your ranking.

For additional on my financial institution card method, attempt:

If you would like a simple cash once more financial institution card, listed below are some good decisions that don’t have annual costs:

1) Blue Cash Frequently® Card from American Particular gives a hierarchy of cash once more percentages:

• 3% Cash Once more at U.S. gas stations, on as a lot as $6,000 per yr, then 1%.
• 3% Cash Once more at U.S. supermarkets (on as a lot as $6,000 per yr in purchases, then 1%)
• 1% Cash Once more on totally different purchases
• Earn a $200 assertion credit score rating once you spend $2,000 all through the primary 6 months of card membership
• Phrases apply. No annual value.

2) Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit score rating Card:

• Limitless 1.5% cash once more on all purchases
• Earn $200 once you spend $500 or additional in purchases all through the primary three months of card membership

3) Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit score rating Card:

• 3% cash once more on consuming, leisure, in fashion streaming corporations and grocery retailers. Excluding superstores like Walmart® and Objective® for grocery  benefits.
• 1% cash once more on all totally different purchases.
• Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus after you spend $1,000 on purchases all through the primary 3 months from account opening

4) Chase Freedom Limitless:

• 5% cash once more on grocery retailer purchases (not along with Objective or Walmart) on as a lot as $12,000 spent inside the first yr.
• 5% cash once more on Chase journey purchased by way of Last Rewards.
• 3% cash once more on consuming and drugstores.
• 1.5% cash once more on all totally different purchases.
• No minimal to redeem for cash once more, rewards do not expire as long as your account is open.
• Earn $200 once you spend $500 in your first 3 months from account opening.

In case you’re interested by journey rewards, a number of folks love the Chase Sapphire Most popular. You could earn 60,000 bonus elements after you spend $4,000 on purchases inside the first 3 months from account opening, which is $750 in case you redeem by way of Chase Last Rewards.

The best strategy to uncover a financial institution card that’ll provide the outcomes you need is to hunt for it your self; I’ve a info that can enable you simply do this: The Most interesting Credit score rating Enjoying playing cards (and Credit score rating Card Rewards)!

Monumental caveat to financial institution card utilization: you MUST pay your financial institution card funds in full every single month, with no exceptions. In case you’re concerned about your potential to do this, or suppose using financial institution playing cards might speedy you to spend additional, observe a debit card or cash. Nevertheless when you haven’t any draw back paying that bill in full every month? I wish to suggest you financial institution card away, my good buddy! (observe: the financial institution card hyperlinks are affiliate hyperlinks).

Cash Once more Earned This Month: $71.31

The silver lining to our spending is our cash once more financial institution card. We earn 2% cash once more on every purchase made with our Fidelity Rewards Visa and this month, we spent $3,565.59 on that card, which netted us $71.31.

Not some large money perhaps, but it surely certainly’s money we earned for getting stuff we have now been going to buy anyway! For that reason I like cash once more financial institution card rewards–they’re the one method to earn one factor for nothing.

To see how this gives up over the course of a yr, do that put up: The Greatest $486 I’ve Ever Made: How To Use Cash Once more Credit score rating Enjoying playing cards To Your Profit.

The place’s Your Money?

One different easy method to optimize your money is to utilize a high-interest monetary financial savings account. With these accounts, curiosity works in your favor versus the charges of curiosity on debt, which work in the direction of you. Having money in a no or low curiosity monetary financial savings account is a waste of sources–your money is just sitting there doing nothing. Don’t let your money be lazy! Make it provide the outcomes you need! And now, get pleasure from some explanatory math:

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

Let’s say you instead put that $5,000 into an American Particular Personal Monetary financial savings account that–as of this writing–earns 0.40% in curiosity. In a single yr, your $5,000 can have elevated to $5,020. Which suggests you earned $20 just by having your money in a high-interest account.

And in addition you didn’t should do one thing! I’m an unlimited fan of incomes money whereas doing nothing. I suggest, is anybody not a fan of that? Apparently so, because of anyone who makes use of a low or no curiosity monetary financial savings account is NOT incomes earnings whereas doing nothing. Don’t be that particular person.

Be the one which earns money whereas sleeping. Additional about high-interest monetary financial savings accounts, along with these I wish to suggest, proper right here: The Most interesting Extreme Curiosity Cost On-line Monetary financial savings Accounts.

Positive, We Solely Paid $28.28 for Cell Phone Service (for two telephones)

Our cell phone service line merchandise is not a typ0 (although that undoubtedly is). We truly and actually solely paid $28.28 for every of our telephones (that’s $14.14 per particular person for these of you into division). How is such trickery doable?!? We use the MVNO Ting (affiliate hyperlink).

What’s an MVNO? Glad you requested because of I was going to let anyway: It’s a cell phone service re-seller.

MVNOs are the TJ Maxx of the cell phone service world–it’s the an identical service, nonetheless A LOT cheaper. In case you’re not using an MVNO, switching to 1 is a straightforward, slam-dunk, do-it-right-away technique to avoid wasting money every single month of every single yr with out finish and ever amen. Additional proper right here: Discover ways to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill with an MVNO: I Pay $12 a Month*

*the amount we pay fluctuates every month because of it’s calibrated to what we use. Take into consideration that! We solely pay for what we use! Will wonders ever cease.

Expense Report FAQs

• Want to know how we deal with the rest of our money? Check out How We Deal with Our Money: Behind The Scenes of The Frugalwoods Family Accounts
• Don’t you’ve got a rental property? Positive! We private a rental property (usually often called our first dwelling) in Cambridge, MA, which I deal with proper right here.
• Why do I share our payments? To current you a approach of how we spend our money in a values-based technique. Your spending will differ from ours and there’s no “one correct technique” to spend and no “good” funds.
• Are we basically essentially the most frugal frugal people on earth? Fully not! My hope is that by being clear about our spending, you might purchase insights into your private spending and be impressed to take proactive administration of your money.
• Questioning the place to start with managing your money? Take my free, 31-day Uber Frugal Month Drawback. In case you’re interested by totally different points I like, attempt Frugalwoods Recommends.
• Why don’t you buy the whole thing regionally? We do our biggest to assist our native folks and buy as quite a lot of our meals as doable instantly from our farmer neighbors. Our metropolis doesn’t have any retailers, so we rely on on-line ordering and huge discipline retailers for necessities. The closest retailers are 45 minutes away and Mr. FW goes as quickly as a month to replenish on what we’re in a position to’t get from our neighbors or on-line.

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

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

• We don’t have a mortgage because of we paid it off (particulars proper right here).

• 

  We pay funds in full the month we receive them. That’s why you acquired’t see month-to-month funds for points like car insurance coverage protection or property tax. These payments current up as the entire annual (or bi-annual, and so forth) amount inside the month we pay them.

• We don’t have any debt and we paid cash for our autos.
• Our medical insurance coverage is paid for by Mr. FW’s former employer (as well-known on this put up, this expires on the end of 2021. I’ll write a put up about our ACA safety evaluation rapidly!)
• Proper right here’s how we make charitable contributions: How We Donate To Charities Like Billionaires and as well as How We Make Vital And Tax Surroundings pleasant Charitable Donations.
• Proper right here’s an abstract of how we save for our kids’ higher coaching: How We Use 529 Plans To Save For School
• We keep on 66 acres in rural Vermont, so our utilities and household payments are completely totally different from standard metropolis and suburban homes:
  • We don’t pay for water, sewer, trash, or heating/cooling because of we have now now a correctly, a septic system, our metropolis doesn’t current trash pick-up (we take it to a change station as quickly as each week in baggage we purchase from our metropolis), we heat our dwelling with picket we harvest ourselves from our land, and we don’t have central aircon (we use window fashions all through the most well liked components of the summer season).
  • There are, actually, costs associated to sustaining these strategies (akin to having our septic system pumped and inspected) and folks payments current up inside the months we pay them.
  • We have picture voltaic panels, which account for our low electrical vitality bill.
  • For additional on our rural life-style, attempt my sequence This Month On The Homestead along with Metropolis vs. Nation: Which Is Cheaper? The Last Worth Of Dwelling Showdown

In case you’re questioning about something, be at liberty to ask inside the suggestions half!

Alright you frugal money voyeurs, feast your eyes on every buck we spent in November:

How was your November?