2017 controlled Spend/ No Spend

[countrygirl2]

Didn't do me any good to stay home

I spent $130 for meats I order, good stuff, organic

Then $90 for a pair of shoes

Then we decided for all of us to go to Franklin, TN

to see Riders in the Sky, DD has been begging to see

them, she watches them or listens on the TV every

Saturday night so that was $140.  Then I have to

make campground reservations, a reservation for

the dog so will be more.  Hubby is going to go with

us, DD said and he better be nice!!  LOL!  So spending

here while sitting in my chair!

[moneysquirrel]

Update: 13 NSDs and 3 CSDs
Just trying to keep on an even level.  Notice that I need to call for some work around the house that I cannot do myself.  Will try to make the call this week to get this sarted asap. 
shanendoah -- Looks like you are getting into a routine with the nsds and csds.  Great job. Hoping everything works out for you.

[shanendoah]

Okay. Friday I worked from home and we did nothing, so got an NSD there. Saturday we grocery shopped, but at the end of the evening, neither of us felt like cooking, so we ended up going out to a local burger place for dinner - spend. Sunday, I had originally planned on a movie with Pop Tart, but she wasn't feeling up for it. I did swing by a local produce stand (which just re-opened for the season) and pick up zome fresh zucchini. But since any weekend day is considered a possible grocery day (and fresh produce is grocery), that's a controlled spend.
I got Starbucks this morning, and have counseling this afternoon, so today should end up being another controlled spend.
While things look really good on the spend front, I have big deal meetings regarding a couple different aspects of our legal battle this week - one on Thursday and one on Friday. I am going to consider Starbucks on those days controlled spends, and on Thursday, I'm meeting a friend afterward for lunch, so that's planned. But I accept that those will be emotionally difficult days, and there's a good chance one or both will turn into spend days. But even if I do Starbucks on both of them, and Starbucks on Friday, and the three I normally would do next week, I'll still meet my Starbucks goal for the month. And I'm already at my No Spend goal for the month, which makes me happy.
moneysquirrel - I have often said, I am not a morning person or a night person. I am a routine person. And that's just not about getting up. I do really well with routine, so it's been really good working on setting myself patterns. Because I have a lot more control of the pattern and routine. 
countrygirl2 - Staying home doesn't always help me either. We do a lot of shopping via Amazon. So again, my goal is to plan for it, and to not just do a whole bunch of little one offs. In your case, I would try to do all of those spending activities on one day, so I get one Spend day, but then have the opportunities for No Spend day later. Does that actually save money? Not then, but getting in the routine of having no spend days does help save money. 

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25		1
Mar 26-31
Total	2	8	1	8
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 7 (goal <13)

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a controlled spend - Starbucks and my copay for counseling.
Today should be a No Spend (hopefully), even though I have spent money. I was gifted $5 last week by roommie, and we're having a Nacho Party at work today, but like only one person signed up to bring chips, so I swung by a store and used that $5 to pick up some more chips. Since that $5 wasn't ever part of my budget, it doesn't really count (like being given a gift card).

I don't expect I will log on tomorrow or Thursday, so there may not be another update from me until Friday (I know, I know, how are you going to live without my udpates for 2 whole weekdays. I promise it will be okay.   

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25		2
Mar 26-31
Total	2	9	1	8
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 7 (goal <13)

[moneysquirrel]

Update: 18 NSDs and 5 CSDs
Last week was mainly NSDs but I know that this week already has a home expense Monday and I have a few items with checks to mail off as well.  

[shanendoah]

Last week ended up being a really rough week, so I am proud that I managed only 1 spend day in there (Thursday, when I really just needed a coke and candy, and then grabbed a lasagna from the grocery store for dinner). Friday we did go to the movies, but we have gift cards to cover everything, so spent no money there. We did run to Trader Joes for bread and few snacks, but that's planned grocery spending.
We skipped grocery shopping on Saturday (giving a no spend day), but that meant I did need to run to Safeway yesterday to get the few things we don't get at TJs. 
Had a Starbucks this morning, but am hoping for an SB only day today.
I need stuff to celebrate, so I will celebrate that I am already over my No Spend goal for the month.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25	1	3	1	2
Mar 26-31		1
Total	3	11	2	10
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 10 (goal <13)

[shanendoah]

Starbucks only yesterday. Today is going to be a controlled spend - my eat on campus day. I'm thinking it may also be a Starbucks day (I'm dragging).

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25	1	3	1	2
Mar 26-31		1	1
Total	3	11	3	10
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 10 (goal <13)

[shanendoah]

Got a Starbucks yesterday and lunch on campus. So controlled spend. Starbucks again today, but today will be a spend. I got an email yesterday from a local cosmetology school, and if I could come in yesterday, today, or tomorrow, I could get a $10 haircut. Since my hair hasn't been cut in almost 4 months, that seemed like a plan. So my lunch break today is getting a hair cut. But since it wasn't "planned", spend day. And I'm okay with that.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25	1	3	1	2
Mar 26-31	1	2	1
Total	4	12	3	10
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 12 (goal <13)

[Opti]

I'll have to fully read this thread to understand, but I need to have super control until things change. Instead of going FT officially 40 hours a week, I have my hours cut to 30 for the forseeable future. Doing some returns today, but it still won't be enough to pay rent.

Some were planned, like ordering too much clothing because free shipping only comes when you spend $50 or more. I returned a Dr. Hauschka mascara that I bought on sale because I can't afford it now. I spent cash on my fave soda 6 pack on sale though, $3.49, and $1.99 on a sale chocolate bar.

The gingerale will help my recovering stomach(flu) and the chocolate hopefully my mood.

[shanendoah]

Opti - There isn't a whole lot to understand, as we each set our own rules. But the goal is to help ourselves be accountable for what we are spending and when we are spending it. I hope we can be helpful to you.

[shanendoah]

Second spend day in a row. C had a dentist appointment (which I had totally forgotten about) and called me when it was done. Because our dentist is near where I work, we decided to go have lunch together. This is exactly what spend days are for, so I have no issues with it.
Of course, it does mean it's likely I won't meet my goal of 14 days of SB Only or NS days for the month, as we often do our CostCo shopping on Fridays after I get off work. And I'm not going to try and alter that just to get one more SB/NS day.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25	1	3	1	2
Mar 26-31	2	2	1
Total	5	12	3	10
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 12 (goal <13)

[3catslady]

April update and goals:  1/7 CSD, 1/21 NSD.

I get $20 out a week for me to do with as I please so those spends won't count on anything.  So far I have spent $42 for groceries and $6 for Lunch and $.89 for a bottle of water at work.  The 89 cents came out of my cash on hand.  Lunch is included in my CSD and my groceries included otc meds, soap, and milk.  I've got enough food in the fridge and pantry to last at least 2 weeks.  Tomorrow I pay all but 2 bills which aren't due until later in the month.  Next month I have car registration due and I may pay the 2 year amount.

[moneysquirrel]

March Final Update: 22 NSDS and 5CSDs
April Update: 2 NSDs
 Have quite a few things coming up this week.  I suspect that my numbers will not be as great this month as I know that there are a few things that are not needs that will  be purchased -- some items have to be replaced. 

[shanendoah]

Final March Numbers
5 Spend, 13 CS, 3 Starbucks Only, 10 No Spend
13 Starbucks visits

I met all my specific goals in that I had fewer than 6 spend days and more than 8 no spend days, and stuck with 13 starbucks visits for the month.
I did not meet my goal of having 14 NS/SB Only days this month, but came very close.
And considering some of the difficulties this month, I am good with how things turned out. 

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Mar 1-4		3		1
Mar 5-11		3	1	3
Mar 12-18	2	1		4
Mar 19-25	1	3	1	2
Mar 26-31	2	3	1
Total	5	13	3	10
Goal	<6			>8

Starbucks: 13 (goal <13)

[shanendoah]

Ok, April here we come.
First thing you may notice is that two of my April "weeks" are really 8 days. With the month starting on a Saturday and ending on a Sunday, it just made more sense to add those two days into the weeks around them instead of counting 6 "weeks". But that's just kind of silly bookkeeping.
I am working on challenging myself, so I have dropped my target for Spend days down to 5 or less, and upped my target for No Spend Days up to 9.
There are 12 days I would normally get Starbucks at work, so I've put my target there at 11 days.
I am going to aim for a combined 14 days SB Only/NSD again.
My main goal for this month is to get better at planning ahead, and being honest with myself about when we are going to spend money, so my plan is, on Fridays, to post the spending plan for the following week.

My goal of 5 or fewer spend days is going to be tricky, because after today, I'll be at two spend days already.
On Saturday, we replaced our dryer. We bought a used dryer from Craigslist, because it was a lot cheaper than repairing our current dryer. We paid $50, so if it gets us through the next year, it will have been a good deal. Oddly enough, that doesn't count, because C paid for it out of cash he had stashed away specifically for things like this, where you need cash. We have a refrigerator in the garage that I got cleaned out this weekend that we will put up on Craigslist, and he can replenish his cash stash out of whatever he gets for that.
Saturday ended up being a spend because we also replaced our microwave. Basically, our old one started acting like there was a piece of metal in it, not quite every time we used it, but 75% of the time. Not good. So we did buy a new one (on sale $62), which wasn't planned, so that was our spend.
We will have a spend today, because while we were at the Fred Meyer buying the microwave, I didn't think about doing our normal grocery shopping. We hit CostCo on Friday, but didn't get regular groceries, and there are some things we need for the meals we have planned for this week. I'll be sending C to the grocery store today for those items. And since it's not a normal grocery day, it will be a spend.
Sunday was a controlled spend. My BFF's wife had to be out of town this weekend, so she took me to see the Neil Gaiman reading last night. As a thank you, I paid for her dinner (at Qdoba). I'd known for a week that that was going to be the plan, so it was a controlled spend. 

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	1	1
Apr 9-15
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	1	1
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 1 (goal <11)

Spending Plan April 1-8
Starbucks on Monday and Wednesday. Monday will also be an out of cycle grocery shopping day.
Friday, I'm hosting a pancake & waffle breakfast at work, so I'm going to try and not have Starbucks on that day. It does mean that I will be at the grocery store on Thursday night picking up supplies. Those should all be reimbursed by work, so won't count toward my spend counts, but I want to put that down as part of the plan.
I think I am going to shoot for Wednesday at my buy lunch on campus day.
I have plans to go see a movie with my daughter on Sunday (Apr 9), but will likely buy the tickets in advance - probably Thursday or Friday. I am actually going to count the controlled spend on Sunday (along with snacks at the theater), but again, want to get it down as part of the plan.
BFF's wife will be out of town again this weekend, so BFF is without a car. We'll take her grocery shopping probably on Saturday and do our shopping then to.
So for now, the plan for this week looks like:
Monday - Spend (SB/groceries)
Tuesday - No Spend
Wednesday - SB/Lunch (CSD)
Thursday - No Spend (but buying stuff for work)
Friday - No Spend
Saturday - Groceries (CSD)

Let's see if I can keep to the plan.

[3catslady]

April update:  1/7 CSD, 2/21 NSD.  

I did get another bottle of water but that was out of my cash on hand so it doesn't count as a spend.  I was also charged with a $30 extra garbage bill because DS decided to clean out the 2 sheds out side.  There was a lot of sh*t that went and that was good.  I hope the next time he gets the idea of cleaning out something, he remembers that I have a room with stuff in it that belongs to him and I don't want it.  The garbage will be paid next month when I pay the bills.

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a spend, as I knew it would be. I did add a little more spending at the end of the day, though it doesn't really count. I ran to the store to grab food for a work event today (my office manager normally does this, but she'll be in a training all day today.). I will be fully reimbursed by work for this. I'll submit my receipt on Friday, when I submit the receipt for the stuff I need to buy on Thursday night.

Also, slight change in the spending plan. Due to other commitments, Pop Tart and I will be going to see a movie on Saturday afternoon (instead of Sunday). That may have an impact on when we go grocery shopping.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	1
Apr 9-15
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	1
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 1 (goal <11)

[3catslady]

April update:  1/7 CSD, 2/21 NSD, 1/2 SD.

I bought some Irish Soda Bread Scones that were on sale.  I LOVE them.

[shanendoah]

Yay, I finally got a No Spend day for the month. 

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	1		1
Apr 9-15
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	1		1
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 2 (goal <11)

[shanendoah]

Stuck to the plan yesterday. Starbucks and lunch, nothing else. Having a hard time sticking to the plan this morning - I've been awake since before 4am, and had to deal with a guy harassing other passengers on the bus this morning. I could really use some extra caffeine. But today is not a Starbucks day, so there we go.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	2		1
Apr 9-15
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	2		1
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 2 (goal <11)

[3catslady]

April update:  1 CSD, 4 NSD, 1 SD.

[shanendoah]

Managed to make it through yesterday with no Starbucks. It counts as a No Spend day, because even though I bought stuff last night, it was all for the waffle and pancake breakfast at work this morning, and will be reimbursed.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	2		2
Apr 9-15
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	2		2
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 2 (goal <11)

[3catslady]

April update:  1/7 CSD, 5/21 NSD, 1 SD.

[moneysquirrel]

April Update: 8 NSDs and 1 CSD
Haven't done anything but school and home.  Will be spending later this week and some next week as I will have the time to shop.  Have our break then.  Also have a list of items I need to replace/want.

[shanendoah]

The weekend went as planned, so Friday was a No Spend, Saturday was a Controlled Spend - movie with Pop Tart and grocery shopping, and Sunday was a No Spend.
I do have a Starbucks this morning.

I need to make one change to last week. I said Thursday was a No Spend because I only got things for the waffle breakfast, forgetting I also got gas in the car. My old rule was that gas was always a controlled spend, because it's just one of those things that you need when you need, and I'm going to stick with that.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	4		2
Apr 9-15				1
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	4		3
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 3 (goal <11)

Friday was pretty hectic so I never got around to posting my spending plan for this week. So here it is now.
Monday: Starbucks 
Tuesday: No Spend
Wednesday: Starbucks
Thursday: Counseling (copay)
Friday: Starbucks, lunch on campus, maybe CostCo. I might be staying late at work that day for our Comic Book Release party, so CostCo might wait until Saturday. Also, I expect to mail off taxes on Friday.
Saturday: CostCo if it doesn't happen on Friday. 
Sunday: Writing group in the morning, so breakfast there.

[shanendoah]

SB Only yesterday.
Off the plan today, as I had to walk past the breakfast food truck on my way from one meeting to another. They take the campus food cards, and since I didn't have a lunch planned this week, I decided to get breakfast. Since it's my once a week on the card, it will count as a controlled spend.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	4		2
Apr 9-15			1	1
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	4	1	3
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 3 (goal <11)

[shanendoah]

CSD yesterday due to the breakfast biscuit.
I thought about not getting a Starbucks today, but it was the last day of one of my regular baristas (he got a promotion and is moving to another location), so I had to go in and say goodbye to him.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	4		2
Apr 9-15		1	1	1
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	4	1	3
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 4 (goal <11)

[3catslady]

April update:  2/7 CSD, 9/21 NSD, 1 SD.

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a SB only day. I have counseling today, so the plan is that it will be a controlled spend.

Change to the spending plan for Saturday - I am going to meet a friend I haven't seen in too long for coffee on Saturday morning (so I'll have to adjust my SB during the week to make up for that). And then probably go to the movies with friends on Saturday afternoon/evening.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	4		2
Apr 9-15		1	2	1
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	4	2	3
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 4 (goal <11)

[shanendoah]

Yesterday was a CSD due to counseling and copay. This morning, I've skipped Starbucks to make up for the fact that I have plans to go to Starbucks tomorrow morning.

	Spend	Controlled	SB Only	No Spend
Apr 1-8	2	4		2
Apr 9-15		2	2	1
Apr 16-22
Apr 23-30
Total	2	6	2	3
Goal	<5			>9

Starbucks: 4 (goal <11)