Shape Up for March Challenge Begins Today!

Shape Up for March:
My official starting weight: 163.2lbs
Goal Weight: 159 lbs
Target Weight Loss: 4.2 lbs
How I'm Going to Do It: I follow Weight Watchers
Workout Goals: Gym 4x a Week, Judo 2x a Week, 17x to Gym in Feb
Today: Went to Gym
Gym, 3/17; Judo 0/6

No Spend February:
Food: 75% remaining (no change)
Other: 100% remaining (no change)
Toy: 2% over (down 1%)

I had another toy spend; I realized that I had forgotten to send my Anysoldier package at the end of last month.  So I got it sent off today.  It mostly consisted of toiletries from the hotel I stayed at last month; I used my own shampoo and conditioner and stashed each day's mini-toiletries in my bag, thus getting new ones daily.  I realize that there is a split in the PF world on whether this is allowable, déclassé, or tantamount to stealing.  I'm willing to grant that it might be déclassé, but I figure that the hotel prices the rooms assuming I will use the toiletries, so I've paid for them.  When I lived in Dallas, I would donate them to the local homeless shelter; as soldiers are also concerned about the weight of their possessions, hopefully these will come in handy.  I also sent some magazines and granola bars.  I suppose I could have waited and sent it off next month, but then it would have sat in my house for a month, and in a 900 square foot house, even 1 square foot of box has a tendency to get in the way (also why I don't do the stockpiling thing). 

April Anysoldier

I've slacked on Anysoldier for the last couple of months, but I did finally get a package out a couple of weeks ago.  Basically I just stuck everything in there that I'd purchased for the last 3 months, plus some magazines and playing cards that a friend had given me to send out there.  It was a pretty random assortment of valentine and Easter candy and personal hygiene items.

Today I saw that the guy I sent them to, SPC Farley R. Batista, has given me a ty note on the website.  You can see it by going to the "where to send" section of the website and clicking on his name. 

I don't send stuff for the thank you notes, but it's always nice to know it has arrived.  And they do give me the warm fuzzies.  What a great way to start the morning!

Option 4

As I said yesterday, I'm really debating whether to send a few more coats to children in Afghanistan. 

I considered 3 options yesterday, but I didn't like any of them. So today I have decided to go with option 4 - sell some stuff on ebay. 

Today only, they are offering 50% off listing fees, and I had minor surgery this morning, so I couldn't go to work, so I got motivated to list 31 items for sale today.  29 of them start at 99 cents, but if I manage to sell enough between now and the end of the month to cover my overdrawn toy budget, I've promised myself that any extra can be spent on coats for Afghan children (after tithe, of course).

Another Thank You Letter!

I received a card and letter yesterday from SGT Jessica Shaffer, who is collecting clothing to give to children in Afghanistan. (I was going to post them, but for some reason blogger refuses to upload my scans.  I'll put them on when/if I can get them to work.  Note 12/9: Never could get them to load, so put them on photobucket)  Apparently what they really need is coats (they have 10 of the 100 they are hoping for), and they are planning to hand them out in the first or second week of December, so they need them sent by the end of November.

I am really conflicted.  My toy budget is in the red by about $60, and next month is Christmas, so it's not like I won't miss it next month if I spend it now.  On the other hand, this is a cause that I would really like to support, and it is now or never.   The options I see are (1) go even more in the red on my toy budget for the month and plan to spend less on Christmas presents, (2) take the money for this project out of my planned tithe next month, on the theory that charitable giving is almost like a tithe, or (3) calling my earlier efforts good and not sending anything more.  What would you do?

Thank you letter!

I actually got a thank you letter from the soldier who received my September Anysoldier package. It made my day!

November Anysoldier

My November Anysoldier is a bit different that usual.

The Woman's Literary Club to which I belong is doing a book and magazine drive in honor of Veteran's Day, and sending them as care packages via Anysoldier.  I am organizing this effort, so I was searching the posts to find requests that corresponded with the materials that I had been given.  While doing so, I found a post from a soldier in Afghanistan, asking for socks, shoes, coats, hats, and gloves for the children in the village near her base.  She requested either new or used, so I could actually afford to help.  I trucked over to the ARC (my favorite thrift store) and found eight pairs of shoes at 4 / $1 and two jackets for $5 each.  Then I went to Wal-Mart where I picked up some boys socks for $7.67 (including sales tax).

Honestly, this coat is so adorable that if I could have gotten it on my body, I'd totally have stolen it from the Afghan children;)  And it is London Fog, too, so it should last forever.

This one is from Old Navy, so it probably won't last nearly as long.  It looks nice and warm, though.

If you look very carefully under the yellow size label in the top right corner, you will see that these were made in Pakistan.  I though it quite amusing that they were sent here to small town, USA, just to be sent back to the same part of the world for use.

And, finally, the shoes I sent.  I admit that the first three pairs from the left on the back row are cleats.  They were all in pretty good condition, though, and I thought there might be a few boys who would enjoy having proper cleats to play games with.

Astute readers will have noticed that I reported purchasing 8 pair of shoes, and only 7 are pictured.  I had also purchased a pair of fake crocs because they were in like-new condition.  Then I found a different soldier who was looking particularly for child's crocs (or equivalent), SGT David M. Wright.  So he got these:

He also requested cards, so I send the last five packages of cards that I had bought in July.  They were mostly pretty girly, but he reported that he was requesting for two women as well, so hopefully they can use them.

The shoes and coats required two large boxes to mail, so all together I am out $27.95 for postage.  With the $19.67 I am out of pocket for the clothing, that comes to a total of $47.62.  Yep, it was more expensive to mail the things than to purchase them.  It's a bit more than I usually try to spend, but I won't be sending anything more until late January, as the military mail is pretty much overwhelmed during the holidays.

If you are moved to help out either of these soldiers, their addresses can be found by looking up their names on Anysoldier.com/wheretosend, and by searching for them by last name.

SGT Jessica L. Shaffer is looking for coats, hats, gloves, shoes, and socks, in new or used condition for Afghan children that live near her unit.  Note that anything sent should be addressed Attn: Winter Drive.

SGT David M. Wright is looking for crocs (or equivalent) sized for children, coloring books, crayons, soccer balls, and dolls for Afghan children that his unit interacts with.  His unit could also use law enforcement equipment, gun cleaning equipment, military-approved safety glasses, cards, holiday decorations, letters from supporters, and other some things that you can see on Anysoldier.com.

October Anysoldier - 7/10

I forgot to mention in my last post that the soldier I have been sending stuff to has removed his listing.  So the previous Anysoldier package and this one are sent to a new soldier.  Fortunately, I can always find someone looking for magazines and toilitries.

Carried Over:

(1) Shampoo and Conditioner.  These are the last of my stockpiled ones; next month I'll have to get more.

(2) Toothbrushes. The last ones - but I've already stockpiled a new one for next month.

(3) Cards.

Free (or almost):

(1) Toothpaste.  Got a Rite-Aid rebate check for 100% of the purchase price (only paid sales tax).

(2) M&Ms.  I used my free chocolate coupons at Rite-Aid when they were having a buy one, get one free promotion, so these were also free.

(3) Magazines.  From the same lady at church, this is her collection of automobile racing magazines - she is a huge NASCAR fan.  The GQ magazine was randomly sent to my house, addressed to someone that I know hasn't lived here for 15 years.  I figure it must be some sort of promotional thing, but maybe some metrosexual soldier will like it.

(4) Gold Bond Powder.  Not out of my toy budget, at any rate.  Mr. Goat paid for it out of his toy fund, as it's what he would want most if he were stuck in Iraq.

Not pictured (and pricey):

When I put all of this in the box, there was still a space.  And I hate to send a flat-rate box with a space.  So I thought "I have to run to Wal-Mart anyway, I'll just pick up a little something to put there."  Since I wasn't couponing or anything, I paid full price (tax included in reported price).  The soldiers also got:

(1) 3 pack of Ivory Soap.  It is cheap and it doesn't have anything in it that people are generally allergic to. $1.29.

(2) Suave Sport For Men. $1.06.  It said sport, so I went for it.

(3) 12 pack of Wal-Mart brand disposable razors. $2.70.  This is actually pretty good - I didn't get much cheaper than this with a sale and a coupon on the Daisy razors I sent earlier this week.

With the postage ($9.85), it comes out to $14.90 in spending.   I've done worse:)

September Anysoldier - 3/10

I know it's already October.  But I didn't ever manage to get this mailed last month (although I bought everything by September 15th) so I am planning to mail two boxes this month. 

Stuff from last month:

Well, all of it, really:) But seriously, Things that carried over are:

(1) shampoo and conditioner

(2) toothbrushes

(3) cards

Stuff that was free or just cost sales tax:

(1) always pads sample pack

(2) M&Ms - I used my other free chocolate coupons from their promotion this summer

(3) CVS chocolate covered fruit and nuts - they sent me a random email coupon for a free snack sized package of CVS nuts.  I figure that nuts with chocolate > chocolate-free nuts - Hope the soldier isn't on a diet!

(4) Toothpaste - Free with Rite-Aid check rewards (paid sales tax).

(5) Magazines - A lady from my church donated these.  They are basically the last three months of People, which she takes as a subscription.  Even though they're outdated, I think they'll still be fun to look at.

Things I bought:

I threw away my receipts, so I'll have to give you approximate numbers (tax included).

(1) Tampons - on sale, paid ~ $4.60 

(2) Razors - on sale, had $2 off coupon - paid ~ $2.50

(3) Ivory - not on sale, ~ $1.70

(4) Maxi Pads - on sale 2/$3 - a bit more than I usually pay, but I usually get pantyliners rather than pads. 

It's a large flat rate box, so the shipping will come out to $11.50.

Total: ~ $21.80. 

And that was my planned giving for today.  I'll keep you posted whether I recognize any opportunities for unplanned giving as the day goes on.

August Any Soldier

Since I need to save big money for kitty vet expenses, I gave myself a budget of $15 (including shipping) for Any Soldier this month, with a goal of finding as much free stuff to send as possible. Here is the result:

Total Spent: $17.09 ($2.09 over)

Stuff From July:
As I said previously about July, I purchased multiples of things that were a good deal (or I thought so at the time). So I had no outlay this month for:
(1) Shampoo and Conditioner
(2) 2-pack of toothbrushes
(3) Blank cards

Free Stuff:
(1) Books: Playing with Fire was lying around, presumably from an airport bookstore before I had my Kindle. I can't remember if I bought The Message Promise Book with The Message or if it came free, but since I have the entire Bible, I never use it. Hopefully someone out there will be able to. I also found a second copy of A Game of Thrones, the first book in A Song of Fire and Ice, but I actually ran out of space in the box; I'll send it next month.
(2) Hand Lotion: Given to me for Christmas and never used.
(3) Toothpaste and Dental Floss: Gifts from my dentist. I have a terrible habit of misplacing my dental floss and then buying more; I think I have about 5 open packages right now. And I don't use Crest toothpaste.
(4) Instant Coffee: Taster's Choice sent me a sample pack of their new line of instant coffees in individual-sized packages. I don't drink coffee, and Mr. Goat won't touch instant with a ten foot pole. They didn't waste their money, though, as I think it's such a good idea that I'm planning to use the $1 coupon they sent me to buy more next month.
(5) Ibuprofen. CVS was giving away a free bottle of ibuprofen with any purchase this month. I'm not sure if soldiers have access to things like ibuprofen for cramps or not, but I've seen it requested before, so into the box it goes.

Semi-Free Stuff:
How can stuff be semi-free? If Rite Aid gives you a rebate on the purchase price, but not the sales tax. Since the sales tax out here is a lovely 9.5%, that's not a negligible expenditure. This is the first time I have ever tried to buy stuff at Rite-Aid and then claim the rebates, so I am not sure that it will work as advertised. Still, I am going to count my spending on this stuff as though I already had the rebate money in hand.
(1) Venus Spa Razor: With refill cartridges costing around $13 for five or so, the soldier who receives this will only get the two cartridges that come with the holder. Originally priced at $9.99, it was on sale for $7, I had a $2 coupon, and Rite-Aid will give me a $5 rebate. So, free except for sales tax. And it got great reviews on Amazon as a product that really does not require shaving cream. At ~ $.32 ea, I thought it was worthwhile to put in the box.
(2) Werther's Candy: Full rebate on the purchase price at Rite-Aid.

Paid Stuff (all prices include tax):
(1) Ivory Soap: On sale for $1 at CVS.
(2) Popcorn: Buy one (for $.69) get one free at Rite-Aid. With a $.75 off for 2 coupon, total cost for four packages was $.69.
(3) Pantyliners: $.99; used $.89 in extra bucks, so paid $.19.
(4) Tampons: On sale for $6.99, with a $.50 coupon and a $3 rebate from Rite-Aid, so paid $4.08, or a bit more than $.10/ea (less than what I've paid for store brand the last two months).

Shipping is $9.85, since I buy the postage online and print it out ($.50 savings).

Here is is, all ready to go:

For those of you who have posted comments about sending stuff to Any Soldier, I highly recommend sending to a female contact person (i.e., the name you send to found on the website), even if your stuff is for a male soldier, if you want a response. Although females have not given me a response 100% of the time, I have never had a response from a male soldier or a male contact, and I have been sending stuff for years. And one female contact sent a thank-you note for every package I sent, for the entire year her unit was there. I'm not sending stuff for the thank-you notes, obviously. But it is nice to get a response that lets you know that your package has arrived, and let you know what else they might want.

July Any Soldier

I actually got my July Any Soldier package sent off a week ago, but haven't managed a spare minute to talk about it.

The soldier to whom I sent my June care package took his name off the list after I had already purchased most of the stuff. So I was forced to find someone who was looking for the stuff I had on the website. I decided to send the package to someone who was looking for anything. As his post said that they did not have access to a PX, I figure they can probably use personal hygiene supplies.

This is what I sent:


And what it cost:

Free Stuff:
(1) Books: While I was at the beach, I looked in our "Summer Beach Reading" box and found duplicates of these two books. My mother puts together the box, and she said I could have them.
(2) Dove Bar: Used my free chocolate coupon.
(3) Sample package of Overnight Pads: Randomly sent to me in the mail. As I have said before, I use natracare products myself, so I passed these along.

Paid Stuff (all prices include tax):
(1) Shampoo and Conditioner: Was able to get these at Rite-Aid for $1.18 each.
(2) Toothbrushes: Also on sale at Rite-Aid for $1.02.
(3) Toothpaste: $.55. I've never heard of the brand, but it's made in the US, so it should be OK.
(4) Brush: $1.00 at my local grocery store. Not on sale.
(5) Pantiliners: $1.02 at CVS. Used $1 in extrabucks and got $ .84 in extrabucks back.
(6) Tampons: $4.35. On sale at Winn-Dixie at 2 for the price of one. Works out to about $.11 per tampon, which seems to be about as cheap as you can get (in June I paid $4.36 for 40 Walgreens tampons).
(7) Cards: $1.08. Michaels in Lafayette has a ton of cute cards for very cheap.

I'd like to tell you that I only spent $10.20 this month. But what actually happened is that I got so caught up with getting a good deal that I way overspent. Instead of just getting what I needed for this month, I decided to stock up. So, additionally, I have 8 more bottles of shampoo and conditioner, four more sets of toothbrushes, and 9 more packages of cute cards.

I am particularly mad at myself about the cards. Michaels had a sign up advertising them at 10 for $10. Of course, they were really $1 each, no matter how many you buy. But their advertising got me thinking "These cards are so cute. And I never come here. So I should get all 10 so that I have plenty to send." So I ended up spending 1/4 of my budgeted money (this month it was $40, including shipping) on fripperies, and I did not have enough left over to send soap and deodorant this month. I only had enough stuff to fill a medium flat rate box, not a large. And I was happy to get the discount for shipping to the APO address and for using the USPS website; it meant that I only went over budget $2.

On the positive side, though, I have stuff to send this month. Since my cat needs dental surgery (estimate 1K !!!), I'll need to pare my budget down to practically nothing this month. I am planning to pay only for shipping; to use only what I have and what I can find for free.

One more look at July's shipment, all packaged and ready to go:


Even though I feel a bit discouraged because I did not send all that I would have liked, I hope the soldiers will enjoy it. At the end of the day, I think it's better to do the little bit I can, even if it does not seem like very much, and leave the effects in God's hands.

AnySoldier June Mailing

I try to mail out a care package to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan every month. It is my small, personal way to say "Thank You" to those that serve my country. This year, I have not been as consistent about t as I would like. However, I was determined to get it done this month. I don't know anyone personally there; I get addresses from Any Soldier, Inc.

This month, I decided to see how frugal I could be and still come up with a good care package. Here is my final result:


At the Any Soldier, Inc. website, the soldiers can request specific items. As part of my frugal challenge to myself, I determined only to send things that were specifically requested.

First I looked around my house. I had:

(1) Toothbrush - given to me by my dentist at my last visit, but not my brand.
(2) Pantyliners - accidentally ordered (I meant to get the X-long ones); not worth sending back (postage would cost more than I paid)
(3) Pens - I buy these in bulk at Sam's, because I hate looking for a pen
(4) Books - I found that I somehow had duplicates of these two books in my collection

Out of pocket costs = $0.

Then I went to Rite Aid, where I had the end of a $25 gift card that I got for transferring a prescription. With it, I bought (all prices include tax)

(5) Shampoo - $1.13
(6) Conditioner - $1.13 x2
(7) Large Hershey Bar - $1.08
(8) Microwave Popcorn - $1.38 x2

and I also paid for

(9) Off Sportsman - $4.35

At Winn-Dixie, I bought

(10) Crest Toothpaste - $1.00

At Wal-Mart, I got

(11) Suave Deodorant - $1.06
(12) Notebook - $0.27

Walgreens was having an advertised sale on their store tampons - 2 packages for $4. Normally, I buy myself natural 100% cotton tampons, but these soldiers had specifically requested plastic applicators. As far as I know, there are no natural cotton tampons with plastic applicators available on the market. So I saved a ton of money vs. what I would usually buy, Natracare Organic All Cotton Tampons. I buy them in bulk, but they are still almost $5 each. So,

(13) Plastic Tampons - $2.18 x2

I was doing well - under $20. I got it all packaged up ...

... then realized that I still had a big space. You can't see it in this picture, but its under the pens. I did not want to waste a big space; since this is the flat rate box, it wouldn't be frugal.

So I stopped by CVS on the way home from shopping for swimsuits, and purchased

(14) Ivory Soap - $1.78











At the end of the day, I did not keep it under $20; the total came to $20.05. I count the items I bought on the gift card in this total, since I could have used the card to purchase other necessary items for myself.

In a final effort at frugality, I am trying out the Post Office's pre-paid shipping services. According to the website, I will save $.45 by printing the label myself. According to the postage notice at my post office, I will save $2.45. I am using the large, flat-rate box, so weight is no issue (it comes in at ~9 lbs). This is my first time to try this, so I am hoping that it is as simple as the post office website said that it would be.

Here it is, ready to be sent:


Total Including postage (if pre-paid shipping works): $31.55. Not bad for a month's worth of toiletries and a few extra goodies.

Chocolate

Thanks to Won't Go Down Without a Fight, I too have been promised free chocolate (check my mailbox in 4-6 weeks).

I don't actually eat Mars-brand chocolate, as I avoid high fructose corn syrup. However, I regularly send care packages to soldiers in Iraq through Any Soldier, Inc., and Mars products are one of the things soldiers request.