Budget Busters

[theprincess]

Mine was haircuts for 2 DD,myself and Dh (us girls needed eyes wax too) plus shampoo (they both swim year round so I buy hair clarifier shampoo) totaling
$150.00! YIKES!!

 

[MNDisneyFan]

Eating out and the kids activities are always the most spendy for us. Of course, DD pre-school runs about $125 a month too! We just ate out last night because it's been so busy and we really needed to get out - about $60 for a family of four, but we went to a place that has HUGE portions, and I had enough for lunch at work today, and enough for dinner tonight.

DW has been going to one of those places where you bag the meals (like Super Suppers or Lets Dish) and that has been working out very well. They're healthy and are ready to be thrown in a crockpot or in the oven.

When we know we're going to go through a crazy period on the schedule, she heads up there and bags some meals. Has a good time with a few friends, gets out of the house, and is done in about an hour. Costs a bit more than what it would cost us to put the ingredients together ourselves using coupons and such, but we find out that we are eating out much less due to having something ready to go. Plus, it's something new and kind of an adventure for DW.

 

[trulygoofy]

Braces- $5400 and planning for braces for kid #2 in a few months

Soccer gear for DD

New uniform shorts for DS since he grew about two inches in a month. He'll be needing new shoes soon.

 

[dizkids]

I try very hard to NOT blow it on take it cause of all the rest.
Preschool~My DS 5 will be done this year...yeah BIG BONUS will save $214 per/mo come Sept. Kindergarten.(actually done in June)
Last week DD 7 tripped on the way to bus
...ER visit copay $50 + $48 my copay to replace eyeglasses (she is fine thankfully due to dermabond on the forehead cut)
Basketball is ending for DS10 but baseball is starting. Cleats/fees $150 plus cleats.
DS5 soccer paid $40 in fall will buy new cleats.
Sports pictures for both teams...minimum $20 each (i dont know why i do this)
DD7 is $103 per month for tap/jazz/ballet.
Recital tickets paid on 3/1 $200 for 10 tickets ($20 each)
The big bucks will be for my DH's brothers wedding in March. He asked him via email in Dec. '06 to be in the wedding $160 for tux....how could he resist the inviting temptation. They have only been engaged since 11/05 so i get to cough up a big chunk of money for a gift and all new clothes as well.
And I am dying for dunkin donuts coffee run now....better go make a pot myself : )

 

[bigbabyblues]

Ours this last week was DH car--4 tie rods (?), alignment, and new tires next week.

 

[rcpae]

For us....SOFTBALL. Two of my DD's play travel softball. The oldest has $425 fees this year and the younger $280. This doesn't count equiptment, gas, or food. My oldest is hoping to go to college on a scholarship so hopefully someday this will pay us back in a sense.

 

[grlpwrd]

For us....SOFTBALL. Two of my DD's play travel softball. The oldest has $425 fees this year and the younger $280. This doesn't count equiptment, gas, or food. My oldest is hoping to go to college on a scholarship so hopefully someday this will pay us back in a sense.

I am kinda thinking along those lines, too... some of these are good investments, like sports for kids because fitness is good and could pay out as a scholarship, braces, car maintenance, etc. Of course, eating out is not the same.

Our budget buster used to be trips to Trader Joe's. I love that store, but we could do without those extras so now I only go in once every 2 months.

 

[samanthacatangel]

Ours is DD preschool - $425 a month. I will be saving a fortune when she goes to Kindergarten next year.

Also, she does gymnastics which is $69 (I know, weird figure) per month.

However, I do think this money is well spent. Her school is amazing, and the gymnastics class has seriously helped both her coordination and self-confidence.

But, I will be looking forward to that extra $$ starting this summer.

Samantha

 

[HannaBelle]

Braces...my DS had to have 2 seperate sets...(yes, they were that bad! The first thing my OB said after he was born was "I hope you have good dental insurance! My poor DS had a very pronounced over bite!)

This is TMI, but funny none the less! I was trying to explain to him how much money we have spent on his braces and it was HIS JOB to make sure his gums are healthy and his teeth are clean. I told him that we could have gone to WDW for two weeks on what we had to pay the ortho...He says, "I never said I wanted straight teeth! We should have gone to WDW!"

I didn't know whether to be proud or strangle him!

 

[Julia M]

What are the things that really bust your budget. We are trying really hard to stick to our budget and I have found there are a few things that really are killing us.
1.) Food and eating out. This is our number one budget buster. Even on the weeks that we don't eat out I tend to spend around $200 on our food budget. I have a teenage son and a pre-teen son who eat like there is no tomorrow. How do you save money on your food bill?

2.) Sports activities. The boys both play baseball and we just spent over $200 on registrations, another $200 on equipment and uniforms, and that is just the start, I know other expenses are coming.

O.K. that is my two budget busters for this month what are yours?

luvnmy2bys
Chris

I try and budget for sports activities. I put aside $500 per month for dd's baton and dance, year round. Some months I spend more, some months less. That's the only way I can make it work.

Then I put aside $200 per month for other sports/activities. Oldest ds has guitar, which we pay for every 4 weeks ($120). But, we don't pay if he has to miss for some reason. Then, the extra accumulates for soccer and baseball. For cleats, guitar books and the like, I usually just have it come out of my monthly budget.

Between that and private school, I'm broke most of the time!

Julia

 

[mommiepoppins]

well I had to buy more weeks at La weight loss and the stupid drink and that cost me 50$

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Okay mine aren't going to sound all that different than others!

Budget busters to me are things I can't do without- or can't really get out of without depriving my kids (LOL)/etc. Anything else is just things I 'decide' to purchase and that's not a budget buster to me- that's me deciding to not do the budget! LOL Know what I mean?

So when I decide eating out is just too much for our budget at the time- we just don't eat out. If we do, I'm just not doing my budget...

Here's my budget busters:
1.) sports registration fees, other extra activities, misc. stuff for school, etc.. I also have a ONE sport per child thing but with 3 kids the stuff really adds up. So we have soccer for one (2 seasons per year) and bball for the other and cheer for the other- registration fees, the parts of the uniforms we have to provide, snacks for the entire teams on a schedule for each, etc. Then we have awanas with shirt or vest (depending on age), new books when they get thru one, weekly fees, etc. Then we have GS and BS- annual registration, weekly mtg dues, books, uniforms, etc. School we have PTA for all 3, shirts for 2 now (used to be three- well they do have to wear those on field trips! and I'm not going to make my child the one that could get lost because they weren't wearing the school shirt! It would help if they wouldn't change the shirts design every year... grr), yearbooks, $ for all the parties each year for all the kids (I'm not going to be the one that didn't contribute for the parties!), numerous fund raisers but I have become very good at just saying no to most of them, school pictures, massive school supply lists at the beginning of the year- and then repeatedly having to buy more at teacher's request throughout the year, etc. etc. clothing we have to buy from the school for oldest's athletics, band, oh yeah- instrument stuff (reeds, repairs, music, UIL fees, concert fees, etc. etc.)
You'd think I could budget for this stuff but it's hard to because it's so irregular (not monthly) and sometimes you get sideswiped with a lot of things at once when you have 3 kiddos

2.) medical bills--- recurring & nonrecurring prescriptions, copays for dr appts and dental appts-both of which are quite often with my family of 5 unfortunately, etc.

3.) large purchases that pop up- like when we all the sudden need new tires (yes, it does happen suddenly, in my mind! LOL), or something breaks that needs to be replaced (appliances, repairs to home/pool that we're only 2mo used to having/etc.).

4.) rising cost in gas (for vehicles), natural gas (we're used to all electric- now the electric bill is still rising as it always was but now with a gas bill in addition to that-and not cheap even though we're rarely using the heat!), and electricity- oh and water too. It's hard to budget when those keep climbing in cost by the minute.

and 5.) if DH only gets 40hrs (mon-thurs) and doesn't get asked to work atleast Friday for overtime. When he works mon-thurs and then works Fri and then shorter hours on Sat- that check is DOUBLE what the mon-thurs no overtime check is! so it makes a huge difference... thankfully he normally gets overtime atleast every other week if not more often. But they totally freaked me out when we bought this house in Nov and then they had NO OVERTIME for 9weeks there. That was the longest time he's ever gone in almost 8yrs there without overtime. Before never longer than 2wks and only probably 10 total in a year without overtime. Talk about stressing... we'd have gotten way poor if it continued like that all year long!

Those are the things that bust my "budget" and keep us from doing what we'd like to with our money- save and take vacations. HOPEFULLY #2, 3 and 5 don't happen often, I try to watch it as best I can on #1, but I can't do a darn thing about #4


(ps. we budget for haircuts but it is sticker shock, so to speak... when we all get our haircuts at the same time. I rather like to keep that from happening when I can. )

 

[tampabrat22]

Budget busters for me this week were:

*4 new tires for my car $400
*new glasses $200
*annual registration for ballet & karate $200

Monthly budget busters are:
*getting take out 1-2 times a week
*sons karate can range from $150 to $500 in fees a month depending on tournaments and gear needed.
*I shop too much!!

Jessica

 

[buzz5985]

I thank goodness I only have 1 child -

Travel Soccer team - $150 plus equipment.
Hockey - $1400 plus equipment.
Baseball - $150 plus equipment.

He is still trying to find his sport. Too little for hockey - unfortunatley - it is the most fun to watch and play.

I noticed a previous poster on oil costs. How big are your tanks?? I'd call around for a cheaper company. Believe me they will come. Gone are the days of keeping the same oil/service company. My DH is a oil burner tech and a liscensed plumber. We call around for our oil. Get a good tech, get rid of the service contract. Janis