No Buy February

[erikawolf2004]

Jan totals were:
12 no buy days
Eating Out $316
Groceries $565
Shopping $427
Misc./Entertainment $69
=$1377

Goals for Feb:
12 no buy days
Eating Out $250
Groceries $450
Shopping $200
Misc./Entertainment/Haircut&color $160
=$1050

2/1 $105 Haircut/color

 

[Swmr359]

I stocked up of groceries today, wow I spent way more than I meant to...but I saved $18 between my Kroger card and my coupons!!
-------
Feb. 1: $77 Kroger, $44 Target, $50 SkinID, possible Disney purchase later

Groceries: $77/$150 $73 left
Eat out: 0/3 ($0)
Other: $94
Total:$171/$250 $79 left
0 days: 0/20

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Reporting in for today (I am in my jammies and in for the night.) Today was a $0 spend day! Spent a good 2 hours cleaning out my refrigerator though today, it was well overdue. Took out every shelf, drawer, it looks like brand new, but also empty. But my freezer isn't do I may make it tomorrow too.
I broke my baby toe last night and ran out of First Aid tape, but really didn't want to blow the budget on that so good old masking tape is doing the job!

 

[albertamommyof4]

Well i am going to be in this month. We actually stocked up on groceries today( good airmiles deal lol 425 today).
We used to budget 220 a week for groceries and wanted to get that down to 150 a week or less( for the next couple of weeks this can be done for sure, or a lot less)
Groceries $150/week $600 a month
Gas/vehicle expenses $80 week $240/month
Eating out $0 ( we are trying not to eat out anymore, Jamuary no eating out went well)
Miscellaneaus $50
I am going to try my best to keep up with this lol i will also keep track of zero days as well.
Thanks
eta- we are a family of 6
I am also trying to save as much as i can so i can go to my tupperware convention in august in disneyworld( it is just me going so shouldnt be to bad)
2/1- $0

 

[PeytonSdiz]

February 1st = $0

 

[delmar411]

2/1 = $74.82 ($75/$700 f/g/h)
Cici's Pizza $23.48 (DH's idea of making dinner! LOL)

School snack $2.19 (I forgot a snack for school today )

Kroger $44.15 (stocking up on soda, some bread, $22.75 was part of my v-day gift from DH apparently...I told him if he was going to waste $20 on me that I'd rather M&Ms than flowers. He took that as a request! ) Not sure what he spent $18.xx on though so I need to figure that one out.

McD's $5 (5 of those booklets with the $12 in coupons..we use those all the time for the kids to get meals on the go)

ETA~ just remembered what the $18.49 was for! DH had to give the elementary school an $18 MO for a background check since he volunteers there every monday. The MO fee was .49
~glad I remembered before I asked him! He always says I don't listen to him! *blush*

 

[A.Mickey]

I am pleased with myself for my grocery shopping today (picture me patting myself on back).

First I read the Sunday ads. Then I went through my coupon folder and my pantry, freezer and fridge. Then I made a week's meal plan and a shopping a list. I bought everything I need for for an entire week of meals. Everything I bought was a sale item. I bought 15 items and used 12 coupons. The receipt says that between the coupons and sale prices I saved $39.15 and my actual cash spent after coupons was $24.82.

Congrats!! : I love doing this! I have saved a ton of money! Between December and January I saved over $1200, between sales and coupons! Keep it up!!

 

[lougoofy]

2/1/10: $1.50 bus fare, $1.79 coffee (restaurant), $15 Borders Bucks and $1.75 (money) Borders and $1.50 bus fare

 

[A.Mickey]

Running Total: Spent $145
$700...$555 left
$0 Days:
Goal is 15 or more!

Groceries- $250...$181 left
Gas- $150...$117 left
Eating Out- $100...$82 left
Misc. (Shopping/Entertainment) $200...$175 left
I always round up to the nearest dollar.

1- I spent quite a bit this weekend on great deals....so I am going to report it for Feb...I didn't want to make January worse! $69 (Groceries-Meijer &Dominick's), $33 Gas, $18 (Eating Out- McDonald's)
Did my taxes today took 15 minutes with eztaxreturn.com so I decided to give them the $25 (Misc.) for how fast it took! Now I am all e-filed and waiting for my return, which will go straight to CC debt!

Here is to a short month!


$0 Days: 0/15: 0%
$700 Limit: $145: 21%
Month: 1/28: 4%

My savings from coupons and sales: $62.37

 

[5terre]

I would like to join! Mine won't be specific $ amounts but I will share my goals:

Gas: cut down!!! Organize shopping, plan meals better to avoid extra trips out.

Target: not allowed to buy anything unless it is a necessity (NO DOLLAR AISLE purchases!! This is a big problem for me! Okay, maybe a more realistic goal is not more than 1 item from the dollar aisle this month.)

Meals out: 1 family meal out (vs 4-6 previously). Can we do it? Last month we did it, I still can't believe it. DH also stopped eating out at work. I think we can save over $200 a month here.

Freecycle: don't buy anything without checking here first

Pay cash as much as possible (I am bad about having cash on me)

2/1 $0

 

[rparmfamily]

I'm joining in. I'll add details later!

Groceries: 450 (counting Costco!)
Gas: 300 (2 cars, in Hawaii)

Feb 1: $80 for school lunch accounts (should last a few months) $35 at Target, my downfall.
Feb 2:

 

[girlandboy]

I'm in for February. I need to make a good plan.

 

[smiller]

I'm so in again!

My budget is $260 but I'd like to try to keep it well under as I'll have a couple of very tight months here. I'm staying at DSis's until the 10th and then I'll be splitting my time between her place and my place, so I'll only be working about 8 days this month, 12 in March, and 14 in April, if all goes as planned. Yikes! That's kinds scary when I actually type it out!

Thankfully, this month is short and my expenses will be reduced as I buy household groceries with DSis's money, and lots of friends have offered to bring over meals. (DSis is recovering from major surgery - including birthing my new super adorable niece!!!)

2/1 - $0 Always love starting out the month like this!

Total: $0/$260

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I'm not sure if I'm going to do this or not, but today was a $0 day.

 

[Jennia]

Haven't done this in MONTHS, but hoping to get back into it! Need to start saving more money after huge expenses last month (all new bedroom furniture, new paint and carpet in the living room). The only exceptions I have are when dd and I have mommy/daughter photos taken next week (not going to skimp on something like that!).

Feb 1-$0

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

The words are Suze Orman are aiding me in blowing February's budget plan on February 2nd.

My grandma is having surgery tomorrow in Michigan. I was very upset about not being there mostly for my grandpa who will be sitting there for 4-5 hours alone. They are in their 70s and I worry about him even more then her. She is the true love of his life (they had their first kiss at the age of 8 and have been together ever since, married almost 53 years.) I worry how he will be there alone. So, I took Thursday off of work (I only work Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.) I cancelled Brownies for Thursday (I am the only leader.) And I am leaving my family for the first time ever (I am a wreck about this part.) I am taking the overnight train tonight and a friend is meeting me at the train station in the morning to take me right to the hospital to surprise them.

So today, train tickets are going to run me $100 (less then gas and then I don't have to stay awake and DH will worry less.) I have to go buy a b-day party gift for DD10 whose friend's party is Saturday. I need a coach gift for DD10's basketball coach as her last practice is Saturday (thankfully games ended Friday so I won't miss any games.) I need to go get meals DH can make (wish I had more time to get stuff together but I just decided this morning to go.) And while I am gone I imagine there will be lots of bought lunches and stuff but when I get back I will get back on track!

BUT, People first, and I know this will mean the world to her. She is worried about him being there alone too. My grandparents are the greatest people. They raised me as their own when my parents didn't want to be parents. I know someday when they are gone I won't care about the money or the budget, I will care that I was there.

Soooo, I will be gone till Sunday but after that I am going to be BACK ON TRACK!!!

 

[Zookeeperof4]

I am going to start trying this. Maybe with a group effort in motion I will be more determined.
First, I am dealing with an upcoming choice. To buy a car or try to get this one fixed. Its older and the repair we think it needs is going to cost us quite a bit....we think the head gasket is going. We keep finding a lack of radiator fluids, and on top of that it drives with a stutter and we fixed what the garage told us it was and it is still doing it...so that could be the fuel pump. So I dont know how on track I can be but I am working on paying off debts...we had a special needs baby 5 years ago and debts piled up. She passed away two years ago and I got a job to pay off that. Its been slow going and I am working on it. So I dont know that I will have much "left-over" money after paying bills but I am trying to save for a WDW 2011 trip...so I just feel I should be keeping track of spending and resist those impulses. I am figuring if I see where I spend in front of me than I know where to avoid next time.

I have no idea how you ladies are all having these small grocery budgets. We have 5 of us...dont know if that matters. I had a budget of 600 for WDW and by staying out of the stores more I saved 113 of that money. My freezer is bare so I am gonna use that money to stock pile my freezer with ground meat and chicken....I buy from a butcher in bulk and we are actually able to save better that way.

For this first month I am not going to say a $ ammount. My goal instead will be to keep a total of payoffs and 0$ days....my goal is for 10 0$ days for Feb.

So here goes....2/1 3$ Grocery
2/2 Rent paid.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I am going to start trying this. Maybe with a group effort in motion I will be more determined.
First, I am dealing with an upcoming choice. To buy a car or try to get this one fixed. Its older and the repair we think it needs is going to cost us quite a bit....we think the head gasket is going. We keep finding a lack of radiator fluids, and on top of that it drives with a stutter and we fixed what the garage told us it was and it is still doing it...so that could be the fuel pump. So I dont know how on track I can be but I am working on paying off debts...we had a special needs baby 5 years ago and debts piled up. She passed away two years ago and I got a job to pay off that. Its been slow going and I am working on it. So I dont know that I will have much "left-over" money after paying bills but I am trying to save for a WDW 2011 trip...so I just feel I should be keeping track of spending and resist those impulses. I am figuring if I see where I spend in front of me than I know where to avoid next time.

I have no idea how you ladies are all having these small grocery budgets. We have 5 of us...dont know if that matters. I had a budget of 600 for WDW and by staying out of the stores more I saved 113 of that money. My freezer is bare so I am gonna use that money to stock pile my freezer with ground meat and chicken....I buy from a butcher in bulk and we are actually able to save better that way.

For this first month I am not going to say a $ ammount. My goal instead will be to keep a total of payoffs and 0$ days....my goal is for 10 0$ days for Feb.

So here goes....2/1 3$ Grocery
2/2 Rent paid.

So sorry about your daughter. I don't know how you feel and can't imagine but just wanted to send a hug.

We are a family of 5 and the low grocery bills are shocking to me too. Impressive, but shocking. I spend $100 a week at the grocery store but also a few hundred at Sam's a month so ours is more like $6-700. That inlcudes everything but I am always still in awe of others low bills.

As for the car, good luck, that is always a headache!

I think you will find some good encouragement here. I just did it for the first time in January but having to report in made me want to do better. It became kind of like a game, a money saving game.

 

[Zookeeperof4]

We are also homeschoolers so that does help with things. Our school required a dress code so we had to have two sets of clothes for each kid. Now we save by only having every day clothes and no uniforms.

Thanks for the hug...I dont know that I will ever get over my pain of losing her, and going to WDW without her in Dec was very hard for me as we planned to go with her, but I know she is no longer suffering. That means more to me than any sorrow I feel for her....I dont wanna highjack the thread but she truly suffered every day of her short life. Thanks though....

 

[PixiePlanner]

I broke my baby toe last night and ran out of First Aid tape, but really didn't want to blow the budget on that so good old masking tape is doing the job!

Too funny!

Haven't done this in MONTHS, but hoping to get back into it!

Me too

The words are Suze Orman are aiding me in blowing February's budget plan on February 2nd.

My grandma is having surgery tomorrow in Michigan. I was very upset about not being there mostly for my grandpa who will be sitting there for 4-5 hours alone. They are in their 70s and I worry about him even more then her. She is the true love of his life (they had their first kiss at the age of 8 and have been together ever since, married almost 53 years.) I worry how he will be there alone. So, I took Thursday off of work (I only work Tuesday and Thursday afternoon.) I cancelled Brownies for Thursday (I am the only leader.) And I am leaving my family for the first time ever (I am a wreck about this part.) I am taking the overnight train tonight and a friend is meeting me at the train station in the morning to take me right to the hospital to surprise them.

So today, train tickets are going to run me $100 (less then gas and then I don't have to stay awake and DH will worry less.) I have to go buy a b-day party gift for DD10 whose friend's party is Saturday. I need a coach gift for DD10's basketball coach as her last practice is Saturday (thankfully games ended Friday so I won't miss any games.) I need to go get meals DH can make (wish I had more time to get stuff together but I just decided this morning to go.) And while I am gone I imagine there will be lots of bought lunches and stuff but when I get back I will get back on track!

BUT, People first, and I know this will mean the world to her. She is worried about him being there alone too. My grandparents are the greatest people. They raised me as their own when my parents didn't want to be parents. I know someday when they are gone I won't care about the money or the budget, I will care that I was there.

Soooo, I will be gone till Sunday but after that I am going to be BACK ON TRACK!!!