Nospendber

[G-dog]

Maybe Desaveber? Not my strong suit.

So far so good over here.  I had to have some medical imaging done. Not sure of the cost, but that's why I have savings.

Another thought is Despendber, or Despender, but that may be too close to Nospendber.

I have been working on eating from the pantry, to reduce food costs. Since I have retired, eating out has been reduced further. We will host a few folks for Thanksgiving, so that will be a challenge, as we like to provide a plethora of nice tasties. Some guests are vegan, which can entail buying things we don't usually eat, like vegan 'butter'.

I am also keeping the furnace off as much as possible, and the weather has been cooperating. I've been working on reducing energy costs since I retired. If the weather turns drastically cold and/or windy, I will have to work harder to reduce the energy costs.

Since retiiring, car use has dropped a lot, that should continue. I try to batch errands into one trip, and plot an efficient path.

[Bracken_Joy]

Broke down and got Starbucks yesterday. Ugh. It's a small thing in terms of the money (DH used cash he had, and I got a small one), but it's more the "weakness" aspect. I hadn't gotten Starbucks in over 6 weeks.

This seems to be really symbolic to you.... Are you worried that you'll go back to having it all the time if you have it once? Or do you want a life where you never have Starbucks?

I buy coffee out about once a month now, after years of buying it daily, but I can't say I agonize over it. I know how much I don't spend on it anymore and that's good enough for me!!

That's a good question. Yes, an aspect is that I'm afraid it will become habit again. DH and I are very much creatures of habit, and if we start having starbucks often when we drive to Hometown, that quickly becomes Always. The other aspect is that it's Npspendber! I'm trying to challenge myself to a low level of spending, and it was a 100% unnecessary cost.

I think I had realized the second point, but hadn't processed the first. Glad you pointed that out.

[JAYSLOL]

First week down and so far we've done pretty well. I hope we can keep up the momentum!

On driving, I went out 3 times: Thursday to physical therapy, Friday to the dog park, and Saturday to buy groceries/run errands/visit library. I don't have my next PT appointment until the 17th so I will avoid that extra drive next week. I feel like my errand day could have been more efficient with less stops, so next week I'm going to aim for that by deciding if we really need that item from whatever store. I wish that I could go to the dog park again today (Sunday), but I'll settle for a long walk instead. On eating out, we did go out once, but didn't pay for it. We were invited out by my FIL and his wife and I stuck to my guns and said no. In the end they wanted to treat us (and even picked us up). I feel kind of guilty about this, to be honest. That said, I'm pretty impressed that I didn't cave on dinner because it was a long and busy work week and I've been absolutely exhausted. So, go me! On shopping, we avoided most of the extraneous purchases, but there were some pre-made cookies that ended up in the grocery cart (we didn't go over budget this week either) and collar from the pet store (didn't work out, so it's going to be returned anyway). Finally, there were the first wave of bills. I expected the big medical bill, but I was, once again, disgusted by last month's spending as I paid the credit card bill (no debt by the way; always paid off in full). I was happy to see our first Fall electricity bill; by simply not running the A/C our daily average drops almost 10kWh (and we keep it pretty hot in here during the summer). I dream of the days when we live in an energy efficient house.

---

In regard to December's challenge name, here are some ideas:
Dismember December (as in dismember your budget)
Remember December (be mindful/remember)
No spend-ber December

Yeah, they're kind of dumb and cheesy. I tried. Also, retrospectively, August could be called Au-gust Ad-just because the second syllables rhyme and allude to making adjustments in your lifestyle or budget. Okay, I'm stretching? Yeah... :D

Those are all excellent, I don't know what the group will want to do for December, but personally i will be observing De-clutter-ember

[cityfolks]

I'm planning a Declutter December myself. Or maybe Discard December?

[Seppia]

After three great months, November has so far been a month of weakness for me.
I bought a watch, which set me back $400 (I don't need a watch but I have always loved watches, been my weakness for a while), and I will be doing some traveling on a scuba dive trip.
This part was semi planned, but will still cost me around $1500-1800 when all is said and done.

[Zaga]

After a promising start, November has been less than ideal spending-wise.  Will keep trying however, I think we can still pull this off without crashing and burning!

[Bob W]

For the 'how does this work questions':

Generally, just maximize your savings. The easiest way to do this is by not spending money you don't need to spend. For example, here's our Stocktober results, and we continued to live our life like normal. We ate great nutritious food, have 2 cars, a nice house, all the utilities we need, got library books, read/watched/listened to free stuff online, etc. Live a great life without paying much.

http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/throw-down-the-gauntlet/stocktober/msg854495/#msg854495

Another great month.

$200.01   Utilities
$291.01   Groceries
$145.69   Eating Out
$154.57   Misc (includes roof repair but also rebates from cashing in credit card rewards for the year)
401.00   Insurance (prorated) and property tax (prorated)
311.00   Interest expense
1,503.28   Total Expenses

Love that you have such few categories.   Wow and you still have the option of cutting food drastically if you so desired. 

I assume that internet and phones are in the misc category so that number is impressive as well.

I also like that you look at your housing expense in two sections -- equity and interest.  Most people won't do that.  You could take that a step further by assuming a 3% increase in real estate value.   I mean just for fun of course.  That might come in around $250 a month in appreciation.

Could you break down your property tax vs.  insurance.   The reason I ask is that I was able to have the county reduce my taxes significantly and also found a super low insurance plan through a county mutual insurance company.  I'm guessing you are in a high tax area?

Nospendber is a great title!

[Bracken_Joy]

Spending update: $4.47 for a new oil filter. We will be getting the oil along with our other planned purchases at home depot. (PS- price compared, and autozone marks up their oil 10% above home depot's. It's roughly a wash with amazon, but since we have a home depot coupon, that's the plan).

Otherwise, no spend weekend except for gas since I was working the whole time. (Yay 12's!). Brought all my food from home, of course. I can't leave to buy food anyway, so that's never a temptation.

[snacky]

well.

I bought a car this weekend. $3k for a meticulously cared for 2003 Subaru outback. a very good deal, and once my current 2013 Honda fit is sold I can pay it off, no more car payments. a mustachian move that destroyed my mustachian no-spend. i'm ok with it.

then my friend who has owed me for a long time, never been able to pay me back, has had this loan hanging over him (I loaned assuming i'd never see the money again, as one does. he borrowed out of desperation with good intentions) proposed that he paint the interior of my house to repay me. so I spent ~$200 on paint, etc.
I was going to repaint over time, but this saves me the work, plus it saves our friendship. and my house will look nice. so unmustachian to buy all the paint, but also a good thing to do.

tl;dr: I spent a bunch of money this weekend, and I regret nothing. going to do better for the rest of the month.

[choppingwood]

well.

I bought a car this weekend. $3k for a meticulously cared for 2003 Subaru outback. a very good deal, and once my current 2013 Honda fit is sold I can pay it off, no more car payments. a mustachian move that destroyed my mustachian no-spend. i'm ok with it.

then my friend who has owed me for a long time, never been able to pay me back, has had this loan hanging over him (I loaned assuming i'd never see the money again, as one does. he borrowed out of desperation with good intentions) proposed that he paint the interior of my house to repay me. so I spent ~$200 on paint, etc.
I was going to repaint over time, but this saves me the work, plus it saves our friendship. and my house will look nice. so unmustachian to buy all the paint, but also a good thing to do.

It shouldn't take you long to sell the FIT.

And I think it is a good idea to take your friend up on the offer, and get that behind you -- for the friendship and the house. I am trying to paint the inside of my house, but find a lot of reasons to not get around to it.

[Bracken_Joy]

My private loan comes out of grace at the end of this month. It's also the highest interest rate loan I have. My DH wisely suggested we pay off the accrued interest before it's coming out of grace, because I guess it does weird things to the loan by including that accrued interest in the principal? Which... messes with stuff? Anyway, fine by me, we paid off the $723.71 it had accrued. This will make us look like we're in "the red" this month, since the Dog's surgery is this month, but it'll be well worth it. And I think it counts in saving rate anyway, since it's not spending per se, and it's separate from minimum payments.

[Eric222]

My private loan comes out of grace at the end of this month. It's also the highest interest rate loan I have. My DH wisely suggested we pay off the accrued interest before it's coming out of grace, because I guess it does weird things to the loan by including that accrued interest in the principal? Which... messes with stuff? Anyway, fine by me, we paid off the $723.71 it had accrued. This will make us look like we're in "the red" this month, since the Dog's surgery is this month, but it'll be well worth it. And I think it counts in saving rate anyway, since it's not spending per se, and it's separate from minimum payments.

I think the interest 'capitalizes' and becomes part of the principal when it comes out of grace, but it definitely counts as saving in my book! 

[Bracken_Joy]

My private loan comes out of grace at the end of this month. It's also the highest interest rate loan I have. My DH wisely suggested we pay off the accrued interest before it's coming out of grace, because I guess it does weird things to the loan by including that accrued interest in the principal? Which... messes with stuff? Anyway, fine by me, we paid off the $723.71 it had accrued. This will make us look like we're in "the red" this month, since the Dog's surgery is this month, but it'll be well worth it. And I think it counts in saving rate anyway, since it's not spending per se, and it's separate from minimum payments.

I think the interest 'capitalizes' and becomes part of the principal when it comes out of grace, but it definitely counts as saving in my book!

That's the one! Yeah, so we paid that off to prevent that, and will do that again in January for my other two unsubsidized loans as they come out of grace. Will delay savings on the house downpayment, but the math makes sense to do it I think.

[choppingwood]

My private loan comes out of grace at the end of this month. It's also the highest interest rate loan I have. My DH wisely suggested we pay off the accrued interest before it's coming out of grace, because I guess it does weird things to the loan by including that accrued interest in the principal? Which... messes with stuff? Anyway, fine by me, we paid off the $723.71 it had accrued. This will make us look like we're in "the red" this month, since the Dog's surgery is this month, but it'll be well worth it. And I think it counts in saving rate anyway, since it's not spending per se, and it's separate from minimum payments.

I think the interest 'capitalizes' and becomes part of the principal when it comes out of grace, but it definitely counts as saving in my book!

That's the one! Yeah, so we paid that off to prevent that, and will do that again in January for my other two unsubsidized loans as they come out of grace. Will delay savings on the house downpayment, but the math makes sense to do it I think.

Yes, I think that is smart spending. Good on your DH for realizing that.

[Sailor Sam]

I'm not participating in Nospendber, but I did participate in Stocktober and I've noticed some interesting psychological happenings when comparing my spending habits between the 2 months. I've spent less money in the first 9 days of November than I did in the same time period of October, even though my financial obligations are the same month to month. 

For whatever reason I felt really constrained in October, and ended up leaning towards yes, instead of no/later when faced with a reasonable, but also deferable purchase. Now that I'm not participating in any challenges, I'm happy to delay my buying. I'm not whining, I just think it's interesting enough to share. Has anything similar happened to anyone else?

[choppingwood]

I'm not participating in Nospendber, but I did participate in Stocktober and I've noticed some interesting psychological happenings when comparing my spending habits between the 2 months. I've spent less money in the first 9 days of November than I did in the same time period of October, even though my financial obligations are the same month to month. 

For whatever reason I felt really constrained in October, and ended up leaning towards yes, instead of no/later when faced with a reasonable, but also deferable purchase. Now that I'm not participating in any challenges, I'm happy to delay my buying. I'm not whining, I just think it's interesting enough to share. Has anything similar happened to anyone else?

I do find that I am more likely to want to rebel against spending constraints when I am on a challenge like this. It is like being on a diet. The challenge makes me more conscious of where I am likely to overspend, though.

[Nancy]

Makes sense, Sailor Sam. Like choppingwood said, there are known negative effects of dieting (feeling constrained and deprived), which lead to the very behaviors one's trying to avoid. I created a food budget in stocktober that fell into this category, and though I didn't spend extra money, I felt foolish not buying more food. Generally for me, the challenge is not about the avoidance of spending; it's about trying to see how much extra I can save: food that would be wasted, items that would be thrown away instead of repaired, and, of course, extra money in my vanguard account. It's like a bonus Super Mario level that breaks up the monotony of an otherwise optimized budget. If something comes up and I don't save extra money, no big deal (on to the next month). The challenge has also been good for noticing/changing habits (my stocking up tendency) and ways of thinking. It sounds like you don't need the challenge. Good on ya!

[Eric222]

Argh.  I have a lunch this afternoon with an old friend that I'm going to pump for career advice.  I suppose this will be my restaurant expense for the month. :/  I was trying to go the whole month.  This can be a business expense instead, right?

[Bracken_Joy]

-Home depot trip, I'm guessing about $50-100 for this. New shower head and a DIY squat stand.

Home depot trip complete. Came to the tune of $116, but $40 of that is for a neighbor, so we'll get that back. Not too shabby! So lightbulbs are being replaced, drains unclogged, new shower head is in (thank GOD) and squat rack is on the to-do list for tomorrow. Oil change will happen this evening pending weather.

Did $4.50 in coffee this morning to see a friend, but that was for both DH and I. Totally fine in my book- social not convenience/stress reaction.

Dog was groomed and nails cut. Planned expense. Face punches welcome- we still don't intend to give this up.

[Sailor Sam]

-Home depot trip, I'm guessing about $50-100 for this. New shower head and a DIY squat stand.

and squat rack is on the to-do list for tomorrow.

I've spent the last week-ish thinking you were building a squatty-potty type thing. I was mightily impressed. But don't worry! I'm just gonna leave on my own, kay. No problems. Like, you don't have to throw me out cause I'm out the door already. Can we still be friends?

[Bracken_Joy]

-Home depot trip, I'm guessing about $50-100 for this. New shower head and a DIY squat stand.

and squat rack is on the to-do list for tomorrow.

I've spent the last week-ish thinking you were building a squatty-potty type thing. I was mightily impressed. But don't worry! I'm just gonna leave on my own, kay. No problems. Like, you don't have to throw me out cause I'm out the door already. Can we still be friends?

Not a half bad idea ;)

[Seppia]

Argh.  I have a lunch this afternoon with an old friend that I'm going to pump for career advice.  I suppose this will be my restaurant expense for the month. :/  I was trying to go the whole month.  This can be a business expense instead, right?

If you are getting great advice I would say pay for his lunch too.
See it as a "personal improvement" expense.
Also: karma.
If you're getting something from someone it's good to give back somehow.
A good career advice can be worth multiple thousands of dollars

[reader2580]

Wow, I don't feel quite so bad about my spending after reading some of your expenses.  If you believe the hardcore folks here you should never go out for food, should never get coffee outside of home, and should spend as little on gas as possible.  My SSD failed in my laptop so I had to spend $60 on a new one.  I also spent $150 on repair parts for the riding mower/snow blower.  Yes, I live in a non-mustachian area with a very large 3 acre lot.  The riding mower I bought used with cash and is 20 years old so it needs repair occasionally.

I do have debt that I expect to pay down about 10% ($3,000) this month.  I hope to pay it off in 18 months as I can't pay $3,000 every month.  I think a 25% savings rate is probably where I will be at after debt is paid off until my mortgage is paid off.  (More if principal payments count as savings.)

[Bracken_Joy]

Annoyance! I paid that $720 on my loan so it doesn't capitalize into the principal? They only just let me know the transaction didn't go through! Grr. I went through again, and hopefully it "takes" this time (I have until the 26th), but seriously- don't wait a week to tell me people!

Drove to see a friend yesterday. Totally worth the gas- she was 30min away instead of 2 hrs away. We grabbed lunch from a trader joe's, so I'm just going to roll that into my grocery budget anyway- I bought some groceries at the same time anyway.

Sailor Sam, get ready- you are welcome to facepunch me. I reloaded my starbucks card. 11 weeks without reloading that thing! I treated my friend and myself to coffee. Put $20 on the card. (But now I'm only 4 from my "free" coffee ;) lol). My hypocrisy is open for all the world to see!

On the other hand, Brother was able to get us the rest of his rent, so that's always nice.

The new lightbulbs and shower head are the best money I have spent in a long, long time.

[Zaga]

Wow, I don't feel quite so bad about my spending after reading some of your expenses.  If you believe the hardcore folks here you should never go out for food, should never get coffee outside of home, and should spend as little on gas as possible.  My SSD failed in my laptop so I had to spend $60 on a new one.  I also spent $150 on repair parts for the riding mower/snow blower.  Yes, I live in a non-mustachian area with a very large 3 acre lot.  The riding mower I bought used with cash and is 20 years old so it needs repair occasionally.

I do have debt that I expect to pay down about 10% ($3,000) this month.  I hope to pay it off in 18 months as I can't pay $3,000 every month.  I think a 25% savings rate is probably where I will be at after debt is paid off until my mortgage is paid off.  (More if principal payments count as savings.)

I include all debt principle reduction as a part of savings, I think most people here do.  The interest however, is an expanse.

[Eric222]

I include all debt principle reduction as a part of savings, I think most people here do.  The interest however, is an expanse.

I always calculate two numbers:  My savings rate that counts interest paid as savings (easily tells me what I'm actually living off of now) and my savings rate after paying interest.  The first makes me feel a bit better about what it will take eventually to sustain my lifestyle and the second tells me how much principal I'm actually killing.

[serra]

Payday today and I sent a chunk to investments -- hitting my savings rate goal of 74% for the month!

I realized that I may have set my goal for this challenge incorrectly, though -- I do most of my spending on a credit card that is due just under 2 months out, so my November spending rate really mostly influences my projected January savings rate. I am currently still on track for my goal there (less than 74% since I pay more Social Security tax at the beginning of the year) -- thought it's going to be a close one given birthdays/holidays/medical expenses foreseen.

So this week I've bought a couple of things -- floor cushions to make it easier to sit on the floor when it's cold without turning up the heat (we don't have a dining table and eat around our coffee table) -- and a rug on sale (I want to be a considerate upstairs neighbor once our baby arrives).  We also had takeout a couple of times.

Still, I'm pretty excited to have hit this number! My husband is out of town for a couple of days so I'm turning off the heat and will be cooking all meals until his return. Thanks for the motivation, everyone! Through December 5th (which is when my credit card bill rolls over) my goal is to keep my remaining discretionary spend to $50.

[Sailor Sam]

Sailor Sam, get ready- you are welcome to facepunch me. I reloaded my starbucks card. 11 weeks without reloading that thing! I treated my friend and myself to coffee. Put $20 on the card. (But now I'm only 4 from my "free" coffee ;) lol). My hypocrisy is open for all the world to see!

Aw, shucks, why would I face punch you? I mean, your like, taller and fierce than me, with nurse-like reflexes. I'll just sit down and have a cup of coffee with you, in the spirit of friendship and non-violence.

[Rosy]

Well, October went well and on target for savings, but spending was a bit out of control - $300 over target.

November may prove to be a challenge. I built in $200 to use or not for Christmas expenses, but I'd prefer to save it instead, since I already have $500 in my Christmas account.

Goals
Savings 63%
Stay within Christmas budget
Sell a few things on Craigs list and consider a garage sale
Update website

Success so far
Savings goal met
Side hustle income $ 32
All but one bill paid - last payment scheduled already.
Pay off overspending in October and do not add new unplanned purchases.


Planned purchases
Flowers and dirt for the fall garden - will come out of my discretionary income.
White spray paint for garden projects - will be covered by gift cards.

Groceries for first two weeks - on target
Expenditures .................. - on target
Savings ........................  - on target

[Bracken_Joy]

Sailor Sam, get ready- you are welcome to facepunch me. I reloaded my starbucks card. 11 weeks without reloading that thing! I treated my friend and myself to coffee. Put $20 on the card. (But now I'm only 4 from my "free" coffee ;) lol). My hypocrisy is open for all the world to see!

Aw, shucks, why would I face punch you? I mean, your like, taller and fierce than me, with nurse-like reflexes. I'll just sit down and have a cup of coffee with you, in the spirit of friendship and non-violence.

Haha, that makes me sound so intimidating! I'm okay with that.

Coffee it is! Let me know when you land in PDX =P (Obviously you would come here. We have the best coffee ever, after all!)

--------------
On the spending/challenge front: still ahead of where I want to be on groceries, but spending has slowed, so hopefully we'll come in under budget. Parking budget will have to be bumped a little for DH, because he's had to make a few extra trips to campus for group work. (Seriously, who in their right minds puts group projects in a master's? Especially one geared toward employed professionals?)

[Tigerpine]

As of this minute, my total spending for the month  as $1017.39

Of this, $712.43 are residual costs from the car I bought.  Without those expenses, my spending goes to $304.96  So, not too bad so far.

The best part is that I was able to fit the above car costs into my budget and still save a good chunk of cash (assuming no new surprises come)!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to say, I feel very positive about finances right now.  I view the flood last month as a "stress test" of my financial situation.  I've learned several things from the ordeal.

First, although my emergency fund was enough to keep me out of trouble this time, I need to increase it.  The fund depleted faster than I had anticipated.  On the plus side, I'm very thankful for the fund that I did have.  It prevented me from taking out an auto loan!

Second, the power of a budget is truly inspiring.  I knew exactly how much money I had, how much to expect, and was able to adapt to the situation with informed choices.  All because I had a budget.

Also due partly to the budget, I have been able to cut my monthly expenses by about $500 / mo without making 'sacrifices'.  I just spend money more efficiently than before.  This helped out a lot, too, and I finally was able to "feel" the benefits directly.

If this is even a pale comparison to what FI feels like, life is good.  True FI will be even better!

[choppingwood]

Spending is well within line so far. I`ve been doing especially well on food and gas.

Yesterday I ordered winter boots on line. I couldn`t find a promotion code, until immediately after I bought the boots. I called Landsend right away; they cancelled the first order and replace it with a new order with 40% off. This triggered a lower duty rate, and an $80 saving.

[Zaga]

Well, not only did DH get a traffic ticket (only his second one in 8 years, so I'm not mad about it), but the hot water tank sprung a leak.  So spending this month is higher than I would have liked.  We may end up having to pull some money that was transferred to savings early in the month.  Ah well, not a catastrophe, just life.  DH is installing the new water heater himself.

We also had pieces of 2 large pine trees fall.  We are cutting these up ourselves.

[snacky]

super frugal weekend! mostly stayed around home, spending time with people I love.

I have a couple of off topic questions that I don't want to start new threads for. tell me to shut up if i'm being inappropriate.

1. my employer takes 8% from my paycheques, doubles it, contributes it to the pension plan. do I count this as 8% savings or 16% savings? or none?
1a. do Canadians count CPP contributions as savings? if so, do I include my 4.95% contribution or that and the employer match, so 9.9%?

2. this isn't so much a question as begging for reassurance. I started investing on sept 15 of this year, and on the 15th of each month since (so, twice) I have evaluated my position. each month I have lost money on each of my investments. I understand that the markets are a disaster right now, but did I do something stupid with my money? if I had left it in my savings account I would have kept all of it, and made ~$50. someone tell me it will be ok.

that is all.

[choppingwood]

super frugal weekend! mostly stayed around home, spending time with people I love.

I have a couple of off topic questions that I don't want to start new threads for. tell me to shut up if i'm being inappropriate.

1. my employer takes 8% from my paycheques, doubles it, contributes it to the pension plan. do I count this as 8% savings or 16% savings? or none?
1a. do Canadians count CPP contributions as savings? if so, do I include my 4.95% contribution or that and the employer match, so 9.9%?

2. this isn't so much a question as begging for reassurance. I started investing on sept 15 of this year, and on the 15th of each month since (so, twice) I have evaluated my position. each month I have lost money on each of my investments. I understand that the markets are a disaster right now, but did I do something stupid with my money? if I had left it in my savings account I would have kept all of it, and made ~$50. someone tell me it will be ok.

1. If the pension plan is a defined contribution plan, I would count it. I am not sure that I would count something going to a defined benefit plan, though it could well be more valuable.

1a. I've never counted CPP contributions. I've never seen anyone include this on their net worth either.

2. History tells us that over time the trend will be upwards. Time to develop nerves of steel. Look at it this way -- it is better to experience this with a small amount of investment than a larger investment. And what you investment in in the coming months will be at a lower price than if the market had been rising.

[Dollar Slice]

My attempt at Nospendber is basically pathetic so far :-(  I knew the first week would be hard (I went to a bunch of events with drink minimums) and I think I did as well as I could in the circumstances... cheapest/healthiest thing on the menu every time. But for week 2 I wasn't counting on a last-minute birthday party at a restaurant. (I don't regret going, because I think it really meant a lot to the birthday boy, but it was unplanned spending to the tune of $60). I also stocked up on some beef that was on sale which was a lot more than I usually spend on meat - I've only bought beef to cook at home 3x this year. Again, not something I regret, since it was a good price for great quality meat and I'll get a lot of meals out of it, but it's not "cutting back on food spending" by any means.

OTOH I'm doing fairly well with not buying stuff generally. Other than groceries and meds I think I've only brought two objects into my home this month - an alarm clock and a pillow, both of which were badly needed. (I could use my phone for my alarm clock, but I've had too many close calls with nearly dropping it/knocking it off the nightstand while half asleep, and I don't think it's worth possibly breaking something that expensive to save $15 on a clock.)

I am hoping for no more unplanned spending this month but there is one thing looming that might get expensive... crossing my fingers.

[choppingwood]

I ordered winter tires as planned, for installation late next week. Found a $50 mail-in rebate deal within that timeframe, after the I talked to the auto guy, so this is a bonus.

Got an e-mail this morning that the winter boots have been shipped.

The big question now is whether I'll have enough money left over from this month's income to buy a new winter snow shovel. This would be really round out my snow management plan for the year, though I hadn't planned to do that this month.

[Bracken_Joy]

Got paid back by the neighbor for her share of the home improvement store trip.

Looking like income will top my expectations for this month- probably $7k. Being DINKs is exciting! Also means we'll probably save the $2k to the house fund on top of the vet bills and student loan extra payment, all while staying in the black for the month.

[snacky]

yesterday work was hard, then I got home and found that the dog had gotten into the dog food, eaten most of it, puked buckets and buckets, all over the house. my initial post here allowed for two nights of take-out when life gets too much and I don't want to cook. I was on the verge of using one of those. then I remembered my goals, reasoned that $30 for dinner could be $2 if I put rice & lentils in the rice cooker, with veg in the steamer basket, and that small step in my evening is not worth $30 to me. (I would have paid someone $30 to deal with the dog puke, however. ;) )

so I pulled up my big girl panties and got dinner ready, then cleaned up puke while it cooked. terrible evening after a terrible day, but would take-out have made it that much better?

[Nancy]

Nice job, snacky! Sorry about your tough day and puke-filled night. Now you can think of your reward as $28 bucks in your pocket (or more aptly your investment account).

So far, other than food/bills I spent $1.40 (after 50% off coupon) on darning needles. Totally worth it. Today, I volunteered at a clothing swap, and I scored a free pair of rain pants. I've needed rain pants for soooooo long. Glad I never bought them!

[cityfolks]

This week has been rough, including an unexpected job interview that prompted a gas tank refill (a need) and a meal on the go (poor planning). The downside of trying to work through my pantry has been a few unplanned shortages, so with the holidays my grocery bills will likely suffer, especially combined with the end of our CSA season.

I am likely buying a pie from our Young Friends group this coming weekend as part of a fundraiser, an unplanned expense but one I'm happy to make. Add to that a hair cut and therapy next week, and groceries this weekend, and that might be it for the month?

Of course, now that I've said that, my car will probably catch on fire or something. :-/

[TheBuddha]

I'm in! Goals in November:

• Make substantial progress on eBook, if not finish it altogether

I'm making good progress on this, and should have it done by the end of the month. The second draft is nearly complete. I've even got a second book outlined.

[choppingwood]

I normally buy groceries during the last few days of the month, which is when most of my income comes in. However, the grocery store had a meat sale on Thursday with all meat 20% off. I had a little cash, so I bought the meat I would need until mid-December.

There are  lots of vegetables in the house that I stocked up on in late summer and early fall and most of what I would use for baking, so I don't think I'll need to spend much on groceries this coming week. Also, the manager at my part-time job left me a big bag of squash and potatoes from her garden. The squash are ready to be cooked, so I'll get that done this weekend and put them in the freezer.

[Tigerpine]

Nospendber is going well here.  The latest challenge:  Christmas Presents

I told both my brothers that the only thing I want for Christmas is for them to set up 529's for their kids.  I'll send some "529 money" for the kids for their presents.

I don't like how Christmas has become a mandatory gift-exchange holiday.  I'd be perfectly content just to be with family and get a good meal out of it.  At least I can try take advantage of the ritual to set up the next generation for success.

[Bracken_Joy]

We will probably go over our grocery budget this month, unfortunately. We did a lot of stock up this month. We've been doing more Costco and amazon, so a lot of the cost is home goods in bulk. Less defensible is we've ramped our drinking back up this month, after a couple month of lower levels.

Added to this, income won't be quite as high as expected this month, since I ended up not working this weekend (I am paid weekly). This coming week is Dog's surgery. Hoping it is low complication and low end of the cost estimate.

Still, we will move $2k to the house downpayment even if we have to tap our buffer by $2-300. The extra student loan payment wasn't planned, but was totally worthwhile, so I'm not upset even if this month is a "failure" (looking at Mint's numbers anyway- keeping all expenses within past paychecks).

I'll probably cheat a bit, too. I have a couple gifts ordered for Christmas, and I will probably move those transactions to the December budget, so that all gifts are in the same month. Makes it easier when I go back and analyze trends.

[G-dog]

So far, no eating out this month. I skipped a standing group lunch. It meets every month so I can catch up with them in December.

I've been cooking out of the pantry or freezer more. This helps clear or rotate inventory. But I probably won't spend less on food with the holiday, we have guests coming over.

Our last electric/gas bill was less than $100! This was the second month in a row. Cost lower due to good weather and not using AC or furnace. That has come to an end with a big snowfall coming through, but I am more mindful about turning off the system when I can.

Most days are no spend days for me now that I am retired. All the temptations of a quick lunch out to get out of the office, running a quick errand, etc. are pretty much gone. Gas use is way down!

[G-dog]

Our last electric/gas bill was less than $100! This was the second month in a row. Cost lower due to good weather and not using AC or furnace. That has come to an end with a big snowfall coming through, but I am more mindful about turning off the system when I can.

Nice! Our electric and water bills were really low this month. Is it gross to say that we seem to shower less when it's cold because we aren't getting sweaty and stinky every day?

Whatever works! Though, I will admit to enjoying the luxury of a long hot shower if I get really cold and can't warm up. Or if I just shoveled all the snow and my muscles are starting to stiffen up!

I suspect our bill will be more than $100 next month, but if it is less than $200 I would consider that a win!

[Bracken_Joy]

The big unknown expense, Dog's surgery, ended up coming in way below budget. Low estimate had it at $950, so I had put a $1,000 mint line item. Miracle of miracles, it came to only $630. Because of the savings, DH and I keep joking about it- have to turn heat up for dog? "We have $400 to spend on heat!", giving extra nutritious foods? "We have buffer in the budget for the food!"

Also, Dog is doing well, which is worth way more money than the money we budgeted.

Early guess, we're looking at a 62.9% savings rate.

[Sailor Sam]

It's great that your pup is doing so well. My dog was a rescue who got spayed later in life. Since I'm a softie, I elected to give her extra pain relief even though the vet said it was entirely optional. It just didn't seem right to rip her internal organs out, then leave her in pain. Welp, the vet gave her back to me drugged to the gills. Slithering, flopping, drooling. But totally, totally thrilled shitless to see me again. It ended up being hilarious. But it wasn't cheap. 

[Nancy]

I have strangely (I seriously do not usually long after consumer goods like clothes or decorative household items) also been very tempted by consumer items recently... Normally this isn't much of an issue for me. I think it's b/c I have been stressed out at work and feel like I want to "treat myself" in response to that.  So far, I have been able to keep it in check (have not bought ANYTHING that I have been thinking about) by acknowledging that it is an emotional urge and that I don't actually NEED anything. In fact, I am a long-time minimalist(-ish), and if I really think about it, not only do I not need those things, I don't even really want them, either!

I've been tempted by crafting-related purchases (like wool to crochet a shawl and some knit fabric for an easy but awesome dress pattern I just borrowed from a friend). I think it has to do with the colder months coming and my desire to hunker down and set my mind/hands to enjoyable projects. So far, I haven't purchased anything, but I probably will - as long as I'm committed to the project. But do I need the shawl or dress? No.

I did, however, give myself a small treat that meant a lot to me - I bought a half dozen fresh bagels & cream cheese at my favourite bakery :)

You monster! Just kidding, of course. Sounds delightful!

Other than that, I am just reminding myself about what I already have and am grateful for.

Nice! And nice work all around!