~ March No-Spend Challenge ~ Budgeting our way to a pot of gold! - Page 3

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by MonkeyPrincess 

I'm here to keep myself accountable for some very much anticipated allotted spending.  As well as to help me maintain my monthly budget from now on, now that we are finally in a position to actually HAVE a budget again!

I'm also looking for some suggestions, if anyone has any, on some budgeting tools. I'd love for my husband and I to both have access (an app on our phones, perhaps?) to track our spending, but linked  together so we can each see what's going on. 

Going to check the last few days, and come back with an update. 

I used Easy Envelope Budget for a few months until I got my spending pretty well under control.  Not sure if you can both have access, but it would be worth looking into--it's really easy to use!

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

Hoping these spending days balance out with a lot of no spend days at the end of this month after my ACL surgery ;)  I'll be buying String Cheese Incident tickets this Thursday when they go on sale for summer tour (with money from my tax refund), so that will be another spend day this week, but other than that, I should have to spend much else this week.

ETA:  Crap, I forgot that I am getting my hair cut on Wednesday this week, too.  Apparently it's just a spending kind of week.  Hopefully it evens out!

Edited by honeybee80 - 3/4/13 at 6:47pm

[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

Goal for March  3/20 No Spend Days

[CookiePie]

I'm working on keeping the budget super strict this month because we have a weekend out of state at the end of March for my daughter's competition!

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

    MARCH   

01  

02    Grocery shopped

03 

04 

05 

06

07

08

09

10

[Ruthiegirl]

We had a house showing today and I took the kids out for an ice cream cone as a thank you for all of their amazing patience and willingness to keep their things very, very tidy.  They loved it.  They have been working so hard to keep the house ready for showings and an ice cream was just the right move today.  And shhhh...don't tell them, but we went to the super cheap place rather than the fancy place, so it was only a few dollars for 3 small cones.  

  No spend/Budgeted spend

   Unbudgeted Spend

Save 30% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- $127/$300

Gas -- $60/$60 for van, $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

March 7   

March 8

March 9

March 10

March 11 

March 12

March 13

March 14

[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 

[SweetSilver]

March 5

 More grocery shopping.  Seems a bit high, but Mondays/Tuesdays are the days the girls get their snack and treat fund refreshed and they tend to spend a fair amount right away.  DD2 plowed through her entire $10 today!  But that is what it's for......

= No spend

  = Doin' just fine

 = planned but painful

Grocery target= $740

Remaining= $527

I need these things this month:

CHICKS AND DUCKLINGS!!!!! 

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

Seeds: daikon

Photos from camera card

Herb starts, etc. for garden

Deposit for Girl Scout day camp 

More pants for dd1?

More camping reservations-- a campground near their day camp

[micah_mae_]

Key:

No Spend/Paying Bills 

Budgeted Spend 

Unbudgeted Spend 

Did Something Frugal at Home 

So we are paid biweekly, I'm going to split my goals up. 

**4/7 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**$73/$60 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**$110/$170 Gas**

February 28:  I paid our car payment ($417) and insurance ($99), hopefully our rent payment goes through (first time paying it from our bank instead of through the realty company, we'll see..$675) and I'll be paying water (~$75?)

March 1:  Carpet cleaning for the old house ($125). 

March 2:  Had to send DH to the store for potatoes (I made a roast and when I went to make the potatoes realized they had gone bad :( ). Although that looks like a lot for 5 potatoes so I'm wondering if he got something else as well. I'll have to ask him. ($4.56).

March 3:  My mom and grandma met us to trade the kids back (they took them for the weekend so I could rest), they sent us home with dinner, scones and filled us up on gas! Oh and another season of Big Bang Theory because I mentioned I wanted to borrow it from my brother (mom decided buying it would be easier). :D I'm so blessed.

March 4:  Probably going to have to get groceries today even though we are out of money. ($8)

March 5:  Had to get food and it was about twice what I expected! We didn't even get much! ($40)

March 6:  Water bill ($70).

March 7:

March 8:

March 9:

March 10:

March 11:

March 12:

March 13:

**0/8 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**0/$280 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**0/$150 Gas**

March 14:

March 15:

March 16:

March 17:

March 18:

March 19:

March 20:

March 21:

March 22:

March 23:

March 24:

March 25:

March 26:

March 27:

March 28:

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Key:

No Spend/Paying Bills 

Budgeted Spend 

Unbudgeted Spend 

Did Something Frugal at Home 

March 6:  Water bill ($70).

Give yourself a thumbs up!  It will make your post look happier, and you deserve it!

(Though, honestly, I don't feel too cheery about paying bills, either, and you see I keep those out of my records just because of it.)

[Ruthiegirl]

  No spend/Budgeted spend

   Unbudgeted Spend

Save 30% of paycheck -- done!

Groceries -- $234/$300

Gas -- $60/$60 for van, $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

March 9

March 10

March 11 

March 12

March 13

March 14

Edited by Ruthiegirl - 3/8/13 at 4:35am

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by SweetSilver 

Give yourself a thumbs up!  It will make your post look happier, and you deserve it!

(Though, honestly, I don't feel too cheery about paying bills, either, and you see I keep those out of my records just because of it.)

Lol maybe I should just not put bills on there or call them thumbs up anyway.

[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

03 

04 

05 

06    Got a few groceries at BJ's Club. 

07

08

09

10

[honeybee80]

Originally Posted by micah_mae_ 

Lol maybe I should just not put bills on there or call them thumbs up anyway.

I don't put bills on mine and it makes my spending look WAY better ;)  For me, bills are pretty much fixed expenses every month, so it's really the variable expenses that I track here.

[micah_mae_]

Originally Posted by honeybee80 

I don't put bills on mine and it makes my spending look WAY better ;)  For me, bills are pretty much fixed expenses every month, so it's really the variable expenses that I track here.

Ok you convinced me :)

[micah_mae_]

Key:

No Spend/Paying Bills 

Budgeted Spend 

Unbudgeted Spend 

Did Something Frugal at Home 

So we are paid biweekly, I'm going to split my goals up. 

**4/7 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**$73/$60 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**$140/$150 Gas**

February 28: 

March 1: 

March 2:  Had to send DH to the store for potatoes (I made a roast and when I went to make the potatoes realized they had gone bad :( ). Although that looks like a lot for 5 potatoes so I'm wondering if he got something else as well. I'll have to ask him. ($4.56).

March 3:  My mom and grandma met us to trade the kids back (they took them for the weekend so I could rest), they sent us home with dinner, scones and filled us up on gas! Oh and another season of Big Bang Theory because I mentioned I wanted to borrow it from my brother (mom decided buying it would be easier). :D I'm so blessed.

March 4:  Probably going to have to get groceries today even though we are out of money. ($8)

March 5:  Had to get food and it was about twice what I expected! We didn't even get much! ($40)

March 6: 

March 7:

March 8:

March 9:

March 10:

March 11:

March 12:

March 13:

**0/8 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**0/$280 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**0/$150 Gas**

March 14:

March 15:

March 16:

March 17:

March 18:

March 19:

March 20:

March 21:

March 22:

March 23:

March 24:

March 25:

March 26:

March 27:

March 28:

[Natalie12]

35/13 $72.00 budgeted spending for dd's gymnastics

3/6/13 $80.00 budgeted spending for ds/s drum lessons

Tomorrow should be no spend!
 

[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 

My haircut got canceled, so I get another no spend :)

[SweetSilver]

March 6

 Bread.  And dh's candy.  I hate it when he buys candy along with the groceries because then I feel compelled to record it.  

= No spend

   = Doin' just fine

 = planned but painful

Grocery target= $740

Remaining= $517

I need these things this month:

CHICKS AND DUCKLINGS!!!!! 

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

Seeds: daikon

Photos from camera card

Herb starts, etc. for garden

Deposit for Girl Scout day camp 

More pants for dd1?

More camping reservations-- a campground near their day camp

[micah_mae_]

Key:

No Spend/Paying Bills 

Budgeted Spend 

Unbudgeted Spend 

Did Something Frugal at Home 

So we are paid biweekly, I'm going to split my goals up. 

**4/7 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**$73/$60 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**$140/$150 Gas**

February 28: 

March 1: 

March 2:  Had to send DH to the store for potatoes (I made a roast and when I went to make the potatoes realized they had gone bad :( ). Although that looks like a lot for 5 potatoes so I'm wondering if he got something else as well. I'll have to ask him. ($4.56).

March 3:  My mom and grandma met us to trade the kids back (they took them for the weekend so I could rest), they sent us home with dinner, scones and filled us up on gas! Oh and another season of Big Bang Theory because I mentioned I wanted to borrow it from my brother (mom decided buying it would be easier). :D I'm so blessed.

March 4:  Probably going to have to get groceries today even though we are out of money. ($8)

March 5:  Had to get food and it was about twice what I expected! We didn't even get much! ($40)

March 6:   I made 12 hard boiled eggs for snacks and 2 dozen muffins for breakfast/snacks.

March 7:  I have a Bible study this morning after which we will be staying home, being boring. :)

March 8:

March 9:

March 10: 

March 11:

March 12:

March 13:

**0/8 No Spend/Budgeted Spend Days**

**0/$280 Grocery/Diaper Budget**

**0/$150 Gas**

March 14:

March 15:

March 16:

March 17:

March 18:

March 19:

March 20:

March 21:

March 22:

March 23:

March 24:

March 25:

March 26:

March 27:

March 28:

[Sativarain1]

HoneyBee- How do you like Taproot magazine? I haven't read it. 

[SweetSilver]

March 7

 Posting a bit early.  Dh is picking up yet more groceries from the co-op.  We are still OK for the week, but this is how our bills were racked up before.  I'll figure the total in tomorrow.

Oh, and.....

WE GOT THE RE-FI!  WE GOT THE REEEEE-FI!  I CAN'T BELIEEEEEEEVE IT!  WE GOT THE REEEEEEFI!  

....though I am sure the extra freedom in our budgets will get sucked up by something.

= No spend

    = Doin' just fine

 = planned but painful

Grocery target= $740

Remaining= $517

I need these things this month:

CHICKS AND DUCKLINGS!!!!! 

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

Seeds: daikon

Photos from camera card

Herb starts, etc. for garden

Deposit for Girl Scout day camp 

More pants for dd1?

More camping reservations-- a campground near their day camp