Pennies on the Sidewalk

I found this article online at webmd.com and thought I'd share it. I know it will help motivate me to eat healthier (and cheaper!).


10 Healthy Foods Under $1
Even with rising food prices, it's possible to shop for healthy foods without spending a fortune.


Most of us don't need to hear it or read it ... we have felt it in our wallets every time we've gone to the grocery store. But just because food prices are rising doesn't mean you can't make healthy food choices.

The good news is that many foods that are good for you are also cheap. Here is our list of the top healthy foods you can find in your grocery store for under a dollar.

Prices may vary based on the store, location, and time of year.
1. Apples
Great for: Snacks, green salads, main dish salads, and fruit salads.
What's a serving? 1 large apple.
Price per serving: About $1. Apples sell for about $1.99 per pound, and an extra large crisp apple weighs about 1/2 pound.
Nutrition Info per serving: 117 calories, 5 grams fiber, 17% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 7% Daily Value for potassium.

2. Bananas
Great for: Snacks and fruit salads, yogurt parfaits, and smoothies.
What's a serving? 1 banana.
Price per serving: About 45 cents. Bananas sell for about $0.89 per pound, and a large banana weighs about 1/2 pound
Nutrition Info per serving: 121 calories, 3.5 grams fiber, 14% Daily Value for potassium (487 mg), 20% Daily Value for vitamin C.

3. Baby Carrots (in bags)
Great for: Snacks, casseroles, stews, veggie platters, and side dishes.
What's a serving? About 1/2 cup or 2 ounces raw.
Price per serving: 19 cents. A 16-ounce bag costs about $1 on sale and contains about 8 servings (2 ounces each).
Nutrition Info per serving: 27 calories, 2 grams of fiber, 200% Daily Value for vitamin A, and 7% Daily Value for vitamin C.

4. Canned Beans
Great for: Green salads, casseroles, stews, and chili. Types of beans range from 50% less sodium kidney beans and black beans to white beans and garbanzo beans.
What's a serving? Each can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.
Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 15-ounce can for about $1 on sale.
Nutrition Info per serving: About 120 calories (for kidney beans), 7 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, and 6% Daily Value for calcium, and 10% Daily Value for iron.

5. Canned Tomatoes
Great for: Italian and Mexican recipes, chili, stew, and casseroles. Flavor options range from no-salt-added sliced stewed tomatoes to diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil.
What's a serving? One can contains about 3.5 (1/2-cup) servings.
Price per serving: About 28 cents. You can buy a 14.5-ounce can for about $1 on sale (often less for store brands).
Nutrition Info per serving: About 25 calories, 1 gram fiber, 10% Daily Value of vitamin A, and 15% Daily Value of vitamin C.

6. Oranges (extra large navel oranges)
Great for: Snacks, green salads, and fruit salads.
What's a serving? 1 large or extra large orange.
Price per serving: 40 cents for a large orange and 79 cents for an extra large orange. Oranges sell for around $0.79 per pound, and a large orange is about 1/2 pound, whereas an extra large orange is about 1 pound.
Nutrition Info per serving: (for an 8 ounce orange): 106 calories, 5.5 grams fiber, 10% Daily Value for vitamin A, 200% Daily Value vitamin C, 17% Daily Value for folate, 9% Daily Value for calcium, and 12% potassium.

7. Pears
Great for: Snacks, as an appetizer with cheese, green salads, and fruit salads.
What's a serving? 1 large pear
Price per serving: about 45 cents for a large pear. Pears sell for about $0.90 per pound, and a large pear weighs about 1/2 pound.
Nutrition Info per serving: 133 calories, 7 grams of fiber, 16% Daily Value for vitamin C, and 8% for potassium.

8. Lentils (dry)
Great for: Soups and stews, cold bean salads, and casseroles.
What's a serving? 2 ounces (dry)
Price per serving: 14 cents. A 16 ounce bag sells for $1.12 (on sale) and contains eight servings.
Nutrition Info per serving: 195 calories, 14 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, 24% Daily Value for Iron, 10% Daily Value for magnesium and potassium.

9. Pearl Barley (dry)
Great for: Soups and stews, cold salads, and casseroles.
What's a serving? 2 ounces (dry)
Price per serving: About 12 cents. A 16 ounce bag of dry pearl barley sells for about $0.94 and contains about 8 servings.
Nutrition Info per serving: 199 calories, 9 grams fiber, 2.5 grams soluble fiber, 6 grams protein, 8% Daily Value for iron, and 11% Daily Value for magnesium.

10. Yogurt (plain, lowfat, or fat-free)
Great for: Smoothies, yogurt parfait, dips, and dressings.
What's a serving? An 8-ounce or 6-ounce container is usually a serving.
Price per serving: 60 cents. This is usually the price for an 8-ounce container of plain yogurt.
Nutrition Info per serving: (for 8 ounces of fat-free plain yogurt): 130 calories, 13 grams of protein, 45% Daily Value for calcium, plus active cultures such as acidophilus and bifidus.

Our money, that is, not me.

We have about $80 in our checking right now. I don't get paid again until the 30th or so. Eeeeek! I am hoping my stimulus check arrives soon, since I still have a few bills to pay for the month. I'm not sure how we got so far off budget this month! We were doing decently until now.

I can transfer a few bucks from our EF to our checking for now to cover those bills, but I like seeing that big number in the EF.

I guess it just depends on the due dates and when our stimulus arrives (we were supposed to get it this past Friday). I do all my bill paying online, so at least I don't have to worry about giving the mail time to send my payments.

I'm just a little concerned, even though we have the EF to cover things. Like I said before, as soon as we get that EF built up, it seems like we need it.

One things I really miss about our old apartment was my garden. I had a good size one in the back yard, and I used to grow flowers, herbs, and once I attempted pumpkins (it didn't work). At our new place, there is nice landscaping all around and some palces that look like they either are peoples gardens or used to be people's gardens. If no body gardens in one of these spots this year, next year I will claim it for my own use. Until then, I am attempting Urban Gardening.

On our kitchen windowsill I have a cactus, some pretty flowers (no idea what they are called) and some sage. Yesterday I went out and got some stuff for our mini deck.

We have a small deck out the back door that we share with the people next to us. On our side, I have a really good size potted tomato plant. It should be sprouting some tomtos within a couple of weeks. Yay!

I lso picked up some windown boxes to hang over the side of out railing. We have room for 4, but I only picked up two for now to see how they do. In one I am going to put 3 cilantro plants (my fave herb!), and in the other, 2 lavender plants and one peppermint plant. I love having fresh peppermint for making our own peppermint tea, or putting in fresh lemonade. And we cook with a lot of cilantro in the summmer. The lavender is so pretty, and I dry it for use in herbalism.

Hopefully these will do well. If they do, I am going to do another windowbox with marigold (I also dry those for herbalism), and maybe some basil.

Saturday I went out and did a bunch of errands. When I walked out of Walgreens, I saw the twinkle of change on the ground. $.36 Whoo-hoo!

Sat: 1 penny, 1 dime, 1 quarter (total: 60 cents)

I've noticed since I started working (and now living) in a big city I find a lot more change on the ground. In fact, I pick up spare change almost every day. Even though it is halfway through the year, I have decided to keep track of how much I find each day.

I don't really know how much I have found up until now, but if this second half of '08 is as good as the first half, I could have a few substancial finds. Besides a bunch of change (including quarters), we found $22 in bills already this year. The big find was a $20 in bush in a parking lot! All the spare change we find goes into our Cash in the Bag.

Here is this week, so far.

Mon: sick, didn't leave the house
Tues: sick, didn't leave the house
Wed: 2 pennies, 1 dime (12 cents)
Thurs: 1 penny, 1 dime (23 cents)
Fri: 1 penny (so far) (24 cents)

Where oh where has my stimulus gone??

Supposed to get it by today...hope it comes soon! I'm getting impatient!!!

First one in MONTHS!!

Now, let's just start racking them up again!

I was hoping I had enough point from MyPoints to get a $10 gift card to Wal-Mart to put towards the AC, but I didn't have enough. Intead I went through MyPoints (I earned 2 points per dollar!) to purchase it. There was no shipping fee, since it is getting sent to our local store and we will pick it up there. tax was $4.80. Overall total: $100.80 Yay!

I used money from the EF, but when I get my stiumulus payment (anyday now, people!) I will replace it.

Old EF Balance: $981.83
New AC: -$100.80
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New EF balance: $881.03

I am officially looking for a job again.

I finished updating my resume last night. It looks OK, but I may see if I can do some extra tweaking to it over the next few weeks. For now though, it works well.

I have to get started on the job hunt. Luckily I have some great references from this current job. Plus, living in Boston now makes it so much easier to find a job compared to when I was living an hour out of the city and I didn't want to do the hour commute. With any luck something will come along quickly.

I sent my resume to three places today. One job was an Editorial Assistant (which is about 2 positions lower than where I am now), one for a Production Assistant position (about the level I work at now), and one for an Associate Editor position (also about the level I am at now).

Hopefully I hear something positive soon!

On some happy news, my current job contract (that originally expired April 30th and got extended to May 16th) was just extended again to May 21st. Good deal! And my boss said after that they will talk with HR to see how many days of vacation time I have earned to help give me the full months worth of pay. (I think I have almost 5 days of vacation time earned!) Very good deal!

Did some online grocery shopping tonight. By paying via my checking account, I save $1 off my order. Had a $5 coupon off the order, and then saved $2.50 for selecting a non-prime delivery time. $8.50 going to the challenge.

Old EF Balance: $973.33
Peapod discounts: $8.50
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $981.83

and I'm not even talking about Dr.s visits and prescription meds. Friday I woke up with a really bad sore throat. It was also a cold and rainy day. I ended up spending Sat, Sun and Mon at home, on the couch or in bed. And today, Tuesday, I am still out of work for one more day. You'd think with not going out anywhere I would have had a few no spend days. Nope.

We don't do well with keeping the cupboards stocked up for thing like clds and such. So, Saturday, I walked next door to Walgreens and bought tissues, generic day-quill, and picked up one of my prescriptions. Sunday for dinner we ordered in Sushi so I could have the Udon bowl (a big bowl of wheat noodles, veggies, and beef broth). (We didn't have any soup in the house. We could have picked some up next door at Walgreens, but we wanted Sushi...I know, I know...bad.) Then Monday, my chest was tight from the cold and I was having trouble breathing. So, BF went back to Walgreens and got me some expecterant and Vicks vapor rub.

I am feeling somewhat better today, and I think we now have everything I need for my cold (and if BF gets sick now). It just kills me how we didn't go out for 3 days and still spent money.

I want to get a hang of things and start stocking up on things so when this happens again we won't have to spend money.

I just have noticed that we spend way too much and need to stop. I think we got comfortable with my good paychcek, but we need to be realistic and stop spending so much. Stocking up in advance with sales and coupons and BOGOs will help with that.

That being said, anyone want to teach me the CVS method??

So, the 4 Lizzie Borden books I put on Crigslist the other day have sold. All 4 went for just over $28, which works out to $7 each. That's great as far as I am concerned! It is about what they would have sold for in a used bookstore, and about what I paid for some of them.

Adding that to the challenge/my EF. THISCLOSE to $1,000!

Old EF Balance: $944.95
Lizzie Borden books: $28.38
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $973.33

Bleh. So, I was excited that the $100 worth of books I listed on Craigs list were going to sell. Turns out she only wants the Lizzie Borden books, not all of them. I was hoping to use that $100 for the new AC.

But, at least I have the money in the EF for the AC. And this $30 I am getting for these books will go towards replacing that $100. I just hope these other ones will sell now, too.

It looks like the book I listed on Craigslist are going to sell. I am just waiting for a payment ia paypal and for the woman to pick them up. Looks like I will be getting $95 for 4 Lizzie Borden books and 5 Hetty Green books. It is OK for me, but a great deal for them. 2 of the Hetty Green books sell for $60 each in the used bookstore I used to work in. But I know that if I brought them down there I would get store credit for more books (which I so do not need) or %20 in cash, which wouldn't be much, esp considering the hour drive there and back. So, I am selling them at a deep discount, taking a hit, but being happy with the $ anyways.

And, this means that I can use that money to buy our AC instead of taking some out of the EF.

I did something I never thought I would do. Sure, I had heard stories of other people doing this. I even knew a couple of people personally who did this. But I, did not ever thing, I, would be one of those people. Oh, but I am now.

Yesterday I...

(I don't know if I can even admit it)


...wash 4 ziplock baggies from lunch, hung them up to dry, and plan to reuse them.

Yes, it's true. I am now a ziplock baggies reuser. I always figured it wasn't worth the small amount I would save. But then I read about how it helps the environment in the TG, and I was hooked. We are trying to be more green, as well as more frugal.

Not throwing away 4 plastic baggies after one use? Maybe saved a buck or so. Not throwing away 4 plastic baggies after one use? Most likely helped save the environment a little.

Allergies Suck!!

I put some of my more collectible books up on Craigslist tonight. I listed 4 books about Lizzie Borden, and 5 books about a local woman called Hetty Green. I priced them fairly for what you would pay in a used bookstore (not as high). Hopefully someone will bite.

I hate getting rid of books and thinning my book collection, but we just don't have the space here in the new apartment, plus I need to make some extra money with my job ending next week. And even if I get another new contact ASAP, I can use the extra money to pay off debt and replenish what I am taking from the EF for the air conditioner this weekend.

I have some more things to list as well, such as about 5 or 6 purses I just don't use that are taking up space in the closet and some never word, BN with tags dresses and clothes.

One thing I have realized though, is that I am becoming happies with not buying and having so many material things. Getting rid of all the extras isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I actually feel better with everything I sell/donate.

Look at me, being all adult and responsible.

Blah. It figures. I have almost fully funded me EF, and am just about set to start putting all extra cash to my CC debt. What happens? Two semi-expensive needs arise.

Our AC from last year in kaput. We could always not have one in the bedroom, but with the heat of the summer, combined with my always being overheated from the MS, and my MS symptoms getting worse in the heat, we really need one. We don't have one anywhere else, and I need it to be cold to sleep. Plus, I just really need one place where I can strip down and cool off when I am having an attack. So, we need a new one. Luckily I found one online at Walmart.com for under $100 that should work nicely. Our bedroom is not too big, so we don't need a 10,000 BTU or anything like that. The best part? Walmart.com will ship it to our local Walmart for free, and we can pick it up there (as opposed to having it shipped to our house for $18).

The other need, which is going to be a bit more that $100, is my glasses. I've had the same prescription for over 2 years now, and I need a new one. And, I need new contacts. The few I still have left are an even older prescription than my glasses. I don't want new frames; I love the ones I have. It's just the new lenses and contacts. I can always not get contacts, but I hate wearing my glasses in the summer. Or, since I will only be wearing my glasses in the house for a few hrs a day, I can just get new contacts and not new glasses. Argh, decisions, decisions.

I know we are taking $100 out of the EF for the AC. Not sure where the money for the contacts will come from.

Whatever happens, though, I am going to pay off this CC debt!!!

Received two mini checks in the mail yesterday. One is for some payout of a lawsuit filed again immigration for over taxing people who traveled outside the country in the early 2000's. I got a whole $9.19! Whoo-hoo!

I also got my first Pinecone check yesterday. I can't believe how fast it came! I did the survey only a week or so ago. Very impressive. So, that's another $3 to add to my $20 Challenge/EF.

Now that I have made the decision to save the EF to $1,000 and throw the rest at debt, I am getting excited to get rid of the debt. Time to start listing some things on craigslist and ebay again!


Old EF Balance: $932.76
Pinecone check: $3.00
Immigration check: $9.19
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $944.95

I've done some thinking this weekend over that debt vs savings argument my mind was having. I think that the point of not really being secure financially with credit card debt is a very key one. But, I also like the security of having a savings, so if something come up that I need (car repairs, fort instance) I don't have to put it on the CC, thereby giving myself more debt.

So, I have decided to take some of the FAB advice I got here. When my EF hits $1,000 I will stop saving and start putting all extra money towards paying off my CC debt. Now, I know it seems like that will take forever, since my EF is currently only $176.17 But here is the hidden part of this plan. I am going to take the $756.59 I have in my personal savings and transfer that to my EF. Thereby giving myself almost the $1,000 in my EF I want. Personal savings can be rebuilt up when this debt is gone.

Lookit, I'm being responsible.

Yay me.



Old EF Balance: $176.17
Personal savings turned EF: $756.59
-----------------------------
New EF balance: $932.76

I was reading yet another book on personal finances, and one of the chapters was on using Peapod for groceries. We use Stop and Shop as our grocery store to begin with, so that wasn't a change for us. The main idea behind it is that you save money becasue you remove yourself from the temptation of everything in the store.

When we go grocery shopping, we have a list, but we always deviate from it. We aim for $50 in gorceries and we spend $80. But with peapod, you just go online and order what you want.

The delivery fees are $9.95 for an order under $100 and $6.95 for an order over $100. Much better than the $30 or so we spend in extra food we want, bt don't have on our list of need. There is also a small fuel charge, but it is usually less than $1 total (not per mile).

I'm going to keep tabs on our gorcery spendings with Peapod and see if it really does help save us money in the end. It does save on time. Once you put something on your list, you can just go to that next time to select it instead of searching for it all over again. And honestly? We hate grocery shopping more than anything else.

So, today I put in an order. This was my second one. By looking st the sale items and comparing proce and size, I saved about $13. That will help stretch our grocery budget a little further this month.

I also got some special additional svings. After signing up with them on the last order, I got a $5 coupon off our total order for this second order. I also signed up to pay with online checking instead of a credit card (or debutcard) and saved another $5. Plus, I picked a non-rush delivery time (Between 4 and 10 pm monday night) to save $1, and finally, saved another $1 for choosing online checking instead of my debit card to pay for the order. Total saved on these features alone? $12. I am adding that $12 to my $20 challenge.


$20 Old Balance: $744.59
Peapod account savings: $12.00
--------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $756.59

Yesterday my sister and I went to a Library Book Sale. I love these. You can get a great variety of really cheap books, plus the money goes towards stocking the library with new books, or library repairs, or whatever the library needs.

I was able to pick up some great finds. I got 11 paperback books in a series my BF reads. He already had 2, but for $1 each, it was OK. He was very happy.

I also got 4 hadcovers for myself. They will be great additions to come on my book collections. $2 each.

But my favorite find is a paperback copy of the Tightwad Gazette!! I was so excited when I saw it in the pile! This is the first one I've ever read, and I have so many new ideas! Cost: $1

So, for $20 I got some awesome new books, gifts for the BF, and the grand poo-bah: ways to save more money!!

Got another train refund today! This was the last one I was waiting on. I have to say, it does make the train a little better. But, since I am no longer a train-rider, I wont be getting any more late compensation checks. Oh well; they were good while they lasted.

$20 Old Balance: $729.03
Train refund: $15.50
---------------------------
$20 New Balance: $744.59

Whoo-hoo! Free money! Ok, not a lot, but every tiny bit of interest helps!


$20 Old Balance: $727.88
April Interest: $1.15
---------------------------
$20 New Balance: $729.03


Old EF Balance: $175.83
April Interest: $0.34
---------------------------
New EF balance: $176.17

I currently work as an editor for a publishing company in Boston. I love my job. I love the pay, too. But it is a contract poition, and my contract is up in about 2 weeks. I was told that as long as there is new work for me, they want to keep my on there. Problem is, as of now, there is no new work.

So I am kinda of stressing. I need to find work within the next 2 weeks or so, but I don't necessarily want to find another permanent position. I want to be able to go back to the place I am at now when they have new work for me.

I'm just worried about making enough for the bills. And about being somewhere I won't be on my feet all day with my MS.

It's so frusterating.

I have been adding to my savings a bit, so I will have a little to help us. May's bills are taken care of, and most of June's will be, too. But I am still scared.

Today is payday (yay!) so my automatic savings went into my $20 savings and my EF.

$20 Old Balance: $607.78
Payday deposit: $25.00
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $727.88



Old EF Balance: $135.83
Payday deposit: $25.00
-------------------------------------
New EF balance: $175.83

Got my state tax refund yesterday. Going right into the challenge. I am getting excited about how fast this savings account is growing! I can't wait til I hit $1,000.

And I especially can't wait til I get that $600 refund check. I am trying to decide if I want to throw it all at the CC debt (it would pay off a 1/3 of one of my CCs), add it to my paltry EF, or stick it in this savings. I don't feel too bad about my EF being only $100 or so; I figure if I have an emergency, I can tap into this savings account. Once this on gets big enough, a certain amount will be moved over into my Ef and not touched for anything else, and the rest of this one will be for something special (new laptop, vacation, investing, down payment on a house, who knows?).

I love tbis feeling od saving, but I also know I need to get my butt in gear and pay off the CC debt. When I do, whatever I sent to the CCs can be put in savings each month (at least $300, if not more). And while I know that, and I know keeping a balance on my CCs means I am paying extra money for interest, I think I am scared to pay off the CCs. I know myself, and as long as I have room on the CCs I will use them. It's a bad habit I need to break. But maybe I will just save for a bit, then when I have enough pay off the CCs in one or two big payments, meanwhile continuing to pay on them what I pay now....I knwo it is throwing money away, but...

I think I am afraid of having not enough income to live again and having to rely on help. I don't want to hit that point again - ever. I think having that savings makes me feel more secure, so I am hesitant to use it to pay off the CC debt.

OK, enough introspection for now...

$20 Old Balance: $607.78
State tax refund: $95.10
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $702.88

Another DD from half.com I have to admit, while I LOVE the mini payments, I hat having to package up the books and go to the post office. I seriously drag my feet about it. But anyways, I'm now over $600 in my $20 challenge! And I'll have another $100 when my state refund check gets here....I feel good having it back up over $500. I think I ma going to keep saving until I hit $1,000. Maybe then anything over $1,000 I'll put towards something special, but for now, I want to hit that savings goal.

$20 Old Balance: $598.42
half.com dd: $9.36
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $607.78

Today I rolled up my spare change and took it to the bank. $25.50 I also had a refund check from our cable company to deposit. When we moved, they never cancelled the old account, and without looking at it, I paid the bill for a month we weren't even there. Luckily, they checked their records, saw that it was supposed to be cancleed, and gave me a refund. Decided to add that to the $20 challenge as well. $56.20. I figure if I hadn't spent it last month, it would have been in our leftovers at the end of the month and gone in here anyways.

$20 Old Balance: $516.72
Deposit 4/21: $81.70
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $598.42

Three times in the past 2 weeks I had had to take a taxi home from the bus station after work. The first time was because I had an hour wait until the next bus and I could not wait that long to pee (no public restrooms at the station). The 2nd and 3rd times were because I left work late and missed my bus.

I hate paying for cab fare, especially when I have unlimited rides on the bus for the month with one small payment. Grrrr.....

At any rate, the amount I spent on taxi fare is going into my savings.

$20 Old Balance: $495.72
Taxi Fare: $21.00
-------------------------------------
$20 New Balance: $516.72