No spend / low spend February

[dellabear]

Here we go again!

I stocked up at Costco tonight and we’re off to a good start for the month.  Last month our bills were super low bc I had a Costco rebate to use and I was planning meals mainly out of the pantry and freezer.  I used up most of the freezer stuff, which is great, but that meant I had to restock a bit.

I’m not sure what yet, but I’ll be budgeting for a treat for Valentine’s Day and probably at least one other take out order this month. Otherwise, COVID shutdowns make it relatively easy not to spend, there’s nowhere to go and nothing to do for the most part.

[aspentosh]

I'm here again. Thanks for setting it up!

H will be accepting a job offer, but with a security clearance transfer it can take months for him to start working... which still means no income.

We will continue to grocery shop and eat in, with the occasional take out (we've been averaging once every 10-14 days).
I will need to buy dog food.
We don't celebrate V-day so nothing expected there.
I am so very tempted to look into a small AirBnB trip where we can go hiking and enjoy some new scenery but it just seems stupid to do with no income and unknown COVID cases and (hopefully) new work schedule.

@@@
I already grabbed some dollar bin treats for DD's V-day gift ($4 total) so that's taken care of.

[trissie18]

This month should be similar to January for regular expenses. There are a couple additional expenses we are planning on but we will use our small tax refund to cover those and won't proceed until the refund is deposited.

DH is supposed to be getting a raise in his paycheck this week (we have no idea how much until he gets his paystub - potential to be significant as he hasn't gotten an increase in three plus years) so I am really hoping we are going to be able to more aggressively attack our savings and debt plans starting this month.

We don't really celebrate V day so will probably just pick up something small for DSs using cash on hand.

[chpmnk1015]

Hoping this month will be less spendy than jan.

Planning to meal plan based on sales.
Vday we get an ice cream cake and heart pizza for the family.so nothing big...usually we buy enough for a bunch of friends who come to that but w covid just us this year.

Dhs bday next week so we will do take out..but, his dad usually gives him a check that will cover dinner.

Just trying to save every penny as i am waiting to hear on my job in the coming weeks...

[quesyrah]

I am joining in!

I just stocked up on household and personal products so we shouldn’t need to spend anything this month.

Trying to keep groceries to $100 per week but we are a family of 4 so that may not be realistic.

[dellabear]

Feb 2, 2021 16:37:50 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Trying to keep groceries to $100 per week but we are a family of 4 so that may not be realistic.

I used to budget $200/week and am thinking of revising it upward.  I read that the average (Canadian) family can expect to spend $800ish more on food this year and I definitely have noticed an increase in our bills.  $100 does not go far here, even pinching pennies it would be very difficult to manage on that kind of budget for our family of 4.  But I know things are generally more expensive in Canada where I am.

[ellipses84]

I’m in! We’ve been bleeding money since November with the holidays and moving, so I want to only spend money on necessities, get our grocery budget under control and not eat out.

[quesyrah]

Feb 2, 2021 18:48:08 GMT -5 dellabear said:

Feb 2, 2021 16:37:50 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Trying to keep groceries to $100 per week but we are a family of 4 so that may not be realistic.

I used to budget $200/week and am thinking of revising it upward.  I read that the average (Canadian) family can expect to spend $800ish more on food this year and I definitely have noticed an increase in our bills.  $100 does not go far here, even pinching pennies it would be very difficult to manage on that kind of budget for our family of 4.  But I know things are generally more expensive in Canada where I am.

We eat mostly vegetarian which helps I think. We also buy very little snack food and no drinks other than milk which also tends to help keep our bill down.

Pre-Covid our budget was $200 weekly. We’ve been doing $200 every 2 weeks which is working well but I want to go back to shopping weekly so I’m hoping $100 does the trick.

[seeyalater52]

We are still spending more than I’d like. Jan had a lot of unexpected expenses which was annoying.

We had an issue with one of our home heat zones that cost $400 to fix. We had an ER visit in Dec and the bill came and it was $250 (relieved it wasn’t higher but still frustrating.) We also had our car inspection and the car needed $200 in minor here-and-there repairs to pass.

@@@

The biggest budget factor we need to keep working on in Feb is probably our household food budget and baby spending. Still not cooking as much as we’d like. With the baby takeout always feels easier at the end of the day. And I get carried away buying him stuff that adds up: used outfits on EBay and fb marketplace that are each affordable but add up to a lot. I’m so sick of being stuck at home and shopping feels good, especially since I’m on a buying spree of cute summer outfits and wishing for the warm weather to come.

We also need to deal financially with some details around the rest of my wife’s unpaid parental leave and the details of my second leave which is being paid through a new leave law and how my employer will pay the balance that isn’t paid by the state.

[heygrey]

Feb 2, 2021 18:48:08 GMT -5 dellabear said:

Feb 2, 2021 16:37:50 GMT -5 quesyrah said:

Trying to keep groceries to $100 per week but we are a family of 4 so that may not be realistic.

I used to budget $200/week and am thinking of revising it upward.  I read that the average (Canadian) family can expect to spend $800ish more on food this year and I definitely have noticed an increase in our bills.  $100 does not go far here, even pinching pennies it would be very difficult to manage on that kind of budget for our family of 4.  But I know things are generally more expensive in Canada where I am.

I'm in BC and I've noticed a significant price increase lately. We budget $700 for a family of 3 and it's close every month. I definitely have to meal plan and eat creatively to keep us on budget. We budget another $100 for eating out and that only gets us 2-3 meals not prepared at home. 

[quesyrah]

Well, we blew our not spending money goal. $3,000 to fix my minivan followed by $50 for a smog check that it failed.

I’m so so so mad about the smog check. Both our cars needed smogged this year and the place was literally next door to the mechanic so since we already had both cars there we decided to just get it done.

My van failed because during the work the mechanics reset the computer system. I really think there was no way for me to know that it would immediately fail a smog check but I’m mad that I made an impulsive decision and it cost money we don’t have to waste!

The guy said he’ll re test it for only $20 so at least I’m saving some there.

Argh.

[madringal]

Our grocery budget has gotten out of hand. Family of 5, and we spend $1200-$1400/month. My goal is to get it to less then $1000 this month, ideally $800.

Just reigning everything in this month. We have some pricey dental work for our oldest coming up and some big outdoor projects we need to get done this year, so just trying to pile up the cash.

[sometimesrunner]

Im here again! Stilling using YNAB and trying to get off the CC float. January went well, so I’m hoping by the end of the month we’ll accomplish this goal. I need to start packing lunch again. It was so convenient to not have to think about what I want for lunch energy single day on top of the money savings.

[brooke77]

I’ll join. January was spendy. We had some unexpected home repairs, annual enrollment fees, and car insurance (which we pay bi-annually) all hit at once. I also had some non-essential spending on some new bras/undies that added up reallllll quick.

This month, we will plan a nice Valentine’s date night in which will involve some speedy takeout, but otherwise can be low spend.

[dellabear]

Oh no quesyrah, that sucks. But you can’t really help that. At least your lack of spending in other areas can help make it up, at least in part.

I purchased a few books and a new pair of comfy pants for myself at Costco when I was there on Monday, which were not strictly needs and I forgot to mention before. Today I also picked up a cake and some beer for my H who got a promotion at work.

Finally we put down a $300 deposit on a long weekend away in July (refundable if we cancel with notice). It feels good to have something to look forward to.

Time to reign it in, hoping to have a low spend/low calorie weekend. Will take the kids ice skating and do some online yoga. Maybe read a book!

[aspentosh]

Feb 4, 2021 15:16:45 GMT -5 madringal said:

Our grocery budget has gotten out of hand. Family of 5, and we spend $1200-$1400/month. My goal is to get it to less then $1000 this month, ideally $800.

Is it crazy that I aim to be at $800 for our family of three (we don't each out much though)? I don't feel like $1200 is that crazy for a family of five. Especially because sales haven't been the same since COVID started. I have steadily watched our grocery bills go up by $40-$50 on each trip and we're not buying anything crazy or that different. 


But I'll be rooting for you! 

[madringal]

Feb 5, 2021 8:20:52 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Feb 4, 2021 15:16:45 GMT -5 madringal said:

Our grocery budget has gotten out of hand. Family of 5, and we spend $1200-$1400/month. My goal is to get it to less then $1000 this month, ideally $800.

Is it crazy that I aim to be at $800 for our family of three (we don't each out much though)? I don't feel like $1200 is that crazy for a family of five. Especially because sales haven't been the same since COVID started. I have steadily watched our grocery bills go up by $40-$50 on each trip and we're not buying anything crazy or that different. 


But I'll be rooting for you! 

Thanks!

I will say, we eat 99% at home. We all take lunches to school/work. My kids are all in a lot of sports/activities so they have good appetites. But seeing my grocery bill be almost as much as my mortgage makes me think I should at least try to do better!

[suzubell]

Feb 5, 2021 8:48:23 GMT -5 madringal said:

Feb 5, 2021 8:20:52 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

Is it crazy that I aim to be at $800 for our family of three (we don't each out much though)? I don't feel like $1200 is that crazy for a family of five. Especially because sales haven't been the same since COVID started. I have steadily watched our grocery bills go up by $40-$50 on each trip and we're not buying anything crazy or that different. 


But I'll be rooting for you! 

Thanks!

I will say, we eat 99% at home. We all take lunches to school/work. My kids are all in a lot of sports/activities so they have good appetites. But seeing my grocery bill be almost as much as my mortgage makes me think I should at least try to do better!

We are at $800-$1000 for a family of 4 with watching sales, etc. The kids eat like adults and there just aren’t sales. It’s annoying but I can’t seem to get below and stay there.

[aspentosh]

A week in... well, almost, but we're not leaving the house tomorrow and no plans to buy anything, lol.

Regular stuff- mortgage paid, $154 on groceries, $29 on gas, which will likely last through Feb and well into March.

Other- $21 on Turbotax (had credits to bring it down, yay!), $58 on pet food that will last two months.

[dellabear]

Still coasting along on last weeks groceries. H picked up a few fresh items on the weekend but otherwise it was a very cheap weekend. Made chili and biscuits at home for SB. Read and slept and watched tv. Online trivia with friends. It’s been cold and most everything is closed due to COVID, and during the week I am busy with work. Boring! But cheap.

[trissie18]

This week ended up being spendy with having to buy a new canner and canning lids from Amazon to can our homemade sauerkraut next weekend. We used to have a canner but can't for the life of us figure out where it went after our move two years ago. Thankfully I had an Amazon gift card to cover part of the cost.

Plus we have two birthdays to celebrate this week so bought gifts for those. Everything was purchased using the monthly miscellaneous budget funds. Will make adjustments as needed the next couple of weeks to ensure we stay on track which is a big win for us (before we would just use the cc float and deal with it later).

[aprilsails]

ewall cleaning out the filter is awkward but pretty easy on my machine. Very doable!

[chpmnk1015]

Only spent 105 at grocery store today for the week... Had 32 in coupons/savings so that was good. really shopped that circular and we are eating some meals from the freezer this week.

sold a few random things for about $60 extra this week which paid for Dh's bday dinner last night.

[aspentosh]

Update for the last week:

Normal bills: life insurance, cell phone, internet, @@@@tkd fees.
No charges for gas, groceries, or anything unplanned.

@@@
I also enrolled her in two GS summer camps in the hopes that things return to normal (ish???) enough for her to go. If not, we get refunds.

Still waiting on the clearance transfer for H's job (almost two weeks, sigh), so still no start date set.

[ellipses84]

I feel like I’m completely failing. I had to pay some yearly expenses like car tabs and some unexpected medical bills. I bought an item that’s sort of a want / need for home organization because it was on sale for $35, and then bought other stuff to get free shipping. Other ones I had been eyeing for weeks were $40-$100, so I’m glad I held out for a great deal. Then I remembered I’m supposed to be on a spending freeze, so I’m going to return the other stuff when it arrives. I have to buy a gift for a close relative’s big milestone bday. The only plus side is I have avoided all stores and have had DH pick up grocery necessities.

[dellabear]

ellipses84,less spending is still good, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

I bought some treats and gifts for Valentine’s Day which weren’t needs either, shrug. And we ordered in.

Back to no spending for the upcoming week. Going to put a meal plan together for keep us on track.

[aspentosh]

Another pretty good week. Made my first non-essential purchase.

$84 on groceries and $22 on some take out (second of the month).

$58 on some Container Store Elfa drawers for @@@dd's desk. Something we planned to buy eventually but with 30% off I went ahead and bought now.

We will probably need a bigger grocery trip before the end of the month is up but we're super low on food budget right now so we'll probably even out.

[dellabear]

We did pretty well this week.

@@@ I had to pick up some clothes for my son as he grew up and out of all of his pants all of a sudden. A gift for my nieces birthday.

Had takeout on Thursday bc I was just done.

On the plus side we are accumulating a nice little float in our bank account because our spending is consistently WAY down since December.

Really trying hard to muster the energy to make up a meal plan and do a grocery order.

[chpmnk1015]

Did ok last week.
Only 76 at grocery store
Take out sat but we had a gc
Hit one of our goals and funded dhs roth by today... so emailed our advisor yesterday.
Did have to spend 50 for a lost stock thing for a company that was bought.. will get 130 back lol..

[aspentosh]

Summing up now because no plans for anything tomorrow.

Food/eating out budget was under by about $40 so that is nice.

The biggest things were stuff we planned for but didn't know when we'd buy: @@@@@
$295 summer camps
$58 at Container Store
$$$ on a computer for H once he starts his new job (still waiting). He will have some WFH capabilities and this company will not provide a computer so we bought now because of the long production times for computers now.

Otherwise it was just regular bills and grocery trips.