No Buy May! Welcome old and new savers!

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I saw there wasn't a May thread started yet so I thought I'd start it. I am so excited for May. It's another tough month for us. Lots of birthdays, dance recitals which means teacher gifts and flowers for my girls and the end of my first year teaching preschool so little gifts for all my kids there, and the list goes on, but I am so inspired after April, a month I expected to fail and was very successful, so I just can't wait for another new month of this challenge. I am so loving this!

I am sticking with working towards 15 No Buy Days!

Hope everyone has a great month and we see lots of new and old savers!

 

[Tiggerish]

I am in again. I reduced my budget from last month since now I am making two trips to WDW this year instead of one. So I need to kick up the amount I am putting into my Disney savings.

Budget for May is $555 with 12 no spend days.

Auto $60
Eating Out/Entertainment $50
Giving $125
Groceries/Household Goods $230
Medical $15
Misc. $75

 

[kymmyk13]

I am going to try this for the first time this month. I will work on a budget tomorrow and hope to have 10 no buy days.

Groceries & tioletries- 500.00/34 spent
Gas-100.00/20
Misc-100.00
Eating out- 50.00
DH Misc- 100.00
Total 850.00

 

[labdogs42]

Hmmm..so, what are the guidelines? You guys seem to have some very concrete plans! What defines a no buy day? You buy nothing? Or do you just shoot to not buy anything that isn't in the budget? Or does everyone just set their own goals? It might be tough for me not to buy anything in May, since we head to Disney at the end of the month! But, i could try to be better with my budget this month, that's for sure! Maybe I should try "no impulse buy" May! That would be a good start for me!

 

[goofyisinphilly]

Count me in. We just booked a trip for Aug with free dining. We are trying to replace flooring in our house and take this trip. Back on the savings wagon.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

I have only been doing No Buy since January, so maybe someone else will answer better but this is how I see it.

What most people seem to do is not include monthly bills like the morgage and utilitlies but do include things like grogeries and gas. But you do what works for you. I do not pay the bills, my DH does so I like to record everything I spend even the necessities. Even if I just buy a gallon of milk I don't count it as a no spend day.

In the end what it seems to do for me is makes me plan better, keeps me away from the stores and temptation and also reduces my gas spent, all wins for me. I never thought I'd do well in April, we had a trip to visit the grandparents, my DH's birthday, but I decided to still keep my goal at 15 and with so creativity I kept yesterday and today $0 days whereas truth be told if I had reduced my goal I may have spent money both days. Instead, I made my goal today.

Anyway, you start with what feels right to you, this is your goal and we are just all here for motivation. Good luck in whatever you decide you want to shoot for and welcome!

 

[labdogs42]

I never thought I'd do well in April, we had a trip to visit the grandparents, my DH's birthday, but I decided to still keep my goal at 15 and with so creativity I kept yesterday and today $0 days whereas truth be told if I had reduced my goal I may have spent money both days. Instead, I made my goal today.

Good luck in whatever you decide you want to shoot for and welcome!

Thanks! So you try for a number of days where you don't buy stuff above and beyond bills/mortgage. Cool. I think I can do that. I'll shoot for 12 days. Thanks!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Thanks! So you try for a number of days where you don't buy stuff above and beyond bills/mortgage. Cool. I think I can do that. I'll shoot for 12 days. Thanks!

Great! I think you will find that it becomes like a game where you want so badly to be able to report back each day that you had a $0 day. AND, you will find great motivation, at least I have. Good Luck!!!

 

[MomToOne]

I'm a long time lurker, but figure I'll jump in this month! I keep a very detailed budget, but am always looking for more incentive to not hit Target at lunch just to get out of the office

My budget is a bit odd in that it I combine weekly budgetting with monthly - it's hard to explain to others, but it works in my head so I'm going to stick with it. Suffice it to say, in my mind, May runs from Apr 26th thru May 30th

I'm going to track all spending where the $$$ amount is not set in stone before the month starts. This includes gas, groceries, school field trip fees, those Target trips, etc.

Total budget for all things is $800 - that's for a household of 2 (myself and my daughter). It normally wouldn't be that high, but it includes my daughter's 10th birthday this month and the corresponding party budget. I'm going for 20 no spend days - may not make it, but have to have something to shoot for!!

So, since my month of "May" has started already, I'll report what I have so far:
4/26 - $0
4/27 - $0
4/28 - $0
4/29 - $16 Field Trips
4/30 - won't be a no spend, going out to dinner with a friend who is in town - a rare treat for us these days!!

No spend days: 3/20
Total Spent: 16/800

 

[SunnieRN]

Hello everyone!! Since I am leaving for my trip on May 31, this will be a frugal month. My goal is for 13 no spend days. I will count bills only, as a no spend day, but will list groceries, meals out, trip supplies (which I have most of already) and misc. spending.

Good luck everyone! I loved doing this last month and hopefully this month will be just as great! You are all an inspiration for sure!

 

[charming23]

I am in again and am really going to try and save a lot in the coming months because a Disney trip in Jan. of 2011 looks really good. I graduate college in December and my mom thought it would be a good way to celebrate.

May's Budget:

Grocery/Household: $200
Gas/Car: $50
Entertainment/Easting Out: $75
Misc/Emergency: $75

Total: $400

Goal of 15 no Buy days

Good Luck everyone!!!!

 

[PixiePlanner]

I am sticking with working towards 15 No Buy Days!

I'm in. I really need to get this spending under control.

5/01 0.00
5/02 5.24 Had to pick up a couple flowers for Teacher Appreciation
5/03 0.00
5/04 0.00
5/05
5/06
5/07

 

[Jill in Chicago]

Mickeymomofthree I have some suggestions. I understand the flowers at the end of the year for your daughter, lovely tradition, but how about a no buy for all the gifts too?

For the teachers skip the gifts altogether, and instead have your child write a letter to the teacher or make a card. I have heard from sooooo many teacher that they would much rather have this.

From you to the teacher write a letter and send a copy to the principal. The teachers love this! Throughout the year I also used to send little notes to the teachers when I appreciated something, or they did a great lesson.....

For the gifts to the other pre-school students, first I have never heard of this. New tradition? If allergies are not a problem make each of them a cookie, and wrap it up with a bow.

Gifts take such a huge chunk out of our budgets and I have challenged myself to quit gifting when it really isn't necessary.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I'm back. Last month with the Disney trip and DD's prom you would have thought I owned a money tree!

So I need to be realistic but I want to really stretch myself to do well this month. I chose 40% of no spend days (a little over a third of the month) so that would be 12 days (I rounded down).

Groceries: $65.00 per week (5 Sundays) = $295.00
Gas: $150.00 (this may be a challenge if the prices goes ski-hi with the spill)
Kids: $200.00
Entertainment: $125.00 - 30.00 = 95.00 (this is new but it can be used for a catch all for the summer things that everyone wants!)

No Spend Days: 12

May 01 - $30.00 (chinese take-out )
May 02
May 03
May 04
May 05
May 06
May 07
May 08

Good Luck everyone!!

 

[princessbride6205]

I'm in!

I was active on the No Buy threads a few months ago, but have since strayed. I don't usually shoot for No Buy days, but to stay within my budget. My parking at work is something I have to pay every day - no monthly pass - so I never seem to have no buy days. But I can still do better.

We can afford to be a little less frugal now as I finally received a good raise in January. I've allowed us more convenience foods as time savers and more organic foods for health. Even with keeping some of that, I still need to start tracking again.

Groceries (food only) - $350
Other (Diapers, toiletries, household supplies) - $50
Gas/Transport/Parking - $320
Dining Out - $200
Fun Money - $40
Extras (Clothes, gifts, etc) - $100

 

[MommyBell08]

I'M BACK! With a budget and a plan. DH is on board now, and we've read Dave Ramsey! We are Gazelle intense! Were going to kick this debt head on! Cant wait to stop getting those pesky cc bills! Oh and DH got laid off last Thursday too.. Makes this a little more challenging!?@*&^^^&^! Hes an Iron Worker so this is no new thing for us, but right after were all ready to go??.. COME ON!

Here's our budget for May:
(Total Budget-2298.36/left-851.22 after bills pd in advance for May)

Groceries-230 = 57.50/Week

Gas-150 Left-112.63

Miscellanies-50Total (DH/23 ME/25)

Stock Pile-20/Left 20

No Buys- 0/15=Goal No Buys!

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Mickeymomofthree I have some suggestions. I understand the flowers at the end of the year for your daughter, lovely tradition, but how about a no buy for all the gifts too?

For the teachers skip the gifts altogether, and instead have your child write a letter to the teacher or make a card. I have heard from sooooo many teacher that they would much rather have this.

From you to the teacher write a letter and send a copy to the principal. The teachers love this! Throughout the year I also used to send little notes to the teachers when I appreciated something, or they did a great lesson.....

For the gifts to the other pre-school students, first I have never heard of this. New tradition? If allergies are not a problem make each of them a cookie, and wrap it up with a bow.

Gifts take such a huge chunk out of our budgets and I have challenged myself to quit gifting when it really isn't necessary.

I am frugal with the flowers since they just die anyway. I never order through the school. I get a small $5 bouquet at Walmart and divide them between the 2 girls. I use the same vases they have had since they started dancing. I wrap them really pretty. They aren't huge but they are always happy with them. The dance teacher gifts I totally had forgotten, I got ballerina Christmas ornaments after Christmas for $.25 each! I was excited when I remembered that. I do agree though that a nice letter is always nice, and they always do write a little card for them at the end of the year to tell them how much they enjoyed the class for both school and dance teachers (coaches, etc.) For their teachers at school we always make a big bouquet of flower pens at the end of the year. It doesn't cost but a buck or 2 and are useful.

As for the preschool kids in my class. This is my first year and I am new to this so I don't know if this is customary or not, but at both Christmas and Easter I was told to put in a set amount of money per kid (a couple bucks each) to get them a gift so I said for the end of the year I was going to do my own thing because the bargain shopper in me can do better then paying retail for things. I was thinking of something homemade with their class photo on it.

I agree with you on cutting where we can for gifts. For Mother's Day I got all the moms and grandmas photo holding tote bags for $1 each a while ago. A few photo prints and we are good for that. I have my grandma and grandpa's b-days (they raised me so like mom and dad.) Grandpa is done (got a $150 digital photo frame watch for $20 a while ago.) Grandma I am still working on, no ideas yet let alone bargains. Then it is my DD10's b-day in May too. She's mommy's little saver so she just wants money to save for our trip. That is cool but no bargain shopping there.

The only b-day gifts we buy outside of our family of 5 are my grandparents but unfortunately they are both in May.

 

[bas71873]

Thank goodness for May. April was my first “no buy” month and it was rough to say the least. Between unexpected doctors appointments (but thankfully all is well with me), DD’s Spring Break, including a trip to Baltimore, a solo trip for me to visit a girlfriend in Alabama, I blew my budget by miles and dipped into savings more than I want to admit.

Sooooooo, I am committed to having a better May. Again, I won’t be tracking our budgeted living expenses since there is no escaping them, but my May goals are as follows:

Spending budget = $1000 and “No Buy” days = 10

I would really just like to stick to my $1000 budget and if I can get 10 "no buy" days doing that then great, but for me, sticking to that $1000 would be SUPER

 

[patsal]

I did so badly last month! I have to get on track with spending. May will be tough with 2 Communions, Mother's Day and June with Birthdays. I put the Communion stuff in April so I wouldn't have that hanging over my head, DH broke the bank with new Hearing Aids--man those suckers are expensive! But a necessity not a luxury. I am shooting for 10 $0 days.

5/1 $0
5/2 $45 (needed new shorts my old ones literally fell off!)
5/3 $21 Wendy's for dinner, script pick up copay and flavored water at supermarket
5/4 $27 Three packs of K cups
5/5
5/6
5/7

 

[QVCshopper]

I'm in--but I'm not sure what I want to do yet for May. I was doing the no-buy months to stop my kids give-mes, which has worked out wonderfully. They have cut down what they ask for TONS. I am fortunate to not have debt, but I still like to watch where our money is going and always have. So, I'll think about it and then decide.

Will try for 15 no-buys again as shopping less is good for me. But, I do have a few b-days as well as Mother's Day. And after two previous no-buy months, the stockpile is dwindling. I guess my spending goal is $800 or less, not including gas. Tracking gas was too much for me.