~October No Spend Challenge~ The economy declines, MDC familes SAVE!!!!!! - Page 11

[FeelingBlessed]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

Kim -- I agree with Turquesa. You did the right thing paying for the polish. Granted, not what you wanted to spend that $10 on, but you did the right thing.

Thanks ladies; much as it pained my wallet to open up for Hannah Montana polish, it would have pained my conscious much more to leave the opened package. Actually looked at the package last night and discovered it is lipgloss, not nailpolish. Can't get comfortable with the thought of our 4 yo putting the stuff on her mouth (she applies VERY liberally). Have visions of a recall at some point, so struggle now with whether to toss the stuff in the trash or give to someone who would use it (knowing most parents are fine with the stuff and might buy it anyway - but feels odd if I don't want my kid wearing it to inflict it on someone else's). Overthinking here?

Kim

[FeelingBlessed]

Plugging along...still have to pull out receipts and update food spending. Went to a neat (and free) adventure presentation last night; DS fell asleep but DD was very into the sections on hot air ballooning and killer whales. Beginning to realize just how many cool, free offerings there are in our community; last night's film/presentation was part of an ongoing free lecture series.

Kim :

Oct. 1:
Oct. 2:
Oct. 3:
Oct. 4:
Oct. 5:
Oct. 6: $10 Hannah Montana nailpolish (thanks to DS ripping open package in the store)
Oct. 7:
Oct. 7:

GOALS:
* Less than $50 in frivolous spending: month to date $10
* At least 25 days (no spend or spending w/in budget): 7/31
* Pack snacks/water for outings: 8/31
* NO library fines: month to date $0
* Stay within grocery/eating out budget: $to update/$500
* ORGANIZE/declutter (lack of organization = spending): 5/25
* Exercise (feeling good = decreased emotional spending): 8/25
* Meal plan created: 0.5/4 weeks
* Sell rental house by 10/31 (closing scheduled for 10/31)...

[mags.bubble]

It's been a tough month, quite a few things came up that I hadn't thought ahead about. This is good for me. I am continuing tracking every cent.

10/1 $30 impromptu cocktail hour with dh, $30 for sitter
10/2
10/3
10/4 $70 Oktoberfest, $3.99 word search book for ds6, $10 fundraiser
10/5 $4.60 library fines
10/6 : $128 vet, $4 scholastic books,
10/7 : $80 dd's snowball retreat, $5 coffee for self & Dad
10/8 $1 croissant
10/9

Key:
no spend day or spent within budget only
: not budgeted but necessary
oops

October goals:
Track every cent spent
Spend within budget only - no nickel/diming myself
Think thrify/frugal
Eat out only: one bfast, one dinner, order in one dinner
Learn to budget monthly for things, rather than just yearly

Ultimate goal:
Stay focused on 6mo emergency fund (1/3 there)

This months planned expected expenditures (outside the basic budget):
$22.55/$25 presents for 2 kids friends bday parties
$60/$60 presents for 3 family birthdays
$20/$30 medical copay
$30/$50 sitter
$26.92/$30 halloween costumes x2
0/$25 yarn for starting chanukah gifts
$250/$200 new belt, winterboots, slippers, socks, fleece - for me (this should get me through the winter for clothes)

[Scribe]

Ug. The good news is that I have a check in the mail for a freelance job, and another job on the pipeline. The bad news is that I went to the dentist yesterday and I have to get a crown. $$$$$ for that. Bah.

Oct 1: $12 bar tab; $15 GW
Oct 2: $14 GW; $46 group lunch; $5 t-shirt; $21 new S'bucks card
Oct 3: $6 Taco Bell; $30 Gap Outlet (jeans and dress); $18 L'Occitane Outlet (soap and lip gloss); $15 Crate & Barrel outlet (dish towels); $68 Banana Republic outlet (shirts); $9 ice cream; $24 dinner/drinks
Oct 4: $32 REI (skirts, going to be returned); $13 lunch; $26 natural soap company
Oct 5: $12 lunch
Oct 6: $2 PO; $7 lunch; $3 snack
Oct 7: ~$15 on food at work (breakfast, lunch, and snack)
Oct 8: $19 GW; $6 McDonald's
Oct 9: $43 cash from ATM

September Stats: 14 no-spend days, $301 total misc. spending

[Scribe]

Ug. I just had to transfer money from my credit card (at a big cash advance interest rate) into my checking to pay my student loan. There is no excuse for that. Just plain bad planning and stupid spending. Will I never learn?

[Ruthiegirl]

Checking in early to give myself a . We are headed to the playground and I will not stop for a coffee...I will not stop for a coffee...one more time...I will not stop for a coffee!


Oct 1 -- 11.29 post office, 75.00 to fix leaky toilet
Oct 2 --
Oct 3 --
Oct 4 -- 39.96 birthday presents, 30.80 dh, 30.00 soccer pictures
Oct 5 -- 45.00 college admission application
Oct 6 -- big spend day -- 22.00 homeschooling workbook, 83.00 Christmas yarn
Oct 7 --
Oct 8 --
Oct 9 --


-- within budget
-- no spend

Goals/extras:

Dentist copays -- 0/60
Medical copays -- 0/15
Halloween -- 0/70
Birthday for ds -- 0/100
Groceries -- 175.48/400
Food coop -- 0/400
Apple picking -- 0/60

[Brisen]

10/1: $54 groceries (no frivolous stuff! yay!)
10/2: :
10/3: $40 LTS (mostly crafting supplies for Christmas gifts); : $84 grocery store (only a few groceries, mostly bridal shower gift & stuff to keep the kids happy with a new sitter tonight); $40 sitter
10/4: :
10/5: :
10/6: $200 for Christmas gifts (some of this we will get back, as grandparents send money for Christmas); $195 at the grocery store; $16 at the orchard for a bunch of pie pumpkins; $23 diaper covers.
10/7: :
10/8: innocent $115 hardware store for winterizing supplies, leaf bags, and a gardening book (on sale for $8 and something I've been looking for); $71.25 groceries; : $10 dishcloths (they were cheap, so I figured I would stock up, but regretted it after), $6 for 1 gal apple cider (a treat, I caved, but it was too expensive) $2.75 mini bagels (even though I packed a snack! Arg)
10/9: :
10/10: : $45 hardware store -- $20 is being returned. It was some canning equipment that doesn't fit my pot. $44 grocery store (meat was on sale, I stocked up) : $11 overspent at the grocery store
10/11: $11 farmer's market : $1.75 treat at the market
10/12:
10/13: :
10/14:

TTD: $957

no spend
: no drive
budgeted spending
: overspending

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

Ruthie -- Make yourself a coffee before you go! It won't be as yummy as coffee-store coffee, but maybe it will take an edge off the craving.

Kim -- Could you give the lip gloss to an older girl? Perhaps a girl who would not apply the gloss so liberally? I know my three year old would eat it straight out of the tube.

Grace -- Ugh. That really sucks. You made such a big payment last month on that credit card. It is tough to make huge strides one month and then get a set-back the next month. But overall you are still moving forward.

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

OMG -- we are broke!

I'm not sure where this came from...same as Grace..."bad planning and stupid spending"...

I usually keep a $1,000 emergency fund and then a $15,000 cushion for the summer in an ING account so even when I SAY we are broke, it is because there is no money in our day-to-day brokerage account.

(I have to hide money from myself)

But today both those accounts are completely depleted (emergency fund went for car repairs and summer fund was used over the summer and hasn't been replenished yet) AND we have $30 in our day-to-day account.

OMG OMG OMG. A family of five needs to go for 5 more days with only $30 in their bank account.

This is NOT responsible money management.

I'm 40 years old. I'm not doing my job right.

It is from overspending the past few weeks ($700 last month and already $250 this month...that alone = an emergency fund). I'm embarrassed and this will NOT happen again.

Grrrrrr......... ::

I'm off to go sell some stuff on diaperswappers and I will not be spending any more money until payday.

01..
02.. , :
03.. $150 gas grill
04.. $113 fleece and new shoes and latte
05..
06..
07..
08..
09.. , :
10..
11..
12..
13..
14..
15.. Payday

Goals:

6/20 No Spend Days
2/10 Let the Car Rest Days :

[Scribe]

Sounds like we've put ourselves in similar boats this month, Pru. It is easy to forget when you've been doing well, but this is a long, hard process.

The thing that really burns me about taking the cash from my CC is that I am expecting a freelance check that would cover it, but I can't be totally sure it will be in the account by the time my student loan payment comes out, so I had to cover my butt. Even with my bad spending, all of this could have been avoided by a little management in the timing of paying my bills. It's just stupid.

[monkey's mom]

10/1:
10/2:
10/3: Groceries $23.79 Dessert stuff for Mom's Night Out
10/4: Mtg. $1
10/5:
10/6:
10/7:
10/8:
10/9: Groceries $216.09 /Dog food $91.35

No Spend
Budget Spend
Over Spend

Groceries $634.51*
Gas $24*
Misc. $12.72*
Pet $91.35

XMas $19.39**

*Some of this is carry-over from Sep.
**Running total until Xmas

[triscuitsmom]

Key
: No spending of any kind
: Budget spending
: Unnecessary/out of budget spending

Oct 1: (mostly paid bills to start the month, but I did get coffee/juice while DS and I were out that we didn't need... should've been prepared)
Oct 2: (bought Christmas present and office supplies at a great price
Oct 3: (not only no spend, but an unexpected government payment came in *yay*)
Oct 4:
Oct 5: (bought groceries to supplement what we had in our pantry and use some stuff up this week )
Oct 6: (bought apples on sale, plus paid heat and for my website domain name renewal)
Oct 7:
Oct 8:
Oct 9: (I'm going out tonight but have no cash on me and there is (purposely) no money in my chequing account so I won't be tempted )

Goal Areas (must not go over)... I reduced/changed some of these as I reworked the budget from last month and closed it out:
0/100: Household flux
19.22/200: Groceries (Week 1: 19.22/40)
4.30/30: Entertainment
0/20: BABiC (the babywearing group I facillitate)
0/50: Baby Supplies (I am trying to get things we need for the baby spread out so it doesn't hit us all at once)
10/40: Special Occasions (buying birthday/Christmas presents)

As of today I am still only at 33.54/440.00 flux dollars spent

[Logan's Mom]

10/1 - $1.41 for a candy bar - stuck in a hotel -- HIGHWAY ROBBERY! :
10/2 - :
10/3 - $4.00 Frozen Yogurt @ the airport
10/4 - $2.96 CVS + $3.97 grocery store
10/5 - :
10/6 - $48 pedicure + 5.75 cold stone
10/7 - $5 gas + more to come...
10/8 - $115.98 Kids Surplus (christmas for DS)
10/9 - $4.00 candy

[my2girlz]

10/1.
10/2. $42.47 at Home Depot, $31 for Halloween party (budgeted)
10/3. $76 groceries, $26.96 winter gear, $25.43 for party, $40 for Homecoming game
10/4. $26 Bath and Body Works (2 gifts and needed soaps), $118 at Menards (door and boards for basement)
10/5. $34.99 for clothing for girls (2 pr of pants and fall jacket)
10/6. $45 for clothing for dd1. $10 in groceries
10/7. $166 Halloween costumes ($16 over budget), $9 coffee for dh and I
10/8.
10/9.

3/10 no spending days
$86/$200 grocery budget
0/$100 gas budget
$56.43/$300 Halloween party budget
$26/$100 winter gear
$166/$150 costume budget

[unlegal]

10/1: $17.03 Groceries which included $6.99 pack of vacuum cleaner bags
10/2: $13 paid online for a necessary monthly bill :
10/3: $10 (Gas), $64 (Gym dues), $14.99 (DSL) $5.37 (Taco Bell
10/4: :
10/5: :
10/6: $30 (gas). $26 (Splurged on a dinner that was already planned ahead of the concert we went to. It was a celebration for quitting my job, and I needed it! So much fun! BUT! My mom gave me some belated birthday cash ($20), so it almost evened out...)
10/7: : :
10/8: :
10/9: ::
-----

So, far:

3/15 no driving :
5/15 no spending :
$10.04/$250 groceries
$136.02 necessary spending
$31.37 unnecessary spending
0/2 yummy coffees

[captain crunchy]

Oct 1
Oct 2 ($20 in cash budgeted for grocery store)
Oct 3
Oct 4: $60 cash budgeted for weekly grocery store (pretty good for three people eating mostly organic!!) but also .. $5 taco bell -- then, $10 at a church bazaar which was not budgeted but did go 100% to charity... ... but it wasn't budgeted or planned so...
Oct 5: We got gas on a FREE gas card from our apartment complex (incentive for moving in, they give us $50 gas card every time we pay rent for the first 6 months!)
Oct 6: $3.58 thanks dh
Oct 7:
Oct 8: $4.08(dh) + $10 (me)
Oct 9: $55.00 for groceries, in budget and $20 from paypal funds so only $35 out of our budget



Key:

No spend:
Spent money but was planned, needed, or budgeted:
Overspent or spent money that wasn't planned, needed, or budgeted:

[FeelingBlessed]

Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom

OMG -- we are broke!
This is NOT responsible money management.

I'm 40 years old. I'm not doing my job right.

Please don't beat yourself up Pru! Remember the incredible progress you have made, including nearly obliterating CC debt. Congratulate yourself on the "wins"! I have been on this thread for well over a year, and know the "wins" have been far more prevalent than the losses. You are making great progress, and inspiring the heck out of the rest of us with your support, honesty, and good humor. Know you will come through the "$30 challenge" victoriously, not only having made it without touching a CC, but also arriving at the other side with renewed focus and fervor. Good luck!

Kim :

[FeelingBlessed]

Feeling very frugal today - picked up a super warm winter coat and ski pants plus a pair of fleece pants for DS, a pair of fleece pants and pajama pants for DD, construction hardhat (DS), and Melissa & Doug rainforest floor puzzle (family) today at Goodwill for the bargain price of...(drumroll please)...$12.94! Had one of those moments where I wished for the ability to travel back in time and shake some sense into my full-price-paying, snobby shopper younger self. Ahh, to have the money today that I blew for so long. Okay, FIDO!

Kim :

Oct. 1:
Oct. 2:
Oct. 3:
Oct. 4:
Oct. 5:
Oct. 6: $10 Hannah Montana nailpolish (thanks to DS ripping open package in the store)
Oct. 7:
Oct. 8:
Oct. 9:

GOALS:
* Less than $50 in frivolous spending: month to date $10
* At least 25 days (no spend or spending w/in budget): 8/31
* Pack snacks/water for outings: 9/31
* NO library fines: month to date $0
* Stay within grocery/eating out budget: $315/$500
* ORGANIZE/declutter (lack of organization = spending): 6/25
* Exercise (feeling good = decreased emotional spending): 9/25
* Meal plan created: 0.5/4 weeks
* Sell rental house by 10/31 (closing scheduled for 10/31)...

[missmich]

I did pretty good today but spent a little.

I am very proud of myself for NOT spending money at Rietmans on some clothes that I could use. I did try on a few pairs of pants that were on sale,but I convinced myself to wait until I had cash and not to put it on my CC. Even though in the change room I did call to find out how much I could have spent today

I did get good news though! I must have all ready paid my monthly min. payment this month so I don't owe them for October,but will make another payment at the normal time anyway.

I was really low and didn't have a good body image today and blamed my bra! It's a nice one from LeSenza (an Itec) and it just isn't doing what it should anymore. So I went in and tried on a few and was going to get one (2 for 1 really)but couldn't find the right fit and was getting frustrated so I left empty handed. I really hate bra shopping! :

I did spend some money at the food court before work since I had a meeting before and didn't have anything to bring with me to eat.

Day 9 $49 on Visa
$ 6.75 at the food court (made at home would that amount could
have fed me 4-6 times)

I decided that in November as long as my rent is paid (it will be) and my bills and min. payment on my CC's are paid (they are so far) then I'll sit down and decide on how much I should budget for some new clothes. Then I'll take a day to shop and find the right bra! I think that will help me feel better.

[becoming]

10/1 - $71.62 (party), $20.85 (gifts), $10.69 (household)
10/2 - $20.74 (gas), 10.08 (dinner)
10/3 - $15.00 (medical co-pay), $13.12 (medicine & shampoo), $126.98 (winter clothes for DD)
10/4 - $33.39 (lunch), $20.00 (gas), $8.47 (groceries)
10/5 -
10/6 - $14.75 (dinner)
10/7 - $167.96 (groceries/household)
10/8 -
10/9 - $45.35 (party), $21.18 (groceries), $37.00 (dinner)

Goals:
2/10 no-spend days
4/20 eat-at-home days
$116.97/$200 party
$221.42/$500 groceries/household
$126.98/$300 winter clothes