~November No-Spend Challenge~ We're trying to save as much as possible in November -- Come Join Us! - Page 5

[scrapadoozer]

11/01:
11/02:
11/03: Swap shipping $3.02
11/04:
11/05:

4/20 No-spend days
$3.02 in frivolous spending

[quelindo]

Today was our weekly lunch with my mom, so we drove out to her house. Again I combined the trip with errands, though. I'm counting the hangers for the garage and the curtain hardware as unnecessary purchases, though I have thought carefully about the items and was very conscious while shopping of ONLY buying what I "needed." So I actually feel okay about these things.


11/1:
11/2:
11/3: $142.47 necessary groceries + $6.51 unnecessary groceries
11/4: $4.95
11/5: $22.16 gas for the car + $10.52 hooks for the garage + $8.44 curtain tie-back hardware


________________________

My Key:
No Car Day
No Spending
Necessary Spending
Unnecessary spending

[Natalya]

Originally Posted by dachshundqueen

For those that have been successful, what's been your biggest motivating factor, what is your best recommendation?

Liz

Besides survival (we are pretty poor, and I fear about what would happen if i lost my source of income) I think that frivolous spending harms the environment in a huge way. This is one way I practice environmental activism.

[triscuitsmom]

Goals
1. 10 No spend days: 2/10
2. Finish beefing up emergency fund
3. Eating out maximum 3 times: 1/3
4. Make extra $500.00 by selling from around house or overtime for Christmas budget (including holiday travel): $134.89/$500.00

Key
: No spend
: Budgeted spend
: Unbudgeted spend

Nov 1:
Nov 2: Date money and travel by cab money and groceries; Forgot my diaper bag and had to buy a new diaper for DS2
Nov 3:
Nov 4: Bus tickets, birth certificate for my oldest, tooth products for the kids, Mothering reprints (on sale!) for me for school, household cleaning supplies
Nov 5: ND appointment and supplements for me
Nov 6: Today should be a ... I don't plan on leaving my house. Unless I can get a ride to go pick up the rest of my list and then I'll go

[Hollysmom]

November 1 -
November 2 -
November 3 - ($26 take-out)
November 4 -
November 5 -

My Key: = No Spend
= Budgeted Spending
= Unbudgeted/Unnecessary Spending

[dachshundqueen]

1 - All meals eaten at home/ate at in-laws' for dinner. Ingles - $50.00 (bought what was needed/sale only) Walmart - $59.59 (Mattress pad - ours had holes and was tearing at the seams, 2 pair tights - had none and it's getting cold)
2 - Stayed home.
3- Annabelle dental cleaning, all meals at home, day trip to Ellijay (1.5 bushels apples, $3.50 for candy as bribe for 3 hours in car, $3.50 drinks)
4 - I didn't buy an apple corer slicer and just worked my way through a bushel of apples for applesauce canning without it. Ate at home.
5- did not give in to CFA for dinner (kids night)
6 - Disappointed. I went out with tons of snacks. The kids ate them ALL while waiting at the lab for me to get my bloodwork (which took 2 hours plus the 30 min drive each way). I took them to Chipotle for dinner after letting them play at the playground and then TRU but bought nothing. Get this - $7.49 for separate entrees for all three of us, mine with guacamole and a drink - they gave the kids their dinner for free!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

01..
02..
03..
04.. $6 City Market
05.. $97 long underwear,
06.. $9 McDonald's
07..
08..
09..
10..
11..
12..
13..
14..
15..
16..
17..
18..
19..
20..
21..
22..
23..
24..
25..
26..
27..
28..
29..
30..

My Goals:

2/20 No Spend Days
1/5 Let the Car Rest Days :

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Originally Posted by dachshundqueen

For those that have been successful, what's been your biggest motivating factor, what is your best recommendation?

My best recommendation for successful no-spending? Hands down...staying out of the stores.

If I can just stay out of the stores, I don't see it and I don't want it.

If I'm out shopping, I find fifty things that I want that I didn't know I wanted before.

~~~~~

My motivation is fear of not having enough money for retirement.

When I do these challenges I see in black and white how much "little" purchases add up to HUGE money by the end of the month.

That motivates me not to make the little purchases.

(but this is advice coming from a woman who spent $97 on long underwear yesterday....$97!!!!!!!!! on underwear. Clearly I have a long way to go... )

[nichole]

I went to the mall today with ds2. I didn't buy anything and packed our lunch. I wasn't really tempted to buy anything. The ice cream and fancy coffee displays did look yummy though.

We have been on track! Having a goal is what motivates me. When I want something I don't need, I think about the goal we are saving for a smile inside knowing it will be worth it in the end. At this point, being thrifty has become a habit. The biggest thing we need to cut back on is eating out. I think having some eating out budgeted has been a good compromise so that we don't feel deprived. I know we are lucky to have a little leeway there though.

[Ruthiegirl]

Nov 1 --
Nov 2 --
Nov 3 --
Nov 4 --
Nov 5 --
Nov 6 --
Nov 7 --
Nov 8 --
Nov 9 --
Nov 10 --



Savings 0/1000.00
Grocery/household 105.00/500.00

[quelindo]

Drove and spent money again today. I took DS to a gymnasium with open gym for preschoolers this morning. It cost $7, and I really debated about it, but he had SO MUCH FUN.

11/1:
11/2:
11/3: $142.47 necessary groceries + $6.51 unnecessary groceries
11/4: $4.95
11/5: $22.16 gas for the car + $10.52 hooks for the garage + $8.44 curtain tie-back hardware
11/6: $7 open gym for DS


________________________

My Key:
No Car Day
No Spending
Necessary Spending
Unnecessary spending

[FeelingBlessed]

Nov. 1:
Nov. 2:
Nov. 3:
Nov. 4:
Nov. 5: $8 (Omnivore's Dilemma + Omnivore's Dilemma for Young Readers - purchased at area library following presentation/discussion on prevention of childhood obesity - not strictly necessary, but also one heck of a deal)
Nov. 6: Goodwill - tough to call $ amount, but there was certainly unnecessary stuff in there - DS did not absolutely NEED the LL Bean fleece coat, but still think it was $1.99 well spent...

No Spend/Spending w/in Budget: 4/26
Exercise (less stress = less spending): 5/26
Simplify/Organize: 6/26
Grocery/Eating Out: $225.11/$600

[scrapadoozer]

11/01:
11/02:
11/03: Swap shipping $3.02
11/04:
11/05:
11/06:

5/20 No-spend days
$3.02 in frivolous spending

[akichan]

11/1
11/2 storage unit fee BUT no drive day! I don't know if I've ever had one of those before! for the first time in several years!
11/3 internet shopping and commissary
11/4 but returned some things so got some money back and
11/5 gas and clothes I've been budgeting for
11/6
Key: no spend 2/5
spend w/in budget
frivolous spending
0/3

[Ruthiegirl]

Headed out to buy cat food...just cat food...nothing else....


Nov 1 --
Nov 2 --
Nov 3 --
Nov 4 --
Nov 5 --
Nov 6 --
Nov 7 --
Nov 8 --
Nov 9 --
Nov 10 --



Savings 0/1000.00 <---- waiting to hear back from our insurance company. Our savings money this month may be eaten by a hospital bill.

Grocery/household 185.01/500.00

[_ktg_]

November

DH has informed me he wants to do the "no spend" challenge too, so now I will try & log for both of us. I'll track family budgeted expenses & my own spending. DH has spending for the boys with their activities and then lunches out.

Goals:
1/15 "no spend" days
0/3 - Eating Dinner out days
$371/$500.00 for groceries
0/0 Holiday Budget (TBD)

Key:
- no spending
- budgeted spending
- unbugeted spending
- unbudgeted/emergency spending

_ktg_
Oct 31 -
1 -
2 -
3 - ($2 water)
4 - ($2 for breakfast & $5.50 for lunch)
5 - (Groceries $54)
6 - ($10 lunch -city market & $17 groceries)


DH's Spending:
1-
2 -
3 - $15 potty training reward
4 - ($15 for plumbing repairs)
5 -
6 - ($5 tacos)

Budgeted cash - $48/$120

[mommyto4grits]

My key:
No Spend
No Driving
Budgeted Spending/Necessities/Thought Over Purchase
Unnecessary Spending
: Exercise Day

Groceries $130

1st- :
2nd- :
3rd- :
4th- :
5th- :
6th-
7th- :

[sweetjasmine]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

My best recommendation for successful no-spending? Hands down...staying out of the stores.

If I can just stay out of the stores, I don't see it and I don't want it.

If I'm out shopping, I find fifty things that I want that I didn't know I wanted before.

~~~~~

My motivation is fear of not having enough money for retirement.

When I do these challenges I see in black and white how much "little" purchases add up to HUGE money by the end of the month.
<SNIP>

This is me on both counts. I never realized how much I like to shop until I started doing this challenge back in the summer. For the most part, though, it's not like I spend alot of money all the time or even buy alot of big ticket items. Like crunchyVTmom, it's mainly the little things here and there. And by that I am also including what I spend at the grocery store and drugstore. I've spent my money freely most of my adult life and to my shame don't have much to show for it. MDC and all you good ladies have really opened my eyes the past couple of years as to how I can get serious and incorporate some good sense ideas into my budgeting.

[sweetjasmine]

Long term goals:
Build up 6 month living expenses
Pay off car loan
Pay off dh's medical bills
Pay off remaining $1k on remaining cc

Short term goals:
Set aside Christmas funds
Keep unnecessary spending to an absolute minimum until after the holidays
Try not to go overboard this year in buying food/snacks/holiday items

Legend:
No spend
Budgeted spend
Unplanned spend

November
1.
2.
3.
4. $18 for niece's 18th bday
5.
6. dinner date with dh 25.60
7. food 69.72. NFC 31.32. petsmart 31.95. we have a small fish tank and though it's nice enough i am beginning to resent the upkeep. we've had it 3 years and i just don't put it in the same category as my cat as far as having no qualms on spending what's necessary. we've had some fish die but dh insisted on replacing them. he now agrees that maybe we should let it go. only we just bought some new fish recently so they might be with us awhile. sigh.

[FeelingBlessed]

Nov. 1:
Nov. 2:
Nov. 3:
Nov. 4:
Nov. 5: $8 (Omnivore's Dilemma + Omnivore's Dilemma for Young Readers - purchased at area library following presentation/discussion on prevention of childhood obesity - not strictly necessary, but also one heck of a deal)
Nov. 6: Goodwill - tough to call $ amount, but there was certainly unnecessary stuff in there - DS did not absolutely NEED the LL Bean fleece coat, but still think it was $1.99 well spent...
Nov. 7:

No Spend/Spending w/in Budget: 5/26
Exercise (less stress = less spending): 6/26
Simplify/Organize: 7/26
Grocery/Eating Out: $225.11/$600