Author Topic: Uber Frugal January  (Read 69792 times)

hal

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #150 on: January 05, 2018, 04:52:16 PM »
First day of spending for the month. $50 on a big bag of dog food and $20 on groceries. Resisted any extra goodies at the grocery store (except clementines because, really, who can resist good clementines?)

NinetyFour

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #151 on: January 05, 2018, 05:19:23 PM »
Dang--got hit with an annual fee for a credit card.  They say they won't waive it.  Grrr.  Also, an insurance company hit me with a $7 fee because their use interface was confusing and annoying.  I think I might have success arguing that one, but my first attempt didn't work.  Extra grrr...

I am considering taking myself out to lunch tomorrow at an Indian restaurant here near @couponvan 's house.  (Her DH recommended it.)  I do love me some Indian food, haven't had any for years, and won't have the opportunity again for who knows how long.  And it will probably be good food, because I get the sense that there is a strong Indian community in the area.  And I imagine that lunch will be cheaper than dinner.  Hmm...will ponder, and take a look at what else I will be spending money on this month...

Came to my senses and did not go out to eat.  Instead, cooked a delicious meal.

Did grocery shopping $36.20.  Would like to keep my grocery spending under $160 for the month.  Will probably spend another $20 on groceries on Sunday once I am back home.  Then I probably won't have to shop for another week at least.

Jenny Wren

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #152 on: January 05, 2018, 05:22:01 PM »
Five days in and holding strong! Tomorrow will be the first real test, but we shall cross that bridge when we come to it...The real winner thus far is that our entertainment spending is still at zero. This is our biggest challenge.

I had to laugh at the Uber Frugal challenge today about food. I was just bemoaning the fact that I preserve so much of our garden produce, then fail to use it all winter because I'm afraid of running out before we have fresh again. I made a detailed inventory of everything we have canned, frozen, and dehydrated. Going forward, I will use some our stores at least five days a week.

Grocery 173.02/400
No spend 5/31
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 0/150

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #153 on: January 05, 2018, 05:27:52 PM »
Day 5: Success

Spending:
  • $24.33 @ CVS - $7.64 for two bottles of wine (Happy Weekend, Me!) and $16.69 on raw almonds (2 lbs) and eggs plus picked up free after coupon toothpaste.  Used $1 ECB from fall spending and got $5 ECB for buying the almonds.   I needed eggs this week and shockingly CVS had the best price to be found.
  • $20 to top up my transit card.

Frugal Successes:
  • Packed breakfast, lunch and snacks for work.
  • Walked to the train station and didn't get an uber to work instead even though it was freezing.
  • Stopped by Panera (at my train station) for my daily free bagel.
  • Dropped off finished books at the library.  Living next to a library has greatly improved my reading life.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #154 on: January 05, 2018, 05:45:36 PM »
Uptick in grocery spending as I find out more about the medical diet I'll be on. Expected. Ordered a bunch of the "accessory" medications for the therapy I'll be doing (still waiting on the main antibioitc). That was ~$175.

Expensive day.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #155 on: January 05, 2018, 09:01:12 PM »
Day 5: Success

Spending:
  • $24.33 @ CVS - $7.64 for two bottles of wine (Happy Weekend, Me!) and $16.69 on raw almonds (2 lbs) and eggs plus picked up free after coupon toothpaste.  Used $1 ECB from fall spending and got $5 ECB for buying the almonds.   I needed eggs this week and shockingly CVS had the best price to be found.
  • $20 to top up my transit card.

Frugal Successes:
  • Packed breakfast, lunch and snacks for work.
  • Walked to the train station and didn't get an uber to work instead even though it was freezing.
  • Stopped by Panera (at my train station) for my daily free bagel.
  • Dropped off finished books at the library.  Living next to a library has greatly improved my reading life.

Man you guys have cheap wine.
A crap bottle here costs at least $13!

Luckily the crappy bottles of wine here cost $3 - $4 per 750ml bottle (+ 6.5% tax).  And, even more luckily, my palate is not exactly refined.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 09:02:59 PM by eliza »

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #156 on: January 05, 2018, 09:14:33 PM »

Luckily the crappy bottles of wine here cost $3 - $4 per 750ml bottle (+ 6.5% tax).  And, even more luckily, my palate is not exactly refined.

Ugh. I hate you right now.

A decent bottle here is $17-25
I know plenty of couples who spend $300-400 a month on wine alone just having a glass or two a night.



Sorry, not sorry.  :-D

Are you in Canada?  Or somewhere else overseas?  I do a vacation in Canada each summer/fall and have found wine prices to be high --  I always carry my two bottle allowance over the border with me. 

Here in the U.S. my favorite cheap, locally-available wines are: $2.89 House Wine @ Harris Teeter > $3.00 "Two Buck Chuck" @ Trader Joe's > $3.30 @ "Three Wishes" Whole Foods, > $3.50 House Wine @ CVS.  When buying "cheap" wine I generally stick to Pinot Grigio as it's a varietal that tends to be hard to mess up.

ETA: I didn't realize until writing out the above, that I actually like the cheaper cheap wines best.  I always consider them interchangeable and mostly just buy whatever is available where I happen to be shopping.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2018, 09:16:29 PM by eliza »

Carrie

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #157 on: January 06, 2018, 01:28:49 PM »
Today was a spend day, groceries, but we should be set for most things for a while. Now I'll have challenges of eating out of the pantry for a few weeks.
$185 spent (feeding family of 5) on groceries + household.
Anticipating no spend for several days, at least until heartworm treatment starts up for our rescue dog next week. :(

Wanttobehome

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #158 on: January 06, 2018, 02:13:32 PM »
1 no spend day
2  no spend day
3 no spend day
4 cinema with free voucher, birthday meal 30
5 no spend day
6 30 on gift, 90 groceries and 60 petrol
7 planned no spend day

Going well 
Extra overtime tomorrow

appleseed

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #159 on: January 06, 2018, 02:42:39 PM »
We had planned expenses at the beginning of the year while family was still in town (bought a local museum membership that was $15 more than tickets for the 4 of us but got us all in and we can go all year for free; plus take out while they were here). They left Thursday morning, and I only spent $3 to park at train station. We got all the food they bought that they couldn't take back, too.

But we've had 2 snow days, so I took my kids to a museum and then Target yesterday. Left Target under $3 for popcorn for hangry kids (used gift card). Would have spent some in groceries but kept having to run a kid to bathroom. I decided there was nothing we needed and no good sales/clearance which was disappointing but saves $.

Today is so cold the car won't start, so no spending there. We were planning to go help my mom with some house projects, and she would've bought dinner. We've got plenty of food in house from holidays, so not a big deal to scrounge up a meal and will clean fridge. I'm hoping it starts tomorrow!

gaja

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #160 on: January 06, 2018, 02:50:00 PM »
Day 1: $10 for bowling (kids)
Day 2: $163 + $9 scheduled grocery run (should cover 14 days), plus windshield fluid (usually get that cheaper, but ran out on the highway in bad weather)
Day 3: 0
Day 4: $3.3 (needed more lunch meat and lettuce)
Day 5: $10 + $8 (breakfast meeting at a café with a colleague.) and (cat food and sugar for a cake we had started baking)
Day 6: $4 (lørdagsgodt)

Saturday is the day the kids are allowed to buy candy - lørdagsgodt. I think it might be a Scandinavian think, at least I couldn't find an English term for it. After some discussion they decided the closest shop was to expensive, so they walked to the nearest mall and got discounted christmas marzipan. DH and I didn't get any, but I (gently) twisted their arms until I got some of the kids' cache. DH hates when I do that, he thinks lørdagsgodt is holy, and should only be eaten by the owner. I think they should learn to share (with their beloved mother). Also, there was cake from a serious post christmas sugar craving last night, so they didn't suffer from lack of sweets.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #161 on: January 06, 2018, 02:57:51 PM »
No spend day!

Total spending for January: $472/$1750

Never even left the house today - snuggled up watching sports on TV, reading library books, and eating out of my pantry.  I love weekend days where I never even have to change out of my pajamas!


wordnerd

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #162 on: January 06, 2018, 04:16:56 PM »
Still feeling good about this month. Spent $11 on dinner out last night (using a Groupon), which was planned, and $45 on the week's groceries. No impulse spending and nothing spent on coffee out (even resisted coffee at Dunkin while I was out with the kiddo this morning). We did stock up on diapers because there was an excellent deal at Target, which I also count as a frugal win (getting a necessity at a cheaper price). 

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #163 on: January 06, 2018, 05:34:22 PM »
We aren't doing anything on Saturday, primarily because I don't want to spend money.  I have a friend who wants to get together, and her sons play with my son, but inviting them over means serving food, and I don't have a complete meal, so I'm kinda on the fence.  Meeting elsewhere means spending even more money, so I am trying to avoid that entirely.
Invite friends over; go buy some food is my take (you don't need to serve a whole meal!) - part of the goal of frugality for me is more time with friends and having MORE fun, and if I completely avoid hanging out because of a very small marginal cost, it does not serve that goal.

Can you go hang out at a 3rd space where you won't provide food? The library kid's area or a community center for example?

This, or perhaps just make homemade granola bars or something you have all of the ingredients on hand for? Homemade hummus & veggies?

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #164 on: January 06, 2018, 05:46:02 PM »
Okay, so I've had a few wins & fails.

Frugal wins:
-Booked a flight for $11 (used points earned via business travel for the rest)
-Used a gift card for two grocery items (on clearance). Already turned one into a dozen muffins.
-Used pharmacy points to get a free Pledge, which I was out of
-After many attempts at refining our grocery process, and ensuring that my amazing husband doesn't pick up items he thinks we might need, but doesn't see on the list (to be fair, it could either be an error of omission on my part, or intentional). . . I added a new process & I think this may work. Stuck to the grocery list today & left Costco with $108 spent. I also spent $12 at the produce stand. Just a smidge under our $125/week budget. I'm trying hard to get more fruits & vegetables in (the rest of the family probably gets 8+ servings/day), so I'm buying a few convenience items to build the habit. That will need to go away over time.
-Listed a bunch of stuff on eBay
-Canceled a ski trip in February, and will do a day trip instead that is 10% of the cost. My husband has an opportunity to see his mom in connection with a business trip (she's international, in a hard to reach location) & we'll turn some of the savings into a long weekend for the two of them.

Frugal fails:

-Had an unplanned for dinner out last night. This almost never happens. Because it almost never happens, I decided to relax & enjoy, rather than making a big fuss. It ended up being quite fun.
-Bounced a check, because I didn't adjust the date correctly in my bill pay. It didn't cost me anything, but it was such a silly error.

lemonverbena

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #165 on: January 06, 2018, 11:22:22 PM »
Ugh, bumpy start.

Days 1-5:
Groceries/alcohol/toiletries: $316... this is so bad! It happened over multiple trips
Medical/pharmacy: $278... 100% necessary
Home repair/improvement: $45 wood for window trim in newly converted attic bedroom
Pot (spouse): $40
Gasoline: $36
Entertainment (children): $15 an uncommon spending category for us
Continuing education: $76
Mortgage: $1253
Health insurance: $265
Snacks while out (children): $19 a far too common spending category for us

TartanTallulah

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #166 on: January 07, 2018, 02:02:25 AM »
Total fail here so far. More spending than expected on groceries and an eating out episode (though £55 for brunch for seven people is cheap as such things go). And DH has been treating us to bike parts and expensive climbing gadgets.

And yesterday one of our visiting family noted that our shower was leaking. "We should get that fixed," I said. "The whole system needs replaced, we should take the opportunity to refit the bathroom," said DH, and he's right, because it was already well worn when we moved in seven years ago and we decided to leave it knowing that the kids would be hard on it. Not yet, though. I'm not ready to face up to choices and building work.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #167 on: January 07, 2018, 02:30:57 AM »
7) Like December: no more drinking alcohol on normal weekdays, except for Friday. Also, max 1 bottle of wine per week (for the 2 of us).

Yesterday evening I had a Friday feeling, while it was Thursday. I was so in the mood for drinking beer. But I remembered my rule and didn't drink alcohol.
Really nice to have clear rules for oneself!

Edit: Weird... I thought I quoted my own previous message to write something new about point 7. But now I replaced the original text with the new text. I don't think I can undo it...
« Last Edit: January 12, 2018, 07:33:45 AM by Linda_Norway »

frugalkristen

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #168 on: January 07, 2018, 06:44:32 AM »
So far so good.  I've spent nothing so far this month.  I still have plenty of food in the house and gas in the car.  Let's see how week 2 goes...

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #169 on: January 07, 2018, 07:06:26 AM »

I had to laugh at the Uber Frugal challenge today about food. I was just bemoaning the fact that I preserve so much of our garden produce, then fail to use it all winter because I'm afraid of running out before we have fresh again. I made a detailed inventory of everything we have canned, frozen, and dehydrated. Going forward, I will use some our stores at least five days a week.


Me too.  I found a bag of parsley from 2015 in my freezer.
Going to turn all the scraps of chicken that I also found into a huge pot of soup.

NinetyFour

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #170 on: January 07, 2018, 07:27:47 AM »
Lost all the food in my freezer while I was out of town, so my grocery shop today will be more than I thought it would be.  Probably in the range of $30--mainly lentils, apples, and veggies.

The taxi driver who brought me home from the airport yesterday knocked $10 off the price.  Yay!

clarkai

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #171 on: January 07, 2018, 08:04:43 AM »
January spending so far:

Food: $18.40
Gas money in exchange for car use: $22.49
Home improvement: $51.18

So, pretty good there, but we also bought tickets for our flight to Belgium, and that really tanked our budget, and we still have to buy the hotel rooms for my brother's wedding. These aren't things that I should put off, because we are going to do them, and it will only get more expensive with time.

katscratch

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #172 on: January 07, 2018, 08:34:14 AM »
Last year I followed the challenge quite literally, and my son was supportive even though it meant I didn't join him in a few activities we normally do when he's in town for holiday break.

This year I think I've ended up going out to eat more than I have in the past six months :/ Argh. I don't like doing that in a normal month!

When we've suggested meeting at one of our houses the prevailing feeling is that everyone is stir crazy and just wants to get out for a bit. Coffee shops are our go-to but I'm still spending more than I want because I pay for the kids. But they have saved me at least $500 in car repair fees over the past three weeks and my son especially prefers repayment of favors in brunch, ha.

My plan to get back on track is to not drive to work the rest of the month, and to continue eating down my freezer.

Serendip

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #173 on: January 07, 2018, 09:09:31 AM »
Day1. No spend day
Day2. No spend day
Day3. Paid $285 for a pre-planned Avalanche Safety course,
          $18 went XC skiing with beer afterwards (locals discount night)
          (SO pd for skiing, I paid for our beer & his pepperoni)
          $6 onions & bouillion
Day4. No spend day
Day5. No spend day
Day6. No spend day

Have to say, my SO is not in this challenge so he has picked up some groceries & craft beer to my benefit
*his weakness for spending, for sure
I have been cooking with things from the cupboard/fridge to great success since we had so much abundance from holiday visitors!

Jenny Wren

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #174 on: January 07, 2018, 09:16:33 AM »
We did it! We overcame the entertainment-consumption temptation last night! Mellow "date" at the fancy grocery deli with live music $6 for two wraps), and a fancy-pants craft beer and darts at home :)

We also did the main shop for the month at the co-op. Members get a 10% discount once a month. It's more expensive than Winco or similar regular groceries, so I've whittled the list down to items I either a) can't find elsewhere at a good price (like garbanzo flour), or b)I prefer to buy local (like some produce and dairy). The next three grocery trips should only be produce and milk (and $6 date night wraps), which should fall well below the $38 a week left in the budget.

Grocery 285.63/400
No spend 5/31
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 0/150

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #175 on: January 07, 2018, 09:44:26 AM »
Had an incredibly and utterly shitty day yesterday, but we didn't buy any alcohol. Holding strong on that.

Keep it up you guys!

Carrie

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #176 on: January 07, 2018, 10:42:29 AM »
Today is no spend. Having surprise out of town company overnight (5 extra people), so we're smoking a large pork butt to feed everyone inexpensively.  Hoping they bring a bottle of wine.  :)

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #177 on: January 07, 2018, 10:48:45 AM »
Grocery (2wk): $72/$90
Twenty of that was "going out" Fried chicken dinner + stocking up on cider Martinellis
Twenty of that was spent on specific groceries so DD could make a Korean meal (to me that is inexpensive holiday break fun)
Thirty on normal groceries

Went to library instead of shops.
Didn't stop at Juice place (coz I could make it at home but didn't once I got home).

horsepoor

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #178 on: January 07, 2018, 11:01:08 AM »
Declined DH's suggestion to go out for breakfast and made an omelette at home.  Way easier than getting dressed, schlepping to the restaurant, then probably waiting for a table and my coffee is way better too.  I've never thought of this before, but since having chickens at home, store eggs taste terrible, which makes going out for breakfast less and less appealing.  So in a sense, the chickens are saving us like $20-30/week on not going out for breakfast!  On the other hand, when they're not laying, we now buy $6 eggs because we've gotten spoiled.

We did our big CostCo trip yesterday and spent $229 only on consumables, then I hit WinCo and spent another $70.  No booze or other junk food on either receipt except for one new beer DH spied at CostCo, and a lot of this was restocking things that will last well beyond this month. 

It's unseasonably warm here, so that should mean a lower heating bill, and that the home arena will be usable soon, saving me lots of gas and arena fees.

Horse trainer notified me that my January bill would be just for board because some other commitments had kept her from doing all of my horse's training sessions (it's a rare trainer who will freely admit this and adjust the bill, especially since I'm 100 miles away and can't drop in very often to see how things are going). 

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #179 on: January 07, 2018, 11:49:47 AM »
Day 7: Success

Spent $48.05
  • $38.30 on round trip bus ticket to Atlantic City for next weekend
  • $9.75 on groceries (will get $1.5 back from rebate apps) - Apple, Green Peppers, Garlic, Mushrooms, Pasta, Yogurt x 2, Milk (1/2 gallon), Miracle Whip

Frugal Wins:
  • Waited on buying the bus ticket hoping for a deal and Greyhound came through with a 10% discount via email this morning.  So saved ~$4 on the ticket.  It's amazing/sad how happy that $4 discount made me. 
  • Swung by Panera for my free bagel.
  • As usual, walked to do my errands saving on transportation costs.
  • Didn't order in Chinese food --- even though I really wanted to.  I got in a bad habit of ordering delivery food on Sundays while watching football --- glad I'm breaking that habit.

All in all, I'm calling Week 1 a success.
Monthly spending: $520.11/$1750

hal

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #180 on: January 07, 2018, 11:52:31 AM »
First day of spending for the month. $50 on a big bag of dog food and $20 on groceries. Resisted any extra goodies at the grocery store (except clementines because, really, who can resist good clementines?)

Today, I don't plan any purchases, but my SO will be doing grocery shopping. Yesterday (Day 6) was the first day where I used some spending money from my allotment. I bought a new Moleskine to start a paper planner. I'm trying to move away from always using screens and various apps to track what should be a simpler life. Although I felt the sting of the purchase, the paper planner does align with some of my bigger goals about stress reduction/screen addictions. And I know there are likely cheaper or better options for bullet journaling, but I'm happy with what I chose, and options were pretty limited at the university bookstore within biking distance.

One other plus so far this month: I have been fastidious with my budget and with checking budget categories before spending. In the past, I used to "roll with the punches" and move money among categories too much.

gaja

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #181 on: January 07, 2018, 12:17:30 PM »
Day 1: $10 for bowling (kids)
Day 2: $163 + $9 (scheduled grocery run) and (windshield fluid)
Day 3: 0
Day 4: $3.3 (needed more lunch meat and lettuce)
Day 5: $10 + $8 (breakfast meeting at a café with a colleague.) and (cat food, and sugar for a cake we had started baking)
Day 6: $4 (lørdagsgodt)
Day 7: 0

wordnerd

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #182 on: January 07, 2018, 01:01:00 PM »
Today's a no spend day, yay! Some wins the past few days: exchanging books and DVDs at the used book store for $200 worth of credit, returning some child proofing stuff that didn't work (only $8, but I'll take it), and relearning to use my sewing machine to hem some secondhand maternity jeans. The last was the most frustrating, but also the most rewarding. I'd been putting off hemming them for a month or two since I got them from ThredUp. A messed up bobbin, a broken needle, and two broken coffee cups (stored near the sewing machine) later, the jeans are hemmed. But, I feel a lot more confident about doing it again in the future. Maybe I'll learn to sew once FIREd.

gaja

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #183 on: January 07, 2018, 01:16:01 PM »
Considered getting back into the online data entering business for som extra cash, but after starting the application process I remembered why I found it so insanely mindnumbingly boring. My time is better spent on other stuff.

YellowCat

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #184 on: January 07, 2018, 03:25:09 PM »
I'm in! I've been following along with Frugalwoods but figured this forum may help keep me accountable.

Day 1:
Groceries: $55.23 ($55.23 / $330)
Ikea: $8.46 (two new coffee mugs to replace some of ours which were quite sad)

Day 2: $0

Day 3:
Gas for Husband's car: $27.28 ($27.28 / $100)
New watch battery for Husband: $21.15

Day 4:
Groceries: $38.58 ($93.81 / $330)
Gas for my car: $25.86 ($53.14 / $100) --> should be fully reimbursed due to mileage for work (53.2 miles at $0.545 / mile). Additional mileage reimbursement expected this month.

Day 5:
Amazon - new hiking boots for me: $30.00 --> I shouldn't have, but I bought a new pair of Keen hiking boots using a gift card from work (presented to me right before Christmas for busting my butt on a big project) plus some Amazon credit. So I only spent $30 in cash...they are good and waterproof and should last a long time.
Groceries: $13.26 ($107.07 / $330)
Work Snacks for Husband: $1.83 --> I really wish I could break him of his tendency to buy snacks at the vending machine at work. I pack him beautiful lunches every day (with snacks!) and he has free coffee in his office...

Day 6:
Filing citizenship application for Husband: $725 --> Ouch, but also exciting, and not exactly discretionary / "fun" money spending...

Day 7: $0
Cooking down the pantry and freezer & not planning to grocery shop until at least the 9th. This is easier as Husband is on a business trip through 10th evening.

Day 8: $0
Still cooking down the pantry and freezer. It's amazing how much food we can prepare with what we have on hand, and that's even considering that we generally shop carefully and don't throw food out as it is. Our fridge's default state is at least 1/2 empty.  I have a fairly long grocery list going for when I do shop (at Aldi) but I'll be totally fine until then.

Day 9: Should be $0
________________________
Non-Housing:
- Groceries: $107.07 / $330
- Gas: $53.14 / $100
- Fast Food: $1.83 / $0 (not budgeted for)
- Shopping: $51.15 / $0 (not budgeted for)
- Legal: $725

Housing / Fixed:
Mortgage Payment: $1221.52
Car Loan: $326.33
Internet Bill: $26.98
Quarterly Water Bill: $142.44 ($47.48 per month Sept - Dec 2017)
Charity: $174.14 (based on last month)

Total: $2829.60
Target: < $3300
Remaining: $470.40
« Last Edit: January 07, 2018, 03:37:47 PM by YellowCat »

frooglepoodle

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #185 on: January 07, 2018, 04:02:52 PM »
DH bought some groceries (farmer’s market and grocery store) yesterday  but today was a zero spending day.

appleseed

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #186 on: January 07, 2018, 05:12:01 PM »
We had planned expenses at the beginning of the year while family was still in town (bought a local museum membership that was $15 more than tickets for the 4 of us but got us all in and we can go all year for free; plus take out while they were here). They left Thursday morning, and I only spent $3 to park at train station. We got all the food they bought that they couldn't take back, too.

But we've had 2 snow days, so I took my kids to a museum and then Target yesterday. Left Target under $3 for popcorn for hangry kids (used gift card). Would have spent some in groceries but kept having to run a kid to bathroom. I decided there was nothing we needed and no good sales/clearance which was disappointing but saves $.

Today is so cold the car won't start, so no spending there. We were planning to go help my mom with some house projects, and she would've bought dinner. We've got plenty of food in house from holidays, so not a big deal to scrounge up a meal and will clean fridge. I'm hoping it starts tomorrow!
Car did not start again today! Ugh. I hope tomorrow it will start or I'll call roadside assistance to come jump us (free through car insurance). I'm going stir crazy, so I asked my husband to bring me a chai on the way back from his office (walking distance) but only if he had cash. But I did make a pot of rice noodle soup using things we had in the fridge that needed to be used up. Turned out pretty good. Got a challah bread started as well (King Arthur Flour January bakealong recipe). Hopefully we'll be eating that for breakfast tomorrow.

Hoping to get out tomorrow (30 degrees F!)   to exchange socks I got for Christmas that are the wrong size and return a toy given to my youngest (we don't need another stuffed animal) that I'll exchange probably for Legos (and put aside for next snow day). Shouldn't be any spending.


Wess

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #187 on: January 07, 2018, 05:14:16 PM »
My Uber Frugal January:  Cook all my food! eat out NONE. Looking to reduce my food expenses to less than $150 this month.

January spending so far: $20 for Week One's groceries.

HappierAtHome

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #188 on: January 07, 2018, 10:16:58 PM »
I'm doing SO BADLY at being frugal this month. Hilariously, laughably, ridiculously, embarrassingly badly. Good thing I didn't start this thread or publicly commit to an uber frugal month or anything - OH WAIT.

Bee21

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #189 on: January 08, 2018, 04:00:37 AM »
Yeah, yeah i am not that frugal either. January is tricky for us with school holidays and birthdays.

I needed to replace the kids swimming gear as they desintegrated. Plus kid needed a bday present.

The good news is, I am planning a mexican themed bday lunch for a crowd, and coles has tortillas, corn chips and taco shells at half price. Looks like the bday feast can be absorbed into the standard grocery spending, so small win.

Tomorrow is no spend day.

Wednesday we are playing minigolf (plus taking out my friends' kids as a thank you for looking after them.)On Thursday we will have heaps of fun at the dentist (hope insurance will cover the kids).

etc, etc.

The rest of the month should look reasonable, though school hols are not over yet. Kids also  need school shoes.  They are cute, but expensive at this time of the year.

Duchess

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #190 on: January 08, 2018, 06:11:45 AM »
I'm doing SO BADLY at being frugal this month. Hilariously, laughably, ridiculously, embarrassingly badly. Good thing I didn't start this thread or publicly commit to an uber frugal month or anything - OH WAIT.

This sounds VERY familiar! Despite signing up for the UFM emails, I've been too embarrassed to post on this thread so far.

I'm going for the small wins. I've managed to avoid buying snacks and lunch out about which is a big behaviour change for me. Mrs. Frugalwoods' suggestions about insourcing also prompted me to check the care label on a dress which I though was dry clean only. Turns out it can go in the washing machine - cheaper to clean, fewer chemicals and no wasting time travelling to the dry cleaners (since we don't actually have one in our town).

pachnik

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #191 on: January 08, 2018, 08:18:29 AM »
I'm doing SO BADLY at being frugal this month. Hilariously, laughably, ridiculously, embarrassingly badly. Good thing I didn't start this thread or publicly commit to an uber frugal month or anything - OH WAIT.

This sounds VERY familiar! Despite signing up for the UFM emails, I've been too embarrassed to post on this thread so far.

I'm going for the small wins. I've managed to avoid buying snacks and lunch out about which is a big behaviour change for me. Mrs. Frugalwoods' suggestions about insourcing also prompted me to check the care label on a dress which I though was dry clean only. Turns out it can go in the washing machine - cheaper to clean, fewer chemicals and no wasting time travelling to the dry cleaners (since we don't actually have one in our town).

in the same boat as you two.  I had to replace an exfoliating sponge I use and then I bought my annual tube of concealer.  This is usually it for any kind of cosmetics for me.    However, I've not bought take out coffee before work once this month. 

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #192 on: January 08, 2018, 09:23:28 AM »
8 days into the month, spent $269 so far.

$100 - Car depreciation
$60 - Travel
$50 - Wedding gift
$35 - Grocery
$24 - Entertainment

haypug16

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #193 on: January 08, 2018, 11:26:13 AM »
Week 1 update;

Groceries = $200 ($98.54/200) - getting kind of close there but I did buy some vitamins ($30) so maybe I need to move that to a different category. Either way they money was spend so I'll leave it for now
Dining Out = $100 ($30.45/100) - Not bad I have a dinner planned at the end of the month and maybe a lunch at some point but should still stay under budget
Entertainment = $50 ($16.31/50)
Clothes = $0 (modified after joining the No Clothes Shopping Challenge) ($0/0) - So far so good :)
Personal & Household items = $10 - ($0/0)
Misc = $75 ($0/0) I will probably move the vitamins here since they are not really groceries.

eliza

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #194 on: January 08, 2018, 04:50:10 PM »
Day 8: Success

No spend day.  Worked from home today.  Was planning on going to the grocery store to pick up a few things and get some exercise, but by the time I was done working it was raining/slushing. Cold + slushie rain? Nope.  Not going out in that if I have any choice.

I'm eating out of my pantry --- including grabbing two single servings of pasta sauce from the freezer to make dinner for tonight and tomorrow.  This challenge (and tracking all of my spending which I don't normally do) has made me much more aware of my grocery budget and I'm definitely being more thoughtful about food waste and how to ensure I'm using up everything I buy.

Month to Date Spending:
$520.11/$1750

« Last Edit: January 08, 2018, 05:10:20 PM by eliza »

hal

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #195 on: January 08, 2018, 05:18:45 PM »
Day 8 - successful day of no spending. Our grocery budget is still on track after SO did shopping yesterday; we are at $78 for the first two weeks (we buy one week at a time). In thinking about our budget, I've realized that there are several pricy areas -- our meat and eggs, mostly. But my SO has objections to normal store eggs and ethically dubious meat. She does her research about ethically, legitimately better options, so I feel like it's an area where I can bend and be flexible. All part of a happy relationship... And it helps that we only have meat once a week and one dozen eggs per week.

On another note, I've found the secret to slashing my fast food budget. This year, by biking and avoiding my clown car, I no longer would have the convenience of having food handed to me through a window. Since the "cue" to the habit isn't possible anymore, I have saved an embarrassing amount of money on fast food compared to this time last year. All the more reason to keep biking.


Jenny Wren

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #196 on: January 08, 2018, 07:30:03 PM »
I was sorely tempted by coffee because I was stuck on campus until later today because of a meeting. I managed to get by without water this time, but I need to prepare for next time. I have these meetings every other Monday this quarter. My hydroflask keeps coffee hot for several hours, so I think I will pack it with "afternoon coffee" and use one of the crappy, barely insulated cups for my "first class of day" coffee.

Otherwise, no spend day. Going to try and hold to no spending until we leave on our trip on Thursday since I know there will be some spending while we are gone.

Grocery 285.63/400
No spend 7/31
Clothing/gifts 0/0
Entertainment 0/150

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #197 on: January 08, 2018, 07:41:44 PM »
Day 8 - successful day of no spending. Our grocery budget is still on track after SO did shopping yesterday; we are at $78 for the first two weeks (we buy one week at a time). In thinking about our budget, I've realized that there are several pricy areas -- our meat and eggs, mostly. But my SO has objections to normal store eggs and ethically dubious meat. She does her research about ethically, legitimately better options, so I feel like it's an area where I can bend and be flexible. All part of a happy relationship... And it helps that we only have meat once a week and one dozen eggs per week.

On another note, I've found the secret to slashing my fast food budget. This year, by biking and avoiding my clown car, I no longer would have the convenience of having food handed to me through a window. Since the "cue" to the habit isn't possible anymore, I have saved an embarrassing amount of money on fast food compared to this time last year. All the more reason to keep biking.

Great benefit that supports a healthy & frugal option (biking)! Double win.

CloserToFree

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #198 on: January 08, 2018, 09:16:30 PM »
Really delayed in joining this thread, oops.  I'm doing the Frugalwoods challenge too.  Here are my goals (note some of these aren't money related or even in furtherance of frugality):
1. No buying food at work; bring lunch and ample snacks.  (Can use a gift card to a coffee shop around the corner if absolutely necessary.)  I used to be great at this but fell into the bad habit last summer/fall of buying a Coke or small things here or there at our cafeteria and want to get back on the wagon.
2.  Do 15-20 minutes of exercise a day (a lowly amount, I know).  I'm pregnant so this will mostly be prenatal yoga, walking, or light exercises/videos at home.  The cold weather and a bout of major fatigue messed with the daily walking habit I had set up.  My muscles are totally mush and while I don't want to do anything strenuous given the pregnancy (due in late March), I want to slowly get my tone back and keep my circulation flowing.
3. Get back into swimming - try for once a week.  See above.
4. Continue clothes buying ban.  13 months and counting!
5. Do more cooking and meal planning.  DH does almost all the cooking in our household and is an awesome cook, but I enjoy it in small doses and making yummy things helps prevent me from giving in to the urge to eat out, pick up snacks at bakeries/coffee shops, etc.  Made my first loaf of bread the other day, and made homemade yogurt for the first time in 5+ years too.  Would love to do this regularly.  Plus need to up my meal planning game - that's always a huge help for minimizing grocery and eating out spending.
6. Don't go overboard with the frugality (spend on things we value). This may seem odd for an Uber Frugal monthly thread, but we only have a couple months to go before kid #2 arrives and I don't want to squander that time pinching pennies as far as experiences go.  For example, we have a fun weekend trip planned coming up, and I want to get in some date nights/ 1:1 time with DH before we become a family of 4 and effectively become housebound for awhile.

horsepoor

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Re: Uber Frugal January
« Reply #199 on: January 08, 2018, 09:31:40 PM »
No spend days are scarce this month.

Today:  $3 arena fee, $6.40 at Lowe's to replace a safety cable on the horse trailer, $94 on horse supplements (even after using a 50% off promo code), $41 on gas for the truck (used points for 50c off/gallon or $11).

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!