Latest expenses from the past few days (Sunday 1/18 to Thur 1/23), including my husband's:
$11--Hub's lunch
$36--Hub's haircut
$27--My biz mtg
$130--groceries
$33--gas
$30.78--fleece and socks
$65--wine (incl. for the 'Inaugural Ball' we attended)
Reminder! I'm tracking our daily expenses, not our basic bills. I mean, I'm tracking those too, but they're more or less the same every month (some variation for heat, electricity). The expenses I'm interested in are the extras: the "where does all the money go?" money.
What's interesting is that I thought we were money leakers, falling prey to a cease stream of little purchases. That used to be our pattern, when we lived in NYC.
Now I'm realizing that the money is more like to go in chunks--as for the biz trip. We're chunkers, not dribblers. I have to think of cuter terms.
I would say this exercise has also made me a lot more cautious about spending. Mindful. I have walked away from several purchases--including a package I decided not to mail, because I was going to see the person soon anyway.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Spending spending spending
Gag. Here are the raw numbers of the last few days. I don't even feel like commenting on my own excesses. Except that I warned myself. I knew this was going to be a slightly over-the-top trip, because a) of the celebratory dinner and b) the unusual amount of time in NYC (which sucks money out of your wallet before you wake up in the morning).
WED
$10—lunch for two
$297—celebratory dinner
$35--office space (daily rental charge)
THURSDAY
$7—lunch
$35--pants
$15--taxi
$9.25--train
$2.50--magazine
.75--tissues
FRI
$14—lunch
$9.25--train
$6—snack
$35--office
TOTAL PERSONAL: $345.25
TOTAL BUSINESS: $130.50
WED
$10—lunch for two
$297—celebratory dinner
$35--office space (daily rental charge)
THURSDAY
$7—lunch
$35--pants
$15--taxi
$9.25--train
$2.50--magazine
.75--tissues
FRI
$14—lunch
$9.25--train
$6—snack
$35--office
TOTAL PERSONAL: $345.25
TOTAL BUSINESS: $130.50
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Three days of spending ahead
Headed out for a biz trip today. I'm dividing the upcoming spending into two categories: expected expenses and possible spending threats. Awareness is key!
EXPECTED:
Need to pay for meals, including taking friends out to dinner to celebrate their engagement.
Travel expenses (trains, gas, subway fare)
Clothing--I need a couple of things for my work wardrobe (black pants, winter shoes), if I can find what I need at a good price.
POSSIBLE THREATS
Being in NYC means shopping opportunities galore. I was talking to Greg Daugherty recently, a Consumer Reports money analyst, and he was saying the best way to save: Stay out of stores!
EXPECTED:
Need to pay for meals, including taking friends out to dinner to celebrate their engagement.
Travel expenses (trains, gas, subway fare)
Clothing--I need a couple of things for my work wardrobe (black pants, winter shoes), if I can find what I need at a good price.
POSSIBLE THREATS
Being in NYC means shopping opportunities galore. I was talking to Greg Daugherty recently, a Consumer Reports money analyst, and he was saying the best way to save: Stay out of stores!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The Oops! Factor
OK, this is the upside of spending tracking--once you get into a rhythm, it's pretty dull, which can be a nice change from the stress of watching the greenbacks fly. but there's a downside. Here's where you run the danger of losing track of little things.
My husband spend $30 at the hardware store the other day, on top of the $14 at the grocery store. But because DH (a.k.a. dear husband) does most of the shopping--and ALL the bill-paying-- I have to rope him in.
I haven't spent a dime in the last few days (it was so cooooold last weekend we didn't go out). But we got an oil delivery and some wine in the last week--not sure what those things cost, and I have to track them down, in addition to any other bills that he might have paid (or gas for the car).
Last: Another biz trip coming up this week. A friend's book party. Another friend's engagement--and I'm taking them out to dinner! These are the unexpected expenses that one often wants to disregard ("How often does that happen?"), but ya gotta.
Why? Because every month there's something. That's why I have a special branch of my ING Direct savings account labeled "necessities", i.e. those out-of-the-blue expenses. I put $50 a week into that account, and then empty it periodically--when we needed a new snow tire, or have to take a newly engaged friend to dinner.
My husband spend $30 at the hardware store the other day, on top of the $14 at the grocery store. But because DH (a.k.a. dear husband) does most of the shopping--and ALL the bill-paying-- I have to rope him in.
I haven't spent a dime in the last few days (it was so cooooold last weekend we didn't go out). But we got an oil delivery and some wine in the last week--not sure what those things cost, and I have to track them down, in addition to any other bills that he might have paid (or gas for the car).
Last: Another biz trip coming up this week. A friend's book party. Another friend's engagement--and I'm taking them out to dinner! These are the unexpected expenses that one often wants to disregard ("How often does that happen?"), but ya gotta.
Why? Because every month there's something. That's why I have a special branch of my ING Direct savings account labeled "necessities", i.e. those out-of-the-blue expenses. I put $50 a week into that account, and then empty it periodically--when we needed a new snow tire, or have to take a newly engaged friend to dinner.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Weekend spending warning
Weekends can lead people to go a little crazy, because you're running errands and meeting up with friends or taking the kids out. To make this monthlong exercise a little more fun, I'm going to make a point of keeping a separate tally of just our weekend spending. Household bills aside, I bet we do 70% of our spending on Saturdays and Sundays. Let's see how it turns out.
Today my husband had to pick up milk, etc. at the store--and our sink is leaking so he had to buy a spud wrench, whatever that is, and some plumber's putty. He said he kept the receipts, but the only total he remembered was the groceries: $14-something. I thought that was funny: I guess we're so accustomed to tracking our grocery spending, we always file away that number.
Today my husband had to pick up milk, etc. at the store--and our sink is leaking so he had to buy a spud wrench, whatever that is, and some plumber's putty. He said he kept the receipts, but the only total he remembered was the groceries: $14-something. I thought that was funny: I guess we're so accustomed to tracking our grocery spending, we always file away that number.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Why do I keep spending?
It's amazing when you think how much money living requires. Just these constant dribbles here and there.
This week I had to take a short business trip; luckily a friend was driving in the same direction so I only had to buy a one-way train ticket. Because I'm tracking my spending IN PUBLIC, it has made me even more self-conscious about spending. I talked myself out of several purchases on this trip and my total for 1/7-1/8 was $80.24.
Interesting what you can talk yourself out of. My glaring weakness is food--about $50 of the above was for meals and snacks during the trip. I was about to buy a $7.00 sandwich, reconsidered when I considered the shame of blogging such an expense and made do with a slice of pizza instead.
Then again, I was set to spend no more than $20 on dinner, but I ended up eating with the friend who was kindly putting me up at their house: $40. They picked the restaurant. But I agreed, right? How much control do we have? A lot, when you think about it. The trick is exercising one's right to be frugal.
Still, I was about to pay $35 to use the rent-a-desk place where I sometimes work on these trips--and wisely decided that paying $3 for coffee and a bagel and working in a cafe was just fine, thanks. See, I'm not all bad.
This week I had to take a short business trip; luckily a friend was driving in the same direction so I only had to buy a one-way train ticket. Because I'm tracking my spending IN PUBLIC, it has made me even more self-conscious about spending. I talked myself out of several purchases on this trip and my total for 1/7-1/8 was $80.24.
Interesting what you can talk yourself out of. My glaring weakness is food--about $50 of the above was for meals and snacks during the trip. I was about to buy a $7.00 sandwich, reconsidered when I considered the shame of blogging such an expense and made do with a slice of pizza instead.
Then again, I was set to spend no more than $20 on dinner, but I ended up eating with the friend who was kindly putting me up at their house: $40. They picked the restaurant. But I agreed, right? How much control do we have? A lot, when you think about it. The trick is exercising one's right to be frugal.
Still, I was about to pay $35 to use the rent-a-desk place where I sometimes work on these trips--and wisely decided that paying $3 for coffee and a bagel and working in a cafe was just fine, thanks. See, I'm not all bad.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Insight #198
I've done this exercise before, you know, being a money writer and all. But I've never done it in public, nor have I chronicled my thoughts during the process.
It's different. The one thing that struck me the other day, after tallying up the $217--or was it $271?--anyway, one of the most valuable aspects of spending tracking is getting a whole new perspective on your way of life. We don't spend in isolation, right? We live a sort of life that includes or is based on a certain pattern of money usage.
For example, we have one view of our financial selves and behavior that we carry around in our minds with all the other self-definitions: I'm smart, I'm a pretty good mom most of the time, I don't spend that much on myself anymore, we're pretty good savers now, I should probably floss more often, etc.
But the person you believe you are could turn out to be quite different from your Real Financial Self. I found myself saying, "I don't really go out to lunch"...but in fact--I WENT OUT TO LUNCH. you know what i mean? People who genuinely don't go out to lunch would have said to their friend, "I'll meet you for a coffee." But I said, Sure! Because life is dull and it's January--but then I spent $19 (because we got dessert too) AND i bought my husband a hat and my son a shirt. On sale, but still.
See, that's the other thing: Once you start spending, it's harder to stop. It's called the "shopping momentum effect," if you can believe it, and actual academics at Yale (yes, Yale) have studied it. Let's all go to Yale. I could do a killer research paper on the Makeup Acquisition Complex.
It's different. The one thing that struck me the other day, after tallying up the $217--or was it $271?--anyway, one of the most valuable aspects of spending tracking is getting a whole new perspective on your way of life. We don't spend in isolation, right? We live a sort of life that includes or is based on a certain pattern of money usage.
For example, we have one view of our financial selves and behavior that we carry around in our minds with all the other self-definitions: I'm smart, I'm a pretty good mom most of the time, I don't spend that much on myself anymore, we're pretty good savers now, I should probably floss more often, etc.
But the person you believe you are could turn out to be quite different from your Real Financial Self. I found myself saying, "I don't really go out to lunch"...but in fact--I WENT OUT TO LUNCH. you know what i mean? People who genuinely don't go out to lunch would have said to their friend, "I'll meet you for a coffee." But I said, Sure! Because life is dull and it's January--but then I spent $19 (because we got dessert too) AND i bought my husband a hat and my son a shirt. On sale, but still.
See, that's the other thing: Once you start spending, it's harder to stop. It's called the "shopping momentum effect," if you can believe it, and actual academics at Yale (yes, Yale) have studied it. Let's all go to Yale. I could do a killer research paper on the Makeup Acquisition Complex.
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