Uber Frugal January

[Sailor Sam]

What actually falls into the spirit of UFJ? Because I like Lara bars, and the local grocery store only puts them on sale once per quarter. Priced at $0.88/bar, down from $1.49/bar. I snorffled up 16 bars (the best discount came in multiples of 8).

I think buy was frugal - I use them for needed calories and not just to avoid planning better meals, and the pricepoint was certainly good. But was it uber frugal? I could go either way. Any opinions?

Spending
1/09:  $0
1/10:  $0
1/11:  $0
1/12:  $8.40 on groceries
1/13:  $38.86 on 13 gallons of primo gasoline
1/14:  $64.62 on groceries. First big grocery shopping for 2017. I'm using the receipt as the blastocyst of a price book.
1/15:  $15 recharging Starbucks card

1/16 - $0 (but $10.95 using a gift card)
1/17 - $0  (reimbursed $4 on parking)
1/18 - $0
1/19 - $0
1/20 - $140 on passport renewal
1/21 - 38.84 on groceries

[frugalkristen]

So, today wasn't too frugal - bought a shop vac (really needed) and spent $59 then went to Aldi and spent another $58 (really stocked up!).  But - it was really nice today and we went for a long walk to an estate sale.  It was really picked through so didn't buy anything but garbage picked a beautiful planter and 2 cool wire baskets!  That was fun!

[lemonverbena]

Sailor Sam, I would've bought all the Lara bars for that price.
Well, in the 24 hrs since committing to the UFM, four unexpected expenses popped up. One, I got a notice in the mail that our escrow account is going up due to rising property taxes. Two, i discovered a burnt out headlight and an empty reservoir of windshield wiper fluid. Three, I need a phone charger. My husband and I share one and that's just not working when he takes it to work with him. And four, I decided last night to set up our first ever retirement account (YAY!). We put $225 into a SEP IRA, which is actually maxing it out for last year, as that is 25% of my husband's self-employment side income. I wanted to make sure we didn't owe any taxes on the little bit he made. So this last unexpected expense is a win, even if it slows progress on the car loan. None of these have come out of the account yet, so so far we're at:
1/20: $26.99 (gasoline)

[Fresh Bread]

Sailor Sam, I would've bought all the Lara bars for that price.
Well, in the 24 hrs since committing to the UFM, four unexpected expenses popped up. One, I got a notice in the mail that our escrow account is going up due to rising property taxes. Two, i discovered a burnt out headlight and an empty reservoir of windshield wiper fluid. Three, I need a phone charger. My husband and I share one and that's just not working when he takes it to work with him. And four, I decided last night to set up our first ever retirement account (YAY!). We put $225 into a SEP IRA, which is actually maxing it out for last year, as that is 25% of my husband's self-employment side income. I wanted to make sure we didn't owe any taxes on the little bit he made. So this last unexpected expense is a win, even if it slows progress on the car loan. None of these have come out of the account yet, so so far we're at:
1/20: $26.99 (gasoline)

I just put water in my wiper reservoir, am I doing it wrong?

[I'm a red panda]

Sailor Sam, I would've bought all the Lara bars for that price.
Well, in the 24 hrs since committing to the UFM, four unexpected expenses popped up. One, I got a notice in the mail that our escrow account is going up due to rising property taxes. Two, i discovered a burnt out headlight and an empty reservoir of windshield wiper fluid. Three, I need a phone charger. My husband and I share one and that's just not working when he takes it to work with him. And four, I decided last night to set up our first ever retirement account (YAY!). We put $225 into a SEP IRA, which is actually maxing it out for last year, as that is 25% of my husband's self-employment side income. I wanted to make sure we didn't owe any taxes on the little bit he made. So this last unexpected expense is a win, even if it slows progress on the car loan. None of these have come out of the account yet, so so far we're at:
1/20: $26.99 (gasoline)

I just put water in my wiper reservoir, am I doing it wrong?

I thought it needed to be a liquid that won't freeze. Unless it won't ever freeze where you are.

About Lara bars
I think buying on sale a product you'd buy anyway makes sense. Delaying spending just to spend more isn't exactly frugal.

[HappierAtHome]

Sigh. Feeding other people might be my UFM grocery downfall, haha. Looking back I think I've served an additional 10 people meals so far this month. It's kind of a tough proposition: a lot of our friends don't cook, so going out to eat is the only alternative. At least people usually bring good drinks as a thank you, haha.

Feeding other people is my grocery downfall EVERY month! But on a purely financial level, it's cheaper than eating out with people or getting takeaway, which are the alternatives (the people I love are pretty much entirely either incapable of or unwilling to host, but still genuinely lovely humans who I want to spend time with). It's convenient for me to be at home. It's guaranteed that my husband can actually *eat* the food without dying (food allergies). And it's a more relaxed and casual atmosphere than going out to a restaurant.

[swick]

Sigh. Feeding other people might be my UFM grocery downfall, haha. Looking back I think I've served an additional 10 people meals so far this month. It's kind of a tough proposition: a lot of our friends don't cook, so going out to eat is the only alternative. At least people usually bring good drinks as a thank you, haha.

Feeding other people is my grocery downfall EVERY month! But on a purely financial level, it's cheaper than eating out with people or getting takeaway, which are the alternatives (the people I love are pretty much entirely either incapable of or unwilling to host, but still genuinely lovely humans who I want to spend time with). It's convenient for me to be at home. It's guaranteed that my husband can actually *eat* the food without dying (food allergies). And it's a more relaxed and casual atmosphere than going out to a restaurant.

I'm wondering if a supper-club type of deal would work? Like say you host once a month (pick a theme each time, make it fun) Have everyone who wants to come to chip in say 20 bucks (or whatever is less than a meal out but covers the cost of your time and grocery expenses) So you can buy fancier ingredients than you might otherwise, but it doesn't keep costing you money to feed people?  You might even be able to make a profit, at the very least some tasty leftovers ;)

[katscratch]

Sailor Sam, I would've bought all the Lara bars for that price.
Well, in the 24 hrs since committing to the UFM, four unexpected expenses popped up. One, I got a notice in the mail that our escrow account is going up due to rising property taxes. Two, i discovered a burnt out headlight and an empty reservoir of windshield wiper fluid. Three, I need a phone charger. My husband and I share one and that's just not working when he takes it to work with him. And four, I decided last night to set up our first ever retirement account (YAY!). We put $225 into a SEP IRA, which is actually maxing it out for last year, as that is 25% of my husband's self-employment side income. I wanted to make sure we didn't owe any taxes on the little bit he made. So this last unexpected expense is a win, even if it slows progress on the car loan. None of these have come out of the account yet, so so far we're at:
1/20: $26.99 (gasoline)

I just put water in my wiper reservoir, am I doing it wrong?

I thought it needed to be a liquid that won't freeze. Unless it won't ever freeze where you are.

About Lara bars
I think buying on sale a product you'd buy anyway makes sense. Delaying spending just to spend more isn't exactly frugal.

That's exactly what I was going to say to you regarding stamps :)

[tortoiseshell]

Day 1: $10.00 (church offering)
Day 2: $0
Day 3: $2.00 (DH coffee)
Day 4: $27.93 ($9 groceries, $18.93 OTC medication)
Day 5: $0
Day 6: $85.75 (internet: the price was raised this month; I have to work on getting it down.)
Day 7: $23.75 (groceries, including cat food)

Week 1 Total: $149.43

Day 8: $10.00 (church offering)
Day 9: $7.04 (eggs and loaf of bread)
Day 10: $4.25 (cat treats and DH coffee)
Day 11: $22.55 (groceries for DH lunches, vitamins, shoe polish)
Day 12: $39.49 (electric bill and DH coffee)
Day 13: $0
Day 14: $33.53 (groceries)

Week 2 Total: $116.86

Day 15: $106.41 (cell phone bill, anniversary dinner, church offering)
Day 16: $35.00 (prescription medication for cat)
Day 17: $11.05 (groceries for DH lunches, DH coffee)
Day 18: $1.79 (DH coffee)
Day 19: $867.29 (rent, house coffee, oats, sesame seeds)
Day 20: $0
Day 21: $23.88 (groceries)

Week 3 total: $1045.42 ($195.42 in non-rent spending)

I was not looking forward to grocery shopping this week, as my pantry is significantly more bare than at the beginning of the month. The good news is that my grocery store is having their "buck-a-bag" produce sale this week, so even though I had to replenish some staples, I came out pretty well ahead of where I thought I'd be on that front.

[Anatidae V]

Our weekend has gone well, I served a delicious brunch yesterday. We didn't get take out on Friday or Saturday night when we were tired, instead DH pulled a frozen meal out for him and I had fried mushrooms on Friday, and scrambled eggs on Saturday. I think we may need to change our lunch options this week for variety, but shouldn't need to be a big change. BBQ food is all over the menu as it's Australia Day on Thursday. Yum.

[Fresh Bread]

Instead of buying a six pack of beer on Friday we went through our drinks cabinet. We had margaritas on Friday and something called a Rum Sidecar (rum & triple sec & lemon juice) on Saturday. Had the beneficial side effect of decluttering 3 spirit bottles as there were only a couple of measures in each.

[HappierAtHome]

Sigh. Feeding other people might be my UFM grocery downfall, haha. Looking back I think I've served an additional 10 people meals so far this month. It's kind of a tough proposition: a lot of our friends don't cook, so going out to eat is the only alternative. At least people usually bring good drinks as a thank you, haha.

Feeding other people is my grocery downfall EVERY month! But on a purely financial level, it's cheaper than eating out with people or getting takeaway, which are the alternatives (the people I love are pretty much entirely either incapable of or unwilling to host, but still genuinely lovely humans who I want to spend time with). It's convenient for me to be at home. It's guaranteed that my husband can actually *eat* the food without dying (food allergies). And it's a more relaxed and casual atmosphere than going out to a restaurant.

I'm wondering if a supper-club type of deal would work? Like say you host once a month (pick a theme each time, make it fun) Have everyone who wants to come to chip in say 20 bucks (or whatever is less than a meal out but covers the cost of your time and grocery expenses) So you can buy fancier ingredients than you might otherwise, but it doesn't keep costing you money to feed people?  You might even be able to make a profit, at the very least some tasty leftovers ;)

Yeeeeaaah that would not work for me, on several levels. But it's an interesting idea!

[SingleMomDebt]

Low on groceries, but managed today (I was too lazy to do my grocery shopping today).

I made a PB-cocao-banana smoothie as I was craving iced cream, remembered I had multigrain pancakes in the freezer for a quick breakfast, and whipped up a grill cheese for DD instead of grabbing something from the fast food place. I also plucked my own eyebrows. That's a tough one for me because the place I go does a fantastic job. But I did okay. I swear, good eyebrows can make a world of difference.

[PJ]

Today, being frugal, I ate breakfast and supper at home (lunch was a function at work).  Supper was some of the veggie/soya chunk/couscous stewy-soup (soupy-stew?) stuff that I made last night.  It looked a bit unappetizing in that "way too healthy" way, but actually, it was really good!  I'm not going to mind at all having to finish it up, and already thinking about the fact that there is another jar of mystery liquid in the freezer, so maybe I can make it again a few weeks from now.

After supper, I've been cruising the journals section of the forum (so.many.journals.with.so.many.pages!)  And eating junk food.  Skittles from my Christmas stocking.  And cookies someone gave me at Christmas, that I'd shoved in the freezer so I didn't eat all the junk food at once. 

Shrug

Had to do something to make up for that super healthy supper, right?

Also, took a look through the grocery flyers from this week's free community newspaper.  Shoppers Drug Mart (Canadian pharmacy chain, that also has some grocery items now) was having a 20x the points event today.  I need a couple of things from Shoppers, and briefly debated heading there, but it's a $50 minimum spend to get the extra points, and I don't need quite that much stuff.  Will be cheaper just to get those couple of items at Walmart for now!  Less driving too, as WM is on my way home from work.

Unfortunately, I am looking at having to take my car in to my mechanic early this week.  I seem to have a slow leak in one tire.  Was just too busy to get there this week, but don't want to risk something going wrong.  I did have to spend $1 to use the compressed air machine at the gas station, plus I topped up on gas since I was driving past one of my preferred (i.e. cheaper) gas stations.

[nottoolatetostart]

Spent nothing yesterday and had 2 Craigslist sales. In my last post, I debated if I needed manual tile nippers to finish 1 tile, but I ended up using hammer to get job done. I also already owned a manual tile cutter that also helped me a lot too. I am so amazed, embarrassed, bewildered that I own so many home improvement tools. I need to shop my basement more often.  I did spend a few minutes to organize my belongings together (all light bulbs in 1 box, all extensive cords in 1 area, etc). So glad I didn'the go to Home Depot to buy those tile nippers for a one time use.

Anyway, tile setting job now complete, now to grout and wait, caulk and wait. Family walk to library for entertainment. Fire at night and made chicken teriyaki - running low on veg, so I roasted some shredded cabbage to go on side. Freezer a little less full now.

Taking kids to kids museum today (we have annual passes) since Sunday is free parking days (normally I would go during week and spend 6-8 dollars on parking). Will walk to grocery store for eggs and vegetables.

[pachnik]

Yesterday was pretty frugal.  Because I took transit to my city's Women's March, I had to top up my transit card though.  I accidentally added too much but it will be there for next trip downtown.   I 'felt' like having a take-out coffee just after the march but came home instead and drank tea. 

Today, we are going to get groceries for the week.  Then in the afternoon a friend and her baby are coming for a visit.  I am baking cookies and using up some of the supplies from Christmas baking.

[akzidenz]

My other win is that our 7 year anniversary was this week. I made an awesome cake (last time I made cake for a celebration, it was so bad (yes bad) I sent DH out to local bakery for ~$30). This time, I measured everything (love my food scale) and even made white chocolate rainbow sprinkles from scratch with kids. They loved it and made my cake frosting amazing.

So that brings me to my other thing that I learned from Frugal Woods. I deprive myself the opportunity to get better at something when I outsource. My cake skills are damn near some of the best bakeries I have ever been to now (I love cucake bakeries but no more!). I told my husband that it is a skill I need to learn and he needs to bear with me! Hahah...but it has paid off..

I loved this thought! I'm someone who cares very deeply about improving and refining my creative abilities and various other competencies, but I am not very frugal and trying hard to improve there. Finding ways to frame frugality as a philosophical/intellectual outlook, and one that benefits me in other ways, is really helpful in keeping me motivated.

I have two somewhat related story—

I love wearing nail polish. But I always do it at home. There is something deeply relaxing and peaceful to me about painting my nails and the manual precision needed to get a perfect, smooth finish and gloss. I spent about three months being quite bad at it and the polish was always uneven, streaky, on my fingers…but since I kept on plugging away at it and really striving to do a beautiful job, I now have very precise nail polish abilities and I'm spending very little when satisfying my vanity.

I live in a city, so I don't need a car and can take public transit. I've felt decently good about having a transportation budget of $100/month. Two friends of mine, however, live in a different large city (NYC) and have spent a grand total of $200 for two people on transportation (not counting travel and plane tickets) since April, when they moved there. It's a combination of living extremely close to work and walking everywhere—they have Saturday afternoon walks with their humble little grocery carts to a cheap Asian supermarket a half hour away. They were talking to me about how little they exercise in daily life, with their office jobs, and how well they know the landscape of the city from their strolls. The way they talk about these walks—which seemed excessively frugal to me initially—sounded so joyful, like they were really appreciating the time spent walking and engaging with the world and stretching their legs. So I've started taking long walks too around my city, and reading/listening to music/listening to podcasts on the way.

I don't think I can stick to frugality unless it feels joyful and cheery. So the Frugalwoods way of discussing it, as a cheerfully chosen lifestyle, feels very encouraging and motivating.

[Bracken_Joy]

Hopefully have headed disaster off at the pass. Today we're combining a hiking trip with dropping food off for our friends who just had a baby. I'm getting ready this morning though and realize- I don't have food for US! Luckily, we had enough odds and ends and leftovers around that we've thrown together a decent amount of food. Need to get back into the swing of longer outings and planning for food on days like this!

[frugalkristen]

Thought I was done spending this month but unfortunately I put my only pair of jeans on this morning and they ripped - in a spot that is inappropriate to wear in public.  And not in a way I can sew them.  Sigh.  I've had them for years and had purchased them at an outlet mall for a very reasonable price.  I got my money's worth!  But today, I'm off to find a new (or new to me) pair of jeans.  :(

[I'm a red panda]

Thought I was done spending this month but unfortunately I put my only pair of jeans on this morning and they ripped - in a spot that is inappropriate to wear in public.  And not in a way I can sew them.  Sigh.  I've had them for years and had purchased them at an outlet mall for a very reasonable price.  I got my money's worth!  But today, I'm off to find a new (or new to me) pair of jeans.  :(

Can you try a local buy nothing group? Maybe you can find a pair to hold you off for awhile?

In the meantime, slacks and athletic pants?

[frugalkristen]

Thought I was done spending this month but unfortunately I put my only pair of jeans on this morning and they ripped - in a spot that is inappropriate to wear in public.  And not in a way I can sew them.  Sigh.  I've had them for years and had purchased them at an outlet mall for a very reasonable price.  I got my money's worth!  But today, I'm off to find a new (or new to me) pair of jeans.  :(

Can you try a local buy nothing group? Maybe you can find a pair to hold you off for awhile?

In the meantime, slacks and athletic pants?

I wish we had a local buy nothing group here but no luck.  I need a pair of jeans.  I only have a few pair of dress pants for work and no athletic pants.  I don't want to work on the house in dress pants.  I'm going to a couple consignment stores and am hoping to find something!

[MonkeyJenga]

I avoided depression-buying chocolate yesterday and Inauguration Day. That is victory for me. I've spent under $50 on food this month.

I found out I'll be paying almost $200 for an urgent care visit, though, and a similar amount for dental work. Plus a well-visit next week that will add another hundred or so for tests. $500-ish total. Oh well. A few extra days of work. I've got the money.

[pachnik]

I avoided depression-buying chocolate yesterday and Inauguration Day. That is victory for me. I've spent under $50 on food this month.

I found out I'll be paying almost $200 for an urgent care visit, though, and a similar amount for dental work. Plus a well-visit next week that will add another hundred or so for tests. $500-ish total. Oh well. A few extra days of work. I've got the money.

Good job, MJ on avoiding the depression-buying chocolate.  That's a tough one for me but my thing is coffee out at a coffee shop.   I also had to pay $80 for an eye exam and then $300 for new reading glasses (2 pairs - one for at work and one for home).   I know how it feels during UFJ. 

This UFJ has been a really good reset for me and I propose we do it annually here.   Just a thought anyway. 

[gaja]

Week 1: 2 0-spend days, total spending of $87 (postage, groceries, parking)
Week 2: 4 0-spend days, total spending of $434 (groceries and sports equipment for the kids)

Week 3:
Jan 16: $4 (lunch with new collegue) $4 (parking)
Jan 17: $12 (dinner at work travel) $120 (a huge pile of firewood)
Jan 18: $21 (car light) $3 (groceries)
Jan 19: $10 (snacks while travelling)
Jan 20: $140 (groceries)
Jan 21: 0
Jan 22: 0

The 0 for shopping this Saturday is only partially true, since I decided to pay for the ferry tickets for June, since they are cheaper now. Due to planning, we got $35 off the groceries on Friday: 10 % off on everything, and an additional 10 % off on some of the most expensive items. Yes, we could have postponed some of it to February, but then we would have paid more.

[westtoeast]

Oh lord, I'm 7 dollars away from my spending limit! Help!

Generally it has been a frugal past few days, but I decided that I should make a sandwich to bring with me to the Woman's March yesterday. This was generally a frugal move, but the ingredients bumped up my grocery spend from $26 to $33 (damn you 4 dollar gluten free sandwich bread). At least the rest of the bread goes in the freezer for next month. I also dropped and broke my bottle of Stevia sweetener, which was 7 bucks to replace. This sounds spendy but it lasts for months so totally worth it for healthy sweetened tea for desserts.

Now I am supposed to go see a movie with some friends... a $7 matinee. I could skip out on this but it is a relatively low cost for a fun weekend social activity. So that will leave me 0 dollars for the next 8 days. Food and transportation needs are taken care of so I just need to make sure not to purchase ANYTHING else and I'll make it!

[Captain and Mrs Slow]

Got on street parking today, not a big win as Sundays are quiet.

Getting low on wine but haven't ordered any all month so no issue going over there.

[SingleMomDebt]

Gifted a bottle of wine that was gifted to me.

[frugalkristen]

Sort of a fail but sort of a win.  Went to Plato's Closet for a pair of jeans (my only pair ripped this morning).  Walked in to find out they were having a 40% off sale!  Walked out with 4 pr of jeans and a shirt for me, 2 pr of khakis, 2 Northface light weight jackets, a button down, and a skirt for my kids (I have 4 kids 18-23).  The stuff for the kids will be Christmas presents (I plan Christmas all year to minimize my spending).  Only spent $103!  I thought that was a steal for the name brand stuff I got (one of the jeans I bought were Lucky brand which would have easily been $100 alone!  And they fit perfectly!!). 

[PJ]

Sort of a fail but sort of a win.  Went to Plato's Closet for a pair of jeans (my only pair ripped this morning).  Walked in to find out they were having a 40% off sale!  Walked out with 4 pr of jeans and a shirt for me, 2 pr of khakis, 2 Northface light weight jackets, a button down, and a skirt for my kids (I have 4 kids 18-23).  The stuff for the kids will be Christmas presents (I plan Christmas all year to minimize my spending).  Only spent $103!  I thought that was a steal for the name brand stuff I got (one of the jeans I bought were Lucky brand which would have easily been $100 alone!  And they fit perfectly!!).

There is nothing quite like a good day at the thrift/consignment store!  Sometimes there is nothing that you want, or nothing that fits you properly, but sometimes you get lucky and find the right item, in the right size, in the right colour, and in the right condition! 

To be honest, if you had only got the 4 pairs of jeans and shirt for yourself, I would still have thought it was a pretty good deal ... about the cheapest jeans I can find new around here are $30 a pair (Walmart, or occasionally at Sears/Bay when there's a really good sale.)

[Sailor Sam]

Spending
1/09:  $0
1/10:  $0
1/11:  $0
1/12:  $8.40 on groceries
1/13:  $38.86 on 13 gallons of primo gasoline
1/14:  $64.62 on groceries. First big grocery shopping for 2017. I'm using the receipt as the blastocyst of a price book.
1/15:  $15 recharging Starbucks card

1/16 - $0 (but $10.95 using a gift card)
1/17 - $0  (reimbursed $4 on parking)
1/18 - $0
1/19 - $0
1/20 - $140 on passport renewal
1/21 - 38.84 on groceries
1/22 - $0

I'm very pleased with my weekend. I managed to socialize without spending any money.

Upcoming Challenges:
1. The keyboard on my main laptop stopped working correctly. Ulp! I made an appt at the Genius Bar next Saturday. Not sure how much money I'm willing to put into repair. I'm fond of that computer, but I have a backup laptop, an iPad, and a phone. Plus I just learned Mac Numbers can be used online, as part of the iCloud. I might not repair the computer.

2. Travel Tuesday to Friday this week. I'll receive per-diem, but good food choices might be harder.

[Anatidae V]

We're doing well with planning our meals and shopping just to those meals (plus using stocked items were we can). Our food waste has improved dramatically, although it has been particularly bad the last part of last year whilst I was sick.

[tortoiseshell]

Day 1: $10.00 (church offering)
Day 2: $0
Day 3: $2.00 (DH coffee)
Day 4: $27.93 ($9 groceries, $18.93 OTC medication)
Day 5: $0
Day 6: $85.75 (internet: the price was raised this month; I have to work on getting it down.)
Day 7: $23.75 (groceries, including cat food)

Week 1 Total: $149.43

Day 8: $10.00 (church offering)
Day 9: $7.04 (eggs and loaf of bread)
Day 10: $4.25 (cat treats and DH coffee)
Day 11: $22.55 (groceries for DH lunches, vitamins, shoe polish)
Day 12: $39.49 (electric bill and DH coffee)
Day 13: $0
Day 14: $33.53 (groceries)

Week 2 Total: $116.86

Day 15: $106.41 (cell phone bill, anniversary dinner, church offering)
Day 16: $35.00 (prescription medication for cat)
Day 17: $11.05 (groceries for DH lunches, DH coffee)
Day 18: $1.79 (DH coffee)
Day 19: $867.29 (rent, house coffee, oats, sesame seeds)
Day 20: $0
Day 21: $23.88 (groceries)

Week 3 total: $1045.42 ($195.42 in non-rent spending)

Day 22: $31.99 (vitamins, bus tokens)

DH and I went to a dry goods store where we had a gift card, but we knew that sometimes the gift card machine in that particular store doesn't work all of the time, so I asked if it was working and the clerk said that it was. We picked out a pound of green tea, a 1/4 pound turmeric and 1/4 cinnamon because we were low. Once we got to the register, the gift card machine had stopped working. So, after fiddling with the machine for a while, the (obviously very embarrassed) clerk said, "I'm so sorry; the machine has stopped working, but you can take your things." We asked if she was really sure about that, she repeatedly said yes, so we thanked her and left? I've never experienced anything like that before, but I will be sure to continue going there and spend real money (on things we need as we need them) after that!

[Anatidae V]

We've continued to spend $140 on groceries at our major trip each week very consistently this month, even buying different foods. There's still a $30/week problem with "forgotten extras", though. I'm hoping it will decline as we get used to everything being bought in the single major trip. Neither of us has spent any of our play money this month - we've been kept too busy! January is a month full of annual and quarterly bills, so it doesn't look great on its own until I break it down. Keen to see where we end up.

[HappierAtHome]

Still doing well here. We set ourselves what we thought was a very low budget for the month (definitely a stretch goal) and yet we should come in under that number. Which is excellent :-)

I feel like UFJ has also prompted me to think more deeply about spending in line with my values, which is an ongoing area of growth for me. I want to use my dollars to vote for ethical, sustainable production of high quality goods, not mass-produced consumerist crap.

[katscratch]

Still doing well here. We set ourselves what we thought was a very low budget for the month (definitely a stretch goal) and yet we should come in under that number. Which is excellent :-)

I feel like UFJ has also prompted me to think more deeply about spending in line with my values, which is an ongoing area of growth for me. I want to use my dollars to vote for ethical, sustainable production of high quality goods, not mass-produced consumerist crap.

Yes! This is something that has been a cycle for me over the past few years. I'm at a point now where my financial choices in 2016 led to needing to really cut down expenses, so I'm buying groceries at Aldi, in packaging, instead of at the co-op where I can use my own containers. At least a few times a year I think about how privileged it is to be able to make that decision, but food and clothing are areas that are really important to me.

Congrats on your progress so far!

I just learned Mac Numbers can be used online, as part of the iCloud.

Whhhaaaaaat?! I did not know this! This may be a game changer in my obsession with tracking my finances :)

[Sailor Sam]

I just learned Mac Numbers can be used online, as part of the iCloud.

Whhhaaaaaat?! I did not know this! This may be a game changer in my obsession with tracking my finances :)

Yes. It was similar for me. I very nearly had an emotion. But it might have just been gas. Either way, it passed quickly, and I felt normal afterwards. ;)

The cloud version brings back the formula bar, which I have to admit I missed. What kind of spreadsheet designer things "let's be innovative and get rid of the formula bar!"?

ETA: here's the URL: https://www.icloud.com/

Wait, how do you show quote punctuation that differs from non-quote punctuation? That looks weird.

[katscratch]

Wait, how do you show quote punctuation that differs from non-quote punctuation? That looks weird.

Haha it took me a long time to figure out what you meant, so it must be fine! ;)  It's been probably 15 years since I looked at an official writing guide, but hey.

Thanks for the link! Ooooh yes that is the only thing I don't like about Numbers, the lack of a formula bar. Or my ineptitude. Probably more the latter.

[horsepoor]

Totally went for Inauguration depression  chocolate  and it was fancy shit too.  Spent some money this weekend but had a good time getting to know  my colleague who came out and stayed for the DC March.  Not worth being a drag to save a couple bucks.  We mostly ate at home, but had coffee out, and I had a beer and chili cheese fries after the march.  No regrets.

Haven't bought any "stuff" and had free entertainment this afternoon visiting the National Portrait Gallery.

Made chicken salad from leftover roast chicken for lunches the next few days, then put the carcass in the Instant Pot  for stock.

DH and I both independently paid the gas bill, so I guess we just won't much, if anything in February.  He said he turned the thermostat down to 55, which is too hardcore for me, but more power to him.

[marielle]

Only thing missing is health insurance, because I'm a loser and still on the parent's plan. My work plan doesn't offer dental or vision so I've been procrastinating what to do about that. :/ It would add about $80 a month for just medical through work. Maybe I should just get laser eye surgery (only one eye can be corrected so half the cost too) and floss really really well so I don't need either coverage...

$80 for health insurance is a killer deal! Have you asked your folks how expensive it is for them to stay on your plan? I suspect it's >$80 unless they have a seriously awesome plan. If they do have a seriously awesome plan, you should milk that until you're 26!

Vision/dental insurance is usually pretty crap, by the way. Both are more like a "discount plan" rather than health insurance with incredibly low maximums ($1000-$2000 for dental, $100-200 for vision, which is then vertically integrated in a super crazy way.) Also if you have pretty good teeth and won't need much in the way of major dental, just paying out of pocket for dental cleanings/exams every six months is pretty cheap (don't skip them, though, they pay for themselves!) - usually about $75 a cleaning if you get the "cash" discount, plus you can fund an HSA or FSA so it's pre-tax dollars, giving you a 25-45% discount depending on your tax rate.

Vision I can probably forgo, yeah. I can pay for the exams out of pocket through America's Best, there's a $100 membership that gives you three years of exams ($139 for 5 years). But I probably can't go without dental, I get cavities constantly and I never skip brushing. My employer does not offer HSA.

Health is a $3000 deductible but $2000 is reimbursed by the employer. Then 80% coverage after the deductible if I understand it correctly...

Seems cheap for a single employee at $35 every two weeks, but it jumps to $202 for employee and spouse, and $420 for a family.

[I'm a red panda]

My weekend update:

1/1: $0
1/2: $0
1/3: $30.37 (me)  and $17.08 (DH)
1/4: $3.56 (me) and $7.42  (DH)
1/5: $0.60 (me) and $6.93 (DH)
1/6: $0 (me) and $30.35 (DH)
1/7: $34.15 (me) and $0 (DH)
1/8: $0
1/9: $45.14 (me) and $27.97
1/10: $44.88 (me) and $0 (DH)
1/11: $13.97 (me) and $0 (DH)
1/12: $4.99 (me) and $65.87 (DH)
1/13: $0
1/14: $120
1/15: $0
1/16: $0 (me) $33.05 (DH)
1/17: $4.05 (me) and $0 (DH)
1/18: $38.22 (me) and $0 (DH)
1/19: $0 (me) and $14.06 (DH)
1/20 $0 (me) and $6.07 (DH)
1/21 $25.50 (me) and $22.40 (DH)
1/22: $9.95 (me) and $0 (DH)

On the 20th the spending was for face wash for DH (his was totally empty) and some powdered sugar.  On the 21st I spent money to mail 3 packages (got them in before the rate went up.) DH spent money to buy stamps when we realized we had only 3 left, and also a haircut. His haircuts were prepurchased last year, so they cost $3.60 in tax and tip each time. He won't let me cut his hair, but he is stretching longer between haircuts than he used to, so that's good.  It was getting pretty shaggy.
The 22nd was unplanned spending. I need to start mailing thank you notes for gifts that are coming in for the baby. I have a few random notes here and there in the stationary box, but not enough to cover everything- I decided to buy a pack of 60 thank you postcards from amazon.  In the long run, it will be cheaper than buying more actual thank you note cards, and I'll save money on the stamps to mail them. 

[I'm a red panda]

Seriously annoyed with our buy nothing group.
Everytime I have posted a request it has been met with a suggestion of where I can buy it!

Yes. I realize target or lularoe have good maternity pajama pants/leggings. I'd like ones I can wear free for 8 weeks and then pass on!

[katscratch]

That's so frustrating, iowajes! Maybe I'm glad after all that my zipcode doesn't have one!

[I'm a red panda]

That's so frustrating, iowajes! Maybe I'm glad after all that my zipcode doesn't have one!

I've picked up a few small things offered, so that's nice. But most things on there are valued under $5-10 retail.

We do have good used market facebook buying groups, especially for baby stuff.

[Kerowyn]

We went to the march on Saturday, so ended up spending money on parking and train tickets that we would otherwise not have (total $33). We also probably spent a bit more than we usually would have at the grocery store, buying snack bars and bottled water to take with us, but it was a lot cheaper than buying food at the march would have been! We spent less than we might have on train tickets, because one of the people we were with had some kind of discount. I think we did the best we could, and it was money worth spending.

Sam, I think your punctuation is fine. You're quoting an exclamation in a question--exclamation points and question marks don't fall as strictly within punctuation rules as periods and commas, since they denote very specific tone.

Seriously annoyed with our buy nothing group.
Everytime I have posted a request it has been met with a suggestion of where I can buy it!

Yes. I realize target or lularoe have good maternity pajama pants/leggings. I'd like ones I can wear free for 8 weeks and then pass on!

Umm, do they not read the name of the group?!

[Bracken_Joy]

1/1/17- gas, $33
1/2/17- groceries, $18
1/3/17- gas, $20 and groceries $51, general household $14, dog nails clipped $13
1/4/17- $0
1/5/17- $0
1/6/17- $0
1/7/17- $45.53 groceries, $18 pet food

1/8/17- $0
1/9/17- $25.07 groceries, $18.88 general household
1/10/17- $75 work jacket for DH
1/11/17- $3.68 groceries, $4.78 general household
1/12/17- $0
1/13/17- $23.53 gas; $20.49 groceries; $9.79 Beer for evening with friends; Amazon S&S: $49.28 dog food, $31 protein powder for DH, $13.24 general household, $22.73 prenatal vitamin
1/14/17- $8 car wash

1/15/17- $5.01 groceries
1/16/17- $10.91 gas; $43.23 groceries (costco)
1/17/17- $0
1/18/17- $8.98 groceries
1/19/17- $0 $2.65 wine (plus $7.34 as the remainder of a gift card)
1/20/17- $19.53 groceries
1/21/17- $21.31 gas; $49.06 groceries; $32.08 membership upgrade

1/22/17- $0

While nothing was technically spent, we *did* grab coffee on our starbucks GC on the way to see friends. Also, drove for hike and taking food to New Parents, so we will need to fill the car again today or tomorrow. It was an awesome hike though, and so great to meet their son- DH's best man. Anyway, so it was a 'spendy' day in some respects, although deferred costs.

Now time to go have a tax date with DH. Woohoo!

[SquashingDebt]

Week 3 Summary

Week 1:

1/1 - $34.50 brunch with friends (not a good way to start off the month, but a planned expense with friends I only see a few times per year), $5 for app related to New Year's resolutions
1/2 - $10 airport food with a delayed flight, $126 airport parking, $22 stocking up on my favorite face lotion while at the Trader Joe's near the airport (1 hr+ from my house, so I got enough to last me 2 years), $25 on groceries
1/3 - $17.50 on splitting a box of Meyer lemons with coworkers
1/4 - $34 for gas
1/5 - $10 for bang trim; $10 for ticket to political networking event next week
1/6 - $0
1/7 - $30.50 on groceries; $13 on laundry detergent; $10 on pay-per-bag trash pickup

Total for Week 1:  $347.50


Week 2:

1/8 - $0
1/9 - $0
1/10 - $11.50 on a splatter guard and a dish brush for my kitchen; $13 on groceries, $5.50 on personal care items
1/11 - $5 on eggs from my CSA, $5 on food at a networking event
1/12 - $36 on a play ticket
1/13 - $0
1/14 - $33.50 on showshoes ($100 of the balance paid by a Christmas gift card intended for that purpose)

Total for Week 2:  $109.50

Week 3:

1/15 – $15 on toilet paper, $3 on ziploc bags, $7 on shampoo and conditioner
1/16 – $0
1/17 – $24.00 on a new bra (necessary purchase, and 50%+ off the regular price)
1/18 – $13.50 on margaritas with a co-worker; $25 on a deposit for my next vacation
1/19 – $44 on a round of beer for the team I co-lead at work
1/20 – $15 on 2 beers for myself
1/21 – $13 on 2 beers for myself, $15.50 on a souvenir t-shirt

Total for Week 3: $175


Well, I speculated that I might be able to spend $0 this week, and that definitely didn't happen.  The really unfortunate part of this week was spending $85 on alcohol.  It's kind of shocking when it adds up like that.  The reason for all the spending was that I was at a work conference, so I spent three evenings at the bar socializing.  $44 dollars of it was treating my team of co-workers, at least.  I make twice as much as them (literally), so I felt like it was only fair to buy the round.  I also derived a lot of value, both professionally and socially, from that time.  Next time I'll probably still go out with everyone, but try to stick to only 1 beer each night instead of 2.  (This is extra-relevant because I have 2 more conferences coming up in the next month that will likely involve the same kind of drinking/socializing.)

I also splurged on a conference t-shirt, but it's a souvenir I'll really enjoy and wear frequently, and the purchase supported the non-profit that held the conference.

One win - no money at all spent on food this week, through a combination of eating from my pantry and getting my meals covered while traveling for work.

I have absolutely nothing planned for the rest of the month, except replacing a few toiletries, so hopefully I can try a little harder this week and keep spending down.

[snacky]

I'm trying to 'beat my high score' this month on spending, and so far am doing spectacularly. Keeping the goal in mind has stopped me from a lot of frivolous spending, particularly relating to sushi.
My upper limit for spending this month is $2k. I've spent $1564, and anticipate spending another $100 or so before the month ends. $200 if I find a good price on white paint.

Next month, however, will be ugly due to this month's deferred spending. My computer needs to go to the vet and the zipper on my backpack needs replacing and my phone is almost dead, plus I need to get travel insurance for an upcoming trip, and so on. These things didn't need to happen in January so they didn't, but this level of spending is unsustainable in the long term. At some point you just have to shell out for all the things that come up and can't be put off any longer.
Too bad. I feel badass spending this little.

[frugalfelicia]

Doing well here.

Have $42 left in my food budget and won't need to get groceries until Saturday. Have a work function this week that will provide lunch (and leftovers), yay!

Haven't had to re-load my laundry card yet this month (have been hanging clothes to dry when I have the time instead of paying for dryer).

Don't anticipate any other spending!

[Sailor Sam]

Theoretically a zero spend day, but I took the computer to the doctor. The repair dude quoted ~$200 for a new topboard. Balls. On the bright side, he plugged the hard drive into a nifty USB dongle, and I could pull my spreadsheets off. Yay!

Now I want a hard drive USB dongle....

Spending
1/09:  $0
1/10:  $0
1/11:  $0
1/12:  $8.40 on groceries
1/13:  $38.86 on 13 gallons of primo gasoline
1/14:  $64.62 on groceries. First big grocery shopping for 2017. I'm using the receipt as the blastocyst of a price book.
1/15:  $15 recharging Starbucks card

1/16 - $0 (but $10.95 using a gift card)
1/17 - $0  (reimbursed $4 on parking)
1/18 - $0
1/19 - $0
1/20 - $140 on passport renewal
1/21 - 38.84 on groceries
1/22 - $0

1/23 - $0

[Bracken_Joy]

Sigh. I cursed myself. When I joined the "no clothes buying January" thread, I said something to the effect of "I'll be fine as long as DH doesn't tear another pair of shorts!" Well guess what? So I will be taking a trip to a Goodwill this week and seeing what I can find! And if I find replacement pants for myself, I'll jump at that opportunity.