No Buy April

[hoffmann2828]

Figured I'd get a jump on tomorrow!

Budget for APRIL

Groceries (Family of 3) – $250.00 ($53 Left)
Eating Out – $70.00 (+$99 OVER)
Household – $50.00 (+$38 OVER)
Gifts (incl. Easter) – $30.00 (+ $38 OVER)
Misc. – $50.00 (+$234 OVER)
Total Budgeted: $450.00 (+$356 OVER)

Promo's/Cash in - $215.50

April 1 – (Groceries - $9) - $9
April 2 – $0
April 3 – (Groceries - $17, Babysitter - $25) - $42
April 4 – (Kohl's - Princess Panties for the Princess - $13) - $13
April 5 – (Sympathy Card - $3, IHOP - $30) - $33
April 6 – (Groceries - $42) - $42
April 7 – (Children's Place GC + $25, Groceries - $32, Groceries - $11) - $18
April 8 – (USPS - $5, Niece's Easter Cash - $10) - $15
April 9 – $0
April 10 – (Household - $8, Easter Gifts - $7, Eating out - $35) - $49
April 11 – (Paypal out - $5, Borders GC in + $15, Household - $3, Misc. - $26, Paypal in + $8) - $11
April 12 – (Groceries - $3) - $3
April 13 – (Promo GC in + $10, Survey Payment + $3) + $13
April 14 – $0
April 15 – ($50 BP Giftcard in) +$50
April 16 – (Babysitter/week - $50, Groceries - $25) - $75
April 17 – (Portillo's - $23, Menards - $29) - $52
April 18 – (Groceries - $2, B-day Gift - $21, Household - $16, Misc. - $23, Sold Free Diapers + $10, Refund at Target + $10, Children's Place - $75, Borders - $13, Dining Out - $21) (- $151)
April 19 – $0
April 20 – (Groceries - $27, Dining Out - $20, Borders Promo GC + $5) (- $42)
April 21 – (Sold Playhouse & Slide - After investment + $100) +$100
April 22 – $0
April 23 – (Paypal in + $7.50) + $7.50
April 24 – (Babysitter/week - $50, Dinner - $15) - $65
April 25 – (Gift - $25, Misc. - $3) - $28
April 26 – (Groceries - $29) - $29
April 27 – (Chinese Food - $25) - $25
April 28 – (Oil Change - $32, DH Haircut - $16) - $48
April 29 – Hopefully a zero dollar day - don't want to leave the house!
April 30 –


$0 Days: 5
Profit Days: 4
Spend Days: 19

 

[ajk912]

I never joined one of these threads but I am really going to try this month!

I have approx. $150 a week budget for food and incidentals. I am going to try to stay within budget this month!!!

I also have 3 Justice Bucks and one gymbuck (you see where my downfall is, right?) and I will let myself use those..but no extra spending. I hope. I will try.

 

[disneylovingfamily:4]

oh, Can I join in too? I need this

 

[hoffmann2828]

I had a good talk with my DH last night. I told him NO MORE eating at McD's and BK for a quick breakfast or lunch. He promised me he will go cold turkey on this!

I explained that I only budgeted $70 for "eating out". That means he gets 2 (possibly 3) nice family dinners with his wife and child if he stops frittering it away! I really hope we can stick to our budget this month. If we do this, we'll be able to sock away an additional $550 on our Discover!

Here's to fingers crossed!

Jenny

 

[KadysMom]

i definately need this thread! We are buying a house in 16 days and we will need to stick to a budget!!

 

[andrews_dad]

I tried in March .... I really did. BUT Red Lobster came calling, pizza after a long day at work a few nights, Subway for lunch a few days when I had no time to pack, Lowe's & Home Depot, booked flights for vacation, a few Amazon.com buys ..... Now I am Try again this month, I guess.

 

[smiller]

Ooh, I love the start of a new No Buy month!

Monthly Budget: $200.00 (to be increased when I earn extra income)

Includes: groceries, toiletries, going out - pretty much everything that isn't a fixed expense (mortgage, utilities, savings, giving).

4/1 - $36.00 GoPicnic (lovely little boxed lunches I bought last month but couldn't quite figure out where to put it in the budget; we'll try right here!)

TOTAL: $36.00/$200.00

Thank goodness for No Buy - it really keeps me accountable!

 

[disneyorvegas]

I fell off the wagon last month (necessity not lack of will power!), So I am definitely going to start again. I need positive, so thank goodness last month is OVER! Starting fresh!

4/1 $0 Woohoo! Starting right!
4/2 $0 - TWO FOR TWO!
4/3 $0 Three down!
4/4 $19 Easter shoes, $48 groceries
4/5 $0
4/6 $25 dr. $25 prescription $124 Drug Fair
4/7 $138 groceries $184 clothes $35 sporting goods $7 dining

Weekly total: $603
Groceries: $184 Dining: $7 Entertainment: $0 Clothes: $203 Misc: $209

4/8 $2 school bake sale $20 Easter shoes
4/9 $0 (being sick has that effect, I guess...)
4/10 $0
4/11 $48 misc
4/12 $0
4/13 $20 groceries
4/14 $0

Weekly total: $90
Groceries: $20 Dining: $2 Entertainment: $0 Clothes: $20 Misc: $48
Running Total: $693

4/15 $7 dining
4/16 $23 dining
4/17 $23 dining, $180 clothes
4/18 $220 clothes (some will be returned!)
4/19 $37 groceries
4/20 $29 dining (DD7 got her orange belt in karate! woohoo!), $95 clothes
4/21 $22 groceries

Weekly total: $636
Groceries: $59 Dining: $82 Entertainment: $0 Clothes: $495 Misc: $0
Running total: $1329

4/22 $0
4/23 $154 groceries
4/24 $99 clothes
4/25 $60 groceries (impromptu party)
4/26 $34 clothes
4/27 $
4/28 $

 

[FirstTimertoDiz]

I did a terrible job in March; dh said he needed some shirts for teaching, and I went off the deep end and bought the whole family new clothes!

I think part of my problem is that I have recently become a stay at home mom, and I get bored sometimes, so I shop online. I always find great deals, but most of the time, they are deals that are not necessary to have at that time. This is something I definitely need to work on.

So, I made my list for April, but there is no way it is all going to happen, because there is not enough income to cover all these items. So, I am going to have to prioritize as the month goes on; it should be interesting!! Also, this month I am going to try to list my "income" that I get from any found money- ChaCha, ExpoTv, AC, Sunshine Rewards, etc. That way I can measure income vs outgoing a little better.

Budget breakdown for April:
Groceries: $360 spent: $77.50
Trip home: $100
Dog sitter: $100
DS baseball uniform and photos: $40
DD clothes: $20
Photo prints: $10
Dog food: $25
Blueberry bushes (4): $60
Rain Barrel: $150
Garden fence: $45
Boards for garden: $50
Seeds, flowers, planter: $30 spent: $6.36
Mushroom soil: $40
Deck light: $30
2 Birthday gifts: $50 spent: $16.90
Printer (our totally died): $110
Ink: $80
Misc: $50
TOTAL: $1350


April 1st: Groceries (Walmart): $63.94; Birthday Present: $16.90; Garden (peat pot starters): $6.36; McDonalds: $13.56

Not exactly a stellar start!

 

[WhitGB]

I don't have a detailed plan but hope this thread will keep me accountable. We are going to the Kalahari (WI dells waterpark) mid month but other than that I hope to keep us on track. Here to hoping DH plays along.

April 1- $25 groceries
April 2-
April 3-
April 4-
April 5
April 6
April 7

 

[patsal]

Here's hoping I do better in April!

1. $22. for two semi formal cocktail dresses for DD--Sears had a lot of semiformal/formal wear on sale and she needs one for the the 8th grade semi formal and cruise--for that price she can have 2.
2.$10 for babyshower collection at work
3.$0
4.$80 for groceries at ALDI, $15 for DD's Cello lesson
5.$66.00 for dinner out after DD's Cello performance
6.$50 Kohl's gift card for nephew's birthday, $8.00 new bathroom rug at Kohl's and $5. for BK since I had to work until 7pm.
7. $25.00 towards the Keurig for work (a bunch of us went in on the top end model), $2.00 work group lottery purchase--we are all trying to "retire together", $5.00 for food since I have to stay again until 7pm.
Week 1 $273.00

8. $0
9. Aldi $135 (kids are home for break way too much to feed them and Easter plants DM and DMIL!)
10. $0
11. $0
12. $0
13. $88.00 at Old Navy for clothes for DD and DS--not too bad, but the spending over break kills my budget!
14. $65.00 for lunch out--again the break is killing the budget! lol
Week 2 $288
So far for month $561

15. Trip to CVS $17 and Cello audition fees $20 and $14 ($51 total)
16. $29.00 for new outfit, $53.00 Burt's Bees--the tomato soap works wonders on DS's skin. ($82)
17. $0
18. $60 at Aldi for grocereis, $7 Tops for coffee creamer (Aldi was out of vanilla), $3.00 for prescription refill, and $15. for DD's cello lesson. ($85)
19. $21.40 Subway for dinner
20.$0
21.$100 more clothing at Old Navy for DS
$339 for week
$900 for the month

22. $92 clothes from Coldwater Creek
23. $50 donation to Cancer Walk (work), $30 End of school year dinner for teachers, $32. gas ($112)
24. $17 new sandals, $125 DH needed new router, $2 group lotto ($144)
25. Aldi $92 for groceries, $15. for cello lesson, $25 out for breakfast w/DH after bloodwork ($132)
26.
27.
28.
(478 for week)
29.
30.

 

[annsteere]

I'm out for April.

Traveling to France, Prague, Orlando, and Wisconsin so the normal budget is out of the question.

My April plan is "Try not to spend money foolishly."

I've filled the freezer and pantry so DH will get at least some of his food at good prices. Expect that he will buy steak "since there's just one eating it is cheap" and ice cream, etc.

See you in May.

 

[delmar411]

I've been off the wagon for a few months. DH is changing jobs in May and we're going to WDW 4/28-5/7 so lots of expenses for that. Right now our controllable exps are looking like:

groceries: $300
gas for car: $200
eating out/household exp: $95
for a grand total: $595
(ugh that is so very little money!)

I'm sure the gas will be fine since we haven't been using anywhere near the normal allotted $150/bi-wkly. Eating out and household are going to be the bigger problem. I need to do some outside work on the house this month to make it presentable to put up for sale. I guess it will be time to get creative! LOL

Hopefully the weather will calm down and get warmed up so I can see about maybe doing a yard sale or something to help cut out some of the clutter around here and boost the household fund for the month.

April 1 ~ $0
April 2 ~ $4.07 milk, bananas, bread
April 3 ~ $16.16 milk, dozen apples, loaf of bread, 2 cases soda
$11.92 apple juice, 2 boxes waffles, 2 24ct sliced cheese, tortillas, 2 packs of Reese's cups (surprise for DH, hopefully he didn't sit on them in the car this morning!)
April 4 ~ hopefully $0 although with the looks of that loaf of bread we might need more by tonight!

 

[bettyann29]

Im soooo in this month..

This month will be a little tough as we have trips planned this month.. I have my first solo trip and then Dh is going to Florida to his moms for a week so he will need some spending money.. The flights are already all paid for and luckily my park tickets are too.. so its just a little food money and souvenirs (hoping to keep to minimum) and then Dh's spending money while in Florida.. We are also paying off our cruise that we are taking in August and I have $100 a month budgeted for 3 months and then it'll be paid off..

Next month will be difficult too as DSS is graduating and we are planning on getting him a laptop as his graduation gift..

Heres my total budget for the month:

gas- $240
groceries- $480
travel (including $100 for cruise)- $800
entertainment- $100
clothing - $100
cvs extras- $20
animals: food- $120 shots- $75
cigarettes for DH- $100
misc- $100
Easter- $100 (hoping to come wayyyyy under on this one as all my kids are older, so Im just planning on getting them a little something.. but will get DGD2 a basket and also DGD 10 months a little something)

4/1-
4/2-
4/3-
4/4-
4/5-
4/6-
4/7-
4/8-
4/9-
4/10-
4/11-
4/12-
4/13-
4/14-
4/15-
4/16-
4/17-
4/18-
4/19-
4/20-
4/21-
4/22-
4/23-
4/24-
4/25-
4/26-
4/27-
4/28-
4/29-
4/30-

 

[MusiqChic99]

I can't do April this month since I am going to have to start Spring/Summer shopping for my son. I've found a few bargains already and grandma pitched in and gave me some stuff.

Hubby got laid off. So basically every month will be a "no buy" month for a us, until something new comes up. There goes my savings for Disney. I dont think I'll have to spend any of it but i wont be contributing to it for a while. I'm up to $3000 right now!

 

[Jennifer in MI]

I'm in!!! I did pretty well last month -I just kept forgetting to post here. We ended up needing a new refrigerator. We knew it was coming and we'd saved for it.

So, this month, besides the fixed expenses - electric/gas, water, Comcast, cell phone, mortgage, etc, here are my expenses:

$200 - karate classes for the next 8 weeks
$250 piano lessons for the month
$450 - food
$40 - Rite Aid/CVS incidentals (I usually get that back in ECBs and checks from RA)

That's it! $940.

1 - $0

 

[Ava]

I've never tried this before, but I'm going to give myself an easy budget and see how well I can do. I mostly want to force myself to keep track of what we spend every day.

We have to finish up baby shopping, which is going to be hard to keep on a budget, but at least we already have all the big things. Also tomorrow is my birthday, so I'm giving myself that as a freebie because I have no idea what we're doing to celebrate.

Budget-
Food: $350 ($299.69 left)
Baby shopping: $250 ($129.83 left)
Household incidentals: $50
Cat food: $30 ($5.00 left)

Total: $680

1 - $0.85 (soda at work), $6.24 (Starbucks for 2), $44 (b-day dinner), $53 (theater tickets for b-day)
2 - $0.85 (soda at work), $3.49 (milk), $21.99 (baby sling), $25.00 (cat food)
3 - $1.50 (chips), $33.88 (groceries)
4 - $98.18 (baby stuff), $5 (cereal)

= $484.52/$680 left (the b-day celebration doesn't count!)

ETA: I just remembered we have almost $200 left on a Target giftcard from returning baby gifts we didn't need. So hopefully we can get most of the things we do still need at Target for "free"!

 

[Tiggerish]

I would like to take the challenge this month also.

Budget:
Groceries $250
Gasoline/Car $100 (need an oil change)
Birthday & Easter $50
Overnite trip to Chicago to see neurologist $100
Eating Out $50
Misc. $50

--------------------------------------------------------
4/1 Misc (Target) $20.72
Easter (Target) $5.49
Eating Out $15.29

 

[smiller]

oh, Can I join in too? I need this

Of course! We'd love to have you!

i definately need this thread! We are buying a house in 16 days and we will need to stick to a budget!!

Congrats!

I tried in March .... I really did. BUT Red Lobster came calling, pizza after a long day at work a few nights, Subway for lunch a few days when I had no time to pack, Lowe's & Home Depot, booked flights for vacation, a few Amazon.com buys ..... Now I am Try again this month, I guess.

I love the smell of the freshly baking bread wafting outside of Subway - a few deep breaths of that and then I head home to make my own dinner. I also made 6 individual French bread pizzas last night - froze them before baking - and they're delicious (ate one already!) and quick.

I'm out for April.

Traveling to France, Prague, Orlando, and Wisconsin so the normal budget is out of the question.

See you in May.

Ohh!!! I LOVE everywhere you're going! (Really, even Wisconsin! )

Have a blast!!!

I've never tried this before, but I'm going to give myself an easy budget and see how well I can do. I mostly want to force myself to keep track of what we spend every day.

That's the first step - seeing where your money actually ends up. It's rather eye-opening!

I would like to take the challenge this month also.

Welcome!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Hi y'all. I'm in too, just posting a little late because as I mentioned on the march board, my two DD's went to a sleepover on Saturday and both had head lice this morning .

Since we've never experienced this before I was (and still am) having a major freak out over it. I spent *hours* on the internet today figuring out what the best way to treat them was, along with the house and (still have to do it) the car. I also called in sick to work (I did explain what was going on) and my boss got really pissed at me, so April's off to a roaring start for me.

I'll post my exceptions when I have a longer moment to take a break and try to relax and get my head together. Already for April I spent $60 at CVS on lice removal products-THAT wasn't budgeted, there goes my strappy sandals, dammit.

April 1: $60 CVS