March No-Spend Challenge ~ The finish line is in sight...almost there! - Page 8

[Neva]

3/1 : Spend $ on liquor and raffle tickets at a charity event. At least it went to a good cause
3/2 We to a indoor playgym. Had hotdogs.
3/3 grocery shopping

Key
No Spend Day!
Necessary and Budgetted
Necessary Unbudgetted
Unnecessary and Unbudgetted

: Brought a Bagged Lunch
: Get Take-Out for Lunch

Goals
0/21
0/15 :
0/1 online shopping day
Car Savings $150/$300
Grocery Budget $92.65/$400
Unnecessary Spending $37.50
Bus Fare $3.75

[Scribe]

March 1: thrifting and coffee, in budget
March 2: no spending
March 3: gift for a friend, postage, clothes, all in budget; paid $700 on CCs

MY GOALS FOR MARCH:
1. No new CC spending.
2. Pay at least $700 towards CCs.--done!
3. Stay on budget.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

How did she do that? Is there a link to that article or do I have to find a back issue in paper somewhere?

I have a copy of her book checked out from the local library. The article is in there.

[JennaW]

3/1- $6400 for new car, $47.00 for lunch, 11.40 for dinner, $47.93 gas
3/2- $259.98 for new car detail, $69.01 REI for BOB stroller, $24.23 Costco for laundry soap, $92.19 for groceries at Trader Joe's
3/3- DH needed gas, $50.51. I spent nothing but I did drive my car to see my Mom and a friend.

Totals:

New Car $6659.98/$6000
Groceries $92.19/$350
Eat Out $58.40/$0
Baby $69.01/$0
Household $24.23/$0
Gas $97.94/$100

I felt good about today. DH spent money that was necessary and ultimately he will be reimbursed for (he gets reimbursed for work driving). I spent nothing which felt really good after a weekend of marathon spending.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

01..
02..
03..

Goals:
3/20 No Spend Days
0/10 Let the Car Rest Days
3/31 Fast-Food-Free Days

[janerose]

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


I'm Holly. Mama to two DDs -- 3 1/2 yrs & 13 mo. We are a low income family by choice. DH has spent most of the past 3 years in school & still has 2 more to go to get his MS. I work about 12 hrs a month at our local WIC office as a BF Peer Counselor & am working on getting my MT certification.

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

We need to start making major payments on our debt -- cc & school loans. Luckily we own our car & home. The approximatly $85K we owe is what's keeping us from serious financial freedom. We are both impulse spenders & have a hard time saying "no" to something once we decide we want it. We also eat out *way* too much!

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?

~ Restart the envelope system for our variable expenses. Based on what I know we have on hand a realistic budget for the month is:
gas - $240
entertainment - $40
groceries/household/toiletries - $80**
cats - $30
gifts/cards - $20
DH allowance - $40
my allowance - $40

**This is freakishly low because I'm also doing the pantry challenge -- we have a very well stocked pantry at the moment, plus we get WIC to help with milk, eggs, $5/mo fruits & veggies, cheese, cereal, etc. And I just did a stock up from Frontier on all our regular toiletry/household stuff with part of our tax return. For the most part all I'll by are fresh fruits & veggies.

~ Recommitting myself to cloth diapers & wipes. I'm NOT buying more once this batch of sposies runs out! At the moment I'm transitioning by going back to 100% cloth for daytimes & sposies for bedtime & long car trips only.

~ Set a goal that everytime I have an "extra" $100 set aside from not spending or selling something we don't need to mail an extra cc payment.

~ Use this thread to hold myself accountable for "our" spending. I say "our" because the MAJORITY of $$$ we spend is spent by me.

[annethcz]

Just budgeted spending today.

March 1: budgeted spending: $129.89 household/misc., $217.63 grocery store, $209 Let's Dish (groceries)
March 2: no spend
March 3: budgeted spending: $15 school milk/juice for snack time (groceries), paid kids' monthly bowling league fees

My goals for March:
1/15 true no-spend days
3/31 no credit card use
0/5 no drive days
1/10 drive more than 50 miles in a day
$441.63/$600 groceries
$129.89/$300 household/misc.
$0/300 gas
$0/200 eating out/take out/entertainment
120/1000 minutes on the treadmill

[annethcz]

tomorrow i'm getting some yarn, perusing a thrift store and going to a health food store. i'm going to control myself. yes i am.

You can do it!!!!

[CityChic]

March 1 - : $8.15 outside the grocery budget
March 2 - : $29 out to brunch with friends.
March 3 - Today I didn't really think about wanting anything. Maybe focusing is already helping!

February:
Total overspending in February $666.45
Total no spend days - 14

Key:
- No Spend/Spending in Budget
: - Not in Budget/Not Necessary

[Belleweather]

3/1: $11.98 photo prints of kids for my desk at work/Dinner out (counting this as our lunch for the week since it was a cheap burger joint for a friend's birthday)

3/2: : $54.09 Groceries, McDonalds for DS1 & DH, Scones and coffee for breakfast.

3/3 (But Dh bought $9.34 in groceries)

No Spend
Spending within budget
: Drat, I Blew it

No spending for ME! DH went to the grocery store for Basil and came back with brussels sprouts and Honey Tangerines, but no basil. But considering those are both things we'll eat, I'm not going to sweat it too much.

GOALS:
1/16 no spending AT ALL days (not one cent, even if it's budgeted)
Eating limited to Friday supper and one weekend lunch.
No spending on hobbies, finish the projects I have.
>2x week ordering in or vending machine at work.
>$400 on Groceries during the month. ($55.46/$400)

[highlandmum]

Today was completely spend free!

So far:
$102/$500 groceries
$17/$50 new dipes for the babes

Anyone ever read 'Affluenza' -- great book! If you are posting on this thread you are already leaning towards the direction of this book....so check it out!

[noahandlinasmom]

1
2
3

0/8 Stay Home Days
0/$0 Added to Savings- we don't have this budgeted, so anything added is excellent
0/$160 Towards Debt
2/10 Trips to the Grocery Store
1/4 Eating Out- but must fit into budget
0/$0 Impulse or Unneeded Purchase/Spending

I don't track every expense, just extra good news or over budget spending.

Guide:
: No Spending
Spent in Budget
Necessary but Unbudgeted Spending
: Impulse or Unneeded Purchase/Spending[/QUOTE]

[Aubergine68]

Oh, but I'm grumpy now!

Got a tax reassesment bill today for 2006 -- $337, we owe!

That makes 2 days, and one : day in March so far.

[organic-momma]

1: $55.56 gas, $37.77 Groceries, $62.28 Anniversary dinner
2: No spend & no drive day
3: No spend & no drive day

Here are my goals:
$37.77/$500 groceries
$55.56/$400 gas
$50 misc
1/1 eat out meal (anniversary dinner)
2/10 no-drive days
2/15 true no-spend days
1/8 work days

No spend day
Spending within budget
:Unplanned but necessary spending
Unplanned and unnecessary spending

[FeelingBlessed]

March is feeling like a much better month than February; probably helps that we are currently coaching Special Olympics Winter Games and have very few spending opportunities at the condo.

March 1:
March 2:
March 3:

GOALS:
* Less than $75 in frivolous spending: month to date $0
* At least 25 days (no spend or spending w/in budget): 3/25
* Avoid Target: 3/31
* Pack snacks/water for outings: 3/31
* NO library fines: month to date $0
* Stay within grocery/eating out budget: $0/$400
* ORGANIZE/declutter (lack of organiztion = spending): 3/25
* Exercise (feeling good = decreased emotional spending): 3/25
* Meal plan created: 0/4 weeks
* Grocery store trips: 0/2

[GypsyMary]

3/1
3/2 $15 gas
3/3 $5 gas

[matey]

Trying again this month...

Mar 1
Mar 2 26.18 gas 49.34 groceries
Mar 3

[organic-momma]

There's a snowstorm today and DH took my car so I'm posting early and I am hopefully not coming back later to edit this!

1: $55.56 gas, $37.77 Groceries, $62.28 Anniversary dinner
2: No spend & no drive day
3: No spend & no drive day
4: No spend day! Working tonight though so I do need to drive

Here are my goals:
$37.77/$500 groceries
$55.56/$400 gas
$50 misc
1/1 eat out meal (anniversary dinner)
2/10 no-drive days
3/15 true no-spend days
2/8 work days

No spend day
Spending within budget
:Unplanned but necessary spending
Unplanned and unnecessary spending

[mamaof6]

I stuck to my plan. Only paid for monthly bowling. I resisted buying anything for the kids to eat at the bowling alley. This is the last time I will have to pay for bowling till the fall.

3/1 No Spend Day
3/2 $55.00 charitable contributions; $147.81 groceries; $50.00 DS birthday gift; $64.32 lunch w/DS#1; $2.24 coffee
3/3 $118.00 bowling league fees

Today should be a No Spender. YEAH!!!!!

Jill

My Plan

Groceries $147.82/$750
Gas $0/$325
Coffee $2.24/$25
Frivolous Spending $0/$50
Birthday for DS #1 $50/$50
10 no spend days 1/10
26 days no Big Box stores 2/26
No Credit Cards 3/31
2x eat out with hubby and/or kids 1/2

[katheek77]

It was absolutely gorgeous here yesterday....upper sixties and sunny. We spent three hours outside mostly just wandering around (and, hence, not spending money). Apparently, storm sewers are FASCINATING to a 20 month old.

Today it's rainy and cold :, but, it was nice while it lasted.

3/1 $5 parking at museum, $15 laundry quarters, $13.64 groceries, $54 charity, $2.47 postage
3/2 No spend No drive
3/3 No spend No drive

*2/20 no spend days
*2/20 no drive days -
*3/26 no eat out days
*$13.64/$225 grocery spending
$0/1493.70 into savings/IRAs/investments for the month
$10424.88/17924.40 into savings/IRAs/investments for the year (so far, 6424.88 in savings, 4000 in IRAs)
121,333 - beginning mileage for month...goal of <250 for the month.