What can you do with $21.54?

A few days ago I was watching Fox news and they were doing a story on the value of money.  Basically they flushed a $20 down the toilet to show that these days 20 bucks really doesn't have any more value then a dollar bill.  They also asked a bunch of people on the street if they would jog around the block once for a 20 dollar bill.  Most said no!  Are you kidding me?

By the end of the segment I was steaming!  A twenty dollar bill may not fill up your tank or take your family out to dinner anymore, but it's still 20 bucks and I for one know that a twenty dollar bill can go further then they reported...why not do a segment on that?

Ok, off my soap box...since our move to KC we have had to make one really big adjustment that in 15 years of marriage we have never had to deal with...getting paid only twice a month.  Don't get me wrong, I am so so blessed to be able to stay home and not need to work to make ends meet anymore, but not getting that check every week really forces you to manage your money.

So basically it goes like this...the direct deposit hits the account on the 30th, I pay all the bills due for the first half of the month, dole out 2 weeks worth of lunch money, fill up both tanks, and pull out a designated amount of cash for tithe, groceries and pretty much anything else we will need to buy over the next 2 weeks.  A little goes into savings and the rest is taken up by whatever big expense has come about...you know what I'm talking about, sports fees, car tags, a new mower, etc.....

The really hard part is making the cash last for the entire 15 days.  No matter how hard I try to foresee the future...un-expected things always seem to "come up".  I'm getting better, but on some weeks I'm still finding it difficult to make it to the next payday without tapping the reserve a little.  If you know me, you know that I'm all about a challenge, so I've actually enjoyed seeing just how far I can make the money go!  Being blessed with a husband who simply does not spend money without talking to me first makes things so much easier. As long as he has a buck nine for coffee every morning, he's pretty much good to go.

Annnyyyywwayyy, let's move on to the reason for my post! I needed to get a few things this morning and all I had was a twenty dollar bill along with a buck 54 in change.  After that sorry news segment I decided to document just how far I could make my twenty dollars go.

First I planned it all out, so I left the house knowing exactly just how far I needed the money to go.  My plan was get the items I just had to have before the next payday and then use the rest to put a few more gallons in my tank (2 trips to the Cancer Center in two days did a number on my tank).

I knew that I needed cheese, dog food, and a few more fresh veggies.  So off I went...

My first stop was Aldi's since I knew I could get
two blocks of cheese for $4 bucks and tax.  

Next I stopped at the veggie stand.  Did you know if your a regular you can ask if they have any older stuff they are willing to sell for less?  I told her I had 4 bucks...this is what she gave me!  They may look a little beat up, but it's all still good.

Next I headed to Dollar General.  I got a coupon on my last receipt  for $1 off a $5 purchase. The dog food was only $3 bucks so I needed to spend another 2 to get the discount.

I knew Boston needed gum for school and of
course my boys needed a little treat...

After it was all said and done I still had $9 dollars and .19 cents to put in the tank!  Don't tell me you can't buy anything with a twenty dollar bill!