OK, here it is, Tuesday AM and I haven't posted my spending yet for the weekend. Have I mentioned that tracking what you spend is THE Most Loathed and Dreaded Task on Earth? This is why. We are all chickens. I am a chicken. And I want to be perfect.
My plan for this entire month was to post how little I spent each day. Hah! Of course, that's when fate sends you to restaurants three times in two days, and a wee sale at the adorable kiddie clothing store in town, when you almost never (ever) eat out! Or shop! (Yes, you are watching a personal finance writer try to pass the buck to Fate. Pathetic.)
On Saturday, in a final round of holiday obligations, we spent:
$32.08 on brunch with my dad*
$19.02 on gas
$65.00 on a holiday dinner party at a new local hotspot (You know, I live in the Catskills. If someone invites you ANYWHERE, you say yes.)
$54.65 on groceries
*Please note strategic mention of parental unit, to alleviate spending guilt.
Then, yesterday, in a fit of Monday/post-holiday/deep winter blahs, I went out to lunch with a friend (and hit the kiddie store):
$19.00--lunch
$27.98--hat for DH and shirt for DS
It's only January 6, people--six days into 2009, 299 left to go--and we have wantonly frittered, lunched and brunched away a total of $217.73.
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3 comments:
Oh, well. I went to the natural grocery store and spent $175.81 before going to the second (mainstream) store to get stuff for the hubby and spent $146.12 and THEN, when I got home we had baked potatoes and chili for supper because I didn't know what to eat. I didn't think we could afford the food right now with rent due only leaving us $65 for the next 2 weeks so I put it on my cc. That's $321.93 and our monthly budget has been $347 but we almost always exceed. Plus my $30 internet bill was withdrawn from my account. So that's $351.93 on Monday. Yuck.
the grocery dilemma is interesting. that's our main target area for reining in our spending (and then mine, personally, is all the frivolous stuff). i wonder: could you have paid for the groceries in cash (or mostly), and then tried to eat what you bought? the Women in Red call it living on the pantry or something.
Our grocery bill is also the big dent in our budget. I've found making a menu and making my lunch help me budget and use the food I've purchased. Purchasing too far ahead and things spoil or get shoved to the back of the cabinet or just plain don't sound as good as the day you purchased them. Taking lunch isn't nearly as glamorous as eating out, but it saves a lot of money and you eat healthier. The menu helps me plan meals and make ahead for days we need quick meals. If we are running late or don't have time to prepare a meal, it is the standard PB&J with milk, carrots and yogurt.
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