Spending Diet--Week 1

So we are officially into our January Spending Diet. Our plan is to only spend $450 this month on groceries, fuel, gifts, entertainment, clothing, and anything else we would buy ourselves.  Our kid and dog were still allotted their normal budgets.  (I should clarify that this challenge officially goes from Dec 29 thru Jan 26 to coincide with paydays.  Hey, when you plan your own spending diet you can make your own rules.)

What we started with/without...

• We were pretty low on fuel, so we filled up both cars.  We're both off work the end of December and the first few days of January so that should be to our advantage.  Hubby also doesn't start back to class until mid-January, so that will save some gas, too.  It's not much, but every bit helps!
• We had a fairly stocked pantry and some meat and veggies in the freezer.  Plenty of basic ingredients like pasta, rice, and sauces to last us a few weeks.
• We have a few meals we can pull from the freezer.  A couple of batches of soup I made this fall, a lasagna, and a chicken dish.  You can bet we'll be eating these this month.
• We aren't running low on any toiletries or household items.  If we do by chance run out of something, such as shampoo, toothpaste, or dish soap, for example, there's a good chance it will be something we can pull from our "coupon stockpile" in the basement to fulfill the need.
• We don't have a garden to pull from.  It's January in the Midwest--need I say more?  Maybe if we do this again we'll do it during the summer months, when fresh produce is abound and cheap.

I withdrew $200 in cash last payday--enough to last us 2 weeks, hopefully.  I kept $100 tucked in an envelope for next week so we're not tempted to dig into it early.  Everything seems to be going pretty well so far, but there have been challenges.

I had planned on leaving the debit/credit cards at home but we haven't been able to bring ourselves to do that yet.  I think it's a sense of security in case there's an emergency.  Maybe I'll try to just leave one credit card in there.  Yup, I'm taking everything but one credit card out now.  Done.

It has also been difficult to remember to grab cash on the way out the door.  Blame it on years of carrying a debit card and no cash.

I've been paying a lot more attention to my use of fuel.  We combined errands before, and usually took the car that got better gas mileage, but now I'm evaluating if I actually have to take care of that errand today/this week/this month.  Sometimes I decide that something can wait and I don't need to make a special trip across town to do it.

Here's the breakdown of our spending this week:

Food--$60
Gas--$56
Miscellaneous--$10 oil change supplies

Week 1 Total: $126 (of $450)

My plan was to try to stick as close to $200 this month for groceries, $200 for gas, and earmark the additional $50 for any overages, entertainment, gifts, etc.  It seems like we are slightly higher than we should be at this point, but I'm hoping next week's grocery budget will be way down.  I spent about $60 for groceries this week but I planned that to last me nearly 2 weeks.  I may have to revisit the store for a few things like milk, lunch items, and cereal. 

I didn't do much stocking up in December like I had thought I would.  Simply put, there was no leftover funds in the food budget to shop ahead for January.  And, I suppose stocking up would kind of defeat the whole purpose of this challenge anyway.

Cooking at home the last few days has been strangely peaceful.  I haven't minded cooking each and every meal at home.  Before, I would cook but wouldn't thoroughly enjoy the time or effort put forth.  Now, I'm enjoying it.  Not sure what has caused this change in me.  It could be my enthusiasm for the challenge, could be that I'm off work and have more time.  I suppose we'll find out once I return to work and we're much busier.

I've had to be even more on top of things because there's no extra money to grab fast food if I forget to defrost something.  I don't want to make any extra trips to the store either.  Before I would usually run out to the store to get exactly what the recipe called for, now I'm more determined to make it work with what I have on hand.

I'm anxious to see how next week shapes up.  If we can do well next week and avoid spending on any extras, I think the rest of the month will be a little easier.  Are you doing your own spending diet?  It's not too late to join us!

Budget Bloated? Go on a Spending Diet!

After all of the spending and consumerism of the holidays, we need to cut back.  Advertisers and retailers spend a lot of money to make us believe that more is better, and that if we buy that special item, it will make our lives easier and our family happier.  Yes, sometimes things do make our lives easier.  My smartphone, in my opinion, makes my life easier.  But now is the perfect time of the year to remind ourselves what we already have and what really makes us happy.

Inspired by Rachel and her family over at Small Notebook, we are naming January "No Spend Month".  I suppose calling it a "No Spend Month" is a bit of a exaggeration, because we will be spending.  Just a lot less of it.  Let's call it a SPENDING DIET.  That sounds much less scary.

The Rules of our "Diet"...

Our family of 3 will have $450 to spend on fuel, groceries, and anything else we may buy for ourselves for the entire month. (Wow, that seems so low now that I've typed it.)  This includes clothes, shoes, household items, entertainment, gifts, and eating out.  I can tell you already that I don't think we will be buying much more than groceries or gas with that money.

Can't Save? Try Prioritizing Your Goals

Most people, including myself, find it very hard to save money day in and day out.  It's difficult to not want that awesome iPad 2, or those oh-so-soft bath towels, or that cute pair of shoes.  If you don't take a moment to come down from that shopping high and really think about what you're doing, you will have that item paid for and on it's way to your house quicker than you can say, "Zoiks!"

Don't get me wrong.  It is okay to splurge and buy yourself or your family something...on occasion.  You should enjoy that money you work so hard for.  But hopefully these splurges are more of a planned event with saved funds and a budget, rather than an impulse buy.  I think the problem for so many is that we tend to get lost in our interpretation of 'enjoying our money'.  We have a lifestyle that we want to support, for whatever the reason, even if we can't afford it.  Or we just get lazy.  Too tired to cook tonight, so let's order pizza.  Don't want to drive to my own bank's ATM down the street, so I'll just use this one right here and pay $5 in fees.

Yes, I enjoy spending money on eating out and shopping and vacations, but I enjoy even more being able to pay my bills and mortgage on time and having a savings account that can get us out of a jam or keep us afloat if needed.  Financial security is far more desirable to me than that sexy Macbook.

Financial Meetings with Your Spouse--Do You Have Them?

Lots of financial 'gurus' encourage weekly financial meetings with your spouse/partner/significant other.  I can see how it would be helpful for both sides to have an updated, complete picture of the family finance.  That way you can make sure you're on the same page regarding your short and long term goals (hopefully you have some in common), your progress towards those goals, any possible changes (budget, insurance, investments), and upcoming expenses (car repairs, tuition payments, gifts to buy, etc.).  Then you can go about your week making more informed spending decisions, which moves you  more rapidly towards your goals.  For example, if you know that your husband is in need of a new shoes, you may think twice before buying that purse, or adjust the budget for the month to allow for extra spending in certain areas.