November No-Spend Challenge ~ Come check in, it's time to get started saving money! - Page 9

[catchthewind]

Well as I posted before, November started off with a big purchase right off. But it was an expected purchase, even if we hadn't budgeted for it. It means we have a night time diaper now, no more sposies at all. I did do well too though. I was out all afternoon and then picking DH up at work a lot later than normal because he has a big project he's finishing. I knew when we got home at 7pm we'd both be hungry and neither of us would feel like cooking. So before I went out in the afternoon I put some food in the crockpot and turned it on so it was ready and waiting when we got home later.

We've reworked our goals so hopefully we can stick to them all. We're going to try cash in envelopes for Christmas, eating out, and DH's lunches (he buys from the grocery store, not eating out)/carpool at work.

November
1: $190 Diapers, $9.74 Shipping for baby purchase made in Oct, $38.50 Gas

Goals:
0/$300 Christmas ($100 each to spend on each other, $100 everyone else)
0/$500 Groceries
0/4 Grocery Shopping Trips
0/$50 Take out/Ordering in
0/$100 Misc
$199.74/$200 Baby Items
1/2 Gas Fill Ups
0/$500 put towards debt

[DandeCobb]

Nov. 1:
Nov. 2: spent $60 on groceries for the week and $4 for lunch out

the day is not over yet but i plan to go to the library and rent a free movie

Goals:

$75/week grocery 1/4
only fill up the tank 1/week 1/4
pack lunch everyday for everyone 4/48
less than $10 spent eating lunch out
once a week with my son 1/4

[BurgundyElephant]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us anything you think it would help us to know about yourself.

I am a SAHM with three kids. We have two days where we are gone for several hours. I tend to eat out a lot and drink way too much coffee.

2. Please tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of November. Memorize these goals and recite them to yourself before all purchases.

DH was out of work over the summer and what should have been a fine break ended up going into debt, because of my shopping problem. We can get out of debt quickly, provided I stop shopping.

3. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

No more toys for birthdays and Christmas. I do have to pay for shipping on two co-ops, but the items themselves are already paid for.

DD's birthday is this month. She wants a birthday party but we are going to do it at home (free) and I will make a cake (pantry challenge) and will just buy drinks and maybe a veggie tray. : She also wants a pinata, maybe we can make one??? That would save $18.

My kids have classes twice a week. Usually we go to the Museum or park or whatever, involves eating out and sometimes shopping for stuff that I think we need. Always more lattes and steamers for the kids. It's kind of crazy. I'm going to start packing more snacks and a lunch and we will not eat out meals. I really, really love the coffee out and really want one for the drive home. So that will go in my budget.

I've been avoiding cooking dinner at home. So we've been getting takeout or delivery.... no more! I'm going to cook dinner every night. I will do this by writing a menu out {pantry challenge} and adding it to my calendar so I actually do it. Days we have classes can also be crockpot days.

My budget:
Monthly
Vitamins for kids - $25
Milk delivery - $60

Weekly - $190
Gas - $40
Fruits and Veggies at store - $30
Coffee - $10 (that's two trips a week)
That should leave $110 for the credit card each week, exempting when bills are due and I have to pay the milk man and buy vitamins, which means I'll have $25 for the card that week.

Note, I'm starting TODAY. Not yesterday.

[d&xmommy]

groceries and household 0/450
eating out 10/80
DH spending 0/50
Me and kids spending 0/100
Christmas gifts for all 24/200 -- I took out some of my vacation pay for this
Thanksgiving trip coming out of savings 0/250
No spend days 0/15
Pay aunt off 0/100
Gas 45/100
No Drive days 0/10


So far doing ok. I found a great gifts for my mom and MIL on clearance, they were only $10.50 each. I was excited about that. Now off to grocery shop here in a bit. Which I know will be a big chunk. :

[Pumpkin_Pie]

Ok, had to pay rent today, so that is the extent of my spending so far this month. I went out with a single mama's group, and my only spending was $1 on a parking meter. I guess I could have found a meter free parking spot, but I was late for the meet up.

Not sure whether to count this as a no-spend day or not, as I did pay rent, and spend a buck on parking... How does that work?

No iced coffees/lattes when at mama lunches 2/30
No extra groceries beyond necessities $0
Christmas presents that are homemade total count 0
Shopping at work purchases $0
Eating lunch/dinner out $0
Completely no-spend days 1/15
Total spending for the month outside of bills so far: $1

[mamimapster]

Originally Posted by blsilva

Nov 1st: spent $138 on groceries today. Would have been less, but I bought a chicken pot pie from Costco. The sign said $3-something.
Apparently that was per lb.:
The freakin thing cost $17!!

That had better be the best pie I have ever tasted in my life.

Ohhhh MAN! I would have walked back in and given it back! for 17$ I might have even drivn back to the store

Originally Posted by catchthewind

So before I went out in the afternoon I put some food in the crockpot and turned it on so it was ready and waiting when we got home later.

Oh wow! that's a great reminder to check the Crockpot thread that's somewhere on MDC. we have a wonderful vegetarian slow cooker book, but I'm always looking for nice crockpot recipies, especially as the weather gets colder.

[quelindo]

Today DS and I went to the farm an hour away where we buy our raw milk. They have a store there and I am always tempted to buy a treat when we go in. I picked up a few actual groceries, but then got DS some granola bars and me a chocolate bar to eat on the way home. Oh, and some egg nog, because I can.not.resist.egg.nog.

10/1: $12.60 flowers for my mom's birthday
10/2: $23.23 gas for the car + $62.17 actual groceries at the farm ($25 raw milk, $8.38 ham slices & $28.79 raw cheese) + $10.58 treats at the farm ($2.73 chocolate bar, $3.90 granola bars & $3.95 egg nog)

KEY:
True no spend
Spending within budget
Spending outside budget

[AGlimmeringHope]

We were supposed to start our new budget this month. And we're still doing it, but DH's been sick and his check was $110 under the minimum it normally is. : So we're starting out way in the hole, having to use our cc's to make it up. And we got dd's bed out of storage last night and it was ruined from water damage. I know the bed is ruined, I find out later this evening if the mattress was ruined, too. Which means we'll have to find the funds for a new bed before the baby gets here.

DH did get his old car stuff and my digital piano out of storage to put on CL, so hopefully we can get a good price for that stuff and a couple of baby toys I am getting rid of. And there's a chance that we're finally getting paid the $270 we're owed for furniture we sold my cousin A YEAR AGO.

Nov 1: $30 for DH and I to eat out
Nov 2: DH bought some groceries, but no extra spending today.

[BrooklynDoula]

November 1:
November 2: $48 at Target (all nec though/gift), $2 parking, $5 made 3 new keys, $120 Amazon gifts


0/$650 household/food
$175/$300 Misc Spending
0/$40 metrocard
0/$50 laundry
0/$40 for fun
0/$400 into savings account
0/$600 on the debt
1/15 no-spend (on anything, even necessary things)

(note, I redid the budget a bit because my mics was too small for the x-mas gifts I need to get this month).

[chely7425]

11/1: No Spend!!
11/2: No Spend!!

Well, today isn't over yet but I am home for the day and have a ton of cleaning and cooking to do so I am not too worried about it. I talked to DF about his cash usage for the week and I am so proud of him for finally understanding that I am not being controlling, I am just trying to get us out of the whole!! So yeah... next week is the first week of my under 200 goal for him... I know we can do it!!! We also both got awesome pay checks this week... which is very nice!!! I have my second interview tomorrow... so if everyone could think good thoughts about that it would be great!! All the money would go towards savings and the holidays...

Goals:
Keep DF at under 200 cash a week: 0/4
Eat at home: 2/28
No online shopping: 2/30
No spend days: 2/25

[nina_yyc]

Nov. 1 - $9 groceries, $16 DH's homeopathic remedies, $20 car wash and detail
Nov. 2 -

$36/50 discretionary spending
$9/350 groceries
$0 over budget

[Mavournin]

11/1 - $15 copay at chiropractor, $8.83 McDonalds : (silly kids who need to be fed as we run errands all day long)
11/2 -$152.53 Costco (I still have to divide this up to groceries and the budgeted birthday party though), $15 copay at pediatrician, $16.99 prescription (this one REALLY ticks me off though. We have prescription insurance but I had to pay OOP because some idiot didn't add my baby when he was born over 7 months ago. They say that I can submit for reimbursement when he gets added next week. But still.)


Grocery budget 0/$500
Follow the meal plan 0/20
No spend days 0/15
No credit cards 2/28 (need to use this for Dh's train pass & EZ pass payments)
No buying clothing. The kids don't need anything! 2/30
Eat out/take out 0/2
Kid's birthday party budget 0/$50
Dh's birthday budget 0/$25

8.83 = frivolous spending
0 = money saved

[catchthewind]

Not going out today and have pork chops ready to make tonight with food from our pantry.

November
1: $190 Diapers, $9.74 Shipping for baby purchase made in Oct, $38.50 Gas
2:

Goals:
0/$300 Christmas ($100 each to spend on each other, $100 everyone else)
0/$500 Groceries
0/4 Grocery Shopping Trips
0/$50 Take out/Ordering in
0/$100 Misc
$199.74/$200 Baby Items
1/2 Gas Fill Ups
0/$500 put towards debt

[beansmama]

Oh i'm so tempted to shop online today! I must have my dh lock the computer or something when he's gone at school!! My mom was mentioning having a special area for DD to read (you know, with a canopy over it or something...) and i want to do the same thing....so now i'm cyber window shopping and came across a cardboard cottage - made in the USA w/ tons of cute pix on it for DD to paint/color, etc...$28 w/ shipping...yah, spendy for cardboard - but cute! I'm gonna resist though - i'll make due with some old curtains for now, and i think i'll hint at the house for my mom to get dd for christmas

11/1 -
11/2 - (but tempted!)

Goals:
31/31 no spend (outside of my budget days)! Sofar: 2/31

ETA: I wanted to mention that my budgeting is a little off due to a long month - we get paid weekly on UI, and our "month" in our budget is only 4 weeks. So there is an extra week (this week) in there...so for that i am giving us 1 week grocery money ($50), 1 week gas money ($25) and 1 week toiltres ($7.50) - the rest is going into savings ($238.50) woo hoo

[blsilva]

Nov 1: 138$ groceries
Nov 2: no-spend

November Goals:

20 no spend days

Groceries: $138/$450

Eat-out: 0/$50

Gas: 0/$200

Misc: 0/$200

Get at least 1 more tutoring job.

I spent a lot less last month than before, but I want to cut it even more this month, so now I have a plan!

[TRIBE]

I just had to come and brag today because I am feeling so much more hopeful this month!! I had a $300 grocery budget and base don the last few weeks worried I would bust it and we would be struggling for food the last 3 days before payday. I went in to devil-mart armed with my list and freaking that buying my meat in bulk would really kill my budget. So I skipped an extra treat for family night (hot wings and fries) to keep it low. I did buy extra folders & notebooks for homeschooling, jump rings for a bracelet and 2 gallons of milk for my neighbor...total came to $184!!! I couldn't believe it! So I did treat myself to a coffee out and put some gas in my truck so we won't be entirely homebound.

Nov 1 :
Nov 2 : : double thumb for budget well done!

Goals:
1/27 No spend
1/25 No drive days
Stay under grocery budget

No "extra" exceptions this month!

[mamamilkers]

11/01: $27 on WAY over-due library fines and a book that DD ripped :. $17.50 on costume stuff from Target's Halloween clearance. $4 on a cup for DD from Starbucks.
11/02: no spend!

1. 1/20 no-spend days.
2. $229/$250 on groceries and household items for Oct 26-Nov 8
3. $22.50/$0 spent on my DDs (who are in need of NOTHING!)
4. $0/$0 on the credit card
5. $9/$315 personal spending on anything I wish

KEY:
=true no-spend
=spending within the budget
=out of budget spending

[sandygirl]

Nov. 1 - :$50 for faxes, $16.49 for lunch {chines buffet place that ups my milk supply with their yummy wonton soup}, $55 for brakes, and $30.12 at goodwill {mostly for x-mas gifts}
Nov. 2 - $8.36 at Wendys {needed to eat with medication}, $35 at Sun Harvest {all need items really}. Made $56 selling old baby items on craigslist

Key:
True no spend
Spending within budget
:Spending outside budget

Today I'm happy - we stayed reasonably within spending, and I made money off of craigslist. I sold a huge box of baby items for $50, and then 2 shopping cart covers for $6. On the bad side - our food stamps won't be in until monday at the eariliest.

November Goals:
no spend days 0/20
Eat at home Days 0/20
Stick to the List Days {We grocery Game} 1/20
Try to only spend the Food Stamps 0/413
Craiglist money made 56/100
Surveys money made 40.35/?

[mamamilkers]

Originally Posted by beansmama

Oh i'm so tempted to shop online today! I must have my dh lock the computer or something when he's gone at school!! My mom was mentioning having a special area for DD to read (you know, with a canopy over it or something...) and i want to do the same thing....so now i'm cyber window shopping and came across a cardboard cottage - made in the USA w/ tons of cute pix on it for DD to paint/color, etc...$28 w/ shipping...yah, spendy for cardboard - but cute! I'm gonna resist though - i'll make due with some old curtains for now, and i think i'll hint at the house for my mom to get dd for christmas

11/1 -
11/2 - (but tempted!)

Goals:
31/31 no spend (outside of my budget days)! Sofar: 2/31

ETA: I wanted to mention that my budgeting is a little off due to a long month - we get paid weekly on UI, and our "month" in our budget is only 4 weeks. So there is an extra week (this week) in there...so for that i am giving us 1 week grocery money ($50), 1 week gas money ($25) and 1 week toiltres ($7.50) - the rest is going into savings ($238.50) woo hoo

The reading house sounds cute, but you know, if it's cardboard, it likely won't last very long. Can you come by a refrigerator or stove box or something? I bet if you asked for one on Freecycle or craigslist you would find one easily that you can decorate! I bet your DD would love to help decorate it, too.

My DF gets paid e/o week, so I have to adjust my totals on here, too. It just doesn't quite work out to do it monthly. Our budget at home is done twice a month, in two week chunks that co-ordinate with the paychecks.

[isosmom]

11/1 -
11/2 -

But dammit, I just bid on something on ebay. Pretty sure I won't win, but evil, evil ebay.