Author Topic: Who wants to join me for Frugal February? (Read 18596 times)

Carrie · « **Reply #100 on:** February 12, 2018, 08:10:44 AM »

We had no spend on Saturday, and Sunday was my grocery run. Spent $150 on groceries /household. Bought two pork tenderloins on sale, bought some pricey steak (toss up between the whole tenderloin for $75 or enough for a fancy home grilled dinner @$30 for 5 people). Opted for the cheaper option because frugal February.

Where we are killing it this month: zero alcohol spend. We've increased our tea consumption instead. This move, embarrassingly, saves $285/mo. The cost/consumption has been creeping up, and I'm glad we noticed.

Still have zero spend on restaurants, fast food, takeout. This combined in the budget is set at $85/mo, but there are some months it comes in way under.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #101 on:** February 13, 2018, 01:23:09 AM »

I just travelled 3 days without using a car, but instead using my legs and the train. And I ate leftovers on Friday and Saturday.

LindseyC · « **Reply #102 on:** February 13, 2018, 04:07:53 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend

Both times I have eaten out this month it was a treat for my SO for driving me around in his truck and helping me collect furniture (in snow storms each time) However, I have killed the budget with eating out so, no more for this month.

Still aiming to sell two dressers this month. Profit would be around $500 which would be awesome! I am also now tidying up some items in my house and listing sone small items for sale. Nothing worth major money, but enough that makes selling it worthwhile.

westtoeast · « **Reply #103 on:** February 13, 2018, 05:06:14 AM »

Update #3

Successes:
-Figured out how to bake gluten and grain free bread that is much cheaper than store bought gluten free bread!
-Resisted Uber in some inconvenient situations (honestly, this is even trickier because a ride often costs $3-$4 in my area and bus rides cost $1.70... but I wouldn't spend that much on coffee out, so why would I spend it on a ride?)

Challenges:
-I need to only use my bus pass for transportation for the rest of the month, or take from my Misc budget
-I've used up 135/200 in my Misc budget! $60 of this was treating brunch out for myself and 2 others... visited a friend in another city and part of the trip's purpose was to try the food scene out... friend treated for dinner so I picked up a very delicious brunch
-If I want to reach my goal, I need to spend $65 or less on any non-grocery items for the next two weeks. I think this would be easy for many in this group! For me it will be challenging. I may try a cash envelope to control myself.

Nancy · « **Reply #104 on:** February 13, 2018, 05:10:03 AM »

Quote from: Linda_Norway on February 13, 2018, 01:23:09 AM

I just travelled 3 days without using a car, but instead using my legs and the train. And I ate leftovers on Friday and Saturday.

Nice!

Serendip · « **Reply #105 on:** February 13, 2018, 10:03:19 AM »

01/02: No spend
02/02: Return from wilderness trip--$23 for beer & pizza
03/02: No spend
04/02: No spend
05/02: Hit with a $445 bill from the plumber...eegads but at least the dishwasher is installed and hot water tank is to code, hopefully no more big spends this month
$83 groceries (online to see if I could get some better deals and found quite a few..organic broccoli & cauliflower half price)
06/02: No spend
07/02: No spend
08/02: $15 Post Office parcel
$2.70 Matcha Latte (got this for half price and really enjoyed it after a long walk in the sunny cold)
09/02: No spend
10/02: No spend
11/02: No spend
12/02: $14 ticket for XC skiing with a friend (half-price ticket)

Will need to spend a chunk of cash for some courses I am required to take this year..trying to put it off but might need to happen soon so I get into the ones I want!

Morning Glory · « **Reply #106 on:** February 13, 2018, 12:31:52 PM »

Week 2 grocery spend was 46.55, for a total of 170.63 so far this month.
I found someone with a used ergo baby so I withdrew $50 cash, but still need to meet up with her to buy it.

Tig_ · « **Reply #107 on:** February 14, 2018, 07:35:59 AM »

Total Spend so far (excluding rent): $213
Groceries: $111
Gift: $37
Phone: $30
Cat: $22
Transport: $11

druth · « **Reply #108 on:** February 14, 2018, 02:45:01 PM »

Some good: I have mostly avoided restaurants. When necessary I spent a lot less than I might normally ($8 at brunch instead of normal 25ish, and $30 at the super fancy place where the group spent $90(!) on average)
I have been doing a pretty good job of grocery shopping only on Monday and Thursday, though I have had to pick up some necessities on other days.

Bad: I was forced to buy a new phone, the old one is basically not working, and actually managed to cost me money because of a missed communication. I tried to buy a used S7 on Swappa, and it turned out to be stolen. I returned that one and couldn't mentally deal with further searching for a good used one, so got a new Moto G5 Plus instead.

alewpanda · « **Reply #109 on:** February 14, 2018, 08:35:40 PM »

I am under or within all budget categories so far...but there is still 2 weeks left...

Instead of going out for Valentines, DH and I just used some grocery funds to purchase the items for a couple of specialty pizzas made at home. We have never made a successful pizza crust that we really enjoyed, but tonight we used binging with babish's recipe, and it was delish! A lot of prep (if you make your own sauce too, which is what he recommends and what we did tonight), but I think I could streamline the process by bulk cooking some of it and freezing, or making smaller amounts which would simplify some of the prep.

DH did buy my flowers, which were totally unneccesary, and wine, but I'll not complain ;)

I also used pantry supplies and the last of a bag of chocolate chips for a rich flourless chocolate cake...

No spending yesterday :)

LindseyC · « **Reply #110 on:** February 15, 2018, 10:10:02 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend

I bought a $45 hair wand with grocery points. So technically I didn't pay anything but I could have used the points for groceries so not the most frugal choice.

My upstairs Reno project is currently at $175. I had budgeted $500 so I am still well within budget but I also have a lot more paint to buy.

Going to work this weekend to make up some sick time. I actually am going to start working most Saturday's (half days) to earn some extra money. I can do this at least until the summer. It will cut into my Reno time but I think it's worth it.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #111 on:** February 15, 2018, 10:30:02 AM »

We're doing pretty well on our monthly expenses. We did, however, have to add more camp coverage for next week than expected, as schedules changed. (School is out.) We also ended up booking all of our summer camps, which is. . . insanely expensive. $4400 for two kids. Shivers. It's part of our budget, but never fun to pony that much up at once.

Areas where we're doing well:
-Kept birthday spending for my older son to just his party, plus an experience activity we're doing in June. Will likely pick up a few fun breakfast items for his sleepover, but will fit within the grocery budget.
-Meal planning, eating leftovers, no unplanned meals out (save one, when the power was out).
-Shopping from a list
-Have earned $45 selling stuff online, which I applied directly to our unfunded 2018 goals.

LindseyC · « **Reply #112 on:** February 17, 2018, 06:45:10 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $67 Costco membership (to be split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: No spend

Annoyed with myself. I have spent too much on eating out and too much in groceries. I am at $300 when my budget is $200. It's been a rough emotional month and while I have curbed spending on "stuff" I think I have been food shopping my feelings. I am buckling down!!!

LWYRUP · « **Reply #113 on:** February 17, 2018, 07:25:34 AM »

Quote from: LindseyC on February 17, 2018, 06:45:10 AM

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $67 Costco membership (to be split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: No spend

Annoyed with myself. I have spent too much on eating out and too much in groceries. I am at $300 when my budget is $200. It's been a rough emotional month and while I have curbed spending on "stuff" I think I have been food shopping my feelings. I am buckling down!!!

I think you are doing GREAT!

I wish I could get my spending down to your level. I've been cutting down in many areas but expenses other than eating out are still running a lot higher than most people on this thread. Start of a journey. :)

On Monday I made breakfast AND lunch but I forgot to bring them to work. :( I cracked and got a breakfast sandwich for $4.50. I found leftover sandwiches from a meeting for lunch.

So 12 days to go and I've only spent $4.50 eating out.

Without even trying I feel like I've lost some weight. This is great and I think I may even push through in March and add a healthy eating focus and see if I can keep it up until I shed about 10-15 pounds that have been hanging around for like five years now.

LindseyC · « **Reply #114 on:** February 18, 2018, 05:25:09 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $27 Costco membership (split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: $7 drinks, $7 two vintage art glass vases (thrifted), $5 Blokus board game (thrifted)

I mixed my days up. Yesterday we went on a spontaneous road trip and drove all over the place. I needed the life break, like a mini vacation. We stopped at a few thrift shops and I found some beautiful vintage art glass vases to add to my collection!!! I was very pleased. Then we found a complete copy of Blokus all 84 parts intact!!! We are huge board game players so this was an awesome find. My SO also paid for more then half of the Costco membership and bought me dinner! What a nice guy. :)

Edit:
Day 18: Sold a dresser! Profit $250 (paid 0, this was a teak garbage find 10 years ago)

Woohoo that dresser sale really helped my numbers for the month.

LindseyC · « **Reply #115 on:** February 18, 2018, 05:28:18 AM »

Quote from: blinx7 on February 17, 2018, 07:25:34 AM

I think you are doing GREAT!

I wish I could get my spending down to your level. I've been cutting down in many areas but expenses other than eating out are still running a lot higher than most people on this thread. Start of a journey. :)

On Monday I made breakfast AND lunch but I forgot to bring them to work. :( I cracked and got a breakfast sandwich for $4.50. I found leftover sandwiches from a meeting for lunch.

So 12 days to go and I've only spent $4.50 eating out.

Without even trying I feel like I've lost some weight. This is great and I think I may even push through in March and add a healthy eating focus and see if I can keep it up until I shed about 10-15 pounds that have been hanging around for like five years now.

Thank you!! Sounds like you are doing great as well. Your eating out spending is awesome and you are losing weight! Those are two giant wins!!

deek · « **Reply #116 on:** February 19, 2018, 10:04:21 AM »

Things have changed a bit since my original post... but hey that's part of life!

Recently paid a buddy for an upcoming bachelor party in Oklahoma City. Set me back a little, but when I realize I've only eaten out for lunch TWICE this month... I can bear it.

I've had a hell of a time tracking no spend days, didn't realize how easy it is to forget to document these things.

I've eaten so much better while still maintaining weight and getting to the gym. My roommate told me last week he thought I looked a little skinnier. Guess I'm building muscle!!

I'm way below my grocery budget of $40 per week, probably averaging closer to 30 if not lower.

About to sell my xbox with a game that never gets used. That basically will pay for the GoPro Hero 4 Black I just bought for adventuring/fishing/trying vlogs.

I have an interview Wednesday for a growing company in my town with an awesome culture that could lead to more career growth.

It's going well and I know I can improve next month! Looking forward to continuing this trend.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #117 on:** February 19, 2018, 02:46:00 PM »

We did a day ski trip to Tahoe yesterday, and it was by no means frugal. However, we had originally planned to do a 3 day ski trip, so this was a lot cheaper. :-) I did save where we could (brought breakfast, drinks, snacks, etc) & bought tickets online in advance for a small discount. Need to research the cheapest ways to make this work, because the kids have visions of a lot more skiing.

LWYRUP · « **Reply #118 on:** February 19, 2018, 03:15:37 PM »

I spent $10 or so at Coldstone Creamery, which officially blew my no eating out rule, but I decided that when you take your four year old daughter ice skating for the first time and there is a Coldstone Creamery next door, you pretty much have to get ice cream. :)

Today we are celebrating our Presidents by cooking up a storm -- from a load of groceries that cost only $85 from ALDI. I did a double-pot of the Tortelloni Soup from budget bytes (https://www.budgetbytes.com/2017/10/sausage-tortellini-soup/) and am on to garlic potatoes next. My wife is doing breakfast bars and healthy brownies.

I thought the thread could use some visual enhancements, so here goes:

LindseyC · « **Reply #119 on:** February 20, 2018, 06:06:01 AM »

The last 3 updates are awesome!

DJ: sounds like you are killing this month. Losing weight, gaining muscle, potential new job... Does it get any better then that! That's super impressive.

Blinx7: ice cream was definitely mandatory! And can I come to your house for dinner?

LindseyC · « **Reply #120 on:** February 20, 2018, 06:15:32 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $27 Costco membership (split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: $7 drinks, $7 two vintage art glass vases (thrifted), $5 Blokus board game (thrifted)
Day 18: Sold a dresser! Profit $250 (paid 0, this was a teak garbage find 10 years ago)
Day 19: No spend

As of right now according to my list above, I have spent $405 this month outside of my monthly budgeted/regular expenses but I have also earned $290 extra. I also still have one piece of furniture for sale that will profit about $200 so I think I am doing pretty good.

deek · « **Reply #121 on:** February 20, 2018, 12:55:53 PM »

Quote from: LindseyC on February 20, 2018, 06:06:01 AM

The last 3 updates are awesome!

DJ: sounds like you are killing this month. Losing weight, gaining muscle, potential new job... Does it get any better then that! That's super impressive.

Blinx7: ice cream was definitely mandatory! And can I come to your house for dinner?

Working on it! Just scheduled to pay the $350 balance on my credit card early next month. Come April I should really start seeing the strides without any credit card debt. May take on a part time gig somewhere a couple evenings a week, we'll see. I really don't want it to eat into my gym time so I have committed to that yet.

flyAway · « **Reply #122 on:** February 20, 2018, 01:00:05 PM »

blinx7: Money was spent on ice cream for us too. My youngest daughter’s rec volleyball team pulled off a tight victory Sunday, and her team went out for ice cream. Slightly bad timing only because my daughter had friends along, so the treat of one fancy ice cream cone was x3. But my daughter really enjoyed it, and it was extra special to her since we rarely go out for things like that and it was with her best friends. It sounds like you guys had a special outing too :)

Overall, doing okay on the goals. I have some stress from upcoming uncertainty in my job which highlights the importance of budgeting. This thread helps me stay accountable even when I don't really feel like it.

No spend days: 5/9
Grocery: $390.40/$500 Going to be close! Feeling good though, as I have a decent stock of most things to carry us through.
Total spend: $2552/$3100 I think I can make it. One more auto-pay bill of $290 for the month, younger kid needs next size up of cleats and older kid somehow was given a dry clean only (ugh, why??) jacket she loves that needs to be cleaned. Other than those three things and groceries, it really comes down to me keeping my wallet closed! We're in the home stretch.

Morning Glory · « **Reply #123 on:** February 22, 2018, 08:16:21 AM »

Hello again. My non-bill, non-grocery spending has been very low this month, just $50 for a used Ergobaby and $12 for a case of 50 bubble mailers so I can sell some old video games I found in my closet. I can also resell any of the mailers I don't use if I find a local buyer for the games. I made $25 selling some folding tables and a TV mount that were also in the closet.

Week 3 involved high grocery spending because I decided to stock up on formula while it was on sale, and DH did a big Costco trip, plus a few runs to Walmart. Our family includes 2 adults, one toddler, one infant, one dog, and one cat.
Groceries week 1:124.08
Week 2: 46.55
Week 3: 212.65
Total so far: 383.28- not as good as some here but this includes all food, alcohol, household supplies, personal care items, newspapers, and baby diapers/wipes. Did not have to buy any pet supplies because I did a big stock up in January.

I do not track DH's personal discretionary spending.

Serendip · « **Reply #124 on:** February 22, 2018, 08:38:44 AM »

Overall this month has gone fairly well
9 No Spend-ing days

Groceries & eating out is at $170 vs. $550 of last month

However, needed to sign up for a work course ($455)
& am heading home to see family in March for 5 days..the ticket was air miles, but taxes are around $80 & it will cost $60 to bus/shuttle to the airport (I live about 2.5 hours away)....maybe I can research if there are any cheaper ways to do it

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #125 on:** February 22, 2018, 09:17:50 AM »

We have two separate budgets. Monthly budgets (gas, groceries, utilities, etc) & then yearly budget (travel, summer camps, etc). Our monthly budget has been pretty much on target. Our yearly budget has had a lot of expenses (planned for) occur in February, which makes things tricky. I was originally planning to be FIREd by summer, so hadn't really planned on much in the way of summer camp expenses. Due to our remodel plans, that may change, so I went ahead & booked the summer camps.

It's all part of the plan, but some months have almost no "yearly spending", which feels great. Other months have a ton. It's just the way it goes.

In good news, I've made $225 on my side hustle, and applied that directly to our unfunded 2018 goals.

Serendip · « **Reply #126 on:** February 22, 2018, 10:13:55 AM »

SUCCESS: after writing my last note, I researched and found a ride-sharing program so I can get to the airport for $20
(vs. $60+tax for the shuttle)

deek · « **Reply #127 on:** February 23, 2018, 08:12:22 AM »

Thankfully I've been frugal as far as my day to day goes this month. I'm going to be a little scrapped for another month or maybe a little longer. Here's why..

Just committed to paying off all my credit card debt early next month ($344). Plan on putting gas and groceries on it after that and paying off the balance each month.

I've spent $173 on getting my setup solidified for this fishing season (new line, a used reel, and used fishing tackle - this includes some new tackle that was not used, and bought 2 brand new lures from a store). In my defense, this is SUPER minimalist for an avid bass fisherman.

I bought a GoPro Hero4 Black to document my adventures with accessories for less than $160. I want to learn more about editing video and this should be a good start.

Although I haven't made much progress in net worth, I've saved enough money in other places for this not to be a detriment really. On the upside - these are expenses that won't take place in the months to come!

Note: I just put the paperwork for transferring money to Vanguard in the mail last night. Index Funds here I come!

LindseyC · « **Reply #128 on:** February 24, 2018, 08:44:23 AM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $27 Costco membership (split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: $7 drinks, $7 two vintage art glass vases (thrifted), $5 Blokus board game (thrifted)
Day 18: Sold a dresser! Profit $250 (paid 0, this was a teak garbage find 10 years ago)
Day 19: No spend
Day 20: No spend
Day 21: No spend
Day 22: No spend
Day 23: $3 notebook

Edit to add:

Day 24: No spend
Day 25: $2 shoe laces, $10 thrift store Art glass, $4 thrifted bowls, $3 elastic band to fix pj pants

Renovation budget is now $195 / $500 planned. Budget going well, but I am way behind schedule. Health issues are still kicking my butt however, I am just going to keep on trucking and focus on each task done as a win, versus the "schedule."

westtoeast · « **Reply #129 on:** February 24, 2018, 08:57:35 AM »

I'm doing my final tally today, because all other spending will go into March budget. For example, I'll be buying a March bus pass on Feb 28th, and buying groceries that will be used in March on Feb 27th. It's my birthday on the 28th so I'll be going out to dinner but I don't think I'll be picking up the check :)

Groceries: $260/$300 (Yay! I was doing Whole 30, so I feel really good about this because I bought more fancy grassfed/free-range meat products than usual. Next month I hope to get below $250 because I'll be back to staples like rice and beans.)
Transportation: $117/$100 (Ugh. I've got to do better!)
Medical: $675/$40 (AHH. Most of this was paid for with my EF. Had to pay my insurance deductable and had a non-insurance covered appointment, in addition to my normal expected $40 appointment. Nothing I could do about this, so I'm not considering it failure.)
Gym: $44/$44 (Just found out my insurance will refund up to $150 of my gym costs! This equals 3 free months for me. Yay!)

Overall, not including medical, I'm coming in a few dollars under budget because of the groceries. Yay! Next steps are knocking about $20 off of transportation and $20 off of misc expenses. This should be doable.
Misc Expenses: $222/$200 (I'm going to do an item by item analysis to hold myself accountable here)
$10, Netflix. Unnecessary, but I'm OK with it.
$12, coworker drinks. Unnecessary.
$5, Amazon video rental. Cannot remember what movie! I'm OK with this, weekend date night activity.
$63, brunch for 3 people. Stayed with friend in another city for free. Friend bought us dinner. I bought brunch. OK with this!
$5, overpriced tea at coffee shop. Silly. Not OK.
$9, toiletries. Necessary.
$90, Amazon orders (vitamins, face toner, supplements, face oil, sweet potato flour). This is tricky. I do a lot of vitamins/supplements that support my health. I don't want to cut them, but I could if I needed to live on a stricter budget. Same goes for face stuff. I don't buy crazy products, but I do like my toner and rosehip seed oil!

Overall, not including medical, I'm a few bucks under budget. Yay! Goals for next month are to knock $20 off transportation spending and $20 off of misc expenses. This is definitely doable.

Nancy · « **Reply #130 on:** February 26, 2018, 04:52:33 AM »

I set a lower budget for this Feb challenge and came in under it! I was able to save 69% of my take-home pay. Nice work, everyone!

TX2RVA · « **Reply #131 on:** February 26, 2018, 12:16:17 PM »

Update: February was the opposite of frugal. The costly car repairs sent me into "treat yo'self" mode since I was already hemorrhaging money. I'll bounce back in March.

Carrie · « **Reply #132 on:** February 26, 2018, 08:14:24 PM »

Our total February spend was $1485.
Not too bad for a family of 5.
Zero eating out / zero alcohol / no clothes except socks for 2 kids.

Rosy · « **Reply #133 on:** February 27, 2018, 12:52:55 PM »

Quote from: Rosy on January 30, 2018, 02:50:46 PM

Main goals: Stay within budget and on track with my savings goals.
Made big changes in January - now all I have to do is trigger savings transfers and stop buying gemstones/jewelry.

Done did it! Let's hope March goes as well!

Tig_ · « **Reply #134 on:** February 27, 2018, 01:55:38 PM »

I did phenomenally! Although I can't take all the credit. I went on a vacation (round trip flights bought totally using points save taxes and fees of $11.20) with a guy I'm seeing and he wouldn't let me pay for a thing. Eventually I paid for 1 drink for each of us (~$30). This also meant I saved on groceries and whatever else I would have normally bought during this time.

Key Categories:

Groceries: $189
Misc: $23 (new hot yoga towel)
Eating out: $15
Alcohol: $45
Gifts: $88 (baby shower and thank you for a friend who hosted me for a weekend)

Onward and upward!

BeautifulDay · « **Reply #135 on:** February 27, 2018, 07:03:10 PM »

Quote from: BeautifulDay on January 29, 2018, 08:58:54 PM

I'm in. I just want to come in under budget. We can cut back on eating out especially.

Over the past few months we have been coming in over budget. So being underbudget will be a huge win.

Looks like we are going to make it. We even had some unexpected expenses - mostly clothes replacements - that came up. Even with that we were slightly under budget. Next month I'd like to beat this month. If month after month we keep lowering expenses we will be in good shape.

flyAway · « **Reply #136 on:** February 28, 2018, 06:43:33 AM »

I'm going to call this month a near success, although I technically only met 1 of my 3 goals. It was close!
actual/goal
8/9 no spend days
3167/3100 total spend (4 people)
479/500 groceries

Regardless of how well everyone met their goals, I really appreciated reading everyone's individual strategies and ups/downs. I know I learned a good bit and was inspired.

Morning Glory · « **Reply #137 on:** February 28, 2018, 07:54:13 AM »

First month of grocery tracking was eye-opening.

Groceries week 1:124.08
Week 2: edit: 57.95 (found another receipt)
Week 3: 212.65
Week 4: 95.28
Total grocery spend:489.96 after rebates , or about $122 per person-not terrible but definitely lots of room to improve (DH does most of the shopping so this will be tricky)

Of this, $89 was alcohol, at least $45, possibly more, DH energy drinks (trying to get him to kick this habit), $24 newspapers for coupons (we used at least that much)and $55 baby formula (should last through all of march). The remaining $276 covered all food, household products, diapers/wipes and personal care items. Some were not needed but we bought ahead of time to take advantage of sales, so we now have a huge stockpile of freezer bags. Other things are expensive stuff that I would not have bought, like beef jerky, junk food, and above mentioned energy drinks. I will try to break everything out separately next month. Did not buy any pet supplies because I stocked up in January.

My personal shopping was very low, $50 baby carrier, $12 envelopes, $4 my share of pizza party at work (mustachian coworker had her husband pick up pizza at Costco!!!), so $66 total . I did not track DH's personal spending. On top of my normal income I made $50 selling some junk from my closet, and $120 for participating in a research study .

Bills were:
$1552 mortgage piti
$179 electric
$324 car insurance (2 vehicles for 6 months)
$9 Netflix
$59 internet
$250 service call for septic tank
$46 part of medical bill above what I put in FSA
$303 health insurance + FSA + dental
Total: $2722

Bills +spending +groceries = $3277
Not bad, considering there is some fluff here, but this doesn't include DH spending so I probably missed some necessary spending like vehicle maintenance

Morning Glory · « **Reply #138 on:** February 28, 2018, 07:59:07 AM »

Quote from: Carrie on February 26, 2018, 08:14:24 PM

Our total February spend was $1485.
Not too bad for a family of 5.
Zero eating out / zero alcohol / no clothes except socks for 2 kids.

Wow!!!! Does this include housing?

deek · « **Reply #139 on:** February 28, 2018, 09:51:44 AM »

Thanks everyone! Although I didn't follow through on updating my own situation every week, I'm glad I started this because I've seen so many of your strategies and it has equipped me with a bunch of ideas regarding my own savings.
This month, I've decluttered my space at home, and hope to keep all my receipts and document everything.

In just over two weeks I will likely have a new job that that will pay me $284 more a month (before taxes) and I'm looking forward to having more flexibility while downsizing my life, which includes cutting out Dish network, and selling my Xbox One that never gets used.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Carrie · « **Reply #140 on:** February 28, 2018, 01:18:34 PM »

Quote from: MrsWolfeRN on February 28, 2018, 07:59:07 AM

Quote from: Carrie on February 26, 2018, 08:14:24 PM
Our total February spend was $1485.
Not too bad for a family of 5.
Zero eating out / zero alcohol / no clothes except socks for 2 kids.

Wow!!!! Does this include housing?

Mortgage is paid off, but I do set aside $200/mo. for next year's property tax, so I guess if that is included we'd be at $1685. :)

LindseyC · « **Reply #141 on:** February 28, 2018, 02:29:58 PM »

Day 1: No spend / Earned $40 extra
Day 2: No spend
Day 3: $26 haircut
Day 4: $15 wall art, $30 Eating out for two, $85 furniture to flip
Day 5: No spend
Day 6: No spend
Day 7: No spend
Day 8: No spend
Day 9: No spend
Day 10: $120 on a vintage dresser for my office storage. $35 eating out for two.
Day 11: No spend
Day 12: No spend
Day 13: No spend
Day 14: $3 on a slurpee
Day 15: No spend
Day 16: $27 Costco membership (split with SO) $45 eating out
Day 17: $7 drinks, $7 two vintage art glass vases (thrifted), $5 Blokus board game (thrifted)
Day 18: Sold a dresser! Profit $250 (paid 0, this was a teak garbage find 10 years ago)
Day 19: No spend
Day 20: No spend
Day 21: No spend
Day 22: No spend
Day 23: $3 notebook
Day 24: No spend
Day 25: $2 shoe laces, $10 thrift store Art glass, $4 thrifted bowls, $3 elastic band to fix pj pants
Day 26: Disaster: my Shop Vac broke in the middle of my renovations. $110 - can't do without one.
Day 27: No spend
Day 28: No spend, Earned extra $20

I was great with every budget category except groceries and eating out. March is going to be a month to buckle down on them again. Also the Shop Vac set me back, but I will see if I can adjust the reno budget to cover it.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #142 on:** March 01, 2018, 05:28:37 AM »

We spent a whole week in a place without a shop, but of course we had to shop on our way there. The last couples of days we had 2 friends visiting and I let them shop some more groceries for me. She did not allow me to pay her back. We still have food left from that week that we can eat at another occasion.

I spent approx $1400 in Feb, for 2 people. This included a new combi-refrigerator, drinking wine every day during that vacation week and paying a person for snow cleaning our parking lot the whole year.

News:

Author Topic: Who wants to join me for Frugal February? (Read 18596 times)

Nancy

Nancy