No Buy March

[PrincessBriarRose]

I know I am jumping in on this thread a bit late but I would love to join in. I am trying to convince my boyfriend that we can "afford" to go to Disney this summer. I went last summer for 10 days on deluxe dining and can't wait to get back. He says I need to curb my frequent trips to Macy's. I am hoping the board might help me. So far I went to:

Starbucks for Hot Peppermint Tea $2
Lunch $10
Smart Water $2

I don't anticipate spending anymore money today. I have off tomorrow, so I am hoping to have a No Buy Day tomorrow because I will be spending it doing laundry and cleaning.

 

[QVCshopper]

Got DD a bear at the AG Fashion Show--I had already paid for everything else, including a matching shirt for her and an outfit for her doll. Not sure why I have such a hard time saying no... Oh well--that's why I'm doing this no-buy month. Contemplating getting her a new AG dress for Easter. Trying to resist, but finding myself missing shopping more than I thought.

March 01 - $21.47 Target (cat food, snacks); $6.33 AC Moore (picture frames); found .01 cents
March 02 - $0; found .27 cents
March 03 - $8.46 BK (lunch); $10.14 Wegmans (food; ice cream); $50 (gift cards for March b-days); found .45 cents
March 04 - $0; found .07 cents
March 05 - $0; found .40 cents
March 06 - $8.46 Brusters (ice cream); found .12 cents
March 07 - $5 AG Doll Fashion Show (bear); $1.50 Chuck E Cheese (ice cream); $6 Wendy's (lunch); 10.60 Wegmans (food); found .11 cents
March 08 -
March 09 -
March 10 -
March 11 -
March 12 -
March 13 -
March 14 -
March 15 -

First week spent: $128
First week found $1.43
No-buy days: 3

 

[lattemomof3]

March 1 $0
March 2 $84 groceries, $109 dance tuition, $7 DH prescription
March 3 $5 Much needed HipHop Shoes (from the resale box at dance!)
March 4 $0
March 5 $0
March 6- We went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. Tickets $42.50 and $6.50 for popcorn. We rarely go to new movies but the kids really wanted to see it in 3D so we went to the first show of the day for the early bird special. What else... Sam's club for groceries, cleaning products and a new swim suit for me-$131. Chuck E Cheese, we drank free soda and used free token coupons so $0 there and $0 to build projects at Home Depot so still some budget things. Oh, and dinner on the way home $14. DH and I were supposed to go out on a date tonight but I wasn't feeling good so we will go tomorrow if I feel better. So today we spent $187.50. Gosh, that sounds awful!

Total Spent $392.50
# 0f $0 days- 3

I said weekends were my weakness.

ETA- I didn't even really like the movie, all that money and I can't even say it was worth it. The kids liked it though, so I am glad for that.

Yep, weekends are my weakness too. It's so hard to find things to do to entertain 3 kids for free. We live in an isolated area where even the libraries are closed after noon on Sat and all day Sun. Hopefully once the weather gets better it will help.

 

[dtr_angel]

Goal - 10 no buy days
Budget
$200 - groceries/food - $92.06 left
$150 - gas - $125 left
Misc - $30 - $7.54 left

3/1 - $0!
3/2 - $1 groceries, $9.61 misc
3/3 - $6.16 groceries
3/4 - $25 gas
3/5 - $12.85 misc, $79.93 groceries
3/6 - $20.85 groceries
3/7 - $0!

 

[gillenkl]

This is my first time doing a "no buy" month. But, and I'm sure it's a stupid question - what exactly do you mean by "no buy"? There are certain things we must buy like food, gas, mortgage, electric. We don't have credit card debt so that's one good thing. I guess for me it means not buying unnecessary extras. We have $235 for the next 2 weeks and we'll need to buy groceries and gas. It'll be tight but we can do it.

 

[wdwfan16]

3/1 - $0
3/2 - $0
3/3 - $0
3/4 - $0
3/6 - $0
3/7 - $0

 

[darthspud]

So I did my month's grocery shopping today...

3/7- 108.57 on groceries so that 122.67/200 on food for the month

 

[Tiggerish]

Budget is a tight $475 for a long month.

Automobile $50
Eating Out/Entertainment $25 / $8 left
Giving $50 / $30
Groceries/Household Goods $200 / $154 left
Medical $25
Misc. $100
Easter Baskets $25
Coupon savings $9.94
_________________________________
3/1 $0
3/2 $0
3/3 Eating out $13; Groceries $2
3/4 $0
3/5 Groceries $44
3/6 $0
3/7 Giving $20, Eating out $4

I usually get a ride to church with my sister and her family and it was my turn to buy the after church coffees but fortunately we all think of the Speedway gas station as our version of Starbucks.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

gillenkl - I don't know if there are hard and fast rules. I do not count my fixed expenses.

I identify other spending on food, clothing, pets, fuel and entertainment.

You will have noted some people add their coupon and sales savings.

It is what you choose to share.

If you are looking for a budget planning sheet I use this one by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, it is the Interactive Budget Worksheet.

http://www.gailvazoxlade.com/resources.html

 

[erikawolf2004]

Goals for Feb:
12 no buy days/did 9
Eating Out $250/$237
Groceries $450/$498
Shopping $200/$450(have a $17 credit from LeapFrog coming)($100 ebay sells)
Misc./Entertainment/Haircut&color $160/$294
Goal $1050/$1479 Actual

Goals for March:
10 no buy days
Eating out $400/$91, more than normal because we are going on vacation
Groceries $450/$42
Shopping $400/$69 Vacation & DD's Birthday this month
Misc. $200/$155
Birthday Party supplies and food $100/$59
Total: $1550/$444 I hope to be under this, but trying to be realistic at this point.

3/1 $144, $9 lunch, $42 Whole Foods, $40 Ebay, $53 Shutterfly book from Disney trip last Sept.
3/2 $0 1/10 ($28 Macy's return)
3/3 $13 lunch out
3/4 $65, $36 gifts for Austin Trip, $5 Donuts, $24 Pizza
3/5 $222, $66 Contacts, $51 TJMaxx(new sheets), $24 Michael's B-day supplies, $22 Party America B-day supplies, $53 buycostumes.com Party supplies and Gift($34) Macys, so bummed had to return the cutest pj's because they shrank, $10 lunch, $30 dinner out
3/6 $0 2/10
3/7 $125, $10 lunch, $115 Groceries

 

[Debbie]

Mar 1: $5 groceries-DH bought KD for DD returning to university yesterday
Mar 2: $70 groceries + $3 parking
Mar 3: $0
Mar 4: $5 groceries (DH loves to shop)
Mar 5: $7 groceries + $3 at Timmy's (didn't win)
Mar 6: $20 groceries
Mar 7: $0

No Buy Days: 2/10
Week 2:250/250
Week 1: 137/250

 

[charming23]

Grocery/Household- $250/$172.99 Left
Gas- $50/ $29.46
Eating Out/Entertainment- $75/ $62.94 Left
Emergency/Misc- $75

Total- $450/ $340.37 Left

4/15 No Buy days

3/1- $41.26 Groceries
3/2- $0
3/3- $0
3/4- $12.06 Qudoba Lunch
3/5- $20.54 Gas
3/6- $0
3/7- $35.75 Groceries
3/8- $0

 

[CherylA]

Ughh what an expensive weekend!

Clothing 50.00

Groceries 400.00
- 1.00 toast 3/1
- 25.10 coffee kcups 3/1
-13.60 s&s 3/1
-21.00 School lunch program 3/4
-2.50 milk 3/4
-18.69 M&M produce 3/4
-15.50 weight watchers bars @ meeting 3/4
-27.00 Target 3/4
-31.34 Adams grocery 3/5
-118.56 Costco 3/6
-11.96 S&S 3/6
-5.00 S&S 3/5
=108.75


House Upkeep/Decorating 40.00
-7.00 furnace air filters 3/4
=33.00

Misc Spending 140.00
-20.50 NH Register newspaper subscription 3/4
= 119.50

Gifts
35.00
-10.10 fruit salad M&M farms sis bday 3/6
=24.90

Entertainment
200.00
-110.00 dinner and drinks sis bday 3/5
=90

3/9 no buy days (Mar 2nd) (Mar 3rd) (Mar 7th)
$426.15 remaining of $865 total budget

 

[A.Mickey]

Running Total: Spent $190
$600...$410 left
$0 Days:3
Goal is 15 or more!

Groceries- $300...$206 left
Eating Out- $100...$65 left
Misc. (Shopping/Entertainment) $200...$139 left
I always round up to the nearest dollar.

1- $0
2- $8 (Groceries-Jewel)
3- $7 (Eating Out-McDonald's), $2 (Groceries-Jewel), $1 (Groceries-Walgreens)
4- $36 (Groceries-Meijer) $16 (Eating Out-Ikea), $59 (Shopping-Amazon Aaron Needs a Toddler Bed, he is almost 3!!)
5- $6 (Eating Out- Mario's), $1 (Groceries- Jewel)
6- $6 (Eating Out- McDonald's), $23 (Groceries- Joe Caputo), $10 (Groceries- Aldi), $13 (Groceries-Jewel), $2 (Shopping-Dollar Tree, for 2 Sunday Papers for the coupons!)
7- $0
8- $0


Hopefully will have a streak of no buy days coming up! There is no room in our freezer or fridge or cabinets!


$0 Days: 3/15: 20%
$600 Limit: $190 : 32%
Month: 8/31: 26%

My savings from coupons and sales: $203.87

 

[Tiggerish]

Budget is a tight $475 for a long month.

Automobile $50
Eating Out/Entertainment $25 / $8 left
Giving $50 / $30
Groceries/Household Goods $200 / $154 left
Medical $25
Misc. $100
Easter Baskets $25
Coupon savings $9.94
_________________________________
3/1 $0
3/2 $0
3/3 Eating out $13; Groceries $2
3/4 $0
3/5 Groceries $44
3/6 $0
3/7 Giving $20, Eating out $4
3/8 $0

 

[thebeesknees]

3/1 $0
3/2 $0
3/3 $0
3/4 $0
3/5 $35 gas, $44 Dollar Tree for birthday party stuff for tomorrow, $6 lunch, $16 pictures for DD, $77 groceries
3/6 $22 groceries, $15 haircut for DD
3/7 $8 passport photo for DH, $165 Sam's Club groceries, etc.
3/8 $0

5 No Buy days down, 5 to go.

 

[QVCshopper]

So bummed! I had a no-buy day, but DH got his haircut w/o telling me, and I had a 1/2 off coupon at home. Men! Grrr... [Update: forgiving DH over haircut; am in better mood since finding out we won an AG doll at the show yesterday!]

March 01 - $21.47 Target (cat food, snacks); $6.33 AC Moore (picture frames); found .01 cents
March 02 - $0; found .27 cents
March 03 - $8.46 BK (lunch); $10.14 Wegmans (food; ice cream); $50 (gift cards for March b-days); found .45 cents
March 04 - $0; found .07 cents
March 05 - $0; found .40 cents
March 06 - $8.46 Brusters (ice cream); found .12 cents
March 07 - $5 AG Doll Fashion Show (bear); $1.50 Chuck E Cheese (ice cream); $6 Wendy's (lunch); 10.60 Wegmans (food); found .11 cents
March 08 - $16 GreatClips (haircut); found .36 cents
March 09 - $0; found .31 cents
March 10 -
March 11 -
March 12 -
March 13 -
March 14 -
March 15 -

 

[Debbie]

Mar 8: $22 groceries

No Buy Days: 2/10
Week 2:228/250
Week 1: 137/250

 

[dtr_angel]

Goal - 10 no buy days
Budget
$200 - groceries/food - $92.06 left
$150 - gas - $125 left
Misc - $30 - $7.54 left

3/1 - $0!
3/2 - $1 groceries, $9.61 misc
3/3 - $6.16 groceries
3/4 - $25 gas
3/5 - $12.85 misc, $79.93 groceries
3/6 - $20.85 groceries
3/7 - $0!

Goal - 10 no buy days
Budget
$200 - groceries/food - $92.06 left
$150 - gas - $125 left
Misc - $30 - $7.54 left

3/1 - $0!
3/2 - $1 groceries, $9.61 misc
3/3 - $6.16 groceries
3/4 - $25 gas
3/5 - $12.85 misc, $79.93 groceries
3/6 - $20.85 groceries
3/7 - $0!
3/8 - $0!

 

[erikawolf2004]

Goals for Feb:
12 no buy days/did 9
Eating Out $250/$237
Groceries $450/$498
Shopping $200/$450(have a $17 credit from LeapFrog coming)($100 ebay sells)
Misc./Entertainment/Haircut&color $160/$294
Goal $1050/$1479 Actual

Goals for March:
10 no buy days
Eating out $400, more than normal because we are going on vacation
Groceries $450
Shopping $400 Vacation & DD's Birthday this month
Misc. $200
Birthday Party supplies and food $100
Total: $1550 I hope to be under this, but trying to be realistic at this point.

3/1 $144, $9 lunch, $42 Whole Foods, $40 Ebay, $53 Shutterfly book from Disney trip last Sept.
3/2 $0 1/10 ($28 Macy's return)
3/3 $13 lunch out
3/4 $65, $36 gifts for Austin Trip, $5 Donuts, $24 Pizza
3/5 $222, $66 Contacts, $51 TJMaxx(new sheets), $24 Michael's B-day supplies, $22 Party America B-day supplies, $53 buycostumes.com Party supplies and Gift($34) Macys, so bummed had to return the cutest pj's because they shrank, $10 lunch, $30 dinner out
3/6 $0 2/10
3/7 $125, $10 lunch, $115 Groceries
3/8 $60, $20 Starbucks, $10 lunch, $4 tortillas, $26 Princess & the Frog