Don't be afraid of your budget, join the October No Buy!

[YukiPhnx]

Welcome back to the thread for the regulars and to any new posters!

Rules are simple: you decide what to track, how to track it and what your goals are. While many people choose to try for as many $0 days as possible (hence the "no buy" title), if some other target works for you, then go for it![Stole this intro from MomtoOne]

I like to do a bit of both, keeping within a budget as well as reaching a No buy goal. I also have "side" budgets of extra little things that I want to limit myself too.

I like to do mini 3-day budgets because I find it works really well for me. Feel free to steal this idea and make it your own!

Last month, I was able to save $160 towards my wedding/travel fund! I also managed to not eat out for lunch at all!

No buy: 1/15
Clothes: 0/3
Starbucks: 0/5
Eating out for lunch: 0/5

1. $0
2.
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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

 

[smilie]

I saw the one for September and was determined to join the one for October.
I want to try and get down to only doing once a week grocery shopping if I can help it. Then the only other time I should technically be spending money is gas. Unless something comes up out of the blue.

That means I should have MANY $0 days! Although I didn't start out too good, I had to stop on the way into work for something.

No Buy: 0/15
Once a week grocery trip: 0/5 <--- I shop on Tuesday (5 Tuesdays this month)
Grocery Budget: /$375

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Thanks for starting a new month. I'm in for another one.
Groceries/Household:/$200
Gas /$150
Eat Out /$150
Misc /$200
No Buy Days:1/15
Coupon Savings

09/01 -0-
09/02

 

[judomom2]

okay i am in for this month
I am hoping for 10 no buy days.I have my meals planned out so I am shooting for 400.00 at the grocery this month and eating out budget of 100.00 Gas budget this month 300.00 Hopefully I can stick to this and save a bunch of money this month!
0/10 no buy days
8/150 eat out
0/400 grocery budget
0/300 gas

 

[pixiedustfairy]

Ok I'm in, but didn't start well as I just stopped at the grocery store, but that should hold me til the weekend

NO BUYS 0/20

1--GROCERIES 16.84

 

[reginaastralis]

I'm back in this month. I made it half way through last month, but with a Disney trip and a trip to the Keys, I completely lost it. Ugh!

This month shouldn't be too bad ... we're hoping to go to Mnsshp and back to the Food and Wine festival, PLUS trick or treating at the Fort for Halloween ... so yeah, it's probably going to be just as expensive this month ... but we're really working at staying under budget this month.

Yuki, we're also planning a wedding, and I just saw your theme. Totally cute! This month, whatever we make under budget is going to go into our wedding savings account as well. We're hoping to get married next November, and umm ... I'm thinking champagne even though I can barely afford the beer.

I'm going to come back with my budget later tonight.

 

[WhitGB]

I have tried to do this in the past and always seem to fall off the wagon. We don't have any obligations (2 birthdays last month) so this should work. Just need to get DH on board. I am going to try for a weekly.

1. $6 - dogs need food
2. $55 - grocery store
3. $69 - gnc and lunch
4.
5.
6.
7.

 

[charming23]

I am in again this month. I am just going to track as always. I am still working on getting a good budget going since I have been employed again.

1/15 No Buy Days
0/5 lunches out

10/1- $0

 

[Zhoen]

I'm baa-aack...

I had surgery at the end of August and spent most of last month stoned on painkillers on convalescent leave. There were a bunch of no-buy days in there when I was mostly unconscious, but i made up for it by all the hobby-shopping (groceries, thrift and Christmas, and only the super sales, but still) I did on all those days off-- but it's ok, because it wasn't "shopping", it was "exercise and physical therapy"!!

This month my goals are to limit fast food to once per week, have 1 "true" no-buy (as in I purchase absolutely NOTHING) day per week, for a total of 4, and to map out the rest of my holiday purchases so that I can avoid falling into the "but it's SUCH a GOOD DEAL!" trap.

I'm going to link my Disney Rewards Visa to my tracking software like I did my Discover, since, guess what?

***I've started planning the next vacation!!!!*** DH has always wanted to take a cruise, and I've been pricing the Disney ones, and I think with our visa rewards helping out, we could do one for our next big vacation (our pattern is a "destination" about once every 2-2.5 years). The big question is "escape to Alaska in the summertime or escape to the caribbean in the winter/christmastime?"

So everything will be going on the Visa again to help pay for that (we pay it off monthly), so I'll need to link it so I can track my spending through the software.

DH paid off the second-to-last credit card last month and is picking up my car payment next month while I work on the last CC. So our "debt snowball" is doing great... unfortunately the kitchen NEEDS remodeling (like cabinets falling apart and pipes springing leaks NEEDS...) so we will be getting financing for that, since we don't have $25k laying around... but we expect to be stuck in this house for at least another 5 years, and the kitchen is the last remodeling we need to do on this place... so we'll get our money's worth in the long run. (I hope.)

So anyway, back on the wagon...

 

[judomom2]

I blowing the budget a little today, going to lunch with the girls at our local street fest(its all for local groups funraisors so it a good cause)

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I'm in!!

Approved spending:
Groceries: $299.94/$1125 (250 a week for 4.5 weeks)
Gas: 95/$500 for the month for DH and myself
School lunches: $3.25/$52.75

Obligations:
2 birthdays this month - DS11 and DS10 but I plan to keep that to a minimum.

Extras
Starbucks 3/5
Eating out:1/4 (for birthdays and race days only)

Coupon savings:
$61.85/$200 (goal)

Self pay
Workout pay (paying myself $1 for every 15 minutes of exercise)
Change for Disney

Unapproved spending aka ERGH!!
things I didn't want to spend $$ on

10/1:
$309.38 - groceries and gas
$5.21 Starbucks
$56.12 Coupon savings
10/2:
$49.69 - Dinner out after race (not planned, but will use 1 of my dinner credits)
10/3:
$53.50 - groceries including lunch for DS16, me and DH
$13.08 - Starbucks
$5.73 - Coupon and card savings
10/4:
$4.39 Grocery - the oil we had was rancid so DH bought some so I could make DS11's cupcakes
$9.35 DH's lunch trip to Panera (I ate at home!)
$34.36 - DH wanted ice cream, then everyone wanted ice cream, ergh!
10/5:
16.06 - Starbucks
Self pay - $2
Disney Jar - $1.71
10/6
10/7

 

[YukiPhnx]

Great to have you back Zhoen! Buffy, I love idea of self-pay! I should start something like that too!

Regina, congrats! What I've learned is that if you want something, you'll make it work. I'm loving Offbeatbride.com and the book A Practical Wedding.

I signed up to be a one-on-one youth mentor for disadvantaged kids and I'm finally meeting mine tonight! I hope all goes well.

No buy: 1/15
Clothes: 0/3
Starbucks: 0/5
Eating out for lunch: 0/5

1. $0
2. $5.18-Dinner at McDonalds
3.
$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

 

[charming23]

I went out to target today. I spent $80.81 but saved $36.78 betweeb coupons, the 5% off debit card, and an extra 5% pharmacy rewards certificate. I stocked up on some things we needed. I then drove thru chick-fil-a for lunch for my mom and I.

1/15 No Buy Days
1/5 lunches out

10/1- $0
10/2- $80.81 target and $12 chick fil a

 

[judomom2]

0/10 no buy days
28/150 eat out
110/400 grocery budget
40/300 gas
I have my groceries for the next 2 weeks however there is a big meat sale this weekend so I am prolly going to exceed my budget but.... its too good to pass up

 

[stayhomemom77]

I’d like to track my misc. spending money.

I take $20 out each Thursday and it is pocket money for my misc. expenses for a week. But I’ve been spending most or all of it…which isn’t a problem except for the fact that anything I don’t spend goes into the Disney jar. So, not much is going in there right now.

I’d like to change that. I thought if I limited my trips to the dollar store and fast food joints to once a week (or less) then more of that $20 bill would be available Wednesday night to toss into the jar. I seem to burn through that money at those places.

Also I might save on gas with this plan…and those savings could be tossed in the Disney account as well. But I’m not going to track that here.

So, my goals for October are:
27 No Buy Days (eek!!)
Max of 4 trips to the dollar store
Max of 4 fast food stops (I'd love for this to be zero...better for my wallet AND my waistline!!)

We’re going to be away this coming weekend (Sat, Sun and Mon) for Cdn Thanksgiving so those days will be automatic No Buy Days since the expenditures for this have already been accounted for in the budget.

No Buy Days: 5/27
Trips to the Dollar Store: 0/4
Fast food stops: 0/4
Total in the change jar $0

Oct 1-$0
Oct 2-$0 (I'm in for the night!!)
Oct 3
Oct 4
Oct 5
Oct 6-$0 (trip)
Oct 7-$0 (trip)
Oct 8-$0 (trip)
Oct 9
Oct 10
Oct 11
Oct 12
Oct 13
Oct 14
Oct 15
Oct 16
Oct 17
Oct 18
Oct 19
Oct 20
Oct 21
Oct 22
Oct 23
Oct 24
Oct 25
Oct 26
Oct 27
Oct 28
Oct 29
Oct 30
Oct 31

Wish me luck!

 

[bellaally]

I will be joining for the first time and I am going to admit I am a shopaholic, it's like drugs especial finding a good deal on something, even thought you don't need it. So I have set a side groceries money and Misc, also I will be only eating out 4 times, also I would love 20 no buy days.
0/4 eating out
0/200 groceries
1/20 no buys

10/1
10/2 8 dollars at supermarket free (giftcard)

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Great to have you back Zhoen! Buffy, I love idea of self-pay! I should start something like that too!

I figure if I can pay myself to work out I would A) be more likely to do it, and B) I'd have money for new clothes if I lose some weight! WIN WIN!!

I will be joining for the first time and I am going to admit I am a shopaholic, it's like drugs especial finding a good deal on something, even thought you don't need it. So I have set a side groceries money and Misc, also I will be only eating out 4 times, also I would love 20 no buy days.

Oh I hear you!!! So easy for me to pick up clothes for the kids when they are on sale even though they don't need anything. I have to tell myself "yeah it's 30% if I buy it, but it's 100% off if I don't buy it." That's the way I have to look at things.
I have to reason with myself. Do I need it? Will it get used in the next week? Month? 6 months? 6 months is my max for some things, mostly 1 week is target. If it's not needed in the next week, then I can wait a week and reassess it.

 

[bellaally]

I figure if I can pay myself to work out I would A) be more likely to do it, and B) I'd have money for new clothes if I lose some weight! WIN WIN!!

Oh I hear you!!! So easy for me to pick up clothes for the kids when they are on sale even though they don't need anything. I have to tell myself "yeah it's 30% if I buy it, but it's 100% off if I don't buy it." That's the way I have to look at things.
I have to reason with myself. Do I need it? Will it get used in the next week? Month? 6 months? 6 months is my max for some things, mostly 1 week is target. If it's not needed in the next week, then I can wait a week and reassess it.

I am very guilty when when it comes to this. Like at the end of summer all this place throw there clothes clearance 70% off to 90% and I bought the kids so many clothes for next year, I think I am going to use your self pay for excercise thing it's genius then I won't feel guilt about spending money on things I want cause I earned it lol

 

[YukiPhnx]

Just a quick update. I had a fantastic dinner last night that Andrew's company paid for!

No buy: 2/15
Clothes: 0/3
Starbucks: 0/5
Eating out for lunch: 0/5

1. $0
2. $5.18-Dinner at McDonalds
3. $0
$40-5.18= $34.82 saved!

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

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$40

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

Thanks for starting a new month. I'm in for another one.
Groceries/Household:$54/$200
Gas $50/$150
Eat Out /$150
Misc $29/$200
No Buy Days:3/15
Coupon Savings $24.00

09/01 -0-

09/02 Busy Busy day!!! Started with taking my friend shopping for the day. Went to KMart what a huge toy sale they were having. I did a huge layaway and got 5 of 30 people done for Christmas. Spent (per say) $203.00 and saved $180.00. Placed $25.00 on that. Went to a few other stores she wanted to go to, but, I only spent $58.00, $54.00 in groceries and $4.00 at the Dollar Tree. Got home long enough to relax for a short while and then had to take the In-laws grocery shopping. They treated to dinner out.

09/03-0- Stayed in today. Exhausted from yesterday. Not a good day. Both my knees are swollen and killing me.

09/04