2018 Controlled Spend/No Spend

[Iggy aka IG]

Sept 30, 2018 18:27:18 GMT -5 moneysquirrel said:

Needed to get my moisturizer and since it was bonus time I got it today.  Also got a few items for the neighbor kids for Halloween at the dollar store.  I don't give out that night but usually fix a little gift bag of toy like items for a few little ones a few doors down from me. 

Iggy aka IG -- Thanks I also have been doing my research.  Have it narrowed down to less than a handful and strongly leaning toward one.  Don't want to be pestered by over eager salespeople this early as I know that I will not be ready to purchase until the very end of the year. Figured that I will actively do things like test drives during the middle of December. I have been saving for this for a while and am pretty much debt free so I am ok there.  Just don't want to break in new wheels during the craft show season.

Sounds like an excellent plan, MoneyS!

And, I love your idea of giving toy items for the neighbors.  Since we moved to the country last year, we don't have Trick o' Treaters, but I did put together goodie bags for the neighbor children whose family we've gotten to know.  I'll see what the dollar store has to offer. 

[moneysquirrel]

Iggy aka IG -- Halloween bags, stickers, plastic rings, pencils, erasers, stampers, bubble sticks are all available at the dollar store.  Discovered that I some items left over from last year so I only had to get a few this year.  Usually throw in some of those fruit chews or pop tart like candy as well. 

[Iggy aka IG]

Oct 1, 2018 11:26:42 GMT -5 moneysquirrel said:

Iggy aka IG -- Halloween bags, stickers, plastic rings, pencils, erasers, stampers, bubble sticks are all available at the dollar store.  Discovered that I some items left over from last year so I only had to get a few this year.  Usually throw in some of those fruit chews or pop tart like candy as well. 

Thank you so much for the ideas!  I'll report back after I go shopping. 

[zibazinski]

Tomorrow the clothes go to consignment store and this is my last month for training sessions so that’ll save $240 a month plus I’m cutting cable and most people tell me that even with internet it’s less than $50 a month. My cable went up again and I’ve had enough at last. With no huge sacrifice on my part I’ll be saving almost 5k a year. That’s a trip somewhere.

[Blonde Granny]

Zib, have you thought about Netflix? I pay $12/mo. Granted some of the programs and movies are beyond what I'm interested in, but it might work for you.

[zibazinski]

Oct 2, 2018 7:40:32 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

Zib, have you thought about Netflix? I pay $12/mo. Granted some of the programs and movies are beyond what I'm interested in, but it might work for you.

I’ll look into that or Hulu

[CCL]

Oct 2, 2018 8:42:24 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

Oct 2, 2018 7:40:32 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

Zib, have you thought about Netflix? I pay $12/mo. Granted some of the programs and movies are beyond what I'm interested in, but it might work for you.

I’ll look into that or Hulu

Check out Sling, too.

[moneysquirrel]

zibazinski -- Not sure how much but Google has a way through Google play to get a few of the stations that usually come with cable.  I think you can also share your account with a limited number of people. Just thought I would add this to the conversation.

[shanendoah]

WEEK	IN PLAN?	UNPLANNED SPENDING $	NS/CS DAYS
Sept 10-16	N	$73	2/3
Sept 17-23	N	$60	2/3
Sept 24-30	N	$225	1/4
Oct 1-7	N	$100	0/4
Oct 8-14

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Planned	Dinner Movie Dessert(?)	Starbucks	Water Heater Handyman(?)	Starbucks Plane/Car snacks Dinner		Safeway	Lunch(?)
Actual	Dinner Movie Dessert	Starbucks	Water Heater Dinner ($75)	Starbucks McDs Subway	Starbucks ($8)	Lunch	Safeway temporary tire fix ($14) air ($1.50)

Wednesday, we met with a new real estate agent after the water heater had been replaced. He believe we should empty the house out and get it professionally staged (he'd pay for the staging). This means kicking roommate back out of the house. (She was supposed to be gone, but came back.) We took her to dinner on Wednesday, though her plan is actually to be gone in the next 10 days.
Thursday was according to plan pretty much. Friday, I got Starbucks twice. Once was free, the other was not, but on 4-4.5 hours sleep, I needed the extra caffeine. 
Saturday we grabbed lunch on the way to the house to do some more packing up. Sunday was a mess, as on Saturday, we apparently ran over a screw somewhere and came out to a flat tire. We drive a VW, which has a special lug nut that you can't get off without a special attachment. We've had the car for 12 years, and have lost that attachment. No one other than the dealership (not even the roadside assistance that VW Roadside Assistance contracts with) appear to have that attachment. We instead bought some instant tire fix stuff (which worked), and C is getting the car over to Les Schwab this morning.

[shanendoah]

WEEK	IN PLAN?	UNPLANNED SPENDING $	NS/CS DAYS
Sept 10-16	N	$73	2/3
Sept 17-23	N	$60	2/3
Sept 24-30	N	$225	1/4
Oct 1-7	N	$100	0/4
Oct 8-14

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Planned	Les Schwab Dinner	Starbucks Lunch Dinner Pop Tart visit	Starbucks (x2)			Lunch	Lunch(?)
Actual

C is taking the car to Les Schwab this morning. They will likely repair the one tire for free, but in the process of dealing with that yesterday, we got a message that the tire sensor for a different tire wasn't working, so they'll take a look at that, too. We didn't do any cooking this weekend, and since I have a work event that goes until 6, I am guessing we won't be cooking tonight, either, so grabbing a quick dinner somewhere.
Tomorrow there is no mid-day flight to where Pop Tart is, so I'm flying over in the morning, that will put me hanging out at a starbucks most of the day while I wait for her to be done with school for a visit.
Given how this Friday went, when I only worked a half day, I am planning on a couple starbucks trips on Wednesday.
Thursday I'll do some shopping, but it will all be reimbursable from work, for the autumn quarter pancake breakfast I'll hose on Friday. 
Saturday I have lunch with friends planned.  Sunday, we'll likely be back at the house doing more work (probably Friday  and late Saturday, too, but we'll see).

[moneysquirrel]

Things have been going along on a somewhat even keel.  All expenses since my last update were expected and saved for.  Considering several things that are a little pricey -- have money put aside for the majority of the cost for them.  Just have to make a decision about when to start writing checks/ purchase item.

[shanendoah]

WEEK	IN PLAN?	UNPLANNED SPENDING $	NS/CS DAYS
Sept 10-16	N	$73	2/3
Sept 17-23	N	$60	2/3
Sept 24-30	N	$225	1/4
Oct 1-7	N	$100	0/4
Oct 8-14	Y	$16	1/5

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Planned	Les Schwab Dinner	Starbucks Lunch Dinner Pop Tart visit	Starbucks (x2)		CostCo Gas	Lunch	Lunch(?)
Actual	Dinner	Starbucks Lunch Pop Tart visit	Starbucks (x2)	Groceries ($8)	CostCo Gas	Starbucks ($8) Lunch

Monday: Les Schwab had used bolts they could replace our "special VW" bolts with, so they did it for free. The other thing going on is not a tire sensor, but a turn signal light out. We haven't fixed that yet.
Tuesday: Good visit with Pop Tart. Other Mom paid for dinner (because I'd paid for everyone when we went out for Pop Tart's birthday).
Wednesday: Not a full 2 Starbucks, because I had a free drink, but I got myself breakfast
Thursday: Did shopping for pancake breakfast at work (doesn't count, fully reimburse-able), but C had me grab a couple things for the soup he was making that night.
Friday: CostCo day. (Forgot to put it on the plan last Monday, but it was CostCo week.)
Saturday: Good lunch with friends I hadn't hung out with in a long time.
Sunday: Spent most of the day at the old house packing things up. Remembered to bring lunch with us, and got "home" in time to heat up the last of the soup for dinner.

[shanendoah]

WEEK	IN PLAN?	UNPLANNED SPENDING $	NS/CS DAYS
Oct 8-14	Y	$16	1/5
Oct 15-21
Oct 22-28
Oct 29- Nov 4
Nov 5-11

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Planned	Starbucks Dinner (?)	Dinner (?)	Dinner (?)	Starbucks Dinner (?)	Lunch (?) Groceries Dinner (?)	Packer (?) Lunch Dinner (?)	Movers Lunch Dinner (?)
Actual	Starbucks

So the goal is to get the house packed up and loaded into a POD this Sunday. We have movers coming to help with the loading on Sunday. Depending on where we are with the packing, we might have someone come help us pack on Saturday. But because I don't really know how many nights this week we're going to spend at the house packing, or what our dinner plan will be those nights, I am accepting that there might be a lot of eating out, and just planning for it.

[TheOtherMe]

Happy you enjoyed your time with Pop Tart.

While not officially tracking no spend days, I have had at least one a week for the last few weeks.

I'm really making the big effort to not accrue debt and pay off debt.  

[shanendoah]

WEEK	IN PLAN?	UNPLANNED SPENDING $	NS/CS DAYS
Oct 8-14	Y	$16	1/5
Oct 15-21
Oct 22-28
Oct 29- Nov 4
Nov 5-11

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Planned	Starbucks Dinner (?)	Dinner (?)	Dinner (?)	Starbucks Dinner (?)	Lunch (?) Groceries Dinner (?) Massage	Packer (?) Lunch Dinner (?)	Movers Lunch Dinner (?)
Actual	Starbucks	Dinner Packing Supplies ($40)		Starbucks

Tuesday we swing by Fred Meyer and picked up additional packing tape and a couple more bins. Wednesday, I managed to spend nothing! Plan today is to have the left over pizza from Tuesday's dinner for dinner tonight, so we shouldn't need to buy dinner again.

[moneysquirrel]

Usual spending has been very controlled -- gas, groceries, etc.  A few sharing of dinner/snacks out with friends mostly expected.  Decision has been made on one of the large expenditures and the first checks/charges have been made.  Hope to get the charges paid off before the next big output is needed in a few months.  

Craft shopping done with coupons and only on needed ideas.  Hope to turn a few of these into product that I hope to sell at the future craft shows.


shanendoah -- Hope that the new plan for the house goes well.  


TheOtherMe -- I spend several days a week trying to get things done around the house.  Making more of an effort to get rid of items instead of adding to what I own.  I have enough things to keep me busy at home without having to go out.  I do have a list of items that I know that I will get sometime in the future and will get them later.  Hopefully with a coupon.  At least I think one of them will be available that way.

[zibazinski]

I’m using DD’s Hulu account so now my internet is $70 a month but that’s it. Im saving $130 a month. I miss it but I’m not missing the bill. If I can’t stand it I can go back and at a very reduced rate. After a few months anyway but I don’t think I will.

[moneysquirrel]

Unexpected expense -- microwave gave a pop and then smelled like smoke.  Out it when and then a trip to wally world to replace it.  

Other than that all is going as expected.

[moneysquirrel]

Murphy was at me again.  My phone died yesterday. It went from 100% to 0%  in less than three hours.  It was at least 6 years old.  I was able to get an unlocked one that will meet my needs for less than $250.  Not what I wanted to do this morning but needed.  I can use the other one for some things as long as it is plugged in.  It is not reliable for my use while away from a power outlet.  

Also had one house repair this week and need to call about another issue.  My handyman said that he cannot do that one. 

[moneysquirrel]

Just the unusual grocery shopping this week.  Always the must expensive time for my grocery runs as I host the meal.  I know that I have at least one more run tomorrow.

I did pick up a lot of things at my local Kmart that is closing.  All items that were needed or will be gifts. Hate to see that store close as it is quite convenient to me.  I will make a few more runs there before the official closure.  

[countrygirl2]

Going to try and keep the expenses for this trip down.  I said we will eat at McD's or something like that.  Or pick up some food when we stop for gas.  No sit down, time consuming restaurants going up to New York or back.  For some reason always takes us an hour or two, not doing that.

We will go out and eat once or twice up there, so the main costs will just be gas.  Will come home Sunday or Monday morning.  Hubs said next time we go we are taking the motorhome.


I have everything together, house ready, DD is having no issues today or night, so should be good to go.

[moneysquirrel]

Had another unexpected expense this week but it was not as expensive as it could have been.  Friend fixed it for about half of what calling someone else would have been.  Still have Christmas shopping to finish but should be able to get what I need within the budget I have set.  Will see if that works out for me.

[3catslady]

Merry Christmas, everyone.  I hope to be back next year.

[moneysquirrel]

Merry Christmas all!


3catslady -- Welcome back!

[Blonde Granny]

I'm going to call GE tomorrow and see about getting a repair guy here to see if this $1600.00 micro/convection can be repaired. My options if not are poor at best. This thing is built in and matches all the other appliances, to replace it is another $1600 or so or to take it out completely and put in a fancy vent is probably another $2K....then of course, it's likely a trim carpenter is going to have to make alterations so it fits, and probably a painter to cover up what never used to show.

If I've ever prayed for a micro/convection this is my time to do it. I'm praying for an easy fix.

[moneysquirrel]

Well I broke down and traded in my car for new wheels.  For the first time in a decade I have an auto loan that I plan to pay off earlier than scheduled.  Just set up the first monthly payment with a little extra toward the principal.  Plan to do the same -- paying extra-- as often as possible as I hate the idea of having a monthly payment for anything.  Did not want to take more out of savings at this time as I know that I have a home improvement thing needed within the next year.

Blonde Granny -- I just read that you visited New Orleans recently.  If I had known and if your tour permitted I would have loved to have met you for coffee or something.

Will someone start a new thread for 2019!!