MAY we interest you in a month of No Buy???

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Hi Guys, I failed miserably last month after 15 good months in a row. Not with spending, but with recording. But I need you guys, I miss you all. So I am back for May.

Today is not a No Spend, tonight is our last bowling night (new league starts next week.) DH is in Vegas on business (well, tomorrow, today he is skydiving---as I type!) so my friend is going with me and we are going to dinner first.

 

[patsal]

Just in time for me, I feel off the April wagon and I really need May to keep me in line! We are getting a third car for the household as DS will need to get to work and DD will begin driving in June. I would like 8 no buy days and to stay under $2500.

5/1 $0
5/2 $20 DD's Cello lesson, $2 lunch since I forgot to put in my bag before running out the door this morning!
5/3 $0
5/4 $104 MIL's Mother's Day gift, $32. Walmart ($136)
5/5 $40 Aldi and Dollar General
5/6 $$25 Lowes, and $25 giftcard ($50) Mother's Day for my Mom
5/7 $105 groceries for Mother's Day Brunch and for the week
$353 and 2 no buy days

5/8 $0
5/9 $17 subway for dinner
5/10 $104 Talbots on line sale
5/11
5/12
5/13
5/14

 

[Debbie]

Thank you MMo3 for starting the thread. I am in again, and I am going to use last month's figures to help me out with the budgeting. (Now THAT'S a novel idea!)

Budget:
Gas: $300 ($337) Should be a little less, since I won't be driving DS around for 2½ weeks this month (and 2 next)
Groceries/Household: $600 ($675) And, since DS will be not be with us....less
Drug co-pays/medicine/lens: $30 ($149) Should be less without a lens needed-touch wood!
Misc including gifts: $150( $395) Lesson learned...have a buffer. I haven't picked up my Mother's Day gift yet, and you just never know about the other. DS's birthday is in June, so I might just pick his up early. That and graduation gifts.
Pool opening expenses: $600 New this month, and, to be honest, the weather has been so terrible that I have NO desire to even open the thing. DH does most of the work, but getting all the chemicals etc, costs money.

May 1: groceries $60


Gas: $0
Groceries/Household: $60
Drug co-pays/medicine/lens: $0
Misc including gifts: $0
Pool: $0

No Buy days: 0/12

 

[bigmama67]

Absolutely, gotta try again. I have had two BAAAAAD months!!

I'm not going to be able to do my budget or monthly menus till tomorrow, but I already have a lot of groceries laid by...

Going to go easy on myself and go back to a goal of 8 no-buy days (2 per week). We are going to spend one night in Springfield, MA and hit Six Flags New England (we have season passes). No big plans other than that.

 

[disneysnowflake]

Ok. I'll join in. This is my first time doing this no buy thing on here.

I have my notebook all ready to go. I was reading your April thread and got very inspired.

Unfortunately, both DH and I needed gasoline, we did big grocery shopping, plus I went to CVS, so my first day was very bad. However, I'm hoping not to spend that much more this week, only for bread and milk and maybe some fresh produce. I'm hoping for 16 no spend days out of the 31 days of May. The weekends are the worst for me.

My Budget:

Groceries $400 ($280.96 left for the month)
Eating Out $50
Gasoline $250 ($149 left for the month)
Misc. $200 ($161.97 left for the month)
Vet for my dog spay plus microchip $275 (already have and waiting for appt. in mid month)

Loose change saved this month:

May 1... $101 gasoline/ $10 misc. lottery ticket for sister's bday/ $28.03 Misc. Personal Care Items/ $114. 81 groceries
May 2... $4.23 for bread and a candy bar
May 3...
May 4...
May 5...
May 6...
May 7...

 

[figaromeetsmarie]

Groceries $300
Eating Out $75
Gas (for my car only) $100
Misc. $150


May 1st-$0 so far....


Goal: 9 no buy days!

 

[dizluvah]

Ok I need to join for May - on our way to breakfast this morning I got a HUGE speeding ticket - so I need to tighten my budget to absorb that big budget hit.

I will have to edit later with my expected budget totals....
Gas $500
Groceries $250
Dining Out $200
RX Copays $150
Misc $300

But I commit to 15 no buy days for May.

5/1 $155 ticket (MISC), $39 Gas, $25 breakfast (Dining Out) $219 total spent
5/2 $0
5/3 $0
5/4
5/5
5/6
5/7
5/8
5/9
5/10
5/11
5/12
5/13
5/14

 

[bigmama67]

I'll amend it to 9 days as there are 4.5 weeks in the month, and because 9 is my lucky number!

I'm starting to coalesce plans for AUGUST of 2012 in my mind, to go to Orlando, so it'll be a goal-oriented process!

 

[kaytieeldr]

If I may do a different version of 'no spend', I'd like to try.

I have a large stock of gift cards, so with the exception of gas and doctor appointments, I plan to live on the gift cards this month. Still carefully, of course, and put away the money.

5/1 $0
5/2 $32 gas (cash)
5/3 $0
5/4 $0 - did I mention I'm reluctant to spend those gift cards ?
5/5 $0
5/6 $7.83 misc (cash), $25 misc (gift card)
5/7 $24.50 groceries (gift card), $19.85 (gift card)
5/8 $0

 

[charming23]

MMO3, so glad to see you again. Thanks for starting the new thread.

We were supossed to go and pick up my mom's prescriptions and get gas today but they were out of the one she needed. They should get it tomorrow morning so we will go then to pick them up and get gas. It did not make sense to run over and waste gas just to have to do it again tomorrow.

May 2011 Budget

Groceries/household- $300/ $200.65 Left
Car/Gas- $50
Cat Supplies-$50/ $44.31 Left
Eating Out- $50
Entertainment/Misc- $100

Total Budget $450/ $345.16 Left

Goal of 15 No Buy Days


Week One
4/30- $99.35 Groceries/Household and $5.69 Cat Supplies
5/1- $0
5/2
5/3
5/4
5/5
5/6

1/15 No Buy Days

Store/Coupon Savings- $29.91

 

[hollybearsmom]

My first time trying no buy days, I'll go for 10 for May.

I like the accountability and the planning for no buy days.

 

[Virgderon]

Hello new no buyers! We are here for you Thanks MickeyMOm for starting it- I'm so glad to see you.

Since I did No buy last year, my goal is to spend less than I did last May, which was $948.

Running Total: Spent $76
$948 budget... $873 left
$0 Days: 6
Goal is 9 or more!
coupon/sale savings : 6

May 1 : 76 (Mothers day gift , card & misc.)

Groceries budget- $250

 

[wlake]

everyone, whether you've been here before or not!

Thank you MickeyMomofThree for getting us starting AND for thinking up a clever title.

I'm so ready for a fresh start. I've been very unhappy for the past week and I'd like to reboot everything, not just my budget!

5/1: $110 for DS6's birthday party (so worth it!)


no buy days: 0/10
longest no buy streak: 3 days
meals out: 0/5
days since our last meal out: 1
longest no meals out streak: 10

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

MickeyMomOfThree - Thanks for starting this!

I feel like I keep saying the same thing lately; that I'll be back to post and keep on the thread. Um, yeah. Hasn't been happening so much! I HAVE kept up with my tracking, and I am not liking the results! Something needs to change!

I have been having a limit of $400 for the month for point of sale transactions for food and miscellaneous household stuff. Gas is in addition to this amount.

I have been doing the $400 for the month as a whole, and I'm going to try something different this month just to see how it works. I'm going to try a limit of $40 for each 3 day period. $400/30 days is the same amount as $40/3 days over the month, but mentally it's a very different approach. I only have $40 to spend, but I only have to make it last 3 days! I have no idea if this will work or not, but it's worth a try.

1 - $0!

2 -
3 -
4 -

ETA - Yes, I know May has 31 days but today was a $0 so that leaves 30 days left to spread the $400 among.

 

[QVCshopper]

Hello to everyone! I think I'll try for 12 no-buys and see how that goes. I'm reducing the goal b/c my son's preschool is ending in May and we will be starting a new routine. Plus, my DH is going away for a few days and I might not feel like my usual schedule (ie, not cook dinner).

Wlake, happy birthday to your little guy!

PS-I just got the joke of the title... A little slow tonight.

5/1-$23 Mother's Day gift, $15 Learning store, $10 McDs

 

[dizluvah]

Just had to share - DH has agreed to No Buy days on Mon, Tues for this week (Wed. he has a doctor's appt with copay - so that will be a spend day) So excited he is on board with this

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Hi everyone, Would love to join but my reason for no spend May is not that i don't want to spend but that i would like to try to have our flights nearly paid of by the end of May I hope that is ok? I am aiming for 12 no spend days but my spend days will be big I am in Australia so some of my prices will differ greatly to yours.

grocery's- $500
Fuel/gas - $800
football fees -$200
Tyres -$220
flights $5000 happy to get as much of as possible but would love them to be paid.

Do you add your bills to this?
The kids and i are on a lets see if we can spend $100 a week on grocery's our normal bill would be between $200-$250+

May 1 $0

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Hi everyone, Would love to join but my reason for no spend May is not that i don't want to spend but that i would like to try to have our flights nearly paid of by the end of May I hope that is ok? I am aiming for 12 no spend days but my spend days will be big I am in Australia so some of my prices will differ greatly to yours.

grocery's- $500
Fuel/gas - $800
football fees -$200
Tyres -$220
flights $5000 happy to get as much of as possible but would love them to be paid.

Do you add your bills to this?
The kids and i are on a lets see if we can spend $100 a week on grocery's our normal bill would be between $200-$250+

May 1 $0

to you and all the other people who are trying this out!

You get to set up the parameters that you would like to stay within. Most people on here don't include regular bills. Most people only include new purchases. Some people don't even do a $0 Buy goal, but rather have a goal to stay within budget. It's all up to you. The point of the thread is to support each other as we work to become more aware of our own spending.

Your fuel/gas bill is horrifying, by the way! Is that just gas for your car or does that include heating fuel? You're heading into winter now, right?

The flights are horribly expensive also! Are they for WDW?

 

[A.Mickey]

I am back! Thanks for starting this! I love doing No Buy, it really has been keeping me in check!

Running Total: Spent $146.03
$0 Days:0/14

Groceries ($186-$6/day)- $46.03
Eating Out ($217-$7/day)- $0
Misc. (Shopping/Entertainment) ($713-$23/day), Broadway Tickets, 1st Month Tuition for preschool $100
Gas $300-

1- $22.82 (Walgreens-Groceries), $15.03 (Dominick's-Groceries), (Meijer-Groceries), $8.18 (Meijer- Groceries), $100 (Fry's Electronics-Hubby's Birthday)s


Budget: $1416....10%
Month: 1/31: 3%
No Buy: 0/14: 0%

My savings from coupons and sales: $169.49

August: $300 Hotel Room for Cedar Point
October: ~$250 Rental Car

 

[WAMUMOF4]

to you and all the other people who are trying this out!

You get to set up the parameters that you would like to stay within. Most people on here don't include regular bills. Most people only include new purchases. Some people don't even do a $0 Buy goal, but rather have a goal to stay within budget. It's all up to you. The point of the thread is to support each other as we work to become more aware of our own spending.

Your fuel/gas bill is horrifying, by the way! Is that just gas for your car or does that include heating fuel? You're heading into winter now, right?

The flights are horribly expensive also! Are they for WDW?

Unfortunately that is just gas for our car DH and i both use a tank a week and our price is horrific at the moment trying to cut my use down but i already only go to the shops when we go out for sport etc we homeschool but live out of town so i still use a tank a week No heating cost included in that price wish there was.

The flights are to Dallas and we are driving the rest of the way but that is only what i have left they were $9050 from Perth Western Australia to Dallas there is 6 of us so even though it is horrifying we actually got a good deal We are in the USA for 38 days WDW for 5 days Universal for 1. WDW tickets and room already paid for

Thanks for your support have a feeling we will be needing it this month