~March No-Spend Challenge~ The Day of Reckoning...how did you do? What did you learn? What will... - Page 27

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Welcome Kara!

Jenny -- I'm laughing about your husband and that chinese food. For me it was a chinese restaurant RIGHT next to the grocery store when I was about to walk in hungry...mmmm....it smelled so good. My mind was willing but the stomach was weak.

[mamayarn]

Welcome Kara! Another person to help keep me out of the yarn store.

[scrapadoozer]

Ugh, three days of spending in a row and only $9 left to spend for the month. Bleh.

03/01:
03/02:
03/03: $9 Shipping.
03/04:
03/05:
03/06:
03/07: $20 KFC (Mmm, coleslaw. )
03/08:
03/09:
03/10: $3 Goodwill goodies.
03/11:
03/12:
03/13:
03/14: $17 fabric, quilt batting, pattern & easter egg cookie cutter.
03/15:
03/16:
03/17:
03/18: $3 Salvation Army
03/19:
03/20:
03/21: $2 Artsy crafty kit for dd, $4 storage cubes.
03/22: $28 Chinese food.
03/23: $5 Shipping

15/20 No spend days
$91/$100 Unnecessarily spent

[scrapadoozer]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Welcome Kara!

Jenny -- I'm laughing about your husband and that chinese food. For me it was a chinese restaurant RIGHT next to the grocery store when I was about to walk in hungry...mmmm....it smelled so good. My mind was willing but the stomach was weak.

I hear ya. I am so weak when it comes to Chinese food! I need to learn how to cook it at home or something.

[dsaucone]

I packed a nut mix so that I didn't give in and go spend money on my badge at work. I ended up leaving it on the counter and well, you know.


1st : $3.50
2nd
3rd $3 (3)coloring books $7.50 music book $2.50 drinks $60 wireless router $25.50 eating out $65 DH's game
4th $5.50 drinks/snack
5th $15 pizza
6th
7th $18 fast food $5 coffee $50 wrap
8th $22 pictures $8 facial cleanser
9th : $2.25
10th : $7
11th : $2.25 $10 book store $26 Victoria's Secret $6 pretzel & drink $10 eating out
12th : $2.25 . . . $20 coffee & eating out
13th
14th
15th : $2.25
16th : $2.25 pizza $15
17th $14 eating out
18th
19th $2.25 pop and candy
20th
21st
22nd $3.50
23rd : $3

KEY/GOALS/TOTALS

No Unnecessary Spending 7

: 0/300 Savings

: $293

: $24.75 Badge Spending $367.25 Spending Total

[Amys1st]

Well I hit my $400 for the month and I am a $1.60 over. 7 days left and a produce delivery so I will be about $50 bucks over in the end.

[Amys1st]

Originally Posted by scrapadoozer

I hear ya. I am so weak when it comes to Chinese food! I need to learn how to cook it at home or something.

I am making it tonight! Beef and Oyster sauce. I didnt have any eggrollwraps sadly but this and rice will feed all of us.

[kreyno4]

3/1 - $39.25 grocery
3/2 - :
3/3 - $10 grocery
3/4 - :
3/5 - $3 grocery :
3/6 -
3/7 - : $10 prescription, $10 haircut for dd, $16.18 incl. $6
3/8 - : $50 grocery
3/9 - : $6.69 grocery
3/10 - :
3/11 - $4.50 grocery; $3
3/12 -
3/13 - :
3/14 - $100 Target - $55 batteries and charger (a good investment but blech), $30 b-day gifts, $20 grocery. I had not been to Target in at least 2 months! now I remember why..... Will put on household tab until I decide what to do with this expense.
3/15 - $25 grocery, $50 household :
3/16 -
3/17 -
3/18 -
3/19 - $10 household, :
3/20 - $20 co-pays. $6 fast food $6 household
3/21 - $190 grocery and household ; $25 pants for dh
3/22 - :, $12 grocery
3/23 -

no spend
: no drive
beer, my hot button issue with dh!

10/15 no spend days
8/13 no drive days
$527.62/$400 grocery and household

[claddaghmom]

a. Who you are

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) and

c. How you plan to get there

I am a SAHM looking to cut out all extra spending. We are about to put a contract in on a house (Tuesday or Wednesday . i just want to be done with school debt and cc debt and have enough money in savings. I feel like Dh makes a lot more money than we "need" to "survive" but we frittle it away.

For example, I went to target to get envelopes and ended up buying mouthwash, snacks, a shirt and a baby toy. Nothing we "needed" but all at a great price!

Since I tried cracking down on extra spending, I noticed that I spend incidentally due to being "bored." Case in point: DH and I were "bored" on his day off so we went to the mall. I ended up finding a cute outfit at NY and company, we ate out, we went to the movies, we spent money on an icecream, I bought DD some cute clothes, then we walked through Borders and found a b-day gift for my brother, two more baby books, UGH it was sickening.

I would not have bought any of them if I had stayed at home that day!!

I guess it's the dilemma of living in the 'burbs. I would love to go to museums, zoos, rec centers etc everyday but they are an hour or more away. Hopefully when summer gets here I can spend more time outside.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Welcome Cladaghmom!

Since I tried cracking down on extra spending, I noticed that I spend incidentally due to being "bored."

Me too.

Shopping is fun and I enjoy spending the money.

It is an expensive hobby that I'm working so hard to break. Not just because it messes up our budget, but because I ultimately am a minimalist and I don't like a lot of stuff around me.

I like to buy it -- I don't like to store it or clean it.

This is coming home to me in a big way because of that diaper spree two months ago.

Do you regulars remember when I spent $200 on a diaper buying spree?

Well, I already had enough diapers to fill the space in my changing table for diapers.

Now I have about ten diapers too many.

And they won't fit in there. So they are scattered all over the place, lying on the counter, stacked on the floor.

Talk about a waste of money! That was $200 that was definitely frittered away.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Pre-emptive today. I'm leaving my wallet in the filing cabinet so I can't buy anything while I'm out and about.

01.. $23 Pizza Putt
02.. , : $750
03.. $51 reusable gift bags at Lucky Crow
04.. $21 Girl Scout Cookies
05.. $184 pool
06.. , :
07.. $35 pool floats and toys
08.. $13 princess clock
09..
10..
11..
12.. , :
13.. , :
14..
15.. , : $1,950
16.. $15 on stuffed easter bunnies
17.. , :
18.. $10 on chocolate and cookies
19.. , :
20.. , :
21.. $6.81 Chinese food
22.. $94 Reading lamp and Dracaena
23..
24..
25..
26..
27..
28.. 40th Birthday today...goodbye 30s, hello 40!
29..
30..
31..

~~~~~~~~~~
My Goals:

14/20 No Spend days
6/5 Let the Car Rest Days :
: Put Money in Savings $2,700/$3,000

[Amys1st]

I started a spin off thread for the no spenders to give prudence to prudence's challenge that is over a year now!

Add your 2 cents, but remember its not costing anything to post LOL.
Share what you have learned whether its your first time and/or starting late in the month or you have done this before.


http://www.mothering.com/discussions...4#post13419904

[painefaria]

No spending days : 5/31
I would like to go back to eating out one night a week. 6/4 $142.18/$120
I would like to budget $80 a week for Groceries $316.68/$320
I would like to put $200 in savings and keep it there $681/$200
I would like to minimize the unbudgeted extra spending $133.73/

KEY:

: - NO spending
- necessary spending (grocery shopping/gas/bills)
: - unnessary spending

3/15 - 57.87 groceries, 101 Car repair S, 20.00 :, 2.12 McDonald
3/16 - 6.25 groceries
3/17 - 20.30 Gas S
3/18 - : 33.00 :
3/19 - 23.00 garden plot rental ,
3/20 - 16 eye doctor : 2.49 snack
3/21 - 25.50 groceries, 19.19 Gas Y, 9.57 : 16.99 Target, 12.00 Goodwill, 15.90 soap,
3/22 - 6.36 organic lollypops for DS
3/23 - :
3/24 - 50.05 Groceries, 24.25 Gas S, 7.00 Staples


We spent MONEY on Saturday... but WE PAID OFF Y's CAR!!!! We are down to one car payment and some money on one credit card!!! I am attacking the credit card next!

[Brisen]

1:
2: $14 dh took the kids to a movie
3: :
4: $366 groceries and got photos developed
5: :
6: :
7: $80 dh went grocery shopping, and picked up soil for me, and work clothes.
8:
9: :
10: :
11: $15 milk, $18 groceries; : $26 groceries I didn't need to get this month
12:
13: :
14: $35 hygiene supplies and clothing
15:
16: :
17: :
18: $51 groceries; : $48 groceries I hadn't planned to buy and didn't need right now, but we were there, so I picked them up. I was also supposed to use $30 worth of store points to pay for part of it, but the cashier didn't hear me apparently and by the time I realized it, it was too late to use them. Arg. On the positive side, though, I almost bought a bunch of soil for our garden, then decided to wait, and now I think I'll be able to get some stuff to improve our soil for free.
19: :
20: :
21:
22:
23: :

no spend:
budgeted spend:
unnecessary spend: :
no drive: :

Household spending: $653/$500
No-spend days: 16/18

[mamayarn]

We're buying some seeds today to start for the garden and returning some overdue library books. : But... it will be cash, and cash doesn't count for me because I count it when I take it out of the bank.

3/12 :
3/13
3/14 $31.73 groceries, $6.78 groceries :
3/15
3/16 DH haircut $20
3/17 eating out $7.83
3/18
3/19 gasoline $28.93, yarn ~$10, medicine $4.49
3/20
3/21 groceries $12.65, groceries $37.97
3/22 :
3/23
3/24
3/25

The spending I track is all spending other than bills, including gas and food for our family of 3+.

Goals:
3/12-3/25 Total non-bill spending $160.38

Running Tally:
Use reusable bags for all shopping trips (7/10)
No spend days x 5
No drive days (my car) : x 2
2/26-3/11 Total non-bill spending ($385.62/$225.00)

[DoomaYula]

= no spend
= necessary/budgeted spending
= unnecessary spending
: = eat at home.

3/1: $45.01 (car) :
3/2: $195 (school tuition) $100 (AAMI application)
$1.09 (McD's 4 pc McNuggets)
3/3: :
3/4: $42 (raw milk) $9 (medical) :
$2.97 (seeds)
3/5: $28 (car) :
3/6 : $9.85 (USPS) $48 (fuel) $375 (AAMI) :
3/7: $40 (car) $$$ gas bill :
3/8: $6 (movie)
$10 (RX) $40 (groceries) :
3/9: $45 (fuel) $16.80 (usps) :
3/10: $44 (cell) $$$ (mortgage) $$$ (cable/net/phone) :
3/11: :
3/12: $40 (vitamins) $49 (fuel) :
3/13: $10 (rx) $10 (cracker barrel) $20 (sitter) $1.50 (magazine)
3/14: $55 (Costco) :
3/15: $7 (groceries) $3 (newspaper for coupons) $11 (eat out)
3/16: $60 (vitamins) :
3/17: $63 (groceries) $1.85 (coupons on eBay) $1.08 McDs nuggets
3/18: $44 (fuel) $42 (raw milk) :
3/19: $54 (doctor) $85 (radio - bad dh!) :

We made it to payday without overdrafting! :
3/20: $56 (vitamins) $30 (AAMI) :
3/21: $85 (city) $24 (AAMI) $21 (lawnmower) $5 (gift) :
3/22: $4 (fuel) $37 (groceries) :
3/23: $30 (car) $15 (urgent care) $1 (target) $4 (lawnmower) :
3/24: $10 (rx) $7 (target) $56 (bill) $20 (sitter) $11 (gym):

I have maintained my goal of keeping our (small) savings IN savings. Next month I'm going to plan to drive less. I've driven every.single.day this month :

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Welcome Cladaghmom!


It is an expensive hobby that I'm working so hard to break. Not just because it messes up our budget, but because I ultimately am a minimalist and I don't like a lot of stuff around me.

I like to buy it -- I don't like to store it or clean it.

Oh wow I could have written this word for word! In fact, DH has pointed out that I enjoy shopping b/c everything is organized and nice looking lol.

I actually go through times where I want to minimize my house even more...and I find myself to pick up an item that I never used, don't need and shouldn't have purchased.

Since I last posted, I have only spent money on tickets to the t-rex exhibition at the Science Center. I took the kids there for the whole day. Phew!

[Hollysmom]

March 1 - $22 fast food :, $26.95 :
March 2 - $2.65 breakfast, $7 lunch
March 3 -
March 4 - $10.66 :, $50 Gas
March 5 - $284.03 :
March 6 - $10.40 lunch, $114 training pants and diaper cover
March 7 -
March 8 -
March 9 -
March 10- $30 lunch, $1.40 transit for dd1, $212.50 Summer camp fee for dd1
March 11 -
March 12 - $12 lunch, $35.24 :
March 13 - $22.60 :, $2.26 treats for girls, $20.53 dinner
March 14 -
March 15 -
March 16 - $9 eyebrow wax, $4.15 pizza (it was 2:30pm and I hadn't had lunch yet), $38.46 : & household items (including printer cartridge), $79 dd1 swimming lessons
March 17 - $49 dd1 & and I went to an indoor amusement park for Spring Break, $20.97 :
March 18 -
March 19 - $20.74 budgeted trip to playplace for kids, $47 : (fruit & veggie delivery)
March 20 - $18 planned lunch out
March 21 - $310.76 : & household, $50 Gas
March 22 -
March 23 -
March 24 -

: & household items $796.84/$540
Gas: $100/$100
Unbudgeted/Unnecessary Spending: $191.96
Budgeted/Necessary Spending: $422.64
No Spend Days 11/15

My Key:

No Spend
Unbudgeted/Unnecessary Spending
Budgeted/Necessary Spending
: Groceries/Household items

[PassionateWriter]

1 ::$103 food;
2:::
3 :$2.37: $1.25 choc.milk for ds at CM
4: $45 LLBean backpack; $100 Big Lots
5 : $40 AMarket;$100 BJ's (food);$48 raw milk
6 : :
7:::
8:::
9 ::$70 museum membership
10::$5 DD; $5 DS snacks; $5 museum toy; $58 gas; $78 food store
11 : $80ish for seeds
12 : $2.09; $6 parking for Aquarium; $16 admission to Aquarium (library pass); ordered Chinese but less than usual.
13 ::
14 :
15 :::
16 ::$2.10 $52 craft store for spring craft bonanza
17 : long field trip 2 :$5.50 DD; $15 wooden toy puzzle;$5 train ride at museum $43.23 gas
18 $3.60 library fines; food store $156.
19 :::
20 HA oulet $167; gymboree outlet $15; : $3.23
21 :::
22 :::
23 :::
24 :::
25


Goals
: 10/20 No Spend Days
2/20 Decluttering/Organizing Days/cleaning/30 minutes
:2/10 Library Days
:0/4 meal plan
:3/4 books
10/15 knit at least 15 minutes
: 22/28 eat at home
:2/7 update blogs (months behind)
:10/10 Let the Car Rest Days
exercise 1/9

[Amys1st]

Goals this month
(this also included Lent, a good time to reflect)

Groceries under $400 for the month

$500 to the emergency savings fund ($1450 more to reach our goal of 5K)

Keep the MC/Visa under $600 for the month for each of us. We pay it off entirely each & every month but we put about $2500-$3000 on it monthly.

this month I have:

-no known expense that needs $ put aside so far! OF course that is when TSHTF as we all know!

-Costco run. I have a list of items we will be running out of within the next few weeks. I am really good about sticking to my list too! It will be about $100 or so expense. $69.53

-Frontier Order. This will be about $100 or so too. Just a little over!

Key of the Method of my Madness:

no money left my wallet or bank account:
deposited money for savings :
messed up
planned spending
eat from what I have on hand: :
$401.60/400

1 church donation and grocery
2 & :
3 & :
4 $21 for sushi at moms night out; groceries delivery $41.02 = $221.96/400 for the month
5 payday/mortgage due; car insurance due
6 & :
7 woman seminar $40 worth every penny.
8
9 & :
10 grocery run-$49.71
11 produce deliverd $47.90
12 DH Mc due; lunch w friend $30.06; costco run $69.53
13 & :
14 & : resale, bought dd1 clothing for summer $88
15 church, family time $17
16 well it took 16 days, but grocery run $29.98
17 & :
18 produce delivery!
19 deposit $80.00; grocery $26.58; breakfast out w friend $10.08
20
21
22
23
24 & :
25
26
27
28
29
30
31