~December No-Spend Challenge~ Climb up on the wagon with us -- start today! Newcomers welcome

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

This is a support thread to help you ~not spend your money~.

Everyone is welcome to join and you can start tracking your spending at any time. It doesn't have to be December 1st.

The plan is simple (although tough to execute):

1. Vow not to spend any money on unnecessary purchases.

2. Come on here everyday and record your spending.

We all record our spending in different ways. There are no rules. You record and update however you would like -- pick a way that will help you spend the least amount of money.

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Please write an introductory message when you decide to join our thread. We would like to know:

a. Who you are

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

c. How you plan to get there

Good luck MDCers!! Keep that money in your wallet.

"Money slips through our fingers in simple and subtle ways. We spend a little here on something forgettable, spend a little thre on an unimportant thing, and at the end of the month, it's panic time -- we're left with very little money. Spend a month keeping track of every penny that you spend, noting exactly how much you spent and what you spent it on...You'll find two things: The need to write your spending down makes you more vigilant against wasteful spending, and the end of the month review of your records will suprise you when you see how much of your spending was nonessential. Use that information as a springboard to see what you need to work on."

... Trent Hamm, Author of "365 Ways to Live Cheap" and founder of thesimpledollar.com

[goinggreengirl]

I'm Emilie, 26, married and expecting a little boy in March. I will be staying hom with the babe after that so we are trying to save as much as possible before then for emergencies, etc.
So, the plan is to save, save, save and we have some debt we are trying to pay off so any extra money should be going to that instead of junk!

I'll be back to update spending! I just need to watch DH like a hawk so he doesn't spend on things we don't need!

No spend days:
Necessary spending:
Unecessary spending:

1. Had to eat out because I didn't plan ahead for dinner.
2.
3.
4. - grocery shopping.
5.
6. and - laundry soap, a few things at the store that weren't absolutely necessary.
7. - paid bills
8.
9.
10.
11.
12. Christmas shopping
13. grocery shopping
14. a few things we forgot...
15. (returned some things and bought some of DH's stocking stuffers.)
16.
17.

[mama_ani]

I'm excited to do this again! I had 9 no spend days in November - which is better than I thought I would do. Even better than my no spend days was that I was meticulous about recording every cent I spent and really thought about what I was spending my money on.

a. Who you are
I'm a newly single SAHM to my five kids ages 14, 13, 11, 3.5 and 1.5. I homeschool my 11 year old, the older two go to school and the younger two make life crazy

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) and
My goal is to keep trying to pay off debt as I've been left with the lion's share of our debt as a couple. I also want to start an emergency fund.

c. How you plan to get there
I have created a strict budget, I'm keeping our food budget in check with simple meals but nutritious ones. I'm trying to simplify our living. I've also gone to a cash envelope system. I need to make plans for having food for while we're out so Tim Horton's doesn't look so appealing. I'm going to continue being mindful about what I am spending and why.

= no spend day
= necessary spend
= unnecessary spend

[Hollysmom]

I'm in again. November was pretty good. Hopefully I can keep my holiday spending in check in December.

a. I am Kristine WOHM to 3 beautiful girls.

b. My goal is to stop spending excess money. I tracked my food spending last month and it is getting better, but still too high. Of course, December will involve lots of eating and a lot of it will be at our house , but I am commited to doing the best I can while still enjoying the holidays.

c. Keep on tracking every penny we spend

[quelindo]

a. Who you are

I'm a SAHM to Henry (4YO). My DH is an engineer with three kids from his first marriage -- we have his 16YO DD part-time and he's still paying child support for her.


b. Where you are going (your financial goals)

We were doing fine (though with an incredibly high mortgage -- I always figured we'd start paying it down more once child support ends in a few years) until I stupidly decided to go into a little bit of debt to have our living room decorated and get some raised beds built in the backyard. Then DH pushed and pushed to buy a new keyboard (he's a musician, too) and since he almost never asks for anything and he'd been wanting it for a long time, I said okay. I thought we'd be able to pay everything off in just a few months.

And then...we were hit with $3000 in car maintenance/repair bills and we realized we could no longer put off our chimney rebuild (water started leaking in, and with winter coming and snow melting off the roof, things will only get worse) to the tune of SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS (sorry to shout, but I'm in shock...)!

c. How you plan to get there

I already have a pretty bare-bones budget set up for us. I have been a blackbelt frugalite in the past and while I have spendthrift tendencies, I know how to pinch a penny when I have to. I have started tracking our spending more carefully (I have a Freedom Account, though it's pretty depleted ATM) and want to be held accountable here as well.

I'd like to be more aware that the $10 I spend at Starbucks every now and then (sometimes it's an outing for me and DS) DOES make a difference. I want to try to find cheaper/free outings for us instead -- more utilizing the children's museum membership and the wonderful libraries around here, etc.

I also want to WALK more, even though it's getting cold. The more I let the car rest, the better.

And finally, I want to be better about our grocery spending. We already almost never eat out and make almost everything from scratch, but we do sometimes waste food that we forget about (leftovers left too long) and I could be better about menu planning.

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

[dsaucone]

Stopped posting for a bit there in November, but there was no money to spend. Back for December, all of this Christmas stuff wants me to buy it.

Planned spending is 1 present for dd and 1 present for ds. Each have 3 stocking stuffer presents and I'm hoarding candy bought on black Friday for the stockings. There will be money and presents from relatives/friends. We won't want anything else in the house. DH needs a new set of work boots, and 1 present (he also has stocking stuffers already bought). I have 1 friend who I am exchanging gifts with.

I need to not buy lunch at work. I need to not buy anything at work.


Totals&Goals
Lunch 0/22
$

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

all of this Christmas stuff wants me to buy it

[xekomaya]

Hi All! I'm XM, mama to ds, 18 months. We just moved from NJ to AK and are rather broke because of it. We are also still trying to rent out our house in NJ so our fixed expenses actually exceed our income until we find a renter. yipes. I wish we could sell but its not happening in this market so we just have to try and make it.

My goals this month are no spend, no food waste, & to send DH to work with lunch every day so he doesn't have to buy.


XM

ETA: I just did our budget and I misspoke. Our fixed expenses are lower than I thought and we might just be able to break even. That's a great goal so I'm very excited to work towards it

[PlayaMama]

i'm in.

my name is carrie. i'm a wohm part-time mama to my littles 5 yo ds and 2 yo dd. our income has been cut a lot and so we've cut expenses a lot, but we still seem to be spending. the difficulty for me is co-ops, there's always a deal and it's always something i need (well, sort of). i already know i'm going to be over budget in december because i am buying woolen long underwear for the entire family for solstice.

my goal for this month is to get back in the swing of tracking my spending and NOT go over my budget in any other areas than what is already anticipated.

how to do this. TRACK IT!!!! if i track it, i won't spend it.

0/300 food
0/150 sundry (for this month only)
0/60 spending money

no spend
budgeted spend
unbudgeted spend

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9




dec 4
nov
oct
september 181.81 17
august 89.88 22
july 105.65 20
june 76.70 17
may 181.46 18
april 358.07 19
march 517.18 17

[vivalamama]

just subbing now, back later to post my intro!


claire

[sweetjasmine]

I'm in again!

a. Who you are - Aileen, married to dh, five stepkids (two youngest live with us part time), two grandbabies.

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) - Pay off last cc and the car loan. Build up 3-6 months living expenses.

c. How you plan to get there - I've been cutting drastically back on the grocery budget, mad money and lunch money. I try to check sales at various places before I buy things like household items, clothes, etc. I check out the Goodwill store, too. Money I'm saving will be snowballed on the debts but this month and next month will be curtailed somewhat.

budgeted spend
no spend
unbudgeted spend

December
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

[mama_ani]

December
1 - - Sinterklaas gifts, household items, sweaters for the kids + = food at the movies
2 - - not a good start to the month - bought chocolate milk in lieu of eating breakfast + - bus tickets
3 - - the last of the Sinterklaas shopping other than groceries, garbage tags + - chips - I am SUCKING this month!
4 - - thank goodness, my first no spend day! I don't plan on going anywhere this evening so I'll record it now
5 - Oh man... it was a bad bad day. - groceries, meds, photo shoot for the kids + - junk food, food at the local woman's Russian food stand, $ to the kids to rent a movie & get junk

= no spend day
= necessary spend
= unnecessary spend

groceries: 166.40/700
household + holiday: $223.69/300
unnecessary total: $28.65

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Wallet: Locked in the Filing Cabinet.

I'm getting serious this month, ladies.

01..
02..
03..
04..
05..
06..
07..
08..
09..
10..
11..
12..
13..
14..
15.. Payday

My Goals:

1/25 ... Yes 25!... No Spend Days
0/5 Let the Car Rest Days

[sweetjasmine]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Wallet: Locked in the Filing Cabinet.

I'm getting serious this month, ladies.

lol!! That's a good one! Whatever works!

[mommyto4grits]

I am Vicki, I have done this for the last couple month's, and am so proud of myself!
Short Term Goals- Not to buy meaningless junk, save $300 towards a vacation coming up, have at least 2 No Spend days a week.

How I plan to do this....
Not eating out!! Once or twice a month for DH and I to have a date night, all of us out to eat only when "kids eat free". Buying necessities and really thinking about purchases outside of necessities (will wait 24 hours for anything over $10), "gasp" cutting out my paper towel addiction- been doing great on this. Having at least 2 no-drive days a week.

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

Dec 1-

[xekomaya]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Wallet: Locked in the Filing Cabinet.

You're hysterical

So far so good. I sent DH off to work with breakfast & lunch. I have a dinner plan for tonight and all the ingredients. Have a plan for tomorrow as well.

Looks like there will be some necessary spending today as we found some areas mice are getting through. Our cat caught a mouse upstairs today and brought it, live, downstairs into the bedroom where ds & I were still sleeping, dropped it and lost it among our clothes. ewwww. I have a *lot* of laundry to do.

December
1:

key:
- no spend
- budgeted, necessary
- sent DH off with lunch, cooked dinner
- unnecessary, bad spending.

[dsaucone]

1 $7 breakfast and lunch at work - not off to a good start over-slept this morning. Getting a head start and preparing food tonight; coffee ready to just hit a button, lunch packed, cheesy egg bake from the other nights dinner ready to pop in the microwave. . . I'm totally getting a tomorrow!

Totals&Goals
Lunch 0/22
$7

[quelindo]

I was sooooooooooo tempted to stop at Starbucks today. We were out at a park tromping around with our homeschooling group this morning, and afterward I was hungry and my back hurt and I wanted a treat. But I did not do it! (I admit that this thread was on my mind.)

Instead, when we got home I dug out a package of Swiss Miss hot chocolate that we'd gotten free at the holiday parade last week and made that. Not the same, but better than spending money!

I did have a session with an energy worker tonight, but supposedly it will be reimbursed in full.


12/1: $125 session with my energy worker

__________________________

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

[justamama]

a. I'm Denise. Mom to 2 girls and due with another one in March/April. I currently WOHM 2 days/week but am hoping that I can afford to quit as soon as our accident is settled with the insurance co. as the house I work in literally makes me sick (asthma and sinus problems) but getting reassigned or getting a different job making the same amount in only 17 hrs/wk isn't going to happen.

b. We want to catch our mortgage up, pay our taxes from 2008 (hoping and praying the insurance settlement will cover both of these, but we're budgeting as if we're not getting anything, of course!), and get caught up on our personal bills. Right now we're keeping the household current and paying what we can on everything else.

c. Stay out of restaurants and malls, where we always wind up spending money. I've got to get better at planning meals and taking food with me to work. Its a hard trap to fall into, and we were doing so well to have just fallen back into it!


DEC 1: $85. $20 for lunch with my dad and DH, $65 on diapers for the new baby.

[vivalamama]

Ok, intro!

a) I'm Claire, wahm mama to 3 lovely kiddos

b) save money for our move to NEW ZEALAND!!! coming up in the next 2-3 months.

c)
1. make a christmas budget- we have all the decorations we need, and I'm not buying a lot of gifts this year- we give the girls 1 gift from each parent and 1 from santa, and they get each other gifts as well. our parents are getting photos. 2 gifts for DH (one Christmas and one birthday).
2. we are going to visit family from the 3rd-17th. get out cash and do not break out the credit cards!! (exception for the airplane since they don't take cash anymore )
3. plan meals!
4. grocery shop 1/week once we are back WITH A LIST and under $90 each time.
5. a small amount of discretionary money each week


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
today did great! went to the pharmacy (at the grocery store) and avoided temptation and did not get anything else! made homemade pumpkin bars.
tomorrow need to pick up a few items for our trip, pay rent and some bills, and I promised the girls lunch out, costco food bar, here we come!

no spend!
necessary spend
unnecessary spend

1- pharmacy
2-
Dec 3-17 traveling
18-
19-
20-
21-
22-
23-
24-
25-
26-
27-
28-
29-
30-
31-