~~~No Spending in June~~~a support group...please join us at any time! - Page 22

[***Heather***]

Originally Posted by avengingophelia

$18 library fines

Wow! What kind of library do you go to? I had a book almost a month overdue. I could have just put it in their return basket but I told the librarian it was late. It was supposed to be $0.10/day but she told me to just pay a dollar. :

[NJ*Doula]

.

[dachshundqueen]

We're doing okay

I paid cash for my gas and haven't used my CC except to pay a med bill on Saturday at urgent care (note this cc will be paid in full on 7/11).

I bought my groceries and have $18? left over. I did buy a 50cent coke today at the store after buying the last of my groceries.

I had to visit the inlaws yesterday and treated myself and DH to a QT refill of Coke for 93cents on the way......oh how hard it is to see the inlaws.

But it's going okay.

We're starting to get excited about getting out of debt completely and being free in a few months!!

Oh: Re: insurance: ours is $130 a paycheck weekly, after tax money, so I feel your pain and our HB MW isn't covered....ouch.

Liz

[amyamanda]

Go, Liz! I am impressed that your debt is melting away so fast!!

GathererGirl, we were uninsured for a few years. Your state may have a program that would cover you (and babe) if you got pregnant, so TTC might still be something you could think about. Also, Freecycle is a fabulous resource for baby stuff. You may not need to spend any money at all if you are proactive about asking for what you need. Good luck - being out of work stinks. BTDT. You'll get through this.

Prudence, you're right. I need to return the stupid $8 brush. It's a real pain to get up to the store where I bought it to return it, though. Guess it's my deserved consequence for buying something I didn't need. Hey, hope you got lots of strawberries for cheap! Here is a tip - lots of places around here are not *certified* organic even though they grow organically. So they can't charge premium "organic" prices (and they don't have to, because they're not buying certification).

Nadia, I'm impressed that you bought only the one thing you went into the store for. That is great. I have a hard time with that, so I stay out of stores. LOL.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Victoria -- Welcome! You can join us at anytime. I'm sorry to hear about your husband losing his job.

Grace -- You have almost no unnecessary spending except for comfort food. I am with you 100%. Whenever I feel bad, I want to eat...whenever I feel good, I want to celebrate by eating. Pretty much that sums it up for me. Fast food is my downfall, but I also love pastry and doughnuts and things that nickel and dime you. Individually they don't cost much, but boy do they add up.

Liz -- Woohoo! That is impressive debt paying off.

[scrapadoozer]

June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5
June 6 $13-fabric & storage bins
June 7
June 8
June 9 $8 -Wendy's & pillowform
June 10
June 11
June 12
June 13
June 14
June 15
June 16 $19- Chinese food
June 17
June 18

[milosmomma]

Hey, hey, hey!!!!! I haven't been here in days, but I assured you, there were no crazy shopping sprees over the weekend. My dad & sister were both in town so we did a fair bit of entertaining. Luckily, we didn't actually have to pay for most of it.

6/1-
6/2- $23 ($3 parking at airshow, $20 pizza afterwards)
6/3-
6/4-
6/5-
6/6-
6/7-
6/8- $15 dinner out with friends
6/9-
6/10- $10 birthday cake for DH
6/11-
6/12-
6/13-
6/14-
6/15- $32 for lunch at the zoo
6/16- $7.50 for various Father's Day cards
6/17-
6/18-

Ugh, I'm a little frustrated with myself, but there's no point in worrying about it now. We went to the zoo on Friday (me, dd, dh, my dad & my sister). I KNEW that I shoudl pack a lunch, and I just didn't. We ended up paying for everyone's lunches because we knew that my dad would insist on paying for everything else over the weekend.

Also, if I had been able to get it together earlier, I could have made Father's Day cards with DD fro DH & my dad. However, I waited too long and I felt that it was more important to actually spend the time WITH my dad instead of stealing away to make him something (I only see him a couple times a year). So, oh well, we bought some cards.

My dad leaves tomorrow and I think I'm going to stay close to home for the rest of the week. I need to do some cleaning, relaxing and resting.

THUMBS ALL WEEK!!!!!!

[isosmom]

June 18: $15 laundry

[tarheelbaby]

Just wanted to check in for a minute.

At the beginning of this challenge, I said I wanted to save some money, because we had recently bought tires for my car and it ate up some savings. I'm so happy--I just transferred that amount and them some back into savings!! I guess I met my goal, so I'm dropping out....JUST KIDDING!

I made homemade pizza tonight using the recipe Carla posted earlier in the thread and it was delicious! I know I will definitely make that again. Also, it got me to thinking. I used to make homemade pizza all the time when DH and I were just married and couldn't afford to just pick up the phone and order pizza. Why did I quit doing that? I hate that I got into the habit of spending more just because we're making more. Does anyone else ever feel that way? Has that ever happened to anyone else--your spending increasing when your income does?

--Jen

[Scribe]

Originally Posted by tarheelbaby

Does anyone else ever feel that way? Has that ever happened to anyone else--your spending increasing when your income does?

Oh yeah. Like four-fold. It's ridiculous.

[bwylde]

Originally Posted by tarheelbaby

I made homemade pizza tonight using the recipe Carla posted earlier in the thread and it was delicious! I know I will definitely make that again. Also, it got me to thinking. I used to make homemade pizza all the time when DH and I were just married and couldn't afford to just pick up the phone and order pizza. Why did I quit doing that? I hate that I got into the habit of spending more just because we're making more. Does anyone else ever feel that way? Has that ever happened to anyone else--your spending increasing when your income does?

--Jen

Glad to hear that it turned out good!

I know for us we were so careful when we started out and while our income never really increased (since I stopped working when the kids came along and I was earning a lot more than DH), we seem to have slacked off somehow. It's amazing how little things can do a lot of damage to your budget.

I don't know when we're doing our big shopping this week. DH picked up a bag of bread, yogurt (2 containers), garlic and a little bag of grapes and it came to $10 :. Sad thing is everything (but the garlic) was half off. I have my lists for the other stores and there are some deals but the high prices of groceries is making it hard to stay in a small grocery budget unless I totally rely on our stored emergency food (which I don't want to do in case there is a real emergency some day). One place has mini carrots for 99 cents so I'm getting 5 bags of them for snacks (you just can't get carrots under $1 a pound otherwise anymore). Right now we're eating our freezer out so we can get a side of something this fall. I can hardly afford meat even. Even half off medium ground hamburger is $2.49 a pound and chicken is almost never under $2 ($6 on sale for chicken breasts this week). Sigh...I wish I could get the family to go vegetarian.

Oh and AF is raging hard so I am super craving chocolate. Maybe I'll make some brownies or something later

June 1
June 2
June 3
June 4
June 5
June 6
June 7
June 8
June 9
June 10
June 11
June 12 :
June 13
June 14
June 15
June 16
June 17

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Has that ever happened to anyone else--your spending increasing when your income does?

Oh yeah

[nadia105]

Our spending has definitely increased as our income went up. It is so easy for the extra to just disappear! Dh just got a promotion and I am going to carefully plan where the extra money will go so that we get use out of it.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Ugh. Fell off the wagon.

I'm sitting here on the ground in shock. I'll come back and post how much after the smoke clears.

: :

[ktog29]

Oh boy! Do I need this thread! thebabywearer.com has truly become an addiction. I'm not going to spend any more money this month (and hope to continue with this challenge) and plan to be mindful about what we're doing at home this summer. Thanks for the motivation, ladies!

[Scribe]

More comfort food. I totally forgive myself today, though, as I had to go to the doctor and get shots in the bottoms of my feet. That is treat-worthy.

June 1:
June 2: $50 wedding gift
June 3:
June 4: $16.13 lunch with my mom. $60 digital voice recorder, $20 gas
June 5:
June 6: $48 wine, $61 wine, $77.40 wine
June 7: $31.35 dinner with my cousin and her fiancee, $8.29 beer,
June 8: $26.75 rental car gas. $37 wine
June 9: $26 rental car gas, $152.55 car rental, $11.80 for salad and beer in airport, $2.01 for gum and postcard in airport
June 10:
June 11: $5 coffee & pastry
June 12: $4.45 coffee & pastry, $7 lunch, $3.50 ATM fees
June 13:
June 14:
June 15: $11 lunch, $18 library fines
June 16: $4.54 McDonalds
June 17:
June 18: $2.91 pizza, $1.25 ice cream bar
June 19: $5 coffee and donuts, $30 co-pay


Running total: -$720.93

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

June 1.. $8.50 diaper
June 2.. $13.00 garage sale
June 3.. $244.15 ticket
June 4..
June 5..
June 6..
June 7.. $18.00 state park pass
June 8..
June 9.. $4.34 McDonalds
June10..
June11..
June12..
June13..
June14..
June15.. $7.87 McDonald's
June16..
June17..
June18..
June19.. $67.00 swimsuits, $7.84 McDonald's

What is up with me and McDonald's this month????

I have been such a good dieter and no spender for the past three months, now every single drive-through pulls me in like the vortex of a black hole.

The swimsuits -- hmmm...jury is still out on that one. Necessary or no? My daughters definitely needed new swimsuits, but I bought retail ($15 each) at the Carter's outlet.

I would have bought at a thrift shop but sometimes I get matchy-matchy and want to dress them both up in matching clothes (plus that makes them easier to pair up at our crowded public pool) and to get two things that match in 2T and 5T you pretty much have to buy new.

So I bought four brand-spanking-new matching swimsuits. And my toddler wanted swimsuits that look like ballerina tutus instead of the plain (read cheaper) ones.

Okay...even as I type this I realize it was uneccessary spending...so guilty as charged.

I'm FIDOing it.

We're going to do a LOT of swimming this summer (since it is free and we can walk to the pool) so I'll be enjoying those matching ballerina suits many times.

[Sonnenwende]

June 10 - Gas for the week. I think it was $15.91
June 11 - Daycare
June 12 - Daycare
June 13 - Daycare. $7 at Kroger for milk.
June 14 - Daycare. $145 at Meijer for groceries for the next 2-3 weeks. I made a meal plan. This includes diapers and a few other toiletries. $14.78 for gas for next week.
June 15 - Nothing.
June 16 - Withdraw daycare money for the next two weeks.
June 17 - Nothing.
June 18 - Daycare.
June 19 - Daycare.

What is up with me and McDonald's this month????

McDonald's is evil. Last week, it was so freaking hard not to stop there and pick up something fast so I wouldn't have to cook. It is better this week, but last week...ack!

[tarheelbaby]

Originally Posted by bwylde

Glad to hear that it turned out good!

It was really good and really easy. I don't have a food processor, so I mixed it up in my Kitchen Aid mixer with the dough hook. I made one batch that was just dough w/ cheese on it, and when it was done, viola! Homemade cheese sticks that were better and cheaper than Papa John's! Really tasty when dipped in pizza sauce. Thanks again for the recipe.

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

The swimsuits -- hmmm...jury is still out on that one. Necessary or no? My daughters definitely needed new swimsuits, but I bought retail ($15 each) at the Carter's outlet.

I would have bought at a thrift shop but sometimes I get matchy-matchy and want to dress them both up in matching clothes (plus that makes them easier to pair up at our crowded public pool) and to get two things that match in 2T and 5T you pretty much have to buy new.

So I bought four brand-spanking-new matching swimsuits. And my toddler wanted swimsuits that look like ballerina tutus instead of the plain (read cheaper) ones.

Okay...even as I type this I realize it was uneccessary spending...so guilty as charged.

I'm FIDOing it.

We're going to do a LOT of swimming this summer (since it is free and we can walk to the pool) so I'll be enjoying those matching ballerina suits many times.

Okay, I might get killed for saying this, but sometimes I just really like to buy new, cute stuff. : I consider it a treat for me and DS. I enjoy shopping for him, and it makes me happy to see him wear cute stuff. So, sometimes, I think "Unnecessary? Maybe. Worth it? Yes."

BTW, I think it is beyond adorable to see siblings dressed identical. My friend does this with her 2 boys sometimes (ages 4 and 2) and it is precious!

[tarheelbaby]

June 1-
June 2-
June 3-
June 4- $30.41 capris/sewing supplies
June 5-
June 6-
June 7- $36.91 traveling expenses/food
June 8- $85 grocery/party supplies
June 9-
June 10- $14.46 lunch out/grocery store
June 11-
June 12- $70.77 traveling expenses/food
June 13- $40 take-out supper/Carolina T-shirt
June 14-
June 15-
June 16- $20 on lunch/shower gift
June 17-
June 18-
June 19- $5 on a drink and magazine to have while DS was in therapy.

Oh well. Today was the first day back at therapy since our vacation. It is HOT here, like in the very high 90s, and I was so thirsty. I should have brought something from home, but I didn't plan my time well this morning. We're at home now and watching UNC baseball.

Also, I was glad to see I was not alone in the spending going up as income goes up issue. I hate that it's happened like that, and I know we are still pretty frugal, but I'm hoping some changes I'm making (meal planning and this challenge, specifically) can help us save that money!