~October No Spend Challenge~ The economy declines, MDC familes SAVE!!!!!! - Page 3

[Scribe]

Heh. I imagine it had something to do with having a paycheck coming in again after a super-frugal summer, huh? And like we said, you needed running shoes. And probably panties, as well. I mean, who doesn't need panties??

I am probably going to be doing some spending for the next few days, as I will have guests in town and will be entertaining them and going places. I"m going to try to keep it reasonable, though. Currently I am trying to be frugal by not buying lunch but waiting until the faculty meeting next door is over and then seeing if they have leftovers.

Paid $600 on my CCs today. That doesn't suck. I've paid $6,500 since January.

[slsurface]

Ugh, last month was terrible. I didn't even post the last few days because I blew all my budgets . But I'll try to do better this month.

Here are the new goals for October:

0/10 No Spend Days (trying to be more realistic here)
0/2 Eating Out (excluding business trip)
$0/$600 Groceries, gasoline & household expenses
$0/$25 Halloween costumes for family
$0/$150 Home Improvement 0
$0/$500 Put in household savings
$0/$150 Un-Budgeted spending
$0/$200 For business trip (DH & DS are tagging along)

My KEY:
= No spend
= Budgeted or necessary spending
= Un-Budgeted spending
= Put money in savings
= Saved money
: = No driving or biking only

[unlegal]

Subbing....be back later to post

[Miasmamma]

My name is Erin and I am joining this thread in a big way!! So far, today, I've spent nothing!!! We're not going anywhere so there's no chance to spend later either. I am a SAH mom to Amelia, 27 months, wife to Phil and expecting #2 sometime next year. I just got my test results today, but there is some question as to how far along I am, so I have an ultrasound tomorrow. ANYHOW...

We are going out for our anniversary next week, but we can keep it under $60 easily. That is the only thing that I know of that is upcoming this month.

We meal plan so that helps keep the grocery budget down, but our farmer's market ends at the end of this month, so it will go up once I have to rely on stores for everything.

We are slightly behind on our house payment, but nothing that I can't make up by the end of this month if I'm careful. My goal is to get caught up.

I think that's it, but I'll be back tomorrow!

[Crunchy*VT*Mom]

: Congratualtions Erin!!!

[mags.bubble]

Hi, I'm Maggie a mostly stay at home mom to 3 kiddos (17, 6, 4). I work very part time at the hospital as a nurse. I use to be thrify and frugal when we were broke. We are no longer broke, but I want to get back to being frugal and mindful. Even though we are debt free (other than mortgage), we have no business going on several vacations a year when our 6month emergency fund isn't complete.: We had fun, but now its time to get back to the basics.

October goals:
Stay focused on 6mo emergency fund (1/3 there)
Spend within budget only - no nickel/diming myself
Think thrify/frugal
learn to budget monthly for things, rather than just yearly

Key:
no spend day
spent, but within in budget only
oops

[VOBetz]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of October.

Wow! I'm in. DH was in training to become a firefighter and he did not complete the Fire Academy. So he's unemployed as of September 15th. Things are tight right now - to say the least.

I'm a 27 year old WAHM to 2 kids (ages 3 & 1). I just started my etsy shop a few weeks ago. But, I can assure you that I have all the fabric that I need to keep my business running for a long time. LOL.

2. 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?

I'm an impulse buying and a therapeutic buyer. So, to handle the impulse buys, I'm going to set myself a computer based "wish list". If I want something, I can write it down on the list, wait until November and then talk to DH about it. He's frugal by nature, so he can help me decide if it is worth it.

For my emotional stuff, I'm planning on talking to my support people more, DH, mom, friends to get me through this hard time. Without a job, its hard to justify spending money frivolously, but I still need to be aware of it.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

My goals are to have 20 no spend days this month. Its my goal to eat out twice a week, once with my family and once with my friends. Absolutely no coffee, stopping for a soda/snack or what not. Whatever we need outside of food and bills, is put on the wish list and talked about with DH. He'll really keep me in line.

Really, the goal is to spend as little money as possible. We still have income, but its limited comparatively, so we need to cut back as much as possible right now.

10/1 Dinner Out with family
10/2 Grocery shopping (in budget)

[Ruthiegirl]

Oct 1 -- 11.29 post office, 75.00 to fix leaky toilet

We started off with a bang this morning. The toilet sprung a leak, rusty foul water was seeping from the base. We hired a sitter to watch the kids while dh and I pulled the toilet and replaced the wax ring. The sitter was key to getting the project done! Nothing like 3 little people underfoot while you are trying to fix a mess.

I also mailed some things back, bras that were the wrong size and a replacement wedding band. My wedding band is cracked and I thought that I really wanted a new one. Turns out, I want the $250 more.



Goals/extras:

Dentist copays -- 0/60
Medical copays -- 0/15
Halloween 0/70
Birthday for ds -- 0/100
Groceries -- 0/400
Food coop -- 0/500
Apple picking -- 0/60

[kalisis]

I'm back this month!

I have less money than ever but feel rich and joyful about the money I am able to spend b/c it brings good things into our lives. I am welcoming more money and am grateful for that which I do have.

So, for October, I am focusing on figuring out Christmas gifts for the kiddos and family and trading in my gas sucking minivan for a hybrid. That will bring costs, taxes, title, license, insurance, but I'm ready. I will also have some lawyer fees to pay, so I'm bracing for that as well.

This is the first month that insurance premiums will be taken out of my check, so it'll be smaller than the last one, but I'm budgeting for that. As well, I'd like to move DS to a Montessori school instead of Day Care and I'll need to figure out where the extra money is coming from for that.

Also, budgeting for gym class for DD and swim lessons for DS.

I'm excited to be here ladies!

1. $75 for swim lessons for DS, $69 for gym class for DD

[LindyLou]

Ok, I am really doing it this month

1st

[rosadesal]

arrgh

went to walmart. needed a garbage can, diapers, wipes, two pairs of pants for dd to have at her grandma's house, garbage bags, hangers...for the record, i'm slowly furnishing my own apartment and i'm going little by little. i dont have cable, i use some wireless signal that my laptop picked up, and i hate excess *stuff* - for example, i tried getting by WITHOUT a garbage can, but now it smells under my sink and i realized it actually says in the lease that we must use tied up plastic garbage bags. anyway. $56. AND, the two women yelling "im gonna call the cops!!! dont make me call the cops on you!" to their kids who couldnt have been more than 5 years old was enough to keep me from EVER going back there. SCARY. too bad its like...a thirty second drive from my apartment, and sometimes the convenience outweighs the ten minute drive to meijer or target.

so

10/1: $56, but it was totally necessary. i didn't even by groceries yet.

[mamimapster]

I'm in again, will post hellos & reasons later:

OCT 1No Spend/ No drive
Oct 233.02Gas (No unbudget spend)

OCTOBER Goals;
unbudget spend days goal 15/30, 2/30
No Drive Days goal: 7/30,1/30
No frivolous spending over 100 actual: 0/100
Sold items 0/50
Thrift/HB kit items: 0/20
Decluttering/organizing 20 min day 1/24
Grocery budget 0/370.00
Baked/home cooking:0/10
Study/Daven daily 0/15

August Goals
No unbudget15/30,No Drive,7/30, 102.00/100Sold items 67/50
Thrift/HB kit items: 18.70/20,Decluttering/organizing 20 min day 14/24
Grocery budget 397.72/350.00 ,Baked/bulk cooking:6/10 Study/Daven daily goal 7/15

July Goals:Awesome!:
No unbudget spend days goal 17/30 +2,No Drive Days goal:11/30+1
No frivolous spending93.56/100 7.00 under!, Grocery budget 341.73/375-30.00 UNDER

[Matt's Mom in MT]

10/1 : $4.20 Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

I have to say, this thread is already working. I spent a good hour debating with myself whether the latte was worth having to report it here. In the end, as you can obviously see, it was. I'm waiting to hear about my dream job and the stress from it is about to kill me. I needed the caffeine to calm me down. LOL.

Ok, even though I'm not off to an auspicious start, I know this is going to be a fantastic month. I have huge goals to earn and save money. The economy is giving me horrible heartburn, so I would love to have more savings to help me sleep better at night!

[BlueMoonBean]

Hi, I'm back!

I fell off the wagon big time at the end of last month. (Hello, I bought a frickin' COW!

I vow to do better this month. I do think I spent less last month b/c I was being more mindful than I usually am. Our grocery bill was way lower b/c I was trying hard to have one grocery shopping day a week. Well, besides the cow, of course...............

How I plan to no-spend:
- Meal plan and eat at home!!
- Grocery shop on a single day a week... and make it through to the following week.
- Stay out of stores and do a double search to make sure we don't already have it if we think we need it.
- Avoid super cute baby costumes for Bastian's first halloween. He'll be adorable with a set of ears on a headband. Let's face it, that's all you'll be able to see on him in the sling, anyway.

My goals:
18/31 - No spend days!
5/31 - NO drive days!!
5/31 - Limited drive days
20/31 - Eat at home days
31/31 - Check in on the thread days... for accountability purposes.
1/31 - go back and tally up for last month and 'fess up days!

Here we go!!!

[monkey's mom]

10/1:


No Spend
Budget Spend
Over Spend


I've got a grocery balance to carry over from Sep.--went shopping yesterday. I've got to double check my receipts for exact amt.

[papermoon]

Ok, here I go.....

Oct 1: £46.05 (groceries) £7.49 (comic, choc + small pressie)


Groceries were planned and my son had emergency surgery on Sunday and this was the first day he was up and about (and my first chance to get him a little something.)


My key is

No Spending
Planned Spending
Unplanned Spending

[highlandmum]

Ok, well the month did not start out perfect for me, but it sort of wasn't my fault (ugh, I shouldn't say that, huh?) I got stuck out of the house (literally) right at lunch time, so I had to buy dd's and I sandwhiches--$14.69--
Lesson learned though--always keep snacks in the car!!!!!

[BlueMoonBean]

10/1 - $65 for household goods and groceries. Budgeted spend.


My goals:
18/31 - No spend days!
5/31 - NO drive days!!
5/31 - Limited drive days
20/31 - Eat at home days
31/31 - Check in on the thread days... for accountability purposes.
1/31 - go back and tally up for last month and 'fess up days!

Meeting goals:
0/18 - No spend
0/5 - No drive
0/5 - Limited drive
1/20 - Eat at Home
1/31 - Thread check in
0/1 - Fess up

[my2girlz]

10/1.


1/10 no spending days
0/$200 grocery budget
0/$100 gas budget
0/$300 Halloween party budget

[MonkeyPrincess]

Goals:
- No driving days won't work for me, but I am limiting myself to filling up my tank twice per month.
- Account for ALL purchases here.
- Put money for bills in bank, and use cash system for everything else.
- Be very mindful when buying misc. items (Halloween, Fall celebrations, two kids birthdays, etc.)
- No ridiculous impulse food purchases - I am SO bad at that!

- stayed within my personal goals
: - fell short

Okay, so far:
10/1 $8 (apples for breakfast tomorrow and lentils for dinner tonight)