Work mate and I have decided next week at work we will be “good” and not buy each other snacks and eat more healthy, more for the fact our waistline is expanding than the money but it goes hand in hand for me
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Week 1 Totals:
Rent: $370.93/$415.00
Electricity: $18.68/$44.00
Gas: $8.13/$20.00
Transit: $11.00/$150.00
Groceries: $81.44/$100.00
Restaurants: $0/$75.00
Hair/Cosmetics: $6.22/$30.00
Toiletries: $31.14/$60.00
Entertainment: $0/$50
Credit Cards: $240.47/$250.00
Internet: $26.92/$20.00
Phone: $25.00/$25.00
Subscriptions: $0/$33.00
Home: $19.05/$30.00
Health Insurance: $0/$149.00
Student Loans: $0/$122.00
Total: $838.98
I’ve noticed that the first week of the month usually is a heavy hitter, because I’m often getting caught up on bills from the previous month, and rent is due on the 5th at the absolute latest each month. I usually send my boyfriend money through Facebook message, which doesn’t often occur the same day as the transaction. So I want to be more proactive in paying my portion of bills, groceries, etc. the same day. Also, I know I’ll have to revise my budget due to exceeding some categories in my budget (Internet, Phone, and Groceries are the top three that need serious revision). I also haven’t started my Sinking Funds just yet.
I experienced a bout of impulse spending this weekend. I went into CVS just planning to buy some Claritin-D for seasonal allergies 
(damn changing seasons lol). But then I saw that vitamins were BOGO free and of course I needed hair ties lol. I did have some coupons, but I will focus on making solid lists and sticking to those lists when buying groceries, medicine, toiletries, etc.
A win for Week 1 is that I got an unexpected bonus on top of my regular check for the week. 
I hope everyone is having a great week so far! 
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OMG. I’d never looked to see what those options down there were.
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Last week marked the last of our mulberries and the start of our strawberries 
I did this week’s grocery shop today, and doing it online really helped me stay aware of the total budget. I let go of some of my scarcity mindset and only got what we needed for the next week if it was full price, and bought a couple of non-perishable sale items.
This week’s challenge is remembering the small expenses that pad out our spending (coffee at farmers market, $20 box of blueberries, runs to the corner store). I didn’t do that last week so will need to be careful for the rest of the month. I also had 2 meals from macca’s due to anxiety issues, one of which I put in my medical spending category. Some of Ponder’s lunches from last month came through in this month, so we will make an effort to pack him lunch a few times.
Update:
- Groceries: $276/$1,100 ($240/week)
- Ponder’s lunches: $100/$300 ($75/week)
- Takeaway: $75/$240 ($60/week)
- My fun money: $18/$50
- Christmas: 0/$400.
Slightly over, not worried about it.
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Have sorted out the insurance for our rental house. Changed from an annual fee to a fortnightly fee that suits our pay conditions, making it fall on the Monday after payday (Fri night/Sat morning). It costs us a few more hundred per annum to do this, but it’s easier for us to handle it this year that way. I’m also scheduling a hundred a fortnight to be stuck into a separate account (Yaah for ING’s multiple online accounts under the one umbrella account) for next years lump payment.
Have to sort out the renters insurance for the place we rent this Friday. Will stick with paying the one off annual fee for it as it’s just a couple of hundred bucks.
As we’re only 8 days into the month, our general payment stuff doesn’t hit until this weekend after Fridays payday. So the daycare payment, health insurance are pre paid then.
Looking ahead to the week after next, we will be paying our rent on Wednesday 16th week and will have our mortgage payment deducted on Thursday 17th. The rent should hit our mortgage on the 20th.
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So, exactly how does one recast one’s budget? Just state a new number?
I’ve come to the conclusion that $100/month for all spending outside of food is not realistic. Which, TBH, kind of sickens me because I don’t even have the $100 to spend, really. (Because I’m not meeting my savings goals; that $100 belongs in my Roth and is not going there.) But, it is what it is.
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Week 1 update
Rent + utilities: $44/$780 - paid electric, bill lower than expected
Consumer debt: $90/ $800 minimum - this one the more I spend in it, the better. Most bills due mid month
Fitness classes: 0/ $50 - free yoga!
Groceries: $15/$150 (partner covers greater share)
Eating out: 0-$10/$100 - I wanted to make this more of a zero category but have a couple plans related to my partner’s birthday) - spent $10 on Sunday but $8 was cash payout from work explicitly for lunch and $2 was from my flex cash fund
Emergency savings: 0/$100+
IRA: at least 0/$100
Transportation: 0/$100 - We need an oil change 
Other: spent $35 of my flex spending cash pile on gifts for Sweaty’s birthday. Spent $2.58 from my birthday WAWA gift card (soft pretzels!). Won $25 visa gift card at a work meeting.
Friday we have fancy vegan restaurant for Sweaty’s birthday. I have a gift card that I have temporarily misplaced but it won’t cover the whole thing. This is planned though. I do really need to find the gift card!
My spending has been really good for me. Stressing still about timing of bills. I charted out when everything was due but either I messed up dates or my highest balance credit card changed the date on me - just got an email notice it’s due 8 days earlier than I thought. I have money to cover things but I want to avoid dipping below the line where my checking account charges maintenance fees 
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So, my goal is to spend no more than $75 on eating out and, within that, no more than $25 on fast food.
During the first week of October, I spent $7.56 on fast food and $19.92 total on eating out. These numbers put me in a good place for meeting the month’s goal. The coming week shouldn’t be too challenging because I don’t have any plans to go out, so it’s just a matter of eating dinner at home instead of stopping on the way home from work.
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Yes! I’m keeping track, you get a 1 recast this month!
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Budget is going well so far! I actually just refinanced my car to save 3% and will save so much interest as well as pay it off faster!
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I was really tempted, but somehow knowing they got bought by Walmart made it easier. I gave my coupon code to somebody who was telling me they were wanting to buy something on ModCloth, but thought the item was too expensive! Perfect hand-off. Now I can’t buy anything.
Yesterday I was really tempted to go out to dinner with friends after krav, around 8:30pm, but am glad I didn’t. 1. I had already eaten dinner before (yeah… you’d think this reason would be enough) 2. I was still full! 3. I don’t sleep well when I am full before bed 4. I have a budget!! I do believe 4. helped in that decision.
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If you checked in for week one of Budgetober, you should have a wee cute ghostie in your badges!
If you didn’t get the badge, just PM me with the link to your weekly checkin - I probably missed it, I have to grant the badges manually!
We had 34 people from 3 continents and 4 countries participate the first week!
- 3 participants are brand-new to the forums for budgetober!
- 3 people waved their magic wand to recast their budget.
- 6 of our budgetober folks are Purrsonal Finance Society Members (patrons).
Overall, the challenge themes for the first week seemed to be food and unexpectedly expensive pets or vehicles.
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Yeah, I think I need to recast my “all other spending” budget. Was $100, upping it to $200. This needs to contain all spending outside of bills and food. I think I can keep my grocery and eating out budgets as is.
This feels like failure but I’m going to try and look at it as being more realistic about my spending. I mean, I’ve been beating myself up for years about my spending and it has not resulted in me magically becoming super frugal, so maybe time to try something else, IDK.
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YES! I like that framing WAY MORE
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And your “all other spending” category doesn’t have to be the same every month. You know October is a month where you usually have more discretionary items you want to buy - so you realistically need to consider that in your plan. Maybe January is typically lower (from getting holiday presents). Maybe this helps - or maybe this is just another overwhelming option in a sea of too many options…
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I thought I had missed the Modcloth coupon because I have moved since the last time I bought from them… but no, I just hadn’t checked my mail in a while.
ETA: If I buy a dress for my cousin’s wedding, the money doesn’t even have to come out of my “fun money”!
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Yes this month is definitely making me realize that some of the things I brush off as “not like this every month” probably ARE like this every month.
I think I don’t fill up my cars every month because they are hybrids, and in theory husband and I carpool but I probably actually do fill them up every month. There’s always some week where we have to drive separately, some trip we make with friends to Denver or Pueblo, etc. And we can’t fully make it to work and back on a charge, so we end up using a teensy bit of gas every day.
I also treat grocery/food spending as a “oh it’s just high this month because ___” but there’s always something to fill in that blank. Maybe it’s birthday. Or higher stress leading to more takeout or prepared food. Or the month when we run out of our bulk stuff. Or the freezer resets and we don’t notice and lose food. It’s not always the same thing, but it’s always something that makes it $400-$500 instead of $200-$300.
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Quick question: is the budget recast only allowed for one category or is it whatever you need to change all at one time?
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Are you me? Every month H and I go over spending and it’s like “oh we paid for X, but that won’t happen every month” but inevitably something does happen every month. Now we just need to plan for that.
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Budget recast lets you redo the WHOLE budget if you want. It’s a blank slate.
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