***Spending Freeze 2013 - week 3***

[karinothing]

Hopefully this comes out okay since I only have a half inch box to type into, I have no clue what this post will look like.

Spend: BIG FAT FAIL. This week I got a flat on my car and realized I needed to replace all tires. The spare was flat too. Ugh. Needless to say that was $400 down the drain. Then I bought DS' first year pictures so that was $100. AND groceries which aws like $130. I don't get why our groceries are so freaken expensive. That didn't even have any meat! Ugh. I think it really is just the cost of everything here. Sigh.

Save: Nothing Unless you count the $20 off coupon I just found for the tire store.

[aspentosh]

Still doing well!

Spent on necessities:
Gas
Stuff for DD's party (food, balloons)
Groceries

Spent on non-necessities:
Ate out 3 times again. GAH!
H bought a Kindle book. $5

Saved:
Returned some stuff- around $65 worth
Got about $800 worth in FSA reimbursement
Sold some stuff on Ebay- $185

[changedname]

Spend:
I was naughty and spent $35 on 2 different groupon offers.
Also signed DH and I up for a Valentines couples 5k which was $60

Savings:
I filled out a survey and got a $10 itunes giftcard so a small saving there.
I got $70 visa giftcard from Hyundai for the gas mileage thing - nice bonus.
I closed my chase account and got sent a check for $2.06. Woohho drinks are on me!

[SusanBAnthony]

We are doing well. We are going to go over in groceries since I need to go to Costco this week, but I only spent 50$ at the regular store which is almost half of what we usually spend.

I spent my planned 25$ at Gymboree, and got DS his swimsuit for the summer, as planned.

We have spent 2 or 3 dollars a couple times for snacks for the kids out and about, and went out to dinner once for 35$, but spent less than usual, so I am happy with that. Overall we are way under a typical month so I am very happy so far.

[Deleted]

Still doing ok.

Spend: About $195 on a new car battery and oil change for DH. That was unplanned and was a fail, I guess, but it wasn't for lack of trying, it just needed to be done.

We only spent about $50 on groceries for the week, which is a win. We're trying to eat out of the freezer/pantry as much as possible.

We spent about $20 on lunch on Saturday, which is against the "freeze" but was necessary for mental health. We've only spent about $35 this month on eating out together (and I have spent $0 on eating out alone) so I still consider that a huge improvement.

Save: Nothing other than "not spending" I guess -I'm still at only about $40 spent on myself this month which is another record. Half of that was fitness related (a DVD and Zumba at the rec center) so I can hardly feel bad about that, right?

[KaraOrNot]

We actually didn't have too bad of a week, although we still haven't been able to put anything in savings. We are still trying to catch up after H had super tiny check (like 3/4 less than normal due to time off around the holidays). We also had a $700 car repair that we paid for w/o taking money out of our car repair fund (it seems odd to take money out of one savings line and put money in for a different item). I think we will be caught up w/ this weeks check.

[ssmjlm]

We traveled to visit family this weekend, hit up Ikea, The Container Store and Homegoods. It was planned, but still hard to spend. My parents did surprise us and pay for the dresser for the nursery at Ikea, so I was super thankful for that.

Otherwise, I've actually got 3 things to return to stores b/c they didn't work out.

Up this week is grocery shopping and a few things for the house from Lowes.

Savings wise, still on track with our automatic deposits.

[Deleted]

Not bad, not great.

Spend-
groceries, Target- found some good stuff on clearance for baby and baby shower gifts.
Amazon order for friend's baby shower I'm hosting
We're trying to eat at home more and succeeding with this.
More eating down the outside fridge.

Save- DH's OT went into my maternity fund.

[genet313]

Well, let's see:

$400 on DH bday present (not including bday dinner, which is steaks in NYC so prob $150-$200)
$50 on dinner Sunday
$100 on dinner Friday

I also bought my dad some Pinkberry on Sunday, but that was only $10.  

We did lie in bed almost all day yesterday watching Game of Thrones so that was free.  We also ate food in the house, so more free.  Which meant I did not go to Bloomingdale's to shop their crazy sale, so more free. 

All in all, no bueno, but we are trying.  During the week, we are pretty good.

[Deleted]

I haven't been doing this because I was afraid I would fail. However, I think I will join in. Our new house should be completed in mid-March so there are some purchases (blinds, stove, paint) that we will be making for that but I have been budgetting/saving and will not touch savings for any of it.
I hope we do well with this because it would be nice to rein in spending on non-necessities so that we are more comfortable getting things for the house.

Spend- Did well this week. DH gets paid Friday and I still have $10 left in my budget and have already done grocery/target/costco shopping and we have no plans that involve money this week. We spent a good bit ($528) at Ikea but this was in the budget because it was Dh's & my Christmas present to each other. To be better we purposely skipped dinner out the last two Fridays so that we could save.

Save- Um, our meal was free at Ikea because they deducted it from our total. I also found $50 in a Xmas card from DH's grandparents. We used this to pay for babysitting while we were shopping. I posted earlier today but I will repeat. I contacted selectquote.com and will save almost $800/year on life, home, and auto insurance. That will be amazing. I also set up auto deposit to our savings account last week and that should start with this Friday's paycheck.

[biogirl21]

We did awesome this past week. We went to Subway once but other than that no spending. And the Subway came out of the designated envelope. Also paid $500 on our credit card, meaning that with our tax refund this year it will be paid off and we only have $800 left on there other one. Then it's house(saving) time!

ETA: crap, I forgot I got new pants for work because my other pair had a hole in the crotch. I also spent 12 on a kindle book and 30 on a textbook but I used a $100 credit from Amazon on my other books and I'm renting them, saving even more money.

[gt7301b]

I've spent $555.63 on food this month, not including shower for a shower I threew.  That was included that in my wedding expenses.  I'm feeling pretty good about the rest of the month. I'm trying to make it through the week without a grocery run. 

[bluelikejazz]

We spent way more than usual on groceries ($40 @ Costco, $50 @ grocery store), but we should only need to spend $20ish this week on milk and produce.

Other than that, I got my first "commissioned" Knitting job, and I should make $40 extra this month!

[Roc A Bee]

Mine wasn't too bad. I spent $20 Friday night hanging out with friends, so that was relatively cheap. I did spend $100 at Target yesterday, but it was for groceries and a few necessities that are pricey like toilet paper and hand weights.

[kateross]

Spend: nothing that's not budgeted for.  I spent about $40+ in groceries this week, but we still have yet to spend $250 in Costco, etc. this past weekend.

Save: no savings or deals this week.

[yellowbrkrd]

We've done okay, not great. We're on track everywhere except for groceries/eating out. We've had a couple of stressful evenings when we just decided to pick up food instead of eating what was at home. I don't think it will upset our monthly budget too much though.

[cowboyjoe]

Doing good so far. We will be a little over due to DH having a cavity filled and an unexpected medical bill. I only have $80 left for groceries next week, which sucks but is doable.

[ladygirl]

This was a weird week spending wise. We had extra money leftover after groceries, so I divided that up between DH and I for a little extra spending money this week. I had to have a sonogram on my breast, and for some reason was expecting to only pay a copay, and nearly broke down in tears when they wanted $300.00. Then, I got home the same day to find a bill from the dentist that DH didn't mention needs to be paid. I thought he took care of it months ago when he went. Now, our dog is acting funny, not eating, and having trouble walking, so tomorrow we go to the vet. That about adds up to the nice chunk of $$$ that was sitting in checking to pay extra towards student loans. I guess the bright side is that the money is there. No dipping in savings or turning to a credit card?!

[heygrey]

We're right on track for spending in groceries, gas, and incidentals.

H still has a decent amount of allowance left (this is huge growth for him).

I made another $18 off some clothes at a consignment store!

We met our first savings goal for the year (lol... We were a little under-ambitious apparently) and we've funded a long weekend trip to Calgary in late February.

H has a solid lead on a job that will start in march so well have a double salary that month!

[justjen]

Ugh, where to begin?

--Friday I went to the ER, because I had a sudden sharp pain in my head followed by lightheadedness. I had fears of an aneurysm, but everything was thankfully fine. Still, there was the cab ride there, the Subway lunch afterwards when I was starving, not to mention whatever the hospital will cost (I forget how it changed from last year).

--We booked $500 in hotel rooms for my brother's wedding memorial day weekend. We needed to get a suite to guarantee we'll have a fridge, which we'll need for DD's bottles. This, plus the gift will definitely make this a $1k-plus event.

--On the plus side: We also needed to book a room for a babysitter to watch DD (long story, but logistically, leaving her home didn't work). BUT my very awesome friend not only volunteered to watch her, she also insisted on paying for her own room. I feel guilty about this, but she won't budge

--I needed something at Whole Foods, so went when I was off on Monday and spent $100+

--All in all, though, I still think I'm doing well because I'm not doing any uneccesary spending, which is huge for me. I didn't order lunch or go out to dinner, didn't buy any clothes for me or DD, didn't stop for coffee or breakfast on my way into work. Seriously, you all should pat me on the back

[bostonmichelle]

We didn't do terribly bad for us. Everything was budgeted for except the jeans, and of course I got the GC for Kohl's the next day as a Birthday gift. This week looks pretty good for us so far, hopefully this weekend won't derail us and we can come in within budget for the month on eating out and groceries, our two biggest problem areas.

Good Spending
Groceries - $80
CVS - $20
Breakfast out with friends - $25
Dinner out with friends - $0 because it was my birthday and insisted on paying for both DH and I

Saves
Used credit card points to pay for my oil change
Got a $30 gc for Kohl's to buy me new work shoes

Bad Spending
New jeans - $31.99 the dog tore a hole in my nice ones while playing one night

[Deleted]

Jan 23, 2013 8:35:58 GMT -5 justjen said:

--We booked $500 in hotel rooms for my brother's wedding memorial day weekend. We needed to get a suite to guarantee we'll have a fridge, which we'll need for DD's bottles. This, plus the gift will definitely make this a $1k-plus event.

Did you talk to the hotel about this?  Some hotels are able to bring mini-fridges and microwaves to regular rooms.  My sister has had luck with those types of requests.

[justjen]

Jan 23, 2013 8:45:12 GMT -5 v said:

I did. I somewhat suspect that the girl who answered the phone didn't really know what she was talking about, but she said the suite was the only way to guarantee I'd have access to a fridge.

In other fails, I forgot my flu shot, which was apparently not covered at the Walgreens I went to, but would've been covered at a CVS. Of course, the CVS didn't have any left. So there's $40.

[sh10]

We are continuing to eat out of our freezer and pantry so our grocery bill has been down. I'm going to visit my sister in Florida this weekend and she got us free Disney tickets!!! I'm not sure you can call it savings since we wouldn't have gone without free tickets but I'm still excited. We are so close to paying off the student loan, it's really helping me stay on track. It should be by the end f this month!!

[winnied]

I also failed.

Groceries: $120 (budgeted, but I still try to go under)
Furniture at Ikea: $400 - we've been wanting it and this was a fairly big impulse buy.
Chinese take-out on Friday: $20

This week is a new week!

[IrishBelle]

Jan 23, 2013 8:45:12 GMT -5 v said:

Jan 23, 2013 8:35:58 GMT -5 justjen said:

--We booked $500 in hotel rooms for my brother's wedding memorial day weekend. We needed to get a suite to guarantee we'll have a fridge, which we'll need for DD's bottles. This, plus the gift will definitely make this a $1k-plus event.

Did you talk to the hotel about this?  Some hotels are able to bring mini-fridges and microwaves to regular rooms.  My sister has had luck with those types of requests.

I've found if you say that you need it for medical reasons, you shouldn't have a problem having a fridge brought it. 

While not officially on a spending freeze, I have done well so far this month.  We even went away this past weekend and stayed with family and didn't eat out once.  My only purchases so far have been groceries, gas and childcare.  I do need to buy new sheets for our bed but I'm waiting for a sale.

[winnied]

I forgot, I spent $25 on makeup. Not bad, especially considering it was from Target, but still.