~December~ No-Spend Challenge -- Is your shopping finished? Time to come join us! - Page 3

[FillingMyQuiver]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

Wow.  December is a very hard month to watch your spending.  Wow.

Today I'm going to Costco.  I would very much like to go to Costco without any children because toys are living large in that store this time of year.  but I've got to take them.  grrrrr....

And my friends are planning a lot of nights out -- I'm a very social person and I don't like to live like a hermit...but I keep reminding myself how much more fun it is going to be AFTER January 1st when I can go out without that second mortgage hanging over my head.

I just declined a couple of invitations.  That was hard.

But these are short term sacrifices.  My friends will still be going out in January.  And February. And so on...

I just need to hold that money tight for a few more weeks.

TODAY....my goal.... is to go to Costco with a list.  Buy only the things on my list (exciting things like milk and cat litter) and if I buy ONLY that necessary budgeted stuff, then I get a no-spend for the day. 

(See SweetSilver you are influencing me with the mini-goals! )

December is incredibly hard for No Spend!!

Keep reminding yourself Prudence, "Live like no one else now, so later you can live like no one else!"  The sacrifice of going out with friends IS only temporary.

As for going to Costco with the kids on tow, I feel your pain   That's one of my major issues with Costco, the temptation it presents to my children.  I'm able to walk away from most of the stuff, but the toys, they call to my children every time we go.

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

Micah -- this is a good idea!  I like that you have that as one of your goals.  That seems like celebrating the positive to me and that helps to not feel deprived.

Thanks! I got the idea from other ladies putting the crafting icon on there, I'm not crafty at all but I do a lot at home that I enjoy that saves money. :)

[micah_mae_]

12/1  We were traveling and I forgot to feed us breakfast before we left. Spent $15. 

12/2  Today will be budgeted Christmas spending only.  

12/3  Oil change and I'll spend about $10 on the way home. Tomorrow should be my first no spend day!

12/4  Ok so I spent about $95 on groceries which is $5 under budget even though $7 was unnecessary stuff and I spent $7 at starbucks because my kids pushed me to my coffee point. :(

12/5   I was good all day until I went through chick fil a. $17. I didn't even think about it! It was like...subconcious or something, afterwards I was like "NOOO, my no spend day!!!" Sigh. 

Stuff I did to be frugal at home: We had oranges with breakfast and I had lemon water, I put all the peels in a big jar and covered with vinegar to make a citrus cleaning solution. We are also making granola bars for snacks and I'm using the leftover granola bar stuff to make a homemade cold cereal for me to snack on after the boys go to bed (bran flakes, dried blueberries, cranberries and strawberries, chopped almonds, coconut). 

 

12/6  $5 on breakfast and I'm about to go to Wal Mart to get my 2 yo his own undies since he randomly decided to poop and pee on the potty today. :)

 

I decided I'm going to count days with only budgeted spending as no spend..

 

 

 

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2/20 No spend days

 

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Key

 Did something frugal at home

 No spend

 Budgeted spend

 Unbudgeted Spend

Edited by micah_mae_ - 12/6/12 at 9:21am

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

 

We had oranges with breakfast and I had lemon water, I put all the peels in a big jar and covered with vinegar to make a citrus cleaning solution. 

 

How does this work?  I'm going to try this.  Does it take a lot of peels?  Or just a few in some vinegar?  Then diluted with water or not?

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

so far so good.  I decided to postpone Costco until tomorrow.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

How does this work?  I'm going to try this.  Does it take a lot of peels?  Or just a few in some vinegar?  Then diluted with water or not?

This is how I do it.  Sometimes I dilute it half-half with water, sometimes I do less water if I want a bit of a stronger citrus cleaner.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Key

  No Spend/ Budgeted Spending

  Un-budgeted/ Unnecessary Spending

  Crafted for at least 30 minutes

1.  Unbudgeted lunch out, budgeted grocery shopping.

2.      Didn't go anywhere.  DH fixed a faulty outlet in the kitchen, then we put together our free bed frame.  This is how we need to spend our weekends, getting household projects done, NOT shopping.

3.      Bought the very last thing on the Christmas gift list (I've been watching zuliliy for it for weeks now), but it was budgeted.  There shouldn't be anymore spending happening today, hopefully raking and garden bed upkeep will get done instead.

4.      Budgeted spending today, but I feel   DS2 has a virus that ended us up in the dr's office (rash & fever), had to get him an Rx for some steroid cream for his flaring eczema, stopped at the grocery store and grabbed some quick things for dinner (thankfully there's money in the food budget).

5.      Stayed home, stayed away from online shopping, got a gnome for DD3 knit, will be working on more crafting after the rugrats go to bed.

Tomorrow should also be a No Spend day with quite a bit of crafting happening.

4/20 No Spend Days

5/20 Crafting Days

[SweetSilver]

This month I am adding some smaller goals.  I'm going to post them a day or three in advance, and I get a Happy Little Dude-icon if I make it.

Last month I had about 12 No-spend days , and a handful of budgeted spending days .  I'm not even going to try to make a goal about # of days this-or-that because of the uncertainties of Christmas shopping, but I need to avoid  days.

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

Here's what actually happened:

12/1 Waldorf Winter Faire.  Cost went up--spent $35 .  Spent $8 on Christmas ornaments, so an itty-bitty .  Still, I packed lunch as planned, and made no other stops.  So I deserve something, and this little Bouncy-Dude is just right. 

12/2    No-spend day 

12/3    No spend day  Made that awesome, no-spend, handcrafted Christmas wreath you can see on post #29.

12/4  Groceries $92  Stuck to the lists!!   I just didn't make the very best lists.  

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

12/5  Groceries $34.  That's $126/ $156 for the week ending Friday.

Here are the goals for the next 3 days:

12/6 This will be a no-spend day as we are all home.  Maybe I'll get to the online Christmas shopping.

12/7  This will be a small spend day, stopping by Trader Joe's for juice, etc.  Looks like we have $30 to keep on target with our monthly food budget ($800 this month).  I'm working.  DH is taking the girls to gymnastics and doing the shopping.

12/8  This will be a no-spend or online shopping.  Baking bread day.

[meandk0610]

key:

no spend-     

budgeted spend-       

over budget or not budgeted-   

extra shift, freebee awesome deal-   

hung clothes on line-

12/1:   

12/2:   

12/3:

12/4:

12/5:

12/6:   never made it to walmart

12/7:  

Edited by meandk0610 - 12/7/12 at 4:05pm

[tealsmith83]

 = No spend/budgeted spend

 = Unbudgeted spend

1.    Breakfast out

2.    Lunch out after church

3.    Supper out tonight with a dear cousin who is going through a rough patch

4. 

5.    Man, this month is hard to get a grip on.  Supper out, husband made 2 purchases (one at school and one on-line). 

6.  Not sure about today yet.  I need to order DH's birthday and Christmas (he's a 3 day before Christmas baby). So today will more than likely be a spend day also.  Will repost later when I know for sure.

[SweetSilver]

This month I am adding some smaller goals.  I'm going to post them a day or three in advance, and I get a Happy Little Dude-icon if I make it.

Last month I had about 12 No-spend days , and a handful of budgeted spending days .  I'm not even going to try to make a goal about # of days this-or-that because of the uncertainties of Christmas shopping, but I need to avoid  days.

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

Here's what actually happened:

12/1 Waldorf Winter Faire.  Cost went up--spent $35 .  Spent $8 on Christmas ornaments, so an itty-bitty .  Still, I packed lunch as planned, and made no other stops.  So I deserve something, and this little Bouncy-Dude is just right. 

12/2    No-spend day 

12/3    No spend day  Made that awesome, no-spend, handcrafted Christmas wreath you can see on post #29.

12/4  Groceries $92  Stuck to the lists!!   I just didn't make the very best lists.  

12/5  Groceries $34.  That's $126/ $156 for the week ending Friday.

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

12/6   Online Christmas shopping.  I get a Dancing Banana today, but I don't know how I'm going to stick the Christmas budget dh and I agreed on.  

Here are the goals for the next 3 days:

12/7  This will be a small spend day, stopping by Trader Joe's for juice, etc.  Looks like we have $30 to keep on target with our monthly food budget ($800 this month).  I'm working.  DH is taking the girls to gymnastics and doing the shopping.

12/8 We are going into town this afternoon for the girls' gymnastics showoff.  I've promised them a trip to the coffee stand.  Dairy Queen, too, for french fries?  Perhaps, as this event runs pretty late.  

12/9  This will be a no-spend day.

I'm feeling like I'm fighting off this illness that has been lurking at our house since Thanksgiving.  I work tomorrow, and I really need to kick this.

[micah_mae_]

12/1  We were traveling and I forgot to feed us breakfast before we left. Spent $15. 

12/2  Today will be budgeted Christmas spending only.  

12/3  Oil change and I'll spend about $10 on the way home. Tomorrow should be my first no spend day!

12/4  Ok so I spent about $95 on groceries which is $5 under budget even though $7 was unnecessary stuff and I spent $7 at starbucks because my kids pushed me to my coffee point. :(

12/5   I was good all day until I went through chick fil a. $17. I didn't even think about it! It was like...subconcious or something, afterwards I was like "NOOO, my no spend day!!!" Sigh. 

Stuff I did to be frugal at home: We had oranges with breakfast and I had lemon water, I put all the peels in a big jar and covered with vinegar to make a citrus cleaning solution. We are also making granola bars for snacks and I'm using the leftover granola bar stuff to make a homemade cold cereal for me to snack on after the boys go to bed (bran flakes, dried blueberries, cranberries and strawberries, chopped almonds, coconut). 

 

12/6   $5 on breakfast and I'm about to go to Wal Mart to get my 2 yo his own undies since he randomly decided to poop and pee on the potty today.

 

I decided I'm going to count days with only budgeted spending as no spend..

 

 

 

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

 

2/20 No spend days

 

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

Key

 Did something frugal at home

 No spend

 Budgeted spend

 Unbudgeted Spend

Edited by micah_mae_ - 12/6/12 at 10:18am

[micah_mae_]

Why is this so hard this month?

[SweetSilver]

12/6  $5 on breakfast and I'm about to go to Wal Mart to get my 2 yo his own undies since he randomly decided to poop and pee on the potty today. :)

 

I decided I'm going to count days with only budgeted spending as no spend..

 

 

 

 

 

I think celebratory undies deserve something happy as well, like:

Or:

Or:

And I think you should get something happy for budgeted spending days as well.  I once lived for nearly a year or more without one dollar passing through my fingertips, but that was kind of a zen, hippie-trippy year and my home was by backpack!

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

I think celebratory undies deserve something happy as well, like:

Or:

Or:

And I think you should get something happy for budgeted spending days as well.  I once lived for nearly a year or more without one dollar passing through my fingertips, but that was kind of a zen, hippie-trippy year and my home was by backpack!

 Good call, I'll be adding another happy smilie! :) It's weird because it's my 2 year old, my 4 year old has NEVER pooped on the potty and my 2 yo is just like "hey, today I'm going to be potty training, just fyi." 

I feel like a year of no spending, traveling, back packing, etc would be amazing..have you written about it? I'd love to read more!

[SweetSilver]

I had a page or two in the book "Walking the Trail" by someone or other.  It's funny because I was really just starting out.  That wasn't when I didn't use money, though, because I remember buying beans and tortillas and fig newtons from the mini-mart where I had the talk with the author.  There are some more recent books that sound interesting from at least one person (in England is the one I heard about on NPR) and he made it more than an experiment.  The guy is, like, making flour from dandelion seeds (or something like that!).

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

I spent over $400 today but it was all on gasoline for the car and food.

Budgeted spending.  I stuck strictly to my list at Costco.

I even had three fleeces for the girls in my cart at one point and put them back.  I put back a Quart of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

I was hardcore.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

My goal for the month = 15 no-spend days

My progress so far = 3 days

01..  $166 ski stuff

02.. 

03..  $8.50 bagels

04.. 

05.. 

06..

07..

08..

09..

10..

11..

12..

13..

14..

15..  PAY OFF our 2nd Mortgage. 

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

 

I decided I'm going to count days with only budgeted spending as no spend..

 

That's what I do.  Congratulations on having a new potty-user in your home!!

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Why is this so hard this month?

December = the hardest month of the year.

I think it is because so many people around you are spending money this month.  And all the festivities.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

I spent over $400 today but it was all on gasoline for the car and food.

Budgeted spending.  I stuck strictly to my list at Costco.

I even had three fleeces for the girls in my cart at one point and put them back.  I put back a Quart of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.

I was hardcore.

and on the ice cream!!  Great job, Prudence!!

[FillingMyQuiver]

Key

  No Spend/ Budgeted Spending

  Un-budgeted/ Unnecessary Spending

  Crafted for at least 30 minutes

1.  Unbudgeted lunch out, budgeted grocery shopping.

2.      Didn't go anywhere.  DH fixed a faulty outlet in the kitchen, then we put together our free bed frame.  This is how we need to spend our weekends, getting household projects done, NOT shopping.

3.      Bought the very last thing on the Christmas gift list (I've been watching zuliliy for it for weeks now), but it was budgeted.  There shouldn't be anymore spending happening today, hopefully raking and garden bed upkeep will get done instead.

4.      Budgeted spending today, but I feel   DS2 has a virus that ended us up in the dr's office (rash & fever), had to get him an Rx for some steroid cream for his flaring eczema, stopped at the grocery store and grabbed some quick things for dinner (thankfully there's money in the food budget).

5.      Stayed home, stayed away from online shopping, got a gnome for DD3 knit, will be working on more crafting after the rugrats go to bed.

6.      Stayed home again, no spending.  Lots of crafting for the holidays happening.

5/20 No Spend Days

6/20 Crafting Days