Wow it's hard to believe that this is the last day of the year, so much has happened over this past year.  May your 2018 be happier, healthier and prosperous.  Happy New Year Everyone!!

I had to work today so I knew I would be traveling quite a few miles so I packed a cooler of leftover goodies to eat throughout the day.  First thing to go in was 4 slices of spiral ham and 2 slices of provolone cheese. Next was the veggies leftover from the veggie tray. Plus a small container of ranch for dipping.  Followed by a banana and 2 bottles of water.  A frozen ice pack kept it all cold.  Another thing I took but it didn't go into the cooler was a bag of mixed nuts.  I snacked on most of it while driving. Yep I do that all the time.  I took out what I wanted to eat before leaving my first store so I wasn't distracted while driving.  We have been eating leftovers since Christmas some as they are and some made into other meals.  I see scalloped potatoes & ham soon in the future. YUM!   I've already made stock from the turkey bones and have it bagged and in the freezer.  I'll post more on what I've done or made with our leftovers.   We are loving the leftovers!

This year even tho I had the money to buy all the gifts I decided to make some too.  Surprisingly they were fairly inexpensive to make.  For my guys I made a BBQ Dry Rub and for the gals I made a Lemon Sugar Scrub both things were inspired by Pinterest.  I could spend hours on there but i don't have that much to to devote but I do love Pinterest.

I also made homemade banana bread, double chocolate bread, chocolate dipped pretzels, butter toffee bars brownies and Chex Party Mix (used their seasoning packet).  

I still wasn't as prepared this year but everything all worked out.  I enjoyed putting some thought into what I wanted to make and following thru making the gift.  I don't think that I spent $40.00 on gifts and now I can pay on some of my bills early and actually be head starting the new year.  (I used jars that I had saved to no expense for those and made hand written labels too).
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​Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

We all have those dreaded monthly expenses but why pay more than you need too.  Don't be afraid of contacting the companies you pay every month and ask if your bills can be reduced. Shopping around for the best deal on car insurance  cell phone(s),  credit cards, etc. can save you money too.

​ I get a discount on my cell phone plan through 1 of  the companies I work for.  A few days ago I switched to a different plan and saved almost $40 in addition to the normal discount. That may not seem like a lot for some of you but to me that will almost pay my car insurance for the month. 

My car insurance renewed in October and I was paying way to much for the year of my car so I started getting quotes from other companies.  I was able to save over $1000.00 in a year.  That is an incredible amount of savings!!  Plus the policy is for 12 months not 6 like the previous company.  I got the new insurance before cancelling the other policy so there was no lapse in coverage, then I called the other insurance company cancelled my policy and got a REFUND of money I had paid last month. 

We got rid of our internet almost a year ago so we don't have that expense anymore.  I upped the data on my cell phone and use it as hot spot for my computer. It cost less doing it that way and it's faster speed then the old internet.  The internet in my area (rural) is so SLOW I don't miss that. 

Free TV is what we watch or movies we own. We got rid of satellite too. That was a little harder to adjust but we have now.  Electric, water and propane all are priorities over paid TV.  

Depending on your income you can get a discount on your electricity-at least here in Arizona you can through APS-Arizona Public Service. 

Saving money is always in the forefront of my mind and thrifty living is huge part of who I am.  I know that we will always have some type of monthly expense but I refuse to pay more than I should so I continually look for ways to reduce our monthly expenses.  Don't be afraid to ask for a discount, you may be surprised how much money you can save too.