~ March No-Spend Challenge ~ Budgeting our way to a pot of gold! - Page 8

[honeybee80]

3/1: no spend 

3/2: budgeted spending  $8 coffee & tylenol

3/3: budgeted spending  $30 subscription to Taproot magazine

3/4: budgeted spending  $13 Whole Foods dinner, $47 groceries, $32 gas

3/5: no spend 

3/6: no spend 

3/7: eeeeek!  String Cheese Horning's ticket $325 (on the CC, no less)

3/8: budgeted spending  $24 groceries, $8 champagne, $8 tip for dinner

3/9: budgeted spending  $11 groceries

3/10: budgeted spending  $43 groceries

3/11: no spend  got my tax refund checks in the mail today!! :)

3/12: no spend 

3/13: no spend 

3/14: no spend 

3/15: budgeted spending  $53 groceries, $40 gas, $39 sandals for DD (saltwaters--so stoked! ;)) +  unplanned spending $100 for deposit for Waldorf charter school my kids got into next year! (woohoo!)

3/16: no spend 

3/17: budgeted spending  $40 groceries, $4 postage, $4 milkshakes for kids

3/18: no spend 

3/19: no spend 

3/20: no spend 

I think someone screwed up at the surgical center because I didn't have to pay anything today.  Should be a nice little run of no spend days here, I'm thinking.  Surgery went well and I'm feeling pretty good, but my leg is still numb, so we'll see what happens tomorrow ;)

[fifasmama]

Originally Posted by fifasmama 

3/18 wet and miserable today, took the kid to the playground at thw close mall. Used threrest of fun money $5 to let hwr ride the train. Not from bank account, She loves trains so totally worth it.

3/19 speech $25 no other spend
3/20 speeech $25 no other spend. Also going down to one time a week whixh will be very helpful

[fifasmama]

Originally Posted by fifasmama 

3/18 wet and miserable today, took the kid to the playground at thw close mall. Used threrest of fun money $5 to let hwr ride the train. Not from bank account, She loves trains so totally worth it.

3/19 speech $25 no other spend
3/20 speeech $25 no other spend. Also going down to one time a week whixh will be very helpful
3/21 no spend
3/22 budgeted spend , 50$ on chicken suppliez. Unbudgetd but necesary baby tylenol and cat food
Edited by fifasmama - 3/22/13 at 4:59pm

[CookiePie]

  No spending      Budgeted spending    Not budgeted/went over budget    Did something to save $ or make extra $       Hung clothes out

    MARCH   

01  

02    Grocery shopped $95

03 

04 

05 

06    Got a few groceries at BJ's Club $43 

07    Spent $11 at CVS on bars of soap, not natural but our fave non-natural brand.  24 bars of soap should last about 2 years, I'd say? I used 7 ECB and got 5 ECB for next time

08    We are snowed in today, which means it's a no spend day, but also no work today for me, which means a smaller paycheck :(

09   Gas & Groceries  I cut DH's hair

10 

11     Got my Dad a gift card for his B-day

12 

13  Groceries

14 

15  Doctor co-pay

16    Me & the 2 girls got haircuts

17    DH brought home Corned Beef Grinders, it's our tradition!!!

18  Filled my car with gas

19 

20    Groceries

Grocery Total: $384

[AprilMary]

March 20 - spent 6.88 from grocery budget 

March 21 - may be , going out later..........

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29

March 30

March 31 vacation

[SweetSilver]

March 21

 DH just lost his biggest client-- the one who let me go last summer.  This means we are going to have to scramble to make up the income, or else the girls are going to have to drop gymnastics.  I am so thoroughly bummed.

Anyway, tonight I run some errands-- and maybe pick up some job applications!

= Oh, crap.  Unexpected.  Unavoidable.  Huge.

= Minor damage

  = No spend

        = Doin' just fine

 = planned but painful

Grocery target= $740

Remaining= $98

I need these things this month:

Materials for chicken tractors: plastic, boards, pipe, connectors, brooder thermometers, extra heat lamp bulbs, etc.

Photos from camera card

Herb starts, etc. for garden?

Deposit for Girl Scout day camp 

Easter presents

[FillingMyQuiver]

Ugh, SweetSilver, that really stinks.  I'm so sorry.

[FillingMyQuiver]

Key

  No Spend/ Budgeted Spending

  Unbudgeted/ Unnecessary Spending

  Did Something Frugal

1.    $28 at McD's for lunch decluttered maternity clothes and baby clothes, passed along to DH's pregnant cousin

2.    winter sowed 2 containers of echinacea seeds, ILs visited overnight and treated our family to dinner

3.      planted 52 onion sets in the garden, ate leftovers for lunch and dinner

4.      all meals had at home, finished off the leftovers for lunch

5.    baked bread in prep for snow storm coming, but I didn't get the stew and additional bread done.  Planted rainbow chard seeds in garden.

6.      Snow storm, lost power, cooked stew, rice, and bread on grill.  Kept warm using the woodstove.

7.    No power, hubby went to store for breakfast cereal.  Ran generator for fridges & freezer.  Picked up more oil lamps and an extra gas can at WalMart & spent $75 on wood for woodstove.

8.        Still no power, DD4 had a well baby visit, my mom watched the rest of the kids & washed the cloth dipes for me at her house.  Spent $75 @ Target for additional drying racks, oil for generator, ash can for the woodstove, mini- LED flashlights for the kids, and new toilet brushes.  Heated w/ woodstove.

9.      Day 4 no power, hubby went to grocery store for hamburgers & hot dogs, my mom took my donations to the thrift store for me, acquired a set of fireplace gloves & fireplace tongs from my parents they no longer use, but proved quite handy for us.

10.     Power was restored this morning!!!  Winter sowed sprouted tomato seeds.  Ended up ordering pizza for dinner.

11.     4 kids had dentist appts, all were cavity free   Had our American Heritage Girls Joining Ceremony, made gluten-free rice krispie treats, was given all of the leftover potato chips at the end of the night.

12.     DH forgot his wallet at home & needed gas for his car.  Had to drive an hour (one way) to his office, kids and I had an unbudgeted McD lunch w/ him.  Prepped 2 loaves of bread to bake in the morning.

13.

14.     winter sowed 4 jugs today, chamomile, thyme, sage, and parsley

15.     hung 2 loads of laundry to dry, planted shelling peas, snow peas, and more onions.

16.     overspent on grocery grocery budget, $9 on Starbucks coffee.  Hung 1 load of laundry to dry.

17.     budgeted spend on felt for DS1's birthday gift (a Cub Scout brag vest).  Hung 1 load of laundry

18.     budgeted spend on knitting patterns for DD3's birthday gifts.  Hung 1 load of laundry.

19.     DH bought my birthday present and surprisingly, stayed in budget.  Hung 1 load of laundry.

20.   My birthday   My kids gave me loads of homemade birthday cards all day long, DH bought me a pair of much needed sneakers, and we ordered delivery pizza for dinner followed by ice cream for the kiddos.  Also bought strawberry plants, and birthday presents for DS1 and my little brother, all budgeted.

21.     Not going anywhere today.  Budgeted spend on race registration for my first 5K in June, will be running it w/ DH .  Hung 1 load of laundry and baked 2 loaves of bread.

Goal for March  15/20 No Spend Days

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by honeybee80 

I think someone screwed up at the surgical center because I didn't have to pay anything today.  Should be a nice little run of no spend days here, I'm thinking.  Surgery went well and I'm feeling pretty good, but my leg is still numb, so we'll see what happens tomorrow ;)

Rest and heal.  Hope you are feeling good today.  

[Ruthiegirl]

  No spend/Budgeted spend

   Unbudgeted Spend

Save 30% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- 292.61/300

Gas -- 60/60 for van, 0/45 for car

March 1 --   groceries, gas, bills, and socks

March 2 --   

March 3 -- 

March 4 --   heating bill

March 5 --  ice cream for kids

March 6 --   groceries

March 7 --  more snacks

March 8 --   more groceries

March 9 -- 

March 10 --       breakfast out

March 11 -- 

March 12 -- 

March 13 -- 

March 14 -- 

 

Save 20% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- 28.32/150

Gas -- 63.70/60 for van, 37.38/45 for car

March 15 --  dinner to celebrate selling our house

March 16 -- 

March 17 --  cat carriers for our move

March 18 -- 

March 19 -- 

March 20 --  dentist co-pay

March 21 --  few groceries

March 22

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29 -- pay day

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Goal = 10 No spend days this month

Progress = 7 no spend days so far

14..

15..

16.. $310 Running stuff

17..

18..

19..

20.. 

21..  $20 dinner out with friends

22.. 

23..

24..

25..

26..

27..

28..

29..

30..

31..

Edited by Crunchy*VT*Mom - 3/22/13 at 9:56am

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

I'm sorry to hear that, SweetSilver.  Good luck to you and your family. 

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by FillingMyQuiver 

Ugh, SweetSilver, that really stinks.  I'm so sorry.

DH is more optimistic than I am.  It is helpful that with the refinance, we got a $900 check from the escrow account of our previous lender.  Plus we got our REI dividend-- with our REI Visa that came to $550 (!!!) and our taxes are turned in and we usually get a refund.  Luckily we are not earning as much from that job this time of year so we are not going to feel it right away.  DH resubmitted his advertisement in the co-op newsletter, and I imagine we will spend a bit more on advertising.  I am a nervous Nellie with money, so my jitters might be overblown.  I'm glad dh thought we could keep them in gym until our planned break June-August.  After that, we'll see!  It's so hard to plan with income like this because it varies, and the big money drains (cars, appliances, dental, medical) are also unpredictable.

Thanks for the sympathy.  It helps.

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl 

Rest and heal.  Hope you are feeling good today.  

Thank you!  Feeling better now that I realized I can take 2 pills at a time instead of 1 (I didn't realize this until WAY too late today!)--much less pain than earlier today ;)

3/1: no spend 

3/2: budgeted spending  $8 coffee & tylenol

3/3: budgeted spending  $30 subscription to Taproot magazine

3/4: budgeted spending  $13 Whole Foods dinner, $47 groceries, $32 gas

3/5: no spend 

3/6: no spend 

3/7: eeeeek!  String Cheese Horning's ticket $325 (on the CC, no less)

3/8: budgeted spending  $24 groceries, $8 champagne, $8 tip for dinner

3/9: budgeted spending  $11 groceries

3/10: budgeted spending  $43 groceries

3/11: no spend  got my tax refund checks in the mail today!! :)

3/12: no spend 

3/13: no spend 

3/14: no spend 

3/15: budgeted spending  $53 groceries, $40 gas, $39 sandals for DD (saltwaters--so stoked! ;)) +  unplanned spending $100 for deposit for Waldorf charter school my kids got into next year! (woohoo!)

3/16: no spend 

3/17: budgeted spending  $40 groceries, $4 postage, $4 milkshakes for kids

3/18: no spend 

3/19: no spend 

3/20: no spend 

3/21: no spend 

[SweetSilver]

March 22

 I'm buyin' some coffee today, dammit!  Just an Americano with cream and sugar, pretty cheap.  Work day today, and I could have made this a no-spend, but I really need a pick-me-up.

Yesterday I had an errand day to myself, and it turned out to be:  this.  Lost my mojo, even though I didn't fare too badly.  I found clearance jeans at the Lee jeans outlet that were only $10 a pair (take THAT, Goodwill!).  I also brought home some "bike shorts" from the Gap outlet that were not as cheap as I would have liked.  A handful of clothes for the girls, mainly pants, from the thrift store.  Washed/vacuumed the car at the car wash.  Our dirt road has done a number on our car!  And as far as the vacuum, we could have grown crops in there.  I could have saved the $11, but it's once a year and I like using the power tools.     Picked up Easter presents for the girls.  Was going to order prints for the camera card but forgot it.  Phlbbbbt!  I have no idea when I'll get to do this again.  A handful of groceries. The girls wanted some snacks from their snack fund.  I could have avoided the bagel sandwich, if I had realized I wouldn't be doing the pictures.  Oh, well, that was only 6.75.  It hurt spending this money the day I learned about dh losing that client, but all this was planned.

 = Lost my mojo

= Oh, crap.  Unexpected.  Unavoidable.  Huge.

= Minor damage

  = No spend

         = Doin' just fine

 = planned but painful

Grocery target= $740

Remaining= $98

I need these things this month:

Materials for chicken tractors: plastic, boards, pipe, connectors, brooder thermometers, extra heat lamp bulbs, etc.

Photos from camera card

Herb starts, etc. for garden?

Deposit for Girl Scout day camp 

Easter presents

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

End of the month.  Money is very low.  Need to keep things tight this next week.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom 

Goal = 10 No spend days this month

Progress = 7 no spend days so far

14..

15..

16.. $310 Running stuff

17..

18..

19..

20.. 

21..  $20 dinner out with friends

22.. 

23..

24..

25..

26..

27..

28..

29..

30..

31..

[Ruthiegirl]

Bit of spending today.  We are getting ready for swim team season -- I picked up new goggles and suits for each of the kids and 2 pairs of pants for my son who is steadily shredding all of his clothes.  Good grief, this boy is so hard on clothes.  

  No spend/Budgeted spend

   Unbudgeted Spend

Save 30% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- 292.61/300

Gas -- 60/60 for van, 0/45 for car

March 1 --   groceries, gas, bills, and socks

March 2 --   

March 3 -- 

March 4 --   heating bill

March 5 --  ice cream for kids

March 6 --   groceries

March 7 --  more snacks

March 8 --   more groceries

March 9 -- 

March 10 --       breakfast out

March 11 -- 

March 12 -- 

March 13 -- 

March 14 -- 

 

Save 20% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- 28.32/150

Gas -- 63.70/60 for van, 37.38/45 for car

March 15 --  dinner to celebrate selling our house

March 16 -- 

March 17 --  cat carriers for our move

March 18 -- 

March 19 -- 

March 20 --  dentist co-pay

March 21 --  few groceries

March 22 --  bathing suits, goggles, and pants and  ice cream

March 23

March 24

March 25

March 26

March 27

March 28

March 29 -- pay day

Edited by Ruthiegirl - 3/23/13 at 6:07am

[honeybee80]

Quote:

Bit of spending today.  We are getting ready for swim team season -- I picked up new goggles and suits for each of the kids and 2 pairs of pants for my son who is steadily shredding all of his clothes.  Good grief, this boy is so hard on clothes.  

I hear ya on the boy shredding pants thing--my DS has huge holes in the right knee of every single pair of pants he owns!  I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to fork over a little extra to get him some double knee Hanna Andersson pants.  They are $32 each...I've added them to my shopping cart a few times, but I'm having a hard time actually completing the order ;)

[KayleeZoo]

honeybee, the Hanna pants are worth it. I cringed, too, until I added up what I spent on pants for him that he shredded the knees on   The Hannas have held up *SO* much better. I've always bought Hanna for my girls but didn't think the boys clothes were worth it. Until the pants.

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by KayleeZoo 

honeybee, the Hanna pants are worth it. I cringed, too, until I added up what I spent on pants for him that he shredded the knees on   The Hannas have held up *SO* much better. I've always bought Hanna for my girls but didn't think the boys clothes were worth it. Until the pants.

Okay, I'm sold on the idea now ;)  I have been lucky enough to find a fair amount of Hannas at thrift stores, but boys pants are pretty much impossible to find these days.  I think I just need to splurge on them!