October No-Spend Challenge~ TRICKING the pocketbook and TREATING the savings!! - Page 6

[tealsmith83]

Ugh...this is getting so frustrating!  It's not that I'm doing horribly, but am having a difficult time getting a no spend day. Some of the spending is budgeted, some not.  (i.e. groceries, gasoline - budgeted...eating out Saturday night ($30), purchasing for a fundraiser from a girl from church on Sunday - unbudgeted)  I used to be so much better at this when I was younger.  My sister calls me "sqeaky" because I used to be pretty tight with my money.  But the older I get, the looser I seem to be getting with it. 

[tealsmith83]

okay, not sure what's going on here...but I posted a reply while ago and it's not showing up. 

[tealsmith83]

never mind...there it is!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

If I hadn't bought a salad at the pizza party my 4 year old went to today -- I would have eaten an entire pepperoni pizza by myself.  I consider that $5 my waistline-saver.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

11..  

12..  

13..  $92 winter gear

14..  

15..  

16..  $51 Christmas presents

17.. 

18..  $24 Pizza for the kids

19.. 

20.. $9 MP3 downloads, $15 cake and ice cream

21.. 

22..  $5 salad at pizza place

23..

24..

25..

26..

27..

28..

29..

30..

31..

Goal:  15 No Spend Days this month 

Progress:  7 days so far 

[mamayogibear]

So I know it's pretty late in the month to join the no spend challange but I'll hop on board to hopefully start Nov out on the right track! I have quite a few debts I am working to pay off so I will not be including that and regular bills in my no spend challange. Aside from those budgeted expenses I have not spent much this month!
I ordered transcripts from school.

I bought halloween costumes for my kids

I bought winter coats and boots for my kids

I bought lunch at a restaurant once this month.

My goal for the rest of the month is to not spend on anything except food to cook at home (including herbs for tea).

For next month  I am going to strive not to spend!

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by Surfacing 

Honeybee - I love that you paid your kids to declutter toys. Might try that around here sometime. Super job on your budgeted spending and no spending!

Thanks!  I can't claim credit for the idea--saw it mentioned in a post in the decluttering forum ;)  I really thought they'd get rid of more for money, though--lol!  

10/1:  no spend 

10/2:  no spend 

10/3:  no spend 

10/4:  no spend 

10/5:  no spend 

10/6:  budgeted spending  gas $40, windshield wiper $13

10/7:  budgeted spending  groceries $41

10/8:  no spend 

10/9:  no spend 

10/10: no spend 

10/11: no spend 

10/12: no spend 

10/13: budgeted spending  groceries $37, misc. $5, DD's bday party $36, $5 beer

10/14: no spend 

10/15: budgeted spending  DD's field trip $3.25

10/16: no spend 

10/17: no spend 

10/18: budgeted spending  laundry quarters $20 (will last about 6-8 weeks)

10/19: no spend 

10/20: no spend 

10/21: budgeted spending  $35 groceries, $4 soap, $36 gas, $10 bought toys from kids to declutter

10/22: no spend 

This is the really hard time of the month for me, budget-wise.  It feels really close to the end of the month, so I tend to look at the amount I have left and spend it on random things.  I'm going to hold strong this month and wait until the very end of the month before I allow myself to buy any of those things--can't let the awesomeness from the rest of this month slip away at the very end! ;)

[tealsmith83]

I am considering yesterday (10-22-12) as a no-spend day!  I went to a Pampered Chef party last night and I did buy something, but I took it out of my personal allowance money, and not the family budget.  So yay me!

[honeybee80]

10/1:  no spend 

10/2:  no spend 

10/3:  no spend 

10/4:  no spend 

10/5:  no spend 

10/6:  budgeted spending  gas $40, windshield wiper $13

10/7:  budgeted spending  groceries $41

10/8:  no spend 

10/9:  no spend 

10/10: no spend 

10/11: no spend 

10/12: no spend 

10/13: budgeted spending  groceries $37, misc. $5, DD's bday party $36, $5 beer

10/14: no spend 

10/15: budgeted spending  DD's field trip $3.25

10/16: no spend 

10/17: no spend 

10/18: budgeted spending  laundry quarters $20 (will last about 6-8 weeks)

10/19: no spend 

10/20: no spend 

10/21: budgeted spending  $35 groceries, $4 soap, $36 gas, $10 bought toys from kids to declutter

10/22: no spend 

10/23: no spend  (unless you count the $.50 tooth fairy fee for my DS's 1st lost tooth ;)

[tealsmith83]

okay...10-23,

Went on an after school academic trip with my son.  Gone from right after school till 10:00 p.m..  Had to buy supper at Subway, then they stopped at DQ for ice cream on the way home.  Out about $15.00.

[Basylica]

oh man....I knew it was going to come up anyway, but had a bangup weekend.

I did return my 200 splurge sewing machine purchase (janome hello kitty. I just HAD to see it in person!) and the 90 bucks of jeans that didn't fit my son to levis. Ordered online.

I got my freezer in (yay!) and setup. Freezer had tiniest ding where I was having it against cabinet anyway - so I got another 10% off making 16cft freezer 430 bucks! went to butcher and gave him a list of meats (about 60-70lbs worth of meat!) and I'm supposed to pick up this upcoming sat. I'm assuming it'll be 200+

Then stopped at le crueset because they were having a sale....and to be fair...my dad is a foodie (until his gastric bypass was 450lbs) and I grew up watching cooking shows on PBS.

So i've been wanting a real LC dutch oven since I was about 9 or 10.

I ended up walking out with a green 9.5q oval, and a purple 5.5q round. the round is the big splurge since I currently have 2 (cheap) 5q dutch ovens. I really did need a larger one so I can make MORE....splitting between two pots doesn't work very well.

but the purple was DIVINE, and doesn't come in a bigger size.....and...well....

*hangs head*

So in addition to that huge splurge, I need to fill the freezer now!

I've got the beef, and I'm going to hit the bread store (softly) and get a couple more loaves....so that'll be like 10 bucks or so.

then hit TJs and stock up on some frozen fruits and veg, some chicken, raviolis, cheese....I think thats the jist.

then hit reg store for some frozen pizzas and waffles (maybe)

but I promised the kids i'd make a ___load of pancakes so I can freeze the rest :)

I ran out of space in my fridge freezer last time. LOL.

I'm oogling a new sewing machine (after much research, i'm gonna get a janome hd-3000) still, and I am wanting to buy a set of power tools with saw, drill, etc.

But kids all have new oversized pants and such. I did major spring clean on their clothes and gave 2 full bags of outgrown stuff to a coworker (his 8yr old fits into my 5yr olds hand me downs!)

And I really want a pair of cords for myself since I cannot wear jeans but seems cords are more or less acceptable. I have enough khakis tho...

I'm going to spring clean my kitchen and re-organize some cabinets and put aside a few things for my sister in chicago (whomever drives the divide gets to take them!) incl my old 5q dutch oven, and after stockpiling my freezer/pantry should be able to make very nominal trips to the grocery store over the next 4+ months.

I just bought a new vac and the freezer, car is 1yr old, and looks like I might make my goal of 45 in savings by end of the year. Not a bad year!

Trying to maintain focus and NOT spend, but at the same time we've needed some life-improving upgrades....new fridge and dishwasher 2yrs ago, freezer and vac this year, etc.

But man....it's scary to spend a grand in one day. *shudder*

[Basylica]

oh, I should mention that since I'm divorced I only get every other Xmas with the kids. It's been my rule that we don't do 2 holidays (ex doesn't agree however)

so santa doesn't visit my house this year. So I only do xmas once every 2 years....so I tend to be a little splurgier in fall when I know I won't be doing xmas.

Even cheaply, last winter we drove to chicago (about 400 round trip), bought dinner etc a few times (probably 300 in food) over the week, presents for my kids (ehh...maybe 200) and then presents for family (luckily I had fabric, but I used probably 100+ in fabric, plus other gifts),

I swear, i end up SOOO stressed and it costs me 1K to do it!

I'm really going to urge my mom to do name exchange next year I think. we did it as kids (eldest of 6) so it makes no sense that now we don't. I have 6 nieces and nephews, 5 siblings (and currently 3 SOs of said sibs), plus atleast 4 or 5 of my mom's 11 brothers and sisters come by for xmas.

then there is my dad and his side of things (he just divorced, but is already dating someone....)

Last year I bought him 2 new dress shirts and a tie (100ish) because he'd dropped down to 220 from 450. He's now down to 190.

Xmas makes me MENTAL!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

LLBean catalogue came in the mail --> threw it in the trash.

McDonald's --> drove right on by even though the kids were begging

Backcountry.com 75% off with free shipping --> didn't even CLICK it.

Even though the past two days, I've spent money -- it really has been a stellar week this week.

I'm feeling good about the way things are going financially.  I just need to hold tight for seven more days.  And we have a lot of Halloween-related activities to keep us busy the next few days, so I'm hoping to get some more no-spends in there.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

11..  

12..  

13..  $92 winter gear

14..  

15..  

16..  $51 Christmas presents

17.. 

18..  $24 Pizza for the kids

19.. 

20.. $9 MP3 downloads, $15 cake and ice cream

21.. 

22..  $5 salad at pizza place

23..  $29 MOPs registration fee

24.. 

25..

26..

27..

28..

29..

30..

31..

Goal:  15 No Spend Days this month 

Progress:  8 days so far 

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

NEVER too late to start a no-spend challenge.  Welcome aboard, Mamayogi!

Originally Posted by mamayogibear 

So I know it's pretty late in the month to join the no spend challange but I'll hop on board to hopefully start Nov out on the right track! I have quite a few debts I am working to pay off so I will not be including that and regular bills in my no spend challange. Aside from those budgeted expenses I have not spent much this month!
I ordered transcripts from school.

I bought halloween costumes for my kids

I bought winter coats and boots for my kids

I bought lunch at a restaurant once this month.

My goal for the rest of the month is to not spend on anything except food to cook at home (including herbs for tea).

For next month  I am going to strive not to spend!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basylica 

But man....it's scary to spend a grand in one day. *shudder*

Those all sound like very necessary and frugal purchases to me though.  So you are spending $1000 today so you can save money later.  The whole point is to be aware of what you are buying and give it some thought, not to deny yourself of necessities.  Sounds to me like you are doing a great job!

[Basylica]

Thanks Crunchy! Makes me feel a bit better about it!

I do tend to follow a weird pattern of purchases. I look at them, obsess about them, research them for weeks, try them out (test drive) etc...

then when I do buy, I walk in and hand someone my card and say "wrap it"

Thats how I bought my car and the sales dude was floored I didn't want to test drive or be sold the car. I'd test driven that model 4 times and knew more about the car than he did. just write that up!

But it SEEMS like they are hasty purchases I guess :)

the freezer, pots, and vac are all things i've lusted after for years....years and years.

but my mom's uber frugal nature kicks in and says "why did you need a 170 dollar le crueset pot? you can buy one for 40 bucks!" or "a dyson? you can get a 40 dollar dirt devil at walmart"

But i've been able to hack away at a ton of debt and divorce drama for several years, and now i'm putting close to half my salary in savings....and it's totally true. the more you put into savings the more you WANT to save. So i'm walking this odd line (for me!) between being able to afford whatever I want really, and urge to pickup pennies and clip coupons and work a second job to put money in the back. LOL.

[honeybee80]

10/1:  no spend 

10/2:  no spend 

10/3:  no spend 

10/4:  no spend 

10/5:  no spend 

10/6:  budgeted spending  gas $40, windshield wiper $13

10/7:  budgeted spending  groceries $41

10/8:  no spend 

10/9:  no spend 

10/10: no spend 

10/11: no spend 

10/12: no spend 

10/13: budgeted spending  groceries $37, misc. $5, DD's bday party $36, $5 beer

10/14: no spend 

10/15: budgeted spending  DD's field trip $3.25

10/16: no spend 

10/17: no spend 

10/18: budgeted spending  laundry quarters $20 (will last about 6-8 weeks)

10/19: no spend 

10/20: no spend 

10/21: budgeted spending  $35 groceries, $4 soap, $36 gas, $10 bought toys from kids to declutter

10/22: no spend 

10/23: no spend 

10/24: no spend 

I made my meal calendar for next month tonight and got my beginning of month Costco list and weekly grocery lists down on paper (which, of course, will change slightly from week to week based on what else is used up).  I am SUPER motivated right now and have been reading Mr. Money Mustache's blog a ton, which has lots of great things to think about with regards to finances.  I calculated that starting in January, if I stick to my current budget and throw any savings money at my student loan (in addition to the regular monthly SL payment), I think I can get that loan paid off in 3 years!  The possibility of that just got me really excited, as that's something that is totally hanging over my head right now.  The key to all of this working out is my sinking fund, which will still be accumulating $150/mo.  I struggle the most with little purchases that come up here and there and this sinking fund is pretty much covering most of them.  I also just calculated out what I plan to spend on Christmas presents this year, and I think I can get the kids covered for less than $150 (which will be my sinking fund contribution for November, meaning December's will just be stashed).  I'm going to splurge on Padraig slippers for each of them, make them activity binders, buy them a few used books each, and get them stocking stuff.  The slippers are $43 a pair--kinda pricey, but they are awesome and my kids saw me looking at them online and talked about how awesome they looked, so I think they will really appreciate them.  Okay, I'm rambling now ;)  Anyway, I really feel like I'm getting into the no-spend routine and I'm feeling really great about it! :)

[tealsmith83]

You guys are really motivating me!  I am reading this stuff and thinking "that's the way I USED to be!"  Thank you for making me see that. 

Yesterday wasn't too bad...the only spending I did was buying hamburger buns and some other misc. stuff at the grocery which only amounted to less than $3.00.  Then last night after church, we went to the local (AWESOME I might add) donut shop and got donuts which amounted to less than $5.00.  So it was a spend day, but not over the top.

This evening will be a small spend day also, as I help take turns with my grandmother.  We will more than likely go to a local fast food place for supper.  (She really likes to eat out   ).  So that should be $5 - $7 dollars depending on where we decide to go.  I am going to TRY to get way more motivated by the time November rolls around and spend less. 

Christmas doesn't scare me too much because I budget for that every year.  I put money aside every paycheck, so that when Christmas rolls around, I don't have to worry about where the money is coming from. 

Keep up the good work ladies, you all are doing great!  I appreciate you keeping me motivated and thinking!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Bought a ton of groceries today...but I don't count food against me in no-spending because a family of five has to eat.

Otherwise...yeah!  Go me.  I got a day today.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

11..  

12..  

13..  $92 winter gear

14..  

15..  

16..  $51 Christmas presents

17.. 

18..  $24 Pizza for the kids

19.. 

20.. $9 MP3 downloads, $15 cake and ice cream

21.. 

22..  $5 salad at pizza place

23..  $29 MOPs registration fee

24.. 

25.. 

26..

27..

28..

29..

30..

31..

Goal:  15 No Spend Days this month 

Progress:  8 days so far 

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

You've got to eat.  I don't think you can ever count food against yourself...unless you are eating in a $150 each fancy restaurant...then perhaps you could make a wiser choice.  But $5 for some donuts?  Worth every penny.  yummmmm

Quote:

Originally Posted by tealsmith83 

Yesterday wasn't too bad...the only spending I did was buying hamburger buns and some other misc. stuff at the grocery which only amounted to less than $3.00.  Then last night after church, we went to the local (AWESOME I might add) donut shop and got donuts which amounted to less than $5.00.  So it was a spend day, but not over the top.

[Basylica]

Originally Posted by tealsmith83 

Yesterday wasn't too bad...the only spending I did was buying hamburger buns and some other misc. stuff at the grocery which only amounted to less than $3.00.  Then last night after church, we went to the local (AWESOME I might add) donut shop and got donuts which amounted to less than $5.00.  So it was a spend day, but not over the top.

This evening will be a small spend day also, as I help take turns with my grandmother.  We will more than likely go to a local fast food place for supper.  (She really likes to eat out   ).  So that should be $5 - $7 dollars depending on where we decide to go.  I am going to TRY to get way more motivated by the time November rolls around and spend less. 

I agree, you gotta eat!

But I do the beating up of self when we HAVE food in the house, or I could have bought something cheaper if I planned ahead.

Case in point I found freezing $$ bread works well, but if I forget to defrost hamburger buns and end up having to buy at local grocery store I lament that I didn't use "free" ones in freezer, or plan ahead enough to hit the cheap bread store and buy same buns for 1.50 vs 4.50.

I REALLY need to meal plan, but I don't eat all day and if the kids want something I don't particularly like (spaghettios) or we don't have enough of for 3 of us...I feed them and then sit debating about what to eat with nothing sounding very good and end up having to force feed myself something I don't even want.

I've set aside foods specifically to make it, and I just can't bring myself to make and eat that some days.....even if I normally would have liked it!

I hate that about myself...but I can't seem to flip that switch!