14 Days of Frugality- DAY FIVE

I've made it five days without any unnecessary spending and I feel great. The cravings are still there, but not as strong as they were on day one. This morning Jeremy and I went to the Y to play some squash and we put Max in their free childcare for the time we played. Being active is a free and fun way to pass the time. In addition to saving money, we are both vowing to stay active and shed some pounds. At the end of next week I will not only report how much we saved, but how much we lost as well.

If I think there are a lot of things telling me to spend money, there are about the same amount telling me to save! Today, while in Whole Foods Market I picked up one of their Meals for 4 under $10 pamphlets. Whole Foods is trying really hard to get away from their "Whole Paycheck" image by showing customers that they can make full meals with ingredients from their store for $10. (I don't know how successful they have been since I still think they are ridiculously expensive.) Next time you are in the store, pick up a copy of this flyer. There are some great recipe ideas that I would love to try, like Spanish Style Mussels with Spinach and Penne with Chicken and Vegetables.

I walked out of Whole Foods armed with the ingredients to make a great dish and a cheap one too. I found in their frozen seafood section stuffed clams on sale for $3.99 (pack of 9, regularly $6.99). I also bought a can of white clam sauce for $2.69 and a pound of spaghetti for $1.79. All the ingredients cost me $8.47, but then we didn't use them all. I only made half the pack of stuffed clams because they were so big and left the rest in the freezer for later. And I only made half the pasta because two people don't need a pound of pasta! This brings the cost of my meal down to $5.59!!! Holy Moly! Best part... it was DELICIOUS!

After dinner I noticed the cover of my Parents magazine sitting on the counter, "15 Painless Family Budget Cuts", so I decided to take a look... Here are some of their ideas worth sharing.

1. Buy unisex clothing. They say that if you plan on having more than one child, this is a good idea and will save you in the long run. We kinda do this, it's easier to put a girl in "boy" clothing than visa versa, so we can easily use most of Max's stuff for our second child if it happens we have a girl. However, if I had a girl I don't know if I would be able to resist all the amazingly adorable outfits out there.

2. Be Stroller Smart. Don't spend $800 on a stroller when you can get one for $200... it's not like the more expensive ones come with anti lock brakes and air bags. We bought both our strollers (BOB and Peg Perego) off of Craigslist and saved around $300.

3. Cut your kid's hair. A salon visit can easily set you back $25. I recently started cutting Jeremy's hair (with no prior experience) and it has worked out well for us so far. I don't do anything with my hair and at most will get it cut once or twice a year.

4. Pick "pre-owned" clothing and gear. This is a no-brainer.

5. Buy in bulk. Another no-brainer

6. Make your own baby food. You can buy a baby food maker like the Sunbeam 2 Quart Food Mill ($25 amazon.com) and prepare your own blends. Max never liked the mushy runny jarred baby foods, so I was always making things for him, usually a hybrid of the jarred stuff and some rice or cut up fruit. I never could justify a baby food maker... maybe for baby number two.

7. Be a mom of the cloth. Apparently using cloth diapers will save you 50 percent compared with disposables. I have been saying that I am going to go cloth for over a year now and as soon as I am allowed to spend again, I think it will my my first big ticket item. For more information go to Jillian's Drawers and check out their Try Cloth for $10 program.

8. Find Free Entertainment. Police stations and fire stations, libraries, supermarkets and bookstores all have free events and some museums ask for a suggested donation. Take advantage of these opportunities!

Now, the hardest part of the experiment is upon us... the weekend. Tomorrow I think we will start the day at the Y, playing squash and utilizing the free daycare. Then in the afternoon we will be off to the beach. Sunday we are thinking of visiting the Portland Public Library, which is a gigantic, beautiful building in downtown Portland that we have been dying to see the inside of. They have tons of music, movies and books that we like and I am excited to see what kind of children's section they have. The most challenging part will be planning ahead all our meals, since we will be out and about it will be easy to succumb to take-out. It will be all about the proper planning.