Well-Trained Wallets - Week 1 of 5

[EmilyGF]

Hi friends!

This is your place to be make your own financial well-being goals and work towards them this month. Here's what I'm envisioning.

1. Write up your goals for the month. Break them down week-by-week.
2. Post your progress.
3. Share ideas to help others.
4. Celebrate with and encourage one another!

Please don't share any links to shopping; if you find a great deal, post it to the Frugalistas thread!

Emily

[EmilyGF]

Here are my goals:

1. Cut way back on spending by:
   1. Only use my credit card for gas.
   2. Buy groceries with cash on hand. Eat down my pantry and freezer.
   3. Keep a list of desired purchases in my planner. (I bet I won't even want to own most of them by the time February comes around!)
2. Except for gas, not use my credit card until Feb. 15. That's when the February bill is due. I want to get that bill down.
3. Put money aside for upcoming big purchases: a violin and braces. Goal for January: $X. (decided to keep amount private, will post percentages)
4. Open a CC in my name - DONE!
5. Open checking accounts for my teens.

Emily

Edited January 2, 2023 by EmilyGF

[Brittany1116]

My goals are to save $100 on groceries by eating down the fridge and pantry, not buy any clothing for the kids, and keep restaurants under $70/week. The first 2 should be easy. The last one is easy in theory, but difficult in practice since we have built snack stops into some routines. We have to rein it in. 

[Soror]

Goals:

1) Set aside 100 of 800 monthly grocery budget for upcoming beef purchase

     a) limit stock up funds to $100

     b) keep diligent to no food waste- if leftovers pile up leftover night- or freeze for later. I do decently here but am not at zero waste yet.

      c) check grocery ads weekly for loss leaders

      d) stop by discount store and bread store to see if they are worth shopping at again; look to see if there are any other stores in town I'm missing

      e) pop into Kroger weekly to peruse the mark-down areas

      f) plan more homemade snacks for kids from budget websites--- Spend with Pennies and Budget Bytes

     g) start research and growing indoor and winter food using materials I can find around the house (I already have seeds)-- this might not help until Feb

    h) keep each week's spending to 150- I tend to have big grocery bills at the beginning of the month and the last week of the month I have little left- last week I had 70-- I planned plenty of meatless meals for the last week as a precaution but hope to do better spreading out spending

     i) end the month with my pantry as least as stocked as I started- we ate down the pantry during a spell of reduced income 2 years ago - it is somewhat stocked now but not as much as I'd like so I don't want to deplete it further.

     j) look hard at what I buy to see if there are other things I can make homemade for a cheaper cost and set aside time to premake some items to save time later (especially beans as I use them often)

2) Sell enough home goods to finance great room paint and materials for entry room bench + shoe shelf

     a) check FB marketplace listings- probably need to lower the price on these

     b) add listings -- I have 2 things I can think of to sell

     c) check building plans and see what materials I have- determine cost for project. I started this but didn't make notes so I need to start over and complete it.

Also, dh and I need to discuss next steps for the shop we are building. We have materials to do a bit more work but will need more supplies when we finish the current portion of the project. Cash flowing it will be impossible until summer when I can get a job, expenses are lowered, and he can possibly get some OT. However, we are not likely to have much time until summer anyway with dh's school schedule. We started discussing this yesterday but need to finish hashing it out.We really do not want to take on more debt and want to have the HELOC paid off by the end of the year (ideally the end of the summer).

 

 

[Hilltopmom]

Steps- keep track of spending this month. Yesterday I wrote out all of my categories and filled in the fixed amounts. I really have no idea what we are spending in the others.. it’s been years since I kept track. This will be our first budget in ages!  I decided to use pen and paper for now since the App options were stressing me out.

Dh started a new job in Nov and we want to save the extra income for some large home projects we will have coming up in the next few years (new windows and siding, possible garage addition). Plus our oldest finished college so I’m no longer going to be supporting him and want to make good use of that money too- not just spend it because we aren’t paying attention.

As for the rest of it- this is as far as I’ve gotten. We want to set up an appointment to get a new will since 2 of our kids are grown now and also decide how much more we want to put into retirement accounts vs a savings account for the home projects. 

Edited January 1, 2023 by Hilltopmom

[NorthernBeth]

My January Goals

1. Set up separate budgets for both me and my husband as we are temporarily living in 2 separate houses. ( goal is half-done) 

2. Develop a realistic grocery budget for both households that is significantly less than what we spend currently. ( This is our worst area)

3. Develop a debt repayment plan AND sinking funds plan  AND emergency funds plan so that we don't keep dipping into the line of credit.

4. Start tracking expenses so I have a better sense of where we are spending and what part can be reduced.

Just looking at this makes me feel a little overwhelmed tbh, but it really is necessary if we are going to make this work.  We really need to buy a car now that my husband is living in this new town as it is COLD and he and my son are either walking everywhere or taking taxis .  Or just not going out, which is not great for anyone's mental health.   But we are trying hard not to look at cars until we are consistently staying within our income AND paying off our debt.   

[73349]

• No food/drink purchases that contain sugar can be things I like.
• Cheaper lunches. ($7 for 2 servings of cauliflower bites, $9 for 1 serving of potstickers!?!)
• No new stickers/washi tape/things I like but don't need.
• Clothing is only to replace anything that becomes unwearable.

This will fund...

• Two drop-offs at the little free pantry.
• An extra deposit into my savings account.
• A start to buying books for 2023-2024.

Edited January 1, 2023 by 73349

[JennyD]

I am in on this project.  We had a few months of significantly elevated spending and now it is time to get back into better routines.

My goals for this month:

(1) Be more disciplined about food waste;

(2) Go through the credit card bill and sort it into categories; and

(3) shop only where I have gift cards as much as possible.

 

 

[Carrie12345]

I wanted to do this sitting in front of my notes, but I have a few minutes of quiet alone time, so I’ll wing it!

Track all spending. ($0 as of 2:45pm 1/1. Lol.)

Make a clear menu plan using just the kitchen fridge/freezer/pantry. (After cleaning them out of old stuff I’ve ignored over the holidays. Next week I can start a better rotation plan for other food storage spaces. By the end of the month, I’d like to have a better organizational grasp on the food situation.

Keep groceries near $100 until I’m very clear on how to proceed.

Put together my list of expenses for the year. This week I’ll focus on house projects in priority order.

Make myself understand that “personal slush fund” must remain separate. Also rename it, because most of my “personal slush fund” ends up going to the kids, the house, the dogs, or lazy food!

At some poster’s recommendation (sorry, Poster!), start reading What Matters Most and tightening up emergency and retirement funds. Not necessarily funneling much more into them, but assessing our current elections.

This week, I will also check my date eligibility for 3 small returns that I ignored through the holiday period.

 

[Ali in OR]

January Goals
1) Have a much smaller credit card bill than the last couple of months. I won't go "shopping" but will have expenses like gas and Netflix on there.
2) ~$20 per week for eating out. I usually pick up street tacos on Tuesday nights after I visit dd in her care home. I think that fits our healthy eating plan and dinner stress levels so I will continue to do that. We'll do homemade pizzas this month for our Friday pizza night (except maybe this Friday while youngest is still home).
3) Our grocery expenses go way down as kids return to school. And we're both trying to eat healthier--more plants but less food overall I think. I don't think I'll need to cut the grocery budget.
4) I have an appointment at the credit union on Tuesday (I'm still off school this week which is the only reason I have time for this). A couple of months ago dh closed some CD's and opened new ones at much higher interest rate. He said the penalty for closing early will be made up in just a couple of months. So I'm looking to do the same thing with a few CD's and probably also combine small ones together.
5) I should probably bump up my 403b paycheck deduction. I'll look into that.

[Brittany1116]

I'll post my daily expenditures here and update through the week. 

 

🤓

1/1 $66.45

$30 gas, 19.97 cat food, 16.48 groceries 

1/2 $70.34

$12.89 Dunkin, 40 haircuts, 9.11 groceries, 8.34 drive thru

1/3 $63.94

$42.95 groceries, 12.23 donuts, 7.76 cat food on special

1/4 $41.29

$35 gas, 6.29 restaurant, 4.03 gift, 43.32 groceries

1/5 

1/6 $50.83

$3.65 coffees, 11.95 health food store, 35.23 groceries and pet food

11/7 $13.82

$13.82 groceries

Edited January 8, 2023 by Brittany1116

[JennyD]

Today I figured out how I can sell some no-longer-used exercise equipment and had two productive, if slightly tense, conversations with DH about spending.  

[EmilyGF]

@Soror I love your specific steps towards saving money on food. That motivated me to find some recipes for weird foods I'm trying to clean out of our pantry (ragi flour, anyone?). I've printed out recipes now for a few of the strange flours and will look for ones for my strange lentils. I had fun at an Indian grocery store a while back.

@Hilltopmom Being financially mindful after a raise or new job is so important! Not doing that is what got me where I am. We had an increase in income and I began thinking, "I can afford that." Lifestyle creep happened and now I'm needing to cut back.

@NorthernBeth Realistic food budgets are important! How are you working on it?

@73349 What great goals! We've got free pantries all around, but I haven't thought of dropping off. Thanks for the inspiration.

@JennyD Food waste is the worst, but we're totally guilty. Let me know if you come up with routines that help you.

@Carrie12345 Go for it with those returns! Great concrete goal: keeps unnecessary stuff out of your house and puts money back in the wallet.

[historically accurate]

January Goals:

1) Keep under food budget for month. Find the sources of food waste; meal plan; make ahead food.

2) Work an extra shift or two to cover medical fees this month.

3) Work with family member on his budget - he's been unemployed so we've been covering him the past few months, but he has $ now and he needs to get off my dime.

4) Return a Christmas present that didn't work out.

1/1: Had a board game party and ordered pizza: $71.65 (one pizza was gluten free) - received $40 from guests to cover it (which was way too generous, but I didn't notice it until after they left). We have not ordered delivery pizza since probably 2021 - when did it get sooooo pricey???

[DawnM]

Following for ideas.   Pantry/freezer eating is definitely on my list as it was overflowing a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Soror]

31 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

 

1/1: Had a board game party and ordered pizza: $71.65 (one pizza was gluten free) - received $40 from guests to cover it (which was way too generous, but I didn't notice it until after they left). We have not ordered delivery pizza since probably 2021 - when did it get sooooo pricey???

Dining out is so outrageous! It's frustrating.

17 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Make myself understand that “personal slush fund” must remain separate. Also rename it, because most of my “personal slush fund” ends up going to the kids, the house, the dogs, or lazy food!

That's great, us Moms end up with taking care of everyone else and neglecting ourselves.

19 hours ago, NorthernBeth said:

My January Goals

1. Set up separate budgets for both me and my husband as we are temporarily living in 2 separate houses. ( goal is half-done) 

2. Develop a realistic grocery budget for both households that is significantly less than what we spend currently. ( This is our worst area)

3. Develop a debt repayment plan AND sinking funds plan  AND emergency funds plan so that we don't keep dipping into the line of credit.

4. Start tracking expenses so I have a better sense of where we are spending and what part can be reduced.

Just looking at this makes me feel a little overwhelmed tbh, but it really is necessary if we are going to make this work.  We really need to buy a car now that my husband is living in this new town as it is COLD and he and my son are either walking everywhere or taking taxis .  Or just not going out, which is not great for anyone's mental health.   But we are trying hard not to look at cars until we are consistently staying within our income AND paying off our debt.   

You've got this! Fwiw sometimes we've worked on several goals simultaneously and sometimes I've just did one at a time. I found that it was more motivating to see faster accomplishment towards that one goal. 

23 hours ago, Hilltopmom said:

Steps- keep track of spending this month. Yesterday I wrote out all of my categories and filled in the fixed amounts. I really have no idea what we are spending in the others.. it’s been years since I kept track. This will be our first budget in ages!  I decided to use pen and paper for now since the App options were stressing me out.

I love ynab but I also love writing things out with paper and pen. I think that is a great idea do what works for you.

[Soror]

1/1- $0---- eta--- nope--- I forgot I spent $58 buying honey in bulk and a fair amount of nuts from Amazon. I planned to order from Azure but they had better prices. So I have 42 ish left to spend towards bulk. (I'm taking 100 of my budget each month towards bulk foods)

We were going to go to the movies with the kids using gift cards but breakfast ran later.

Speaking of food waste-- dd2 insisted on making me gluten free crepes since they were all having crepes. Well, the recipe didn't work very well we salvaged a few from the batch but the rest of the batter is sitting in my fridge and I'm probably going to have to throw it out. Sigh. I'll see what I can do with it this morning and then pitch the rest. Maybe I can make it into waffles? 

eta: Making this into waffles worked- next the best but edible. Ya!

I thought of a few things I can make homemade-

1) spaghetti sauce- I sometimes do this but not always- used to be the cost of sauce and tomato puree  was the same at Aldi's so I thought why bother. But sauce price has went up 65c and we use a lot of sauce. I need to settle on a recipe and get a staple version so I can make it just as quickly (instead of something different every time).

2) Cocoa mix- I've tried in the past but no one cared for the results but dd was with a friend and she brought home some they'd made and it was good. I've asked for her recipe. My younger girls love hot cocoa, especially in winter.

3) Instant oats- I bought these on a whim a month or so ago and some of the kids love them. They are pretty cheap at Aldi's but still yet cheaper to make on our own.

I'm looking at the sales ads online this morning but haven't found much. I'll be in town most if not every day this week ferrying children so I can easily stop by various places on the way to and from. 

I prepped some lime slaw and pickled onions for my lunch this week. This am I'll make the homemade refried beans with dried beans. I like to prep a nice veg meal for my lunches to cut down on meat for the budget and my health. That way I can also get in more veggies than the family likes for dinner meals too. This week I'm doing tostadas. I just used cabbage for the slaw. The only jicama at the store was too much for my budget.

I don't think I'll be doing any spending today as I hope to be home most if not all day (might have to take dd2 to a friend's). Dh might spend some of his personal money.

eta: dh had our pow wow and agreed to pause on the shop until we can cash flow and got on the same page with spending (or the lack there of) things will need to be tight until this summer at least. He thinks he will be able to have some OT then. He'd plan to get some on college break but it is currently not allowed. We also come to the agreement that the girls and I cannot go with him to Houston for a mini vaca. He has training so the transportation and lodging is paid for but we'd have our own food and then anywhere we wanted to go and we can't justify it right now when we have debt to pay off and things are tight.

Edited January 2, 2023 by Soror

[Brittany1116]

On 1/1/2023 at 12:01 AM, Brittany1116 said:

My goals are to save $100 on groceries by eating down the fridge and pantry, not buy any clothing for the kids, and keep restaurants under $70/week. The first 2 should be easy. The last one is easy in theory, but difficult in practice since we have built snack stops into some routines. We have to rein it in. 

This is on the list because I have a habit of buying steep sale items and putting away for future use. It has served me very well for many years. However, there is nothing they need immediately and it would save me a few bucks a month to just train my mind to stop browsing clothes every time I shop. Last night friends hosted a dinner and someone with older boys brought clothes for me and a friend to go through. Oldest got 5 pairs of shorts 2 sizes up, and a prisitine real leather jacket that fits now. $0

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, Soror said:

nstant oats- I bought these on a whim a month or so ago and some of the kids love them. They are pretty cheap at Aldi's but still yet cheaper to make on

I took my first trip to a close out grocery store last week and found individual oatmeal cups that I love. Warrior something or other I think? Anyway, they weren’t exactly cheap as a close out (close to date) and are super pricey normally, but I looked at the ingredients and I own everything but the elusive “natural flavor” that I don’t need. So I’m very excited to make up my own batch when these run out!

[Carrie12345]

$93.70 today. All on puppies. I knew I had to order a new car harness because they’ve outgrown theirs, and finally waterproof booties, but we also broke one of our most used collar clasps today, so metal it is!

It’s like two more kids.

[itsheresomewhere]

My goals are kind of vague in a way but make sense to me.  So here they are-

Pay off as much of the debt as we can this month.  It won’t be paid off but any amount helps and I know we have a few expenses coming up.  
 

We eat a lot at home but I could improve on the lunch situation.  Some days I just don’t have the extra time to make it.  Grabbing it is faster and need to see what days I schedule lunch out and days at home for the best outcome.  
 

I started trash picking/dumpster diving/estates lately.  I need to finish getting pictures and list stuff.  I have always been into certain things and it has been paying off.  I picked up some rare Fenton glass someone put at the curb, a solid cane chair, some original hummels, and specialty china for either free or a few dollars.  I give them a clean and sell them.  DH and I say anything I sell doing this goes to the house improvement fund.  
 

I also need to figure out what to do with my job.  Do I cut my hours or find something else? Or do it a different way?  It is not the animals but the people who are giving me major burn out.  I am tired of the nastiness. I did add another client to my side business of dog walking/house sitting.  Maybe I should expand that? Lots to think about. 

[ScoutTN]

I am behind on this bc I have covid and still cannot get much done in a day. Will give some time to finances early in the day tomorrow, before I am wiped out.

January goals:

1. Set up 2023 in YNAB. We do a new budget each calendar year.

2. Watch some videos about YNAB so that I can learn to use it better.

3. Continue to pay extra on mortgage.

4. Cut grocery spending by $200 from what it was in the fall. December is always high and not typical.

5. Ask Dh again to please use the YNAB app. 

6. NO impulse spending, especially Amazon!!! 

7.  Discuss finding a new investments person with Dh. Our guy moved and our accts are passively managed right now. Dh just changed jobs and we need to roll his 401K from his old job to an IRA. Ask Dh to take the lead on this. 
 

Week 1: 1, 2, and 7 from the list above.

Already have had a little success in #6. Looked on Amazon for prices, but did NOT purchase. Will shop around and purchase when the funds are there.

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by ScoutTN

[Corraleno]

In addition to getting serious about tracking spending this year, my goals are (1) cutting back on impulse buys, (2) eliminating food waste, and (3) keeping better track of what I own (and where it is).

1. I'm really bad about impulse buys. It seems like I always come home from Target with some cute vase or throw pillow or kitchen accessory no matter what I actually went in there to buy, and I spent waaaay too much on Christmas decorations this year. I'm also prone to grabbing things that seem like "great deals" from Costco or Prime Days, but it's often something I really don't need and it just ends up taking up space and not getting used much. I managed to get out of Costco this morning without grabbing anything that wasn't specifically on my list, so that's a start.

2. Cutting back on food waste:
A. Eat from the freezer and pantry as much as possible, they are both overflowing and things will go out of date if I don't start using them up.
B. Plan meals better and then actually do the prep on the day I grocery shop. So if I'm planning burrito bowls, I need to chop up all the veggies and make the salsa, make the black beans & roasted corn, make the quinoa, etc., and keep all the components in the fridge ready to go. If I plan to make soup, then I need to actually make a big batch of soup the day I shop, portion out a few days worth, and freeze the rest. Too often I go to the store with a general idea of what I want to eat that week (e.g. burrito bowls, lentil soup, stir fry with tofu, salads, green smoothies, oatmeal), so I buy all the ingredients for those. But then I decide to make a loaf of bread to go with the soup, and then I have lots of bread to use up, so I use the avocados I bought for the burrito bowls for avocado toast for breakfast, which means I don't use up all the greens I bought for breakfast smoothies before they go slimy, etc.
C. I need to stop buying foods for DD unless they're shelf stable or frozen. She splits her time between here and her boyfriend's place, and she'll often ask me to buy her certain prepared salads or make a specific dish, but then she eats a very small portion, promises to finish the rest later, and it ends up getting thrown out. 

3. I often forget what I have, or at least where it is, so end up buying duplicates or more than I need. For example, I knew the bottle of Tide that DS has been using to wash his sports stuff was nearly empty, so I grabbed another bottle at Costco today, only to discover another unopened bottle under the sink; I use Mrs Meyers for my own laundry so a bottle of Tide lasts like 18 months, and now I have to store 3 years worth of Tide in a small laundry room. Doh! I do it all the time with groceries and other household goods, too, thinking I'm probably almost out of something only to discover I have plenty, but it wasn't where I thought it was. So I really need to do a through check of the fridge/freezer/pantry/utility closet/laundry room/etc. before I go shopping each week. Using up what's in the pantry and freezer will help with this issue, too, because stuff will be less likely to get shoved in a back corner and forgotten about.

[historically accurate]

1/1: Had a board game party and ordered pizza: $71.65 (one pizza was gluten free) - received $40 from guests to cover it (which was way too generous, but I didn't notice it until after they left). We have not ordered delivery pizza since probably 2021 - when did it get sooooo pricey???

1/2: Stayed at home & de-decorated. $0. Did some freezer cooking: waffles, french bread pizza, and turkey burgers. Started a freezer inventory, and I had 3 pounds of ground turkey from the summer, so I made turkey burgers with it. DH purchased the french bread at Walmart on the 31st because it was on clearance, so used that too. Used up the last of leftover chicken in my fridge with buffalo chicken - I had mine on a baked potato and DH had his on a bun. We have enough for lunches tomorrow because the kids didn't want it.

[Carrie12345]

I deep cleaned my fridge today because it was pretty empty after the holiday dump! 😬  

Then i started putting things back and the plastic lid flew off a container of pickles and I had to clean more!

Still, between fridge, freezer, and pantry, I’ve got a list of about 10 decent meals, plus leftovers. I really wish I had had a lime for tonight’s White People Tacos!  
I made extra rice to encourage tossing with odds and ends for lunches.

Tonight we were talking about how we used to keep more healthy foods in the house and less unhealthy stuff out. We discovered that only 1 person really wants white bread, so now I have to switch from keeping my expensive bread in the freezer just for me to putting the cheap bread in there for the 15yo, and share mine. 😞 Until I come up with a good recipe replacement.

By next week, I want to go through the freezers and make sure they’re sorted well. We currently have pieces of cow spread across 3, and it’s a pain in the butt.

[Brittany1116]

We ate the last of the beans and greens and such for dinner. We did get pushed way back on lunch because haircuts ran twice as long as expected. Got the kids a chicken strip meal at a drive thru to hold them. Picked up loss leader produce at a grocer near the salon. Making meal plan for rest of week now.

[EmilyGF]

5 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

I am behind on this bc I have covid and still cannot get much done in a day. Will give some time to finances early in the day tomorrow, before I am wiped out.

January goals:

1. Set up 2023 in YNAB. We do a new budget each calendar year.

2. Watch some videos about YNAB so that I can learn to use it better.

3. Continue to pay extra on mortgage.

4. Cut grocery spending by $200 from what it was in the fall. December is always high and not typical.

5. Ask Dh again to please use the YNAB app. 

6. NO impulse spending, especially Amazon!!! 

7.  Discuss finding a new investments person with Dh. Our guy moved and our accts are passively managed right now. Dh just changed jobs and we need to roll his 401K from his old job to an IRA. Ask Dh to take the lead on this. 
 

Week 1: 1, 2, and 7 from the list above.

Already have had a little success in #6. Looked on Amazon for prices, but did NOT purchase. Will shop around and purchase when the funds are there.

 

 

I need to do this, too. Do you have videos you recommend?

[EmilyGF]

1/2 - Worked on decluttering the bookshelf next to my bed and found a large amount of money. This encourages me to keep decluttering and to stick to the budget. DS17 reminded me that he needs something off Amazon for next week. I may just buy an Amazon gift card with the money I found to purchase it because it'll keep me honest and away from the credit card.

Food: Made Pumpkin-Teff bread (teff flour) for breakfast. Made baked beans (white beans) and Boston brown bread (rye flour) for dinner tonight. Also served coleslaw. I'm working on that pantry!

Emily

[itsheresomewhere]

Listed the brand new rice cooker we found at the curb ( I love having neighbors who get this and just throw it away if they don’t want it).  Within 20 minutes, it has had several inquiries.  Made a suggestion list of meal ideas for the week.  Sometimes that helps when we all have no idea what we want for dinner.  

[JennyD]

34 minutes ago, EmilyGF said:

found a large amount of money.

The best financial strategy of all!  

Re food waste, I feel like we are starting from a decent place. I have always meal planned, and because we have gone away for long periods frequently over the last few years, we don't have much stored up in the freezer or pantry.  (In fact, at the moment there is very little in the freezer.)  And my family loves leftovers. 

However, we can definitely do better.   I'm going to try just assigning one night a week to assorted leftovers + veggie/tofu fried rice.  I'm always hesitant to plan on leftovers because sometimes we don't have any, but we always have extra rice, and fried rice is a big fan favorite over here so even if there isn't much else my crew will be happy.  

I went to the grocery store today and bought nothing that wasn't on my list.  It's a start! 

We rarely eat out, but I do sometimes pick up coffee.  I have decided that I am going to only do that if I am actually socializing over coffee or using the shop to work, not just because I am out and want coffee.  This was reinforced today when I met a friend for coffee at a place I hadn't been to before and paid $6 (!!) for a cappuccino.  We were recently away for some months in a higher COL area, but now that we're back home prices here -- except for housing -- don't seem very much lower.  Admittedly, my $6 cup was excellent coffee, and I am willing to pay what is essentially a rental fee for the space in order to socialize with a friend, but yeah, no more takeout coffee. 

 

[mommyoffive]

Spending today.

Vitamins for everyone.  Stocked up on the ones for myself and the younger 3 at Costco.  2 teens and dh off Amazon.  Wish they sold the ones for those 3 at Costco.  Much better prices.

Also got protein bars at Costco.  Vitamins and bars were on sale.

Also got gas.  Did anyone else notice that gas prices are up like 30 cents?  Wondering if this is everywhere or just my area.   This is like a jump from Dec 18th or maybe last week I can't remember what it was 7 days ago.  Back to the dumb driving life.  My biggest goal would be to move.  Don't know when that could ever realistically happen with the housing market now. 😞

I am writing down some goals for the year.  I normally like to do all the housekeeping New Years eve or day, but it just didn't happen this year because of some other issues.  Need to check all the accounts and see where everything ended up.

Edited January 3, 2023 by mommyoffive

[Brittany1116]

7 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Also got gas.  Did anyone else notice that gas prices are up like 30 cents?  Wondering if this is everywhere or just my area.   This is like a jump from Dec 18th or maybe last week I can't remember what it was 7 days ago.  Back to the dumb driving life.  My biggest goal would be to move.  Don't know when that could ever realistically happen with the housing market now. 😞

I am writing down some goals for the year.  I normally like to do all the housekeeping New Years eve or day, but it just didn't happen this year because of some other issues.  Need to check all the accounts and see where everything ended up.

Yes, 29c since 12/23 here. 

[mommyoffive]

18 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

Yes, 29c since 12/23 here. 

That is what I thought.  Ugh.  Any ideas why?  

[Brittany1116]

17 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

That is what I thought.  Ugh.  Any ideas why?  

No, but I did see a couple of article headlines yesterday saying it's about to shoot up again. I didn't have it in me to click the links. 

[Carrie12345]

5 hours ago, Brittany1116 said:

No, but I did see a couple of article headlines yesterday saying it's about to shoot up again. I didn't have it in me to click the links. 

I had seen? Heard? Something about PA’s gas tax going up on 1/1. I didn’t look into it, but I did fill up on NYE. I’m afraid to look while out driving today.

[TerenceMil]

Here are some of my wallet goals:

I really need to cut back on my spending:  
    I'd like to spend less on groceries and eat down my pantry and freezer as well. 
    I'd like to spend less on house hold stuff and buy only necessary. Already found an article with useful tips about to learn about it. 
    Spend less on take away food and coffee
I need to pay out my loan. 
I 'd like to save more on gas and walk more.   

Edited January 17, 2023 by TerenceMil

[EmilyGF]

I put some books on hold at the library, or got on Libby, for inspiration, though I'm going for a month or six weeks, and not a year. 😄

The Year of Less

The Year without a Purchase

A few years ago I read Not Buying It. It doesn't get great Goodreads ratings, but I found the conversations the author and her partner had thought provoking (are crackers necessary? wine? how do you draw the line between necessary and luxury?). I may pick that one up again, too.

[73349]

• Textbooks for culinary arts, chemistry, and art are on the way, and Western Civ pre-ordered.
• I made a transfer from checking to savings.
• Curbside grocery pick-up today.
• I have not had tea/coffee/ice cream/added sugar things.
• Little Free Pantry drop-off planned for Thursday.

Edited January 3, 2023 by 73349

[historically accurate]

14 hours ago, historically accurate said:

1/1: Had a board game party and ordered pizza: $71.65 (one pizza was gluten free) - received $40 from guests to cover it (which was way too generous, but I didn't notice it until after they left). We have not ordered delivery pizza since probably 2021 - when did it get sooooo pricey???

1/2: Stayed at home & de-decorated. $0. Did some freezer cooking: waffles, french bread pizza, and turkey burgers. Started a freezer inventory, and I had 3 pounds of ground turkey from the summer, so I made turkey burgers with it. DH purchased the french bread at Walmart on the 31st because it was on clearance, so used that too. Used up the last of leftover chicken in my fridge with buffalo chicken - I had mine on a baked potato and DH had his on a bun. We have enough for lunches tomorrow because the kids didn't want it.

1/3: Working all day in order to take tomorrow morning off - packed yesterday's buffalo chicken and the last of the mashed potatoes for lunch. Pre-registered for tomorrow's doctor appointment - $20 copay on the FSA card. Different family member has physical therapy this afternoon, so we will have a charge for that, but unknown how much for a while as it falls under deductible. I don't think there will be any out of pocket spending.

10 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

...

Also got gas.  Did anyone else notice that gas prices are up like 30 cents?  Wondering if this is everywhere or just my area.   This is like a jump from Dec 18th or maybe last week I can't remember what it was 7 days ago.  Back to the dumb driving life.  My biggest goal would be to move.  Don't know when that could ever realistically happen with the housing market now. 😞

...

Our gas is still down below $3; barely, but it's below. I am surprised as our gas tax went up on the 1st (postponed from 7/22). I haven't seen a jump yet, but I assume it's coming. 

[mommyoffive]

6 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

I had seen? Heard? Something about PA’s gas tax going up on 1/1. I didn’t look into it, but I did fill up on NYE. I’m afraid to look while out driving today.

I hadn't seen anything about gas tax.  I guess I need to google more and see if that is it here.  The article I said had to do with the cold and not being able to make as much and China reopening. 

[Soror]

17 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

I need to do this, too. Do you have videos you recommend?

I learned about him on the ynab forum-- he's a group favorite. I loved his videos and found them very helpful. Open up Ynab while watching the video, he's great.

[ScoutTN]

17 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

I need to do this, too. Do you have videos you recommend?

YNAB has some and there were recommendations on the recent YNAB thread. I haven’t watched yet. DID actually read the monthly YNAB email, though. Baby steps….

[Soror]

20 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Ir DD unless they're shelf stable or frozen. She splits her time between here and her boyfriend's place, and she'll often ask me to buy her certain prepared salads or make a specific dish, but then she eats a very small portion, promises to finish the rest later, and it ends up getting thrown out. 

3. I often forget what I have, or at least where it is, so end up buying duplicates or more than I need. For example, I knew the bottle of Tide that DS has been using to wash his sports stuff was nearly empty, so I grabbed another bottle at Costco today, only to discover another unopened bottle under the sink; I use Mrs Meyers for my own laundry so a bottle of Tide lasts like 18 months, and now I have to store 3 years worth of Tide in a small laundry room. Doh! I do it all the time with groceries and other household goods, too, thinking I'm probably almost out of something only to discover I have plenty, but it wasn't where I thought it was. So I really need to do a through check of the fridge/freezer/pantry/utility closet/laundry room/etc. before I go shopping each week. Using up what's in the pantry and freezer will help with this issue, too, because stuff will be less likely to get shoved in a back corner and forgotten about.

This happens with odds and ends house stuff here. Our utility room is a total disaster but dh has to go through it with me because half I wouldn't know if it's for keep or not. I hope to go through it during summer break. It drives me crazy.

19 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

I deep cleaned my fridge today because it was pretty empty after the holiday dump! 😬  

Then i started putting things back and the plastic lid flew off a container of pickles and I had to clean more!

Still, between fridge, freezer, and pantry, I’ve got a list of about 10 decent meals, plus leftovers. I really wish I had had a lime for tonight’s White People Tacos!  

White people tacos lol

17 hours ago, EmilyGF said:

1/2 - Worked on decluttering the bookshelf next to my bed and found a large amount of money. This encourages me to keep decluttering and to stick to the budget. DS17 reminded me that he needs something off Amazon for next week. I may just buy an Amazon gift card with the money I found to purchase it because it'll keep me honest and away from the credit card.

Food: Made Pumpkin-Teff bread (teff flour) for breakfast. Made baked beans (white beans) and Boston brown bread (rye flour) for dinner tonight. Also served coleslaw. I'm working on that pantry!

Emily

Found money sweet! Thanks for the book recs I'll see if I can find them for motivation.

16 hours ago, JennyD said:

However, we can definitely do better.   I'm going to try just assigning one night a week to assorted leftovers + veggie/tofu fried rice.  I'm always hesitant to plan on leftovers because sometimes we don't have any, but we always have extra rice, and fried rice is a big fan favorite over here so even if there isn't much else my crew will be happy.  

I think I put 2 leftover nights on my monthly menu. I think about every 10 days would be ideal here.

16 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Also got gas.  Did anyone else notice that gas prices are up like 30 cents? 

Yes, gas is up here too.

[mommyoffive]

5 hours ago, historically accurate said:

1/3: Working all day in order to take tomorrow morning off - packed yesterday's buffalo chicken and the last of the mashed potatoes for lunch. Pre-registered for tomorrow's doctor appointment - $20 copay on the FSA card. Different family member has physical therapy this afternoon, so we will have a charge for that, but unknown how much for a while as it falls under deductible. I don't think there will be any out of pocket spending.

Our gas is still down below $3; barely, but it's below. I am surprised as our gas tax went up on the 1st (postponed from 7/22). I haven't seen a jump yet, but I assume it's coming. 

I saw up to 3.19 yesterday on our drive.  I am surprised we are above you guys.

[ScoutTN]

Reconciled YNAB and decided “Ain’t broke, don’t fix it” applies for us right now. No fresh start when I am sick and feel crummy. Hid a few unneeded categories and calling it good to go for now. 
 

Ordered a school book for Dd that I forgot to buy earlier in the year. 

Gave kids clear limits on movie purchases. Reminded Ds that he owes me $! 

[Soror]

1/3--$226.54 - groceries (273/800- goal to just spend 700 for the month)-- $31.50 gas

I got a few household items with a giftcard from Christmas- $5 left on that. It was personal gift for me so I'll probably spend it for something for myself.

Goal was $150 for groceries and $42 for stocking up--

It was more like $70 for stocking up; $23 for discount items (marked down meat for future meals and cauliflower crust pizza half off- for that price I decided it was worth while to have one in the freezer for a quick meal/ $133 grocery

So, I went over on stocking up but was a bit under on groceries. Both together that is $23.37 over budget- so I'm at $142 goal for the rest of my weekly trips (3 more as I usually shop on Wednesdays or Thursdays). I have to stick to NO MORE stocking up, no food waste and use what I got.

eta: Cooked extra Italian sausage last night and made pizza dough (gluten free and regular) this morning so pizza night will be quick. I have a jar of spaghetti sauce already opened in the fridge to use up or would make sauce. I made the sauce for spaghetti last night along with homemade breadsticks (for the gluten eaters). I got the recipe for the homemade cocoa but I dont' know if it adds up vs buying it in the bulk cannister.

Eta 2: I planted a few things inside and outside (I have a small vinyl "greenhouse" I got on mark down at Aldi's last year. I'm sure it won't be great but I planted things that would tolerate it the best some bok choi and lettuce varieties that say they are good for Jan/Feb so we'll see. I planted a couple of herbs in the house in my kitchen window.

eta 3: requested books and movie from the library for free entertainment

Edited January 3, 2023 by Soror

[ScoutTN]

@Soror Thanks for the video. I learned a lot. Will go back and rewatch with my laptop later when I feel better and then make some changes. I started using YNAB eons ago and haven’t used many of the newer features. But they are good and I need to! 
 

 

[Ali in OR]

I'm doing biggish project things that I don't normally have time for. I spent an hour and a half yesterday figuring out how to increase my 403b deduction and getting that done. I did accounting for December and paid the Christmas part of the credit card bill--took a couple of hours just because there were a lot of receipts and it gets complicated with doing disabled dd's monthly accounting too. Then I was looking up if my new flexible spending account was set up (we've always done this through dh's employer and starting now with mine). I discovered that there have already been claims made without my knowledge and it's all for disabled dd who is supposed to have all copays charged to Medicaid after our primary insurance pays. So they're not charging Medicaid at all--just raiding my FSA after primary pays. The FSA is supposed to pay for MY medical stuff and there won't be any left by the time I need it later in the year. Called the healthcare company that manages the FSA and found out this is how my employer has set it up. Emailed benefits person but they're probably on break this week same as me. Ugh. Dd has a telehealth appointment tomorrow (made 5 months ago)--don't want that charged to my FSA. Nothing I can do about it. Making me wish I didn't have an FSA. And then finally I had my credit union appointment this morning and got a bunch of small CD's closed and the money rolled into a new one at a much higher interest rate (several had interest rates below 1% now 3.something percent). DH did the math and half of them make up the early-closure penalty fee in less than a month--the longest makes up the penalty fee in 2.7 months.

Then I did a Target and Costco run--need to do that while I have time off. Kept it to essentials and dh found my Costco rebate check that helped.

[JennyD]

7 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I discovered that there have already been claims made without my knowledge and it's all for disabled dd who is supposed to have all copays charged to Medicaid after our primary insurance pays. So they're not charging Medicaid at all--just raiding my FSA after primary pays. The FSA is supposed to pay for MY medical stuff and there won't be any left by the time I need it later in the year. Called the healthcare company that manages the FSA and found out this is how my employer has set it up.

Oh, that is maddening.  

[historically accurate]

1/1: Had a board game party and ordered pizza: $71.65 (one pizza was gluten free) - received $40 from guests to cover it (which was way too generous, but I didn't notice it until after they left). We have not ordered delivery pizza since probably 2021 - when did it get sooooo pricey???

1/2: Stayed at home & de-decorated. $0. Did some freezer cooking: waffles, french bread pizza, and turkey burgers. Started a freezer inventory, and I had 3 pounds of ground turkey from the summer, so I made turkey burgers with it. DH purchased the french bread at Walmart on the 31st because it was on clearance, so used that too. Used up the last of leftover chicken in my fridge with buffalo chicken - I had mine on a baked potato and DH had his on a bun. We have enough for lunches tomorrow because the kids didn't want it.

1/3: Working all day in order to take tomorrow morning off - packed yesterday's buffalo chicken and the last of the mashed potatoes for lunch. Pre-registered for tomorrow's doctor appointment - $20 copay on the FSA card. Different family member has physical therapy this afternoon, so we will have a charge for that, but unknown how much for a while as it falls under deductible. I don't think there will be any out of pocket spending.

1/4: Returned curtains to Walmart (although that was for a family member - I purchased online so easier to use my phone to return). Picked up a big bag of ice while there for DD's ice machine (shoulder surgery last month): $4.97 Then, I went to the Post Office as I had a package returned to me for postage needed, and I picked up lots of stamps as I was out: $33.50. Another kid has PT tonight, but that bill will come later. Trying to decide What's for dinner? now.