Never Assume.

I did not know that Frugal Fridays had moved. Biblical Womanhood had been carrying it and I felt a little bit self conscious posting there (although I did on an infrequent basis) Now it's at Life as Mom and I am no more Mom than I am woman. Or perhaps not. As the stay at home parent and school teacher my life right now is much more Momish than it was a year ago. I mean that was me getting my sink to shine earlier this year wasn't it?

It seems like a valid assumption that the bigger the size of the package the lower the cost per unit. That's generally why people buy in bulk. While this is generally true, my word to the frugal is never assume.

With three children under 10, and all budding artists, I go through a lot of colored construction paper. Walmart sells the Rose Art brand at 88 sheets for 2.00. They also sell the Rose Art 200 pack. If you did the math you would see that the cost for 200 sheets at the 88 for $2.00 price would be $4.55. You would then assume that the cost for the 200 sheet would be less than that maybe $4.25 maybe $4.50. You would be wrong. My Walmart sells the bigger package for $5.00.

This is not the only instance I have seen this. Michael's sells their craypas ( oil pastel crayons) at a greater cost per unit than their smaller sets. I don't think that this is purposely done to defraud the customers as this is the exception rather than the rule. However, it is not a bad idea to double check when you go for the larger size.

The same thing is true for places like Costco and Sam's club. The discounts, while significant to the same brands smaller packages sometimes cannot compare to off brand labels available at places like Aldi.

So bigger can be better but that doesn't always make it cheaper. For more Frugal Friday suggestions go to Life As Mom.

Next Time: A Message From Springfield.

Oh where is my hairnet?

Larry the cucumber and I welcome you to another fast paced edition of 3TTT.

I have also contributed this piece to Home School Carnival # 186 being hosted by Carol at Home School CPA. Check it out!

1. What's with the hairnet?

This past Tuesday, Emma, Charlie andI along with a number of families from our home school cooperative went to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children. In 2 hours time we packed enough food to feed 27 children for the next year. Because volunteers package all the meals, Feed My Starving Children is able to feed starving children around the world at a cost of 17 cents a meal. It is an excellent program and quite an eye opening one.

Volunteers 9 and over work in the kitchen packaging the food. The music in the background is loud so be warned as you watch my daughter taking a little out of her package to meet the weight standards. That package she's filling has enough food for 6 meals in it.



Charlie

and the others in the 6-8 set labeled the packages and drew pictures and wrote messages on the boxes. My children enjoyed themselves immensely and are saving some money to donate at their next visit.

2. Inch by Inch.

We are growing a garden behind the Izola Becker Home School this year. I used a roto-tiller for the first time in my life and I am pleased with the results. We now have a 90 square foot plot of dirt. Charlie got in on the act as well and helped me apply the fertilizer.

3. I may never wash that hand again.

I had the opportunity to see Michael Card play a few songs at a fundraiser for the Evangelical Family and Child Association last weekend. I had seen him in concert about a 1/2 dozen times previously, but was able to actually meet him and have a decent conversation about home schooling with him prior to the dinner. I talked to him briefly at the end of the evening as well and he autographed two of his cd's for me.

Thus ends another contribution to Three things this Thursday. Head on over to Psalm 104:24 for more threedom.

Next Time: Never Assume.

Aldi

WFMW THEMED EDITION.

Frugality.

To Aldi food I bought before. 

I used a quarter near the door. 

It secured for me a cart, 

and now I feel so smart. 

I saved and saved and saved some more. 

(My apologies to Julio, Willie,  and anyone who has no idea what I am talking about.)

Aldi is awesome. Not much to look at. My wife went to an Aldi in Austria a few years back. It wasn't called Aldi there. But she said the shape, color and layout of the store was exactly the same as here in the states.

If you are an off brand shopper like myself, Aldi is your dream come true. The selection is not the same as other grocery stores or supermarkets but they definitely have more than just the staples. The prices are much lower than the other stores.

I decided to do a little research. I decided to compose a "typical" grocery list (not necessarily what Amy and I buy but more on that later) and compare the prices to the lowest priced comparable item at another super market. For the competition, I chose Jewel (Same company as Shaws and Albertsons). Jewel was my choice for 2 reasons: 1) It was the grocery store of my youth. We weren't sent to the store. We were sent to "The Jewel." 2) They have been advertising quite a bit lately about their price cuts and I wanted to see how they stacked up to Aldi.

Here is a copy of my list:
Sour Cream, Butter, Tomato Soup (2 cans), Onion Soup Mix
Saltines, Dry Roasted Peanuts, Off Brand Cheerios, 2 Gallons Skim Milk
1 dozen eggs, 1/2 lb block cheddar, 1/2 lb grated cheddar, 3 pounds bananas
Cottage Cheese, Graham Crackers, Sliced American Cheese,Gala Apples 3 pounds

2 pounds green grapes, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can chicken noodle soup, Cream Cheese
3 loaves wheat bread, Creamy Peanut Butter, 2 cans corn, 2 cans green beans
2pounds carrots, 3 boxes mac and cheese, Ramen 12 pack, Cake Mix
Off Brand Oreos 18 0z, Yogurt 4 6 oz containers, Ground beef 80/20 3 lbs, Sugar 5lbs
Flour, Mayo, Iced Tea mix

The first thing I did was to look at the cost at A, Jewel's pre-discounted prices, comparing that with B, their adjusted prices, and then to C, Aldi. Since Jewel sometime had 3 or more kinds of the same product I always chose the lowest priced item.

Here are the results. These prices are before sales tax.

A. Jewel regular price: $114.39

B. Jewel reduced price: $ 89.93

C. Aldi price: $ 63.55

So for comparison purposes let's call A $115, B $90, and C $65. Lets also assume that is the average cost of 2 weeks groceries.

The savings in one year by going to Aldi rather than Jewel is $650 ((B-C)*26) or $1,300 ((A-C*26) over their regular prices.

Now I know a lot of people who shop at Aldi, but very few who do so exclusively. We don't get our meat there (although I know people who say the meat is great there). Amy flat out refuses to let me buy saltines there as well. There are some items we can't get due to HFCS concerns. (Yes, last month's themed entry was an April Fools joke!) We do get most of our groceries at Aldi and the savings are significant.

Now there were some items that were actually priced lower at Jewel but overall Aldi was the consistent winner on price. I am not sure exactly how they do it. But here is one thing I noticed on Thursday when I was doing my comparisons. I got there about 7:40 p.m only to realize that they closed at 8:00. I got my comparisons done just as they were closing and was off to Jewel which was open until midnight. So, Aldi had 4 less hours of payroll to contend with on Thursday. The old adage is that you pay for convenience, but an adage of the frugal is that convenience is overrated.

Aldi works for me. I enjoyed my stint as a GSI (Grocery Store Investigator.) Contact me if you want me to e-mail you a copy of my spreadsheet that I used. For more Frugal tips that work go to WFMW at We are That Family.

Next Time: Oh, Where is my Hair net?

What time is it?

Tom Rogers passed away on April 23,2009. He was 74. Mr. Rogers was my scout master. A kinder man I have not met. Some time in the mid to late 1970's we went on a 1 week boy scout camping trip. I would go from activity to activity passing through our camp several times a day. Often Mr. Rogers was sitting down on a lawn chair as I'd walk by. Every time he walked by I would ask him what time it was. He would tell me and I would go on with my day.

I don't recall him giving me a hard time about it then, BUT FOR THE NEXT 30 YEARS, every time he saw me, He would say "Hey, Dave what time is it?" Until the late 1980's the Elk Grove library was located across from my boyhood home. Often I would be in the front yard shooting baskets or mowing the lawn and Mr. Rogers would shout from across the street, "Hey Dave, what time is it?" If he saw me at the Jewel or Denny's he would be sure to inquire. I have not spent much significant time in the Elk Grove area besides my parents house the past 12 years or so. But every few years my Mom or Dad would say "hey we ran into Tom Rogers at the Senior Center, or the Park District, or the Library and he wanted us to ask you what time it is. "

Now, those who know me well, know that there is nothing I like more than running a joke into the ground, until the mere mention of it becomes of funny. David Letterman has made a career of that. But I think Mr. Rogers was doing so much more than that. He was reminding me of his involvement in my life 30 years past and showing that he still wanted to be a part of it if only a memory. My prayers go out to his family, especially, his wife and children at this time. Just remember that if anyone wants to think poorly about Tom Rogers it will not be on my watch.

Next Time: Aldi

Beginnings Part IV: Star Trek on Purpose

It was December 6, 1991. My Mom's 52 birthday. I was nearing the end of my penultimate semester of college. My best friend called me in my dorm room and asked what I was doing that night. I told her that Matthew, Joe and I (and perhaps others) were off to Peoria (or perhaps Springfield) to see Star Trek 6 The Undiscovered Country. There were 2 theatres consisting of 4 screens in our college town and catching the premiere of a movie often meant heading out of town.

I will always remember my best friend's reaction. She said: "on purpose?"

I still have the same best friend. I married her 11 years ago to make it official. She is still into me but not into Star Trek.

I, on the other hand, love Star Trek. We never watched the show as a family when it ran from 1966 to 1969 on NBC. (Yes, I am old enough, to have done so.) I began watching Star Trek reruns at my friend Jeff's house when I was in junior high. While there I discovered that the best two things that go with pizza are root beer and Star Trek.

I did not see the first two Star Trek movies in the theatre. The first film of the franchise I saw at all was Star Trek II which I saw at my friend Dominick's house. It remains to this day my favorite. I have seen all the rest in the theatre generally on opening night.

Now let me make a few clarifications. 1) I hardly ever see movies on opening night. So seeing Star Trek on opening night is a big deal. 2) I am not exactly a trekkie. While I own many d.v.d's and video cassettes only 1 is Star Trek related. 3) I don't speak Klingon, would never dress like a character, and have never lived in a house with a basement (reference to famous SNL sketch. Click here to see it.)

Star Trek is a friendly passion for me rather than an obsession. I love to watch a t.v. episode or movie with friends who enjoy it as much or more as I do.

A new Star Trek movie comes out Friday and I am going to go see it, on purpose. In fact, although I am sure that the movie will be playing at the theatre a mile from my house I am going to drive nearly 4 hours to Springfield and watch it with the aforementioned Matthew who now lives there. I am looking forward to reconnecting with him, and watching lots of t.v shows and movies together like the old days. Next Saturday or Sunday I will post from there and tell you how it's going. It's Springfield, it's hardly where no man has gone before, but I will boldly go.

Next Time: What Time is it?

Five Minutes At a Time

Hockey Lessons

Life Lessons from the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team

In the 1980 Winter Olympics in the semifinal hockey game between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. Jim Craig, the U.S. goalie had what many, including himself, call the best game of his life. He played his best hockey when his country needed him to most. A mentally tough young man from North Easton , Ma. his approach to every game was the same no matter the result. Instead of trying to focus on the entirety of the game he would divide the game into bite size chunks of 5 minutes.

A hockey game is made up of 3 20 minute periods, so Craig would try to shut out the opponents 12 times a game. Striving for perfection 5 minutes at a time. If a goal did score he would shake it off and attempt a new 5 minutes of perfection.

At times life comes at us quicker than the offensive juggernaut that was the Soviet hockey empire of the 60's 70's and early 80's/ Crises bounce off us like so many hockey pucks trying to get past us and getting in the way of our goals.

As a home school teacher, I often feel totally out matched. It's some time in the morning and I am making my way to the table to sit down with one of my kids and on the way I spy the mess my 3 year old made. While I am cleaning that up my 9 year old calls me because she needs help with her computer based instruction. By the time I make it to the table my student is no longer there and so on through the day, you get the picture.

I think we can all learn from Craig's example. Here are some ideas of how I am trying to tie in his goalie philosophy into my life. I hope they help you bring your a-game as well.

1. Come to the game prepared.

In our house we all have a morning routine. Each part of my morning routine is pivotal to my having a productive day. On days I start without completing it, I often get distracted or disheartened much easier. By coming to the table game ready, there is an enormous benefit for both me and my children.

2. Leave your troubles in the locker room.

From 9-1 I have a policy not to answer the phone. I have a nice outgoing message explaining that we are doing school. The problem is that I always answer the phone when it rings. 15 years in the customer service industry has taken it's toll on me. I am almost always disappointed and frustrated when I answer the phone. Especially when it's a telemarketer or a phone survey. I am going to discipline myself to turn the ringer off on school days.

3. Take breaks between periods.

At about 10:30 we have a snack break each day. I am teaching the kids that this is a break for all of us. I try to use that time to re energize myself and get ready to get back in the game.

4. Keep your eye on the puck.

I sometimes try to extend my breaks by taking a peek at my e-mail or my blog comments or my face book page during school time. As well as I can justify this, it is always a recipe for disaster. Again, it takes discipline, but things always go better when I avoid distractions.

5. Do your best to keep to the game plan.

In theory I try to get 1 0n 1 time with each of my kids each day. It seems some days that I flit from crisis to crisis and never get quality time with any of them. By doing my best to keep to the game plan I have a much better chance of not over stretching myself or short-changing them.

6. Develop a short memory for failure.

While it is important to learn from your mistakes, bringing them back in the game with you is never a good idea. Philippians 3: 13b+14 would be excellent to add to our play book: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. If there was hockey in the first century, Paul would have made an excellent coach.

To see what other home school "coaching" is out there go to this weeks Carnival of Home Schooling hosted by Andrea Hermitt the Atlanta Homeschooling Examiner.

Next Time: Star Trek on Purpose.