The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: westtoeast on September 02, 2017, 08:47:47 AM
-
Hi all,
Anyone else feel like they loosened up their budgets a little too much over the summer? I'm ready for a low spend challenge. I'd like to try to cut all "luxury" or unnecessary purchases for September and October. I think these are the perfect months to slim down spending because November may require some (hopefully thoughtful) holiday spending. I've also been reading along with the "has the forum gone soft?" thread and it's making me want to check on my own hedonistic adaptation!
My goals are to only spend money on rent, utilities, and reasonable grocery store foods and toiletries. My challenge areas will probably be resisting the urge to go thrifting for cute fall sweaters and not taking Uber rides. I'll be searching actively for free festive fall activities and finding some fall baking recipes. I'm also thinking of searching through the homemade X-mas thread to see if there is anything I can start working on now.
Would anyone like to join and help hold each other accountable?
-
OH GOD YES I need this challenge. In particular, we need to clamp down on alcohol spending, and avoid further clothes spending, and cut back down on "time with friends" spending. (I'm glad we increased the entertainment spending temporarily, but it needs to get reeled in again).
There will continue to be insanely expensive and unavoidable medical and vet costs, but that's a big part of why I want to do this!
-
I'm in! I unofficially started in August, since July was a disaster with a big international trip. August was a success, and we had our lowest spending month in over two years. Ready to keep the momentum going!
-
I'm in! I unofficially started in August, since July was a disaster with a big international trip. August was a success, and we had our lowest spending month in over two years. Ready to keep the momentum going!
Wow! Congrats on last month.
What were the big changes last month that enabled that? Just discretionary spending cut backs, or "fixed" stuff too?
-
I'm in! I unofficially started in August, since July was a disaster with a big international trip. August was a success, and we had our lowest spending month in over two years. Ready to keep the momentum going!
Wow! Congrats on last month.
What were the big changes last month that enabled that? Just discretionary spending cut backs, or "fixed" stuff too?
Our fixed costs are low (we've averaged about $2300/mo for all spending for about 4-5 years now), but I had gotten into a few spendier habits that were tacking on a couple hundred bucks a month. I don't want to have lifestyle inflation since we're planning to FIRE in May, so I cut out the occasional lunches and dinners out and random purchases I don't need. I kinda think of it as getting back to my healthy spending diet. :)
-
July was a disaster with a big international trip.
OH GOD YES I need this challenge.
OMG SAME :)
We are both in education & do not get paid between June 30-Sept 15/30. We have savings set aside each year to last the summer, but this year we did some lengthy international travel and need to rein it back in.
August wasn't too bad once we got back home. Lots of free & cheap activities to do in the summer, plus all the garden produce helps keep food bills down.
Hoping to go back to barebones for Sept / Oct. These are typically our frugal-est months as we are busy focusing on work again. These challenges always help a lot for support & accountability!!
Aiming for +80% SR for both months. Main focus will be on food spending as it tends to creep up when we are busy w/ work.
Good luck everyone!
Lots of similarities here! I had an international and a domestic trip and I also work in education... I did set aside a chunk for summer but it was barely enough and I had to steal a bit from my long term savings to cover my September rent (although I will be able to pay myself back when I get my first paycheck in two days).
Thanks to everyone who has joined so far! This is going to be really helpful.
I'm going to post what I've bought (and spent) each week on Saturday. I think knowing that others will see my "shameful" spending will help keep me on track.
-
Yeah I'm hoping social accountability does it for me, too. I'm guessing $4k in fixed or semi-fixed costs this month, and another up to $1k in medical+vet+pharmacy. Really want to keep everything under $5.5k, which will allow us to save $2k this month.
-
I will jump in! Two personal trips out of state and a couple purchases made August fairly expensive. I want to make sure I have some extra cash on hand in case of a government shutdown.
This is the time of year I'm tempted to run out and buy new clothes, so I'll focus on restraining myself there. The ponies already got new winter blankets and should be adequately wardrobed as well. I've also been tempted to buy new books lately, but need to focus on reading what I have (specialized horse training books).
We still have meat in the freezer from last year, and lots of eggs and veggies coming in from the garden, so I'm aiming to keep the grocery spend low.
I will be keeping up with riding lessons as I'm able though, since the weather is usually ideal for riding between now and mid-November.
-
Ok, since yesterday was Saturday I suppose I should post my first few days of spending. It's not pretty because it all happened before I decided to make this challenge!
Sept 1: $60, vitamins (prescribed by doc, necessary & will last months)
Sept 2: $18, Uber (to and from doc appointment, this was hedonistic adaptation); $30 (treated a friend to lunch because she treated me in the past); $6 (cotton balls & floss-- necessary); $52 (groceries from TJ's-- necessary, avoided treats)
CHALLENGE BEGUN
Sept 3: $5 (train fare); $3 (movie rental on Amazon)
Total Necessary: $123
Total Unnecessary: $48 (yikes)
Today my SO & I were going to go see Close Encounters of the Third Kind in theaters (one of my fav movies, it's being re-released for its anniversary) and then were going to eat out at a burrito place afterwards. BUT we decided to stay in, pop popcorn and rent the same movie on Amazon instead, which saves a ton. Feeling good about this first frugal decision of the month. However, we are also going to poke around our favorite bookstore, so I've got to resist and remind myself that I've got a pile of books from the library to read at home.
-
Spending so far this month... sigh, got the bad news our mortgage payment is increasing by $40/month =( They mis-estimated on taxes, boo.
Sep 1st: $6 groceries (needed, for canning salsa); $115 vet (necessary. Ongoing issues with the dog. Corneal ulceration monitoring); $26 booze (unnecessary)
Sep 2nd: $44 local 'everything store'. $28 canning jars (48 of them, good price, necessary, we're out), $16 beer for friends coming over (unnecessary); $19 groceries (necessary)
Sep 3rd: $540 remainder due picking up 1/4 cow (necessary)
Well, so far I think it's bloody obvious where our unnecessary spending all goes... alcohol! $42 unnecessary spending there.
Hopefully we'll do better from here on out. At least the alcohol was cheaper than going out with our friends? Still, they would have been fine with just food, or we could have asked them to bring drinks, they're the frugal sorts too and totally willing to take turns with all of that.
-
Only three days in, and I face a dilemma. A friend wants to go on a weekend yoga retreat in October, and I am interested in joining...BUT, it's $600 (and a weekend away from my kid). But, I do want to go on a yoga retreat at some point, and now that I'm pregnant again, it might be awhile until I can do it if I don't go now...I probably shouldn't do it (sigh).
ETA: I left out the "not" in the last sentence. Freudian slip!
-
We are supposed to be on an ultra frugal vacation; eating ramen and beans, anchoring in places where there are no temptations to spend...a tropical depression, an issue with the boat and old injuries had other ideas. $30/ night for our current dock and $20 for our big night out still isn't bad, but it isn't free. And we now have a major repair project to address when we finally get home.
-
Only three days in, and I face a dilemma. A friend wants to go on a weekend yoga retreat in October, and I am interested in joining...BUT, it's $600 (and a weekend away from my kid). But, I do want to go on a yoga retreat at some point, and now that I'm pregnant again, it might be awhile until I can do it if I don't go now...I probably shouldn't do it (sigh).
ETA: I left out the "not" in the last sentence. Freudian slip!
Hmm, tricky. Do you have a special travel fund you can pull from? Or perhaps you could find some things to sell from your home so that you "break even" and stick to your spending goals.
-
Only three days in, and I face a dilemma. A friend wants to go on a weekend yoga retreat in October, and I am interested in joining...BUT, it's $600 (and a weekend away from my kid). But, I do want to go on a yoga retreat at some point, and now that I'm pregnant again, it might be awhile until I can do it if I don't go now...I probably shouldn't do it (sigh).
ETA: I left out the "not" in the last sentence. Freudian slip!
Hmm, tricky. Do you have a special travel fund you can pull from? Or perhaps you could find some things to sell from your home so that you "break even" and stick to your spending goals.
I thought about earmarking my side gig money for it (since my side gig is new, it still feels like found money), which would more than break even, but I think I'm not going to go. The time away from the kid is a bigger factor than the money at this point in life.
-
I'll join. Mostly to keep myself accountable. I haven't done badly over the summer months, and actually came in £200 under budget in August, but DH and I have a vacation in November and I'd like the cost of it to have been absorbed into the budget by the time we go. So that's my personal "challenge" for this period of time.
It's not normally an expensive time of year for household bills, and I'm going to be working long hours which will keep me away from potentially spendy hobbies as well as helping to fill my retirement coffers.
And at the moment I'm so desperate to be retired that anything that helps carry me through two months in the office is welcome :-)
-
Four days in and zero spend so far! That is only because CostCo is closed today. Tomorrow's challenge will be going there and buying only coffee and avocado oil.
-
Trying to do all my canning on the cheap still. Don't want any of our garden produce to go bad. Drove out to a farm stand to get canning grade romas. So I paid ~$0.78/lb, rather than the $1.99/lb that all the stores near me have.
Spending ??s- at some point we need to get fenders put on DH's bike so he can keep riding once the rains start. I'm torn about deferred spending. The cost has to happen sometime. There aren't really any sales I've seen if we just wait. *shrug*. Not sure if it's worth waiting (but then there will be time crunches with hunting season) or just getting done now.
-
Four days in and zero spend so far! That is only because CostCo is closed today. Tomorrow's challenge will be going there and buying only coffee and avocado oil.
I realized I'm already lying to myself. My horse had bodywork done on the 1st that I was attributing to last month's spending. So $50.
Costco run today set me back $45. 3# of coffee, 1 liter avocado oil, seaweed packets, and croutons and a case of water for DH (football related activities).
-
Well... that went poorly.
Fires = smoke = DH and I stuck inside = stir crazy and limited cooking options and fussy = going out to dinner with BIL and finace to talk about their wedding = offering to cover = $93 meal.
=\ So much for LESS restaurant spending this month. That's already more than the past 2 months combined.
-
Well... that went poorly.
Fires = smoke = DH and I stuck inside = stir crazy and limited cooking options and fussy = going out to dinner with BIL and finace to talk about their wedding = offering to cover = $93 meal.
=\ So much for LESS restaurant spending this month. That's already more than the past 2 months combined.
Off topic, but these fires are so sad. My family is in Oregon, and I was just in the Gorge a week ago... hard to imagine how its going to look now. Here's hoping you guys get some rain really soon.
I think the restaurant spend is understandable considering conditions over there-- can you cut back in another area to break even? This probably doesn't work for everyone, but I lump all my expenses (aside from rent, loan payments, groceries and bus pass) into one category so if I do something spendy I'll compensate in other ways so as not to make my Mint account turn red.
-
I'm in! I just got back from my Honeymoon which included $4K in unexpected Vet costs. I really need to buckle down these next 2 months (and beyond) to get back on track.
Spending so far this month:
Sept 1 - $50.75
Sept 2 - $47.94
Sept 3 - $25.28
Sept 4 - $101.93
Sept 5 - $0.00
Sept 6 - $44.19
Total for Sept = $270.09
Goal for the Month = $2,100
I got back on the 5th so really just starting the challenge today. Goal for the rest of the week is to only buy food and pay any necessary bills.
-
Well... that went poorly.
Fires = smoke = DH and I stuck inside = stir crazy and limited cooking options and fussy = going out to dinner with BIL and finace to talk about their wedding = offering to cover = $93 meal.
=\ So much for LESS restaurant spending this month. That's already more than the past 2 months combined.
Off topic, but these fires are so sad. My family is in Oregon, and I was just in the Gorge a week ago... hard to imagine how its going to look now. Here's hoping you guys get some rain really soon.
I think the restaurant spend is understandable considering conditions over there-- can you cut back in another area to break even? This probably doesn't work for everyone, but I lump all my expenses (aside from rent, loan payments, groceries and bus pass) into one category so if I do something spendy I'll compensate in other ways so as not to make my Mint account turn red.
The fires are absolutely hideous. We are not even working the horses beyond what they can do in a walk now. I was also in the gorge last week and hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls. Can't believe that is all burned up now. :( The smoke really settled into Boise Monday night, but it got worse again last night. Kids are being kept indoors at recess and the sun is barely visible today.
Back on topic:
Spent $3.50 on cream for coffee this morning.
Anticipated spending today: $5.00 refilling water jugs
$40 at feed store - bit of a quandary because I really only need a $10 item, but have $10 off of $50 coupons, but between dog food, horse feed, chicken feed and other supplies, I'm always needing something and might as well stock up when I have the coupon in hand.
$25 for a tank of gas
Back
-
perhaps you could find some things to sell from your home
I would really like to do this! We live in a small space w/ limited storage (800 sqft) and have a pretty large amount of musical instruments & gear that aren't being used.... The problem is that they are my husband's, lol! ;)
Ha! I have the same problem. There are several things I want to sell, but it's currently a no-go. :)
-
Yes! I'm in. I love this thread! I was pretty good last month actually, except that we went out of town one weekend and spent a bit too much on bars.
My goals for this month: Zero unnecessary spending, just rent, groceries, utilities. Zero eating out and no meat or dairy products. Unfortunately, (well, not THAT unfortunately) it's my anniversary next month. Any suggestions for a gift...?!
Spending so far:
$33 on groceries
$36 on gas :(
$117 on car insurance (it goes down to $70 next month, woo!)
$60 on my phone (lord help me with my mobile phone addiction)
$10 on a gift for my apartment manager for watching my cat
-
Ugh. "Other" expenses are piling up. $99 for husband for a work expense (although this *should* be reimbursed, in theory). I need to renew my professional insurance, which will probably be like $110. Then others I accounted for are rolling in- luckily with one bill way less than I expected! My insurance didn't cover the last of this lab, so it was $129, but for whatever reason they covered this most recent one, so it was $29! Makes me happy. $50 health cost today, then it'll be vet and doctor extravaganza Monday. Probably... $200-250 vet, and $170 doctor. Then probably some prescriptions, of unknown cost. Oh, and one of known cost next week, $69.
We're taking a couple weeks off drinking, too, so that'll save some money there.
I'm hoping for the rest of the month: NO more restaurant spending and NO more alcohol spending. And NO clothes, although we're doing well on that so far.
-
Ugh. "Other" expenses are piling up. $99 for husband for a work expense (although this *should* be reimbursed, in theory). I need to renew my professional insurance, which will probably be like $110. Then others I accounted for are rolling in- luckily with one bill way less than I expected! My insurance didn't cover the last of this lab, so it was $129, but for whatever reason they covered this most recent one, so it was $29! Makes me happy. $50 health cost today, then it'll be vet and doctor extravaganza Monday. Probably... $200-250 vet, and $170 doctor. Then probably some prescriptions, of unknown cost. Oh, and one of known cost next week, $69.
We're taking a couple weeks off drinking, too, so that'll save some money there.
I'm hoping for the rest of the month: NO more restaurant spending and NO more alcohol spending. And NO clothes, although we're doing well on that so far.
It sucks when unexpected but necessary spending eats away at us. The no drinking, no restaurant, no clothes are totally within your control though! It all balances out. I've also been thinking of cutting back to only two drinks a week total.
-
A few unexpected expenses for me as well....
9/3, $18 (visited a Trader Joe's with wine, bought two $4.99 bottles in addition to the baking soda and lemons I stopped for)
9/7, $110 (my passport is expiring and I need it for April... I don't want to risk waiting too long, but this is a bummer price tag... I could have waited until this challenge was over, but I'm spending the money either way and this gives me peace of mind)
9/7, $6 (Uber, something seems to have changed with my bus route and no bus was coming for a while and I needed to get home quickly so that I could eat dinner and change for a work event this evening-- not happy about this one, but cheaper than ordering take out.)
So not great overall, but I haven't spent on clothing, eating out or entertainment. My goal is to make the two bottles of wine I bought last the whole month-- I won't spend any more on alcohol this month. I do have the challenge of going out with friends tomorrow night, I need to resist buying any drinks out. I'll bring one of the wine bottles to my friend's house for before.
-
This is almost comical. I posted my last post complaining about weird but unavoidable expenses... and then went to print papers I need for work today... and 2/4 inks are out. They aren't even the inks I need to print, but the printer won't run with them empty. We tried all the "usual" tricks to get it to run anyway. But alas, it didn't work.
$60 later... finally printed 4 friggin black and white pages.
-
I love low spend challenges! Remember the spirit of the phrase "Luxury is just another weakness."
This week I spent $0 commuting, walking to/from work in both sunshine and rain. I spent $16 on groceries so far as I am "eating down" excess food I have already.
-
I am in! We simply need to stay on target this month and next...and cut down on already trimmed "extras".
We are fixing up the house ($$$) to sell, dealing with some vet/dog health issues that will hopefully be managed soon ($), and we have several family birthdays/weddings approaching. Most of the gifts are already made/bought inexpensively, but we will travel in October and November, and we are trying to do those as cheaply as possible too.
Also, saving for moving expenses, the potential to end up double-dipping on rent/mortgage money until everything changes hands, and just the chaos of selling/moving.
I also have goals regarding 'extra' monies. I've been selling off stuff and downsizing our junk as we prep for the move, so I have been using it as a reminder not to buy more (don't want to move it) and challenging myself to make certain amounts in certain timeframes. Also, we have to eat up the freezer food in the next two months....pantry challenge!
-
I am in! We simply need to stay on target this month and next...and cut down on already trimmed "extras".
We are fixing up the house ($$$) to sell, dealing with some vet/dog health issues that will hopefully be managed soon ($), and we have several family birthdays/weddings approaching. Most of the gifts are already made/bought inexpensively, but we will travel in October and November, and we are trying to do those as cheaply as possible too.
Also, saving for moving expenses, the potential to end up double-dipping on rent/mortgage money until everything changes hands, and just the chaos of selling/moving.
I also have goals regarding 'extra' monies. I've been selling off stuff and downsizing our junk as we prep for the move, so I have been using it as a reminder not to buy more (don't want to move it) and challenging myself to make certain amounts in certain timeframes. Also, we have to eat up the freezer food in the next two months....pantry challenge!
Sounds like we've got some similar money leaks going on! I forgot about the birthdays and wedding though =o
Wedding gift I bought through cardpool (gift card- they're moving cross country and combining households, so GC will be appreciated I think) so 7.5% off, but still like $46 sigh. Not sure yet what to do about my mom's birthday, then FIL's birthday is coming up. UGH.
Also frustrated I didn't see these coming further off, totally forgot about them
-
Ok, Saturday Update!
9/8, $20 (Total cost of a girl's night out... this happens literally twice a year and the location is inaccessible by public transport, so we needed to Uber there and back. I brought one of my Trader Joe's wine bottles to my friend's house before, and didn't buy any drinks out, so I actually feel decent about how this went.)
9/8, $42 (Groceries for the whole week)
9/8, $15 (GRRRR stupid Equinox hack!!!! I decided to shell out the $5 per company required to freeze my credit because the Equinox site stated that I was probably compromised. SO angry that I had to pay out my money to compensate for their mistake, but didn't want to risk taking the time to file as an identify theft victim. I honestly think I'm just going to keep my credit frozen and just do the temporary un-freeze when I need to apply for a lease or credit card. Makes getting new travel cards much more annoying though.)
Total Necessary: $57
Total Unnecessary: $20
Low spend weekend plans: Go watch other people's dogs at a dog festival, begin working on paintings for the calendars I'm making as homemade holiday presents, batch cook a bunch of chicken curry, read library books, do exercise videos for free from Fitness Blender, and spend a bit of time on my little side hustles.
How'd everyone else do this week? What low spend activities will you be up to this weekend?
-
So far this weekend:
Watched old Community episodes last night, in between painting for me and studying for CCNP for hubby. Ate at home; no monies spent.
Today: Hubby worked on deck and I cleaned our freezer and filed paperwork. I am working to consolidate some retirement accounts/establish what kind of fees are involved in them. We are in process of getting our finances together....we have paid off the student loans and are probably 9 months (ish) from paying off the one car, so thats cool!
Tonight: free dinner for me at an appreciation banquet thing at our church. Hopefully meeting a buyer beforehand from a facebook buy and sell site. Also baking a ham from our freezer for meals this week. After the dinner, we may make homemade popcorn and watch some Community again. (Its been our weekend 'chill pill' the last few weeks)
-
Feeling crummy today is working in my favor; I haven't had the energy to leave the house to grocery shop. Not that it's a long list.
Ended up spending $51 at the feed store after coupon stocking up on the dewormers the horses will get in November. They were $1 off and in-stock, often they go out of stock when there's a sale, so it seemed wise to grab them.
Spent $60 on vehicle maintenance on Thursday, $3.69 on unhealthy gas station treats yesterday.
The vegetable garden and chickens are providing tons of food right now, so the grocery bill is looking great; only $46 spent so far, and a very short shopping list this week.
I'm afraid I'll need to take one of my horses to the vet next week though. She stuck her leg through a fence at the end of August and she has kind of plateaued in her healing despite my best efforts to treat her myself.
-
Oh I'd love to jump in on this!
Goals:
No entertainment spending in Sept.
I should be able to keep this to 0; my only August expenses were camping permit and orchestra participation fee.
Minimize restaurant spending Sept-Nov.
To be honest, the goal here should be 0, but I tend to cave when my long-distance boyfriend is in town and wants to go on a date. We usually eat pretty cheap, and go dutch. So, as little as possible.
No Ubers!
Self-explanatory. This will be easy until I have to get to the airport in mid-October.
So far in Sept my only frivolous spending has been $11.84 on a graphic novel. The art just doesn't turn out as an ebook, which is how I tend to read my library books.
I may also be purchasing an athletic swimsuit in the next few weeks. Can't do laps in a bikini.
-
I'm joining. Last week I decided I need to rein in my spending this month and would not spend anything when out with friends. Yesterday I planned for biking to a festival with new friends and packed my own food and coffee...then spent all day and most of the night out and ended up spending THREE TIMES what I would normally, even with eating my own food half the day. ACK.
Packing all my meals during the workweek is paramount.
NO entertainment spending. This means not going to 3 events I'd planned on - but my budget really cannot tolerate the spend right now.
Biking to work to save on gas. Even when I'm on call during the workweek - this is the big hindrance for not getting rid of my car entirely; I need to be within 45 minutes on off shifts and am definitely over that by bike. Debating selling my car (used, that I stupidly financed, the first car I've ever financed and regretted it immediately) and buying an ebike that I can equip for winter.
Today- no spending. Cooking food for work tomorrow that I already have in the house. Big shop tomorrow and cookup planned on my day off Tuesday.
-
So far have managed an entertaining and social no-spend weekend. Yesterday we went to a MMM potluck meetup in a park. Today we went hiking with friends then had them over for lunch. (Just cost of gas and ingredients, already own a years northwest trailhead pass). Then we went to a free electric vehicle event so DH could ogle the pretty pretty Teslas. Helped BIL move a free mattress. Supporting frugality secondhand! Also picked up a freebie TV with issues from my inlaws. If DH can get it to work, we'll have a bigger, newer, sharper, louder TV, for free. Otherwise our old TV still works, so who cares =) He gets a tinker toy for a while.
*ahem* and I'll blissfully try to ignore the MINIMUM of $280 in medical and vet spending that will happen tomorrow, and the $69 prescription, and and and... Ugh.
-
I've got a speeding fine on the way to me as a result of a moment of inattention (saw my friend going the other way, was thinking about her not watching my speed). Soooo, I need to find about $116-269 worth of savings as penance (depending on how far over the limit I was).
I'm going to shop the pantry as my key strategy. Our food budget is about $130 a week normally. Hopefully DH won't complain too much as he's just had a boy's weekend eating out everyday for 4 days.
I'll also have a no spend month on snacks and drinks when I'm out.
Other than that, I don't really spend anything! I'll see if I can find anything to sell. Maybe it's the motivation I need to do a furniture restoration project I've put off for years.
-
Stayed at home and didn't spend a dime today!
Yesterday got a little spendy on the groceries. I think I ended up at $107, which included 6 bottles of wine, two 4-packs of the tonic water I like since it was on sale (should last a while). I should still be able to stay under budget for the month though.
Horse was looking better last night, so I may have dodged a bullet on the vet bill front.
-
Wow, great job yesterday everyone!
I stuck to just my meal planning list today for groceries. No impulse cheese purchases :)
-
In August I spent $327 on restaurants/fast food/coffee and $286 on booze. Adds up to $614 of silly spending.
Today is September 11th (a third of the way through the month) and I've only spent $10.72 on fast food and $13 on coffee/tea. Still some fat to cut, but hey, a big difference.
-
Spent $4 on BOGO blackberries instead of $1.50 on bananas. No regrets, but technically frivolous. I am kinda sad I don't have fancy cheese to spread on toast with them, but hey, I didn't spend $8 on fancy cheese.
-
I didn't buy a flavoured milk when I was at the supermarket yesterday, even though they were calling my name, so that's $3 saved because of the challenge. I've also put off filling up because fuel is about $1.38 a litre and I'm hoping it might drop in a day or two and save me $10 :)
-
Spent $4 on BOGO blackberries instead of $1.50 on bananas. No regrets, but technically frivolous. I am kinda sad I don't have fancy cheese to spread on toast with them, but hey, I didn't spend $8 on fancy cheese.
What's BOGO?
-
Plugging along over here. Dog's appointments weren't as brutal financially as expected- $107. (Brutal emotionally, but hey, at least it was relatively cheap suffering!) Then my appointment was the $107 we expected. I'll pick up meds from that today, so YTBD how much.
Weather was pretty good yesterday, and air wasn't hazardous quality, so DH and I rode bikes to the store after he got done with work. Picked up chocolate and wine ($6.99 for the wine). Definitely didn't need to spend any more on alcohol this month, but the ride was great and its really tasty wine.
We'll also see today how much gas is costing. I've been holding off filling up, hoping it'll drop down again a little bit. Either way, I need to fill now, so it'll get filled.
Glad to hear stuff is generally going well for people!
-
Spent $4 on BOGO blackberries instead of $1.50 on bananas. No regrets, but technically frivolous. I am kinda sad I don't have fancy cheese to spread on toast with them, but hey, I didn't spend $8 on fancy cheese.
What's BOGO?
Buy one get one [free]. Not one blackberry... one container.
-
Yesterday I only spent 10.00 to ship a previously made gift to its recipient. Yeah, shipping isn't cheap, but the gift was :)
Today is a necessary spending only day. I have to get the dogs meds (70ish), I need to fill up my tank (25), and we really, really need groceries (took out 60.00 in cash so I am forced to stick within that budget). Hopefully thats all that will need spent today. Should be spending the evening painting and patching some walls/ceilings. And dinner will be meat from the freezer we are trying to clean out and veggies in a stir fry.
I will be meeting a few people from the buy and sell facebook site too...so some cash coming in as well :)
-
*Update
Spending (this includes all necessary bills, not just me going out and spending money, lol) so far this month:
Sept 1 - $50.75
Sept 2 - $47.94
Sept 3 - $25.28
Sept 4 - $101.93
Sept 5 - $0.00
Sept 6 - $44.19
Sept 7 - $27.28
Sept 8 - $25.00
Sept 9 - $67.66
Sept 10 - $12.99
Sept 11 - $113.56
Total for Sept = $516.58 (almost halfway through the month so that looks pretty good, I hope to get a few more zero days in there)
Goal for the Month = $2,100
-
Why is it that when I decide I'm not going to buy wine or whiskey, that is when I REALLY WANT WINE or whiskey? Everything else is easy to resist - fancy cheese, event tickets, takeout coffee. But wine.... Last year toward the end of winter, tea was a dandy substitute. But right now, with my indoor temp around 78 at 7:30pm it's not appealing. Yet an evening on the porch WITH WINE and a book totalllllly is.
I'm guessing that liquor is coded in my psyche as "luxurious leisure" and it is knowing that I'm not currently at that "level" that is really bugging me, rather than the alcohol itself.
Tonight I am avoiding the ticket purchase and a likely drink purchase for a local band that a friend wants me to go to. Will walk the dog and ride my bike after dark and think about wine, haha.
-
We wanted ice cream the other day. Made homemade pudding from scratch to fix the itch without spending any money.
No spending today besides a work related meal which will be reimbursed. Got 20.00 in cash from selling off some items on a buy and sell site.
Just looked over our spending so far for September. Only 50.00 of it has been something besides necessary bills, essential groceries, debt repayment or essential dog supplies!
That is a small miracle! My husband had commented on how it felt like reconciling the registry seemed to be easier...that there were fewer transactions than normal. Sure enough....way fewer!
-
alewpanda that's my favorite thing in the months I spend little - not having to reconcile as many transactions!
Today:
$32 on gasoline (I'm on call overnight and was below 1/8 tank)
$13 Aldi - cat litter x 2, potatoes. Wanted lots of cheese. Still want wine.
-
I hope it's better late than never. I just decided tonight I need to really buckle down and I love a good challenge. We already have plans to see a concert with relatives from out of state on Friday which will include dinner out (hubby and I are dieting so we will split something), a hotel for a night and an Uber. However it will be fun and time with family. So worth it. However, it doesn't mean I can't cut back otherwise. My goals through the next month:
-eat out no more than once a week
-cook breakfast (I can skip if I don't but hubby will stop and get fast food on the way to work if I don't feed him at home.
-use food in fridge, freezer, and cabinets, buying only when necessary.
-no food waste!
-no new clothes, even for concert!
-bathe and groom my fur baby instead of going to the groomer
-give myself a pedicure (even for the concert!)
-cancel bi-weekly house cleaning
-watch the thermostat!
I may think of more but so excited to join this challenge!z
-
No spending Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.
I've been tempted to indulge is some retail therapy due to some work stress the last two days, but held tight, reviewed finances and thought about achieving my goals. Took a nap instead.
Today I spent $5 on a burrito at the place near the office since they are closing and moving to a far-away location on Friday. Also spent $35 at the Asian Market for a gallon of rice wine vinegar and a big tin of sesame oil. Only $62 left in the grocery budget for the month, but I think can do it.
-
I spent $70 on a 2-month fitness class today, and then filled out the paperwork to get $60 of it reimbursed by my grad program. +$10 brings my unnecessary total to $22.
-
Nice choices everyone!
Things have gone a little better for me this week.
September 10: $12 (groceries... tea, dairy free milk, a few other items)
September: 11: $0
September: 12: $5 (birthday card), $40 (drug store...bulk laundry detergent, new hair brush, and a prescription)
September 13th: $0
Yay, no unnecessary spending so far this week! The hair brush was to replace one that broke.
I'm considering starting to list things that I resisted buying each week, and then transferring that amount into my long term savings. This week I resisted buying a winter hat for $18. I also have successfully avoided Ubers this week so far... gotta keep that up!
-
Well uh... I guess my spending will be going down some. Had to help the dog pass yesterday. So there won't be any more vet bills there. We probably could have returned her food (tons of unopened cans, since we had to switch types so many times- so like 6 flats of 12). I just couldn't bring myself to bother, it felt crass. So we donated all her food and all her meds to her vet.
Uh, needless to say the "no alcohol" budget went away. Just bought wine at the store though, so not as expensive as going out or something.
Also, I won't be taking care of the dog's health needs anymore, so I might pick up more work shifts. Being at home without her right now isn't appealing.
Not quite how I planned to do my low spend challenge, but we'll see how this works out with my savings rate I guess.
Misc other:
-Got a mailer for a $9.95/mon local gym I could have biked to. Turns out that doesn't include their pool or their classes, and there was a $99 sign up fee. Not even going to pursue looking at their other plans. We have a home gym, I don't need to spend $30-40/month for access to a pool too.
-Been biking a lot.
-
Oh no :( I'm sorry, Bracken_Joy.
My last pet to pass had a smorgasbord of unopened fluids, food, and medication. I donated it too. It felt right, like he could help another pet.
In light of my daily complaining and this news - I'm firmly behind your wine purchase! A toast to your pup's life and your excellent care.
-
Bracken_Joy, I'm so sad for you. That's really hard.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
I'm sorry to hear about that, Bracken. :(
-
I'm so sorry Bracken_Joy. It is so sad to have to say goodbye. :-(
I'm going to join in for the remainder. Several years of deferred spending caught up with us in late summer. One car needed major repairs and the other had to be replaced. Thankfully we had paid off all our consumer debt and were in ok shape to weather it. We currently have the new-to-us vehicle on a loan until we move savings around to pay it off.
We also ended up doing quite a bit of catch up spending...neither kid had shoes that fit, etc. Our goal now is to keep from having any lifestyle creep (our income has started to pick up and I really want to save every bit of the increase).
1. DH is dropping his work gym membership. It was supposed to end up giving him all the money put into it back from a wellness incentive but they didn't give full credit for it. Plus it ended up being more expensive than advertised due to hidden fees. Not sure if we'll end up with the $450 payout for being "active". We're extremely unhappy with the program and raised a stink with HR over their changing rules. We might be able to still get the money without a gym membership or buying a Fitbit but will definitely save $42.50/month by dropping the gym fees.
2. Keep eating at home. We've been doing very well at not eating out much. I'd like to cut it to $0 but am happy with our progress towards this.
3. Dropping alcohol for awhile. We only have it in moderation some weekends but after cutting back that far I think even one drink may be disrupting my sleep. Plus, it's not a need. Ditto for desserts. I'd rather have FI than wine and chocolate.
4. Pay off newly acquired vehicle ASAP to avoid finance charges.
We don't need any clothes, shoes, household goods for the foreseeable future. No trips planned. Our electricity rates decrease by half starting tomorrow. Best time of year to tighten our belts.
-
I'm so sorry to hear your news Bracken Joy.. tough times :*(
Yesterday we nearly bought the latest series of GoT to watch at $24. It's the only thing we buy to watch apart from the Netflix subscription and the weekly 99c itunes movie, but I want to wait til there is a 20-25% of itunes voucher offer to top up our account. So we deferred the spending to save about $5. We have plenty of other things to watch :)
All this week we have had home cooked food from scratch so we've done really well. Tonight we are making burritos with leftovers. Five days in a row without convenience food or takeaway is unheard of lately! I spent $80 at the supermarket and got stuff for about 12 meals. Got lucky with some half price marked down casserole beef for slow cooking. My challenge for next week is to spend no more than the $40 of supermarket reward points I've saved up. We'll eat mainly from the pantry and our garden.
-
Sorry to hear your update, Bracken_Joy.
As I was putting my laundry today, I reminded myself: sigh, I've been putting off buying more hangers but I really don't have enough. Then I realized I could get rid of clothes instead, and procrastinate hanger-buying forever. (I very rarely buy clothes, but my mom likes buying them for me, and her taste is decent. I have clothes to spare.) So now I have a donation pile!
-
I'm sorry for your loss, Bracken_Joy! It's always hard to say goodbye to a pet that has been a member of your family for so long.
I'd like to join this thread. I do need to reign in the spending a bit. We're still very far away from FIRE and we have some upcoming bills. Our spending is already at the near-bare bones minimum, but we did eat out over the summer a few times and I replaced some clothes for the upcoming winter that really needed to be replaced. We are having our summer vacation in september due to the nature of our jobs, and we're doing some much needed home renovations during our time off. My s/o will also have some time off in November and will do some more work on his own. It's all DIY but we still need materials and tools and it always ends up more expensive than you want it to be. It's all necessary spending and we're doing it as cheap as we can, but still, I'm trying to reign it in as much as possible.
Some things we're doing to save money:
- we don't have a car and are renting a van to take stuff to the dump. A friend of ours is moving and we're renting the van together to save money.
- we are also buying her fridge, freezer and washing machine that she doesn't need in her new place. They are all about a year old and we're paying 300 for them all. Our current fridge/freezer combination is barely working any more, the freezer is barely freezing while the fridge is freezing too much. It's 15 years old, so we'll probably save on electricity too. Our washing machine isn't broken yet, but it's 11 years old and making strange noises and will probably break down in the near future. It''ll be nice to know we have the replacement in the garage. We'll also get some shelving and cupboards for free from her.
- this is kind of a weird one, but due to medical issues I'm currently on a liquid diet (which basically means I drink only Fortisip for 2 months) which is boring, but works miracles for my health and is paid for by the insurance company, there's no co-pay. It means half of our grocery budget can to go renovation materials instead. When my s/o is back at work, he eats there often, so an even bigger chunk of our grocery money can be put to better use.
- I'm not buying a new or new-to-me winter coat, instead I took my 15-year old woolen coat to the dry cleaner's once again. For 16 it looks great for its age - not brand new, but no one would guess it's that old. I took my boots to the cobbler's too and had them re-heeled for 8. My s/o bought two secondhand sweaters for 5 each and only needs one pair of jeans, I only need two more pairs of 100 denier tights but these can wait until next month.
-
Welcome, Imma!
UGH. I made sure before a social event yesterday to eat a big meal at home. Then met a friend for happy hour where I totally spaced ordering off the happy hour menu and spent $22! Then stuck to my planned spend of french fries after the event. But dang. I'm totally fine with why I'm spending money establishing new friendships, but my budget is not at that level this month. I declined getting tickets for a performance tomorrow, though, since I already spent that amount on things I wasn't planning for.
Meal planning tonight before grocery getting tomorrow. That at least went well this week!
-
I'm going to give this a shot even though things are complicated right now, here is my September so far, the whole month of housing is reflected:
Spending:
CA HOA: $190.00
CA Mortgage (PITI):$1751.48
CA Parking Spot: $37.50
Rental Fees: $578.53
Italy Hotel: $2880.00 - paid for by my job somehow
Car insurance: $56.10
Cell phone: 10.00 (euros)
Travel: 93.00 (euros)
Food & Personal: $287.83
Total: $5781.44
103.00 (euros)
Income:
Rental Income: $1421.47
???: $1454.00
1/2 month check: $4008.63
Total: $6884.10
So, I'm moving for my job to Italy, and until I move into my new house here I have to stay at the hotel. In order to get paid back for the hotel I have to view at least 10 houses every 10 days, pay for the hotel every 10 days out of my pocket, and then get reimbursed.
I managed to rent out my house in California for 2k a month, however this month there are extra fees for the cleaning, extra keys, garage remote (left it in my car that is being shipped overseas), and new tenant fee so I only got the $1421. I wanted to sell the house, but the condos are under litigation until April 2018 so I am renting it until after then and hoping the housing market holds out.
I don't know how much I'm getting paid right now, and I don't know exactly how they are paying me back for the hotel... maybe that is some of the mystery money they deposited in my account. My actual personal spending is pretty small, and includes the 2nd half of a trip I took up to Milan but I can't help but cringe looking up at the totals... On the bright side, the housing totals are for the whole month and my groceries for the next week I bought today, so only my personal spending and the final week of groceries will change and I still have the other half of my month's paycheck.
-
allsummerlong, from someone without any in-laws, that sounds like a really sweet gift/gesture. And definitely more memorable than a generic "stuff" gift.
I got paid $30 today for my jury duty last month, so I'm going to let that counterbalance the $25 Amazon purchase I've been putting off. (Athletic swimsuit and reflective tape for bike safety.) Total unnecessary spending $47.
-
Welcome new folks! Jaayse, what an exciting move!
I'm giving my success this week a solid "meh."
Sept 14: $8 (falafel, dinner out with SO); $56 (groceries for the week + a few canned items for the emergency bag I'm building)
Sept 15: $6.50 (Uber... uh... something has gone wrong with my bus home from work and sometimes it just does not show up! I could have done the hour long walk home, but it was Friday after a long work week and I caved)
Sept 16: $14 (passport photos done at UPS-- Grrrr this seems really high but I was nervous to try and meet the specific requirements myself... I've heard they are really picky about pictures being just right); $10 (stamps-- needed to mail in identity confirmation documents to Vanguard and mail my passport application... this passport thing is getting super pricey, but I do have stamps left over)
Sept 17: $0
Necessary: $90
Unnecessary: $14.50
On the bright side, I have resisted some purchases. I shunned all convenience foods at Trader Joe's. I also filled up my Amazon cart with some random crap I wanted, let it sit for a day, and then removed all of it. Finally, I upped my pre-tax monthly contribution amount by another $300 to squeeze myself a little bit more. I'm feeling pretty ruthless about spending. What have you all resisted buying in order to succeed in this challenge?
Also, I just decided-- I'm removing my Uber app from my phone. I got by without Uber for years before I had a smartphone and I was fine. I've allowed myself to get used to the convenience.
-
I resisted purchasing wine until today.... I'd completely forgotten it was legal to buy on Sundays now and it was one of the most impulsive purchases I've made this year! Holy smokes. Backsliding on emotional purchasing recently....hence my increased involvement here :)
I was thinking yesterday about the WHY. Then started a journal because I feel like I keep using other people's threads as my personal therapy breakthroughs ;) But I think it's not even about the wine itself (I'm old enough that I don't drink it at night anymore and my body doesn't respond nearly as well as it does to whiskey) -- it's about the ability to buy it whenever I want. It's what takeaway coffee represented a few years ago, and actual food before that. I'm at an overall economic level that I can afford to keep my belly full, so wine is the "thing".
I have resisted going to Ikea. I won't admit whether I currently have an Ikea tab open in my browser... I don't have a couch after finally getting rid of one that was old and super comfy and a leftover from my friend living with me and also smelled a bit like pee (?)(and the stuff I pulled out from the inside when cleaning it....ummmm yeah it was definitely a college couch!). I've been watching Craigslist for decent looking small loveseats/sofas, but part of me really likes the open space in my small living room. My son and his friends, however, end up in a bedroom all sitting on a bed. So a couch would still be beneficial to my overall home. So far the Craigslist searches have not led to much, and it's very appealing (as a single wimpo that has nobody handy local to help me bring a couch into my house) to buy a new dust-mite bedbug-free flat pack job from Ikea. Considering it with my property tax refund. But I am still in hair on fire stage of life. So: to be determined. And still watching Craigslist and NextDoor.
---------------------------------
Spending this weekend:
Friday $0
Saturday $0
Sunday $22 groceries, $18 box wine, $33 at co-op for tincture (allergy/asthma) and wheat-free flour. TWO things for $33 compared to a week's worth of groceries for $22! I've been putting off repurchasing for a while because of cost. I have a mild wheat allergy (among a million others, hence the tincture in addition to a bazillion pharmaceuticals) that makes my skin feel like it's on fire so I've become accustomed to avoiding baked goods entirely during warmer months. Oatmeal alone hasn't been cutting it lately.
Little wins: I've made my breakfast/lunches for the workweek. Am planning to bike to work now that the air quality is a little better. Have no major social plans that require spending this week (yet- Wednesday is looking dicey).
westtoeast, I think I feel about my car the way you do about Uber. Your giving up Uber is very motivating to me, to abstain from driving.
-
I slipped up today and got my mom a much too expensive birthday gift. Gifts are my love language, and I don't have much of an outlet for them since DH doesn't like receiving gifts. And, she will love it. Oh well...I've been doing well overall.
Time to get back on the horse, or the bandwagon, or whichever mixed metaphor I'm looking for.
-
Backslid a little this weekend. I agreed to pick up some groceries for my roommate and then spent ELEVEN DOLLARS on avocados, which is a crime against humanity. Guess I'm a real millennial now. I also spent $15 on a sushi date with my long-distance boyfriend since he was in town.
Unnecessary spending: $73 (Yikes! Adds up fast!)
My goal now is to stay within my grocery budget after the avocado disaster, which means I have $24 for the rest of the month. If I can eat through this week on the food I already have (should be easily within reach!) then that will fall into place easily. I also should be able to get away with not buying any gas this month.
-
As I was putting my laundry today, I reminded myself: sigh, I've been putting off buying more hangers but I really don't have enough. Then I realized I could get rid of clothes instead, and procrastinate hanger-buying forever. (I very rarely buy clothes, but my mom likes buying them for me, and her taste is decent. I have clothes to spare.) So now I have a donation pile!
Ooh, I'm totally copying this. I am also in that situation where I have around 2-3 less hangers than I need for all my clean clothing. I like the idea of using the hanger number to determine how much clothing you get to keep!
-
westtoeast, I think I feel about my car the way you do about Uber. Your giving up Uber is very motivating to me, to abstain from driving.
Yay! Let's hold each other accountable here :)
-
It's a deal :)
Tass I once spent $25 on avocados -- a whole lot of them; they were on sale, but still!
wordnerd I've started looking more at my whole year when it comes to gifts, for the very reason that sometimes I end up finding a great gift that is more than I would normally spend. I budget monthly for that 'bucket' so on the occasion I've gone a little over, I just wait to fill it back up. So far it's worked out that I haven't shorted anyone (I hope, ha!).
-
I've been hanging my head in shame over last week's spending spree, but I'm coming clean now.
#1 - my old lunch box molded, and I tried washing it, but it still has mold spots. Ordered a very fancy pants soft side cooler from Amazon that will be better for traveling. Also ordered a coffee dripper/carafe combo to keep at the office, which might pay for itself over the long haul in making my own instead of going to Starbucks when afternoon sleepiness is occasionally too much for mere tea.
#2 - a few fall clothes, new purse and running socks. Three tops, two work pants, capris for the gym, and two pairs of Smartwool socks. About $150 there. The work pants will let me use the rest of my wardrobe better while I work on losing 10#. Two of the tops are a basic type that I wear a lot, and wear through a couple per year, so I grab them when I can find them. The purse - I'm making peace with the fact that I'm now a nylon-purse carrying woman, and I think I've finally found the perfect one.
#3 - stuff for my dog - a reflective vest, fleece jacket, new leash and collar, and a pad for where he eats (he's old and will lay there contemplating his food for an hour, then eat each kibble one by one; he seems to enjoy the pad).
#4 - several other random items that will be useful, but were not at all necessary, such as a charging station for our electronic devices, and a spare umbrella to keep at work.
Spent zero all weekend though, so that's something?
-
I spent zero all weekend too! I wanted to go to the shop for some DIY stuff but the weather was bad and I didn't want to get all wet ( we don't have a car). During the DIY I removed some screws from stuff I removed that were still usable so I saved those. No matter how many boxes of screws you buy, you're always in need for one or two spare screws in a size you didn't buy.
-
Tass I once spent $25 on avocados -- a whole lot of them; they were on sale, but still!
My problem was that I planned to buy them on sale, but it turned out the ones that were on sale were all rock-hard. And since they weren't [all] for me I couldn't just decide to try another time. So I bought the pricey ones. (Well, the medium ones. Still refused to pay $3/avocado for organic.)
-
I knew I'd have to transfer money back from the linked savings account into the checking account after the balance of the cost of our vacation in November had been taken out at the beginning of September, but I was horrified at how much. The checking account went from being £200 in credit to the savings account to "owing" the savings account £900. Even allowing for the cost of helping our youngest daughter move to college, this seemed a ridiculous amount. How had we managed to trickle away so much money? Then DH got his payslip for this month, and it included reimbursement for the cost of attending a course a few weeks ago. [Penny drops.] That should put us back on target for having paid for the vacation out of our aspirational retirement budget of £2000 a month by the time we travel.
Youngest daughter has also taken over payment of her mobile 'phone contract. That's over £40 a month we'll no longer be spending (though it's more than offset by what we'll be paying towards her upkeep in college), and when I renegotiate my 'phone tariff in October I expect another £20 a month to come off our expenses.
For the next six weeks I'll be working long hours and won't have time for any frivolous spending apart from a couple of planned meals out with friends. The only major expenditure looming is my passport renewal, and I can avoid spending on garden plants and accessories by restricting myself to the boring but essential digging and weeding tasks during the little time that's available.
-
I am notoriously bad about over spending on groceries, so the last two weeks I've taken out cash to limit my grocery spending. I make a list of needed items, estimate the cost, and then take out that amount. I took out 60.00 last week and 80.00 this week and spent under both times! The change goes into the change jar which gets rolled and deposited into savings, and the small bills get funneled into the car loan. I like that I've been wasting very little food each week, and that my grocery spending is looking like it will come in under budget this month!
-
Yeah... sooo.... kinda fell off the wagon for a bit.
-No clothes spending:
Fail. Costco had tank tops. I need work tank tops. $6.20 for 3.
-No more alcohol spending:
Fail. 2 more bottles of wine, a bottle of whiskey, and beer out with a friend happened in the past week.
-No more restaurant spending:
Fail. Went to the city we used to live in and got lunch with friends we haven't seen in a year.
I'm going to give myself a pass, since this is one of the worst weeks of my life. Not hyperbole. I'll try to get back on track heading on.
One good thing: my other contract will resume next week most likely, so I'll increase my income again a bit.
-
#3 - stuff for my dog - a reflective vest, fleece jacket, new leash and collar, and a pad for where he eats (he's old and will lay there contemplating his food for an hour, then eat each kibble one by one; he seems to enjoy the pad)
At the risk of adding more expense to your month - has your dog had a dental recently? A bad tooth might be slowing down his eating.
-
Bracken_Joy I say you definitely get a pass on last week.
alewpanda, wow, great job! It sounds, too, like you're establishing reproducible habits, not just spending less now and will have to spend more later.
-
#3 - stuff for my dog - a reflective vest, fleece jacket, new leash and collar, and a pad for where he eats (he's old and will lay there contemplating his food for an hour, then eat each kibble one by one; he seems to enjoy the pad)
At the risk of adding more expense to your month - has your dog had a dental recently? A bad tooth might be slowing down his eating.
He had a checkup in July, but he's always eaten like that, skipped meals, etc. He'll eat a lot faster if there's an egg on top of the kibble, and he can crunch right through lamb bones. ;)
Yesterday: $11.73 at the grocery store for the week, leaving $50, which should be enough, even with my dad visiting this weekend. I might be buying a whole lamb before the end of the month, but keeping the other groceries in check will bring in total grocery spend at about the same as an average month.
The fancy pants cooler arrived yesterday and is bigger than I thought, even though I looked at the measurements. Will probably return it.
Got a $15 mail-in rebate check yesterday, and will deposit it, and the other $18 one that is kicking around today.
Next weekend's riding lesson was canceled due to horse not being physically up to it yet after her injury, so accidental savings there.
-
Well, my unnecessary spending is back down to $51, as the purchased swimsuit was too large in one dimension and too small in another. It doesn't seem to cross swim designers' minds that tall women are not merely short women scaled up. (Anyone have a recommendation on tall reasonably athletic swimsuits? One-piece isn't a requirement but it does have to have shorts.)
-
I've heard Lands' End from friends (recommended to me as a tall woman with normal/wide shoulders and hips and small cup size). I've never tried them on, however.
I'm visiting a friend today and planned to bake something to bring. It didn't happen (note to self: testing new allergen-free recipes at the last minute is a terrible idea) so will stop by the co-op on the way. To offset that spending I may skip a new friend's performance tonight ($6 ticket with a lot of temptation to also purchase a drink to offset my nerves at going somewhere new/talking to someone new/etc/etc/excuses....although I'm the master of bringing wine or whiskey in a travel mug....).
Overall I feel that I have cut down on the spending-with-abandon I did through July and August, so that's the right direction, but October needs to be dialed in even further.
-
allsummerlong, from someone without any in-laws, that sounds like a really sweet gift/gesture. And definitely more memorable than a generic "stuff" gift.
Thank you, Tass. Gift-giving definitely is something I struggle with. Would rather DO something meaningful as opposed to just buying some junk. After having helped a family member downsize & majorly declutter, I've seen what happens to the meaningless junk that people accumulate over their lives. :(
We try to avoid meaningless gift giving too. We have just given my inlaws a gently used Ikea kitchen cupboard. They can't afford to replace their entire kitchen all at once and are buying new cupboards one by one. We don't need this one anymore and it's the design they have chosen for their kitchen. In return we've asked for a home cooked dinner. We give each other a lot of edible gifts, both of us like to cook and so does my MIL.
We have decided to give a special friend a christmas gift hamper and we're trying to collect gifts she's going to use in advance. We don't want to buy a pile of meaningless crap. So far I've bought a few fabrics of her favourite designer (she's a sewer). She has lots of allergies so edible gifts are quite difficult in this case.
-
9/18: $18 (food from Whole Foods-- walked there as a form of entertainment, splurged on a non-dairy ice cream)
9/19: $10 (snacks for a meeting at work-- I was on snack duty); $5 (BOA account fee-- I've never gotten this before, need to call and figure out why and how to avoid each month)
9/20: $32 (ended up at an outlet mall with a friend-- considering how much I tried on and liked, this was definitely restraint, and I purchased an open cardigan that I felt was missing from my wardrobe.... but it is still clothing shopping, which I self-banned)
9/21: $0 (not going to buy anything today!)
I did have a work event at night last week, and I remembered to pack up enough food so that I could stay at work and avoid Uber/food costs, so that's my small win for the week.
Stay strong everyone! I feel like this is the time of the month that folks (me included) start to waiver in these challenges. Let's all see how many 0 spend days we can having in the next week and finish out the month strong. Hoping everyone wants to keep going for October!
-
Hi, I'm jumping in late. We have to really watch the spending for the next couple weeks so as not to bounce a check to the hospital. My husband was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (we found out by way of a diabetic emergency). So, he'll need meds for the rest of his life. On the plus side, he can't really drink alcohol or smoke pot or eat in restaurants anymore, so that offsets the cost of insulin and syringes and all that. So, my goals are to keep costs low, and also to do those things we really should have done nine years ago when our first child was born... write a will and trust, get life and disability insurance, etc.
9/21: $786 the biggest and last of the hospital bills (thank goodness for health insurance or this would be so much worse!)
-
westtoeast, that was a great pep talk! I'm in for October for sure.
I spent $10 on cheeses yesterday to bring to a friend's house. She provided wine and a whole tray of delicious snacks and hours of great company.
Skipped seeing a friend perform last night.
Have plans tomorrow at a brewpub and Saturday at a small music venue. Aiming for total spend under $20 for both.
Welcome, lemonverbena! This sounds like a time of big transition for you and dh!
-
*Update
Spending (this includes all necessary bills, not just me going out and spending money, lol) so far this month:
Sept 1 - $50.75
Sept 2 - $47.94
Sept 3 - $25.28
Sept 4 - $101.93
Sept 5 - $10.83
Sept 6 - $44.19
Sept 7 - $27.28
Sept 8 - $25.00
Sept 9 - $67.66
Sept 10 - $47.99
Sept 11 - $113.56
Sept 12 - $21.78
Sept 13 - $73.84
Sept 14 - $127.66
Sept 15 - $257.45
Sept 16 - $46.00
Sept 17 - $282.68
Sept 18 - $98.18
Sept 19 - $23.97
Sept 20 - $73.20
Pending Transactions = $85.06
Total for Sept = $1,679.38
Goal for the Month = $2,100 $420.62 remaining for the month. It shouldn't be too hard to reach my goal but I know I could have done better. Everyday I spent money on something. Next week and October I will try to reign it in even more.
-
Great thread! I'll try to join in the thread for October's low spending challenge. :)
-
I spent $10 on work lunch today. D: It's been a crazy week and I just didn't plan my cooking ahead. I tried to at least appreciate it as a luxury: sitting in the sun under palm trees, listening to music, with a rare meat-containing meal... My break isn't so far from other people's vacation dreams. Better not hedonistically adapt to it.
Unnecessary spending: $61
-
Saturday Update:
9/22: $57 (health/medical)
9/23: $35 (Groceries, will last all week); $20 (new sheets-- ours ripped)
Total Necessary: $112
I'm also $13 under budget for groceries, which is a big win for me. That's one of my biggest budgeting challenges and while I aim to keep it under $250 a month I often go a few dollars over.
There is still a full week left of the month, but I don't think I'm going to have any more expenses come up, so I'm going to put down my semi-final September numbers (maybe doing so will also help me not spend any more).
Necessary Spend Total: $480 (-$110 passport renewal = $370)
Unnecessary Spend Total: $128.5 (-$30 pre-challenge eating out = $98.5)
Overall this month, when I add in bus pass and rent/utilities I spent $1463. This is right around my planned budget, unfortunately, but if I remove the unusual passport expense then it looks like I spent about $140 less than usual. Not bad-- that's my number to beat for October!
-
Tanktops I had bought didn't work (attempted to become scarves, completely defeating the "cover my scrub pants for when I squat down at work" function. So back they went, and $0 clothes spending is preserved I guess. I still have to keep my eye out, my current tanks are starting to become dysfunctionally loose.
Otherwise, we bought 1 more bottle of wine, and then I think everything else had been pretty affordable. Went to a family wedding. Wore stuff we already own. Did lunch with my MIL and she bought (although we paid for that in its own way, both husband and I felt pretty sick after >.< bleh, good reminder why we never go out anymore!) Other than high gas spending (decent drive to wedding, and we'll go to a meetup a ways away today), but I think we're doing pretty well overall right now.
Medical spending is still comically high for me, but hey, that's the nature of non-insurance-covered conditions I guess.
-
Well, we spent more than expected on vacation, but it was mostly safety spending plus four meals and two snacks out in a three week span
In the two weeks since returning, we have spent on groceries, home repairs and two meals out: one McDs due to poor planning and one boule of clam chowder to show support for a local restaurant and celebrate the fall weather.
Some time soon I need to buy my winter shoes, but I haven't found them yet. It looks like I will likely need a new fleece for this winter, as well. Hubby's needs should be similar.
The big spend for October will be Mom's paragliding. And I am thinking of going up at the same time.
-
Holy shit! Folks, you have no idea who I am but I wanted to say that I was looking at my statements in preparation for contributing, and realized I had completely forgotten to cancel the amazon prime membership before the free trial expired.
Fortunately was still eligible for full refund since we hadn't placed any orders since the membership started. You just saved me $100!
Now, to actually contributing: goal is NO unnecessary spending for the remainder of Sep-Oct starting today. My DH and I are usually pretty good at avoiding unnecessary spending. Just looking to tighten the belt a little and make it a challenge. Committing to sharing all of our non-recurring spend here. Please call me out if you think I'm mis-categorizing "necessary" :p
We do have a camping trip coming up next week, but we don't need any new supplies and spending should fit inside out normal grocery budget.
We're also adopting a fur baby (adult cat of a friend, rescued out of a bad situation and isn't getting along with friend's current cats) but she's coming with carrier/bed/beginning food supply. I'll mentally budget for a litterbox and some litter, but barring medical needs she shouldn't need anything new for a while.
Spending so far for September:
Unnecessary:
$2 coffee with a friend. Shoulda gotten hot water and brought my own tea bag, the usual strategy
$9 sandwich at the airport. Not going to feel too guilty about this one, I haven't figured out a good way to make non-soggy tasty sandwiches that travel well. If anyone's got suggestions let me know.
$15 fees & fines. Ha, this one's on DH. I'm usually the leaky money in the household.
Necessary:
$45 grocery
$18 two take-n-bake pizzas - one for a friend that's recently had a baby. Counting this as grocery.
$18 public transit and an Uber, saved my elderly mother a long car trip to come pick me up at the airport. Worth it.
Necessary: $81
Unnecessary: $26
-
Holy shit! Folks, you have no idea who I am but I wanted to say that I was looking at my statements in preparation for contributing, and realized I had completely forgotten to cancel the amazon prime membership before the free trial expired.
Fortunately was still eligible for full refund since we hadn't placed any orders since the membership started. You just saved me $100!
Now, to actually contributing: goal is NO unnecessary spending for the remainder of Sep-Oct starting today. My DH and I are usually pretty good at avoiding unnecessary spending. Just looking to tighten the belt a little and make it a challenge. Committing to sharing all of our non-recurring spend here. Please call me out if you think I'm mis-categorizing "necessary" :p
We do have a camping trip coming up next week, but we don't need any new supplies and spending should fit inside out normal grocery budget.
We're also adopting a fur baby (adult cat of a friend, rescued out of a bad situation and isn't getting along with friend's current cats) but she's coming with carrier/bed/beginning food supply. I'll mentally budget for a litterbox and some litter, but barring medical needs she shouldn't need anything new for a while.
Spending so far for September:
Unnecessary:
$2 coffee with a friend. Shoulda gotten hot water and brought my own tea bag, the usual strategy
$9 sandwich at the airport. Not going to feel too guilty about this one, I haven't figured out a good way to make non-soggy tasty sandwiches that travel well. If anyone's got suggestions let me know.
$15 fees & fines. Ha, this one's on DH. I'm usually the leaky money in the household.
Necessary:
$45 grocery
$18 two take-n-bake pizzas - one for a friend that's recently had a baby. Counting this as grocery.
$18 public transit and an Uber, saved my elderly mother a long car trip to come pick me up at the airport. Worth it.
Necessary: $81
Unnecessary: $26
Welcome to the forum!
-
Hey DL, welcome to the challenge AND to the forum!
Yesterday I broke our pretty good weekend streak a bit, but not terribly, and all of it was social spending. And when we ended up out much later than planned, instead of grabbing $$ restaurant food at the bar we were at having drinks with a friend, instead we went to trader joe's after we left before the drive home, and bought a wrap and some water. sub-$5 instead of minimum $12 for restaurant food. The beers we had with friend were happy hour, and I figured- it cost the same for us to drive to City, do the potluck, then do 2 beers apiece and the emergency food, than it did if JUST DH and I had gone to the nearest restaurant in our town that is order-at-the-counter.
Social spending: $20 for 4 beers+tip, $4.59 emergency food, ~1/4 tank of gas, so that'll count for about $5.
Today I'm going to pull out and prep all the gear for hunting season coming up. We'll see if we have to do any spending there- it's been a few years since we drew tags, so I'll have to do a full inventory. Definitely will involve spending for the tags though, no matter what.
-
I'd like to join in for October! I posted a bit around these forums earlier in 2017 (the Uber Frugal February/March threads were so helpful for me!)
and then I stopped hanging out here so much and my spending very coincidentally ticked upwards.
My average savings rate from JanuaryMay was ~60%, and then over the summer it plummeted to only 33%. So my October goal is to get it back up to 50%.
-
Spent $2 on year-old library fees today - which at this point is necessary spending but I guess I'll count it.
Total unnecessary $63
I also spent $100 for work which I am anxiously waiting to get reimbursed, and I am aiming to spend $15 or less on my last grocery run of the month. I may, however, suck it up and fill up my gas tank ($40) since I will be in a low-cost area later today.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
-
Glad to see a few more folks joining the challenge! I gotta tell you... challenges are pretty much the #1 reason I'm on the forum :)
Welp. I ended up adding a wee bit of spending to my September total.
$6, Uber (FAIL. My excuse is that I had a before-work tutoring session, and when I checked my bus tracker app the normal bus wasn't coming, so in order to be on time I had to re-download Uber on my phone and call one. I feel this is semi-justified. But I should have checked the bus schedule the night before instead of assuming it would be the same as months ago and then woken up earlier. Also, if this had happened to me before the Uber era, what would I have done? I just would have been late. Deleting the app again now...)
$6 (Coworkers all went out for drinks. I think this is a fair price to pay for social inclusion as these events only happen every few months-- and I just got one glass of wine)
$12 (Cleaning supplies for my classroom. With cold/flu season starting, I really need hand soap and disinfectant sprays. It seems like almost every day a kid tells me they are sick, and then I watch them put their grubby hands onto the door handle or something.)
I was able to balance out these spends with a few wins. I transferred a bit ol' chunk of cash to my ROTH and I called my bank and convinced them to reverse a fee I got for having too small a balance in one of my accounts (it was my summer savings account, which is low because I use this up during summer and slowly replenish it over the school year). I also purchased new tights for winter because my old ones are full of holes but I used my cash back money from my credit card, so I'm not counting this as a spend!
-
I need this for October... Had a pretty spendy pants vacation, could have been more frugal during but (imo) it was worth it. Now I just need to pay for said vacation with a little squeezing of the belt! (And I don't mean pay off the actual bill, that's already been paid.)
I'll start keeping track on 9-30. Good luck all.
-
I'm not doing at all well. I never shop for clothes but I'm in desperate need of t-shirts for the coming summer (mine are all misshapen and/or have holes). I went online, got 3 tees and one pair of smart pants that I am sorely lacking (only have jeans) but then browsed the rest of the store and bought 2 things I could use but could have delayed for months and also got cheaper elsewhere. Well, at least it won't happen again before I need a new jumper next winter. And I might still return them.
It's been an expensive month but all essentials otherwise - plumber, new tyres to pass annual inspection, car insurance. At least the groceries this week are "free" as I have $70 rewards points supermarket credit that I didn't know about (it's too complicated to explain, but it doesn't show up if I log into the account but it's 'on' my rewards card if I know how to use it). The system here for the major supermarkets is really weird, I reckon 90% of people scan their rewards card but never use the points because they don't know how or didn't know they had them.
-
9/21: $786 the biggest and last of the hospital bills (thank goodness for health insurance or this would be so much worse!)
9/22: $247 groceries (Spouse did the shopping. We had a reminder talk afterwards.)
$7 Netflix-type bill
9/23: $13 u-pick apples
$34 gasoline
9/24: $0
9/25: $0
9/26: $0
9/27: $35 gasoline
$81 water/sewer bill
Cheap weekend... went apple picking with the kids ($1/lb), brought a picnic lunch, then made a bunch of applesauce at home. It counts as food spending instead of entertainment spending, in my book.
-
So close to the end of the month! My major slip-up was my mid-month shopping spree, though I did return the cooler, and have been using everything else I bought.
Last week I bought a bridle, which my horse's trainer requested I bring next time I'm there (didn't want to send out her brand new, fancy imported one to get tossed around and dirty all winter). At least it was $109 used off of eBay instead of $200+ for a new one, and came with reins, and I can resell it for the same price when I no longer need it. I also bought one other piece of horse tack for $68, justified because I didn't take any riding lessons this month (the bridle and other item came out to exactly my riding lesson budget for the month, coincidentally). I'm a tack-a-holic, but I'm trying to be fussier and only buy quality items that will last and work for multiple horses.
Food - only went out for that $5 burrito, and otherwise haven't gone out for food or coffee all month! Groceries went about $30 over budget, but that included buying some beer and ahi tuna steaks while my dad was visiting. I'm actually really pleased at how little extra I spent; usually guests are a reason to go plunk down $100 at Whole Foods. Whenever I thought of running to the store for this or that, I checked myself and rethought what I was cooking instead. Need to keep that up!
Today I'm experimenting with making oatmeal in my little soup warmer at work. It may mean having a late breakfast, or eating oatmeal at lunch time, but I'm excited about the possibilities for a cheap and easy option at the office.
I haven't spent any money since Monday, and shouldn't need to spend anything today or tomorrow. I'm calling Friday the end of the month as I'll probably need to hit the grocery stores this weekend.
-
I bought a $28 book yesterday. D: Oops. My only defense is that I got it signed, and I'm planning to read it and then give it away as a wedding gift to someone it will mean a lot to. (It's a hardcover, it'll still be nice when she gets it.)
I also went $2 over my $15 grocery limit, so I'll go ahead and add that to my total.
Unnecessary spending: $93
I suspect that will be my last spending for the month, so that's the number to beat for October.
-
Today I'm experimenting with making oatmeal in my little soup warmer at work. It may mean having a late breakfast, or eating oatmeal at lunch time, but I'm excited about the possibilities for a cheap and easy option at the office.
Success! It actually was perfectly cooked in about an hour. I brought an 8 oz Mason jar with oats, raisins, cinnamon, protein powder and a pat of butter, dumped it in with about a cup of coconut "milk". I'll be doing this a lot this winter.
-
Today I'm experimenting with making oatmeal in my little soup warmer at work. It may mean having a late breakfast, or eating oatmeal at lunch time, but I'm excited about the possibilities for a cheap and easy option at the office.
Success! It actually was perfectly cooked in about an hour. I brought an 8 oz Mason jar with oats, raisins, cinnamon, protein powder and a pat of butter, dumped it in with about a cup of coconut "milk". I'll be doing this a lot this winter.
Sounds delicious! If you want a super quick porridge, you can also easily make instant oats at home. You grind half of a bag of old fashioned oats in a blender and mix them in a mason jar with the other half of the bag (whole oats). I have a jar on my desk at work and I only add boiling water to them. Not as nice as your fancy oats, but a treat when you've cycled to work in the freezing cold early in the morning. At home I like to make them with milk or a plant-based milk and raisins or berries too.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
-
Yes! I need this!
I'm just ratcheting up my mustachism and really need to get my discretionary spending in check. September was a little bit crazy... I got my hair done, then justified 'replacing' some worn out shoes, but spend $400 to do so. (Three pairs, but still!) I've also been working a ton, which means a lot of coffee and food out. No more. I'll be joining for October. The goal will be less than $1000 discretionary spending.
-
Yes! I need this!
I'm just ratcheting up my mustachism and really need to get my discretionary spending in check. September was a little bit crazy... I got my hair done, then justified 'replacing' some worn out shoes, but spend $400 to do so. (Three pairs, but still!) I've also been working a ton, which means a lot of coffee and food out. No more. I'll be joining for October. The goal will be less than $1000 discretionary spending.
Welcome, thanks for joining!
-
My October starts today (I purchased groceries and a bus pass-- both of which will be used after October 1st).
$60 (groceries-- a little higher than normal because I needed some staples like GF flour and stevia) NECCESSARY
$55 (bus pass) NECCESSARY
I also resisted re-downloading my Uber app to get to an inconvenient tutoring appointment. Sometimes in the past I've justified Ubering to tutoring gigs because "I'm earning money there anyway" but this is silly.
I've also had this suitcase sitting in my Amazon cart taunting me. I've got some upcoming trips this year (paid for with hacking & hustles of course) and the backpack I had been using broke. My dream suitcase is a Osprey suitcase that rolls AND converts into a really nicely supported backpacking backpack. It's pretty much the perfect item for traveling because you can roll it around in the city and look chic and then carry it on your back in rural areas or over cobblestone. It is also $300, which feels like a lot considering I bought my college Euro-backpacking backpack for $110 at REI. Then I saw Frugalwoods posted this...
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/09/25/why-i-mostly-disagree-with-buy-it-for-life/
So I'm now looking at some other suitcase/backpack options that are more in the $100-$125 range. They look a bit bulkier, they have about 1 less star in reviews, and the backpack feature looks less comfortable. BUT on each of my trips I'll be away for just a little over a week and probably won't use the backpack feature as often as the rolling feature.
ANYWAY, the point of this ramble is that I'm trying to consider whether I should "buy it for life" with the really nice suitcase/backpack or "buy something cheap that works now" with the other option.
-
Well, it depends really. I read that article too and I get what she means, many people use it as a justification to buy new instead of used and buy more expensive stuff than they need, but it's a hard decision in individual cases. I try to avoid buying new anything that I'll only have temporarily. When I really need (and not want) something for only a short amount of time I try to borrow, rent or buy secondhand. In that case I'm not too critical about what I can get, as long as it serves its purpose. I only buy new when I intend to use that product until it wears out beyond repair.
When I'm actually buying something new, I do want to pay attention to what I buy. I don't buy the most expensive product or the most well-known brand, but I do try to buy the best thing ( = something that ticks all / most of the boxes) I can afford at that point and preferably the best choice environmentally (although that's not always easy to decide). As for a suitcase: I bought a Samsonite years ago. It was originally 300 but I got 100 off if I bought a colour that was going out of production. It's hand luggage size which is convenient for flying. I rarely fly, but I wanted to make sure it was hand luggage size and not a couple cm too big, just in case I would fly. It's also a really convenient size to take on the train, which is my preferred way to travel. As I have health issues that can cause fatigue, I knew I had to find one that has very good wheels and wasn't heavy. I had borrowed enough cases on wheels to know half of them are terrible quality and hard to handle. The Samsonite ticked all the boxes for me. I'm still really happy I bought it 6 years ago. It's been used heavily since. It took me 6 weeks of doubt to spend that much money on a suitcase, but it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. In this case, buy-it-once was really the best decision.
-
I really liked the Frugalwoods article.
I notice a certain pseudo-BIFL attitude quite often in my demographicthat is, people in their early twenties who are flush with cash now that they've graduated college, STEM-minded, very used to evaluating and comparing things in terms of features and specs
I think the BIFL mindset means one thing to, say, a person who's been cooking their own meals for years and years, and knows that they'll use a nice cast-iron pan but not a nice Dutch oven. I often catch myself reading advice that is targeted to that kind of educated consumer, and then thinking "well, I don't really cook that much, but if I did, shouldn't I get a nice pan? a nice knife?"
I've also realized there are some things where I really notice quality (or really get value out of the extra quality), and other areas where I frankly have no taste/discernment to notice. It's very hard for me to buy cheaper sweatersI really notice the lower-quality yarns. But I don't notice/care about the difference between fancy sheets and IKEA sheets at all!
westtoeast, you probably know best how valuable (or not!) a BIFL suitcase is to you. Best of luck making your decision! I also wonder if your dream suitcase is a little cheaper on eBay? I had my heart set on a brand-name hairdryer at some point, and managed to find a great eBay deal for it.
-
Caved a little (on October 1!) and bought $20 of frozen food at TJ's. The last two weeks have involved incredible grad school stress and minor illness, and between those factors my energy for cooking plummeted. Just ate my first vegetable-containing meal in more days than I'd like to admit.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
-
October's not starting off too well!
Today spent:
$16.73 on breakfast/coffee for DH and me (weekend tradition, and I love it)
$64.67 on my contribution to Thanksgiving next weekend (but my parents will cover all other food & things, so next weekend will be cheaper than usual)
$49.49 at the grocery store
$66.97 at the produce store
= $197.86 CAD in a day, all on food. Eep!
Those last two will see us through a dinner party for 6 tonight, and hopefully all meals for the week... so it just started pretty high. :S
On the positive, I did list a number of items that I had around the house for sale, so if they all go I'll still net a profit. I also realized I could pay for some items on my credit card with points, so wiped out $25 that way.
-
Long-time lurker, first time poster. For my first post on the forum (yay!), I am going to sign up for the October half of this challenge. September didn't go well because I went over my budget for my SO's birthday, and I let stress at work overwhelm me (and my ability to keep a budget). Here's hoping that a public commitment for October will help!
The two positives from September that I hope to carry through are that I biked to work every single day and, consequently, did not spend ANY money on fuel.
Of course it's only Oct. 1, so I can't report much for Oct. I didn't spend a dime today, though, and I spent an hour or so reconciling my reckless September spending.
-
My October started yesterday with re-stocking some pantry staples. Adding in a bulk order of turmeric root and dried beans today, I'm at $229 for grocery spending already this month. However, I'm pretty pleased with how well stocked we are now, and shouldn't need to do much of any grocery shopping before leaving for a work trip mid-month.
For the work trip, I arranged to stay at an extended-stay hotel, so I have a kitchenette, and will try to minimize eating out, so I can pocket most of my per diem. I know there is a grocery store within walking distance. The only challenge will be the after-hours socializing aspect.
Expected expenses are bodywork for wonky horse, about $200 for a ton of hay, $85 for a riding lesson, and $450-ish at the end of the month for two lambs for the freezer.
I'm also taking next week off with my main project being rearranging some things with the veggie garden. I'll try to re-use materials as much as possible, but might end up spending a bit on raised bed materials, and possibly landscaping rock. With all this in mind, I need to keep all silly expenses, like the winter boots and sweater I have my eyes on, under control.
-
The two positives from September that I hope to carry through are that I biked to work every single day and, consequently, did not spend ANY money on fuel.
That's awesome! I aspire to your level. Welcome!
-
Long-time lurker, first time poster. For my first post on the forum (yay!), I am going to sign up for the October half of this challenge. September didn't go well because I went over my budget for my SO's birthday, and I let stress at work overwhelm me (and my ability to keep a budget). Here's hoping that a public commitment for October will help!
The two positives from September that I hope to carry through are that I biked to work every single day and, consequently, did not spend ANY money on fuel.
Of course it's only Oct. 1, so I can't report much for Oct. I didn't spend a dime today, though, and I spent an hour or so reconciling my reckless September spending.
Welcome, Hal! This is a great thread/challenge for your first intro to the forums :)
I am going to join the party late and I'm in for October as well!
We are making most of our Christmas presents this year and need them done before Dec 1st, so will get some supplies for that as we need to.
Last month we did a major stock-up on foodstuffs across the border and through our bulk supplier, so the focus this challenge for us will really be keeping our food spending low, consciously planning to use what we have and taking advantage of the last of the garden and foraged fruit that is around.
-
9/30 $53 - Grill regulator replacement. I can get the current one to work, but it a pain so it's time to just fix the problem, so a necessary cost
9/30 $34 - Office Snacks + pills. Snacks Usually lasts a month plus and pills are a 2.5 month supply. necessary
9/30 $4 - Tire inflator in a can Don't need it, and might be years before I use it but it can be a life saver. Calling it un-necessary for now.
10/1 $20 - a Game - completely un-necessary I am weak I admit it.
Total required: $87
Total face punch worthy: $24
-
Hi New online friends! I am a lurker, but want to jump in on this challenge for October. I am playing a little game with myself this month to see if I can spend only $200 for my family of 3 for groceries, since we have a stockpile of meat in the freezer, plenty of stuff in the pantry and are actually eating tons of lentil and bean-type meals that we like right now (curries and soups and whatnot)...2 years ago we were spending over $1000/month on groceries, convenience food and eating at restaurants as a family. Last month we spent $412, which was our best month all year! Each month I'm getting better at reining in my spending on fancy ingredients and getting creative with our recipes.
So far, I stocked up for the next 2 weeks:
Oct 1 Aldi- $57
Dollar Tree - $7
Fresh Thyme - $11
Thanks for welcoming this newbie to the challenge!
-
finallyfrugal that's an incredible difference in just a couple years! Welcome!
I completely spaced posting in the last week but I've been trucking along! My only discretionary spending aside from groceries-to-a-list have been for events with friends, which I'm keeping as frugal as possible (one appetizer, eat beforehand, etc).
Definitely keeping it up in October, with the added challenge of biking every day instead of driving....eek.
-
Oof, been mostly successful the past two weeks.
Successfully resisted the siren call of McD at the airport for my packed lunch instead. (it's a bad habit...I started getting nuggets on those long, miserable cross country flights going home in undergrad and kept it up after graduating, heh)
Then got home and realized there was no food for lunch, and bought a sandwich the next day. Whoops.
New kitty is doing well. Got a litter box (well, dish pan but it'll do) and scoop at the dollar store. Just for fun, price checked against the department store pricing and saved about $15. yowza. Total spent: ~$20 Watching DH bond with the cat: priceless
New month, new slate. Have a crazy two weeks coming up and the challenge will be to resist "treating myself" with coffee shop treats. Baked off two loaves of cc banana bread last night and stocked up the tea in my desk, so hopefully that will do the trick.
-
I spent $8 on parking yesterday because I am a fool. I can check out a parking pass from my school for free to park at the school nearby, but I forgot to do so before 5:00.
Also spent $20 on a different athletic swimsuit, fingers crossed, and I'm slowly admitting to myself that my viola needs new strings, which is a $42 expense. Which all told means I'm looking at $90 unnecessary spending (about my total for December) on day 3.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
-
Ugh. Grocery spending is already at $120 after only 3 days....
Some of that is stocking up on essentials, but some is buying convenience foods for busy work nights such as boxed soup. Also treating myself to fancy cheese. Spending basically nothing on anything else... just SO MANY GROCERIES. This always happens when I am working too much. Going to try to spend $0 on groceries between now & Sat.
I still need to pick up a bit of the compromise attitude (buying convenience foods) for when I can't cook because I am busy. For some reason, I have never bought much frozen or "easy to cook" food, in part because of a desire not to eat processed foods. Of course, when I'm busy and stressed, that means that I sometimes grab fast food -- unhealthy, processed, and expensive. Fast food sometimes becomes WAY too big of a budget item.
Speaking of which, for Oct. challenge, I battled internally about grabbing fast food today...and had to take a nap to stave off cravings. So day 3 was another success :)
-
I'm joining in to keep myself accountable for October. I feel like we've been spending a lot lately and I need this to remind me to rein it in a little...technically I haven't spent any money yet in October on anything frivolous (just mortgage, groceries, utilities), though I do have a potential fail coming up. My mom requested a fitbit for her birthday in late Oct, so I'm proposing to use a $75 credit I have and paying the remaining ~$25 out of pocket. So there's that, though I'd have to come up with a birthday gift somehow and $25 isn't too bad.
On the "frugal wins" side of things (1) I just got a beautiful Shinola journal for free for attending an all-day regional coordination meeting earlier today, so I'll be giving that to my husband for Christmas. I think he'll really like it and it was completely free! (2) My sister lucked into an opportunity to pick an unlimited amount of apples for free, so when she stopped by this weekend she brought me a few pounds, probably 4-5 lb. I've made some tasty applesauce with about 2/3 of them and the rest will be for eating. (3) We hosted a baby shower at our house last weekend for some close friends and along with self-catering it (minimizing the expense, at least) I got to keep all of the tissue paper and ribbon from the gift wrapping. And it's a lot! My pregnant friend didn't want it so I rescued it from the trash pile and kept it aside for our future gift wrapping needs. It's in all sorts of lovely colors :) It's a pretty good list of wins so far.
-
Ugh. Grocery spending is already at $120 after only 3 days....
Some of that is stocking up on essentials, but some is buying convenience foods for busy work nights such as boxed soup. Also treating myself to fancy cheese. Spending basically nothing on anything else... just SO MANY GROCERIES. This always happens when I am working too much. Going to try to spend $0 on groceries between now & Sat.
I still need to pick up a bit of the compromise attitude (buying convenience foods) for when I can't cook because I am busy. For some reason, I have never bought much frozen or "easy to cook" food, in part because of a desire not to eat processed foods. Of course, when I'm busy and stressed, that means that I sometimes grab fast food -- unhealthy, processed, and expensive. Fast food sometimes becomes WAY too big of a budget item.
Speaking of which, for Oct. challenge, I battled internally about grabbing fast food today...and had to take a nap to stave off cravings. So day 3 was another success :)
We always keep a lot of easy to cook and relatively healthy foods on hand for busy seasons at work. Especially in my job, overtime is usually unexpected.
I actually made a meal like that yesterday. I had a bake-at-home Turkish bread in my pantry (which is soft fluffy white bread and about a foot wide) and sliced it through the middle so I had two round pizzas. I had tomato sauce in the pantry too, mixed some onion powder, garlic powder and basil from the spice rack in the sauce, then topped the pizza with whatever I had in the fridge. 8-10 minutes in a hot oven and you have a really nice homemade pizza. The bread is processed and not all the toppings are healthy, but it's a million times healthier than having pizza delivered, not to mention much faster and cheaper. From opening my pantry door to sitting down for dinner was less than 20 minutes.
-
Well I have been separated as of april 2016, and there have been many adjustments, including being primary carer for my 2 kids, but still juggling full time job. One of my intentions is to reduce spending. I admit I have not been ruthless and systematic as I could, but just trying to be more mindful.
Looking at this year spending, versus the average of years 2014-2016 find:
344 a month less in grocery yay! 212 a month less on miscellaneous yay! 113 a month less on house (putting off purchases and some repairs), 42 a month less on restaurant, 29 a month less on clothing.
Where went up:
143 a month MORE on recurring: property taxes went up, internet went up (may be able to cut here if examine all bills)
86 more a month on car (now have a 272 a month car payment versus paid-off car. Car however is less repair-prone).
16 a month more on travel (this is for sanity reasons, I may spend even a little more on travel next year...)
Overall my ingo has gone down by 1113 a month, and my outgo has gone down 908 a month.
So I still have some work to do.
I would like to do even better, but am heartened that I was able to cut grocery despite fact that I have the kids the majority of time and need to do more meal preparation. I expected that restaurant would go up, but except for a couple months (travel, family visiting) restaurant has been pretty low. I do go out about once a week with boyfriend, and he picks up check. But we try to find not so expensive places to go (Indian buffet!). I try to return the favor by making some meals. Going to try to build on these changes.
-
I have been told you can freeze balls of homemade dough, but I haven't tried it yet. You're supposed to take it out of the freezer in the morning so it can thaw and you can roll it out and use it straight away when you get home in the evening. I haven't tried that though. I have made homemade frozen pizzas in the past. I rolled out the dough and cut pizza shapes from it, I put the dough in the oven for a few minutes until it was solid enough to handle, then put the toppings on and froze them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they're frozen solid you can bag them up.
-
I have been told you can freeze balls of homemade dough, but I haven't tried it yet. You're supposed to take it out of the freezer in the morning so it can thaw and you can roll it out and use it straight away when you get home in the evening. I haven't tried that though. I have made homemade frozen pizzas in the past. I rolled out the dough and cut pizza shapes from it, I put the dough in the oven for a few minutes until it was solid enough to handle, then put the toppings on and froze them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they're frozen solid you can bag them up.
Awesome idea. Reminds me of another very cheap thing we used to do growing up personal pizzas made on frozen, store-brand English muffins. My mother would set up the kitchen like a taco bar, with various pizza ingredients lined up so that we could design our own personal mini-pizzas. For kids, definitely cheaper than the various frozen pizza-bites (or whatever they were called).
-
Just make sure you wrap the pizza dough ball in glad wrap before freezing or it will go crusty. I've also got grated mozzarella in the freezer to make it extra easy.
Well October has so far been pretty expensive (thanks dog, he's fine now) but no unnecessary spending so far except for $20 on fish and chips at the weekend. On Monday I was scrolling uber eats because we could not be bothered cooking but at the last minute managed to rustle up a salad. I made a very tasty veggie pasta bake on Tues by shopping the pantry that stretched to a large lunch on Weds so we only needed sandwiches for dinner.
I've got a few people coming over in a couple of weekends for nibbles but I've been shopping half price deals to get nice snacky things that we wouldn't normally buy. I'll also make something from scratch and they'll bring a plate. Cheap entertainment.
-
Well, binging on fast food is not helpful for any of my life goals.
I got the old journal out, I really got to get my act together.
-
I've also realized there are some things where I really notice quality (or really get value out of the extra quality), and other areas where I frankly have no taste/discernment to notice. It's very hard for me to buy cheaper sweatersI really notice the lower-quality yarns. But I don't notice/care about the difference between fancy sheets and IKEA sheets at all!
westtoeast, you probably know best how valuable (or not!) a BIFL suitcase is to you. Best of luck making your decision! I also wonder if your dream suitcase is a little cheaper on eBay? I had my heart set on a brand-name hairdryer at some point, and managed to find a great eBay deal for it.
I agree-- there are some things where quality will make a huge difference and other areas when it doesn't matter. Thanks for the eBay advice! I searched though... and the darn suitcase/backpack is actually MORE expensive on eBay. SUPER weird, I've never seen that before. I ended up ordering the cheaper version (literally a $230 difference) and I'll try it on, do a "test pack," and decide if it will meet my needs before I invest in the fancypants suitcase/backpack.
Spending Update:
October 3: $20, medical -- NECC.
October 3: $35, X-Mas gift for my mom (Ok... so this is waaay early but I saw the perfect item I know she will really use.) --NECC. (I think)
October 3: $110, medical appointment -- NECC.
October 5: $70, convertible suitcase/backpack thingy (I probably should classify this as unnecessary b/c its for personal travel which is a luxury in the first place) -- UNNECC.
Next few weeks shouldn't require much spend. We are going on a 1 night "fall getaway" the weekend after next to hike a nearby mountain, and booked a very cute inn nearby--- BUT we found a fairly valuable item on the street on garbage day and sold it on Craigslist to fund the hotel night! So we are breaking even. We will also try to pack lots of snacks-- but realistically, we may eat out for 1 or 2 meals (a country brunch is hard to resist).
-
So far no fluff spending this month. I did pay to see a couple bands perform last weekend with friends, but I am committed to building my friendships this year. I ate the same thing every day last week and it worked great to not have to spend extra energy thinking about food, ha. Would not be sustainable long term though.
-
So far this month has been going great. We were in the woods the first couple days, and then I've been working 12s since we got back (and husband has been working similar), and we return to the woods tomorrow. No time to spend money, haha. Gas cost will be a little higher though, since the woods are a bit of a drive, and we're having to take the truck since it's for hunting. Can't get over tank traps or fit a buck in a jetta ;)
Also, because of shifting work days, I'm missing 1 acupuncture session this month, so that's $50 "saved" off my medical category.
We'll see how the month shapes up when we're actually at home more, haha.
-
Incoming facepunches:
$107 - hair appointment - cut and color. I've been going to the same person for years, and she's good, so I pay. :)
$121 - new saddle pad - wool-lined pad that enables me to use my existing saddle on new horse. Could have bought a sheepskin pelt and modified two existing pads for less. OTOH, way cheaper than a new saddle!
$46 - horse show entry fee - last show opportunity for the year
$3 - arena use fee yesterday
$2.00 - small coffee at Starbuck's when I was dragging ass Monday night
Wins:
Read rule book for horse show attire and determined that my shirt was OK without the stupid stock ties that are usually worn in dressage
Eating up lots of garden veggies and homegrown eggs
No driving to work yesterday or today
Added leftover braised cabbage to leftover chicken soup for dinner last night... new kind of soup, and food waste averted! Made cornbread from scratch with leftover bacon grease instead of butter, and a beer no one wanted to drink instead of buttermilk.
Joined a free 6-week horse training popup group on Facebook
Canned ketchup over the weekend. Will do a batch of salsa verde next, using lots of green tomatoes.
Got over 2 yards of horse manure loaded into my truck and put it in the garden to turn into next year's veggies
-
I'm joining in to keep myself accountable for October. I feel like we've been spending a lot lately and I need this to remind me to rein it in a little...technically I haven't spent any money yet in October on anything frivolous (just mortgage, groceries, utilities), though I do have a potential fail coming up. My mom requested a fitbit for her birthday in late Oct, so I'm proposing to use a $75 credit I have and paying the remaining ~$25 out of pocket. So there's that, though I'd have to come up with a birthday gift somehow and $25 isn't too bad.
On the "frugal wins" side of things (1) I just got a beautiful Shinola journal for free for attending an all-day regional coordination meeting earlier today, so I'll be giving that to my husband for Christmas. I think he'll really like it and it was completely free! (2) My sister lucked into an opportunity to pick an unlimited amount of apples for free, so when she stopped by this weekend she brought me a few pounds, probably 4-5 lb. I've made some tasty applesauce with about 2/3 of them and the rest will be for eating. (3) We hosted a baby shower at our house last weekend for some close friends and along with self-catering it (minimizing the expense, at least) I got to keep all of the tissue paper and ribbon from the gift wrapping. And it's a lot! My pregnant friend didn't want it so I rescued it from the trash pile and kept it aside for our future gift wrapping needs. It's in all sorts of lovely colors :) It's a pretty good list of wins so far.
Hah! Turns out my husband had more credit than I did (wellness incentives through work) so I was able to get my Mom's birthday fitbit for the low low price of free. We picked out a Cuisinart ice cream maker with my credit, which seems a rather perverse wellness reward. I'm dairy free, though, so I'm pretty excited to figure out some good homemade ice cream flavors that I can actually eat. This fancy new toy was also free. I've asked my husband to wrap it and put it under the Christmas tree as a gift from both of us to both of us :) We'd been thinking of getting one for a while and it's a good opportunity for some extra celebration at Christmas.
I still haven't spent any money on "wants" this month, though I've been tempted by some wonderful yarn sales. I'm a crazy knitter. My husband is making up for my frugality somewhat but (1) he hasn't exactly been going crazy and (2) better only one of us than both of us.
-
Had a bit of a slip up today we usually eat out about once every two weeks or so, and usually at a cheap place. I had hoped to go through October without doing it once, but SO and I decided to go to a burger joint (less than $20 all told). In part, we needed a reprieve from work and a moment of celebration. I am a teacher, and it has been a hectic few weeks at school. Im trying out a bunch of new things this year and upending a lot of my teaching practice. But (for the celebration): I was observed today, while sleep deprived, and I left the lesson thinking that it went really, really well. About an hour later, I received the score a damn good evaluation from a notoriously tough administrator.
Definitely worth celebrating, given how stressful this year has already been. No regrets. (But I cant repeat this!)
-
9/21: $786 the biggest and last of the hospital bills
9/22: $247 groceries (Spouse did the shopping. We had a reminder talk afterwards.)
$7 Netflix-type bill
9/23: $13 u-pick apples
$34 gasoline
9/24: $0
9/25: $0
9/26: $0
9/27: $35 gasoline
$81 water/sewer bill
9/28: $5 groceries
9/29: $8, Netflix free trial spouse didn't cancel, ugh
+$80 craigslist sale
9/30: $0
+$60 side gig income
10/1: $23 canning jars and groceries
$76 continuing education class
$37 paint for newly hung drywall
10/2: $4 staple gun staples
$537 carpet and padding, installed ourselves
10/3: $120 groceries
$222 health insurance
$23 fast food
$2 groceries
$1253 mortgage
10/4: $34 gasoline
$49 case and hook for kid's musical instrument
Expensive weekend, but if you consider that we spent it turning a two bedroom house into a three bedroom, I'd say we came out ahead. I'm not feeling too bad about the fast food... we were tired after all the spackling/painting/carpet installation and the kitchen was a disaster from simultaneously canning several batches of marmalade fresh off our quince tree, which will serve as holiday gifts.
-
Recently, I've been slipping up on eating out. Some have been social, but some have also has been "I'm sick and pregnant, and I want to eat X." I have lunch scheduled out today with a colleague, and then I going to stop eating out for the rest of month.
-
Spent $191.97 of discretionary spending in September. Way down from high of over $800 this spring. Here's to getting below $150 this month!
-
I have been told you can freeze balls of homemade dough, but I haven't tried it yet. You're supposed to take it out of the freezer in the morning so it can thaw and you can roll it out and use it straight away when you get home in the evening. I haven't tried that though. I have made homemade frozen pizzas in the past. I rolled out the dough and cut pizza shapes from it, I put the dough in the oven for a few minutes until it was solid enough to handle, then put the toppings on and froze them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once they're frozen solid you can bag them up.
Yes! We do this frequently. I use http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough.html (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-new-york-style-pizza-dough.html), but with all-purpose flour instead of bread dough. It doesn't really make a difference.
What I do is make a full recipe and split it into four, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and stick it in the freezer. Pull it out of the freezer anywhere from 12-48 hours before you want to use it, pat out into a cast iron pan (don't even have to bother rolling it out), add toppings and bake for ~12 minutes at 450 degF. Much easier than making a full par-baked frozen pizza, and just as fast. With salad fixings in the fridge, I can put dinner on the table in 20 minutes from walking in the door.
As far as our own spending:
Holding strong so far. Seriously was thinking about buying lunch today, but got it together and put some canned sardines on top of leftover rice and veg for a good cheap meal instead.
On the other hand it's been raining a lot, and my jacket is definitely losing its waterproofing. If it keeps raining, my first purchase in November might be some new waterproofing spray, heh.
Here's a funny story: our new cat pooped on the bed last night. (I think we've figured out why, but that's a story for another time) The comforter cover goes in the washer fine, but to our dismay there was definitely some...residue that had gotten into the comforter itself. Bleh. After some waffling about whether or not we should take it to a cleaner and have it washed, DH and I manned up and scrubbed it out by hand in the bathtub, then wrung it mostly dry by hand, then stuffed it in the dryer and manually fluffed it every ~15 minutes until it dried out enough to air dry overnight. Probably saved all of $20 in return for an evening cleaning poop, but hey! Definitely a bonding experience, and DH pointed out that it's probably good practice for kids XD
-
Also - hey Bracken, since you mention deer hunting, have you ever run the economics on eating hunted meat? Neither DH nor I come from hunting communities, but I really want to learn how. I figure it's better meat at lower environmental cost than conventional meats. The problem is the initial time and cost investment. Right now we compromise by not really eating meat very much at all, maybe 4-5x/month. Is there an easy and economical way to get into hunting? Maybe by starting with small game? (squirrels etc)
-
Also - hey Bracken, since you mention deer hunting, have you ever run the economics on eating hunted meat? Neither DH nor I come from hunting communities, but I really want to learn how. I figure it's better meat at lower environmental cost than conventional meats. The problem is the initial time and cost investment. Right now we compromise by not really eating meat very much at all, maybe 4-5x/month. Is there an easy and economical way to get into hunting? Maybe by starting with small game? (squirrels etc)
What about fishing? Or maybe buying from a hunter? Trying to think of ways to reduce the upfront outlay.
Here in Australia we can buy hunted meat at the supermarket. e.g. kangaroo which is not only lean but does the environment a favour (they sometimes need to be culled). We also have wild boar. And crocodile (!) but I'm pretty sure that's farmed.
-
Had a bit of a slip up today we usually eat out about once every two weeks or so, and usually at a cheap place. I had hoped to go through October without doing it once, but SO and I decided to go to a burger joint (less than $20 all told). In part, we needed a reprieve from work and a moment of celebration. I am a teacher, and it has been a hectic few weeks at school. Im trying out a bunch of new things this year and upending a lot of my teaching practice. But (for the celebration): I was observed today, while sleep deprived, and I left the lesson thinking that it went really, really well. About an hour later, I received the score a damn good evaluation from a notoriously tough administrator.
Definitely worth celebrating, given how stressful this year has already been. No regrets. (But I cant repeat this!)
Oh, congrats on the observation! Also, applause for upending your practice-- that's what the best teachers do!
-
I'm joining in to keep myself accountable for October. I feel like we've been spending a lot lately and I need this to remind me to rein it in a little...technically I haven't spent any money yet in October on anything frivolous (just mortgage, groceries, utilities), though I do have a potential fail coming up. My mom requested a fitbit for her birthday in late Oct, so I'm proposing to use a $75 credit I have and paying the remaining ~$25 out of pocket. So there's that, though I'd have to come up with a birthday gift somehow and $25 isn't too bad.
On the "frugal wins" side of things (1) I just got a beautiful Shinola journal for free for attending an all-day regional coordination meeting earlier today, so I'll be giving that to my husband for Christmas. I think he'll really like it and it was completely free! (2) My sister lucked into an opportunity to pick an unlimited amount of apples for free, so when she stopped by this weekend she brought me a few pounds, probably 4-5 lb. I've made some tasty applesauce with about 2/3 of them and the rest will be for eating. (3) We hosted a baby shower at our house last weekend for some close friends and along with self-catering it (minimizing the expense, at least) I got to keep all of the tissue paper and ribbon from the gift wrapping. And it's a lot! My pregnant friend didn't want it so I rescued it from the trash pile and kept it aside for our future gift wrapping needs. It's in all sorts of lovely colors :) It's a pretty good list of wins so far.
Hah! Turns out my husband had more credit than I did (wellness incentives through work) so I was able to get my Mom's birthday fitbit for the low low price of free. We picked out a Cuisinart ice cream maker with my credit, which seems a rather perverse wellness reward. I'm dairy free, though, so I'm pretty excited to figure out some good homemade ice cream flavors that I can actually eat. This fancy new toy was also free. I've asked my husband to wrap it and put it under the Christmas tree as a gift from both of us to both of us :) We'd been thinking of getting one for a while and it's a good opportunity for some extra celebration at Christmas.
I still haven't spent any money on "wants" this month, though I've been tempted by some wonderful yarn sales. I'm a crazy knitter. My husband is making up for my frugality somewhat but (1) he hasn't exactly been going crazy and (2) better only one of us than both of us.
Had a bit of a win today - I've re-scheduled my knitting date with a very good friend to my house vs. the book store / tea room in town due to anticipated heavy traffic later today (yay college sports). So I get to avoid paying for parking and food, and I don't have to drive! I did make some goodies for the visit - a dozen pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting, mixed nuts, applesauce, and we also have some packaged crunchy salty snacks and fruit / baby carrots. And lots of nice tea. It should be lovely and comfortable and relaxed, and we're both very excited to catch up. She has a 15 month old who will not be attending (baby girl loves her some yarn) and I know my friend's looking forward to the break.
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
-
Ughh today was not a win! I spent $100 at the grocery store-- this is $45 over my typical spend. I need to stop my intermittent fasting program (I was doing just lunch and dinner for the past two years) so I needed breakfast foods for the coming week, which probably adds $10 to my week. I also went to Whole Foods because I wanted a few fancy items (coconut yogurt, nice chicken) and I heard that prices had recently dropped... nope. I also bought pre-spiralized zucchini noodles because I'm considering buying a cheap spiralizer and wanted to see if I liked them. They were $6 bucks! Anyway, I won't be back there again anytime soon. This really blows my food budget for the month.
On the bright side... I haven't bought anything else for the past few days! Hoping to keep that up until the next grocery shop.
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
-
Spent $5 stupidly at the grocery today, due to the good ol' trick where they set something on sale and hope you won't notice the new price still sucks. Also going to breakfast with a visiting cousin tomorrow morning; goal to keep that below my $15 restaurant budget for the month. (Which is easy unless drinks are involved.)
-
Also - hey Bracken, since you mention deer hunting, have you ever run the economics on eating hunted meat? Neither DH nor I come from hunting communities, but I really want to learn how. I figure it's better meat at lower environmental cost than conventional meats. The problem is the initial time and cost investment. Right now we compromise by not really eating meat very much at all, maybe 4-5x/month. Is there an easy and economical way to get into hunting? Maybe by starting with small game? (squirrels etc)
I actually haven't run the numbers per se. It's much more of a cultural/moral thing than it is a cost saving one. Plus, it's hard for me to calculate costs on a couple fronts: we already camp, so many items (tent, camp stove, chairs, etc etc) we already own. We also hike a lot, so outdoor appropriate thermal layers we already own, and boots. My hunting rifle was a birthday present. Since my husband didn't grow up hunting, and is just learning, he's borrowing
one of my dad's rifles. We also own a truck because we do so much very rough back country type hunting. And then you have the hunting license and tags themselves (varies by state, but this year for us was like $200 for three hard-to-draw tags (draw= controlled hunts are a lottery system you put in for). So as far as the big mule deer we hunt? Almost certainly not more cost effective than ethically raised 100% grass fed organic beef. At least here.
We're on the rare side though I think. Most people deer hunt black tail. They tend to be far more plentiful and smaller. They also hang out in a lot of much easier to get to places. I don't think I'd get into deer hunting without someone experienced to show me how though. Especially if I don't have extensive experience with guns or camping.
Small game you might be able to do. Rabbits and ducks (or grouse if you have them in your area) are probably highest return for the effort in most areas. Again though, if you don't know guns, start with a reputable firearms safety class.
Sorry I don't have better advice. It's hard to tell someone where to start on something that's been a part of your life forever! And for my husband, he's learning from me, and from my parents. I think that's how most people learn- friends, family, or marrying into it.
Freshwater- At least in Oregon, it's illegal to sell game. You can gift it, but not sell. People also barter, although *technically* the IRS regulates that too and so it would count as illegal, but no one really seems to report/monitor that. (We don't, but we go get the good meat that's much harder to get. Black tail tend to be plentiful though- kinda like your kangaroos. We have a minimum number that have to be killed to prevent overpopulation, so if hunters don't get them, game officials will go out and do a cull, otherwise you get mass starvation/die offs).
My numbers are still looking good. Didn't get an animal (boooo) but hoping for elk season for husband still. Gas total for hunting was $86 for two trips out (total of 6 days hunting). Now that we're home, we'll see how things work out!
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
I will buy a train ticket to visit my FIL later today: 12,85
and i will buy the stamps: 3,99
Total: 39,78
Upcoming purchases this week: 2 hospital visits, 2 bus tickets at 6,00 each.
Other than that, no expected purchases.
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
@westtoeast - Awesome! Glad you found it useful. I figure if I can spare that amount supporting my hobbies or going to restaurants or whatever (though I'm trying not to) I can certainly also spare that amount to support the purchase of basic supplies for people who desperately need them. Plus 100% matching is pretty great.
In other news I had a splitting headache last night and didn't want to even think of cooking, so Brown Bear (DH) and I went out for Thai food. We did our usual of splitting one bowl of soup and one massive entree (with extra veggies) and the total with tip was $21.50 :/ It was very tasty and convenient, but we could have easily managed to find something to eat at home if we'd been able to conquer headaches and apathy... My spending goal for the month, and honestly for November and December as well, is to be sub-$3k, and we're currently at $1702.27 including our mortgage payment. With Brown Bear's car payment ($326.33, to be withdrawn later this month) that leaves us with $971.40 for additional groceries, gas, bills, whatever. I think we should be able to easily stay below that. Here's me putting the goal down in writing to hold myself accountable!
-
Also - hey Bracken, since you mention deer hunting, have you ever run the economics on eating hunted meat? Neither DH nor I come from hunting communities, but I really want to learn how. I figure it's better meat at lower environmental cost than conventional meats. The problem is the initial time and cost investment. Right now we compromise by not really eating meat very much at all, maybe 4-5x/month. Is there an easy and economical way to get into hunting? Maybe by starting with small game? (squirrels etc)
I actually haven't run the numbers per se. It's much more of a cultural/moral thing than it is a cost saving one. Plus, it's hard for me to calculate costs on a couple fronts: we already camp, so many items (tent, camp stove, chairs, etc etc) we already own. We also hike a lot, so outdoor appropriate thermal layers we already own, and boots. My hunting rifle was a birthday present. Since my husband didn't grow up hunting, and is just learning, he's borrowing
one of my dad's rifles. We also own a truck because we do so much very rough back country type hunting. And then you have the hunting license and tags themselves (varies by state, but this year for us was like $200 for three hard-to-draw tags (draw= controlled hunts are a lottery system you put in for). So as far as the big mule deer we hunt? Almost certainly not more cost effective than ethically raised 100% grass fed organic beef. At least here.
We're on the rare side though I think. Most people deer hunt black tail. They tend to be far more plentiful and smaller. They also hang out in a lot of much easier to get to places. I don't think I'd get into deer hunting without someone experienced to show me how though. Especially if I don't have extensive experience with guns or camping.
Small game you might be able to do. Rabbits and ducks (or grouse if you have them in your area) are probably highest return for the effort in most areas. Again though, if you don't know guns, start with a reputable firearms safety class.
Sorry I don't have better advice. It's hard to tell someone where to start on something that's been a part of your life forever! And for my husband, he's learning from me, and from my parents. I think that's how most people learn- friends, family, or marrying into it.
Freshwater- At least in Oregon, it's illegal to sell game. You can gift it, but not sell. People also barter, although *technically* the IRS regulates that too and so it would count as illegal, but no one really seems to report/monitor that. (We don't, but we go get the good meat that's much harder to get. Black tail tend to be plentiful though- kinda like your kangaroos. We have a minimum number that have to be killed to prevent overpopulation, so if hunters don't get them, game officials will go out and do a cull, otherwise you get mass starvation/die offs).
My numbers are still looking good. Didn't get an animal (boooo) but hoping for elk season for husband still. Gas total for hunting was $86 for two trips out (total of 6 days hunting). Now that we're home, we'll see how things work out!
Adding to this! I'm just getting into hunting, mostly for the food security/closing the food loop and also adding another season to my outdoor pursuits, so can speak a bit to the up front costs. I am in Canada though (BC).
Agreed that it's cheaper if you already have a 4x4 vehicle, and all the outdoor gear (we do). For hunting specifically, I had to take a hunting course which was $185, a firearm course which was $150, and get the permits for both ($80). My husband gave me his old .22, but purchased another which was ~$200. We're heading out to try for grouse next weekend.
I will say though, it does seem infinitely easier to get started if you have family/friends who do!
-
Running Total from last report:
Total required: $87
Total face punch worthy: $24
10/1 $38 Have no idea what was bought here. Must have been "Important" un-necessary?
10/2 $44 Gym, you can face punch me if you want. But it's motivation Necessary
10/3 $8 Working Lunch Surprise work = most fun ever! un-necessary (cause I should have just skipped lunch! same for below)
10/4 $10 Working Lunch Last minute meeting with nothing accomplish. "Great" use of my time. un-necessary
10/4 $25 Gas Should last the month or more. Necessary
10/6 Grociereis 23 Some stuff I normally get a walmart. Necessary
10/8 $10 Game Face punch required un-necessary
10/8 $60 Lawn mowing. Not my house, and I lack a lawn mower, but as I am the only one near, maintenance falls on me. (Should almost be done with that mowing for the year and hopefully probate ends fast so it can be sold) Necessary
10/8 35 Groceries, the rest of em. Should be good for a couple of weeks. If all goes well in my little experiment, maybe longer. Necessary
Totals for the week:
Required: $187
Face punch worthy: $66
Whelp I am failing badly. This week, my goal = only the bills, and absolutely required.
-
I'm joining for October in the hopes that I can find a way to save $500 this month.
The plan is to stick to barebones and keep the upcoming garden expenses as low as possible. I usually have some money set aside for gardening, but I wiped out my entire misc. and dedicated savings in August and am still struggling to replenish and get back on track.
But a 10% military discount and some Lowes and Home Depot gift cards that I saved up should help me reach that goal.
I'll check my gardening groups/club for potential ideas and goodies too.
Using my Target gift cards for new solar garden lights.
Wish it was a bit cooler already so I can start the lettuce seeds, meanwhile I'll start some zinnias...
Action plan:
I found a coupon for a $25 Visa gift card for test driving a Subaru.
Following up on a bank refund of about $25 cash.
Following up on a return from an online purchase close to $100.
Looking into opening a new bank account with a $100 bonus attached - been wanting to change my main operational bank for a while, but there is also a bank with a $300 bonus in my area, that I could do just for getting the bonus - contemplating the logistics and pros and cons.
Eating out:
Checking out two new restaurants that may cut our going out to eat budget in half.
Make a point of going to the $6 Burger place on Mondays at least once-worth it since the food is good and plentiful - enough for lunch the next day and their Margaritas are good and cheap too.
Use either my $10 rewards points at our favorite restaurant for lunch or choose their BOGO deal to keep costs down. Trouble with that is their offers are only good for a week and don't always fit into our plans.
Groceries-Food-Sundries
Will attend two Medicare seminars that give out $10 Publix (grocery store) gift cards for your time-may even do a couple of mystery shop evaluations for the insurance company at $20 each as well.
I recently restocked the emergency pantry and we're fully stocked, except for meat - contemplating a trip to the commissary soon (that should save about 30% over the meat prices elsewhere). We don't always go, since it is a long trip and I need enough room in the freezer to stock up all at once.
Shopping score - Queen sheet set at Aldi for under $25 and a really nice, much needed new doormat for $6.99-got to have a decent door mat to keep from tracking in the garden dirt:)
Personal expenditures - Vitamins and two doctor visits are coming up, about $70 total. No getting around that.
I'd like to replenish my favorite lotion - may have enough on a gc to cover that.
Will check into a free hair cut - mystery shop...
So all in all, there is a chance that October might well be a decent month!:)
Good luck everyone - share what you are doing to keep your budget low - lower - lowest:) we want to know, so we can do it too:)
We can do this!
-
OK GUYS, we have a little over three more weeks for this challenge! Let's see how low we can go.
Oct 8th: $20 (treated SO and myself to Blade Runner on the big screen... not necessary, but no regrets because this was the type of movie that is worth seeing on the big screen instead of the computer screen)
Oct 9th: $0 (finally a $0 day)
In repentance for my overspending at Whole Foods I've done the following: taken money from my side hustle savings to pay the difference, and planned out a very frugal meal plan for the following week.
My October #'s so far:
Necessary: $285 ($130 medical-- kinda throws off my numbers, but there's always something right?)
Unnecessary: $135
The trick I'm going to try for the rest of the month is a Frugalwoods one-- write down in a notebook every item I find myself wanting instead of buying it right away (or putting it in the Amazon cart and letting it sit there). I'll see if I still think about any of those items in November. As of now I have a cute winter hat and some dresses in my Amazon cart and I'm not going to buy them!
-
Have cooked 6 dinners in a row at home without using freezer/convenience type food. I did use one shop bought enchilada sauce but everything else was from scratch. We didn't eat out either this weekend, so that saved about $50.
I started this challenge because I thought I had a speeding camera fine but it didn't show up yet. I'll check online, maybe I wasn't speeding after all.
-
Well, medical spending is already shaping up to be way higher than expected =( I was expecting $500-600, but it's looking like it'll be $750+. Damn. Just all the more important to hold to the no alcohol/no restaurants plan, and keep groceries tighter.
-
Some highs and lows from the weekend... highs = cooked every meal, including an extra (minestrone) on Sunday to have extra meals throughout the week. Avoided hitting the bar on Friday for beers, which sometimes turns from one beer to five or six...
Lows = Drank alcohol, which cost more money than I wanted to spend. Yes, it was from a six-pack, but I didnt need it given that I am trying to keep the months overhead as low as possible. I also spent some money on Amazon for bike upgrades (a rain cover for my Topeak trunk bag). The money was in my bike upgrades category, but it still felt wrong to spend. The upside is that all my bike storage will now (hopefully) be waterproof, since my Ortliebs are bombproof.
The BIG frugal win? Today marks 30 days of biking to work!
-
9/21: $786 the biggest and last of the hospital bills
9/22: $247 groceries (Spouse did the shopping. We had a reminder talk afterwards.)
$7 Netflix-type bill
9/23: $13 u-pick apples
$34 gasoline
9/24: $0
9/25: $0
9/26: $0
9/27: $35 gasoline
$81 water/sewer bill
9/28: $5 groceries
9/29: $8, Netflix free trial spouse didn't cancel, ugh
+$80 craigslist sale
9/30: $0
+$60 side gig income
10/1: $23 canning jars and groceries
$76 continuing education class
$37 paint for newly hung drywall
10/2: $4 staple gun staples
$537 carpet and padding, installed ourselves
10/3: $120 groceries
$222 health insurance
$23 fast food
$2 groceries
$1253 mortgage
10/4: $34 gasoline
$49 case and hook for kid's musical instrument
10/5: $0
10/6: $10 postage to mail a friend handmade clothing my kids outgrew
10/7: $0
10/8: $0
10/9: $174 groceries
$15 something spouse got at Home Depot?
$27 pumpkins and caramel apples at the pumpkin patch
Grocery spending is out of control and out of my hands. My spouse took this task over since his diagnosis (and won't give it back) and doesn't think we overspend here. Sigh. I'm just going to ride it out for now and hope he gets tired of doing the shopping.
Oh! And I bought something online I didn't need for $154, then read through the "is the forum getting soft" thread, and feeling thoroughly shamed, I canceled the order. Win.
-
Incoming facepunches:
$107 - hair appointment - cut and color. I've been going to the same person for years, and she's good, so I pay. :)
$121 - new saddle pad - wool-lined pad that enables me to use my existing saddle on new horse. Could have bought a sheepskin pelt and modified two existing pads for less. OTOH, way cheaper than a new saddle!
$46 - horse show entry fee - last show opportunity for the year
$3 - arena use fee yesterday
$2.00 - small coffee at Starbuck's when I was dragging ass Monday night
More facepunches:
$65.95 - another horse thing I could have made myself for less.
$10.59 - Kindle book (riding instruction)
$45 - fancy bourbon-barrel gin (major facepunch, taking out of grocery budget)
Non-facepunch worthy:
$30 - Dog food
$24 - Gas
$19 - Groceries
$36 - Spice refills
$50 - horse body work (planned/expected)
Frugal Wins -
Made 15 pints of salsa verde with green tomatoes this weekend
Grinding a year's supply of horseradish tonight, and making/freezing lots of chimichurri
Sunday dinner was salad from the garden and polenta with leftover lamb
Monday dinner was an Indian food feast complete with homemade naan
Lots of leftovers now and I won't spend more than $10 at the grocery store before I head out on a work trip next Monday
Listed the fancy pants horse blanket I bought last winter, and was disappointed in, on eBay. Should sell for $300, and won't need a replacement this winter, can get a better value one on sale next summer for $150ish if needed.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
I will buy a train ticket to visit my FIL later today: 12,85
and i will buy the stamps: 3,99
Total: 39,78
Upcoming purchases this week: 2 hospital visits, 2 bus tickets at 6,00 each.
Other than that, no expected purchases.
I had 1 hospital trip yesterday, it ended up costing 7 instead of 6 because the driver had run out of bus tickets so I had to pay by pre-paid public traffic card which is more expensive for this particular trip. I'm not sure if I should count this, because I loaded the money onto the card some time ago so I didn't actually spend any money on it yesterday (is that a MPP? If you loaded money onto a pre-paid card, are you spending when you load the money onto the card or when you're using the card?)
I also spent 0,70 going to the public bathroom on the bus station. I hate paying so much for a simple bathroom visit but it's not like you have a choice. You get a 0,50 off voucher if you buy something at the station, but only for purchases over 3,50 and only in expensive shops. If I wanted to get a coffee at all, I'd rather get a 1,80 coffee from a place where the coupon can't be redeemed than a 5 coffee from Starbucks with 0,50 off.
I also spent 1,95 on hot food on the station. This was a totally unnecessary purchase as I had brought food from home, but it was a long day, I was rushing from one place to another and away from home from 8.30 in the morning until 11 at night. It was a really cold and wet day and I just wanted to get some hot food in my stomach instead of the cold food in my bag. Still, I could have done much worse than 1,95 and I did not waste the food I brought from home.
Total: 49,43.
Upcoming purchases:
- I'll have to go back to hospital today and I hope I can buy the 6 ticket this time.
- Train ticket to another town on Friday to see my partner's band perform. This is an important gig for the band. If I can travel with him, it will cost me only 8,64 because he has a season ticket and anyone he travels with gets a discount too. If I'm late from work and I have to travel seperately it will cost me 14.40.
- After the gig, we're staying over at a relative's place who lives relatively close to the other town. We'll go home from there the next day. From the gig to his place will cost 8,34 instead of the 8,64 it would cost to go straight home. Taking the train home from his place the next day will be 8,10. I'll probably buy some drinks too, which will cost about 10.
I hate paying for travel, but the other option is staying home. Every single trip is fairly cheap, it's when you add up the trips that the figure gets a bit shocking. Still, it is much cheaper than driving and the travel costs to hospital are all tax deductible at the end of the tax year too.
-
Thanks for the reply re: hunting, Bracken. Someone in my department was casually talking to me about how she's painting one her guns pink (lol) and she gave me some local people to hit up as hunting mentors. Here's hoping that it leads somewhere.
Wins this week:
-grocery budget firmly in line
-was going to buy one of those treat dispenser toys for the kitty, but turn out that she's just as content with some holes cut out of a water bottle. She's been driving us crazy with boredom/wanting food meowing, so hopefully this helps :|
-had my two big exams this morning, and not once did I order takeout for dinner or buy myself coffee shop treats. yaass
-toilet was running continuously. Ten minutes on youtube, some light swearing and a $7 part later, it's back in business. Probably saved at least $100 over calling a plumber.
Not-wins:
-Spend ~20 eating out twice with friends. Hubs and I split an entree like we usually do, so I guess it could have been worse.
Currently struggling with:
-augh my rear bike taillight is being crappy. There's a soft rubber gasket piece that holds it to my seat post, and that slipped out. Easily repairable but I'm so tempted to just buy a NICE one, this one was a 7.99 walmart special.
-in my continuing mission to look like not-an-undergrad, I want to buy some nice blouses and a pair of oxfords for the office. Maybe it'll be my Christmas present to myself, if I keep wanting until then.
-
Well, shit. Between daycare and returning to work full time, baby hitting some milestones and sleep going to hell, this has been 2 months of ridiculously high spending. I knew it wasn't good but was truly bummed when I sat down with my pivot tables. Groceries alone were 700-800 each month in August and September (2 adults, 1 kid, 1 baby), and restaurants were over $150 for both--more than $200 in August! Some of that was due to visiting friends, so I don't mind it, but the bulk just came from being sleep-deprived and taking the easy path of buying lunches, buying coffee/treats out because I "deserved it" for being so tired, etc. We had some natural disaster-related spending, but our outlay was high even if you cut that part out. Since we just added another full-time daycare bill to our expenses, we really need to crack down elsewhere (yes, it still makes sense for both of us to work full-time.)
My frugality goals for the rest of October:
-Bring grocery budget back in line. I really think we can make $500.
-No coffee shop treats, even if I'm tired and have been up half the night with the baby!
-Start planning inexpensive holiday gifts
-Fix front door weatherstripping
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
@westtoeast - Awesome! Glad you found it useful. I figure if I can spare that amount supporting my hobbies or going to restaurants or whatever (though I'm trying not to) I can certainly also spare that amount to support the purchase of basic supplies for people who desperately need them. Plus 100% matching is pretty great.
In other news I had a splitting headache last night and didn't want to even think of cooking, so Brown Bear (DH) and I went out for Thai food. We did our usual of splitting one bowl of soup and one massive entree (with extra veggies) and the total with tip was $21.50 :/ It was very tasty and convenient, but we could have easily managed to find something to eat at home if we'd been able to conquer headaches and apathy... My spending goal for the month, and honestly for November and December as well, is to be sub-$3k, and we're currently at $1702.27 including our mortgage payment. With Brown Bear's car payment ($326.33, to be withdrawn later this month) that leaves us with $971.40 for additional groceries, gas, bills, whatever. I think we should be able to easily stay below that. Here's me putting the goal down in writing to hold myself accountable!
Our spending so far this month: $1776.09
Mortgage: $1221.52
Food & Dining: $251.38 (and only $144 is groceries! Too many restaurants here for sure...)
Donations: $126.39 (Puerto Rico and a recurring local food bank donation)
Bills and Utilities: $92.16 (Electric, Gas, and Internet -- pretty low actually, but we haven't turned our heat on yet this year)
Auto & Transport: $34.17
Shopping: $23.30 (yarn to finish a Christmas present plus dollar store balloons & decorations for a baby shower we hosted)
Fees: $18.50 (Quarterly HSA fees through work, unavoidable)
Doctors Appointment: $8.67
So overall about $130 of that is frivolous non-grocery dining + shopping. Not as bad as I feared, actually :) Also I had a frugal win today - sold my old dishwasher for $50 on Craigslist. It was my first Craigslist sale and very exhilarating! It was so easy...
-
I finally got a "buy nothing" streak going! Just three days, and I'll break it at the grocery store tomorrow... but still.
-
I'm joining for October in the hopes that I can find a way to save $500 this month.
...........
..... there is a chance that October might well be a decent month!:)
Well, so far so good - resisting buying jewelry or gemstones - successfully:), but I was tempted during a recent special event. I really cannot afford a thing right now - zip, nada, zilch! Looking at my credit card statement sobered me up considerably. I cannot afford anything - period!
Since MMM I'm used to just paying it all off each month - no problem.
You know that is one of the lasting effects of hanging out on MMM, you begin absorbing the thoughts and actions from people with actual financial smarts and you start seeing the impact - actually, even feeling the impact, it bothered me to have a balance that I couldn't afford to pay off all at once without upsetting my goals. It was a legitimate car related expense - so I don't feel bad, it just was more than I was comfortable with.
So I steamed and huffed and puffed and came up with a way to avoid finance charges altogether and found a way to pay it all off, yesterday - before the statement closed. Whew - R E L I E F:)
Monkey off my back...
Anyway - progress report:
1. Got the $24 credit from my bank this morning - yay:) - Isn't it great when all you have to do is ask? (and you shall receive:) ...
2. Finished researching possible bank bonus - success. Better than I even dreamed, not one, but two in my immediate area - $300 each - $600 total. Sweetness! Let's hope all goes smooth with both.
One will be a full replacement for my current, designated operational-budget, bank. Good riddance for many reasons.
3. Transferred out $72 from pay pal - latest sale from my photography website. Don't you just love passive income?:)
Otherwise we're sticking to the budget and keeping an eye on the expenses - saved money by not going out, mostly because I haven't been feeling well this week. Mr. R. never spends money unless he has to - eye roll, sometimes I hate him for that - it comes so easy to him. He's a natural tightwad.
It's getting close to the halfway mark of the month - so there is hope that good things might happen and spending will be contained.
We'll see - how are you all doing so far?
(I think I'll play some more head games with myself, now that I have 24 and 72 = 96, maybe I could make at least four bucks online in cash to bring it to $100?...) I don't like tight budgets and I'll be happy to be back on track soon...
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
I will buy a train ticket to visit my FIL later today: 12,85
and i will buy the stamps: 3,99
Total: 39,78
Upcoming purchases this week: 2 hospital visits, 2 bus tickets at 6,00 each.
Other than that, no expected purchases.
I had 1 hospital trip yesterday, it ended up costing 7 instead of 6 because the driver had run out of bus tickets so I had to pay by pre-paid public traffic card which is more expensive for this particular trip. I'm not sure if I should count this, because I loaded the money onto the card some time ago so I didn't actually spend any money on it yesterday (is that a MPP? If you loaded money onto a pre-paid card, are you spending when you load the money onto the card or when you're using the card?)
I also spent 0,70 going to the public bathroom on the bus station. I hate paying so much for a simple bathroom visit but it's not like you have a choice. You get a 0,50 off voucher if you buy something at the station, but only for purchases over 3,50 and only in expensive shops. If I wanted to get a coffee at all, I'd rather get a 1,80 coffee from a place where the coupon can't be redeemed than a 5 coffee from Starbucks with 0,50 off.
I also spent 1,95 on hot food on the station. This was a totally unnecessary purchase as I had brought food from home, but it was a long day, I was rushing from one place to another and away from home from 8.30 in the morning until 11 at night. It was a really cold and wet day and I just wanted to get some hot food in my stomach instead of the cold food in my bag. Still, I could have done much worse than 1,95 and I did not waste the food I brought from home.
Total: 49,43.
Upcoming purchases:
- I'll have to go back to hospital today and I hope I can buy the 6 ticket this time.
- Train ticket to another town on Friday to see my partner's band perform. This is an important gig for the band. If I can travel with him, it will cost me only 8,64 because he has a season ticket and anyone he travels with gets a discount too. If I'm late from work and I have to travel seperately it will cost me 14.40.
- After the gig, we're staying over at a relative's place who lives relatively close to the other town. We'll go home from there the next day. From the gig to his place will cost 8,34 instead of the 8,64 it would cost to go straight home. Taking the train home from his place the next day will be 8,10. I'll probably buy some drinks too, which will cost about 10.
6 bus ticket
2 2 croissants from the local bakery for us for lunch today, to celebrate the weekend (unnecessary, but they were really good!)
Total: 57,53
Upcoming purchases:
30,84 Train tickets over the weekend
10,00 drinks at the gig
I'm having minor surgery on Monday, but a relative kindly offered to take me there and back, so I don't have to pay for the bus. I'll probably not leave the house on the next day, so I won't be able to spend any money. We have more than enough food in the freezer / pantry / fridge.
-
Well, we made it 12 days on the no alcohol plan... Ended up getting a box of wine after a truly terrible week. (Husband working 39 out of of 48 hours- totally unplanned/unforeseen chaos, we also had some bad news, etc). The work chaos also means we have a reimbursable hotel cost and restaurant cost on the books, and since they aren't reimbursed until the next month's paycheck, I generally just count them in with spending (so I have a "clean" earnings number). So that'll artificially make spending look ~$120 higher than it 'really' is.
Medical costs for either October or November will be higher due to some testing, but I'm actually quite excited about that.
On track for low groceries. Let's see if I can keep it up! No restaurant spending other than husband's work trip.
-
My horse spending is egregious, but everything else is staying in line.
Yesterday I drove 2 hours out to see my mare at the trainer's - brought along yogurt and coffee, but stayed longer than expected and spent $3 on gas station food on the way home. We decided I need to send my personal saddle out there as hers doesn't quite fit, and this necessitates getting another horse thing. Luckily found it used on eBay coming from UK for $207, vs. >$350 purchased new.
Other mare is getting a new-used saddle ordered for her tomorrow, so more $$$.
All the more reason to stay frugal in other areas.
-
Haven't updated in a while. I hit my September goal. Came in at $1,960.90, so over $100 under my budget of $2,100.
October is looking pretty good too. I'm at $890.59 so far. I had 3 zero spend days this month. I'm traveling for business from the 14th to the 23rd so most of my expenses during that time will be reimbursed. I should finish the month a few hundred below budget so I'm going to lower my goal to $1,800 and to have a total of 8 no spend days for the month.
I hope to carry this over to November and beyond and keep lowering my goal each month.
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
I will buy a train ticket to visit my FIL later today: 12,85
and i will buy the stamps: 3,99
Total: 39,78
Upcoming purchases this week: 2 hospital visits, 2 bus tickets at 6,00 each.
Other than that, no expected purchases.
I had 1 hospital trip yesterday, it ended up costing 7 instead of 6 because the driver had run out of bus tickets so I had to pay by pre-paid public traffic card which is more expensive for this particular trip. I'm not sure if I should count this, because I loaded the money onto the card some time ago so I didn't actually spend any money on it yesterday (is that a MPP? If you loaded money onto a pre-paid card, are you spending when you load the money onto the card or when you're using the card?)
I also spent 0,70 going to the public bathroom on the bus station. I hate paying so much for a simple bathroom visit but it's not like you have a choice. You get a 0,50 off voucher if you buy something at the station, but only for purchases over 3,50 and only in expensive shops. If I wanted to get a coffee at all, I'd rather get a 1,80 coffee from a place where the coupon can't be redeemed than a 5 coffee from Starbucks with 0,50 off.
I also spent 1,95 on hot food on the station. This was a totally unnecessary purchase as I had brought food from home, but it was a long day, I was rushing from one place to another and away from home from 8.30 in the morning until 11 at night. It was a really cold and wet day and I just wanted to get some hot food in my stomach instead of the cold food in my bag. Still, I could have done much worse than 1,95 and I did not waste the food I brought from home.
Total: 49,43.
Upcoming purchases:
- I'll have to go back to hospital today and I hope I can buy the 6 ticket this time.
- Train ticket to another town on Friday to see my partner's band perform. This is an important gig for the band. If I can travel with him, it will cost me only 8,64 because he has a season ticket and anyone he travels with gets a discount too. If I'm late from work and I have to travel seperately it will cost me 14.40.
- After the gig, we're staying over at a relative's place who lives relatively close to the other town. We'll go home from there the next day. From the gig to his place will cost 8,34 instead of the 8,64 it would cost to go straight home. Taking the train home from his place the next day will be 8,10. I'll probably buy some drinks too, which will cost about 10.
6 bus ticket
2 2 croissants from the local bakery for us for lunch today, to celebrate the weekend (unnecessary, but they were really good!)
Total: 57,53
Upcoming purchases:
30,84 Train tickets over the weekend
10,00 drinks at the gig
I'm having minor surgery on Monday, but a relative kindly offered to take me there and back, so I don't have to pay for the bus. I'll probably not leave the house on the next day, so I won't be able to spend any money. We have more than enough food in the freezer / pantry / fridge.
Spent:
30,84 for train tickets
12,10 for drinks/food at the gig
31,90 groceries
4,00 socks
Total: 128,27
As we happened to be close to the border on Saturday, we decided to hop over the border and do some cheap shopping. Groceries are a lot cheaper over there. I keep track of what things cost over here, so I'm sure we got good deals. We also didn't go overboard on the shopping just because it's cheap, which is a real risk for some people. One of the things I bought are canned kidney beans for 0,49/can. I can't find them for under 0,85/can around here. The socks were a good deal and not an acute necessity as I have some pairs left, but I did recently throw out a few pairs so I could use some new ones.
-
Broke a couple of my goals, but I don't feel too bad about either.
-Husband works out a lot. His latest pair of shoes (Crossfit Nano 6.0, for those wondering) have lasted him longer than ANY pair he's ever had before- I got them for him last Christmas, and he's only just starting to wear through the sole and where the toe cap connects to the upper. For months I've been keeping an eye on 6pm, especially since he's an odd size. They're normally ~$100-120 on there, but just today 1 pair in his size came up for $59.99. So I bought those. He'll try them on, and if we don't have to return them, they'll get stashed away until his current pair die. If it's close enough, they'll go under the tree as his "present" =) Basically, these are a need, and ultimately the best price possible. Deferring to avoid the spending in October would have just risked not having the shoes when we need them, or getting them for a higher price.
-Spent money for coffee/drinks out. But, we also spent over 5 hours catching up with friends we haven't seen in a few weeks. I'm way more comfortable with this type of spending when it's for social outtings.
-
Havent updated in a bit. Slipped up a little bit when it came to my goal to not eat out spent money on drinks and an appetizer with friends, but it was because of a rare occasion: one of my close friends from high school flew back to the east coast from CA. The good news is that I am still within my budget for the month.
In a fit of exasperation, SO ordered an upgraded trash can for our kitchen (long story...), which upped our household expenses for the month. But at least now we have a trash can that doesnt catch crumbs and dog hair everywhere. Our last trashcan came with the apartment... and one of our philosophies about household goods that get used *all* the time is that it is worth it to spend a bit more for quality. These are quality of living upgrades that spark joy (to borrow Marie Kondos term) and make living in our tiny, run-down apartment better. They also help us ignore our desires for a bigger, fancypants place.
-
Wins:
1) Declined two spendy social engagements this week. This would not be a win if I were worried about the social ties, but these are friendships I'd like to let drift. After 7 years of knowing people, we're still having small talk over expensive appetizers, which just really isn't my jam. We obviously aren't going to develop a deep friendship, so (for me) it's time to move on.
2) No mindless coffee or food spending this week.
4) Finally getting a new electric toothbrush (mine died after 7 years of service--first Christmas present from my now DH actually), and the replacement was a lot cheaper than I expected.
4) Making food for a co-worker who had a baby with all ingredients I had on-hand, so it will be super-cheap, but still delicious.
5) Went on a "free" date with DH on Monday. We were both off work, but daycare was open, so we sent DS in and got lunch with a gift card we got 5 years ago for our wedding. Then, I took a nap. This is the biggest win.
6) Got paid for my side gig last month ($800). I've cut back my hours some this month, but it should still be $600+.
Non-wins:
1) Bought coffee for an office retreat on Wednesday, and it was more expensive than I thought it would be. $17 for a box of Dunkin' coffee? Egads.
2) Bought unnecessary Halloween stuff--$5 for mini-pumpkins to decorate and about $9 on candy to hand out. We never have trick-or-treaters, yet I always buy candy on the chance they will show up. It's not even that I want the candy (I don't like chocolate and only buy chocolate). It's just some sort of social compulsion.
Overall, feeling pretty good about things.
-
It's been an expensive week for me. I was traveling for a conference, and was determined to use as little of my (modest) honorarium as possible. Ended up spending ~$60/day for food and transportation
I wish it were lower, but I ate out a decent bit with friends in the area.
But that still leaves about $200 of my honorarium to put into savings!
I'm also proud of this small bit of economy: I packed a breakfast/lunch for the first day of travel, so I wouldn't spend money on mediocre airport food (but instead had a lovely and inexpensive meal of quinoa/kale/sweet potato/beans to eat).
But now I'm back home and prepared to make a frugal time of it. If I don't spend too much eating out (and forgo buying any clothes this monthmy eternal weakness) it'll hopefully be the most frugal month of 2017 for me!
-
I spent a bit too much in September, although much of it was kind of necessary. I have decided to make October my super frugal month.
I had 2000 in my emergency fund (I'm on a lower income than most people here) on August 1 and I have 1300 in it right now. I want it to be as high as possible on October 31. Normally I save about 250/month, so my target is anything over 1550 on October 31.
I spent 2,75 in groceries today. I'm going to spend a similar amount tomorrow because I've seen our regular coffee brand is on sale in the local grocery store.
8,99 for a set of tea towels.
Total: 11,74
Next expected purchase is some drinks on Tuesday. I received theater tickets as a gift some time ago and we'll probably have a drink afterwards. I also expect to need some stamps later this week. Other than that, no upcoming purchases. I'm just going to track every single thing to make sure I spend as little as possible.
11,20 for drinks and snacks at the theater.
Total: 22,94
I will buy a train ticket to visit my FIL later today: 12,85
and i will buy the stamps: 3,99
Total: 39,78
Upcoming purchases this week: 2 hospital visits, 2 bus tickets at 6,00 each.
Other than that, no expected purchases.
I had 1 hospital trip yesterday, it ended up costing 7 instead of 6 because the driver had run out of bus tickets so I had to pay by pre-paid public traffic card which is more expensive for this particular trip. I'm not sure if I should count this, because I loaded the money onto the card some time ago so I didn't actually spend any money on it yesterday (is that a MPP? If you loaded money onto a pre-paid card, are you spending when you load the money onto the card or when you're using the card?)
I also spent 0,70 going to the public bathroom on the bus station. I hate paying so much for a simple bathroom visit but it's not like you have a choice. You get a 0,50 off voucher if you buy something at the station, but only for purchases over 3,50 and only in expensive shops. If I wanted to get a coffee at all, I'd rather get a 1,80 coffee from a place where the coupon can't be redeemed than a 5 coffee from Starbucks with 0,50 off.
I also spent 1,95 on hot food on the station. This was a totally unnecessary purchase as I had brought food from home, but it was a long day, I was rushing from one place to another and away from home from 8.30 in the morning until 11 at night. It was a really cold and wet day and I just wanted to get some hot food in my stomach instead of the cold food in my bag. Still, I could have done much worse than 1,95 and I did not waste the food I brought from home.
Total: 49,43.
Upcoming purchases:
- I'll have to go back to hospital today and I hope I can buy the 6 ticket this time.
- Train ticket to another town on Friday to see my partner's band perform. This is an important gig for the band. If I can travel with him, it will cost me only 8,64 because he has a season ticket and anyone he travels with gets a discount too. If I'm late from work and I have to travel seperately it will cost me 14.40.
- After the gig, we're staying over at a relative's place who lives relatively close to the other town. We'll go home from there the next day. From the gig to his place will cost 8,34 instead of the 8,64 it would cost to go straight home. Taking the train home from his place the next day will be 8,10. I'll probably buy some drinks too, which will cost about 10.
6 bus ticket
2 2 croissants from the local bakery for us for lunch today, to celebrate the weekend (unnecessary, but they were really good!)
Total: 57,53
Upcoming purchases:
30,84 Train tickets over the weekend
10,00 drinks at the gig
I'm having minor surgery on Monday, but a relative kindly offered to take me there and back, so I don't have to pay for the bus. I'll probably not leave the house on the next day, so I won't be able to spend any money. We have more than enough food in the freezer / pantry / fridge.
Spent:
30,84 for train tickets
12,10 for drinks/food at the gig
31,90 groceries
4,00 socks
Total: 128,27
As we happened to be close to the border on Saturday, we decided to hop over the border and do some cheap shopping. Groceries are a lot cheaper over there. I keep track of what things cost over here, so I'm sure we got good deals. We also didn't go overboard on the shopping just because it's cheap, which is a real risk for some people. One of the things I bought are canned kidney beans for 0,49/can. I can't find them for under 0,85/can around here. The socks were a good deal and not an acute necessity as I have some pairs left, but I did recently throw out a few pairs so I could use some new ones.
Groceries: 11,60
Total: 139,87
Of which about 60 has been spent on travel. It's a lot of money, but I can't really cut back on it if I want to keep seeing my friends and family.
-
I had set a food spending goal of $200 for the month for our family of three, but we are already over it -- at $250 for the month so far. My new goal is to keep the rest of the month under $50 for a total food budget of $300 for our family of 3. This would be the lowest we've ever hit! (really anything under $415 is a new low spend, but I am feeling like we can really make a big change! Time to get disciplined!)
Thanks for continuing to share your spending wins and losses -- I really think that just being mindful of spending on a daily basis is half the battle. It makes me think twice about what I am thinking of buying and also about why I want to buy it -- usually, I spend money as a distraction or to make me "feel better." But I can feel better by going for a walk, or reading a book, or just feeling my feelings since they pass so quickly when I actually feel them.
Keep up the mindful spending!
-
@wordnerd - HA!
2) Bought unnecessary Halloween stuff--$5 for mini-pumpkins to decorate and about $9 on candy to hand out. We never have trick-or-treaters, yet I always buy candy on the chance they will show up. It's not even that I want the candy (I don't like chocolate and only buy chocolate). It's just some sort of social compulsion.
We do the same thing - we don't get trick or treaters any more, but we still buy the candy. One bag of snickers for me and two bags for Mr. R. which he mostly brings in to work, whereas about half of my Snickers always find their way to my son's house.
I spent two bucks on "bloody" Halloween stickers at the dollar store and another $4.98 at Aldi for a bottle of Halloween themed red wine to enjoy with our Halloween wine glasses from years ago - hey, it is a tradition:)
Update - made it to $403 savings out of my $500 savings goal for October.
$300 bonus-cash
$ 72 photo sales
$ 24 rebate-pro-rata
$ 8 side gig
Still working on $25 Visa GC, $20 Publix GC, $85 in purchase returns - I hate tangling with CS.
Expenditures are all on track or below budget.
If at all possible I'd like to make another $50 in cash this month - we'll see, not all that likely.
-
Thanks for continuing to share your spending wins and losses -- I really think that just being mindful of spending on a daily basis is half the battle. It makes me think twice about what I am thinking of buying and also about why I want to buy it -- usually, I spend money as a distraction or to make me "feel better." But I can feel better by going for a walk, or reading a book, or just feeling my feelings since they pass so quickly when I actually feel them.
Keep up the mindful spending!
It's been good for me too. I'm naturally frugal and only tracked my spending when I was extremely poor. I stopped doing it as soon as possible because I hate the tracking part and I know I'm not doing anything silly with my money. Still, it's good to see how high my discretionary spending actually is (that's all I'm tracking). It's an eye-opener for me that my travel costs are so high. This is not an a-typical month for me.
I have spend another 4,25 in the grocery store, which brings my total to 144,12. As my s/o gets paid the 23th, this is the last week of the month for us. We have a set grocery budget of 125/month that I didn't track. It happens frequently that we run out of grocery money the last week of the month and we pay shopping from our personal accounts. Maybe our grocery budget needs to be increased a little.
-
Took an overnight trip over the past weekend-- that got a little spendy despite best efforts. We paid for the hotel with money from selling something on Craigslist, which was a win. The rest...
$30, restaurant food (two meals)
$18, grocery store snacks (two meals, plus leftovers)
$13, huge pumpkin (yes, this was definitely overpriced but... fall!)
$12, farmstand veggies (will go into grocery budget, so "necessary")
$10, hiking pass
Total: $62 unnecessary... ouch!
Also:
$80, groceries (will last over the typical week, got some staples)
$7, DVD of Young Frankenstein (trying to bring back this childhood tradition and couldn't find it online legally)
This brings me to:
$197 unnecessary
$365 necessary
So my unnecessary is definitely more than I'd like, but I've also avoided lots of purchases. I haven't bought any physical items like clothing or anything else, and I haven't eaten out with the exception of while traveling. When added in with my fixed expenses, now I'm at $1417. Last month was $1487. That leaves me about $70 left to spend to beat my record. That should be doable if I keep groceries down.
I've also been setting new records with my investment contributions and my side hustle income (tutoring and writing) so I'm feeling good! Expenses down and income up!
-
I spent 9,15 on groceries today. We're at 153,27 now.
I spent 4 on 4kgs of apples and made 6 cans of applesauce and a little leftover for tomorrow. As a can of applesauce costs 1, I've saved a bit of money, had fun canning and made sure there's not too much sugar in it.
-
I'm at $1,195.78 total for October (spending and bills) Goal is $1,800 which should be very easy to hit due to being on a work trip this week and not having to pay for meals. I'll be in Denmark through the weekend so that part of the trip I will have to cover but I have a lot of just walking around museums, etc planned. I should easily keep it under $200 for the whole weekend. Then when I get home there are only 8 days left in the month and I'm sure spending will be be only around $400 which is all groceries and bills. That should bring me right around my goal amount (fingers crossed I'll even stay under the $1,800)
-
9/21: $786 the biggest and last of the hospital bills
9/22: $247 groceries (Spouse did the shopping. We had a reminder talk afterwards.)
$7 Netflix-type bill
9/23: $13 u-pick apples
$34 gasoline
9/24: $0
9/25: $0
9/26: $0
9/27: $35 gasoline
$81 water/sewer bill
9/28: $5 groceries
9/29: $8, Netflix free trial spouse didn't cancel, ugh
+$80 craigslist sale
9/30: $0
+$60 side gig income
10/1: $23 canning jars and groceries
$76 continuing education class
$37 paint for newly hung drywall
10/2: $4 staple gun staples
$537 carpet and padding, installed ourselves
10/3: $120 groceries
$222 health insurance
$23 fast food
$2 groceries
$1253 mortgage
10/4: $34 gasoline
$49 case and hook for kid's musical instrument
10/5: $0
10/6: $10 postage to mail a friend handmade clothing my kids outgrew
10/7: $0
10/8: $0
10/9: $174 groceries
$15 something spouse got at Home Depot?
$27 pumpkins and caramel apples at the pumpkin patch
10/10: $155 kid's music lessons
$40 hospital bill
$64 electric bill
10/11: $246 car payment
$3 coffee (spouse)
$33 gasoline
10/12: $0
10/13: $0
10/14: $0
10/15: $0
10/16: $2 used kid's books
$2 coffee (spouse)
$155 groceries
$25 fast food... shame on me for going along with this
10/17: $30 groceries
$10 sharps disposal and new sharps box
$47 tickets to school event
$49 garbage/recycling bill
$43 cell phone bill
$94 roof loan
$24 internet bill
10/18: $38 gasoline
$32 gasoline
-
10 days left! Be strong!
Spent $20 on groceries for the week, and will need to pick up one or two more things for a total of $30 on groceries. No other spending!
Now I need to spend $40 or less to beat September.
-
My work shoes decided to take exception to my October spending challenge. =( Holes wore through on the sole. I ordered replacements on 6pm for $50 (normally ~$100). I had bought another pain of work shoes for $15 a few months ago, but they *still* fit poorly and pinch. I was hoping they would wear in, but just didn't. Sigh. So I'll go with my trusty Nikes. I suppose spending 36 hours a week on my feet it's not unreasonable to have to replace my shoes every couple years, haha.
Also got rear ended. Not sure how much the anti inflammatories and muscle relaxers they prescribed me will be, but I've tried waiting a couple days and don't think I'll get around filling them =\ At least I didn't pay a copay on the urgent care visit, since it goes under the insurance claim number first? Very interesting.
Made an extra $20 doing doggy daycare yesterday. Every little bit helps, right?
Groceries are still going pretty well though.
-
I'm very new to active mustachianism. I've always been interested in money, but I liked spending it as much as I liked investing it. While I haven't had particularly rich tastes since my mid-20s, I still buy lunch out periodicially and the occasional coffee, travel, and feel justified in books from the used book store. I'm trying to be more aware of my spending since my goal is FIRE, but to be honest I'm still working on knowing where my money goes. I have a budget but sometimes it feels a little theoretical. :)
Going over my Sept spending thoroughly and publicly to get some awareness around it, and make improvements (though I know my 'low spending' will be laughable to most true mustachians.)
Reviewing September, I spent:
$120 - gym membership
$369 - parking and gas (husband pays the insurance, I pay our carpool's daily parking and half the gas)
$369 - personal care... I got my hair done. It costs $200+ (I KNOW) but it only happens twice a year?!
$525 - travel (ferries mostly, and the incidentals of a wedding trip back east)
$557 - shopping. Terrible. Mostly face punch worthy, though a fair amount of this was gifts for family birthdays.
$500 - food and dining. ($80 for a group drink at the wedding, $97 at coffee shops, $43 on fast food, $142 restaurants)
Total discretionary = $2440 :(
So far in October...
$39 - domain hosting for my website
$120 - gym membership
$143 - gas/parking
$173 - shopping
$276 - pets (doggy daycare... I KNOW)
$304 - travel (ferries)
$425 - food & dining ($18 fast food, $30 restaurants, $75 coffee shops, $301 groceries)
Total discretionary = $1480
October is an improvement over September, but still pretty high.
-
I'm very new to active mustachianism. I've always been interested in money, but I liked spending it as much as I liked investing it. While I haven't had particularly rich tastes since my mid-20s, I still buy lunch out periodicially and the occasional coffee, travel, and feel justified in books from the used book store. I'm trying to be more aware of my spending since my goal is FIRE, but to be honest I'm still working on knowing where my money goes. I have a budget but sometimes it feels a little theoretical. :)
Going over my Sept spending thoroughly and publicly to get some awareness around it, and make improvements (though I know my 'low spending' will be laughable to most true mustachians.)
Reviewing September, I spent:
$120 - gym membership
$369 - parking and gas (husband pays the insurance, I pay our carpool's daily parking and half the gas)
$369 - personal care... I got my hair done. It costs $200+ (I KNOW) but it only happens twice a year?!
$525 - travel (ferries mostly, and the incidentals of a wedding trip back east)
$557 - shopping. Terrible. Mostly face punch worthy, though a fair amount of this was gifts for family birthdays.
$500 - food and dining. ($80 for a group drink at the wedding, $97 at coffee shops, $43 on fast food, $142 restaurants)
Total discretionary = $2440 :(
So far in October...
$39 - domain hosting for my website
$120 - gym membership
$143 - gas/parking
$173 - shopping
$276 - pets (doggy daycare... I KNOW)
$304 - travel (ferries)
$425 - food & dining ($18 fast food, $30 restaurants, $75 coffee shops, $301 groceries)
Total discretionary = $1480
October is an improvement over September, but still pretty high.
Welcome to active mustachianism! Not sure if you are looking for/open to feedback here, but just in case you are...
Hair: Is this something you could in-source? I know not all hair styles can be DIY, but I cut my own layers by following youtube tutorials and I do my own highlights (I have dark blond hair) by putting in lemon juice and hanging out in the sun.
Shopping: Can you break this category down into specifics? This will be much more helpful for you.
Coffee Shops: Looks like if you made a goal to JUST make the change of bringing coffee from home, you'd save a TON each month. It's one small actionable step that will have a big impact on your budget.
-
I'm very new to active mustachianism. I've always been interested in money, but I liked spending it as much as I liked investing it. While I haven't had particularly rich tastes since my mid-20s, I still buy lunch out periodicially and the occasional coffee, travel, and feel justified in books from the used book store. I'm trying to be more aware of my spending since my goal is FIRE, but to be honest I'm still working on knowing where my money goes. I have a budget but sometimes it feels a little theoretical. :)
Going over my Sept spending thoroughly and publicly to get some awareness around it, and make improvements (though I know my 'low spending' will be laughable to most true mustachians.)
Reviewing September, I spent:
$120 - gym membership
$369 - parking and gas (husband pays the insurance, I pay our carpool's daily parking and half the gas)
$369 - personal care... I got my hair done. It costs $200+ (I KNOW) but it only happens twice a year?!
$525 - travel (ferries mostly, and the incidentals of a wedding trip back east)
$557 - shopping. Terrible. Mostly face punch worthy, though a fair amount of this was gifts for family birthdays.
$500 - food and dining. ($80 for a group drink at the wedding, $97 at coffee shops, $43 on fast food, $142 restaurants)
Total discretionary = $2440 :(
So far in October...
$39 - domain hosting for my website
$120 - gym membership
$143 - gas/parking
$173 - shopping
$276 - pets (doggy daycare... I KNOW)
$304 - travel (ferries)
$425 - food & dining ($18 fast food, $30 restaurants, $75 coffee shops, $301 groceries)
Total discretionary = $1480
October is an improvement over September, but still pretty high.
Welcome to active mustachianism! Not sure if you are looking for/open to feedback here, but just in case you are...
Hair: Is this something you could in-source? I know not all hair styles can be DIY, but I cut my own layers by following youtube tutorials and I do my own highlights (I have dark blond hair) by putting in lemon juice and hanging out in the sun.
Shopping: Can you break this category down into specifics? This will be much more helpful for you.
Coffee Shops: Looks like if you made a goal to JUST make the change of bringing coffee from home, you'd save a TON each month. It's one small actionable step that will have a big impact on your budget.
Feedback always welcome!! :D
The hair, yes... I could? Should? I will admit I'm scared though. I'm a very low maintenance kind of woman in a very high maintenance field (marketing in the fashion world). I never blow dry or "do" my hair, so I need hair that looks good when it's washed, brushed and left to do it's thing. So my guy (who is a friend and who I've been seeing for 10 years) does an ombre to cover my greys (lovely welcome to my 30s!) and lighten up the ends, plus layers so I can get beachy texture while letting it dry naturally. I might attempt to do my own once I'm on mat leave and won't have the same level of judgment. ;)
You're right, I should break up the shopping - it was mostly gifts, some outdoor equipment, some things for our house, etc.
And coffee shops seems CRAZY because my husband and I have a weekend routine where we go for a long walk with the dog to our favourite bakery, and each get a coffee and a croissant. It's more than I could spend, but I love the ritual - it's wonderful family time. If I took those visits out, the coffee shop category would look a lot more reasonable.
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
@westtoeast - Awesome! Glad you found it useful. I figure if I can spare that amount supporting my hobbies or going to restaurants or whatever (though I'm trying not to) I can certainly also spare that amount to support the purchase of basic supplies for people who desperately need them. Plus 100% matching is pretty great.
In other news I had a splitting headache last night and didn't want to even think of cooking, so Brown Bear (DH) and I went out for Thai food. We did our usual of splitting one bowl of soup and one massive entree (with extra veggies) and the total with tip was $21.50 :/ It was very tasty and convenient, but we could have easily managed to find something to eat at home if we'd been able to conquer headaches and apathy... My spending goal for the month, and honestly for November and December as well, is to be sub-$3k, and we're currently at $1702.27 including our mortgage payment. With Brown Bear's car payment ($326.33, to be withdrawn later this month) that leaves us with $971.40 for additional groceries, gas, bills, whatever. I think we should be able to easily stay below that. Here's me putting the goal down in writing to hold myself accountable!
Our spending so far this month: $1776.09
Mortgage: $1221.52
Food & Dining: $251.38 (and only $144 is groceries! Too many restaurants here for sure...)
Donations: $126.39 (Puerto Rico and a recurring local food bank donation)
Bills and Utilities: $92.16 (Electric, Gas, and Internet -- pretty low actually, but we haven't turned our heat on yet this year)
Auto & Transport: $34.17
Shopping: $23.30 (yarn to finish a Christmas present plus dollar store balloons & decorations for a baby shower we hosted)
Fees: $18.50 (Quarterly HSA fees through work, unavoidable)
Doctors Appointment: $8.67
So overall about $130 of that is frivolous non-grocery dining + shopping. Not as bad as I feared, actually :) Also I had a frugal win today - sold my old dishwasher for $50 on Craigslist. It was my first Craigslist sale and very exhilarating! It was so easy...
Had a bit more frivolous spending over the past couple of days...
- $6.25 on fresh donuts at the local cider mill (one of our favorite ways to celebrate the autumn)
- $6.00 for a chicken shwarma wrap which I split with my husband last night. This was supposed to be a snack but ended up being dinner...oops!
- $35.30 for a brand new pair of Clarks ankle boots and a long sleeved knit top at my favorite local consignment shop. I'd recently realized I only had one pair of work-appropriate winter shoes (in black) so when I lucked into these comfortable brown leather boots for ~$28 I just bought them. I'm sure they'll get a lot of use, especially if they're as waterproof as they appear to be.
I had a few wins already this weekend as well:
- I brought two pairs of beautiful but almost never-worn pairs of shoes to said consignment shop in hopes of making a few bucks once they sell. I really loved the way they looked but neither pair fit quite right and I hardly ever wore them, as they pinched my toes. I'm not sure if comfortable heels exist, but I haven't found them yet.
-I donated a trunk-full of clothes, shoes, CDs, decorations, computer accessories, binders, etc. to the local Goodwill. It's right next door to my grocery store of choice (Aldi) and it's such a relief to have that heap of stuff out of the basement. Also completed my grocery run at the same time -- $46 for two big bags full of food!
Current monthly household spending stands at $2585, up from last week mainly due to my husband's car payment being withdrawn ($326), a hospital bill for me ($138 - urgent care visit for a dog bite earlier this fall (ouch and ugh)), a little bit of misc. restaurant spending (husband), and the usual groceries and gas. I still think we can come in below my goal of $3k for October, especially seeing as there's only ~1 week left and I'll be travelling for business 10/31-11/3 and all of my spending will be on the company's dime.
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
@westtoeast - Awesome! Glad you found it useful. I figure if I can spare that amount supporting my hobbies or going to restaurants or whatever (though I'm trying not to) I can certainly also spare that amount to support the purchase of basic supplies for people who desperately need them. Plus 100% matching is pretty great.
In other news I had a splitting headache last night and didn't want to even think of cooking, so Brown Bear (DH) and I went out for Thai food. We did our usual of splitting one bowl of soup and one massive entree (with extra veggies) and the total with tip was $21.50 :/ It was very tasty and convenient, but we could have easily managed to find something to eat at home if we'd been able to conquer headaches and apathy... My spending goal for the month, and honestly for November and December as well, is to be sub-$3k, and we're currently at $1702.27 including our mortgage payment. With Brown Bear's car payment ($326.33, to be withdrawn later this month) that leaves us with $971.40 for additional groceries, gas, bills, whatever. I think we should be able to easily stay below that. Here's me putting the goal down in writing to hold myself accountable!
Our spending so far this month: $1776.09
Mortgage: $1221.52
Food & Dining: $251.38 (and only $144 is groceries! Too many restaurants here for sure...)
Donations: $126.39 (Puerto Rico and a recurring local food bank donation)
Bills and Utilities: $92.16 (Electric, Gas, and Internet -- pretty low actually, but we haven't turned our heat on yet this year)
Auto & Transport: $34.17
Shopping: $23.30 (yarn to finish a Christmas present plus dollar store balloons & decorations for a baby shower we hosted)
Fees: $18.50 (Quarterly HSA fees through work, unavoidable)
Doctors Appointment: $8.67
So overall about $130 of that is frivolous non-grocery dining + shopping. Not as bad as I feared, actually :) Also I had a frugal win today - sold my old dishwasher for $50 on Craigslist. It was my first Craigslist sale and very exhilarating! It was so easy...
Had a bit more frivolous spending over the past couple of days...
- $6.25 on fresh donuts at the local cider mill (one of our favorite ways to celebrate the autumn)
- $6.00 for a chicken shwarma wrap which I split with my husband last night. This was supposed to be a snack but ended up being dinner...oops!
- $35.30 for a brand new pair of Clarks ankle boots and a long sleeved knit top at my favorite local consignment shop. I'd recently realized I only had one pair of work-appropriate winter shoes (in black) so when I lucked into these comfortable brown leather boots for ~$28 I just bought them. I'm sure they'll get a lot of use, especially if they're as waterproof as they appear to be.
I had a few wins already this weekend as well:
- I brought two pairs of beautiful but almost never-worn pairs of shoes to said consignment shop in hopes of making a few bucks once they sell. I really loved the way they looked but neither pair fit quite right and I hardly ever wore them, as they pinched my toes. I'm not sure if comfortable heels exist, but I haven't found them yet.
-I donated a trunk-full of clothes, shoes, CDs, decorations, computer accessories, binders, etc. to the local Goodwill. It's right next door to my grocery store of choice (Aldi) and it's such a relief to have that heap of stuff out of the basement. Also completed my grocery run at the same time -- $46 for two big reusable bags full of food!
Current monthly household spending stands at $2585, up from last week mainly due to my husband's car payment being withdrawn ($326), a hospital bill for me ($138 - urgent care visit for a dog bite earlier this fall (ouch and ugh)), a little bit of misc. restaurant spending (husband), and the usual groceries and gas. I still think we can come in below my goal of $3k for October, especially seeing as there's only ~1 week left and I'll be travelling for business 10/31-11/3 and all of my spending will be on the company's dime.
Clarks for $28 is a steal of a deal!
-
I'm having a very Mustachian weekend. I got a looonnnng-awaited promotion yesterday and celebrated with homemade pizza. I haven't driven anywhere or made any transactions yesterday or today (tomorrow I will drive to a hike, but no transactions should be made). I cancelled three credit card accounts to avoid annual fees (the joys of travel hacking), and I've earned money from my side gig. And, I might take a shot at cutting my own hair (though this may end badly). Feeling pretty good about things :)
-
I commend people that cut their own hair but I won't be trying that with my unruly locks...!
I am so annoyed - we went out for dinner last night and I lost it all on the toilet when we got back :( I didn't even like it that much and it was too expensive. We hadn't been out for dinner in a good couple of months so hubby was really keen but it was so stressful putting a reasonable outfit together (it's only a neighbourhood place but people tend to dress smart-ish when they go there). So start to finish, total waste of time, money and effort.
The only other unnecessary spending I had was getting a sandwich and a drink in the week - I would normally have been home for lunch but got booked for extra work and couldn't be bothered making a coffee and sandwich to take.
In good news, got a refund from clothes I ordered online and then returned when I thought better of it :) And I didn't have time to get to the supermarket as hoped so we've been eating from the pantry. Hubby did really well putting a meal together from stuff he found on Friday night which is not normally his forte. I've made a list of things that will cost about $20 and with fresh fruit & veg should get us pretty much through til the end of the month.
-
I'm at $1416 for October. Spent about $170 in Copenhagen this weekend, between meals and site seeing. I'm still here until about 10:30 tomorrow morning when I'll have to leave for the airport but I shouldn't need to get anything except maybe a small breakfast and then should get fed on the plane back to Boston.
I've got $384 left in the budget for the rest of the month. I have a couple bills that will be coming in this week but I should still hit my goal.
-
Busted - in a way.
1. Just ordered a new rug for the study - something I've needed/wanted for about three years, but I put up with the old rug and stains anyway, because I couldn't find anything I liked at a price that I was willing to pay, about $100 to 150 max.
Found the hopefully perfect rug for only $103. - I'm thrilled.
2. Ordered a replacement cover for our gazebo - trying to save the old gazebo. It already lasted ten plus years which is amazing, it will require some sanding and painting - more projects to add to my to do list.:)
3. Other than that, no spending by either of us within the past two weeks - except for groceries and gas, which is all within budget or below.
We'll see how the rest of the month goes - both these purchases were on our list for replacement and I am happy I found what I wanted at a good price.
-
I spent 9,15 on groceries today. We're at 153,27 now.
I spent 4 on 4kgs of apples and made 6 cans of applesauce and a little leftover for tomorrow. As a can of applesauce costs 1, I've saved a bit of money, had fun canning and made sure there's not too much sugar in it.
I messed up in the last few days of October.
I completely forgot about a 75 bill for some training I attended. I actually got a reminder for it which hasn't happened for years.
I also spent 34,35 on groceries last week - seems a bit high but that's because a lot of holiday chocolate was included (12). In here, we give each other chocolate letters as a gift in December and that's one of the few holiday traditions I really like. The chocolate letters hit the shop in October which is ridiculously early, but every time I get around to buying them late November it's a real challenge to find the right letters. This year I decided to be sensible and buy them now they're still in stock everywhere. Groceries also include ingredients for a cake I promised to bake a friend.
Upcoming purchases:
6 - I'll be taking the bus to attend my weekly sewing circle tonight
60-ish - bike repair. Super expensive but I actually had a bike tire blowout last night while cycling home. I commute by bike so I need it every day and normally I can borrow my bf's bike, but hey, guess who's been putting of fixing his own tire for quite some time now? I could do this myself, but I didn't have the time or space to do it last night (and it needed to be fixed by the morning so I can go to work). I have to fix my tires outside because I don't have a garage, and it was getting too dark to see anything. It's also the back tire which is a LOT of work. Still, it doesn't feel that good to pay a lot of money for something you could do yourself.
-
I'm at $1,447.48 for October. One of my lowest months ever. All that's left this month I believe is any grocery shopping, gas, and dog food I need to get during the week. With $352.52 remaining in my budget this should be easy *knock on wood*
I hope to carry this low spending forward especially with the holidays coming as well as some house renovations planned for next year I need all the help I can get.
-
I'm so so so far out of this challenge now. My normal budget is still normal and lowish spend, but my money is escaping my wallet to buy shelves to build a pantry wall in my eensy kitchen (done last weekend) and this week likely a couch as my new roommates (yay $) aren't so keen on my furniture-less living room or trying to cram our collective food/pans/dishes into four cupboards.
-
Yeah, my mid-month minivacation solidly ruined this effort for me. Bought a $100 Broadway ticket for my anniversary with my bf. Not bad at all for Broadway, but hardly necessary - and on top of the extravagant (for me) restaurant spending. I did just manage to pay $2.50 for groceries (pasta x2, bananas x2, lime), but it was mostly a trip to pick up what I forgot when I spent $46 a few days back. (That was a bulk-buying purchase, so still pretty good.)
-
Spent another $30 on grocery items (caved after a tough day and bought some easy comfort foods). Also had a bus never show up and chose a $5 Uber ride over waiting at the stop for an hour. I've been doing a lot of side hustle tutoring and writing lately, which is great, but a downside is a small increase in some spending like this. When I have an evening tutoring session, I'm much less likely to be able to wait an hour for the next bus. Hmm.
So now I have $5 for the rest of the month (if I want to stay under September). This actually might be possible since I've already got groceries and don't have any commitments this weekend.
I definitely spent more on unnecessary things than I wish I did. Sounds like I'm not alone! I do want to remind folks that even if you didn't make your target spend, you still were successful if you had a lower spend than you would have otherwise! I know that I resisted some purchases because of the accountability, and that's awesome. My spending is at an all time low, even with "slip ups." Thanks everyone!
-
How's the month wrapping up for everyone?
I'm doing my final post here, because I won't spend during the next two days.
I had a bunch of health related spending pop up the past few days ($180). AND my phone stopped working, which resulted in about $125 to replace. I know there are cheaper options out there, but I have a nice low phone bill due to staying on my family plan and I really do love having a smartphone... it serves so many purposes from the camera to the bus tracker to accessing podcasts to music access to all the apps that I use at work.
So this all leaves me at $1783. That's a lot higher than last month. BUT my unnecessary spend wasn't terrible. Again, just reminding myself that there was plenty that I didn't buy, which makes unexpected expenses easier to absorb.
Thanks to all who participated in this TWO MONTH LOW SPEND challenge! I'm going to take a little break from intense tracking because I know with the holidays there are bound to be little things that come up-- I'm going to send my "savings goal" amounts right to those accounts and then not worry about the rest. I'll be back in January ready for another round :)
-
So I want to thank this thread! I didn't do *all* that good on the low spending (looking at you, alcohol, dinner we couldn't avoid with family, etc). BUT, someone made mention of side hustlin to make a little extra. Because of that, I signed up as a sitter on an app service. And I've been doing booming business! I made $100 this month, and already have scheduled stays more than $200 next month, and another $200 already in December. It's a little silly, because I could easily work more at my FT job and make way more than that... but I kinda hate my job right now, so this is way better! Being home, and pups, and getting paid for it.
So the low spend months worked, just not quite how I'd expected ;)
Also, this month WAS lower than September (by like $1200), but with no vet bills that's to be expected =\
-
I ended up not doing so badly for the month; my overall activity on YNAB shows as $4,288.93. But of that total, $2660.68 went to my student loan, so my spending overall was $1,628.25.
Toward the end of the month, I splurged (and borrowed from my next months personal spending category) in order to get something I have wanted for a long, long time: a bike repair stand. My front derailleur needed adjustment and there were some other creaky noises, so I finally bit the bullet and spent the $150 for a decent stand. I should have done it much sooner!
-
I haven't added up my spending yet (will in the next couple of days) but I know I have a lot of non-critical spending. Including taking the kids out to eat twice - but totally worth spending time with them. I have avoided spending at most social events and there have been a lot more than I'm used to, so I feel good about that - the social drinking especially has been a crutch for nerves and it's too easy to get food then a second drink - I've been good at sticking to either one drink only or nothing at all lately.
-
I spent $60 this weekend, which is REALLY high for me, but I feel good about the purchases. $30 was for consignment maternity clothes (online from Schoola which I found about here), which, in addition to what I already have, should get me through my pregnancy. I also bought two groupons for $15 each--one for a family pizza night and one for a date night with DH. Those were definitely unnecessary, but I'm still happy with them. We'll get free babysitting for our date, since I babysat someone else's kids this weekend, so $15 for a date night isn't bad. So not the strongest finish to the challenge, but I think I did well overall.
-
Total spend for October is $1,634.85 which is $165.15 below budget. Considering I have about $500 in dental expenses this month I realized that my monthly goal is really to high and I can get by on less. Normally my monthly goal is $2,000 but I hardly ever stick to it. This challenge (plus being away on a work trip) help keep my spending down. I think I can safely lower my monthly spending to $1,800 every month going forward.
OP, Thanks for creating this thread :)
-
October Recap:
$70 over on groceries - I think I undershot my budget a little considering the pantry restocking I did at the beginning of the month, buying spices, and being on work travel.
$23 over on restaurants - only one $18 takeout bill when not on work travel. Stayed well under per diem when traveling, made my own coffee etc.
$15 over on gas thanks to my gas guzzling horse trailer puller getting some exercise this month
Unintentional win: big purchase this month was a used saddle, which ended up not fitting my horse, and is on it's way back for a refund. I found another one to purchase for $500 less that will hopefully work. Nearly ran off to buy an extra saddle cover, then remembered I have an unused one somewhere that I just need to dig up.
Just sold an unneeded horse blanket on eBay for $300. Net to me ~$270, partially offsetting the saddle purchase and other shit my horses "just had to have."
Changed dog food and a horse supplement to save $45/month going forward. $540/year!
Lazy/unMustachian moment - calling the garage door guy rather than trying to troubleshoot and fix ourselves. DH is not handy, and it's a busy time of year for him. I get resentful when I take on too many of those types of tasks on my own.
Lazy win: Deciding I don't need to rework the veggie beds as much as I'd planned, and hence haven't bought any project materials
Mustachian moments - canned tomatoes, transplanted perennials instead of buying new plants, stayed out of stores and away from non-horse related shopping.
-
Alright, let's see how this panned out!
September:
$120 - gym membership
$369 - parking and gas (husband pays the insurance, I pay our carpool's daily parking and half the gas)
$369 - personal care... I got my hair done. It costs $200+ (I KNOW) but it only happens twice a year?!
$525 - travel (ferries mostly, and the incidentals of a wedding trip back east)
$557 - shopping. Terrible. Mostly face punch worthy, though a fair amount of this was gifts for family birthdays.
$500 - food and dining. ($80 for a group drink at the wedding, $97 at coffee shops, $43 on fast food, $142 restaurants)
Total discretionary = $2440 :(
October:
$39 - domain hosting for my website
$120 - gym membership
$268 - gas/parking
$456 - shopping (mostly crafting/homemade Christmas gift items - this should decrease in November)
$333 - pets (doggy daycare & treats.. I KNOW)
$240 - cleaning service (I know :()
$304 - travel (ferries)
$36 fast food
$75 - coffee shops
$262 - restaurants
$377 - groceries
$344 - cell phone (this is 2 months of bills. Cell plans/data in Canada are ridiculously expensive, and I have long distance packages for extended family and also work.)
Total discretionary = $2854
I really need to rein in my spending. My goal is $2000 outside of mortgage/fixed.
-
I donated $100 yesterday for Puerto Rico hurricane relief - trying to put my money where my mouth is. If any of you fine folks are interested, the Puerto Rico National Chamber of Commerce has sponsors who are matching donations dollar-for-dollar, so you can get more bang for your buck (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief (https://www.nprchamber.org/disaster-relief)) This is absolutely not "frivolous spending" and I'm glad to be in a position to contribute for food, medical supplies, satellite phones, and water filtration systems, necessities which most of us take for granted. Okay - off my soapbox now :) But please do go and check it out.
Thanks for posting this-- used the link you provided to make a small contribution. Nice reminder that while we are trying to cut back as much as we can, likely we can all spare to help in situations like this.
@westtoeast - Awesome! Glad you found it useful. I figure if I can spare that amount supporting my hobbies or going to restaurants or whatever (though I'm trying not to) I can certainly also spare that amount to support the purchase of basic supplies for people who desperately need them. Plus 100% matching is pretty great.
In other news I had a splitting headache last night and didn't want to even think of cooking, so Brown Bear (DH) and I went out for Thai food. We did our usual of splitting one bowl of soup and one massive entree (with extra veggies) and the total with tip was $21.50 :/ It was very tasty and convenient, but we could have easily managed to find something to eat at home if we'd been able to conquer headaches and apathy... My spending goal for the month, and honestly for November and December as well, is to be sub-$3k, and we're currently at $1702.27 including our mortgage payment. With Brown Bear's car payment ($326.33, to be withdrawn later this month) that leaves us with $971.40 for additional groceries, gas, bills, whatever. I think we should be able to easily stay below that. Here's me putting the goal down in writing to hold myself accountable!
Our spending so far this month: $1776.09
Mortgage: $1221.52
Food & Dining: $251.38 (and only $144 is groceries! Too many restaurants here for sure...)
Donations: $126.39 (Puerto Rico and a recurring local food bank donation)
Bills and Utilities: $92.16 (Electric, Gas, and Internet -- pretty low actually, but we haven't turned our heat on yet this year)
Auto & Transport: $34.17
Shopping: $23.30 (yarn to finish a Christmas present plus dollar store balloons & decorations for a baby shower we hosted)
Fees: $18.50 (Quarterly HSA fees through work, unavoidable)
Doctors Appointment: $8.67
So overall about $130 of that is frivolous non-grocery dining + shopping. Not as bad as I feared, actually :) Also I had a frugal win today - sold my old dishwasher for $50 on Craigslist. It was my first Craigslist sale and very exhilarating! It was so easy...
Had a bit more frivolous spending over the past couple of days...
- $6.25 on fresh donuts at the local cider mill (one of our favorite ways to celebrate the autumn)
- $6.00 for a chicken shwarma wrap which I split with my husband last night. This was supposed to be a snack but ended up being dinner...oops!
- $35.30 for a brand new pair of Clarks ankle boots and a long sleeved knit top at my favorite local consignment shop. I'd recently realized I only had one pair of work-appropriate winter shoes (in black) so when I lucked into these comfortable brown leather boots for ~$28 I just bought them. I'm sure they'll get a lot of use, especially if they're as waterproof as they appear to be.
I had a few wins already this weekend as well:
- I brought two pairs of beautiful but almost never-worn pairs of shoes to said consignment shop in hopes of making a few bucks once they sell. I really loved the way they looked but neither pair fit quite right and I hardly ever wore them, as they pinched my toes. I'm not sure if comfortable heels exist, but I haven't found them yet.
-I donated a trunk-full of clothes, shoes, CDs, decorations, computer accessories, binders, etc. to the local Goodwill. It's right next door to my grocery store of choice (Aldi) and it's such a relief to have that heap of stuff out of the basement. Also completed my grocery run at the same time -- $46 for two big bags full of food!
Current monthly household spending stands at $2585, up from last week mainly due to my husband's car payment being withdrawn ($326), a hospital bill for me ($138 - urgent care visit for a dog bite earlier this fall (ouch and ugh)), a little bit of misc. restaurant spending (husband), and the usual groceries and gas. I still think we can come in below my goal of $3k for October, especially seeing as there's only ~1 week left and I'll be travelling for business 10/31-11/3 and all of my spending will be on the company's dime.
Final post-mortem is attached. We overdid it this month, blew right past my goal of sub-$3k, so I'm determined to do better in November!
-
Here are the totals for past 2 months. Some wins, is that I have been able to consistently keep grocery down compared to previous years, without much sacrifice. Years before it was 900-1100. Restaurant is also down. Some big wins I went on a trip in Sept, and also a beach trip in Oct (used points for 2 free nights) but was able to keep restaurant and other travel expenses down. Other big win, is in miscellaneous. I admit, I was an Amazon junkie. I'm not perfect, but I do think, do I really need this? It also helps that I have piles and piles of stuff in my hallway from decluttering. So much waste! Yes a lot of it was gifts or hand-me downs, but the rest are things that I bought to solve some need or want. I can't go back and undo those purchases, but I can change what purchases I make in the future.
SEP groc 615. restaurant 103.2 car 305 medical 0 clothing 0 travel 61 misc 354
OCT 696 112 304 0 0 14 186
2016 ave 917 245 286 111 80 135 658
ETA- I compared total ingo outgo from last year, and on average I'm spending an average of 738 less a month! However that is about the difference ex contributed to household, that I'm no longer getting, so it's not like I am saving that money. But I am almost at break-even, which is better than I hoped.