February No-Spend Challenge - Page 3

[columbusmomma]

2/1/10: 2.25 daily planner, $ 5.34 lotion
2/2/10: $20.00 gas, $25.84 food $40 atm withdrawal
2/3/10: $140 nanny pay, $15.54, toiletries, some food items, birthday card, handsoap for kitchen, dental floss, $1.00 candybar
2/4/10:$20 for DH rx, $14.91 food,$41.00 crafting supplies
2/5/10:$24.27 groceries, $3.41 thumbtacks
2/6/10:$136.02 groceries
2/7/10:
2/8/10: $21.52 groceries, trader joe's
2/9/10: $30 on self, $6.00 dvd rental
2/10/10: $25.80 groceries from co op
2/11/10: $140 nanny, $ 23.11 trader joe's(mostly snacks for DS'valentine school party), $8.00 food,$13.00 new undies for DD
2/12/10:$34.53 misc. items CVS valentine treats$23.15
2/13/10:$91.11 groceries WF, out with a friend,$51.69
2/14/10:
2/15/10:$15.00 copay pediatrician
2/16/10:$32.50 groceries $40 atm
2/17/10: $33.06 snacks and treats
2/18/10: online clothing purchase for self $15.00 gas$140 for nanny $39.10 grocery
2/19/10: $20 atm withdraw
2/20/10:$14.91 thrift store
2/21/10:
2/22/1/:$18.50 grocery, $192.65 grocery,52.51 grocery
2/23/10:$11.99 general drugstore stuff, $18.00 gas
2/24/10: $14.26 grocery $4.00 grocery item at target
2/25/10 $140 nanny, $15 copay dr, $13.20 dental payment $20.25 drugstore stuff
2/26/10: groceries$36.40
2/27/10:$20.15 gas grocerie$130.63
2/28/10:$22.50 target shopping atm w/d $20 $30 rx's

[_ktg_]

ktg's February 2010 goals:

Key:
= No Spend
= Budgeted Spending
= unplanned spending
= unplanned emergency spending

Jan
30 - $298 costco
31 - $45 goodwill
Feb
1 -
2 -
3 -
4 -


Goals:
Eat out (dinner or lunch): 0/0
Groceries: $300/$500
Extra for CC: 0/$200
No Spend days: 3/20

[KnittingKara]

No Spend =
Planned Spend =
Oops =

2/1 -
2/2 - unplanned, impulse amazon spending (miss one day here and totally fall off the wagon! yipes!)
2/3 - (next week's organics delivery, paid some bills, bought milk)
2/4 -

[Hollysmom]

February 1 -
February 2 -
February 3 -

Frivolous Spending $0

[FillingMyQuiver]

key:
no spend
budgeted spending
unnecessary/ non-budgeted spending

1.
2.
3.
4. $34 on groceries

[lucifugous]

Back for month two. I'm Kate, a still-unemployed single mama whose cushion funds have run out. My 18m.o. and I have a free place to live, probably only for another month or so. My goals are to do even better than last month with spending what little I have, while getting it together and working out some sort of employment so that I can actually support us. I plan to do this by being mindful and creative. Other than the set monthly expenses, the only necessary spending should be food or transportation. I need a couple things for DD- unless she grows out of her shoes this month they should all be covered by store credit from Christmas. Also I just received a twenty dollar bill from DD's grandma that she expects me to spend on her so I will probably do that some time this month.

I will mark my days as:
nothing spent
spending within budget
unnecessary spending

I will keep track of:
food budget progress (food budget has gone up, so I will be taking on a larger portion of the responsibility for what the other members of the household eat, so that more of their funds can be applied toward the mortgage and utilities, hopefully extending the time we can all live here)
amount spent on public transportation (as it is used, though I actually pay for it in larger chunks)
unnecessary spending (my goal this month is to come in under $30. There are a couple unnecessary things I still haven't been able to give up.)

1-
2- transportation: $4 metra + $6.50 cta
3- $4 metra + $4.50 cta, $17 for groceries, $4 balance after using up an old gift card I found on two basic functional shirts at Nordstrom Rack.
From early on the second until late on the third, we were in the city visiting DD's dad. Did pretty good- resisted my jamba juice temptation :P Bought some of his groceries since he fed us both days...
4- got some fresh fruit, fish, meat, and good deals on some staples $45
5-

FOOD: $62/$360 on track
TRANSIT: $19 already, yikes!
UNNECESSARY: $4 But worth it to use up the old gift card

[Jenn_M]

My key:
= no spend
= budgeted/necessary spending
= unplanned/out of budget spending

Grocery/Household Budget: $0/$525

2/1- / , had to take the girls to the doctor... $25 each copay, $60 payment to office= $110, picked up meds at pharmacy and let girls get a treat= $30.94
2/2- / , paid cell phones ($85), insurance ($150), and utility ($185); stopped on my way to first aid class for a fountain soda= $1.07
2/3- , trash service ($30), meds at pharmacy ($10)
2/4- , DH gas/allowance ($38.03)
2/5-
2/6- / , had to get groceries and some stuff at WM.. went WAY over budget
2/7-

[caiesmommy]

I'm in this month! I haven't done one in quite awhile and REALLY need the push!

a. Who you are-Mama to 2 lo's. Work VERY part-time. Dh works full time+musican things on the side

b. Where you are going (your financial goals)-See where we are wasting money/use it in better ways

c. How you plan to get there-Cutting down on eating out/little store purchases

-No spend
-Budgeted spending
-Non budgeted spending

1.
2.- me4.08 Drinks after library time/really good deal on rice cakes for snacks
3.-me -dh(20.00 gas)
4.

[Ruthiegirl]

DH was reimbursed for some work-related travel expenses and we were able to make a HUGE debt payment!!!! I am thrilled.

Now I just need to focus and keep to our budget for the rest of the month. I think I'll track our food spending and frivolous spending here.

I spent $8.26 on food while we were out yesterday. We had a flat tire and ended up spending a long hour at the repair shop with hungry bellies.


Feb 1 -- .38 lollies for the kids
Feb 2 --
Feb 3 -- 8.26 food for kids
Feb 4 --


Goals:

Big debt payment

Groceries/household 63.95/500.00

[PNWmama]

Haven't posted on here for a couple days...but I've kept on track!

February:
key:
= budgeted spending
= unnecessary spending
= no spend day

1 -
2 - 7.88 breakfast (running late!) , 36.54 cat food , 90.67 groceries
3 - 23.00 out to dinner (our one planned night)
4 - 16.79 contact solution

[FillingMyQuiver]

key:
no spend
budgeted spending
unnecessary/ non-budgeted spending

1.
2.
3.
4. $34 on groceries
5. $14.45- furnace filter & bread

[Hollysmom]

February 1 -
February 2 -
February 3 -
February 4 - $2 lottery pool at work, $7 sushi (dinner before my school council meeting)


Frivolous Spending $9

[busymama77]

I think I might give this a try, too, eventhough it's at the end of the week, I know what I've spent since Monday.

I'm a WOHM to a DS and wife to a fulltime working DH. I'm a mama who is wanting to start putting back money before she goes on maternity leave in 3 weeks and just basically see where all of money is going these days. In other words, stop living paycheck to paycheck.

- no spend
- budgeted spending
- unnecessary spending

2/1 - $9.13 - lunch
2/2
2/3 - $8 groceries at TJ's
2/4 - $35 pet store & $14 dinner w/ DS
2/5 - $6 breakfast for office (but will get reimbursed ) $26 Target (TP, cereal and travel items for hospital bag)
2/6 $124 hair cut & color
2/7
2/8 $35 Target (cereal, washing det, fruit, misc household items)
2/9
2/10 $8 lunch (had brought something, but didn't stick with it)
2/11 $5 Starbuck's
2/12
2/13 - $50 misc groceries $38 new sheet set
2/14 - $122 - weekly groceries
2/15 - $8 lunch - $30 chinese carry out
2/16
2/17
2/18 - $10 lunch
2/19 - $19 lunch (could've brought something from, but had a strong pg craving)
2/20
2/21
2/22
2/23
2/24
2/25
2/26
2/27
2/28

[Smithie]

I'm really hoping for a no-spend three-day weekend.

-------------------------------------------------------

1. Wal-Mart and haircuts, fast food
2. Earth Fare, fast food
3. fast food for DINNER! WTF is wrong with me?
4. a good stick-to-the-list Costco trip, and fast food AGAIN. Craziness.
5.
6.
7.

[melissel]

Well, this is a good month to jump back into one of these!

I'm Melissa, currently a working, homeschooling mom of two, soon to be a very-part-time-working, homeschooling mom of 2!

We've been struggling to get to where I could quit my job for several years now (paid off cars, paid off debt, gotten used to more frugal ways, etc.), and as of next week, we've reached our goal. Unfortunately, we're in a very high COL area, so DH is worried that his sales commissions might not be quite enough to keep us. It's my job to prove that we can make it!

We have a very loaded pantry and chest freezer, so I need to do better at planning to take advantage of things we already have (I'm terrible at remembering to take things out to thaw in time!). We could probably live for two months on what we have tucked away here--now I just have to USE IT! I'm reimplementing our envelope system and tightening the budget again. Fortunately, I enjoy couponing, bargain hunting, thrifting, etc. I do coupon-shop and stockpile, so some money will be spent on that (buying coupons and so on), but that will pay off in the longer term.

Thanks, Smithie, for keeping the challenges going! I'm mainly in here for holding myself accountable for unnecessary spending, so I'm not going to track the day-to-day necessary spending. Mainly, I need to stay away from Starbucks and Target!

------------------

= no spending
= unnecessary spending
= unexpected but necessary spending (like the exterminator we will likely have to call back for the mice in our roof )

2/4:
2/5:

[ambersrose]

a. Who you are
A thirty something, homeschooling SAHM with two little girls and a tag along dog called Limerick. We live in a small mountain town
b. Where you are going (your financial goals)
I want to pay off $1100 in credit card debt and a $20,000 car note. I also want to develop spending/lifesyle habits that allow us to stay out of debt in the future.
c. How you plan to get there
stick to budgeted spending items, try not to drive into the city more than twice a month, make due with or fix what we have and buy more needed items second hand

I am going to jump in starting with today for this month.

2/5= spent $5 at the local thrift store on some homeschooling materials and clothing, $5 on snacks while we were out
2/6= spent a bit over budget at Costco but brought snacks for the trip into the city and didnt spend anything on snacks for the girls
2/7=weekly grocery shopping on budget
2/8=budgeted spending on the supplies for our new chicks but spent unbudgeted money on snacks for my girls while out for a d octor appt
2/9= no spend day!
2/10=unbudgeted $10 for valentines party supplies
2/11=$2.50 unbudgeted run to the store for ingredient for dinner $6 budgeted prescription refill
2/12=walked down to the store to return something that didnt work out for what we wanted it for and got refund, no spend day!
2/13=weekly grocery shopping under buget! $2 spent at thrift store for two pairs of gently worn shoes for the girls
2/14= no spend day!
2/15=$3 for snacks for the girls
2/16=spend a ton of my personal spending allowance on bringing a pregnant friend order out lunch...It was not the most frugal choice but she needed the pick me up.
2/17=no spend day!
2/18=no spend day!
2/19=no spend day!
2/20=grocery shopping under budget
2/21=no spend day!
2/22=no spend day (snowed in)
2/23=no spend day
2/24=no spend day
2/25=Rode with a friend into the city , $15 for lunch with the girls , $18 for bulk bin items at the healthfood store
2/26= $10 at the thrift store for a skirt,pants and rain jacket for me and some toys for the girls , grocery shopping slightly over budget!
2/27=unexpected trip to the store for misc. $40
2/28=no spend day

[PNWmama]

February:
key:
= budgeted spending
= unnecessary spending
= no spend day

1 -
2 - 7.88 breakfast (running late!) , 36.54 cat food , 90.67 groceries
3 - 23.00 out to dinner (our one planned night)
4 - 16.79 contact solution
5 -

[KnittingKara]

No Spend =
Planned Spend =
Oops =

2/1 -
2/2 - unplanned, impulse amazon spending (miss one day here and totally fall off the wagon! yipes!)
2/3 - (next week's organics delivery, paid some bills, bought milk)
2/4 -
2/5 -
2/6 - ..... going to be tricky -the weekend's are always challenging for us and I know the temptation to eat out or even just head to Costco for something "to do" is there Luckily, we are very busy this weekend so it should be fairly easy to stay home and not spend anything.

[BreatheMama]

Hi I'm new here, would like to join this thread.
I have two girls DD1 3 1/2 and my little one DD2 6 months.
I work as a nurse part-time and my husband is a teacher, so we have limited income.
Goal to pay off cc and do some home improvement this spring.
How I plan to get there is become more conscious of spending.
KEY:
Necessary spending
No spending
Over spending

Feb
1.
2,
3.
4.
5.
6. Snowed in the 2010 BLIZZARD!

[caiesmommy]

I'm in this month! I haven't done one in quite awhile and REALLY need the push!

a. Who you are-Mama to 2 lo's. Work VERY part-time. Dh works full time+musican things on the side

b. Where you are going (your financial goals)-See where we are wasting money/use it in better ways

c. How you plan to get there-Cutting down on eating out/little store purchases

-No spend
-Budgeted spending
-Non budgeted spending

1.
2.- me4.08 Drinks after library time/really good deal on rice cakes for snacks
3.-me -dh(20.00 gas)
4.
5.-me,-dh grocery shopped(need to find out how much he spent)

-On a side note Im being very thrifty today..instead of paying 5 bucks to take the bus home tonight after work, im using a coffee shop g/c frm xmas and im going to waste an hour and wait for dh to p/me up on his way home frm work. Im kinda looking forward to an hour by myself!