Ooo, I really like this distinction! I think that’s what I’ve been looking for because it feels strange and not accurate to me to group in a cleaning product and trash bags with like, a rug and throw pillows?
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This is how we do it. Consumables VS capital expenditures.
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You just made my spreadsheet look a LOT fancier. 
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You’re welcome 
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Thanks for sharing this btw. Because of it I added a column for notes to my spreadsheet so that as I tally up totals in different categories I can write what the stuff was or add extra info. It’s already proven very interesting for October!
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How are everyone’s efforts to reign things in going?! ACCOUNTABILITY. Jk, ignore me if you want I just came to for pats on the back because we’ve made such a turnaround! DH and I had a great conversation about our spending the last couple of months and setting a new budget in place and it’s been going really well.
Also, the list on the fridge has been KEY. We haven’t ordered anything from amazon in 2 weeks now and our list is growing but we’re also finding ways to get things during our normal grocery trip. So last weekend we did groceries at Walmart because I saw the list and we had lots of items that are cheapest there (mostly non-food stuff, household items) so I just planned food around that! This week I’m doing Aldi but I think we’ll stop by Target on the way home based on what’s left on the list right now. It’s great! I feel so much more in control and I paid off both of our credit card balances without drawing from savings!!!
In another twist I think we’re having more dates because of the budget. Sadly our date item is sometimes under budget and now we’re really trying to spend $150 a month! The months we hit it are usually when we go to an expensive restaurant but this month we’ll hit it by going to lots of little things. We went to a rock show with a $10 cover and drank mostly for free* and this weekend we’re going to hear people read victorian ghost stories in an old mansion, for like $8 pp. It’s so fun!!! Anyway I’m really enjoying the new budget.
*good pro bartenders usually don’t charge if you order seltzer bc they kind of know your deal, but we still tip $2 a drink.
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Mr krmit and I are also prioritizing actually spending our date money! It’s a tough job, but it must be done.
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That’s awesome that the new budget is feeling so good! Cutting back on/eliminating Amazon really helps so much…
I’ve similarly had really good success reigning things in lately! I think I’m coming in under budget for almost everything this month for the first time in…probably all of 2022. Haha. It’s such a good feeling to not feel overextended by credit card balances
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Omg I love this so much. Congrats on getting your budget down!! Go spend that fun money!
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Hi everyone. I haven’t been posting here much, but I do keep an eye on it periodically. I find, at my age, having the money saving mindset can be hard, but is definitely needed. Because of threads like this we are staying in the black financially.
My DSis#1 gave me a bunch of hot cereal mix in exchange for something I gave her. I forget what now. I figure we all just share stuff in the family anyways. I’ve been making up big batches of hot cereal for three or four breakfasts. I’m also boiling eggs by the half dozen for breakfast and lunches of egg salad sandwich. Hubby makes pancakes for both of us every Sunday morning.
I am making my own yogurt, growing my own sprouts and canning/preserving food from our small garden. This year’s big expense was to expand the garden by buying two custom made raised beds. That, plus the deck herb garden and the old raised beds, provided a fair bit of produce.
We bought a food dehydrator and mandolin. I’ve been busy drying herbs and other items.
I also learned to can my own tomato sauce and basil pasta sauce. I canned smaller batches this year, as no one returned canning jars. When confronted, my two sisters coughed up some jars for me.
We still buy meat and poultry bulk from a meat market for a discounted price. Our produce market closed permanently. That was one reason for expanding the garden this year.
We had our trees culled and pruned early this summer. It was an expense we hadn’t planned on, but in the end were glad we did it. We had low hanging branches over our house and the neighbours, which could have been a problem during hurricane Fiona.
We had a lot of company this summer and did a lot of traveling. We overspent on food some months, but have managed to rein it in so we’re under budget for the year overall.
I was given clothing. I haven’t had to buy a single stitch of clothing this year. That might end before Christmas. I need socks. I’m also losing weight again. That is good, but it means I’m going to have to go thrift store shopping for pants again.
I have spent way too much money on my small business, but see little results. I am mega discouraged. I have a lot of work to do in that department. And it can’t involve spending money…because I’m out!
I have been setting aside income from a small investment into savings every month in my TFSA. That has been adding up slowly so I can buy GICs.
Another unexpected expense is my tooth. It cracked under a crown, got infected, and had to be pulled. Of course the dentist wants to do a $5000 dental implant!!! We have money for this, but it’s not what we wanted to spend that money on! This happened in June. I am still awaiting a dental check to see if my mouth has healed sufficiently to install a dental implant.
Meanwhile, we’ve been trying to save up extra for it. Hubby wants badly to go on a trip to Europe, but we never seem to get enough money ahead at the right time. With Covid, and now the war in Ukraine, he’s not in any hurry to go.
Transportation and utilities are doing okay…primarily because we’re retired, and if the price of gas goes up…well, we just stay home!
Well, that’s my update. I hope everyone is having a good week! Take care all!
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I have been determined to stay within budget because I want to spend my savings on vacation and true emergencies. I have been tracking my food budget and used to spend 200/month and the last 3 months 220/month. Prices are really going up so that’s not bad.
Also twice a week I have company I feed. In return they will bring things occasionally or take me out to eat. One of my friends also colors my hair which saves me 85.
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Trying to catch up on doing my numbers and it’s … not great. This is return for the last twelve months
This is not even from the worst account. 
We’re really close to a milestone, I need our investments to stop sucking so we pass it please.
Also several of my accounts have changed the format of their websites and I don’t like it.
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That is actually pretty great compared to the rest of the world. You must have been shovelling money into the market to keep yourself even.
I have not done great with eating out ($25 ravioli and a $12 butterscotch custard were yummy, but I could have made better for probably $7), but eating down the pantry and a timely $6 produce bag to pick up tonight will probably have us in decent shape before we head out of the country.
I have no idea what our budget is for NZ. And we still don’t have a place to stay in Vancouver. We should figure that out since it includes NYE.
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There’s at least one other account that has lost a lot but I didn’t want to look at that number again.
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Well I spoke too soon. I just spent $50 CAD on two pairs of hand knit wool socks. Plus I am knitting my own.
We spent $78 on dining out last night.
And I’m off to buy quilt batting and bias tape to make ties for some stool cushions for an early Christmas present for Dsis#1. She knows about it, and I plan to take them to her place in November to finish them.
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We did superstore last week - I had to go nurse in the car but it was mid 200s. A lot of eating out. Busy weekend plus no quick foods plus PMS
The works 
Burrito bowls and popeyes 45
Sushi
Which, now that I type it is actually less than a regular week last year and I am counting it as an a lot week!
Today we got car snacks (15) and then we are doing an all inclusive 24h at great wolf lodge (but actually we will still spend more because toddler eats free for dinner and breakfast but no snacks or lunch included for him and no snacks included for us. We are bringing chips and apples but we eat a LOT
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I made a “takeaway & cafes log” and stuck it to our pantry. We will write date/food/ maybe reason every time we buy food. One column takeaway, one column cafes. We are.tir3d and forgetful so it can feel like we have t bought cafe food in ages but actually it was yesterday, sort of thing.
I need to do something for our food in the fridge next. We have a whiteboard but my brain needs to see i’ve crossed something off and also more space than my little whiteboard. Tomorrow’s job to sort that out.
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Is anyone else stocking up in preparation for shortages/higher prices caused by the diesel shortage?
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No, but we are starting to think about installing solar panel on our roof. The head of one of the local utilities is concerned about natural gas supplies and how the lack of it could lead to problems generating enough electricity this winter. That was enough to get us to start considering being more self-reliant in terms of electricity generation. We will have to run a cost-benefit analysis, taking into account the hopefully remote possibility of rolling blackouts in the future.
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I’ve still got a more than fair amount of dry goods and canned stuff from previous covid stock-ups that I need to get through so not doing any more buying there at the moment, but definitely keeping an eye on fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables and what I can buy on sale there just in case. Fortunately we’re at the right time of year for winter squashes, and I can keep things hung in net bags in the garage for longer than they’d normally keep. Halloween decorations (pumpkins/squash) just got moved in before the snow started the other day.
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