May No Buy - Let's Do This!

[Sereina]

I did terrible in April, so I really need to get on track this month. My goal is 25/31 no buy days with regular monthly expenses not counting.

My biggest challenge is not spending money at my work place, as we carry everything (groceries, clothes, electronics, home decor, etc). It's way too easy to just pick something up on my way home. Just there I made 14 transactions last month (way too many!).

1 - Spend. Got some clearance deals at Half Price Books and fries at Five Guys

0/25 no buy days

 

[disneyhorselover]

I'm in. I made it to 14 last month, so I think I'll try for 16 no buys this month

5/1-needed to have my car looked at because it has been shaking...thankfully it ended up being a cheap fix-only $40!!

0/16 no buys

 

[charming23]

I am in for May. Last month was good. May will be tougher with lots of activities going on. I am trying for 15 No buy days.

5/1- $22.98 Take out as I was too tired to cook

0/15 No Buy Days

 

[Goofy'slady]

Last month was my first attempt at the whole premise of "no buy" and there were times where days would go buy and I'd either buy very little or nothing at all.

This month is going to be harder due to it being Mother's Day next weekend and I want to get a few cards and small gifts for one or two of my friends who are mum's. My mum passed on in 2011 so I will spend the day replaying some of my favorite memories of her in my head.

Also one of my older sister's daughter's gets married this month and my girls and I have several hair appointments and what not to get ready for this huge affair. Thankfully our gowns and shoes were purchased in Feb & March to help spread out the cost.

However, I plan to stick to my budget as closely as possible because I have one out of my final two Disney payments to make for our mid - August trip and I'm right on track. So several no buy days will help greatly.

5/1 - $0.00 (off to a good start!)

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

Last month was my first no buy attempt. What a blast I had! It is amazing how much I've learned about myself in just a month of really paying attention to how often I opened my wallet to feel good. Spending to feel good always makes me feel worse and now I see that clearly. What makes me feel better is almost always free; taking a walk outside, writing, reading a novel, or just taking a deep breath. I want to thank all of you Disney minded strangers for helping me to be accountable to myself by providing a public forum to report my journey! For the record, I consider any time I open my wallet besides the monthly bills of utilities, mortgage, day care, etc to be spending, including gas and groceries. GOAL 15 no buy days. Look out May, I'm coming to get you!

May 1 - NO BUY #1

 

[pjlla]

Thanks for starting this! I asked in the April thread, but there was no response. I would have started it myself yesterday, but I didn't want to step on any toes! I'm in but for less than last month. Lots of craziness this month with prom, DD partially moving home and partially moving to a temporary summer apartment, my wedding anniversary, Mother's Day, etc, etc. I will aim for 15 no-buy days this month (not including gas or groceries). And will try to limit my "other" spending to just $75 this month. Didn't make it through last month on the $50 and that was an EASY month.... lots of road trips and such this month, so I've bumped up my allowance!.............P

May 1: Home on school vacation. $0 spent.
May 2: Off to the movies and some grocery shopping. Not a no-buy day.
May 3: Home today.... $0 spent.
May 4: May the Fourth Be With You! $0 spent
May 5: Home in the day, worked in the evening... $0 spent
May 6: Worked.... $0 spent
May 7: Worked..... $0 spent
May 8: Worked... $0 spent
May 9: Shopped for groceries and Mother's day at Costco and Sam's... definitely NOT a no-buy day!! Normally I wouldn't count grocery items as a "buy" day, but we spent a LOT of money and some of it was extras to make a Mother's Day brunch.
May 10: Stopped at Old Navy for work pants for DD and bought DS a "snack" at Subway on the way home from my Mom's house.
May 11: Worked, but stopped to have my DD's car washed on my way home (I borrowed it this winter while she is at school and it was really dirty!)
May 12: Working both jobs today.... brought my snack for between jobs, but not my dinner (heading down to DD's school after work tonight).... may have DH bring me something from home .... if so, it will be a no-buy.... but we'll see. UPDATE: He brought me a vegetarian frozen burrito from home and an apple, so it managed to be a no-buy! $0 spent!!
May 13: Ate breakfast and lunch on campus (free), but stopped for sandwich after driving DD to her evening meeting in Boston.
May 14: DD and I out to brunch and dinner on our "packing up" day.
May 15: Bought coffee in Boston after dropping DD at hr morning meeting. Also bought sandwiches later in day, since DD's meal plan has stopped for the year. Drove home in the evening.
May 16S's prom.... picked up corsage (ca-ching!! $$$), out to a movie with DH to kill time while waiting for prom to end (we drove DS since it was a 2 hour drive away).
May 17: Drove back to DD's school. Bought a sandwich for dinner.
May 18: Subway for lunch for me and DD's new roommate and a few "starter"groceries for the girls.
May 19: Stopped for coffee and a breakfast sandwich during the 3 hour commute home.... I was starving and sleepy... good investment!
May 20: Work and back on the NO-BUY wagon starting this day!!!!!!!!!! $0 spent
May 21:Work, dinner at home, then Sr. Expo at school plus robotics meeting. $0 spent
May 22:Worked.... $0 spent
May 23:Yard work, yard work, yard work. $0 spent
May 24:Yard work, yard work, yard work. $0 spent
May 25:Memorial day.... movie date with DS (but brought my own popcorn and drink!)
May 26: Double job day.... $0 spent
May 27:Worked and then subbed a bus monitor job. $0 spent
May 28: Worked and then subbed meeting in the evening. $0 spent
May 29:Work and home, $0 spent
May 30: Brought something from FB yard sale, $10 plus DS's prom, so $35 for corsage.
May 31: Home for the day $0 spent

 

[dromio42]

I'm in! I am aiming for 16 no buy days, including regular expenses like gas and groceries. I am not including using gift cards. This will be a strange month for gift cards; we have been saving them up to use from May 18-June 26. I am directing a play at work for that time and my husband is in it. Every other time, I have tried to cook ahead and freeze (which I do a lot and like to do), but I just can't seem to make it work while I am directing. So, this time I am trying to use up everything thing in the fridge before it starts and then only buy take out (with gift cards) and whatever else we will eat. I am hoping this saves more than my last attempt where I
pre-bought food and then did take out...boo.

May 1: $50 on groceries
May 2: no buy!
May 3: crap-tons of money spent. we finally upgraded to smart phones...and you need a case...plus about 40 in groceries
May 4: no buy!
May 5: no buy!!
May 6:groceries for dinner
May 7: bought dinner (13) but nothing extra and we have leftover for lunch
May 8: wanted to be a no buy - instead buying medications to get rid of cold/flu stuff
May 9: no buy! (being home sick helped)
May 10: summer shoes on line (being home sick has led to on line self pity shopping)
May 11: some groceries for dinner, a new bag on line (needed) and a gazillion dollars of repairs on my husbands car
May 12:no buy!
May 13: groceries
May 14: no buy!
May 15:no buy
May 16:target
May 17:lots of groceries
May 18:no buy
May 19:no buy
May 20:meds
May 21:no buy
May 22:shoes
May 23:groceries
May 24: no buy
May 25: grocieries
May 26: no buy
May 27: no buy
May 28: no buy
May 29:dinner
May 30: chicken for dinner
May 31: no buy

14/16

 

[Kbee]

I would love to join. I belong to another forum where shopping is encouraged and I've been staying away but I still find its so easy to spend money on things I really don't need. I think joining this thread will help keep me on track.
I'm going to try for 20. This month is dd's prom, Mother's Day and we are going away Memorial Day weekend so we will be spending alot between those things, hoping to not spend on anything else (other than groceries and gas) this month.

May 1- snacks and water for party at the school
May 2- No Buy #1
May 3- Lattes from DD
May 4- No Buy #2

2/20

 

[wlake]

Thanks for getting us started, Sereina! I love reading about everyone's goals and why you're here. I just need to keep stuff out of my house almost as much as I need to keep the money in it! There's just too much here….

My goal for May is 15 no buy days, which is going to be tough with conflicting/competing sports schedules for the boys and getting our garden up and running (lots of seeds to buy!).
May 1: take out for dinner
May 2: wholesale club, gas

goal: 0/15
non-consumable items purchased: 0/0 (boys' clothes don't count!)

 

[EpiStitch]

I have a bunch of things to buy this month, so I'm still gonna shoot for 15 days

May
1-spend
2-spend

0/15 Days So Far, not off to the best start

 

[keelyhealthnut]

Ahhh, I've never done this before, but I'd like to jump in this month!! I don't even know what my goal is, but I'd just like to try to spend as little as possible, I guess! Edit: This is going terribly. LOL

May
1: SPEND (business expenses, gas, Christmas gifts, 2 months of cat food)
2: SPEND (food on road trip, RenFest tickets, gifts for Disney trip)
3: SPEND (Costco stock up)
4: SPEND (MIL Mother's Day gift)
5: SPEND (vitamins, EOs)
6: SPEND (grocery shopping)
7: NO BUY
8: NO BUY
9: SPEND (spruced up my mom's gravesite, out to eat early Mother's Day dinner, hubby bought Mother's Day gift, gardening supplies)
10: NO BUY
11: SPEND (a few more gardening supplies)

 

[Sereina]

Off to a good start so far!

1 - Spend. Got some clearance deals at Half Price Books and fries at Five Guys
2 - No Buy #1
3 - No Buy #2

2/25 no buy days

 

[EpiStitch]

May
1-spend
2-spend
3-I had to get my watch fixed and buy a new phone since mine was almost 5 years old

0/15 Days So Far, not off to the best start

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I'm in this month, money is super tight. I'm aiming for 20 no buy days.
May 1- spend - groceries
May 2- spend - lights for DS18's truck
May 3- spend - haircuts, lunch/dinner out, ice cream

 

[ALK$Disney]

Thanks for starting this. Missed my goal last month by a mile. Big expense this month with my DDs communion and party. Got to be good the rest of the month.

 

[Goofy'slady]

Ok, so checking in now that it's the start of a new week. Wanted to report how I did over the weekend with my spending.

5/2 - groceries, $90. (under budget)
5/3 - Cards and flowers for few friends for Mother's Day $20 (not to shabby), commuter pass for work for the week 16.50
5/4 - My youngest has a dental appointment where she's getting three baby teeth removed so I may have to stop past the store to get pain reliever

 

[Disneybell2015]

I would like to join in on this! I just recently moved out on my own and really need to start budgeting better. *Updated5/8*

MAY 1: SPEND(Edible arrangement for a friend who is in the hospital)
MAY 2: NO BUY
MAY 3: SPEND(Groceries, other household items)
MAY 4: NO BUY
MAY 5: SPEND(eye doc apt - new glasses, dog groomed, dog food&treats, mothers day gifts for mom and grandma, new purse and curling iron)
MAY 6: SPEND(starbucks frapp on the way to work- I caved Subway for lunch )
MAY 7: SPEND(bought lunch . not proud of myself :/ I am so bad for this)
MAY 8: SPEND($4 for engraving my mothers Bible)

2/20

 

[Sereina]

1 - Spend. Got some clearance deals at Half Price Books and fries at Five Guys
2 - No Buy #1
3 - No Buy #2
4 - Vitamins

2/25 no buy days

 

[charming23]

playing catch-up

5/1- $22.98 Take out as I was too tired to cook
5/2- $0
5/3- $0
5/4- $4.89 Chick fil a (breakfast), $65.70 Dinner out for my aunts birthday, and $81.93 Bj's

2/15 No Buy Days

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

GOAL 15 no buy days. Look out May, I'm coming to get you!

May 1 - NO BUY #1
May 2 - groceries
May 3 - personal care items and storage bin
May 4 - I don't want to count this, because the husband wanted pool supplies for opening the pool on Friday, and I just wanted him to go and get them on Friday since the guys will come to open it and Friday will be a buy day too. The money is already in the pool budget line. Well, if I have to justify this much, it is a SPEND day.