November No-Spend Challenge ~ Don't let little purchases gobble gobble up your savings. - Page 6

[Surfacing]

'Nuff said.

[SweetSilver]

11/1)     Budgeted 

11/2)   No spend

11/3)   No spend

11/4)   No spend

11/5)     Almost no spend

11/6)     Groceries, a bit over budget

11/7)   Budgeted groceries, day 2.  .

11/8)   Forgot more groceries, but budgeted.

************************************************************

11/9)    ....and some more groceries.  Plus, since I didn't pack snacks and I brought the girls, ended up paying more for snacks we didn't need.  (Sigh....)  I blame some of this craziness on making 3 meals for lots of people, and having to deal with leftovers, and I've some missteps in planning meals.  I must find my groove again.  

I filled up the gas tank.  I hate buying stuff for the car, but I guess gas prices are lower.

11/10)    No spend, because we're not going anywhere.

11/11)    No spend, ditto

We are going to town tomorrow and Tuesday.  Hope for a bit more discipline and planning.

Food bill about $399 for the month.  Yikes.

[pickle18]

Ok, playing catch up...

 - extra thrifty

 - no spend

 - normal expense

 - unplanned extra

1.  groceries

2. 

3.  $20 birthday present for niece - this is borderline, because we could have spent a lil less if I'd made something or bought something small, but we did cash (of course, the difference would probably have been eaten up by time and gas money...)

4. 

5. 

6.  (DH brought home a pizza - I'm not counting this! )

7. 

8.  MOSTLY budgeted items at grocery store, but I've been super nauseous lately (stupid mini pill) so @ health food place I did splurge on a big bottle of ginger juice w/ honey & lemon and some yummy sweet and sour tofu that I split with DS @ the playground  - total unbudgeted: $10

9.  Walked through autumn air, past drugstore AND delicious coffee shop to make it to library and playground and back (free fun - whoo hoo!) - planning to make a mug of hot ACV with cayenne and honey as treat instead (toddler nap nursing).

10.  Had to take cat to the vet, giant bill for services plus new flea meds for cat and dog (apparently the fleas in our area are now immune to the cheap stuff) AND we got a pizza (not even cheap pizza night, like last time, but we did get it from the cheaper local place) - hopefully cat feels better soon, poor guy!

11.  Heading to the grocery store today for snacks and such - will exercise restraint (or be forced to edit this)!  And I washed up some old dog toys I'd put away in a toy box years ago (when the dog was my only baby ) instead of buying new.

[honeybee80]

11/1: no spend 

11/2: no spend 

11/3: budgeted spending  Costco $130 (once a month trip), Grocery store $42, Stamps $9, Gas $33

11/4: no spend 

11/5: no spend 

11/6: no spend 

11/7: no spend 

11/8: no spend 

11/9: no spend 

11/10: budgeted spending  thrift store $13

11/11: budgeted spending  $57 groceries, $37 gas,  $10 glass of wine (unbudgeted)

So great ski pants deal ended up working out not-so-great...how did DD get so dang tall?  Need to take those back.  And the search goes on.  I may need to adjust later tonight, as we're going to hit up a different thrift store near my parents' house this afternoon on our way there.

ETA:  some unbudgeted spending.  A friend of mine called last night and asked if I wanted to go see her boyfriend play music at this nice jazz place close by, so I went.  I got in for free, but bought a glass of wine.  While I spent money within my budget, I'm still counting it as unbudgeted because I didn't really need it.

Edited by honeybee80 - 11/12/12 at 5:23am

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

...sung to the tune of "camptown ladies"

We have nooo money in the bank, doo dah, doo dah

We have nooo money in the bank, oh the doo dah day

That song right there means that this next week is going to be an easy- no spender for me.  Can't spend it if you haven't got it.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

01.. 

02.. 

03..  $195 Christmas presents

04.. 

05.. 

06.. 

07..    

08..  $87 Christmas cards and pictures

09..  $40 hair

10.. 

11..  $15 ski repair

12..

13..

14..

15..

My goal = 20 No Spend Days

My progress =  7  days so far

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

word

Originally Posted by Surfacing 

'Nuff said.

[tealsmith83]

No spend =  

Budgeted spend = 

Unbudgeted spend =  

1.      Supper with my grandmother

2.    No spend!  Yay me!  

3.        Oh well...can't be good every day...

4.No spend!

5.       Chicken feed, stock up on gasoline while it's down to $3.17/gal.  On the upside, resisted eating out for supper!

6.No spend!    4 out of 6 so far...pretty good!

7.  Woohoo!   Tomorrow SHOULD BE a budgeted spend.  

8.    Ordered new carpet for the LR.  Big spend!  Supper at McDonald's.  Will hope for a better day tomorrow.

9.    No spend!   6 out of 9

10.     Spent today (groceries, gas, breakfast, snack money for DS for his class, etc.)  

11.    Lunch at Arby's

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[mamayogibear]

Today was a really spendy day! Every time I hang out with my sister it is a spendy day, lol.

We went shopping at a bunch of thriftstores and got unique books and toys which were all half off for the holiday.

Then we went to a few stores with coupons and sales that were today instead of just tomorrow and bought a stockpile of 'essentials'.

I feel kind of bad about spending so much today on things I am just going to leave on the shelf for a few months till I need them.

[Basylica]

We did pretty good this weekend  - if you don't count shopping around for guitar lessons!

Usually weekends are my spendy times.

I went to trader joes and spent a bit and stockpiled freezer a bit more ($65) and then hit container store for freezer baskets and magnetic spice tins ($25)

I really need to hitup target and get DS1 a new winter jacket now that weather has turned!

and tomorrow will be $$....gotta take son in for dentist visit, and he's going to make me pay in full because of my ex's dental insurance. urk.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Payday is three days away.

Still singing Camptown Ladies up here.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

01.. 

02.. 

03..  $195 Christmas presents

04.. 

05.. 

06.. 

07..    

08..  $87 Christmas cards and pictures

09..  $40 hair

10.. 

11..  $15 ski repair

12.. 

13..

14..

15..

My goal = 20 No Spend Days

My progress =  8  days so far

[CookiePie]

Budgeted         Not Budgeted/went over      Saved $, got freebee, paid something off, worked an extra shift           hung clothes out         

November
1.  DD2 sport workshop $62  budgeted   Working an extra shift tonight    and just  

2    No spend day! I resisted getting lunch out after school.  Instead I came home and made eggs & toast. I hung 2 loads of laundry   Picked up extra shift

3   No spend day! 

4    Bought $10 of groceries, also got budgeted wood heating pellets and

5      No spend!   Working an extra shift

6    Working an extra shift today

7   No spend  I'm supposed to be working an extra shift tonight!

8.    No spend! Worked extra shift

9. Budgeted spending on groceries

10. Budgeted raw milk & dry goods from bulk bins

11.   Made a really frugal venison soup with soup bones veggies and barley I'm becoming so aware of how much barely worn stuff gets thrown in by line drying  

12.  Deep cleaned my kitchen.  Culturing a batch of yogurt and making homemade granola

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Originally Posted by CookiePie 

  Deep cleaned my kitchen.  

That is SO what I should be doing tomorrow.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

You can compare what you spend each month for groceries with this September 2012 chart from the USDA:

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodSep2012.pdf

Food is EXPENSIVE!!

[tealsmith83]

No spend =  

Budgeted spend = 

Unbudgeted spend =  

1.      Supper with my grandmother

2.    No spend!  Yay me!  

3.        Oh well...can't be good every day...

4.No spend!

5.       Chicken feed, stock up on gasoline while it's down to $3.17/gal.  On the upside, resisted eating out for supper!

6.No spend!    4 out of 6 so far...pretty good!

7.  Woohoo!   Tomorrow SHOULD BE a budgeted spend.  

8.    Ordered new carpet for the LR.  Big spend!  Supper at McDonald's.  Will hope for a better day tomorrow.

9.    No spend!   6 out of 9

10.     Spent today (groceries, gas, breakfast, snack money for DS for his class, etc.)  

11.    Lunch at Arby's

12.  No spend!

13.

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[honeybee80]

11/1: no spend 

11/2: no spend 

11/3: budgeted spending  Costco $130 (once a month trip), Grocery store $42, Stamps $9, Gas $33

11/4: no spend 

11/5: no spend 

11/6: no spend 

11/7: no spend 

11/8: no spend 

11/9: no spend 

11/10: budgeted spending  thrift store $13 - $3 (returned ski pants)

11/11: budgeted spending  $57 groceries, $37 gas,  $10 glass of wine (unbudgeted)

11/12: no spend 

[SweetSilver]

1/1)     Budgeted 

11/2)   No spend

11/3)   No spend

11/4)   No spend

11/5)     Almost no spend

11/6)     Groceries, a bit over budget

11/7)   Budgeted groceries, day 2.  .

11/8)   Forgot more groceries, but budgeted.

11/9)    ....and some more groceries.  Gas.

11/10)    No spend

11/11)    No spend

**************************************************

11/12    Almost no spend--bought a couple cheap snacks for everyone, about 2.50.

Food bill about $401.50 for the month. 

Had a heart-to-heart with the girls today.  They keep asking for french fries and hot chocolates at the coffee stand.  Finally, we started talking about "finding money" in our grocery/snack/treat bill.  We could make room there.  We are scraping this time of the year.  It was a good conversation we'll see tomorrow and the next week how it ends up.

Almost finished a hat for myself from old yarn, and I resisted buying 16" cable needles, using instead my double pointed needles in that size.  

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Today will be a challenge for me.

Having no money in the bank has never stopped me before.  That's what credit cards are for.

I need to fight that urge and keep my self out of the stores and off the internet.

My plan for the day is to copy Cookie and deep clean my kitchen.  It's rainy and cold.  Perfect day for home improvement projects.

[CookiePie]

Great plan CrunchyVTMom!  I was looking at this site for cleaning/organizing inspiration I've been having the itch to get started with Christmas shopping, which I will start very soon.  I have some money set aside for gifts already, but I'm eager to see how much extra money I've earned in the last 2 weeks picking up extra shifts at work. I want to allocate some of those earnings toward gifts.  I also want to do much of my shopping online to help me focus on my list and not find more gifts that the kids didn't even ask for.  

Budgeted         Not Budgeted/went over      Saved $, got freebee, paid something off, worked an extra shift           hung clothes out         

November
1.  DD2 sport workshop $62  budgeted   Working an extra shift tonight    and just  

2    No spend day! I resisted getting lunch out after school.  Instead I came home and made eggs & toast. I hung 2 loads of laundry   Picked up extra shift

3   No spend day! 

4    Bought $10 of groceries, also got budgeted wood heating pellets and

5      No spend!   Working an extra shift

6    Working an extra shift today

7   No spend  I'm supposed to be working an extra shift tonight!

8.    No spend! Worked extra shift

9. Budgeted spending on groceries

10. Budgeted raw milk & dry goods from bulk bins

11.   Made a really frugal venison soup with soup bones veggies and barley I'm becoming so aware of how much barely worn stuff gets thrown in by line drying  

12.  Deep cleaned my kitchen.  Culturing a batch of yogurt and making homemade granola

13.    No spend

Edited by CookiePie - 11/13/12 at 8:54am

[tealsmith83]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

Today will be a challenge for me.

Having no money in the bank has never stopped me before.  That's what credit cards are for.

I need to fight that urge and keep my self out of the stores and off the internet.

My plan for the day is to copy Cookie and deep clean my kitchen.  It's rainy and cold.  Perfect day for home improvement projects.

You can do it Crunchy*VT*Mom... I have faith in you!  Put your credit cards in the freezer and walk away. 

I'm hoping today will be a budgeted spend for me.  Have to pay for the remainder of a school trip to Chicago which comes up in April, but it is budgeted for.  I'm thinking there won't be anything else today.  Fingers crossed! 

[FillingMyQuiver]

Key

  No spend/ budgeted spending

  Unbudgeted spending

  Crafted for at least 30 minutes

1.      Starting the month off right

2.     

3.   

4.    I've already spent a chunk on some Christmas presents for the ILs and DH.  I wasn't planning to spend this much, but the gifts I got are *perfect* for them and they're so incredibly generous with us, I don't feel the least bit sad or guilty about it,   Also, we're doing our big monthly grocery shop at Costco.  DH isn't coming w/ us, so hopefully I'll have an easier time sticking to the list and budget.

5.      DH had a dr appt and needed a prescription, thankfully we have a medical sink fund to cover the co-pays.

6.   

7.      I have got to stop going on zulily.  I just dropped another chunk on some probably unneeded Christmas gifts

8.   

9.    Budgeted spending today-  picked up DS2's birthday present.  Quite happy because we got it on sale AND had a gift card we were able to apply to it, so although I budgeted $100 for it, we only ended up spending OOP $75.  ALSO, I had a coupon for a $10 gift card if you spent a certain amount, so I have another $10 gc in my wallet now to apply to future gifts

10.      I knew today would be a spending day.  We bought "gifts" to fill our Operation Christmas Child boxes for church and we finished out the monthly grocery shop.  We went over the grocery budget because I let DH convince me to get lunch meat and I found a good deal on potatoes, 50lbs for $17, so I bought a sack.  Also, though I had intended on making DD1's birthday cake for tomorrow, I just don't have the time or energy, so we bought one.

11.      More Christmas gifts.  *sigh*

12.    Whew, finally.  Most of today was spent prepping for our scout pack meeting potluck.

13.    Not going anywhere today.  Hopefully I'll make some progress on homemade gifts.