December No-Spend Challenge -- Holidays are going strong...you can do it! - Page 4

[liangel]

12/1-

I would like to have at least 23 No spend days this month. This doesn't count towards groceries or gas. I will try hard to meet this goal. I also, would like to see at least 4 or 5 's in a row at any given time. Christmas is upon us, so I will do my best- which is all any of us can do.

[liangel]

So I was going over what I have spent each month, since August on Fastfood. I gotta tell you, I am pretty proud of myself. I used to get fastfood, once a week sometimes 2 or 3 times. This challenge has curbed my habits. Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself.

The monthly Fastfood tally is as follows:

August-$32.19
Sept. -$10.75
Oct. - $34.15
Nov. -$7.21


Okay, I know August and November look like a lot for just one person, but my friend came to visit in October and I went out to eat to an actual restaurant (with menus and water glasses) in August.

We have fastfood joints within a mile of my house, so it is soooo easy to say "I am really in the mood for Wendy's for lunch"

[mrskennedy]

Sat 01 put away $ for oil and rebuilding savings, gave DH his monthly money

[mumkenna&lucas]

No spend today!! We are leaving tommorrow for a week, so you probably won't hear much from me until then.. I'll have pages upon pages to read when I return!!

12/1

Goals:
No spend days: 1/18 (Excludes "necessary" Christmas spending)
No DS, Etsy, DT: 1/27
Non-essential spending <$200
Save, Save, Save!

Exclusions:
Christmas presents, but I have to keep it <$400.
Disneyland: we have the money already, it is budgeted so I am not going to count it

[liangel]

Prudence,

I gotta say that I really like this No Spend thread. It has really opened my eyes. I feel like if I go into a store or on Amazon, I have to be mindful of spending cause i have to come back here and "tell on myself".

I see you as the leader so if I spent $ I would have to come here and be like (in a tattle tale voice) "Hey, Prudence, Tiffany spent $ on such and such"

[mrskennedy]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Doesn't sound bizarre at all to me.

Babies cost money.

You are wise to recognize that and start saving.

Yes, babies do cost money. But we've spent less than $200 on DS since he was born. I don't know if that says more about us or others... Either we're cheap, or we have a lot of gmas/help, or both.
No, we didn't make financial goals before conceiving, either with DS or this DD (due in June).

[meandk0610]

1 - 36.99 groceries, drove

frugal plan:

groceries/pets 36.99/250
no drive days 0/12
work on homemade x-mas presents
go to ap/crunchy/homeschool playgroups within 30 minutes of our house
hang/rack drying clothes
meal plan
stick to grocery list and use cash!
finally make some family cloth (this has been on the list since july)
eat less
donate or sell extra stuff
do better than last month!

sarah

[BrooklynDoula]

Dec 1: $52 at Target on gifts and household (37$ from budget, rest from holiday money gifted to us), $12 on pizza

My goals:

12/$350 on food/household
37/$150 misc spending (postage, clothes, gifts, fees, etc)
0/$20 metrocard
0/$25 laundry
0/$50 fun money for dh and I (wine, movies, etc.)
0/$1000 to debt!!!

0/??? car repair needed (200-300$)
$0/35 flowers for dh to give to his students at recital
0/25$ taking ds out for dinner after his choir concert
0/5 no spent at-all days (not bills or food or anything)[/QUOTE]

[Bex80]

Key:

True no spend -
Necessary spend -
Unnecessary spend -

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[michelle524]

We drove and went grocery shopping ( $154.81). We got a lot of stuff to stock up on, lots of organic food, and lavender essential oil for cleaning (that alone was $10). We didn't buy anything we didn't NEED and that wasn't healthy since we're still on diets. I've already lost 5lbs, so I have the incentive to continue. It's the bad food that always blows my budget, so by taking some time off pizza, ice cream, coffee and donuts, I'm helping myself achieve two goals.

DH had to go out to help a friend with a tree (long, aggravating story) and he's going to the store to get things we couldn't get at the other one. He better stick to my list!!

1 - (so far, I better not have to take this away!!)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
0/12 no drive days
0/15 no spend at all days
0/8 take out/restaurant meals
0/$100 take out/restaurant meals
0/31 turn off the computer nights
$0/$50 mad money
$154.81/$500 groceries


Possible Pitfalls:
1. DS' first bday and first Christmas. I don't have a plan for spending yet on these things and I need to get one.

2. Christmas itself. I host dinner. We already have the main course, but I need sides and desserts. I need a budget for this.

3. Holiday guests. Usually end up going out to eat or spending more. Need to make sure not to lose sight of my goals in all of this.

Looking forward to December b/c November is not ending well!

[quelindo]

No-spend today. We're having the first snowstorm of the season today -- sleet is hitting the windows as I type -- so it feels good to be inside and cozy!

12/1:

KEY:
True no spend
Necessary spending
Unnecessary spending

[sandygirl]

Nov. 1 - $20 for Lunch {McDonalds} Made $535 holding Yardsale!

True no spend
: Necessary spending
: Unnecessary spending

1. 15 no spend days 1/15
2. 20 Eat at home Days 1/20
3. 20 Stick to the List Days {We grocery Game} /15
4. Craigslist/Ebay/Half.com/yardsale Goal $535/700
5. Surveys 0/?
6. Stick to the grocery Budget! 0/475
7. Blow Funds 0/100

[annethcz]

Off to a good start. DH and I sat down again last night to finalize our December budget, including holiday gifts. There isn't much wiggle room, but we can do it

Today was great, we stayed home all day and did stuff around the house. I'm working on setting up a sewing area in our new house, so I can make some fleece PJs for the kids as Xmas presents.

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Dec. 31-

My goals for the month of December:
Track Grocery Spending: 0/$500
Track eating out/take out spending: 0/$100
Track my gasoline spending: 0/$160
Track household spending:
Track gift spending:
Track frivolous spending: 0/$0
Track spending/income on chickens:
No frivolous spending: 1/31 days
No credit card use: 1/31 days
Stay within 15 miles of home: 1/25 days

[Curlita]

December 1: $15 for pictures of the kids with Santa Claus.

0/10 actual no-spend days
0/5 let-the-car-rest days
0/75 in discretionary/preventable spending
0/5 lattes
No unfunded credit card charges yet

[Bex80]

Originally Posted by New Mama

KEY:
True no spend
Necessary spending
Unnecessary spending

I like this!!! Will be copying it....

[TRIBE]

Dec 1 Necessary spending, groceries and gas. I got about half a tank in *ouch* and only plans of making one other drive day until the 15th. But this will get me at least 2-3 drive days up to town if needed. Stocked up on groceries, kept under budget and left some extra for when we inevitably run out of milk & bread. Hopefully that will be abll we run out of.

[DesireeH]

Day 1:

Key:
True no spend
In budget spend:
Unnecessary spend:

Goal: 20 no spend days
NO restaurants

[dachshundqueen]

I would like to not spend money as we don't have it to spend. Seriously. My budget is here http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=789995

1st 4.83 Chick Fil A (DH and I were fighting majorly this morning as he dad didn't pay him and we were trying to figure out how to shift money acct to acct to pay the rent and bills, left to my mom's for day for kids to see her and we didn't eat bfast). 3.13 Aldi's that was sadly my grocery money for the week.....:

The month will get better. It's christmas and that's the best time of the year, next to easter!

Off to join the low income support group....sigh.

Liz

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by Bex80

I like this!!! Will be copying it....

:

[mamamilkers]

12/01: $3 on replacing a book of a friends that my little DD ruined. $12 on lunch for bigger DD and I. $2 on a hot apple cider for me. $15 on winter boots for DD. Made $5 on Craigslist!

1. 0/20 no-spend days.
2. $222/$300 on groceries and household items for Nov 23-Dec 6.
3. $0/$0 on the credit card.
4. $370/$600 budget for Christmas gifts.
5. $15/$0 on my DDs (other than Christmas gifts, of course!)

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

Well, I already did totally terrible. Blech. Anyone notice how good I'm doing on our grocery/household budget, though?!!? I guess that's what happens when most of your family is sick with the stomach flu and doesn't eat for the better portion of a week

ETA: I forgot that I had to buy my older DD winter boots yesterday. I got brand new ones on llbean.com and didn't have to pay tax or shipping, so that's a pretty good deal! I was hoping her ones from last year would still fit her (wishful thinking for a three year old! ) but alas, they are WAY too small.