Last week I wrote that dear Don and I had started the New Year off on a different foot. We have challenged ourselves to live on one income and still save money.

I told you of several steps that we had taken to get the ball rolling. 

Our first obstacle came on January 4 when we discovered an underground leak at the side of our yard. Dear Don started digging down where he thought the leak may have been located. He was in good range because about an hour or two later he found the leaky pipe. It was located under a huge tree root and next to an electrical cable.

By this time it was cold and getting dark. We decided to leave the leak to a plumber who would be better equipped than were we. The next morning the plumber came and fixed the leak in short time. Dear Don didn’t want to pay him to refill the big hole so we were able to get out fairly cheaply considering. The $125 price would have to be added to our January budget, Don refilled the hole and so it was.

I had planned for extras and emergencies when constructing the budget, however I was a little anxious to have to add something so soon in the month. Don patted my hand and assured me all was still well in the Hopkins household.

I have found more new and exciting (to me) ways to save money so far this month. I am taking all boxes, soft drink, cereal, detergent etc. out to a burn barrel we have in our yard. I realize that if you live in town this is not an option for you but you just won’t believe how many trash bags we are saving by using this method.

As I grocery shopped this week I made out my usual list and then shopped different stores. I was able to save a lot of money by comparison shopping. In the past I have not had the luxury of time to accomplish this task.  It was fun or pretty close to fun. I found that if you buy oatmeal, the quick one-minute kind in the round box you will save over $2 compared to buying in the rectangle single package box.

I buy a lemon or two each week for our iced tea. I had been paying between .79 and $1 for EACH lemon. This week I paid .33 for one lemon. If you saw me at the grocery store you must have sensed the excitement I felt over that silly lemon.

I was straightening up my utility porch on Monday and came across a collapsible drying rack, the kind my Mama used to place over the floor furnace in winter to dry laundry. Well, guess what? It still dries laundry. I placed a whole load of white clothes on the rack and put it in front of a heat vent and hours later everything was dry and warm. I also rehung a clothesline out back just waiting for a warm day to fasten towels and sheets to it while they flop all day in the breeze. Remember the way that smells? You can’t duplicate that in a bottle at any price.

We are eating more one-dish meals these days. Whether it’s soup, chili or chicken and rice, it can be made in an electric skillet or slow cooker while saving that high dollar propane gas. Of course, there is also the benefit of not having a sink full of dishes to wash either.

I try to plan my menus by taking advantage of what’s on sale at the grocery. I bought five packages of meat for $19.99 and tonight we are having stew beef and rice. This is one of Dear Don’s favorite dishes.

I mentioned last week that the thermostat is on 70 degrees during the day and 65 at night. A sweater during the day and an extra blanket at night help to not be uncomfortable.

I’m a sucker for ambient lighting in the evening and have five lamps in my den to back that up. But high-energy bills diminish the ambience a bit so now we have on only one light in the room that we are in and none anywhere else. So to the neighbors: No we aren’t in bed at 6 p.m.; we still stay up till 7-7:30.

Also next week I want to explore natural cleaning products made from household items that are better for us and less costly. I’ll let you know what I find out.

And lastly we have been given a great blessing this month, one we had no control over but are certainly thankful for. I had budgeted $90 a month to pay for Don’s mail-in prescription drugs. It is a maintenance drug and very important to his health. In September of 2008 when we last refilled an order it cost us $242 for the 90-day supply. That was our insurance co-pay. When I refilled the order this week the co-pay had changed to $60 per quarter. Last year we paid over $970 for his medication. This year we will pay $240, less than the cost of one refill prior to this. That will be a savings of over $700 a year for which I had already budgeted. Looks like with only 11 ½ months to go we have made some real improvements and savings here on Moseley Drive.

You get the picture?

(You can contact columnist Sherry Hopkins at swhcsc@wildblue.net)