8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jun 15, 2011 11:20:23 GMT -5
...:::"Wwbg- you never asked":::... Well judging from how quickly you posted a June budget, and how rough that June budget was, I am still not convinced that what you have is going to go very far in fixing your problem. However, its "worked" for you long enough (where worked is that somehow you've managed to stave off big trouble each time you have come closer to the edge) and I suspect you will continue to allow it to "work" until it doesn't. ...:::"WWBG, how 'bout it? Care to switch it up and take on the Wisconsin Beth project?":::... That is what we are here for. ...:::"Doxie, if you have several years of past expenses on a spreadsheet, then why are you getting caught short? Is the information not summarized in a useful way?":::... Knowing the expense is coming, and actually saving for it ahead of time are two very different things. ...:::"What does DELTA mean in column G?":::... Its a pretentious way of saying "change" or "difference"
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Post by soon2bmomof3 on Jun 15, 2011 11:21:56 GMT -5
Wisc.Beth,
Delta means difference...so whatever you budgetted versus what you actually spent...were you positive or were you negative?
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 15, 2011 14:56:43 GMT -5
sroo, utilities = electric, gas, water and cable?
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 15, 2011 15:13:07 GMT -5
crap, I think I screwed up. I'm gonna close out and hope it restores itself.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 15, 2011 15:20:46 GMT -5
It didn't. Sroo, I think I edited the stuff you posted so anyone going to view the link is getting a mishmash of my stuff and Doxie's.
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jun 15, 2011 15:40:30 GMT -5
The way I built my excel spreadsheet, it serves dual purposes. On one side, I have a "monthly picture" which shows all the income and outflow. It shows that enough comes in to afford all my obligations. On the other side, I have a "running tally" which is essentially a line by line transaction log like a check ledger.
The ledger is organized chronologically, as I have two periods in the month where I pay recurring bills. As such, those items are populated by what entry is in the monthly picture side. I have auto-sums that account for unused grocery and entertainment dollars, and I have a lot of lines called "placeholder" so that I can balance out each grocery/entertainment transaction that I enter in those areas.
I also have some misc. lines in the event I have an irregular expense, or a windfall. It has been a useful tool.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 7:38:26 GMT -5
Ok thanks. I'm going to play with the Excel copy when I can and see how it works out. Anything is going to be better than the current spreadsheet...
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jun 16, 2011 10:45:50 GMT -5
WWBG, you're a brave soul Not to mention a kind and persistent one. I can't wait to read this thread.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jun 16, 2011 10:54:10 GMT -5
...:::"Of course i keep a spreadsheet and track all our expenses in a spreadsheet. thats why I said i was working on may and junes budget. I base it on the min we will bring home that month, and its all expenses from our net income. I have been using the same spreadsheet for years. I only look at the monthly expenses for the current month. It does show on a yearly sheet once the expenses are on the sheet for the month.":::...
But then I read this and wondered why it took a cumulative 100+ pages and 3 months for this little nugget to come out.
Wwbg- you never asked Jesus Christ, are you joking?! Doxie, post 83 was kinda rude. My southern manners dictate that when someone is putting a lot of effort into trying to help me, I don't give them flip one-liners.Uh... yeah. I know we all enjoy hashing this stuff over, but do you honestly believe that WWBG has nothing better to do with his time than help you when you make it so difficult? Were you to engage a professional financial planner, you'd be paying THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for the great advice which you are getting for free. Do you not get that? I honestly can't believe you, Dox. Maybe you were trying to be funny or something? Wow.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jun 16, 2011 10:56:36 GMT -5
OT question: Why is there an "Ignore" button next to some posters' names now? Is it like a killfile?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 16, 2011 10:58:27 GMT -5
K for Firebird! I came back, I couldn't help myself Like WiBeth, I'm tempted to post my own budget - just because I think this effort is somewhat wasted on the OP. Doxie, nobody is going to care more about your finances than you are - and judging from your responses, you don't care much, yourself. Why should these posters be putting in more effort than you are?
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 16, 2011 10:58:57 GMT -5
FB, it's a new feature... you can "ignore" other posters' posts or even your own
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jun 16, 2011 10:59:09 GMT -5
Firebird,
It just makes it so you can't see the poster's postings. the post will say "X is on ignore" instead of the text. You can un-ignore them whenever. Can't ignore admins IIRC
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 11:02:46 GMT -5
FB, there's an 8+ page thread on the Ignore button somewhere on P&M. It was originally pinned by Virgil for 24 hours and somehow it ended up there.
Mid, yeah, I need to talk to DH about posting the our spreadsheet and getting some help. I'm not real comfortable thinking about the comments it will get and I know it will make DH uncomfortable to have that much of our life out on the Internet.
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jun 16, 2011 11:04:46 GMT -5
...:::"Like WiBeth, I'm tempted to post my own budget - just because I think this effort is somewhat wasted on the OP. Doxie,":::...
Go ahead. One spreadsheet has already been created, and I'm sure others are on the way. I didn't consider this effort a waste, because it opens the door for a few others to try.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Jun 16, 2011 11:05:28 GMT -5
WiBeth, same here! Our situation is kind of in flux right now with DH in school, and I know our budget is not sustainable long-term... I keep weighing the chances of getting some great advice that will really help us (high) with the chances of my feelings being hurt by the responses (very high)
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 11:17:03 GMT -5
Yeah, plus there's a bunch of data I just don't have. I was trying to translate our spreadsheet to the one sroo created and realized I have no clue what some of DH's abbreviations are. And I totally screwed up the equations or whatever they're called in sroo's doc - sorry everyone, I'm an idiot and I should have known better. And when I tried to talk to DH last night about sroo's doc, I ended up feeling peeved at DH for not understanding me, which makes me more hesitant to dive into this. Sigh. In short, I'm a mess today.
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zippy478
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Post by zippy478 on Jun 16, 2011 11:24:17 GMT -5
sroo - on your DO NOT DELETE tab, there are two columns...one in brown and one in green...is the brown the outgoing and the green the incoming? Thanks
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8 Bit WWBG
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Post by 8 Bit WWBG on Jun 16, 2011 11:25:16 GMT -5
...:::"I keep weighing the chances of getting some great advice that will really help us (high) with the chances of my feelings being hurt by the responses (very high)":::...
You'll only get "hurtful" (read: what you need to hear but don't want to admit/do) comments if you have stuff like a Herbie, 2 smartphones, triple play, and long commutes in a truck and SUV, and refuse to budge on any one of these items. I'm sure most people have one or two items in their budget that are not "financially smart" but depending on how dire the situation is, the luxuries don't always have to go if you are OK with advancing at a slower pace.
Plus, we already know you have 11 more payments on the Focus (I'd guess that is around $3k) as well as $10,205.87 on your HELOC. As long as you aren't running dangerously short, missing payments, and are willing to listen and act on advice given, you don't have much to worry about.
But if you sit there and say that losing a leg is easier than losing an iPhone, and that you won't let your DH make more money unless he chooses a job you like, then yeah... we are "mean".
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 11:38:00 GMT -5
...:::"I keep weighing the chances of getting some great advice that will really help us (high) with the chances of my feelings being hurt by the responses (very high)":::... You'll only get "hurtful" (read: what you need to hear but don't want to admit/do) comments if you have stuff like a Herbie, 2 smartphones, triple play, and long commutes in a truck and SUV, and refuse to budge on any one of these items. I'm sure most people have one or two items in their budget that are not "financially smart" but depending on how dire the situation is, the luxuries don't always have to go if you are OK with advancing at a slower pace. Plus, we already know you have 11 more payments on the Focus (I'd guess that is around $3k) as well as $10,205.87 on your HELOC. As long as you aren't running dangerously short, missing payments, and are willing to listen and act on advice given, you don't have much to worry about. But if you sit there and say that losing a leg is easier than losing an iPhone, and that you won't let your DH make more money unless he chooses a job you like, then yeah... we are "mean". Actually, we're talking about paying off the Focus at the end of the year, which will probably cover the health insurance bill we're expecting to have starting 01/01/12. We'll know more about the health insurance in Oct. when open enrollment starts. I think too I'm embarrassed about both the financials AND tracking our spending spreadsheet.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jun 16, 2011 11:38:05 GMT -5
Beth - A long time ago I posted on the old WIR board for advice and got some great advice. Some of it was hard to hear. Some of it was crazy dumb, but most of it was good advice and a swift kick in the rear that I needed. It seems personal, but you are only putting numbers to categories. Sure we know you are Beth from Wisconsin, with 2 toddlers, but there are probably dozens of Beth's in Wisconsin with 2 toddlers. I've met some WIRers in person ... that is getting personal. ;D
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jun 16, 2011 12:12:11 GMT -5
Doxie, nobody is going to care more about your finances than you are - and judging from your responses, you don't care much, yourself. Why should these posters be putting in more effort than you are?
I think this remark is very insightful. You have to ask yourself *why* other people care more than she does. I think it's because she doesn't yet fully believe the posters who have been in similar situations and gotten whomped. It's easy for her to think "well, that won't happen to ME" because so far, it hasn't.
It would be easy to write this whole situation off because she doesn't care enough, but instead people keep trying to make her see it. Because... if she sees it in time, it doesn't HAVE to be as bad for her as it was for others.
It's a very caring thing, trying to help someone avoid pain you've experienced. I wish Dox could see how valuable this is.
Doxie, I HATE some of the feedback I get from this board sometimes. It's not fun to have your shortcomings brought up to you repeatedly. Unfortunately, our blind spots are... our blind spots. By definition, it's hard for us to see what we're doing wrong if it's not pointed out to us. People are really trying to help you here. I hope you can come to appreciate that.
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Firebird
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Post by Firebird on Jun 16, 2011 12:31:08 GMT -5
It just makes it so you can't see the poster's postings. the post will say "X is on ignore" instead of the text. You can un-ignore them whenever. Can't ignore admins IIRC
Hmm. Not sure I like that feature. How will I know if I'm talking to someone who's ignoring me? I WON'T BE IGNORED, DAN! ;D
...:::"I keep weighing the chances of getting some great advice that will really help us (high) with the chances of my feelings being hurt by the responses (very high)":::...
Oh come on. You've had every conceivable harsh response flung at you, and you're still around (which is commendable, by the way). If you had a thinner skin, you'd be long gone.
You're here, you're obviously reading. I don't mean to be rude, but suck it up. Your financial future is more important than your pride right now.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jun 16, 2011 12:43:34 GMT -5
Beth - A long time ago I posted on the old WIR board for advice and got some great advice. Some of it was hard to hear. Some of it was crazy dumb, but most of it was good advice and a swift kick in the rear that I needed. It seems personal, but you are only putting numbers to categories. Sure we know you are Beth from Wisconsin, with 2 toddlers, but there are probably dozens of Beth's in Wisconsin with 2 toddlers. I've met some WIRers in person ... that is getting personal. ;D This is provided she A) actually goes by Beth or it's a variation of her real name and B) still lives in Wisconsin I would NOT change my signon if I no longer lived in the carolinas ... must not think about that
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 13:19:37 GMT -5
Yes, my given name is Beth. And I live in SE Wisconsin. And I just spent the last 30 minutes or so trying to translate DH's abbreviations into company names and then dumping that into the 3rd tab of Sroo's page. I started with 0.00 and boy is it ugly. I'll have to look back at the May sheet from DH and see how much we carried over.
I renamed a lot of the payment types and did them as monthly expenses, even when they're not (like dcp and groceries, we do them weekly.) I'm getting a good look at why cashflow is important to consider...
And I think I'm missing some stuff.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jun 16, 2011 13:33:31 GMT -5
HI BETH Hi, my name is... oh wait, this isn't a 12 step meeting But really good for you on working with it
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jun 16, 2011 13:37:20 GMT -5
LOL. I'll admit to being a YM/WIR - aholic. That is the other thing, Beth, when you post your budget other people can help fill in the blanks if you are missing something. Or if they think you are missing stuff. Even if things are ugly, knowing the details is better than not knowing. If you don't know, then you can't do anything about it.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jun 16, 2011 13:40:38 GMT -5
lol Kat.
Well, it needed to be done and <Beth looks around for the boss and hisses "I've got no work to do here today.">
Hmmm, Ok, when I used sroo's monthly budget chart, we're in the red by alot. but we're in the black on the monthly plan part because we're carrying over money from previous months. Do YMs generally carry over the balance or transfer it to other accounts or a mixture of both?
I made some assumptions about how much we're spending on groceries, entertainment and DH's dietary supplements. Guess I need to go back further on the tracking sheet to see if they're good assumptions or not...
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Jun 16, 2011 13:48:29 GMT -5
Beth - I was trying to keep my actual checking account at right around $100. So, I would transfer any extra to a savings account. Then my bank put fees on accounts with an average balance less than $500 and well, I'll admit to being not really on top of my budget right now. In fact, I think I screwed us up big time by both of us upgrading to smartphones last weekend. It shouldn't have made that big of a difference, but when they handed over the probably first month's bill there was a $75 fee that was not labeled as 1 time. DS was tired and we still had grocery shopping to do.... we may end up having to cut our TV package back to make everything work.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Jun 16, 2011 13:50:26 GMT -5
I don't do a cash flow style budget like the spreadsheet you are working with, but I do leave a buffer of around $1500 in my checking account to cover cash flow issues. When it gets too much above that amount I transfer it out to other accounts. Are you looking for comments on the numbers that were input into the spreadsheet linked on page 4 or are you working on an offline one?
I was hesitant to post my budget but I did it last month because I felt bad about the beating that Mrs. Dinero was taking over hers. Everyone was actually very nice to me and there were no nasty comments.
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