It was a busy holiday weekend. One of Naginata's younger brother's graduated from High School, so we packed up the Budget-mobile and went to celebrate. There was much festivity and we ended up dropping a little bit of cash in related expenses:
$8.99 camera battery
$2.49 card
$2.49 card
$7.99 gift
$23.50 total on what I would consider the first real non-essential items I've bought since the contest started. But graduation only happens once, so I don't feel bad about it at all. We would have easily dropped a larger sum on a gift if we hadn't tapped the bank already. We are waiting for my next check, reminding us once again about spending and saving and why we're on this crazy trip to begin with.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Fuel.
Some days it's a bit easier than others. I get a free lunch from in my office or donuts down in the breakroom make for a tasty snack. Other days it's a bit harder and I feel my belly grumble or hear people talk about meeting friends out for a nice dinner and I realize I still have many, many more days to go. It's not all about food, but I think we've definately handled our food by convenience and moving away from that model is proving to be aggravating.
I think once we get under 300 days left, I might feel like we've accomplished something bigger. As it stands, I think we've had some good luck and an initial adrenaline rush of starting something new. I fear what may happen around day 200 of the challenge when the thrill has gotten a bit stale. I'd make some comment about my attention span and our modern society, but I fear it lacks any fresh insight.
I am encouraged, however, by our continued string of tiny improvements for little or no money and how our friends seem supportive and understanding. I think maybe even a couple have gotten inspired to examine their own spending habits in light of our initial success. I also find the "thrill" of buying things has diminished somewhat. I'm more looking forward to some personal art projects than I am the next video game or DVD. I also feel like it's a good time to have a better connection with Naginata and Edamame, if for no other reason than to keep communication open on things that are working/not working and what things have made us happy during this time.
I'm sure I'll have something more to share soon. Until then:
$20.01 in gas on the Budget-Truck this past Tuesday (5/22/07).
I think once we get under 300 days left, I might feel like we've accomplished something bigger. As it stands, I think we've had some good luck and an initial adrenaline rush of starting something new. I fear what may happen around day 200 of the challenge when the thrill has gotten a bit stale. I'd make some comment about my attention span and our modern society, but I fear it lacks any fresh insight.
I am encouraged, however, by our continued string of tiny improvements for little or no money and how our friends seem supportive and understanding. I think maybe even a couple have gotten inspired to examine their own spending habits in light of our initial success. I also find the "thrill" of buying things has diminished somewhat. I'm more looking forward to some personal art projects than I am the next video game or DVD. I also feel like it's a good time to have a better connection with Naginata and Edamame, if for no other reason than to keep communication open on things that are working/not working and what things have made us happy during this time.
I'm sure I'll have something more to share soon. Until then:
$20.01 in gas on the Budget-Truck this past Tuesday (5/22/07).
Monday, May 21, 2007
A Google Spreadsheet!
As some of my friends know I am a sucker for any kind of spreadsheet or document program. So here is the Food, Gas, Treats spreadsheet for this experiment!
Click Here!
This should open in a new window. This is so it's easier for me to track the totals for the month of these items. :)
Click Here!
This should open in a new window. This is so it's easier for me to track the totals for the month of these items. :)
the daily spend 5 -18 to 5 - 21
First off I'd like to say there is a whole Lowe's Hardware saga that involves 4 receipts and too many explanations so there will just be a total that comprises all of the receipts. Second yay us for the cool "not losing our heads with the car handling crisis of 2007". Seriously, yay. Onto the spending...
5/18/07
Publix:
Potato chips $2
Hamburger buns $1
(2) OJ $4
Heavy Whipping Cream $3 (we're making some ice cream!!!)
Cheddar cheese $2
Ground beef $4
total = $15.44
Lowe's:
total = $27.67
+ untold amounts of gas for 2 trips + blood, sweat & tears for what eventually amounted to nothing. blegh. At least we have 2 ramps for the pickup truck in case we ever actually need them. *sigh
Chevron:
Gas $20.01
5/19/07
Dairy Queen @ the mall:
Smoothie $4.25
Again for the Edemame but damn. If there is one thing this challenge is doing for me it's making "small" purchases extremely difficult for me. And that's a good thing. This was a purchase that could have been avoided if I had been more diligent about making sure that a grandparent outing did not go too long. Eating lunch at 2:30pm is fine for adults but not so nice for toddlers.
5/20/07
Publix: (is it any surprise that Edemame recognizes this logo??)
(2) Seltzer $1
Peanuts $2
Tomatoes $2
Garlic .30
Cucumbers $1
Milk $3.50
(2) Bread $6.60 (Damnit. This bread was supposed to be 2 for $5 and I missed it at the cash register. This is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end. And the kind of thing I wouldn't have cared about last year because I wouldn't know due to never looking at my receipts. Gah.)
Broccoli $1.25
Zucchini $1.25
Corn $2
Chicken (whole) $5
(4) Publix brand soft drinks $1 (I thought I'd try them out!)
Ground beef $4.25
Eggs $2.25
total = $34.66
5/21/07
Costco:
Blueberries $5
Blackberries $6.50
Diapers $25
total = $38.44
Costco:
Gas $31.12 (only $2.91 per gallon!)
The Neighborhood Coffee Shop:
Steamed milk w/Vanilla $3
Ok, here's an oddity. I got the above drink for E when we stopped in to get espresso for the house. (Sorry Ronin they were out.) The reason this drink is one dollar more than the Caribou drink seen in a previous post? The tip. At an anonymous big chain store I am not likely to plunk down any money for tip. Frankly if they are pleasant to me at ALL I am just counting myself lucky and I don't feel obligated to give them 20% of my $2. Now that is not the case at my neighborhood place. They know me, they know Edemame. They call us by name when we go in there and we know their names too. I hesitated when I added the tip on for our $2 milk today. Not because I don't think they deserve it but because I'm focusing so hard on where every $1 goes. I try hard to patronize the locals because they are fighting so hard for existence but sometimes it is harder to part with that extra $1 or so. It's a tough call but one that I felt ok about today.
5/18/07
Publix:
Potato chips $2
Hamburger buns $1
(2) OJ $4
Heavy Whipping Cream $3 (we're making some ice cream!!!)
Cheddar cheese $2
Ground beef $4
total = $15.44
Lowe's:
total = $27.67
+ untold amounts of gas for 2 trips + blood, sweat & tears for what eventually amounted to nothing. blegh. At least we have 2 ramps for the pickup truck in case we ever actually need them. *sigh
Chevron:
Gas $20.01
5/19/07
Dairy Queen @ the mall:
Smoothie $4.25
Again for the Edemame but damn. If there is one thing this challenge is doing for me it's making "small" purchases extremely difficult for me. And that's a good thing. This was a purchase that could have been avoided if I had been more diligent about making sure that a grandparent outing did not go too long. Eating lunch at 2:30pm is fine for adults but not so nice for toddlers.
5/20/07
Publix: (is it any surprise that Edemame recognizes this logo??)
(2) Seltzer $1
Peanuts $2
Tomatoes $2
Garlic .30
Cucumbers $1
Milk $3.50
(2) Bread $6.60 (Damnit. This bread was supposed to be 2 for $5 and I missed it at the cash register. This is the kind of thing that pisses me off to no end. And the kind of thing I wouldn't have cared about last year because I wouldn't know due to never looking at my receipts. Gah.)
Broccoli $1.25
Zucchini $1.25
Corn $2
Chicken (whole) $5
(4) Publix brand soft drinks $1 (I thought I'd try them out!)
Ground beef $4.25
Eggs $2.25
total = $34.66
5/21/07
Costco:
Blueberries $5
Blackberries $6.50
Diapers $25
total = $38.44
Costco:
Gas $31.12 (only $2.91 per gallon!)
The Neighborhood Coffee Shop:
Steamed milk w/Vanilla $3
Ok, here's an oddity. I got the above drink for E when we stopped in to get espresso for the house. (Sorry Ronin they were out.) The reason this drink is one dollar more than the Caribou drink seen in a previous post? The tip. At an anonymous big chain store I am not likely to plunk down any money for tip. Frankly if they are pleasant to me at ALL I am just counting myself lucky and I don't feel obligated to give them 20% of my $2. Now that is not the case at my neighborhood place. They know me, they know Edemame. They call us by name when we go in there and we know their names too. I hesitated when I added the tip on for our $2 milk today. Not because I don't think they deserve it but because I'm focusing so hard on where every $1 goes. I try hard to patronize the locals because they are fighting so hard for existence but sometimes it is harder to part with that extra $1 or so. It's a tough call but one that I felt ok about today.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Tired, but Enlightened
Our car has several problems that we neglect on a daily basis. We'd like to actually fix them, but because of our poor budgeting, we tend to let the problems slide, which tends to get us into trouble. Yes, I'm sure you saw that one coming. I saw it, too.
We'll call the first problem, Problem # 1: After a minor accident, one of the back taillights to the Budget-mobile was slightly broken. The light actually worked, but the mounting bracket that held it in place was broken to the point that it would not hold the light in place. Without getting into painstaking detail, we tried several lame solutions to keep it "good enough" until we could afford to fix it. I'm not sure what money bestowing fairy was going to wish up this money for us, but we were fine with thinking that we could use duct-tape and bailing twine to keep it sort of anchored. The dealership told us a whole new light assembly would be a crisp $186.00.
Yesterday, the Budget Naginata was pulled over by one of our friendly Highway Patrols to inform us that all of our brakelights were out. All of them. Naginata excaped with a warning, but upon arriving home, I immediately began my ritual wearing of sackcloth and pouring ashes on my head. I lamented a horrible (and more importantly, expensive) problem that we couldn't solve.
But we agreed to sleep on it and look at it freshly in the morning. Since all of the lights were out, we thought it might be a fuse, so we consulted all of our manuals and the terribly mysterious series of tubes known as the "Internets" for a solution. We found the offending fuse and pulled it free, finding out that we were dead wrong. I felt defeated again, lamenting the broken taillight and our luck. Naginata refused to give up as easily and decided to check the lights themselves. One... two... three. Sure enough. They may not have busted all at once, but we verified each one was broken.
I hopped into my truck with the one new tire and headed to our local auto parts store. I wasn't going to let a few dollars get in the way of my family's safety.
$14.81. New lights installed and working. I even got over myself enough to jury rig a fairly solid temporary bracket. It involves some screws and a segment of PVC piping. I didn't think I could make it work, but it's almost as good as the actual bracket, aside from looking like a piece of PVC stuck between the light and the body of the car. Thankfully, it's hidden underneath the trunk, visable only when the door is open.
I consider this a win for the Budget Clan. You are contractually obligated to also consider this a win. Compliments are not required, but appreciated. If I get enough, I'll actually show you photos.
We'll call the first problem, Problem # 1: After a minor accident, one of the back taillights to the Budget-mobile was slightly broken. The light actually worked, but the mounting bracket that held it in place was broken to the point that it would not hold the light in place. Without getting into painstaking detail, we tried several lame solutions to keep it "good enough" until we could afford to fix it. I'm not sure what money bestowing fairy was going to wish up this money for us, but we were fine with thinking that we could use duct-tape and bailing twine to keep it sort of anchored. The dealership told us a whole new light assembly would be a crisp $186.00.
Yesterday, the Budget Naginata was pulled over by one of our friendly Highway Patrols to inform us that all of our brakelights were out. All of them. Naginata excaped with a warning, but upon arriving home, I immediately began my ritual wearing of sackcloth and pouring ashes on my head. I lamented a horrible (and more importantly, expensive) problem that we couldn't solve.
But we agreed to sleep on it and look at it freshly in the morning. Since all of the lights were out, we thought it might be a fuse, so we consulted all of our manuals and the terribly mysterious series of tubes known as the "Internets" for a solution. We found the offending fuse and pulled it free, finding out that we were dead wrong. I felt defeated again, lamenting the broken taillight and our luck. Naginata refused to give up as easily and decided to check the lights themselves. One... two... three. Sure enough. They may not have busted all at once, but we verified each one was broken.
I hopped into my truck with the one new tire and headed to our local auto parts store. I wasn't going to let a few dollars get in the way of my family's safety.
$14.81. New lights installed and working. I even got over myself enough to jury rig a fairly solid temporary bracket. It involves some screws and a segment of PVC piping. I didn't think I could make it work, but it's almost as good as the actual bracket, aside from looking like a piece of PVC stuck between the light and the body of the car. Thankfully, it's hidden underneath the trunk, visable only when the door is open.
I consider this a win for the Budget Clan. You are contractually obligated to also consider this a win. Compliments are not required, but appreciated. If I get enough, I'll actually show you photos.
Friday, May 18, 2007
the daily spend 5-16 & 5-17
Just a few items but 2 of the same one. We have said before that we are leaving Edemame out of a lot of our restrictions. Budget Ronin works right next door to a *bucks (blegh but that's a post for another day.) There is a parking deck to his building but it costs $8 (!!!! I could buy some freaking GRAPES for gods sake.) to park there. So when we go downtown to see him we usually pop in at the *bucks and grab a coffee and then cross the street to his office. Now of course we are not buying the coffee but Edemame has no real restriction. I do want to change attitudes and habits with this experiment and we have not been visiting any coffee houses since it started, but Edemame asks to go to the "coffee shop" ALL the time, showing you just what a part of our lives it was. SO, all that to say that I am still occasionally buying her the odd "coffee" (steamed milk with vanilla). It's cheaper than paying $8 for a parking space and still a nice treat at roughly $1 for her.
Wow, defensive much?? :) On to the numbers...
5-16-07
Haircut for Edemame
total = $21.55
Coffee for Edemame @ *bucks
total = $1.03
5-17-07
Coffee for Edemame @ *bucks
total = $1.03
Wow, defensive much?? :) On to the numbers...
5-16-07
Haircut for Edemame
total = $21.55
Coffee for Edemame @ *bucks
total = $1.03
5-17-07
Coffee for Edemame @ *bucks
total = $1.03
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
been a long time gone! the daily spend 5-10 - 5-15 edition
Hey guys!
I've been absent the past couple of days, lots of family and personal disruption so I'll get right to the bare bones of it and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
I actually haven't spent much the past few days but here it is for the record:
5-10-07
Citgo:
$12.03 fuel
5-11-07
BJs:
$25.01 fuel
Costco:
64oz of Strawberries
16oz of Blackberries
total = $11.31
We ended up there and the fruit was so good I couldn't pass it up. We have really enjoyed it all this weekend.
Thrift Store:
Pillow .50
total .52
I needed stuffing to fill the dolls I was making and I was pretty happy with myself for finding a pillow at the thrift store for less than a $1 when a bag of polyfil would set me back $1.35. I know it doesn't sound like much but when you add in the fact that the thrift store is within walking distance of my house and I'd have to drive 15 miles to the nearest Michael's to buy a bag, I saved some gas money there. And as you can see above, I need to save that gas money!!
5-13-07
.73 for a QT drink that I got to mix myself. (for the record: 1/2 Fanta Strawberry, 1/2 Squirt + 2 shots of Fountain Vanilla = YUM!) For me this is a ton of fun for almost no cash so Ronin and I agreed that it was OK.
I did end up making 2 dolls for birthday presents for Saturday. It was a LOT of work but it was fun making them and the girls really loved them. For Mother's Day it was hand drawn cards by Edemame for each Grandma and we had done some photo books on QOOP from our Flickr stream earlier in the year for this express purpose. So the cost of the books doesn't count against our experiment since I bought them in February. Though frankly they only cost $5.95 each and BOTH Grandma's cried so I guess you could say they were cheap at any price. ;)
I've been absent the past couple of days, lots of family and personal disruption so I'll get right to the bare bones of it and hopefully get back into the swing of things.
I actually haven't spent much the past few days but here it is for the record:
5-10-07
Citgo:
$12.03 fuel
5-11-07
BJs:
$25.01 fuel
Costco:
64oz of Strawberries
16oz of Blackberries
total = $11.31
We ended up there and the fruit was so good I couldn't pass it up. We have really enjoyed it all this weekend.
Thrift Store:
Pillow .50
total .52
I needed stuffing to fill the dolls I was making and I was pretty happy with myself for finding a pillow at the thrift store for less than a $1 when a bag of polyfil would set me back $1.35. I know it doesn't sound like much but when you add in the fact that the thrift store is within walking distance of my house and I'd have to drive 15 miles to the nearest Michael's to buy a bag, I saved some gas money there. And as you can see above, I need to save that gas money!!
5-13-07
.73 for a QT drink that I got to mix myself. (for the record: 1/2 Fanta Strawberry, 1/2 Squirt + 2 shots of Fountain Vanilla = YUM!) For me this is a ton of fun for almost no cash so Ronin and I agreed that it was OK.
I did end up making 2 dolls for birthday presents for Saturday. It was a LOT of work but it was fun making them and the girls really loved them. For Mother's Day it was hand drawn cards by Edemame for each Grandma and we had done some photo books on QOOP from our Flickr stream earlier in the year for this express purpose. So the cost of the books doesn't count against our experiment since I bought them in February. Though frankly they only cost $5.95 each and BOTH Grandma's cried so I guess you could say they were cheap at any price. ;)
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