I don’t get value out of tracking separately, really. Just mulling over what bucket the tea should come out of, if I do buy more. I’m under on grocery spending but my non-grocery non-restaurant spending feels tight. I don’t think I can rationalize this being a grocery though, because it feels like a treat, I guess? And is likely more expensive than the stuff at the grocery store?
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I put coffee, tea, and alcohol consumed at home all in grocery. Tea, coffee, and alcohol consumed while out are all in restaurant spending.
I too have a Serious Love for David’s Tea and sometimes ponder tracking my tea spending separately, because I certainly do drink tea that’s very expensive compared to other teas. However, I don’t think I’d include it as general “discretionary” or miscellaneous spending – in part because I track in a very nitpicky manner and my miscellaneous category is generally small, and in part because if I felt the need to not put the tea under grocery, it’d be because I wanted to spend less on tea and so would need to really be looking at it.
Is it advantageous to you to think of this tea as a treat or something that’s limited – for example, in dealing with your sugar/carb cravings? Or is it more advantageous for you to normalize this relatively small extravagance?
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Well, broad strokes, if it something to be consumed (eaten/drunk) I put it under grocery unless consumed out.
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I feel like if I mentally categorize something as a treat, then it should go in misc spending and not groceries. There’s also the concern of “oh shit, I spent too much of my grocery budget on tea and now I am out of food and can’t go to the grocery store to get what I need. because I spent it all on tea.” (Or booze. That’s why I keep my grocery-booze category to beer/wine only. Hard liquor is expensive, and I can get a lot of food with that same money! Even though at the rate I drink it, it lasts a really really long time.)
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I track everything under “food.” Coffee, tea, groceries, the little booze we buy, the few times we go out or get takeout.
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I’m officially bowing out of the challenge because I need to focus on mental health right now instead of spending / budgeting. Hope everyone does well with their goals! 
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Updating now since the new plan for this weekend involves flinging myself down a (hopefully acceptably snowy) mountain with sticks strapped to my feet. Kind of feels ridiculous at this point in the year, but there are mountains that opened back in October so we’ll see.
Gifts–$377/$600, $125 to be reimbursed for shared gifts (also goal #1 done)
Travel–$0/$0*…was done, now trying to see if I can stretch it to attend an unexpected baby shower (shower not unexpected, just the timing). Figuring that out is goal #1 for the week.
Food–$199/$300, major stocking up and Thanksgiving purchasing done
Home Improvement–$22/$100…I have bought some things and framed a piece of art and not actually gotten anything hunt up, so goal #2 from last week definitely not met and moving to goal #2 for this week.
Did send stuff to the art gallery, though.
I vote to feed the ferals (although if Sprocket and Daisy happen to snag treats too, that works 
)
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Work hours goal is going really well. This challenge has been a big factor, making me stick it out longer when I’m tempted to stop. Like yesterday, when I had already passed my minimum $ quota but not my 8-hour challenge goal, and had no actual reason to stop except that I felt like it. I pushed it out 2 more hours and now I have a few more bucks.
Eating out goal is also in line. For some reason now that I’ve relaxed the goal, I’m doing better following through with it. Too tough goals make me rebel against myself.
Goal next week is to continue, but 32 hours instead of 40 if I take the little mini trip.
I vote to treat Sprocket because I just LOOOOOOOVE Sprocket!
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Update on goals:
Spend at least $50 on protein. Spent $10.67 this week on shrimp and salmon. Also, last week’s total was wrong, it should be $9.64. This makes the total for the month $20.31. I should up my fish consumption if I am going to make it to $50 by the end of the month, as I am not eating it every day.
Make an appointment for an eye exam and buy new glasses. No, but I figured out my insurance and have looked up providers. Baby steps. There are still 2 weeks until the end of the month.
Make some decision about professional development. No. BUT. I’ve been working on R and RStudio (a free resource), so it doesn’t make sense to pay for something until I finish this. I had a freak out the last two nights over finances and work and I think I really need to find a job.
Thing I am proud of this week: I finally got porcelain repair stuff and started on the sink. 
This is after 4 years of living with it this way! But the color doesn’t match. 
Please toss Sprocket a treat. Sprocket is adorbs. Also, Doggo took herself on walkabout (accidentally) a few weeks before she died, and it nearly gave me a heart attack. (Luckily she was very slow and I caught up with her halfway down the block.)
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I was wrong, I had done the ‘we will match money you save in one of these three ways’, but there is a separate ‘we will match money if you save in the rrsp’ - so now I have set that up too, and I’ve dropped my regular automated contributions outside of work so that I don’t go over my contribution limit. There are good index options with low MERs, so no complaint there either. Just a really really bad website to try to make it happen.
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Treat for Sprocket, the alpha.
This week we paid the accountant for doing out taxes, apparently they won’t submit to the ATO until paid. Not a fan of that, but we will be getting a bunch of cash back.
Need to book a rental car for next weekend’s Adelaide Hills birthday weekend away for my wife. She’s over there for a conference for her side business from Wednesday and I’ll meet up with her on Friday when she’s done. A Saturday cruising around the wineries is on the plan, two nights kid free is the bonus.
Got a Land Tax bill for the property due this week too, just a lazy $600 or so.
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Check-in: I’ve spent $44.50 on snacks/eating out vs 50.43 on groceries. Not the ratio I was hoping for, but we’re tracking here, not judging! And the only food from either category that hasn’t been purchased from small local businesses is a few items from Target (tater tots, vegan ice cream, Clif bars) and a couple of WAWA soft pretzels.
I’ve put $150 total in savings so far this month, and I’ve picked up a couple work shifts so I should be able to put more in.
I’ve also made some important realizations about when it’s ok to spend on things: namely, if I start stressing more about the consequences of NOT buying the thing, I should probably buy it. In this example I bought new running shoes because I was dreading running a marathon next week then a 50k two weeks later in any of the shoes I owned. Now I have a fresh pair of my true favorites and I am much less stressed about both runs, which I am doing entirely for fun.
I can’t say I haven’t stressed about money at all this month, but I’ve done a good job so far I think learning about where stress and money intersect and how that affects my day to day spending.
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Checkin for this week!
-
Get a source of income other than OMD
Well, success. I got a job! I start before the end of the month. It isn’t the perfect job, but it will pay the bills for now. More job interviews scheduled, too! -
Meal Prepping -
I’ll give myself a 70%. I didn’t do much meal prep, and ate more fast dinner (mac + sauce + veg) than I should’ve, but I cooked at home 7/7 days.
Overall I want to spend less than $145 on groceries in all categories this month and I’m currently at $84.92 -
One marketing task per day - Did it every day, but still have so much to do
-
Pre-plan ahead my Cyber Monday spending on skincare - I actually decided to not get anything after looking through the deals! I’m just going to replace what I have run out of with a gift certificate I already have, but I decided most of the deals are for things I don’t use
I would like the feral kitties to get some kibble.
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Week 2 check in:
- (Health insurance) Done in week one. Got a letter from the insurance company yesterday confirming the cancellation, so now this goal is not only done but closed.
- (Rollover IRA) This week I managed to log in to the originating account, start the transfer process, learn I have to send paper forms to the receiving institution, and print out the forms. Goals for week 3 are to find out where to send the forms and get them sent.
- (Thanksgiving food spending tracking) Nothing spent yet
- (New cc) Applied. Status is pending.
Making slow but steady progress. Please feed a stray for me.
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Updatey-roo! Totals are cumulative
- Food: $171.73/$300. Last week was, ah, a bit spendy. Gonna rein it in this week.
- Gas: $31.12/$60
- Recreation/health: $20.99/$9.99. Gym plus some pharmacy stuff.
- Clothes: $208.59.
- Household: $18/$50
- Misc: $0/$50
Total: $450.53/$701.99. Kibble for strays, plz.
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Update #2
Goal 1: I had to redistribute some funds in order to take care of an emergency. I bumped down my payment to $300 instead of $500 for my cc, but since my income is variable i’m hoping I can find an additional $200 to throw at it by the end of the month.
Goal 2: Working a lot this week, but managing to feel a lot less stressed and strained than last week. I went home to rest after one of my side gigs yesterday and I went to sleep early instead of going out and I’m so happy to have made that decision.
Goal 3: Money for holidays is allocated and I feel good about giving myself two days of fun since i’ve been working so hard and budgeting really well this month.
Overall I’m really excited about how well i’ve been sticking to my monthly budget this month. It’s so hard when I don’t know what i’m going to make from week to week. But i’m doing it.
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Brought my lunch to work all last week.
Put $120 into savings.
Got car loan refinanced to 3.89% instead of 6.52%.
Paid first premium for new health insurance plan.
Not doing so good at actually tracking this week, but it is now crunch time as municipal audits are due the end of this month and we had two clients left to travel to for field work. Hopefully finish the one Monday then go out later in the week to the other one.
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Another random update that will ultimately reduce financial stress: I FINALLY emailed my boss at one of my part time jobs to adjust withholding on my paychecks — it’s currently not withholding enough and I keep owing on taxes. But not in 2021!!! This was very easy and, kind of sadly, one of my major goals to accomplish by the end of the year.
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Week 2 checkin!
Please feed the feral kitties.
Grocery:
Goal: $160
Remaining after Week 1: $93.41
This week I went to Jewel and Aldi to pick up some misc crap we were out of. And wine. You guys: gluhwein (hot spiced mulled wine that is served at the Christkindlmarket here and to which I am addicted) is only $4.99 a bottle at Aldi! It’s at least double that elsewhere!
Spent $24.36 at Aldi and $6.53 at Jewel.
Remaining: $62.52. Ugh. I actually budget by paycheck and not by month on groceries and allow myself $80/check. So, I am technically over.
Eating out:
Goal: $100
Remaining after Week 1: $83
We went out for pizza slices at this little hole in the wall in our neighborhood that Boyfriend wanted to try. It was only $9.64 for two VERY large slices! I threw the change in the tip jar on the counter so spent $10 for the both of us.
Remaining: $73
Misc. spending:
Goal: $200
Remaining after Week 1: $76.12
-My sunglasses (nonprescription) broke. Replacement pair was $11.21 at CVS.
-Spent $25.83 on fancy tea. ARGH. Fancy enough that I don’t feel good about categorizing it as a grocery. Especially since I’m over on groceries as well and if I put this expense there I’m going to run out of food by month’s end. But, it should last me a long time?
My friend has gotten me addicted to David’s Tea and I kind of hate her for it… but, well, I drank through the sampler she bought for me and it is making my freezing cold office workdays a little happier.
-While at Aldi, spent $11.98 on items for my work’s Thanksgiving food drive.*
Remaining: $27.10.
Well, fuck. Again - other than the tea I do not think I am being extravagant.
I don’t think I can stick to this amount for the remainder of the month. I mean, that is going to evaporate just on basic needs.
Gotta say, these budget challenges are incredibly eye opening. I feel like I am hemorrhaging money on just… normal spending?
Cats:
No goal, tracking only.
I had a coupon that works out to 2 free cans of the brand of wet food they ate. I bought a few extra cans and pouches. It was also on sale. Spent $9.06
Total for the month so far: $210.47
*If you participate in holiday food drives, at your work or in your community, what do you feel is a reasonable amount to spend on that? I don’t have a line item for charitable giving in my budget, it comes out of misc spending. For things like this, as a cis white middle class person who has a lot of privilege, I tend to feel I should give more because other people have it worse. Then I end up feeling bad for having budget/spending goals. Which is silly - but, where is the line?
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