You know all those budget goals I made in July?
Yeah, I lost a lot of the receipts again, and have no idea how I did. Okay, I know I blew my grocery and Walgreens budget. I think I did alright on gas...not sure.
So this month, I'm tracking all my spending, just to see where my money goes. Everything with the exception of bills, tuition and school books.
So, let's start.
Saturday, 8/1:
$6.11 at Walgreens
---Hair dryer, used $10RR, got $10RR back.
Sunday, 8/2:
None
Monday, 8/3:
$10.10 - Expensive gas
$10.74 - Old Navy Shirt {that I may return tomorrow}
$13.04 - Alberstons - ~8lbs of chicken, salt and some ice c4ream that got in my way
$1.02 - Walgreens - Sauvitel x2; ColorSilk x2; Toothbrush, used $10RR, got $3.50 RR back
Total Spent: 41.01
Monday, August 3, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Seven months later, it ends.
Last winter break, I was cruising the internet, completely burnt out from all my classes, and enjoying my free time. In searching for a muffin recipe for my mother, I came across a money saving blog. From there I found more and more blogs, and I was intrigued. I knew that we were in debt. I knew that we spent way too much at Wal-Mart. I knew that if we didn't do something to stop this I would never be able to get the things I wanted - a MacBook Pro, a Mustang - without getting more in debt. I was sick and tired of having to turn down movies and outings with my friends because I didn't have the money. After seeing how many bloggers managed to get free shampoo, soap, groceries, I knew I had to try it.
I started couponing in January 2009, the same time I started this blog. And while I never really kept up with the blog, I kept up with the shopping. I managed to master Walgreens, and now have a linen closet full of shampoo/conditioner/lotion/etc. I have so much in there, that blankets that belong in that closet no longer fit! I guess I have to clean it out!
I've grown a lot in these past months. I've come to realize the difference between needs and wants - that Mustang? It's a "want", definitely not a need, and I won't be getting one anytime soon. The MacBook? It's a possibility. I am in the market for a new laptop, so we'll see. I'm slowly learning not to be embarrassed at cash registers and to stand my ground. If I'm using a coupon correctly, there's no reason for the cashier to disagree with me; I just need to make sure they know that. I learned the value of time - it's not worth arguing for fifteen minutes about a $1 coupon that didn't go through.
I'm also learned that I spend a lot of time on this - way too much. If I'm online, you bet I have HCW or one of my favorite blogs open. During the semester? You can bet that I was planning my Walgreens trips around school. It was annoying coming out of a class or lab and still thinking "Oh, I have to stop by Walgreens". I actually felt like I had to stop by - it wasn't something I did for fun; it was something I had to do.
And yes, I did enjoy it. But lately, it seems like a chore more than something fun. So I'm taking a break from couponing. Once this semester starts, I won't be couponing. I need the time for school, and I'm tired of having to search fliers, remember coupons, use them before they expire and everything else that goes with couponing. I am stocked up on HBA stuff, which will be enough to last us through December. Hopefully in December/January, I can pick up enough deals so that I can stock us up for next semester.
I have a little less than a month before this semester starts, and I'll be using it to hunt for deals on what we still need. Just to make sure I don't forget, I'll make a list of what we need:
--Toilet Paper
--Q-tips
--Contact Solution
--Toothbrushes {Target/Wal-Mart, free}
--Face wipes {maybe}
--Kleenex
--Freezer Bags
--Sandwich Bags
--Snack Bags
--Pasta {Wacky Mac, Alberstons, $0.34 'til 8/14; Ronzoni, Wal-Mart, $0.50 'til Friday}
--Tuna
--Peanut Butter {Walgreens, next week, $0.25/each}
--Canned Tomatoes
--White Flour
--Sugar {Alberstons, before Friday}
--Oatmeal
I think that's everything. I may be missing some stuff, but we'll see. My plan to to only have to buy produce, meat and dairy for the next few months, and only buy loss-leaders. We'll see how it goes.
So one more thing: will this blog continue? Yes. I have yet to manage to figure out this thing called "budgeting", and we are still in debt. I'm also hoping to start menu-planning, and being more organized and this blog shall serve that purpose. I will try to update it about twice a week, but we'll see how that goes.
I started couponing in January 2009, the same time I started this blog. And while I never really kept up with the blog, I kept up with the shopping. I managed to master Walgreens, and now have a linen closet full of shampoo/conditioner/lotion/etc. I have so much in there, that blankets that belong in that closet no longer fit! I guess I have to clean it out!
I've grown a lot in these past months. I've come to realize the difference between needs and wants - that Mustang? It's a "want", definitely not a need, and I won't be getting one anytime soon. The MacBook? It's a possibility. I am in the market for a new laptop, so we'll see. I'm slowly learning not to be embarrassed at cash registers and to stand my ground. If I'm using a coupon correctly, there's no reason for the cashier to disagree with me; I just need to make sure they know that. I learned the value of time - it's not worth arguing for fifteen minutes about a $1 coupon that didn't go through.
I'm also learned that I spend a lot of time on this - way too much. If I'm online, you bet I have HCW or one of my favorite blogs open. During the semester? You can bet that I was planning my Walgreens trips around school. It was annoying coming out of a class or lab and still thinking "Oh, I have to stop by Walgreens". I actually felt like I had to stop by - it wasn't something I did for fun; it was something I had to do.
And yes, I did enjoy it. But lately, it seems like a chore more than something fun. So I'm taking a break from couponing. Once this semester starts, I won't be couponing. I need the time for school, and I'm tired of having to search fliers, remember coupons, use them before they expire and everything else that goes with couponing. I am stocked up on HBA stuff, which will be enough to last us through December. Hopefully in December/January, I can pick up enough deals so that I can stock us up for next semester.
I have a little less than a month before this semester starts, and I'll be using it to hunt for deals on what we still need. Just to make sure I don't forget, I'll make a list of what we need:
--Toilet Paper
--Q-tips
--Contact Solution
--Toothbrushes {Target/Wal-Mart, free}
--Face wipes {maybe}
--Kleenex
--Freezer Bags
--Sandwich Bags
--Snack Bags
--Pasta {Wacky Mac, Alberstons, $0.34 'til 8/14; Ronzoni, Wal-Mart, $0.50 'til Friday}
--Tuna
--Peanut Butter {Walgreens, next week, $0.25/each}
--Canned Tomatoes
--White Flour
--Sugar {Alberstons, before Friday}
--Oatmeal
I think that's everything. I may be missing some stuff, but we'll see. My plan to to only have to buy produce, meat and dairy for the next few months, and only buy loss-leaders. We'll see how it goes.
So one more thing: will this blog continue? Yes. I have yet to manage to figure out this thing called "budgeting", and we are still in debt. I'm also hoping to start menu-planning, and being more organized and this blog shall serve that purpose. I will try to update it about twice a week, but we'll see how that goes.
Monday, July 6, 2009
June Budget Update && July Goals.
June Budget:
Let's review my June Budget Goals:
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $80/month or $20/week.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $40/month.
Now, let's see - did I stick to it? I have no idea. I lost track of my receipts, so unless I hunt them down, I won't know.
I know for sure that I went over gas budget, but that was expected. Gas is up to ~$2.50/gal here {if not more}, and I had to drive 30 miles out of town on many occasions. Total spent on gas for the month? $69.71
I'm pretty sure I came under on my Walgreens budget. After my last post, I found my giftcard which had about $35 on it, and I used that. It lasted me almost all month, so I'm guessing I spent $60 at Walgreen last month.
July Budget:
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $40/month.
So far I've spent $6.11 at Walgreens, and the next two weeks? They look pretty bland! Oh, and let's face it - I have plenty of shampoo/body wash/soap/etc. to last us quite a while. Plus I'm going to need the money for gas.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
This still feels pretty reasonable to me as I have not mastered the art of stockpiling food. So until we can get some more food in this house, I'll keep it at that much.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $80/month.
I drive a lot. And it's mainly because I have to, not because I'm cruising around the streets due to boredom. Oh, and gas is expensive.
4) Record spending within two days of buying the items.
Seeing as this was my downfall last month, I'm making it my goal this week.
So far:
Walgreens - $6.11
Gas - $0
Grocery - $33.03
Let's review my June Budget Goals:
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $80/month or $20/week.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $40/month.
Now, let's see - did I stick to it? I have no idea. I lost track of my receipts, so unless I hunt them down, I won't know.
I know for sure that I went over gas budget, but that was expected. Gas is up to ~$2.50/gal here {if not more}, and I had to drive 30 miles out of town on many occasions. Total spent on gas for the month? $69.71
I'm pretty sure I came under on my Walgreens budget. After my last post, I found my giftcard which had about $35 on it, and I used that. It lasted me almost all month, so I'm guessing I spent $60 at Walgreen last month.
July Budget:
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $40/month.
So far I've spent $6.11 at Walgreens, and the next two weeks? They look pretty bland! Oh, and let's face it - I have plenty of shampoo/body wash/soap/etc. to last us quite a while. Plus I'm going to need the money for gas.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
This still feels pretty reasonable to me as I have not mastered the art of stockpiling food. So until we can get some more food in this house, I'll keep it at that much.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $80/month.
I drive a lot. And it's mainly because I have to, not because I'm cruising around the streets due to boredom. Oh, and gas is expensive.
4) Record spending within two days of buying the items.
Seeing as this was my downfall last month, I'm making it my goal this week.
So far:
Walgreens - $6.11
Gas - $0
Grocery - $33.03
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June: Budget Update
Alright, since I haven't posted them, here are the budget totals as of right now:
Health & Beauty:
Walgreens: $24.27/$80
This includes two hairdryers, some laundry soap & quite a bit of clearance school supplies. I still have $12 in RR though, so I'm doing good.
K-Mart: $1.15
I was testing to see if our Kmarts were unknowingly doubling coupons. They weren't.
Wal-Mart: $2.04
Q-tips and trial-size contact solution.
Grocery:
Alberston's: $6.75
Some bottled water I had rain checks for. This will go up tomorrow though, since there are some neat sales.
Target: $1.30 on a giftcard.
Salad dressing and mayo - should have been free or really close to free, but everything resulted in overage and so my last coupon wasn't accepted. That's okay; I'll live. This was on a giftcard, so it doesn't count towards my budget.
Save-Mart: $2.65
Some onions and chile. The rest of the produce was really bad, so we went to Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart: TBA.
I've made three trips to Wal-Mart in the past 3 days. A bit crazy, I know. We went on Saturday and it was packed, so I didn't feel like using coupons. We bought a bunch of veggies and some meat. The total was around $46, but the receipt is out in my car, so I'll update that later.
I made another trip yesterday morning to use up some of my Kraft IPs that were expiring soon - that was 8.46 for some fun stuff - graham crackers, Ritz, Wheat Thins, and then some pasta and Ramen.
The second trip was a bit more pricey - 16.46. That one included Boca Burgers, Yo-Plus Yogurt, Cheddar Cheese, Kashi bars and hamburger buns.
So that's approximately 80.32 of the monthly budget and we're only nine days in...whoops! It'll be about another twenty tomorrow, but I'm not too worried right now. We'll see how it goes.
Health & Beauty:
Walgreens: $24.27/$80
This includes two hairdryers, some laundry soap & quite a bit of clearance school supplies. I still have $12 in RR though, so I'm doing good.
K-Mart: $1.15
I was testing to see if our Kmarts were unknowingly doubling coupons. They weren't.
Wal-Mart: $2.04
Q-tips and trial-size contact solution.
Grocery:
Alberston's: $6.75
Some bottled water I had rain checks for. This will go up tomorrow though, since there are some neat sales.
Target: $1.30 on a giftcard.
Salad dressing and mayo - should have been free or really close to free, but everything resulted in overage and so my last coupon wasn't accepted. That's okay; I'll live. This was on a giftcard, so it doesn't count towards my budget.
Save-Mart: $2.65
Some onions and chile. The rest of the produce was really bad, so we went to Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart: TBA.
I've made three trips to Wal-Mart in the past 3 days. A bit crazy, I know. We went on Saturday and it was packed, so I didn't feel like using coupons. We bought a bunch of veggies and some meat. The total was around $46, but the receipt is out in my car, so I'll update that later.
I made another trip yesterday morning to use up some of my Kraft IPs that were expiring soon - that was 8.46 for some fun stuff - graham crackers, Ritz, Wheat Thins, and then some pasta and Ramen.
The second trip was a bit more pricey - 16.46. That one included Boca Burgers, Yo-Plus Yogurt, Cheddar Cheese, Kashi bars and hamburger buns.
So that's approximately 80.32 of the monthly budget and we're only nine days in...whoops! It'll be about another twenty tomorrow, but I'm not too worried right now. We'll see how it goes.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Rant: Stupid Kmart.
So, I previously wrote that all NM stores would be participating in Kmart doubles this week. This was information I received when I wrote to Kmart last week. On Thursday, when our ad showed up, it didn't show doubles on not. However, word on the blogosphere was that all Kmarts were doubling - it just wasn't advertised.
So, I did a trial run today. I bought Huggies wipes, since they'd be free after doubles and cheap enough after coupon. Didn't work. I was so annoyed! I was completely prepared to spend quite a bit at Kmart this week; I had several scenarios to take advantage of their 'Buy More; Save More' promotion and the Axe movie ticket promotion - but no. Kmart isn't doubling coupons.
This is infuriating because we've been left out of doubles since March. I've read on several blogs that Kmart only hosts these promotions in areas where they get a lot of response - i.e. big cities were there are a lot of couponers. I think that's dumb. Sure, maybe there will be five people in my town who go in with coupons during doubles week. But that's five people who wouldn't walk in there otherwise. And face it - we all know couponers move a lot of merchandise through stores. We may be getting the item free, but the store is getting reimbursed for it {well, I guess for half of it during a doubles event}.
Ugh!
So, I did a trial run today. I bought Huggies wipes, since they'd be free after doubles and cheap enough after coupon. Didn't work. I was so annoyed! I was completely prepared to spend quite a bit at Kmart this week; I had several scenarios to take advantage of their 'Buy More; Save More' promotion and the Axe movie ticket promotion - but no. Kmart isn't doubling coupons.
This is infuriating because we've been left out of doubles since March. I've read on several blogs that Kmart only hosts these promotions in areas where they get a lot of response - i.e. big cities were there are a lot of couponers. I think that's dumb. Sure, maybe there will be five people in my town who go in with coupons during doubles week. But that's five people who wouldn't walk in there otherwise. And face it - we all know couponers move a lot of merchandise through stores. We may be getting the item free, but the store is getting reimbursed for it {well, I guess for half of it during a doubles event}.
Ugh!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Store Blahs + Update on Budget.
Somedays I just don't want to go shopping. Today was definitely one of those days. However, today was the last day milk was $1.50, and since it's not on sale next week {nothing is on sale next week!}, I had to go to Walmart.
2 gallons 2% Milk - 3.00
2lbs. Organic Brown Rice - 2.88
Total: 5.88
44.12 left in weekly budget.
So, next week, Kmart is doubling coupons! I'm super excited because we will be included this time around. I'm anxiously awaiting the sales ad - it doesn't come out 'til Thursday. I'm hoping for some really good deals on Wheat Thins & Ritz; I really need to use up my Kraft IPs before they expire.
I think I'll be adding $50 to my budget - for anything non-food bought at anywhere that isn't Walgreens {I have my eyes on some clearanced Ziploc Baggies at Target - just need them to go down a bit more}. This might change a bit depending on the sales at Kmart next week. We'll see how it goes.
2 gallons 2% Milk - 3.00
2lbs. Organic Brown Rice - 2.88
Total: 5.88
44.12 left in weekly budget.
So, next week, Kmart is doubling coupons! I'm super excited because we will be included this time around. I'm anxiously awaiting the sales ad - it doesn't come out 'til Thursday. I'm hoping for some really good deals on Wheat Thins & Ritz; I really need to use up my Kraft IPs before they expire.
I think I'll be adding $50 to my budget - for anything non-food bought at anywhere that isn't Walgreens {I have my eyes on some clearanced Ziploc Baggies at Target - just need them to go down a bit more}. This might change a bit depending on the sales at Kmart next week. We'll see how it goes.
Monday, June 1, 2009
June Goals
I feel it's important to have goals. Without goals, you can never reach your ultimate potential and you can never really figure out where you're falling short. You also never realize what you're spending if you don't track it, and I haven't been tracking. That being said, these are my goals for June:
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $80/month or $20/week.
I have been spending way too much at Walgreens. Yes, I have been saving a lot, but I've also spent way too much. It's time to stop that.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
We've been spending around $60/week, so this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for us. However, it will require me to track my purchases, which is something I haven't been doing.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $40/month.
I'm lucky enough to have a gas that get good mileage {about 30 miles/gal}, but gas prices are increasing by the day. I suspect I'll go over this goal, but we'll see when we get there.
That's it. Three -hopefully- simple goals. Let's hope I can manage it!
1) Stick to a Walgreens budget of $80/month or $20/week.
I have been spending way too much at Walgreens. Yes, I have been saving a lot, but I've also spent way too much. It's time to stop that.
2) Stick to a grocery budget of $200/month or $50/week.
We've been spending around $60/week, so this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for us. However, it will require me to track my purchases, which is something I haven't been doing.
3) Stick to a gas budget of $40/month.
I'm lucky enough to have a gas that get good mileage {about 30 miles/gal}, but gas prices are increasing by the day. I suspect I'll go over this goal, but we'll see when we get there.
That's it. Three -hopefully- simple goals. Let's hope I can manage it!
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