No Buy January

[disneymom3]

Hey do anyone of you do the CVS thing? I am leaning toward giving it a try because the deals do sound darn tempting but then I am going to be buying stuff I don't need.

Give me some feedback here!

 

[reginaastralis]

I want to try the CVS thing, but a lot of it sounds like things we don't use. However, I am going to be giving it a try, I guess it couldn't hurt.

Worst comes the worst, I end up buying a couple of things, get ECB's and am able to buy milk there for a lot cheaper than what it goes at the grocery store.

 

[smiller]

Hey do anyone of you do the CVS thing? I am leaning toward giving it a try because the deals do sound darn tempting but then I am going to be buying stuff I don't need.

Give me some feedback here!

I want to try the CVS thing, but a lot of it sounds like things we don't use. However, I am going to be giving it a try, I guess it couldn't hurt.

Worst comes the worst, I end up buying a couple of things, get ECB's and am able to buy milk there for a lot cheaper than what it goes at the grocery store.

I love doing the CVS thing! Just join the weekly threads - they'll help you out over there. I'm not picky about brands of toiletries or cleaning supplies, so I stock up on whatever's on sale. One note, though, is that it can make you a little anxious; you have everything figured out down to the penny and then when the store is out of something or won't accept a certain coupon, it can get frustrating! It can be VERY worth it, though!

1/7 - $4.63 for lunch. I usually take leftovers from DSis's house but I got hungry and ate them for breakfast! Hence, the need for lunch. At least I'm still in budget.

1/8 - $7.50 out with friends. Also still in budget. But I hate using all of my going out money early in the month as this is my worst budget buster!!!

Today I might hit up the CVS (provided what I'm trying to buy is actually in stock ) and check out the avocados at Chicago Produce.

Plus, I'm calling CRO and booking a 2BR at BCV for our September trip, so $200 there. I already have a room booked (well, actually the family has 3 total) at BC, but we really want the villas. Do they let you have more than one ressie under your name for the same time?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

1/1 - $0
1/2 - $0
1/3 - $9.62 (Groceries)
1/4 - $1.88 (Groceries)
1/5 - $25.44 (Groceries)
1/6 - $5.64 (Groceries)
1/7 - $19.53 (Groceries)
1/8 - $0
1/9 - $0

Month Total So Far - $62.05

 

[Kate and Pete]

DH changed one of the meals from our weekly menu - so I had to pick up a couple extras at the grocery store on the way home - $11 for today (but part of grocery budget!).

I saved money by not stopping at Dunkin Donuts to get coffee (and saved calories, too, because I can't stop for coffee w/o also getting a donut!).

 

[MrsPiglet]

$0 today I went out for lunch but a co worker picked up the tab.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

1/1 $0
1/2 $0
1/3 $53 (budgeted oil change and haircut)
1/4 $17.50 (V-day gift, unplanned)
1/5 $31 (bowls unplanned)
$65 (bike unplanned)
$8.95 (mailing planned)
1/6 $0
1/7 $0
1/8 $0
1/9 $10.70 (taken out of grocery budget)

I had to take DS to the dr. today, his clinic is at a hospital. They needed him to "go" in a cup and he couldn't so that's drinks x 3 kids and 1 Mommy. And of course you have to have Doritos to help you go, too, I bet none of you knew that, so 2 bags of Doritos to share, too. I also learned the hard way that when you put a $20 in a change machine it will give you $1 coins. I learned that after I put $6 in a machine thinking it was $1.50 for a bottle of milk and ended up buying lunch for the next guy who used the machine before I figured it out, not one of my smarter moments .

So all of that will just come out of the grocery budget, luckily I had $50 left after my shopping last time.

 

[McDuck]

Blew my $0 day today.

DH forgot to take my dental screening form to work with him so I had to go fax it at Office Depot--$3.25

Then I also bought a birthday card for his mom, birthday present for MY mom, and a valentine's present for him at Hallmark. $10.90

Tomorrow we're supposed to get our passport photos on base. At least that is free!!!

 

[neatokimmo]

We hung out at home today so it was a zero day

 

[kandeebunny]

I cleaned today so it was a $0 day here!

 

[Disneyoverload42]

Made coffee at home today - so I saved my 1.52 from my usual gas station stop.

Did use 4.38 of my remaining $5 "blow" money this week to buy the kiddos fries at McD's cause we had to wait for OD for an hour in the car. So, I have .65 to last me till Friday LOL - guess I won't be getting coffee any morning this week.

On the plus side, I was wrong about MD needing snacks - it's next week, not this week, so I can actually roll it into my groceries.

Haven't ever tried the CVS thing (which is funny because I DO have a card and there is one right across the street from my office.) Maybe I'll start paying closer attention to their ads.

 

[KarenAylwood]

1/09: $0 again!

Stayed in for lunch while the others went out I think I'll keep it to one time per week from now on. I'm going out for lunch and dinner tomorrow, so definitely not a zero dollar day.

I'm going to bed early tonight... this week has been exhausting and I'm only 3/5 of the way through it!

 

[iggbees]

.

 

[reginaastralis]

I've been to Target four times in two days, and stopped at three different grocery stores. AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Luckily, I am still under budget ... but I take back liking a day off. I don't like them, I end up buying a bunch of groceries.

Oh well, we are stocked up for the rest of the month. I even bought some things that aren't usually things we get b/c I wanted to try something different. I bought a few things that weren't on thelist, like fried okra ... but I didn't do too badly. I also bought Juliette a pint of ice cream that was on sale for a dollar. While this wasn't on the list, and surely wasn't a need, it's cheaper than getting her something from the ice cream man, and she's eaten ice cream twice and isn't nearly done.

The best part ... I don't usually take Juliette shopping with me ... women who bring their children with them to the grocery store wow me. Seriously. We're walking down the cereal aisle, and I'm trying to get her distracted and I hear "Mom, look ... Princess Rella cereal!" "Juliette, it's frosted flakes. The only reason you want it is b/c there is a princess on it. The ad people do that sort of thing on purpose b/c no mother wants to have their child scream in the middle of the store." (I hear the woman next to us laughing at this point.) "But MOM ... I want this! I like princesses and I'll eat all this cereal. Cereal is yummy and I can eat it with milk." "Ok, you can get it if you put the syrup back for your milk." And ... she did. So yeah, I bought an overpriced small box of cereal b/c there was a picture of some princesses on it. However, I did win the fight over the $6 tub of Dora icecream ... And that my friend, is why I do my grocery shopping alone.

I'll have to find my receipts later to post what the total damage was ... but for right now I have to go downstairs and clean out the freezer and fridge so we can actually fit the food in properly.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I have the BEST septic guy EVER!

Ok, so it goes like this, tuesday morning septic guy comes out and I'm all wringing my hands and flipping out and he's like, well, let me just dig around here and see what's going on. And I'm like, we just had it pumped, it's messed up, I'm so screwed, etc etc (picture me wringing hands on large stinky front lawn composed mostly of short green weeds rather than grass) and he opens up the whole thing and says, hey, you have a SECOND tank here that has a caved in top, and hey, look, there's a BLOCKED FILTER here. So he pulls the broken pieces off the feeder tank that has the lines to the septic field, grabs the big blocked filter, pulls it off and VOILA, all the filled up tank flows into the second tank, flows into the lines, and is GONE. Oh, I'm so doing the sewage happy dance right there on my front yard.

Cost: $225 dollars. I kid you not.

We do have to spend an additional 500 to have the front yard re-graded because the septic tank is so close to the surface that I am cooking the poop in the tank, but our septic guy (shocker) runs his own business on the side that fixes the yards that his boss's company digs up. So I'm currently battling with my husband who just wants to dump a pile of dirt on it, drop some seed on it, and be done with it, and I want to replace the 40 year old walkway when the septic guy comes out to re-grade because this is the *one* opportunity I will have to fix it (it's caving, crumbling and falling apart), because once the new sod goes in over the new dirt, I'll never want to touch it again.

I'm just going to toss the budget to the wind and say, after 40 years, the house should get a new walkway, for cryin' out loud! Fix septic, 225, peace of mind, priceless!!!!

So, Jan. 8 $225 ( I still can't believe it!)
Jan. 9 $0 woo hoo!

I'm beyond happy, I'm ebullient. And p*ssed at my husband for trying to dump a pile of dirt on the front lawn and calling it a day. Hey, it's about time for me to start being more demanding, I think!

 

[brockscandy]

Well, I have totally blown my no buy for the month. I had a cousin pass away last weekend and my mom, daughter and I traveled 400 miles Monday, spent two nights in a hotel, and drove back 400 miles today. Every meal was out. Oh well, I needed to be there and tomorrow is another day. I will get back to it tomorrow and start again. Thank God for savings!!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

"Blow" money for month (both DH and I) $80 - spent $15 so far this is DH's weakness.
:

Ok, I have officially been watching CSI:Miami way too much because for a minute I thought "omigosh, I can't belive she's budgeting THAT!"

First time ever columbian nose candy makes it into a budget, ha ha ha.

Ok, I've had too much wine, time to go to bed...


ps Karen Aylwood, hang in there on the new job, it's always rough at first...

 

[vegasnative]

1/1 $0
1/2 $0
1/3 $51.49 groceries (within budget)
1/4 $31.xx groceries (still within budget)
1/5 $0
1/6 $0
1/7 $387 vet, was not in the budget nor expecting it
1/8 $3.84 DH went to convenience store
1/9 $4.08 groceries (still within budget)

 

[vegasnative]

Ok, I have officially been watching CSI:Miami way too much because for a minute I thought "omigosh, I can't belive she's budgeting THAT!"

Nor admitting it

 

[neatokimmo]

That is great news! When the field bed went out on our Orlando house, it was $3500 to do a new one. When you posted you were having issues I thought ok, this is not the story I need to share right now lol

I have the BEST septic guy EVER!

Ok, so it goes like this, tuesday morning septic guy comes out and I'm all wringing my hands and flipping out and he's like, well, let me just dig around here and see what's going on. And I'm like, we just had it pumped, it's messed up, I'm so screwed, etc etc (picture me wringing hands on large stinky front lawn composed mostly of short green weeds rather than grass) and he opens up the whole thing and says, hey, you have a SECOND tank here that has a caved in top, and hey, look, there's a BLOCKED FILTER here. So he pulls the broken pieces off the feeder tank that has the lines to the septic field, grabs the big blocked filter, pulls it off and VOILA, all the filled up tank flows into the second tank, flows into the lines, and is GONE. Oh, I'm so doing the sewage happy dance right there on my front yard.

Cost: $225 dollars. I kid you not.

We do have to spend an additional 500 to have the front yard re-graded because the septic tank is so close to the surface that I am cooking the poop in the tank, but our septic guy (shocker) runs his own business on the side that fixes the yards that his boss's company digs up. So I'm currently battling with my husband who just wants to dump a pile of dirt on it, drop some seed on it, and be done with it, and I want to replace the 40 year old walkway when the septic guy comes out to re-grade because this is the *one* opportunity I will have to fix it (it's caving, crumbling and falling apart), because once the new sod goes in over the new dirt, I'll never want to touch it again.

I'm just going to toss the budget to the wind and say, after 40 years, the house should get a new walkway, for cryin' out loud! Fix septic, 225, peace of mind, priceless!!!!

So, Jan. 8 $225 ( I still can't believe it!)
Jan. 9 $0 woo hoo!

I'm beyond happy, I'm ebullient. And p*ssed at my husband for trying to dump a pile of dirt on the front lawn and calling it a day. Hey, it's about time for me to start being more demanding, I think!