January 2013 Controlled / No Spend group – Making

[Honeylioness]

A few months back Honeylioness had an impassioned plea to get us back to the focus of our thread. The fundamentals. The basics. Plus the friendship. Did y'all know we've successfully planned vacations together? Life keeps on going with new babies, relationships, homes, challenges, jobs and financial hurdles but we stick to it. So, get sticky!

Here are some way to get your goals to stick:

#1. Post your numbers - just put it at the top of a post in bold and let us know how you're doin' and what you need help with
#2. Track your numbers - technically this should be #1 but you know it. If you need ideas for tracking post and ask the veterans for guidance
#3. Share your life but please keep it somewhat financially related - we know that everything influences finances especially when we're stressed, tired, excited and busy. BUT this is a financial accountability group, not a therapy session If you want to go off topic consider starting a fresh thread and posting a link so those who are interested can support you there.

For the new people there are no real set rules here, you set your own. The basic goal most if not all of us have are to keep track of the days we don't spend and hopefully by that work on saving money. Some are looking to put it into savings others to pay down debt.

For some they only count the day as a no spend day if they spend nothing at all. Others will count it if they keep their total under $5. Some count all spending others only count a certain part of their budget. For example MittenKitten personally take $400 out of the the bank in cash for everything that is not related to vehicle expenses (like gas, oil changes, insurance etc) or the house (mortgage, utilities, HOA) If I spend out of the $400 I count it as a spend day (although if it is less then $5 I usually count it as a no spend day.) You set your own rules. Any questions feel free to ask.

You can post your no spend days daily or whenever you want, just put it in bold at the top with the first number being the number you want me to record. If you are doing daily then:
Today (or yesterday) $0 Spend day

More then one day at a time:
4/31 days $0 Spend Which translates into 4 out of 31 days in July have been no spend so far. Some use the bigger number as their goal number so do 4/15 No spend Days which means they have a goal of 15 no spend days this month.

Here's a handy guide to some of our terminology:
NSD: No Spend Day
CSD: Controlled Spend Day
BFF: Best Friend Forever
DH/DS/DD/DSS: Dear Husband, Dear Son Dear Daughter, fiance, boy friend, Dear Step-Son
DIL, MIL, BIL, SIL: Daughter in law, Mother In Law, Brother in Law, Sister In Law
NKCW: No Killing Co-Worker Day (could also be no kill DH NKDH etc)
NS or NSD: No Spend or No Spend Day
NEO: No eating out
HTH: Hope This Helps
KWIM: Know What I mean
FWIW: For What It's Worth
IMHO or IMO: In my Humble Opinion or In My Opinion
Having a Startsmart Day is referring to when you have 20+ things on your must get done in a day and you accomplish them.
Single Mom-KY aka Smokey;
MittenKitten aka MK;
Pt_In_NY aka Pointy;
The Boy is Sheila in Cali's son.
Blue is Red_Wagon's DH
TBear is MizBear's older niece.
ZBear is MizBear's younger niece.

[Honeylioness]

Okay everyone – time to get serious again about each of our commitment to being more intentional and aware of how and where we spend our money. For some people changes in family situations have put an added demand on their income. For others, such as myself, a loss of a job and/or a drastic reduction in work and pay have forced a complete overhaul of the household budget and spending. And hasn’t January always been seen as a natural starting point for either new ventures or to recommit to a path of action.
So post your goals, ask question, seek advice and tactics to half you feel more in control of your specific situation.

********************************************************************************
3cats – I so wish I could swoop in and move you to your own living space where you did not have to deal with your son and his dysfunctional ways. I am so sorry you are going through this mess again.

Mizbear – I hope your move goes smoothly. It sounds as though this was very unexpected and I hope it is a good thing for you overall – even though I know it must be stressful at the moment. And did I miss a reason for the name change? Would you prefer we now refer to you as Pen? As for the resume – contact me off the boards with a copy of your most recent one if you would like me to look it over and make some suggestions.

SES – I hear ya on getting my house back for yourself. I am SOOOOOOOOOO ready for the kids to return to school tomorrow.

Rocky - Best of luck on your move as well.

Fiscal Cliff – this clusterf**k really has caused me incredible stress as I received a notice the first part of December that my extended unemployment insurance was ending December 29th. This may now be resolved … but it still does not address the larger issue of why the F**K I am having this much trouble finding another job.

Either way I have had to drop my COBRA insurance, there was just no way even with the state's reimbursement I could afford to pay for December's premium without completely wiping out what remains of my savings account.

[moneysquirrel]

Update: 1 NS

I'm in again. Goal of this month is my usual 15NS and as many CS days as I can get.

I also am going to retry my coupon savings -- I did it about 2 years ago but it fell by the wayside last year. Every time I use a coupon of any type I am going to try to save the same amount in a special area. Two years ago I saved about $1000 doing this. I am sure that I saved a bit last year but by not transferring the equivalent into my coupon amount on a regular basis I have no idea as to the actual savings. Actually I save the amount twice -- once when I purchase and the second when I transfer into my coupon account. I just need to be more disciplined in remembering to transfer the second savings to the allotted area. I don't go crazy clipping coupons -- just the items that are going to be purchased anyway.

I am not a member of the savers group but I have been doing somewhat of the same thing years before I even heard of the WIR group and one of my categories is coupons. I do have about 15-20 groups and while I don't always estimate my savings goals correctly I usually have enough to cover any major setbacks -- like the new roof after Isaac and the major car repair last year. I really hate to touch those "accounts" but that is what they are there for and when I need to use them I don't have to worry. I may have to use money from a different category but I always attempt to replace any used funds even if all of it is in the same checking account. My late husband would refer to these as my "Squirrel" accounts -- thus my user name.

Today will be either a CS or a S day. My car is in the shop for its routine checkup and I do need to feed it after wards -- noticed that it needs gas as I was taking it in. If those are my only expenses than it will be a CS day. If I stop and buy elsewhere it will turn into a spend day.

Still have to get to the mall to do some shopping but I don't think today will be the day. I really do not like to " have to get something" while shopping. I usually prefer to have something that is on my wish list jump out at me and grab my eye while I am browsing. Still need a dress for a wedding in a few months so I not quite at the need stage yet but I have started looking and so far nothing grabbed me. One tempting dress but the cost is not quite what I am willing to spend on it yet. Maybe it will be on sale soon or a coupon will become available. I do have a gift card for the store but would like one of the other two things to happen as well. I will continue to look and check out a few other places before I buy.

Got to get a few things done this morning. Getting as much organizing done as I can while I am still off from school. Got a complete bag and the recycle box out from yesterday's attempt. Slowly getting some small christmas items washed and packed. I usually don't pick up the main Christmas items until after the 6th.

Well back to work. Will check in later.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Good morning, all! I am in for January, hopefully. I have a lot going on, but I need to get back on the CSD/NSD wagon this month. So far:

Rocky Mtn Saver: 1 CSD/0 NSD

[shanendoah]

Update: 1NSD

Happy New Year all! I'm back. I've felt a bit out of control lately. Even though we haven't really gone over budget, I just feel like we're spending willy-nilly with no thought to it. I don't have any goals this month other than to track and just become more aware of when and where we're spending money.

[Ombud]

3cats, are we related? Told DD that I was thinking of buying a house in a lower COL area and she said she'd send the kids to live with their dads then went out for the night. Odd reaction. Her car (that I paid off with part of my inheritance ) stopped working but her bf kept playing video games. DS had to put in the distributor for her.

As to my goals: just be mindful of where $150 a week goes (inc $17 week to grandkids + $150 mo for grandkids cells)

[3catslady]

has any one gone to the V5 board yet? Is it easy? I hate change just when I am getting comfortable with this one.
Question for you techies out there. I want to take my 2012 budget off this computer and put it on disc. How do I go about it? I also want to take my diary off here and put that on disc also. Or should I get a flash drive and put them on that. I know how to do that and they are not expensive. I can buy a 2 g for around $10 I think.
Any and all help would be welcomed.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

3cats, flash drives are super easy and super portable! I'd go with that rather than a disc, I think it's probably more universally compatible.

[shanendoah]

3cats: Definitely go flash drive. A lot of computers are now coming out without CD drives at all. Everything comes with the ability to read the flash drives.
I've gone to the v5 board. It's fine. For those who aren't posting videos and things like that, I doubt you'll notice much difference at all. But definitely go over and do the new sign in now. That way, if you do have any problems, it can be resolved before that board is the live board.

[Ombud]

I think I went to the board. Signed in but don't see a difference. So I'm not sure.

You sould be able to get a 8g flash drive for under $7 now at Staples -- that's enough to back up your entire system. I'm buying 2 later this week - GS1 + I need more space

Addendum: entirely different web address and it's GREAT

[twinmami30]

Hi Im new to this site and groups.. I belong to the savers group as well. Im trying to save for a downpayment in order to buy a home by 2014. So in order to save I must reduce my spending. Im limiting my spending to zero besides Needs.. no wants this month.. Im going to mark my NS days as $5 or less.


twinmami30: 1/31 (NSD)

[Honeylioness]

moneysquirrel - I also need to get back to using coupons in order to extend the buying power of my food budget. I still toss all change I get into a bin in my kitchen - have not decided yet if I will be able to physically set aside coupon savings until I get a job.

shanendoah - Welcome back and good luck with the tracking.

Ombud - Good to see you as well. but sorry to hear you also are dealing with insane relatives.

3cats - Regarding the new board / version. One of the big differences is that under the main page headings (such as Women in Red) you do not see all the sub pages listed until you click on the header then the list of boards unrolls itself. The lines in the thread are gone between posts and there is a new look for the message or reply boxes but all the same elements are still there as best I saw.

I also would recommend the flash drive - though using a disc is basically the same process.

twinmami30 - WELCOME! You have taken the first step with is great - for some just being aware of where they money goes is a big step in helping then get more control of their budgets.

Feel free to ask us anything specific or general that you have questions about.


Fiscal Cliff - it seems I will be able to continue receiving some unemployment insurance in 2013. However I am still not sure I will be able to juggle things to afford COBRA at the moment. Which means I am not sure when I will be able to get in to see my chiropractor again ... boooo ...

[sheilaincali]

OK I'm in.

So far this year we have made a new, realistic budget for while DH is on lay off (6 to 8 weeks most likely- in week 2 now). We bought a Roku and are dumping the cable. Rather than pay $128 per month for DirecTv we will pay less than $23 per month. This includes our Netflix, the Hulu Plus and the monthly rate for our annual Amazon Prime thing. So that's a little over $100 a month we cut out. Plus my sister informed me of a new pricing option at Verizon so that knocked like $30 a month off my bill.

It was an eye opener for DH. I did our budget, using his UE numbers, even included things like allowances, money for his hobbies, etc. I showed him how much we should have left at the end of the month and told him if he wanted to be able to put that away to save up for vacations and things he had to stick to the budget. So far his been good- Of course it is ONLY Jan 3rd

DS has his YIG conference next week. Have already paid his nearly $600 fee so the only expense remaining will be around $75-100 for food and swag at the convention. DH has a class for work next week. Not sure if they are putting him up in a hotel or if he is commuting back and forth. The class is around 1 1/2 to 2 hours away depending on traffic.

[sheilaincali]

My goal is to not go over any of my budget catagories this month. Not so much a # of days goal but an overall not to exceed $ goal

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Honey, can you pay cash for the chiro? It must be less than paying the cost of COBRA.

Rocky Mtn Saver: 1 CSD/1 NSD

ETA: Oh, and welcome Twinmami! It's been great to see your enthusiasm all over the boards!

[sheilaincali]

Honey- when we were unemployed for 2009 we had to run the numbers and found it was cheaper to pay out of pocket for DH's meds than stay on COBRA. Pretty sad considering his bi polar meds were running us over $800 a month. Maybe you can see if they'll give you a reduced rate at the Chiro if you can pay in cash?

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

The difference between what my chiropractor bills the insurance (to go against my deductible) and what I pay him directly is HUGE!

[redruby]

Sheliaincali: I am with you. I don’t mind spending as long as it is inside my budget. I can go 6 days NSD and then blow my budget with just one trip to the store. I need to work on staying under or on budget, especially in the grocery and gas department.

NoBB: No budget busting Ha Ha

NSD(GOAL 15) 1/15
NoCC (GOAL 31) 2/31

[shanendoah]

Update: 1NSD/1CSD

Last night was a CSD as we took June to the vet for her annual shots and got foster dog Howie's nails trimmed (though they didn't charge us for that).
I also did a quick grocery store run. We haven't done a regular grocery store shopping trip since before Christmas, so the fact that this was a mid-week trip to just pick up a couple of needed items didn't bother me. We have left over ham, and I didn't have any bread for ham sandwiches. It was really a kind of emergency

[redwagon]

I really need to focus on staying in budget too. I think meal planning will help a lot with this. Hoping to figure out the next week of meals today. I need take an inventory of the pantry and fridge too, to try to use that stuff. Making more meals with rice will help. We have a big BJs-sized bag of it so that's already paid for. Plus we do love rice! I also need to accept Blue's love of pasta and sauce, because that's another cheap meal. Plus it's easy to make. I'm just not a huge fan. I need to remember that every meal does not need to be my favorite, just nutritious and in budget. So that's what I'm focusing on this month. Day care starts up in February and then our budget will be VERY tight.

[sheilaincali]

Red- we get the big box of rice from the store too One thing we love is Fried Rice. I get the frozen bags of pre-cooked chicken from Sam's Club- those things are awesome. 4 minutes in the microwave and you have a plate of cooked chicken. Anyway. I put water on to boil for the rice. While that's going I saute half a bag of frozen mixed veggies in some peanut oil, I toss in some garlic and onions because we like them. Push that to one side and scramble two eggs in the pan (use a big pan, mine is nearly wok sized) Cut up the chicken (that I mentioned above) and mix it all together. Add the rice and soy sauce (says 1/4 of a cup). Stir it all together and you are good to go. Make a ton of rice. We have enough for probably 6 people so we have plenty for dinner and a few lunch meals for me and DH.

Tuesday we baked a whole chicken so we put the leftovers in the crock-pot for Chicken and Dumplings. We always serve that over white rice too.

mrslynch gave me a recipe forever ago for a 15 minute taco surprise which is basically ground beef, rice, taco seasonings and a can of diced tomatoes. Really good. Another of the Boy's favorites.

I'm pretty good about not spending during the week so I can rack up the no spends but yeah- my focus needs to be on the individual budget items. I put a thing on our big family calendar on the fridge so I can keep a running total of our expenses see how close we are to hitting the max for groceries, eating out, fuel, etc.

[redwagon]

sheila - I've always wanted to try making fried rice. Thanks for the recipe! I'll put that on the menu for next week! I did a fiesta chicken last night that I really enjoyed but Blue didn't (can of cream of chicken soup, cup of salsa, 3/4 c. of uncooked instant rice, half cup water, cup of corn, mix it up, put chicken breasts on top and sprinkle paprika on top. Cover and bake 45 min at 375. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top when done.) Was sooo good but he's not into creamy recipes. I keep trying to find some he likes. So far I've got chicken pot pies that are allowed...

[twinmami30]

Had a no spending day today.Brought breakfast from home as well as lunch. My job buys fruit and snacks for us so I ate that and dinner from things I already have at home.

TWINMAMI30: 2/31 (NSD)

[sheilaincali]

Red- I think that fried rice recipe might be on my pinterest board under "recipes" but I'm not 100% on that. Super easy to make.

twinmami- great start

[shanendoah]

Update: 1NSD/1CSD/1Spend

Had a $10 off Living Social coupon that needed to be used, so yesterday I used it on a massage package. I'll get a one hour massage sometime before May for $25. Good deal, but not planned and not needed, so a spend.

Today should be a CSD. I have a needed massage (for my chronic shoulder issues) scheduled this morning and after work today, we'll CostCo shop. We're trying to get back into every other week CostCo, but were thrown off by the holidays. I need to pay enough attention today that we don't need to go back in a week.

[Honeylioness]

Rocky - Thanks for the idea. i will call my chiropractor's office on Monday and ask about a cash discount.

Sheila - I pretty much came to the same conclusion about my COBRA. However here in Massachusetts you are charged a fine at the end of the year when you file your taxes for each month you do not have insurance. My COBRA was $547 per month, and while I was able to apply for a partial reimbursement while on unemployment I had to sometimes wait almost two months for it. Floating that money was really hurting my dwindling savings account. I have a four month backup up my daily meds, they should cost me about $80-$100 a month when I run out because we were able to find an workable generic a few months ago.

redruby - Nice to see you again!

twinmama - Great first step - bringing in meals from home.


Groceries - We did our weekly grocery trip this afternoon and even with having to buy light bulbs and batteries I came in under my weekly budget amount. At the moment we are spending $100 a week at the grocery store (me, two teenagers and three cats).


I have a lead on a possible six month contract job working with a guy I use to work with at my last company. Actually he was laid off on the same day as I was. Any prayers, good thoughts, juju - whatever ya got would be appreciated. This should pay about 9% more per hour than I was making before, however with no benefits at the moment. I just need to talk to this guy and get a better feel for the possibility of transitioning to full time and a time frame for that.


I also heard from my former boss before Christmas, then got a follow up call this week. My former company is going to pay for two months additional assistance with a transition counselor. They were more than a little shocked that I was still not working. So of course I will take advantage of this free service even if I do get the contract position. AND will still looking for a new full time job.


And just because I felt the need to acknowledge this but did not think Facebook was an appropriate forum to do it .... During December when it looked as though Congress would not be able to extend UI benefits I was the recipient of some amazingly generous gifts.


Three separate entities (friends and family) gave me cash gifts that combined equal one month's mortgage and condo association payment. And from he parents of one of my exchange students a very generous and unexpected gift. I have been looking at taking the girls to Seattle in April for a week - this family told us in a card at Christmas that they want to pay for my airfare as well as their daughter's. This made my cry - but it was also incredibly touching as well.


ETA: I had to edit the above paragraph - reading the original it sounded as though I had just learned the freakin' language .. *sigh*

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Honey, how wonderful that caring people in your life stepped up to help!!

[redwagon]

honey - good luck and yay for generous people!

[pointy]

Hi all - lost track of life in general in December - had a lot of vacation to use and Christmas shopping to get done (all within budget - Yeah!! ;D ), so no numbers for December...

Gonna try to get back on track in January - 20 NS and 27 No QVC Days.

[3catslady]

moon and I spent from 6:30 until now to find out that the board has to figure out what is wrong with my account. Oh well.
I went to Staples and got an 8 GB flash drive for $4.99 and a 16 GB drive for $7.99. I am going to put my journal on the 16 and my budget on the 8. That way I will have plenty of room to write anything I want. My budget will be just that, my budget. They are smaller in size, not bits, than the one I have for my writing class.
I wasn't going to spend any money this month on anything other than bills, gas, and food. I couldn't turn down the flash drives. I saved over $45 because they were on sale. Anyway, that is all I am going to spend, unless another good deal comes up on something I have plans to buy in the future.
update; 4/25 NSD/CSD.
mizbear; I have no state criminal record and no federal criminal record. I don't have any child abuse record either. Now I just have to wait for the welfare office to send DS and DIL the letter that I am qualified to take care of my GS. Then I have to wait for them to send me time sheets to include September 17th until now. When that will be, I don't know. If I don't get anything by the 15th I am going up to the office and ask for the sheets.