Week 1 check in:
$8.09 at fancy coffee shop meeting for a chai apple latte.
$30 added to Starbucks account to essentially obligate the rest of the month’s funds. Now I can get coffee whenever I want provided I have $ or stars, but no more actual money spending
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I sooo want to buy a laminator and the plastic pockets to laminate savings challenges. But I just can’t think what else I would need a laminator for. Which makes me think I should either borrow or rent one.
I found all sorts of free savings challenges online that I could do. I downloaded them. Now all I have to do is make a decision - which ones to work on, and how to get them laminated.
I think, if I’m not careful, I could spend my savings all on cash envelope system stuff. I’m going to have to slow down.
I did find a short term alternative to the vinyl zippered envelopes. I have some regular paper envelopes I can use. I just need to find a box for them. Maybe Dollarama? I’ll check here at home first, to see if I can repurpose something.
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Check in #1: Slowing down before purchasing things, trying to reduce impulse purchases, finding deals
- Discovered the coupon section of the Safeway grocery app and saved $15. I didn’t realize how many coupons there were, one of them was $10 off! Score!
-A set of string lights I have died, and I found a cheap set on sale at Target. I was almost tempted to buy 2 sets because they were on sale, but paused to ask myself if I really needed more than one. I fall for sales a lot and end up getting more than I need for the sake of a “deal”—want to break that habit this year!
-I’ve been paying more attention to prices online since that’s where I do my grocery shopping. Doing more price comparisons and finding ways to save, realizing that saving even a few dollars here and there does add up and is worth a couple extra minutes of researching.
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Do you have a maker space near you with a laminator? Or maybe a library resource? 
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Check in Week 1:
I haven’t spent any money all week! This is good.
What’s interesting is that I have been tempted, almost to the point where I could feel a gathering wish to spend on something, anything, last evening, but was able to recognise it for what it was, and to see it was probably happening because I was feeling a bit down on myself. Spending is so emotional for me. Very strongly. And yet I have so many things already, enough that it’s kind of a problem. So… yeah. Good to remember/re-recognise that, and revisit the information in a slightly different way.
I didn’t do my spreadsheet yet, but I have been cancelling subscriptions as they crop up.
Goal for this coming week is to try to get that more formalised by doing the spreadsheet. Brain is trying to wriggle out of it, like a squirmy ferrett, but I need to do it. And it’s always useful when I try.
Onwards and upwards and well done everyone. We’ve got this!!
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Excellent ideas! I’ll check later this week.
ETA: ugh! Just did a google check. No to both. According to their website the library doesn’t have one, and according to their FB page the local maker space has no home and is essentially shut down. I’ll phone later to double check.
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Check in number one since I wasn’t feeling too great yesterday, but I caught up today with my budget tracker and so far so good. I’m just under 1/4 of my grocery budget, I plan to grab a couple more fruits/veggies tomorrow for the week. I didn’t order delivery at all and had one meal out at a local spot which puts me at 90% remaining for the dining out budget. This week will be a little dicey as I have coworkers in town and that may involve some non-expensable fun but I am meeting them in person for the first time even though I’ve been with my company for three years and plans to have lunch and beers with a friend on Saturday, so I’m making sure I have food prepped for the rest of the week in advance. For my fun budget, I got a deal on audible for 99 cents and that was it. So far so good!
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I’m just gonna say poor man’s lamination is putting clear tape over it! Works pretty well if it is small
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I already know what’s challenging. As a parent it’s so hard to fight the urge to buy things for the baby. What if the $500 fancy language-learning book set is what’ll make her fluent in Mandarin???
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I’m gonna say finding some Chinese language baby/kid shows on YouTube will probably be as effective and much cheaper 
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Successful week one! No grocery shopping! There were some really great deals this week too that we passed on, and shockingly the world didn’t end 
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Week 1 check-in
Spend total: 1683, 1300 of which was rent and utilities. Most of the other spending is ACL weekend. So far it’s looking good to stay under, because this will be the spendiest week outside of getting groceries
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W1 Check In!
Squeaked 2 dollars under my eating out budget for this week-- $58.21/$60. Groceries were a little high-- $100.33 for week 1, but I’m hoping it will make it easier to eat out less moving forward.
As for my stationary goal, I’ve hit $45/$50 so I’m putting myself on a strict no-buy on stationary supplies.
Doing well so far… here’s hoping W2 holds up.
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Doing good so far, 75% of my hobby budget is spent, so I will strictly buy only necessary items.
Inputting daily expenses are incredibly helpful for staying on budget.
Does anyone have advice for how to spilt categories? Eg- my major hobby is sewing and making my own clothes- so hobby or clothes budget? A bit of both? While keeping budget in check and not be too permissive.
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Thank-you. I’ll try that. I need a surface that is waterproof to write on with permanent markers, and then “erase” with rubbing alcohol.
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I would put that under clothing, if you intend to wear it.
In my situation I am sewing tote bags for household use (sturdier grocery bags). That expense went under “Household - Miscellaneous”. I bought the fabric dirt cheap at a thrift store, so Hubby is not complaining.
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I am a knitter and put everything related to knitting into my knitting category, even if it’s for items I wear. Clothing is really for clothes I buy in stores.
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Yeah, it’s true. I mean, this is how I learned English (I mean, on a real TV because YouTube didn’t exist yet)
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If it’s something small you can write on/decorate etc. I use “coin envelopes” to hold receipts. One of my personal filing blockages is piles of small pieces of paper, like receipts. Regular letter envelopes disappear too easily in stacks of letter size stuff. I wanted something else…
I removed the link… my computer froze up right after this?
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