February No-Spend Challenge -- How did you do? What will you do differently next month? What... - Page 7

[Jess A]

2-1:

Went grocery shopping and gassed the car today. Did a good job of sticking to the list and using my club card and redeeming some store points . . . saved over 50.00! I also stocked the pantry a bit . . . should be able to do my next menu round with little store spending (perishables and such). We did get lunch out at Costco, but that will come out of our eating out budget. Will write out some bills later, but today was all in budget spending.

Tracking:
141/500 groceries
15/50 household
38/125 gas
5/30 eating out
/30 kids

: no spend
spend in budget
out of budget spending
out of budget but necessary

[Ruthiegirl]

Feb 1 -- $62 groceries, $2.50 hot chocolate

Groceries -- 62/500
Eating Out 2.50


Hopefully I am going into labor this weekend. I just passed the 41 week mark and am feeling very crampy and tired. I picked up some easy, kid food to have around if I end up dashing off to the hospital to have a baby. And a self-indulgent hot chocolate, cause I am 41 weeks pregnant (!) and whiny and cold.

[snuggly mama]

Today was hard.

Car repairs -- $317 (I did have a coupon, though, so saved $30)
Gas for the car -- $20

I need to go out later to get the rest of supplies for dd's bday party tomorrow, but that should only be about $10, I hope.

I'm not counting the cost of her bday party itself, since that was planned a month ago.

It can only get better from here, right?

[katheek77]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

\And a self-indulgent hot chocolate, cause I am 41 weeks pregnant (!) and whiny and cold.

If you're at 41 weeks, and the only indulgence you're giving yourself is a hot cocoa, I'm totally behind you on that. From about 35 weeks on, I needed a restaurant (not fast food) burger at least once a week (and I HATE beef burgers - seriously, they make me vomit otherwise - the only time I've EVER wanted one was when pregnant - and I mean, salivating-at-the-thought-wanted), and Dairy Queen every other day - minimum.

I didn't pop until 41w1d. It was an expensive six weeks.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

So, is today a no-spend day or a spend day, but a completely good one? I'm a little confused...if you spend, but it's something like rent/insurance/etc where you don't have any wiggle room, it doesn't count? But, things like groceries, or household items, or something like that that you NEED but have wiggle room is a "good" spend? And then you have your frivolous spends, right? Help me out all y'all veterans.

For me, that would be a no-spend day.

I don't count essentials like rent/insurance/groceries at all. If I spend money on them, our family needs them to live. Can't really cut back there.

I only count frivolous things like McDonald's, coffee from Starbucks, clothes for me if I don't really NEED them, magazines, snow shoes...the little stuff that really adds up.

But I know a lot of the ladies on this thread find it helpful to have everything written out and they would count your day as a "good" spending day. It all depends on how much record keeping you want to do on this thread and what will help you the most.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

On the other hand, I parked in front of Tim Horton's this morning to get my coffee and remembered it was February 1st so I drove home and made my own coffee.

Good job!!!

Tribe -- Welcome back!~!! We missed you too!

[Gumby]

Feb 1 -- groceries and gas, and a breadmaker from a thrift store

Will be back to post totals. This was all budgeted. Hoping to have 19/29 no spend days, and stay all in our budget. We're really cracking down since we just bought a house (a la 'the money pit') and need to put a lot of $$ into it.


And hey, everyone, I think Auntie Anne's, if you have one near you, is giving out FREE pretzels tomorrow--it's their bday I think?

[MommytoTwo]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us anything you think it would help us to know about yourself.
I am Tina a SAHM to 3 kids, two boys and a girl. 5, 3 and 9 months.

2. Please tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of February. Memorize these goals and recite them to yourself before all purchases.
My budget is based on 4 checks per month, so in February (and 3 other times a year) we get an "extra" check which always seems to get squandered away. I want to make it count this month and put all that extra money to paying bills.

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?
Only shop for groceries and necesseties. Stay out of the fun side of Target. No mall or IKEA.
I am totally on board *except* we have our annual Disney trip planned for this month. Its only a one day thing, and there will be plenty of money spent there so I guess I will just not count that day. We plan for it every year. And hey at least we are getting in for free! LOL

[umarider]

Do DH's razors count?

Okay, so it's the 1st of Feb. and I needed to go to the commissary. I've made a few smart choices today, like planning my commissary and Costco for the same day to give me a better chance of getting no-spend days later. I also remembered to swing by the Exchange to get the filler paper I needed instead of going to Walmart where I'd be tempted to get stuff I don't need.

My gripe is with DH's razors. I KNOW that a 10-pack of refills for $13.36 is a decent price and will last him for quite a while (about 2 months), but somehow I really resent having that money come out of my grocery budget.
Can I just ignore money spent on razors? Or should I be truly honest and put it in with the groceries? (I'm putting the cat litter in as a household item!)

Gotta update because I went to Costco (planned) to round out my grocery shopping. I stuck to my list and only got 4 items, so I am very proud of myself!

2/01 , $124.77 Groceries, $12.28 household, $13.36 Razors:


Goals:
No spend days: 0/17
Eating out days: 0/6
No CC use: 0/29
Unbudgeted spending: 0/0
Track "wants" spending: $0

Groceries: $124.77/$550
Household: $12.28/$200
Gas: 0/$160
Eating out: 0/$70

No spend day:
Budgeted spending:
Spend Day (unbudgeted, unnecessary):
Unbudgeted, but necessary:

I want to be proud of my spending choices

[liangel]

February - here I come!
[1. Please introduce yourself and tell us anything you think it would help us to know about yourself:My name is Tiffany and although my husband and I are not really spenders, I would still like to see what I spend decrease.

2. Please tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of February. Memorize these goals and recite them to yourself before all purchases.
We are currently TTC, and having trouble with that. Our insurance doesn't pay for meds or for IVF (if it comes to that), so we need to take a look at our spending. My first priority in spending is for my fertility meds.

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?
Plan: Not shopping online (Amazon is my weakness) or in the store. I am good with that. I hate shopping.

TRY to curb my fast food purchases/ eating out purchases.

We are paying OOP for Infertility treatments, so we REALLY REALLY gotta keep the spending to a minimum

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by katheek77

If you're at 41 weeks, and the only indulgence you're giving yourself is a hot cocoa, I'm totally behind you on that. From about 35 weeks on, I needed a restaurant (not fast food) burger at least once a week (and I HATE beef burgers - seriously, they make me vomit otherwise - the only time I've EVER wanted one was when pregnant - and I mean, salivating-at-the-thought-wanted), and Dairy Queen every other day - minimum.

I didn't pop until 41w1d. It was an expensive six weeks.

Oh yah, our grocery bills have been going up. We normally eat a nearly veggie diet, but I get CRAZY meat cravings when I am pregnant. Big juicy hamburgers! And roast chickens! And wild Alskan salmon! I could meat and salmon many times a day. Organic and expensive of course.

Mmmmmmm...Dairy Queen sounds good too. :

[mumkenna&lucas]

2/1

February Spending Goals:
No Spend days: 1/27
No etsy/DS/ebay: (except ds trades only!) 1/27
Non-necessary Spending: <150

[scrapadoozer]

02/01

Yay! Started off with a true no spend day. Worked on decluttering and found some cool stuff we completely forgot about!

My Key:
No Spend Days:
Spending Within Budget:
Frivolous Spending: :

Goals for February
1/17 true no spend days
0/5 take out/dinners out
0/$100 personal unneccesary spending
0/$500 groceries
Pay off the credit cards (that will take about $500)

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Can I just ignore money spent on razors? Or should I be truly honest and put it in with the groceries?

If you are recording EVERYTHING you spend, then you need to make a category for "home maintenance" or "household" or something like that.

I wouldn't record it, but that is because I only record my frivolous purchases and razors for your husband is not frivolous...its part of household maintenance.

Unless you want him to look like Grizzly Adams.

ETA: Oh, I see you have a household category...stick those razors in there.

[becoming]

Goal Reminders:
$1000 to savings
$450 or less on groceries/household
$100 or less on Gavin's clothes
23 "no eating out" days

2/1 -

$300/$1000 to savings

1/23 "no eating out" days

February Total - $0.00

Key:
No-spend:
Sensible spending:
Blew it:

[JackieR]

:(

Not the way I wanted to start out the month. Sigh.

All was set to go today and then...as I was leaving work...a school I was visiting to do teacher visits...my car wouldn't start. I called my husband and he came to give me a jump. Nada - and the battery is only a year old anyway. Luckily, sorta, there was a repair shop a few blocks away so for a $35 tow and $250 to have a new starter installed, we had the car fixed (I actually haven't paid this yet because the car isn't ready, but blah). Then, to top it all off, while we were in limbo during the noon hour trying to figure out what happened to said vehicle, we went to a BBQ place close to the shop for lunch and spent $17.33 on an unplanned meal out.

Grr.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

JackieR -- FIDO...Forget about It and Drive On. Things like that happen and we have no control over them. You couldn't avoid spending that money.

You should start your no-spend month tomorrow, on February 2nd. That way you can start out with a clean slate.

[Scribe]

Finishing out today...

Joint spending:
2/1: $1402 mortgage--budgeted

Personal spending:
2/1: $2,000 monthly contribution to joint, $63 on swap food; $25 charitable giving--all budgeted; $3 cash on soda

$3/$100 misc. spending
$63/$100 swap/postage spending
0/14 no spend days
0/2 thrift shopping trips
0/5 lunches/coffees
0/$700 credit card pay-down
1/29 no credit card days


Joint goal for Feb: just one--STAY ON BUDGET!

Personal goals for Feb:
-stay on budget (including no more than $100 misc spending, $100 swap spending/postage)
-no credit card spending
-at least 14 no spend days
-no more than 2 thrift shopping trips
-no more than 5 lunches and/or coffees at work
-pay at least $700 on credit card

January:
No-spend days: 12/31
Lunches/coffees purchased: 6
Off-budget spending: -$400
Credit card payments: $793

[absinthe]

Aargh!! Went to sign up for a membership at the ymca today, and because of how they prorate their billing it was $60.00 more than the brochure claimed it would be. I might have just left, but I promised the kids we would go swimming tomorrow and they were both with me. I NEED to start working out and this is the best/cheapest option, but just Aargh!

I also needed to stop at the grocery store and spent $20.67.

Day 1 - groceries/household $21/250

[mamimapster]

Ok, I made it until jan 22 until trip preparation took over and I startet spending $$-but this month I plan to do so much better-We are not due home until the 3rd, so i'mnot counting trip incedentals-we're on a food stipend so that is free, and some of our transport is also free.

Feb 1: no drive,6.49-stuffed toy at FAO Schwartz
Feb Goals:
No spend days 12/29 actual:0/29
No Drive Days 8/29 actual: 1/29
No frivolous spending over 100 actual: 6.49/100
Sold items 20/50
NEED Maternity clothes/nursing bras can spend up to 30 actual:0/30
Decluttering 30 min day 0/26(not counting first three days of month)
sell at least +50 on ebay, half.com etc. 0/50
Grocery budget 0/350