How's the spending going?

Remember how I was saying I had only $53.00 to last me two weeks until payday? Well, I'm down to $46 after one week. :) I'm pretty proud of the fact that I have completely cut my spending down (had to buy some mailing envelopes yesterday at Walgreens!) to next to nothing. It's kind of refreshing actually!

I've been busy this week applying for jobs and studying! During my lunch breaks at work, I'm bringing my lunch into the conference room and studying hard for an hour for my AFOQT; some things are definitely easier to study than others for sure!

This weekend I'm going to resist any spending on meals or activities although I did mention to boyfriend that I would like to go bowling; (we haven't done that since our first date in September 2007!) so we'll see what happens.

I hope you're all having a blessed week and that you all have a great weekend! :)

money money money...MOOONEY

Grr. I feel like my money is just flying out the window. It's like once you cheat on a diet, it's a lot easier to continue cheating. I don't know why I'm having such difficulties, when I was married I was on top of my game with money; maybe it's because I'm only accountable to myself that I am able to spend more money. It's like two steps forward, one step back.

I finally bought my coat from Ann Taylor; I sucked it up because I figured that it was of really good quality and will last me years. I called the store here in Tucson to see if they had my size and would hold it for me. Because we are considered a "hot" store, they didn't carry it so she told me to just order it online. The salesperson was nice enough to give me a code to use online to save 30%. (Sweet.) So I typed in the code and not only did I save 30%, I also got free shipping. :) Instead of paying almost $200 (including tax and shipping) I got my coat for $127.77, with tax, meaning I saved over $56. Patience pays off, huh? So I'm really excited that I'm going to finally have a nice coat for winter, especially since I'm going to be in Dallas.

I've decided that I need to just pull out my budget money and then hide my debit card...I can't be trusted to keep it in my wallet. I'm going to get back on track this week, I swear. The good news is that I was able to fill up my car for $17.00 yesterday. :) How nice is that? It's also been almost two weeks since I filled up last so it looks like my monthly gas bill will be less than $40. No complaints there.

Okay, back to the straight and narrow. I'm feeling better already.

Budget vs. Spending Plan: Does changing a few words make a difference?

Hmm. This is a really informative article from the Wall Street Journal about making a spending plan. (Wow, what do you know, it's entitled How to Make a Spending Plan.) The article starts off stating that budget is one of the most hated words in the financial vocabulary and it's on the same par with the hatred of the word diet. Now, do I agree that by substituting the word budget with the words spending plan make me feel any better? Well, as good as I feel when you say, "I'm going on a lifestyle change." When we all really know you mean diet.

I guess spending plan does sound better than the word budget, just like the word meat sounds a lot better than flesh.

"What are you having for dinner tonight?"

"Why, we're cooking up a big plate of chicken flesh tonight, want to come over for dinner?"

In any event, I don't know why we get caught up on words so much when they all mean the same thing; if it gets one person to spend less or if they feel more confident in their choices by not drifting off of their spending plan, well great.

Anyway, don't know why I'm hooked on wordplay today. Maybe because it's Friday and I have to work tomorrow for three hours, or maybe because my spending plan was a little off last night because of some pancakes...

Seven days, no spending.

Ah yes, CNN Living again has a very interesting article about a guy who decides not to spend any money for seven days. Basically he does it as an experiment to see how much money he really uses in a week; interesting how we burn through x amount of dollars and aren't even aware. Although this dude sounded like a cheapskate to begin with, sounds like maybe he won't be so much anymore after his little experiment.

In trying to pay off as much debt as I can in order to be debt-free and buy a car with cash within the next few years, I'm really watching every penny that leaves my wallet. I rarely eat out anymore and am cooking a lot more at home (yay!) I'm so tempted every where I go to buy something. These sexy high heels at Guess ($115):

and a new winter coat at Ann Taylor Loft ($169):

This coat is way cuter in person, and looks way better on me. hehe.

I typically don't ever go to the mall but when I was in Dallas I walked past Ann Taylor Loft and fell in LOVE with this winter coat and since I don't have one and will need one, I'm contemplating buying it but I would definitely buy it with cash. I probably could afford it now but I'm trying to pay off my Vita-Mix on layaway so boo, I don't think that will work. Maybe boyfriend will buy it for me. :) I found another cute coat at Old Navy for half the price, but do I sacrifice? Why not spend the money on something I LOVE that is made of higher quality materials that will probably last me a lot longer? Doesn't that make sense in the long run? Buy quality even if it is more money? Budgets suck but so does debt and taking two steps forward and one step back is just asinine. I guess I'll have to figure a way to fit it into my budget if I really want it, right?

In any event, read the article and let me know what you think. Spend no money in 7 days? Ha. I don't think I could.

And the money keeps disappearing..

boo. this is not going as well as i had planned. the dog food and now flea and tick medicine. the boyfriend and i took the girls to the dog park and on a three-mile walk on sunday; we get home and i find a tick on juno. the LAST thing i'm going to do is sit around and wait for more to arrive and create an infestation so there goes $30.25. ugh. i would have only bought one box for the two of them to share but since they are different weights, i had to buy two. yeah, the money is going fast.

here is an update of what i spent over the weekend:

• 10/03--groceries (1 loaf of ezekeiel bread and walnuts (to make vegan banana nut bread) = $6.10
• 10/04--groceries (2 containers of strawberries, parsley (to make hummus), 2 boxes organic mac and cheese, bottle of organic ketchup) = $12.02
• 10/05--Two boxes of natural flea and tick drops: $13.99 x 2 + tax = $30.25

Total for the weekend: $48.37

you may notice a trend with my spending. i really tend to go for the freshest, healthiest, most organic food possible. i will not skimp on my health for any reason nor will i subject myself to eating ramen noodles for the rest of this experiment. also when it came to the flea and tick medicine, i could have saved money by buying the chemical drops, i refuse to do that. my dogs health is one of my top priorities (this is why the only eat organic food and treats) and i refuse to put chemical-laden drops on them to save a few dollars, so i spent a little extra money so that they get the ones made from essential oils. i think in the long run this will benefit us all.

if it were not for the flea and tick drops, i probably would be doing quite well and really not spending any money at all, but alas, things come up and you can't do anything but just ride the wave.

Totals as of October 6:
Total money spent over weekend: $48.37
Total money left: $46.01

Weekend ideas..

so i'm sitting here at work with nothing to do (shocker, i know!) and blog surfing again. pretty much sticking to design blogs (as usual) and i'm just so inspired to create change in my home. i see all of these people doing beautiful things to their home and i'm just a tiny bit jealous.. {----} <--this much. i wish i had a home that i owned and could do fun changes to! yeah, my time will come but how fun would it be to build this for my dogs and kitty? :) Via Apartment Therapy.

Anyway, since it's No Spend Month here at Who Are The Joneses? I'm going to find some creative ideas to spruce up my home, but I think it's going to start with scrubbing my floors. Gag. I really hate doing that chore.

Last week at the Dollar Tree I found some fantastic felt cutouts (kind of like modern doilies) in bright cheery colors; hot pink, lime green, neon blue. (Pics coming soon) I couldn't pass up buying the only package they had. I envision them in a shadow box maybe with pics or something.. i really have been needing to clean out the closet in my spare room. it has become a catch-all for everything and is just overloaded with stuff. i really need to post some items on craigslist but sometimes i just want to take it to goodwill and call it done so it's out of my house.

i have the motivation, i guess i just need to get it done. maybe i'll even decorate for halloween. :) that would be fun. cuz guess who's not spending any unnecessary money this weekend? (even though my favorite place is having an estate sale.. please don't go there *sigh*)

Plan of attack: FOOD

I've been collecting recipes, dusting off my favorite cookbooks in an effort to figure out what i'll be eating for the next month since the majority of it will be at home (which i don't mind at all). i'm scared to go to the store and buy a lot of groceries at once and then bam, $80 later, i have a lot of food, no plan, and then i'm down over half my budget. i think later on i will make a trip with a dedicated list of things i need, not deviate at all from the list, in an effort to curb mindless spending. before all of this of course, i'm going to plan what meals i'm going to cook, guess how many times one meal will feed me (i can have 5 meals on one jar of spaghetti sauce), and what days i'm having what meals.

so, i've decided to make due with what i have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer for right now so i'm not buying anything unnecessary and it allows me to get creative. problem is, i've been doing this for a few weeks now, so i'm getting limited. that's ok. i can do it. people deal with less everyday, right?

today's lunch is leftover sandwich and baby carrots, dinner is out with bf (on him) or maybe i'll make him dinner. who knows...i've already brought my vacuum-sealed thawed bag of chili to take to boyfriend's place since i eat there for lunch everyday. so now i'm prepped for friday and next week. looks like my first expense will be lunch with co-workers but it's buy one get one free so i will save a few dollars there.

another experiment (well, side effect from this No Spend Month) will be to see if i gain/lose weight this month with eating at home and not buying snacks. i guess i could always make cookies if i get the cravings, but that would still cost a few bucks.

the one thing that i'm worried about is gas. i don't really drive a whole lot but i hope i don't have to cut back on the walks the girls and i take monday am, thursday am, saturday am, and sometimes nights. we drive to the 3-mile track and do running/walking and it's a safe place to do so. it's not too far from my house, but it's too far to walk there. i'll guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

well, it's lunchtime. :) i'm off to eat my leftovers.

Day One: Duh duh duhhhhhh

Here's to day one of my No Spend Month. I'm going to resist the urge to surf craigslist so that I'm not tempted to spend money. I had dinner last night with a friend so I have leftovers for lunch! Now it's time to start plotting where the best grocery prices are and preparing for my weekly meals.

Tonight I think boyfriend is taking me out to dinner to celebrate our one year anniversary and my new job. :) At least that won't count towards my budget! Free food. Lol.

Anyway, I'll keep the updates coming in regards to any obstacles that I run into!

Have a great day!
Double L

October on $150

inspired by small notebook's no spend month, one estate sale/thrift store loving girl with three rescued animals goes on a mission to see if she can only spend $150 in october. what will she discover? can she survive? what will the $150 cover?

• food--more specifically groceries, takeaways, and restaurants. also animal food and any treats


• gas for my honda


• household necessities--let's count toliet paper, cleaning supplies, light bulbs, batteries, etc.


• entertainment--theatre tickets, book stores, etc.


• clothing--this should be easy. i hardly ever buy clothes.

what won't this cover?

• rent


• utilities


• bills (credit card, insurance)


• savings


• charity

the boyfriend always says i'm frivolous. i'm really not. but i do like to go to thrift stores and i hardly ever spend $50 or more on something. but the little stuff adds up quick. i'm hoping to be able to stretch this month's paychecks to be able to donate more to charity and to put more on my credit card debt.

tomorrow is day one which could prove to be difficult since i don't get paid till thursday, but i think i can go one day without spending. i'm going to compile a list of cheap, yummy meals that i can prepare at home to lower my costs. luckily i have a freezer loaded with chili and ratatouille so that will last me a while (if i don't get bored of it! oh well). i do know i'm going out to lunch with my coworkers on thursday so that will cut into my spending already. i'm also going to take a lot of my dvds and other items and put them on craigslist to add to our travel fund. the bonus of this month is that i have a $50 target gift card if things prove sketchy or in case of emergencies, but i'm going to see if i can do without. i'm going to put my debit cards away (ahh) and not use them this month. if the family at small notebook can do it. so can i.