No Buy January 2010

[smiller]

1/1 - $0
1/2 - $38.84 Whole Foods
1/3 - $11.60 Whole Foods
1/3 - $17.54 Trader Joe's

$67.98/$202.78

Okay... I shouldn't have to buy any food except MILK for a few weeks!

I'm seriously only buying items that complete the meals that are found in the pantry and freezer. I guess I'm getting a little too creative!

 

[tinkarooni]

Welcome to everybody joining in for the first time. Accountability to this thread has helped me immensely in the past.

1-1 $0.00
1-2 DH went shopping .
$32.00 Walmart for some gadget he needed and $24.00 Best buy

for some other gadget he needed.​

1-3 $0.00

My goal is to stick to a $900 food budget this month. This budget includes all cleaning supplies and the payment I owe for a 1/2 a butchered pig and 1/4 of a beef cow. While this should last a long time it's time to pay the piper and pay the bills. We have an enormous amount of food in the house so I intend to pay these items and live a lot on what we have. I will also need to buy gardening seeds this month and will take it from here. I am hoping to have some extra food money by the end of the month but that may be too big of a goal, we'll try.

That's my major goal this month. Also no eating out unless we are using gift cards we received as gifts and we have one special occasion out to dinner that we only have a $25.00 GC for so I will allow another $40.00 for that. $$ place but out of my hands.

Nothing bought extra. We need nothing. If something breaks or dies it will wait until February. Here we go.....

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Welcome to everybody joining in for the first time. Accountability to this thread has helped me immensely in the past.

Me too!

I want to add something to this for the people trying this for the first time. It took me about 3 months before I really got the hang of it; I'm now getting 15 $0 days pretty consistently. I am still not staying within my $600, but each month I do get closer!

If I were to do it again, I'd focus on this:

1st month: tracking my normal spending - get in the habit of writing everything down. I use a daybook/agenda/planner calendar and I note the following: the store, the amount spent, the format (cash/debit/credit card), and then I add a color coded dot for the category. I can later cross-check my bills with the spending listed, and the colored dots I can list my spending by category.

2nd month: adjusting the budget and making goals - use the information from the first month to see where the big leaks are. Focus on the category (or 2) with the biggest leaks. Work on getting $0 days.

3rd month: aim to stay within the budget and get the number of $0 days up.

 

[teacher9702]

I am in!! I seriously need to watch my spending. This month begins my sincere hope of saving & cutting down debt. Both of our cars are paid off now so I am going to put that money half into savings & half onto debt.

1/1 Dairy Queen $13 (used my xmas money for this)
1/2 bball game $5 milk $3.22
1/3 going grocery shopping

 

[eeyoresmom]

UGH! I can not seem to have a no spend day with my kids! Today was only $1 for an iced tea for DS, but it counts so:
$0 spend days-0/15. Oh well, kids are back to school tomorrow so it will get easier! My goal is 15 no spend days until the 23rd so in order to meet that goal, I can only spend on 4 days until then.

 

[neatokimmo]

I spent $19 for a movie today & $15.01 on groceries today.



Jan 2 - ZERO
Jan 1 - 11.75[/QUOTE]

 

[Tiggerish]

Budget for the month is $300 because I had to pay my quarterly car and life insurance and my annual licensing fee on the 1st which came to $650.
So I am going to have to be very tightfisted for the rest of the month.

Groceries - $150 / $110 left
Auto - $40
Medical - $10
Eating Out - $25
Misc. - $75
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/1 $0
1/2 $ Groceries $40
1/3 $0

 

[luvsJack]

So far so good:

1/1 $0
1/2 $0
1/3 $0

Tomorrow I go back to work from the holidays (had 2 wks. off) and we head straight into student registration. It will be hard not to splurge for lunch or after work for fast food. Just gotta turn my car in the other direction after work and for lunch I will take my Walt Disney Bio dh got me for Christmas. That will keep me on campus and eating the lunch I take with me (it will make for a great break too!)

Just gotta keep saying: I can do it, I can do it, I can do it.

 

[joy@disney]

Me too!

I want to add something to this for the people trying this for the first time. It took me about 3 months before I really got the hang of it; I'm now getting 15 $0 days pretty consistently. I am still not staying within my $600, but each month I do get closer!

If I were to do it again, I'd focus on this:

1st month: tracking my normal spending - get in the habit of writing everything down. I use a daybook/agenda/planner calendar and I note the following: the store, the amount spent, the format (cash/debit/credit card), and then I add a color coded dot for the category. I can later cross-check my bills with the spending listed, and the colored dots I can list my spending by category.

2nd month: adjusting the budget and making goals - use the information from the first month to see where the big leaks are. Focus on the category (or 2) with the biggest leaks. Work on getting $0 days.

3rd month: aim to stay within the budget and get the number of $0 days up.

Thanks for this post. What a great way to start out, month by month. I just made a spread sheet that I plan to write down everything that we spend and in what category. This way, we'll really know where all the money is going.

 

[ssdeverell]

DD is sick and it is very cold outside, so we stayed inside. Made it easy on the budget.

My budget for this month:

Groceries/Household $300 ($168.24 left)
Lunches Out at Work $40 (we go out on Friday each week)
Entertainment/Eating Out $125 ($119.52 left)
Gas (me) $250 (I drive 2 hours a day for work)
Gas (DH) $100
Clothes $25 ($13.25 left)
DS's birthday present $55

2/10 $0 days

Dec. 31: $109.27 groceries, $11.75 tights for DD
Jan. 1: $0
Jan. 2: $22.49 groceries for sick Mom/birthday cupcakes for the dog; $5.48 KFC for sick Mom; also had lunch out, but had GC to cover that
Jan 3: $0

 

[wdwfan16]

I spent $19 for a movie today & $15.01 on groceries today.



Jan 2 - ZERO
Jan 1 - 11.75

On your blog you have a tutu. I clicked on the instructions. It does not list the number to tie around the band. How many strips did you cut? Is the band a headband?

 

[neatokimmo]

On your blog you have a tutu. I clicked on the instructions. It does not list the number to tie around the band. How many strips did you cut? Is the band a headband?

I think the original poster was using elastic that she sewed together. To me it looked like she had is stretched out as she was tying it. I am using a grossgrain (sp?) ribbon so I can tie it on her. I'll put a couple of stitches on the last ties so they won't slide.

Natalie is a skinny 2T. About 1.5 yards did 25ish strips. I think 50 are needed as a minimum for hers. I only have white tulle so I'm going to alternate pink & white for her first one. I made it way too long and wasted quite a bit, I think for a toddler 2 yards would of made a nice one.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

The kids had a movie from Redbox from last night (the $1 was recorded on yesterday). We got a foot of snow and it is brutal cold out, but the roads were cleared and my car would need to be cleaned off for tomorrow anyway, so I ran it to the store instead of paying the extra $1. My DD10 went with me and ran it in (I could see the machine from the car), she's such a sweetie. We are back home and warm, and had another $0 day! The next few are going to be harder. Tomorrow I owe for dance for the month $109 and Tuesday DD10 gets her braces on and we have to put down like $600. But, these are things we have to or have decided to do, so they are in the budget.

 

[wdwfan16]

I think the original poster was using elastic that she sewed together. To me it looked like she had is stretched out as she was tying it. I am using a grossgrain (sp?) ribbon so I can tie it on her. I'll put a couple of stitches on the last ties so they won't slide.

Natalie is a skinny 2T. About 1.5 yards did 25ish strips. I think 50 are needed as a minimum for hers. I only have white tulle so I'm going to alternate pink & white for her first one. I made it way too long and wasted quite a bit, I think for a toddler 2 yards would of made a nice one.

Thanks.

 

[luv2nascar]

Groceries $0/$600
Misc $0/$200
School lunches $0/$80
Gas $0/$320

$0 days 3/6 days

Little bit of cheat on Saturday night. We did have friends over and had to order out not enough for dinner here. Spent $25 on chinese take out food but DH used christmas money so no out of pocket or out of the budget.

Back to work tomorrow - let the spending begin. Ughhhh. Must stick to budget must stick to budget.

 

[littlered]

Jan 2nd-3.50$ at Starbucks after the littles and I's walk, drinks for both though!

Jan 3rd-3.16@dollar tree, 4.78 @starbucks, 20.00$ at Savers, 32@costco and 29$ at Grocery Store...

I suck today lol. Back to work tomorow, should be cheap day, going to try to traack down some of the cheap Cheerios at Vons, mine was out on the first day of the sale! Other then that, no spend. I am going to try hard to have 3 no spending days until Friday, when we have 3.49$ pizza for a 16 inch for dinner from a local place.

 

[Shmily1]

1/1--groceries/household stuff--181.53 (includes baby stuff DGS needed)
1/2--$0!!
1/3--$26.34 Subway for lunch and $3.50 for newspapers (gotta have my coupons!)

Total number of $0 days--1
(Got to get more than that out of it!)

 

[Swmr359]

Spent more money on the dang laptop; thankfully I will be paid back. And I forgot that I did spend money at the post office yesterday... Another 0 day for me! I'm trying to wait until I get my next paycheck to spend any money; we'l see how that goes.
----------
Jan. 1: $0
Jan. 2: $3
Jan. 3: $0

Groceries: $100
Eat out: 0/2 ($0)
Misc.: $3
Total: $3

 

[Alice1386]

I am not quite sure how to track things for me. My Mom and I share a house (we each pay half for everything) and are both working on keeping a $100 a week food budget which we each chip $50 into. I paid almost all the bills for the month today (I haven't received the Internet/Cable Bill for the month yet). I am trying to have as many $0 as possible! I got to save up to get my foster dog treated for Heartworms and build a fence in April

1/1: $0
1/2: $0
1/3: $9 for subscription to Bark Magazine, $50 out of the $100 weekly grocery budget

 

[disneyorvegas]

Hopefully going to get back on track after several months off the wagon!

1/1 $0
1/2 $0
1/3 $0 Not leaving the house has been great! Too bad cabin fever is setting in... not to mention the pantry getting low...
1/4 $0!
1/5 $8 Dining
1/6 $8 misc. $22 groceries
1/7 $12 misc.

Groceries: $22 Dining: $8 $Misc: $20


1/8 $265 groceries (so I made up for last week and the fact that the last 3 weeks have been event groceries only... and I love the can can sale but it does destroy the budget!)
1/9 $0
1/10 $52 misc.
1/11 $32 dining
1/12 $7 dining
1/13 $25 medical, $187 vet
1/14 $9 misc (dog med I forgot to pick up yesterday)

Groceries: $265 misc: $59 Dining: $39 Medical: $212
Total: $577 Running total: $627

1/15 $14 gift, $19 dining, $97 dog food
1/16 $14 car wash, $40 groceries
1/17 $40 groceries (emergency trip - ran out of coffee for DH! Also got produce since it doesn't last as long in winter...) This really should have been a $0 day since I wasn't the one who needed anything. Argh!
1/18 $0
1/19 $59 groomer, $47 monster sale @ Children's Place, $159 2 pr sneakers ($100 from birthday money, so really only $59) $27 groceries
1/20 $0
1/21 $0 (easy since I convinced my dad to buy us lunch!)

Groceries: $107 misc: $194 Dining: $19 Medical: $0 Dog: $97
Total: $417 Running total: $1044

1/22 $0
1/23 $149 groceries
1/24 $40 gifts, $30 ice skating, $24 movies, $8 dining
1/25 $0
1/26 $8 dining, $120 dog medicine
1/27 $0
1/28 $35 groceries

Groceries: $184 misc: $102 Dining: $16 Medical: $0 Dog: $120
Total: $422 Running total: $1466

1/29 $0
1/30 $13 dog food
1/31 $15 gift, $12 ice skating

Groceries: $0 misc: $40 Dining: $0 Medical: $0 Dog: $13
Total: $0 Running total: $1506

$6 OVER! DARN IT! Why couldn't the party have been tomorrow...