~July No-Spend Challenge~ We are tracking our spending and trying to save money! Come join us...

[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 July 1st. Now is a good time to start.

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.

[beansmama]

IN IN IN!!!!

a. Who you are:

I'm Desiree, a stay at home mom of 2 and wanna-be frugalista! I *used* to be frugal...but that was soooo many years ago, I really oughta just admit I'm currently a big ol' spendthrift.

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

I'm already planning my family's finances...for NEXT year. It's hardcore and strict...and pretty much totally opposite of what we're currently doing. Dh says I'm the money boss and he's down with anything...so I just have to learn to say no (to myself!) and stop with the needless purchases.

We want financial independence and homeownership in the near future...I gotta get our spending in check or it's just not going to happen...the *right* way, anyway.

Our finances are super messed up right now due to a computer purchase and return or two...long pointless story...I need to payback our e-fund like...now!

c. How you plan to get there:

Sticking to my super tight budget and staying the heck outta the stores. No window shopping - and I'm really going to dive into housewifery, haha! I've been slacking on cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc - so...that's gonna be my new free "hobby" LOL!

So yeah...sorry this is confusing. My goal, in clearer terms is to stick to my budget to a T - so although there will be SOME frivolous spending...it's planned frivolous spending and we'll be using CASH.

Absolutely NO CARDS! (i'm talkin' debit - we don't have cc's).

[ltlmrs]

a. Who you are

I'm a Catholic mama to one. She'll be turning two in September (eek!). I mostly stay at home, but have a very part time job doing book keeping outside the home. I am in the process of trying to find work from home as well.

b. Where you are going (your financial goals)

We're trying to get out of debt and start saving for a homestead, plain and simple.

c. How you plan to get there

Stop spending impulsively (especially on groceries!). Get an online business going. And make sure I am well rested so I can cook, clean, help bring in money and take care of Ladybug.

Key:
no spend
unplanned/unbudgeted spend
budgeted spend
went to bed on time and woke up early (major sanity saver)
worked on blogging and other online business opportunities
3 meals made at home without an unplanned run to the grocery.
no unnecessary driving

1: but and

[OkiMom]

a. Who you are
Ive done these threads before but Im never good at totally finishing them. Hi, Im Heather, Im a SAHM to two young girls and wife of a Marine. We are stationed in Okinawa Japan. Memorial day weekend I found out I was pregnant with our 3rd child.

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) and
We are moving back to the states sometime before December. When we move back we have to totally reset up our household so we need the money for first and last month rent, utilities, to buy at least one car etc. Also, one of my SILs is getting married next Aprilish time so I need to save up the money to buy tickets for three kids and two adults to fly back for the wedding (I doubt we will be stationed close enough to Florida to drive). I know there are stuff we will need for the baby (for example a car seat) that Im going to need to work into our budget. Eventually we want to buy a house and Im trying to get us on a good budget so that saving becomes second nature to us.

c. How you plan to get there
Make a budget and stick to it. Basically all we need to spend money on is food, internet (not a need but the only way we have to contact people stateside), cell phone (we dont' have a land line and DH has to have it for work) and gas. Our car is paid off (YAY) and our insurance is paid off until August when we will have to renew it. Our food budget is a little (lot) out of hand right now. Im sick as anything so instead of making things from scratch like I normally do weve been eating a lot of convinence food. I need to try to nip that in the bottom because its to expensive and not healthy. Hopefully I can get a handle on the morning sickness soon so it isn't as bad.

Budget:
Food- 350
Preschool supplies (Im finally giving into pressure from my DH and DD1 to start doing "school" with her but Im running out of most art stuff I have on hand)- 100
Gas- 150
Cell- 55 (we have a prepaid, this would pay for one phone card, Im trying to sit on DH so he stops using the phone so much)
Household- 50 (I need to get a few organizational items to make the house more efficient and save money in the long run, right now we are spending money on items we have but can't find)

That should be it. We shouldn't need anything else.

[CultivatingMyRoots]

I'm pretty sure I've only lurked these threads before, but clarity and consistency is what I'm lacking in my finances (not necessarily bad spending, just, unfocused and unorganized) so I think daily check-ins are a great idea!

Who I am...
I am a single mom to two daughters, who is making by on welfare and school money. I am starting to scrape up business online and at vendor booths selling my sewn items, I am going to school for Small Business Administration to help further that end and also to keep my brain from slowly dying, as it did when I was a domestic slave. I am LOVING having complete control of my house and finances, but realizing that I still have some issues with exercising that control. I still expect to check my bank account and have money gone (like used to happen with ex...) and I need to get out of that fear-based mentality so that my money can thrive.

Where I'm going...
I am paying off 6,000 in debt with a student loan (so, deferred until I'm out of school) which will mean I will have 12,000 of student loan debt. I should be able to finish my degree without pulling out another cent in loans, I just don't want to let my cc default and ding my credit anymore than it already has.
I want to be able to pay my bills in full every month, as well as start saving.
I WANT TO BE OFF OF WELFARE!
And I want to be able to calmly look at my account every day. Being able to LOOK at my finances without feelings of guilt, shame, fear, or sadness is probably my biggest goal.

How I plan to get there...
Take out student loan, $6,000
Work my ass off in school, and translate that work into business savvy. It's honestly going well so far, but I have to get my web sales going, because I don't have the time to spend multiple days a week waiting around at events for sales. I want my computer to do my job for me, dammit!
Plan all purchases
Set my Firefox to open to my USAA account login
Look for all opportunities open to me to make more money, jobs and work-study, for example
I get my spring/summer financial aid check next week (supposedly...) and that will put all of my bills in the black, pay off my car insurance for the next 6 months, and leave me with no excuse not to focus on growth and the next step away from government dependency.

Phew! So, short term, check my account every day and don't buy unplanned, and deal with the finances daily.

Also, I just need to be on top of paying things, I have a tendency to hold on to the money, even if I have it, because I am worried that something more pressing will come up after I've payed something else. I have finally realized that unless I'm rich, there is always SOMETHING that will need to be paid, so I just need to pay as things come. So I don't have to pay 90+ in late fees on a Fastrak ticket that I don't think I deserve.... And that I could have gotten out of if I had taken care of it right away.

7/1 - Went to coffee with my three year old, we bought a drink and muffin with grandparent birthday money, guilt-free because she chose how to spend it! No other spending, paid the bills that I could. (SMUD and half of PGE)

[becoming]

Back again! I always say I'm here because we're saving money for a down payment on a house... well, guess what?

WE ARE BUYING THE HOUSE!

So now we're pretty much broke, or we will be on July 29 when we close & then buy our furniture, so I am desperately trying to save as much money as possible now & for the next 30 years.

Anyway, my name is Lindsay, in case you don't know me from all my previous failures on this thread.

My goals this month are just as little as possible unnecessary spending & NO spending from savings, no matter what. I also want to keep grocery shopping to $400 this month, and we're only eating out once a week at a nice sit-down place with our family. NO FAST FOOD!

Good luck everybody! :

[becoming]

July 1: $46 groceries
July 2:
July 3: $15 Kidstation, $11 socks, $40 gas
July 4:
July 5: $73 groceries, $33 dinner, $16 movie, $25 sitter, $7 toy for kid at home
July 6:
July 7:
July 8: $10 groceries
July 9: $5 drinks, $5 groceries, $25 birth control
July 10: $16 lunch, $60 dinner - dinner was planned, but lunch was not.
July 11: $26 lunch - we were out of town, & we picked something cheap, so not too bad.
July 12: $80 birthday gifts for DS2, $49 birthday party
July 13: $60 haircut/color, $31 dinner
July 14: $134 groceries, $28 lunch
July 15:
July 16:
July 17: $40 birthday party, $63.50 dinner (planned)
July 18:
July 19: $60 groceries
July 20: $23 school shoes, $21 sunglasses/canola oil spray
July 21: $12 bowling, $4 drinks
July 22:
July 23: $90 to get my bad haircut/color fixed -- love it now!, $40 lunch, $16 cupcakes, $4 brownies
July 24: $87 groceries, $17 lunch, $35 supper
July 25: $45 lunch (planned)

No Spend Days 8/10
Dining Out Days 9/4
Groceries $403/$400
Unnecessary, Unplanned Spending $315

No Spend
Planned Spending
Not Too Bad Spending
Bad Spending

[Hollysmom]

Back again. I find these threads so helpful

a. Who you are: Kristine WOHM to 3 girls

b. Where you are going (your financial goals): No debt and lots of savings

c. How you plan to get there: Lots of no spend days and very little unnecessary spending

[Hollysmom]

July 1:Happy Canada Day!!


1/20 No Spend Days
$0 Unnecessary/Frivolous Spending

[mija y mijo]

Hello everyone! I'm a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling my two kids and looking to get back into school this fall. I keep jumping on and off the Dave Ramsey bandwagon and this time DH and I have to get serious. We have way too much debt and no savings... things have to change today.

Our goal this month is to get our emergency fund back up to $1000 and pay off at least one of our credit cards ($490). I also have some medical bills to pay this month, so we'll see how those add up... money. ugh.

So my goal this month is to spend as little as possible... no eating out and no unnecessary spending. Hopefully posting here will help keep me more accountable.

[mija y mijo]

July 1: DH spent $1.80 on coffee.
July 2: Got emergency fund back up to $1000 and paid off the $490 credit card.
July 3: Groceries $23.26
July 4: $11 on ice-cream
July 5: $10 on frozen lemonades... I guess we didn't do too bad seeing that it was a holiday weekend and we spent the weekend with friends. It's just a little frustrating that we spent $22 on ice-cream and lemonade.
July 6: DH spent $52.49 on golfing. I'm sooooo disappointed. He says he's on board and then he spends money we DON'T have.
Groceries $15.85

Unnecessary Spending $76.29
Grocery $39.11/$600

[Mamma4Peace]

a. Who you are: Hi! I am Jessica. I am a stay at home mom to two girls, 4 and 2 and I am pregnant again due in January

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) To save up enough money to have a nice savings fund before the baby gets here!
Also, to pay off a small loan that we took out last fall to catch up our bills.
Pay off our credit reports a little at a time so we can get a house!

c. How you plan to get there
No unnecessary spending! (easier for me then hubby)
Figure out a way to cut down our bills
Differentiate between needs and wants!
Get hubby on board! (this seems to be the hardest!)
Pack lunch for hubby every day
Get more rest

[Mamma4Peace]

Figure out a way to cut down on bills (7/2) (work in progress!)

Electricity:
1. Leave television off during the day. Only turn it on when my shows are on.
2. Limit the kids to 2 hours of TV a day (1 in morning, 1 in evening)
3. Only run dryer in morning and evening. Hang more clothes up to dry.
4. Turn off all electronics before going to bed.
5. Limit myself to 2 hours of computer per day.
6. Take cooler and shorter showers!
7. Don't fall asleep with TV on.

Water:
1. Run washer only when I have a full load of laundry.
2. Run dishwasher only when I have a full load of dishes.
3. Shorter showers.
4. Decrease the amount of water for baths.

Budget:
$20.17/$320 groceries
$7.03/$100 hubby running money (work)
0/$100 gas
10.70/$100 etc. (dining out, movies, etc.)

Savings:$0/$1000

Key: no unnecessary spending
unecessary spending
stuck to bill saving rules
packed lunch for hubby
got enough sleep

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[AZ mom&teacher]

a. Who you are A SAHM to a three year old and TTC #2. I am a former teacher and plan to h omeschool my son (actually already started - he just started reading )

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) and My DH and I want to pay off our enormous CC debt (around $30,000) and save for a larger house if I do get pregnant.

c. How you plan to get there Stay out of the stores!! I am a sucker for a great deal, but when it's not a need, I should leave it for someone else. Case in point - I spent $60 at Target last week on great clearance clothes and shoes for DH and DS, but ended up returning half of it since I felt so guilty. I love couponing and we have a pretty well stocked pantry and freezer, so I want to cook more out of that. Also, we get produce from our co-op for only $15 per week and get about $50 worth of stuff.

July 1 - $11.90 at post office, $0.14 on tax for the freebies at the grocery store this week (I love coupons!)

GOALS :
$0.14/$200 - Groceries
$11.90/$50 - Budgeted Misc. Spending
$0/$30 - Household Needs
0/4 - Eating Out
0/20 - Working Out
1/100 - Decluttering

KEY :
= good day, no unnecessary spending
= cooked meals at home
= unnecessary spending

[FillingMyQuiver]

I'm back again, after failing miserably for June.

a. I'm Jenn, SAHM to 4 kiddos under 6, homeschooling 2 of them.

b. We're really trying to pay down our CC debt, and we're doing okay at it, but I'd like to be more aggressive with it. In order for that to happen, we have to seriously curb the spending. It got a WAY out of hand last month and July is going to require some serious squeezing. Our BIG goal is to be debt free other than the mtg w/ a sizable EF, but that will take a few years.

c. Staying out of the stores is key. PLANNING is also pretty important for us. DH has been working long hours so I've been keeper of the budget and master grocery shopper lately. I need to plan better so we can start cutting spending. I'm also trying to counter our AC usage by hang drying the laundry. I met my goal last month and pretty much hung all our laundry. I have a list of home improvement projects that need completing and I'd like to get 3 of them done this month.

We have a few sizable expenditures in July, our bulk beef order comes in, we're putting aside the money for our beach vacation in August, and we need to pay for DH's college course. Other than those, I want it to be a real no spend month.

Key:
no spend/ budgeted spending
unnecessary/ unbudgeted spending
hung laundry to dry
completed home improvement project


Goals for July
no spend days 1/25
eating out 0/0
hung laundry to dry 0/10
home improvement projects 0/3

[FillingMyQuiver]

Key:
no spend/ budgeted spending
unnecessary/ unbudgeted spending
hung laundry to dry
completed home improvement project

Goals for July
no spend days 2/25
eating out 0/0
hung laundry to dry 3/10
completed home improvement projects 0/3

1. I got up early and was able to get 2 loads out on the drying racks over the course of the day.
2.

[mija y mijo]

Oh. my. word.

I just went through all of our purchases from last month and we spent the following:

Groceries $989.24
Eating out $426.76
Other unnecessary spending $513.15

I'm sure there's more I'm missing... and we wonder why we're broke.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

I spend a ton of money on food -- it is always shocking to me to tally up that grocery total.

Not exactly off to a stellar start, but that's okay. At least I'm recording.

01.. $11 ice cream and snacks
02.. $10 car wash
03..
04..
05..
06..
07..
08..
09..
10..

My Goal:

0/20 No Spend Days

[2lilsweetfoxes]

I'm a WOHM to 3 kids with a DH that WAH, but not paid (yet).

Our goals are to pay off our credit cards. DH's plan is to pay the minimums and save the payoff amount in the bank for each card, then when we get it (+1 month salary Emergency fund), we send it into the credit card company to pay off the card and close it out. (May keep 1 visa open for absolute emergencies until our Fully-funded-6-month-salary-emergency-account is full).

01. No spend
02. PS: $93 car tags; $21 groceries(UB); $4 cleaning supplies; $10 gas
03. PS: $~45 groceries (UB); $10 cleaning supplies; $30 running shoes for PT out of birthday money. FS: $17 date night alcohol
04. PS: $25 tithe
05. No spend
06. No spend
07. PS: $17 groceries
08. No spend
09. FS: $21 date night alcohol
10. PS: $26 groceries, $80 groceries, $60 Gaming mouse
11. PS: $15 groceries, $15 cat food, $25 tithe
12. PS: $4 dishwasher detergent
13. PS: $13 gas--OOM (out of money) till Saturday, but have $60 check we can cash in an emergency.
14. No spend
15. *pray I can hold out off on getting gas till Saturday. gas light is on. on both cars*
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21. My birthday.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.

My goal: No spending on M-F and Sundays. Planned spend only on Saturdays.

UB=came in under budgeted amount
PS=planned spending
NS=necessary, unplanned spending (ex: emergency dental work that can't be put off)
OB=over budgeted amount
FS=frivolous spending

[ALittleBitCrunchy]

a. Who you are
I'm Stacy. *waves hello*

b. Where you are going (your financial goals) and
We're currently working on a "one-income challenge" in order to get ready for our future as foster parents. July is our test month

c. How you plan to get there
I'm already tracking everything on my blog but a little extra accountability never hurts! We're keeping track of every penny and making sure that we know where our money is going.

July 1 - $0.55 (DH bought a can of pop)
July 2 - $10.34 (Coconut oil through Amazon's Subscribe and Save plan) and $2.33 (shipping for something I sold)