How has your spending shifted?

[countrygirl2]

This month and next are always our high expense months, insurance and property taxes and just finished about $1000 in vehicle registrations.  

I did last month buy a new serger, not horrendous but more then normal and bought a new desk chair, just came from Mayfair today. The other would lose compression and slide down the stem, miserable.
But even with buying extra meat and helping the tenant with food too we are doing ok.  I buy gas maybe twice a month but I fill when half down. It was $1.28 at Sam's yesterday so that was good!
DD and I spend a lot less money running around, eating out and well, just buying stuff. You find out you can do without so much.  And I miss it, for sure.

I still have the money saved back for my hardwood flooring, but hubs said we need to finish the rental first. That's ok, since he has to do the work, LOL!. Laminate I could do, nailing hard wood, well, I think I have my limits, hubs said I could try if I want, but I'm afraid I would ruin a bunch of it.

Oh I also took a 6 month subscription for The Wall Street Journal, it was reduced, still high but half of the normal so I'm good with that.

So I guess I've spent the same but on different things. I'm thankful we are fine. I do feel so sorry for some of these people. They want to go back to work, but they got stirred up and protesting over the wrong thing. Not entirely their fault, their frustration was misdirected. They want to blame someone or something so are lashing out.  They just need their jobs back and I'm sure they need money. Again I'm just thankful its not us.

[chiver78]

Apr 23, 2020 18:53:20 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

This month and next are always our high expense months, insurance and property taxes and just finished about $1000 in vehicle registrations.  

I did last month buy a new serger, not horrendous but more then normal and bought a new desk chair, just came from Mayfair today. The other would lose compression and slide down the stem, miserable.
But even with buying extra meat and helping the tenant with food too we are doing ok.  I buy gas maybe twice a month but I fill when half down. It was $1.28 at Sam's yesterday so that was good!
DD and I spend a lot less money running around, eating out and well, just buying stuff. You find out you can do without so much.  And I miss it, for sure.

I still have the money saved back for my hardwood flooring, but hubs said we need to finish the rental first. That's ok, since he has to do the work, LOL!. Laminate I could do, nailing hard wood, well, I think I have my limits, hubs said I could try if I want, but I'm afraid I would ruin a bunch of it.

Oh I also took a 6 month subscription for The Wall Street Journal, it was reduced, still high but half of the normal so I'm good with that.

So I guess I've spent the same but on different things. I'm thankful we are fine. I do feel so sorry for some of these people. They want to go back to work, but they got stirred up and protesting over the wrong thing. Not entirely their fault, their frustration was misdirected. They want to blame someone or something so are lashing out.  They just need their jobs back and I'm sure they need money. Again I'm just thankful its not us.

I saw you mention this somewhere else. I'm not familiar with that word, serger. what is it, please? when I saw it earlier, I figured maybe it was a typo. 

[countrygirl2]

No, its a type of sewing machine. A regular machine is what you sew with, this is a specialty machine.  Look inside your clothes at the seams. The machine sews and encapsulates the seam and trims the fabric off in one step.  It keeps the fabric from raveling out.  I also have a cover pro.  Look at the bottom of a tshirt, you will see a double line of stitching on top of the fabric then look underneath and you will see a stitch similar to a serger. What this machine does is hem and seam the clothing item all in the same operation.  My old one was 40 years old at least and would not sew the very thin stretch fabrics now. The new serger also has a double differential to move the fabric along.  My Memory craft P sewing machine has a walking foot. it grabs the fabric on the top and underneath and pulls it through while keeping it together so the top fabric doesn't slide on the bottom layer.  Lots of advances in sewing. My old serger was $250 off display, this one was $1400 and they go from $150 to $4000 or more.

Also this serger, like my old, has 4 spools of thread, no bobbin. At the bottom are the threads for 2 stitches, this one has an air threader. The bottoms are called lower loopers and are notorious to thread, I and others have spent an hour trying to thread the damn things. So with the new one push tubes together, push a button and air propels the thread through the loopers all the way to the plate, then disengage.  I didn't realize this top was tedious and the threading diagram was awful.  I could have tied old threads to the new and pulled through, the easiest, but I thought I was to smart to do that, LOL! So took me quite awhile, but now I know.  Marvelous machinery to make your sewing look professional.

I even have a little bias tape maker. Cut fabric 1 7/8" wide, wind it on a roller, thread it through a chute and it curves the edges around, then thread it under this little heated piece. Once it gets hot like an iron, push the run button and it presses the material into binding, turns the hem under on each side and presses it into place and runs it through till its all pressed. Had it for years and had not used, it is really neat.

Probably more then you ever wanted to know.  Look up a Juki or Janome serger and you can see a picture, however, you may never get rid of the advertisements.

[Gardening Grandma]

Apr 26, 2020 20:19:04 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

No, its a type of sewing machine. A regular machine is what you sew with, this is a specialty machine.  Look inside your clothes at the seams. The machine sews and encapsulates the seam and trims the fabric off in one step.  It keeps the fabric from raveling out.  I also have a cover pro.  Look at the bottom of a tshirt, you will see a double line of stitching on top of the fabric then look underneath and you will see a stitch similar to a serger. What this machine does is hem and seam the clothing item all in the same operation.  My old one was 40 years old at least and would not sew the very thin stretch fabrics now. The new serger also has a double differential to move the fabric along.  My Memory craft P sewing machine has a walking foot. it grabs the fabric on the top and underneath and pulls it through while keeping it together so the top fabric doesn't slide on the bottom layer.  Lots of advances in sewing. My old serger was $250 off display, this one was $1400 and they go from $150 to $4000 or more.

Also this serger, like my old, has 4 spools of thread, no bobbin. At the bottom are the threads for 2 stitches, this one has an air threader. The bottoms are called lower loopers and are notorious to thread, I and others have spent an hour trying to thread the damn things. So with the new one push tubes together, push a button and air propels the thread through the loopers all the way to the plate, then disengage.  I didn't realize this top was tedious and the threading diagram was awful.  I could have tied old threads to the new and pulled through, the easiest, but I thought I was to smart to do that, LOL! So took me quite awhile, but now I know.  Marvelous machinery to make your sewing look professional.

I even have a little bias tape maker. Cut fabric 1 7/8" wide, wind it on a roller, thread it through a chute and it curves the edges around, then thread it under this little heated piece. Once it gets hot like an iron, push the run button and it presses the material into binding, turns the hem under on each side and presses it into place and runs it through till its all pressed. Had it for years and had not used, it is really neat.

Probably more then you ever wanted to know.  Look up a Juki or Janome serger and you can see a picture, however, you may never get rid of the advertisements.

I’m curious about your bias tape maker. Can you tell me the brand name?
I’m cutting my bias strips and putting them into a little Dritz gadget-it forms it into the right folds and I iron tbem as they come out of the Dritz.
Is that simular? Your gadget sounds easier
Cutting the strips is tedious

[Deleted]

When this started, I already had a good supply of household supplies from catching sales. We spent quite a bit on groceries, because it caught us at the rare time that the freezer wasn’t stocked. The things we already had and did stock up on haven’t been depleted quickly because the kids haven’t been here except for that 1 weekend. And we’re both essential workers, so we haven’t been home all day every day, eating and using up everything. We haven’t had to make a major shopping trip yet, just been replacing perishable items. We still have extra laundry detergent, cleaning supplies and paper products.

Our restaurant/takeout costs have been dramatically reduced. We get takeout maybe once/week. I’d filled my car up right before I was quarantined for 2 weeks, I’m still driving on that same tank of gas. DBF is saving a lot on gas because he’s not having to drive to the country several times/week to pick the girls up or drop them off at home. 

I’ve not been spending as much buying stuff for the house, I bought the organization stuff for the garage from The Container Store and my little herbs and plants plus soil to repot them, but that’s pretty much it.

DBF has spent on lawn equipment, getting a mower fixed and buying another because the yard was getting out of control waiting on the repair. We were going to do that anyway though because our yard got overrun with weeds when he hired the guy that was cutting the yard last year, so this year DBF wanted to do it himself with his own equipment. We really need a riding mower, but that means getting a shed to keep it in and a fence. We’d planned to get the fence this summer anyway, but I’m kind of wary about spending that much money right now with all this uncertainty. He also bought a new weed eater and some grass seed. 

[countrygirl2]

I will need to look downstairs. I bought it a lot of years ago then put it away when we moved and forgot about it. I was needing bias strips and remembered it, it really works great. It only makes them from 1 7/8" strips. I don't know if they have them for different sizes. 

I found one like it on Amazon, Simplicity Bias Strip Maker. Oh my goodness that is listed at $499, WHAT? I think I gave a $100 for it. I wonder if they make them anymore?  But you can see what it looks like, that is exactly it. I bought it at Joann's or that other fabric store that went out of business in Texas.

I looked at several sites and used its $500, holy smokes and it looks like it had a lot of different sizes tips available, I will look in the box but I think they were special order and I didn't get any.  It's a handy machines but I would have never paid that for one.

[Gardening Grandma]

Yikes!!! For that amount of money, I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.
It’s cool that you have it though

[countrygirl2]

I was thinking about gas, even though some folks seem to think I'm running the roads I'm certainly not.

I have bought 1/2 a tank or less twice in the last 4 or 5 weeks. I like to top off.  So I don't think I've spent $20 on gas in over a month. And we went on the drive to get meat out of that and hubs drove my car a few times too.

I just talked to a neighbor her hubs has been off work, their daughter also and doesn't know if she has a job to go back to and the place the daughters boyfriend works has closed down. How is this country going to get back to work. It sounds just terrible. I was telling her we were going to try a garden, not sure I can do it.  She said they were thinking about it.  They were the ones I offered beans to last year that wouldn't come and pick them. I did give her dad some turnips, they are very old and can't raise one anymore.

[resolution]

I spent $31 on a hair clipper for my husband and cut his hair for the first time yesterday. I think it looked pretty good, but the test will be at work today whether the guys think it looks the same as normal. He usually spends $20 including tip to get his hair cut at the salon, so this was either a really expensive haircut or a cost savings depending on whether the hair salons reopen before his next cut is needed.

I also bought myself a $10 package of hair dye, so that will be a journey of discovery for next weekend. Should be a substantial savings unless I really screw it up and have to find a hair stylist that does house calls to fix it.

[bean29]

I spent about $140 on a dog grooming kit. We have a Teddy Bear (Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu Mix). His hair was just too long, and the groomers are shut down with the Safer at Home orders. I had a cheap grooming kit from Walmart years ago for our Miniature Schnauzer, but DH said he would rather pay to have the Schnauzer groomed.  I gave that one to Goodwill a long time ago.  So I knew when I was buying a new groomer for the Dogs, that it had to be a higher quality one.  The one I bought was the only one they had in stock, and the dog needed to be groomed badly.  He was so hot, he just wanted to hang out outside, and it is in the 40's and 50's here, so not hot at all.

We well may need to groom the Teddy Bear at least one more time.  I don't know if DH will keep doing it.  It was a lot of work, and he said there was no way the trimmer thing was "Professional" because it was not working.  I should have bought the warranty plan b/c the plastic tips bent and I think it is broken.

Pat thanks for all the info on your sewing machines/gadgets.  I knew what a serger is, my Mom has one too, but I have never used it.  I just have the old sewing machine I bought about 1979.  It still works- barely.  I am often tempted to buy one off of Facebook Marketplace - I often see them listed very inexpensively.  But all I do is hem jeans, and minor alterations - so the machine I have works well enough that I just don't think I need to spend $$ on a different one.

I used to have a walking foot, a blind hemmer, a ruffler - Mom may even have a bias tape maker - but it is not as fancy as the one you have that heats it to iron.

[countrygirl2]

I just can't get over the price, $500!! Now I think about it, think it was on sale for maybe $80, I know it wasn't much, I buy most everything at sales.

And the neighbor I talked to was online, figured I better add that before I get scorched. LOL!

[Artemis Windsong]

Our spending has increased with green fees on the golf course.  He had golfed once per week.  I did not golf.  Them bam.  We are both playing golf.  The course did have march madness pricing then they raised it back to the $42 per person for 18.  We moved to the after 3:00 p.m. time slot.  When cornoa showed up, I started golfing after 3 on M and F.

We started ordering in from the local restaurant to help them out.

Our grocery bill increased because we shop only one store and not the specials on meat.  We buy enough for 2 to 3 weeks.

[countrygirl2]

For my better machine with the walking foot, I ordered a narrow needle plate, a new zigzag so it won't cut threads and a bobbin, cradle I suppose you call it. I'm thinking all has enough wear it could be cutting stuff.

I cleaned and oiled it and put the thread top on and its sewing better.

[Blonde Granny]

With the exception of buying a new Bernina Quilting Edition sewing machine and the new attachments that I had to replace, things are about the same (yes, I'm bragging).. Seldom eat out, not buying much at Neighborhood Market or other fancy places. Haven't needed much gas, no new clothes. But starting tomorrow, I'll have to pay cash for some chiropractic treatments so that will quickly increase my budget. Guess I need to new line item for YNAB.

[Deleted]

I was looking at my expenses YTD and charity was way up.  I did some digging and realized how much of that came from money I'd ordinarily be throwing at upcoming travel.

Given the times we're in I think that's a good trade-off.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Last time I filled up my gas tank was 3/12, the last day we went out with friends.  SIP came down the next day.  I still have 3/4 tank.  If we do not either run to Seattle or Vancouver, I’d normally be filling up every 2 weeks.  So gas use is practically nil.

We had 2 standing dates each week.  I took my elderly neighbor to lunch on Tuesday, and Thursday is the engineer’s happy hour/dinner.  If we have a show in Seattle, we eat either lunch or dinner down there.....probably twice/mo.  I guess that has been replaced by takeout weekly.  Our take out runs from $20-50, depending on where we go, so less than half of normal.

Groceries are much higher as a result.....I’m guessing about 30% more than usual.  I’d normally spend $80-100/week, and am at about $150/10 days.  Our Costco runs haven’t really changed in cost, and we go about every 3 weeks.

What HAS taken a hit is my Kindle book purchases!  My Kindle is getting a lot of use.

[nidena]

Now that it's been a full month in this fun-ness, I can see that I spent about $400 on groceries.  I know one of those grocery trips was one that I ended up getting the more expensive items because the cheap items were already gone.

I spent my stimulus check on charitable giving.  And then there's my Sugar Crush purchases.  lol.  You don't realize how much that is until you see all the transactions.  So...I stopped playing it as much.

I think May will be a less volatile month because I won't be dealing with thousands of $$ from selling a house.  Sold that on March 31st and paid off $20,000 in CC debt this month.

[vetswife]

I've spent less overall but more on groceries and having the flowerbeds mulched, also some clothing items.  Haven't bought gas since the first week in March.  I've put off the air conditioner service till May.  I'm lending money to DS1, who lost his wife to a heart attack, until he gets the insurance money.  I need to replace my hurricane water stash in May also.

[thyme4change]

I just spent 7 bucks on a cup of coffee. I never buy coffee during a regular workday, only occasionally on the weekends. I walked over and got a cup yesterday, and had a really good day, so I decided I would try again, but I went to a different coffee shop. It tastes really good, but it was a buck more, and then I left a tip. I'm doing my part to save local businesses.

[dippyegg]

We are homebodies so honestly nothing has really changed for us.  We live a pretty simple life.

[jerseygirl]

Delayed sending in taxes as owed IRS around $8000. Now we also need to pay property taxes $4500. And Estimated for June that’s late
Should never have taken the July 15 extension
This hurts!

[countrygirl2]

Sounds familiar.

[thyme4change]

My husband got money from the ATM and came home and said "Why do we have so much money in checking?"

I went through all of our bills to male sure I didn't miss anything. Checked to make sure I paid the credit card and the mortgage. All paid but, we have more than 2x what we normally do. I am not sure exactly why - but we certainly have been going out less and we normally spend the overage amount on traveling- vacations and sports stuff.

Ever since our state re-opened restaurants, we have kinda stopped doing take out as much. Not sure if it is because we got in a cooking groove, or that we just don't feel as motivated to help out our favorite places, or maybe we just got sick of their limited take out menus. It seems like every restaurant changes to fried chicken and ribs. I guess those dinners travel well, maybe?

[Deleted]

We've switched from dine-in to take-out which saved a lot for us.  Plus DH is back on Weight Watchers so just less food in general.  Not much for clothes because no place to go.  No haircuts, no mani-pedi.  We're fixing to spend a bunch on staining the deck, repairing the fence and trimming the trees but that was already planned beforehand.  As retirees we didn't rack up a lot of mileage, but now it's even less.  We had to cancel our fall vacation.  I've ramped up charitable giving because there is so much need. 

Grocery bill is up a bit because we're cooking more and I've stockpiled a bit too.   

[princessleia]

I found my phone, electricity and water bills have gone up since the pandemic started. I attribute it to working from home, computer use and more cleaning (more toilet flushing    I was pretty stocked up before the Stay-at-home order came through so my grocery bills did not go up then. However, since this crisis started and the groceries are still not running much ads and deals, I think I will be spending more once my supplies run out. 

I hope my school will reopen for fall.....I might be out of a job if it doesn't AND there's no funding. 

[countrygirl2]

We are doing ok. The only big expense we have coming up is the hardwood floors I've been waiting on for 2 years. Have money back for materials, waiting on hubs. He is busy so not complaining. He will get there.

I have been spending online more. And going back to ordering most groceries again. Indiana had 855 cases yesterday of the virus. A few weeks ago it was down to 300 after the holiday been in 700's and now this.

I think it may close down again and so need to stock up on a few things.

[bean29]

I have not seen Clorox Wipes since this started. I should probably ask DS the one who shops for Shipt, but she also has FT job.

Other than that, our spending is pretty much the same, income is the same. I am telling myself no major remodeling/changes until house is paid off.

DH wants to buy a car for his parents. I told him no, but I can’t stop him. If anyone gets a new car it should be me.

I am trying to realign 1st mortgage-I have to unlock my credit for them. And mortgages on office and another rental we own -looks like we can get an SBA loan with more favorable terms.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Since March, our gas expenditures is at one-third of its normal monthly average. 
I spent a ton more than normal on clothes in April and May. That was two-fold though: I'd given up cloth purchases for Lent and then overcompensated. Then, at the beginning of the shutdown, the online sales were terribly good. 
Our restaurant expenditures for March and April was about half of what we were spending, but for June and July it's gone up a bit since our restaurants have re-opened. 
Our groceries went way up because DD#2 had to come home from college. But, we are probably neutral there because she's been at home and not in the dorms. 

The two biggest expenditures come from building our own home gym and purchasing a new fifth wheel. Neither of those expenditures would have happened without the pandemic. 

[nidena]

My food consumption changed again with the move three weeks ago.  I stopped ordering from Imperfect for a couple weeks so that I could eat up what I had on hand already.  Then resumed ordering again last week.  I've also been eating out more because of it.  Well, moving and dating someone new.  

[countrygirl2]

We don't eat out, do get Subway at times. Maybe once a month the italian food place.  but spending a lot for food at home.

Spend for fruit to can and freeze.

Not buying clothes, no place to shop really.  Going to have to get DD some new shorts and things, but she has money for that.

buying MIL clothes online, again, she has money for that also from the stimulus check.

Less money for gas, as I don't go much of anywhere but to the nearby town and doctors offices.

Very, very dull life.

Spending more for books.

Awake at 4:30, to bed at 1:30. 3 hours at night last week then fall asleep about an hour or two later for awhile, not good.