2019 Controlled Spend/No Spend

[Blonde Granny]

I spent a few hours last night writing and rewriting an email to the attorney who owns the law firm. I have it ready to send this morning. This entire thing is a fiasco. I have requested a refund of the unearned portion (legalese from my friend) of the $500 since the trust review never happened.

[TheOtherMe]

I would think none of the $500 is earned.  I hope you get your money back.  

[Blonde Granny]

I'm giving the benefit of the doubt....he did spend 45 minutes with me (frankly not a lot of info) but hoping he is willing to do the right thing and refund all of it. His former partner is the one who did all the work in 2016, so it's not as though this current guy has any right to it. We will see.

[shanendoah]

Actually managed a controlled spend day yesterday.
Put all not already scheduled stuff for the house on hold. We'll have a $7700 tax bill this year. Transferred the money for it to savings. I won't actually pay it until April. We'll wait on the house stuff until I get the remainder of the retainer I paid my lawyer late next month/early March.
Changing the plan for the week up a bit, as we're actually firming up plans for the weekend, and we got the handyman scheduled for Friday. (On Monday, he wasn't scheduled at all, so I didn't expect it to happen this week. This is house stuff, and planned. We even have a quote for it.)


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (AJs Birthday, house spending) JL Fundraiser, AJs Birthday
Tuesday: (----) Safeway
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Lunch) Lunch, Starbucks
Thursday: (----)
Friday: (Furnace service, Safeway, Handyman)
Saturday: (Eating out, Cigarettes)
Sunday: (Hair)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
January	(1)2 (2)1 (2)3 (1)0 (2)	(4)3 (5)3 (4)3 (4)3 (2)1	(1)1 (0)3 (2)2 (1)3 (0)2	(Current Planned - 31 days) Current Actual - 30 days
February	(0)	(1)	(2)	(Current Planned - 3 days) Current Actual - 0 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)	(19)	(4)
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[TheOtherMe]

I didn't know which day it would happen but I spent $20 to file my state tax return this morning.

[Blonde Granny]

OK, ladies, thanks for encouraging me to email the attorney. I heard back from him this AM. Very apologetic , and is refunding my entire $500.

[shanendoah]

Blonde Granny - I know a lot of lawyers. Just about all of the ones I know/have dealt with, would have been upset that you were treated that way, if it had been their office. I am glad this lawyer is the same. Best of luck in finding an office that treats you better to help with all this stuff.

[shanendoah]

Definitely did not finish out January on a strong note for NS/CS. Yesterday was another spend. I pulled money out of checking to pay for our Girl Scout Cookie pre-orders, as I'll be seeing the moms of the two girls we are buying from this weekend. C also needed some cigarettes to get him through until I can drive down to a reservation smoke shop and buy a few cartons this weekend (which represents a significant savings over buying packs from the convenience store). And yes, we both know that him stopping smoking would be good for his health and our wallet, but it's not a struggle we're up to facing right now.
But, new month, new page on the calendar, time to start again.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (AJs Birthday, house spending) JL Fundraiser, AJs Birthday
Tuesday: (----) Safeway
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Lunch) Lunch, Starbucks
Thursday: (----) Cookies, Cigarettes
Friday: (Furnace service, Safeway, Handyman)
Saturday: (Eating out, Cigarettes)
Sunday: (Hair)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
January	(1)2 (2)1 (2)3 (1)0 (2)0	(4)3 (5)3 (4)3 (4)3 (2)1	(1)1 (0)3 (2)2 (1)3 (0)3	(Current Planned - 31 days) Current Actual - 31 days
February	(0)	(1)	(2)	(Current Planned - 3 days) Current Actual - 0 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[TheOtherMe]

Feb 1, 2019 10:51:06 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

OK, ladies, thanks for encouraging me to email the attorney. I heard back from him this AM. Very apologetic , and is refunding my entire $500.

As should have happened.  You didn't get what you've paid for.

I've seen the cost adjustments that happen at CPA offices when something has gone wrong--like the time a CPA tossed all the original documents.  Besides the CPA losing his job, the client got a full refund and went elsewhere.

[TheOtherMe]

I got hit up for Girl Scout cookies.  I limited it to one box.

[shanendoah]

Weekend went well. We had a good time with friends on Saturday evening. Yesterday I picked up some snacks as I headed over to BFF's for the first half of the Super Bowl before going to my hair appt.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (AJs Birthday, house spending) JL Fundraiser, AJs Birthday
Tuesday: (----) Safeway
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Lunch) Lunch, Starbucks
Thursday: (----) Cookies, Cigarettes
Friday: (Furnace service, Safeway, Handyman) Safeway, Handyman
Saturday: (Eating out, Cigarettes) Cigarettes, Eating Out
Sunday: (Hair) Snacks, Hair

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0)	(1)2	(2)1	(Current Planned - 3 days) Current Actual - 3 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Campus closed today due to snow. So I am home. Not expecting that we'll go anywhere today, though I am watching a neighbor pull out right now.
Tomorrow is likely to be a stressful day for C, so we might eat out tomorrow night. 
We're having friends over to dinner on Friday. I have plans (and a gift card) to go to a spa with a friend on Saturday, but I may add a service.
Sunday, I've had plans for a few weeks to meet up with a friend for brunch, and then I got a text from C's BFFIL about us being able to hang out next Sunday later afternoon/early dinner. That will be good. C and his BFF don't see each other as often as they should. 


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----)
Tuesday: (Starbucks, eating out)
Wednesday: (Starbucks)
Thursday: (Safeway)
Friday: (CostCo, Gas)
Saturday: (spa?)
Sunday: (Brunch, Dinner)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)	(1)2 (4)	(2)1 (2)	(Current Planned - 10 days) Current Actual - 3 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Campus closed again today, this time due to ice. Might make two NSDs in a row. But C does have to go out later this morning for an appt, so maybe not. Hopefully it will warm up by the time he has to be on the road. It was 19 at 6:30a, which might be the coldest I've seen the area in the 17 years we've lived here.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (Starbucks, eating out)
Wednesday: (Starbucks)
Thursday: (Safeway)
Friday: (CostCo, Gas)
Saturday: (spa?)
Sunday: (Brunch, Dinner)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)	(1)2 (4)	(2)1 (2)	(Current Planned - 10 days) Current Actual - 3 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Tuesday, we didn't leave the house, but we did order a second desk chair and a hew George Forman grill. Both are house expenses. We knew we only had one desk chair and with the current set up would need two. It just came up more quickly than we expected due to snow days and me needing to work from home. Our George Forman (which is the 3rd or 4th one we've owned), was bought used, and has had the no stick coating coming off. Used it over the weekend, and realized, we really just need to replace it.
Yesterday, I drove into work, which is normal for Wednesdays, but I decided to take the toll bridge (pay by mail) instead of drive around the lake. A lot more direct route with almost no hills, so the much safer route, given the weather conditions. $11 for a safe drive is an expense I'll pay any day, but it does remind me that I really need to order the "Good To Go" pass. Having one of those makes the toll $2-2.50 less each way, depending on the time of day.
We're supposed to get hit with another snow storm Friday night into Saturday, so all weekend plans may be on hold.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (Starbucks, eating out) desk chair-HS, george forman-HS
Wednesday: (Starbucks) Starbucks, tolls
Thursday: (Safeway)
Friday: (CostCo, Gas)
Saturday: (spa?)
Sunday: (Brunch, Dinner)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)1	(1)2 (4)1	(2)1 (2)1	(Current Planned - 10 days) Current Actual - 6 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[moneysquirrel]

It has been a while since my last post.  Things moving along nicely.  Only one more of the items to add to my CC.  Hope to book the plane tickets this week.  Prices have been consistent over the last several weeks so I will book it sometime this week.  It is for my summer craft retreat and I have the money saver for it so I will knock it off my to-do list this week.  

I am also making an attempt to pay extra on the principal on my car loan each month.  This is the first time in years that I have any type of loan and it is driving me a little crazy.  I know that I can pay it off but I don't want to pull so much out of savings at one time.  Figured that as I pay extra it will shorten the loan payoff date and cut back on the total interest I will have to pay.  I am sure that as it gets closer to the end that I will reevaluate and will just pay it off early but for now since I know that there are some home repairs on the horizon I am not comfortable with that option.

Blonde Granny -- So glad that the lawyer refunded the money.
shanendoah -- Saw scenes of your area on the morning news a few minutes ago. Stay safe and off the roads if you can.

[laterbloomer]

Hi guys, just back from my Jamaican vacation. It was awesome but expensive!! (I did a bunch of excursions) So I need to behave really well for the next 2 months. But it was worth it!

[debthaven]

I am also making an attempt to pay extra on the principal on my car loan each month. This is the first time in years that I have any type of loan and it is driving me a little crazy.

moneysquirrel I understand! We still have more debt than we would like but I would encourage you to look at things medium-term.

You know from the Decluttering thread that I have been working on paying off our kitchen loan early (so we can get a car loan LOL.)  It looks like I will pay off the kitchen in 36 months instead of 60 months. I DO realize that then the car loan will drive me crazy instead LOL! But at least we'll have a new/recent car.

Maybe set a realistic/affordable goal of paying off the car 12/18/24 months early, and then send extra every month to accomplish that (realistic) goal? You can always reevaluate things later, but it's a system.

Good luck, as always!

[moneysquirrel]

debthaven said:Maybe set a realistic/affordable goal of paying off the car 12/18/24 months early, and then send extra every month to accomplish that (realistic) goal? You can always reevaluate things later, but it's a system.  

debthaven -- I only have a 39 month loan.  Two payments have been made and I scheduled the third one for the beginning of March.  On each payment I can add a little more to come off the principal.  Scheduled payoff is March 2022.  I figure that by adding a little more to each payment I will be able to shorten the time.  Similar to your way with the kitchen loan.  I don't have to make an entire payment just add a little more than what is due each month and I will eventually knock off a few months.  I have been saving for the car for a while so I am using that money that I have put aside for the car as my payments while continuing the pattern of saving a little each month that will be adding to my future payments.  Also the more I can take off the principal in the early payments the less interest overall I will be paying. 

[shanendoah]

moneysquirrel - Worst winter storm in 70 years. Seattle area is not set up for this. We have very little infrastructure for dealing with snow that lasts longer than one over night. And we're all hills. Makes things a little harder.
However, it did mean that all weekend plans got cancelled, and so we had two no spend days. We did pick up some house stuff on Thursday (one of our doors is not quite fitted properly, trying to prevent the warm air from leaving the house) and Friday (prep for possibility of prolonged power outage).
Otherwise, we're safe and warm, and even took the dogs on a short walk yesterday.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (Starbucks, eating out) desk chair-HS, george forman-HS
Wednesday: (Starbucks) Starbucks, tolls
Thursday: (Safeway) Door insulation
Friday: (CostCo, Gas) CostCo, Safeway, Home Depot
Saturday: (spa?) ----
Sunday: (Brunch, Dinner) ----

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3	(1)2 (4)3	(2)1 (2)1	(Current Planned - 10 days) Current Actual - 10 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Snowing off and on this morning. No real plans for the week. I expect campus operations to be suspended tomorrow, as well as today.
We don't really do anything for Valentines Day.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) 
Tuesday: (----)
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Dinner Out)
Thursday: (Starbucks)
Friday: (Safeway)
Saturday: (Trader Joes, Gas)
Sunday: (----)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3 (2)	(1)2 (4)3 (3)	(2)1 (2)1 (2)	(Current Planned - 17 days) Current Actual - 10 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Two quiet days working from home, not going anywhere, not spending any money.
I got to work later than I wanted this morning so no Starbucks. Probably going to leave early so that I don't have to walk home from the bus in the dark this evening. My neighborhood has no sidewalk or even shoulders on the road, and no street lamps. And with the snow forcing me more into the street, I don't want to do the walk in the dark.
C had to go downtown today to meet with one of his lawyer's so he'll likely pay for parking (maybe it will be validated). I'll check with him later today to see how that went. It's possible I'll have him meet me at our favorite Chinese place for dinner tonight, if getting in and out of our neighborhood in the car isn't too bad.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (----) ----
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Parking, Dinner Out)
Thursday: (Starbucks)
Friday: (Safeway)
Saturday: (Trader Joes, Gas)
Sunday: (----)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3 (2)2	(1)2 (4)3 (3)	(2)1 (2)1 (2)	(Current Planned - 17 days) Current Actual - 10 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

Happy Valentine's Day!  
We don't really celebrate, but that's okay. Do you have any fun plans for the day?

Yesterday was a no spend, as well. No time for Starbucks, lawyer's office had it's own parking lot, and the roads were bad enough that C did not want to leave the house again to have dinner out.
I have already gotten my Starbucks this morning, and I need to walk over to an off campus location to buy some gift cards. Two neighbors helped C basically shovel our street so that he could get out of the neighborhood to go meet with the lawyer yesterday. So going to get them each a Starbucks card as a thank you gift.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (----) ----
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Parking, Dinner Out) ----
Thursday: (Starbucks) Starbucks
Friday: (Safeway)
Saturday: (Trader Joes, Gas)
Sunday: (----)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3 (2)3	(1)2 (4)3 (3)	(2)1 (2)1 (2)	(Current Planned - 17 days) Current Actual - 13 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[TheOtherMe]

Lucy Cat is my valentine 

[moneysquirrel]

I am currently doing well. I managed to finally book the plane tickets since the last post and scheduled the payment for them a few minutes ago so that last pricey item (for now) is now no longer on the list. 

I do have to pick up a few items at HD this coming week.  Will try to do that tomorrow as the weather is predicted to be rainy most of next week.  Also no need to do a perishable run to the grocery one day this week as I am getting low on several of the basics there. 

Other than that I think this week will be mostly NSDs.  I have plenty of projects around the house to keep me busy and out of the stores.  I have an upcoming craft show scheduled for next month and want to get a few more spring like items made.  Will also try to retake some photos and add a few new items to my Etsy shop.  I don't have a lot of sales but I do need to keep a presence there so that when someone asks if I have a shop I can answer in the affirmative.

I also volunteered to do a themed craft project for the organization that I do my volunteer teaching (computer class for seniors).  I started on the project but need to do a lot more work on it. 

[laterbloomer]

$15 on Valentine's Day, $25 on lunch with a friend and $50 on 2 tank tops, a top and long cardigan. Not bad as long as I behave the rest of the month,

[countrygirl2]

I want to get flooring this year, but I need to wait and see how much our taxes are.  I have some idea, but want to be positive first.  Also I expect all our property taxes to raise and we need to finish our last rental.


And I still don't know if I want hardwood or carpet again.

[Blonde Granny]

Today will be day 4 of no spending.....in fact, due to some lousy weather I've been home for 3 days. Today is church, but not going out to lunch as usual. Monday is Presidents Day so the VA is closed, and I'm off on Tuesday normally so I anticipate no spending Monday or Tuesday either. Fairly sure I've never been able to go this long with no spending, but my checkbook certainly appreciates it.

[shanendoah]

A little more spending than I'd planned this weekend, in that we went to CostCo. We didn't get a whole lot there, but normally we go every other week, not every week. And otherwise, with the exception of getting the Starbucks gift cards for the neighbors, everything else was just moving things around. It seems odd how some weeks I can struggle for even a single no spend day, and then there are weeks like this last one where I had 4 no spend days.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (----) ----
Tuesday: (----) ----
Wednesday: (Starbucks, Parking, Dinner Out) ----
Thursday: (Starbucks) Starbucks, Gift Cards
Friday: (Safeway) Starbucks, CostCo, Gas
Saturday: (Trader Joes, Gas) Trader Joes, Safeway
Sunday: (----) ----

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3 (2)4	(1)2 (4)3 (3)1	(2)1 (2)1 (2)2	(Current Planned - 17 days) Current Actual - 17 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[shanendoah]

It should be a fairly quiet week. We have friends coming for dinner on Friday. Might have other friends coming for dinner on Saturday. Otherwise, no real plans for the week.
There are some things we need to order from Amazon, that we've talked about more than once, but I can't remember off the top of my head what they are, so I don't know exactly when we'll order them. It will be house spending, as it is all things we've realized we need for the house.


This week's (planned) v actual spending:
Monday: (Counseling) Counseling
Tuesday: (Starbucks) 
Wednesday: (Furnace Service)
Thursday: (Starbucks)
Friday: (Safeway)
Saturday: (----)
Sunday: (----)

Current Month - (P)vA Running total	NS	CS&HS	Spend	Notes
February	(0) (1)3 (2)4 (2)	(1)2 (4)3 (3)1 (3)1	(2)1 (2)1 (2)2 (2)	(Current Planned - 24 days) Current Actual - 18 days

Year long tracking:

Month (P)vA	NS	CS/HS	Spend
January	(8)6	(19)13	(4)12
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

[TheOtherMe]

Yesterday I ordered $61 worth of cat food and litter from chewy.com.  That will last about 8 weeks.