The Budget 2009 thread

[Tori~CL]

This was one of my New Year's resolutions and the one that I have to be serious about. We got slammed with some big bills in 2008.

Are plan is to tighten up the budget. I hate that word. :stinkeye:

Anyone else doing a new budget for the year?

Things I am changing as they all add up.......

*No more buying beans in cans and using my future pressure cooker or CP. I just found out I have a 50 dollar gift certificate coming in the mail that I will buy the pressure cooker with.

* Use a darn coupon if I see one and stop throwing them in the junk door and forgetting about them.

*Cut back on makeup, hairproducts, hba, *gulp*

*Keep tract of all debit and stupid money spent like 6 bucks a day going to convinent stores.

*Use the extra money to put on debt and transfer more into savings account.

*Mostly cook from scratch and eat at home. This will be a challenge for me. I need to really menu plan and I know that can save a lot. We really don't eat out much anymore like we did, but it would be better if I could plan way ahead.

*Try not to use the credit card. That is the big one!

My contract is almost up on my cell phone and I might just cancel it. I can't believe I am considering that. lol I won't go without Dish though. :D

My husband wants to put it all in Excel. He is the bigger spender than I am, believe it or not.

Anyone else..............

[*AHIMSA*]

I've been doing this for a while and plan to continue...No eating out unless:

1) It's Happy Hour

2) I have a gift certificate or a coupon

3) It's a taco shop or under $5 in general

4) Someone else is buying :o

[Tori~CL]

Does anyone think it's worth it to invest in a bread maker or just keep buying bread on sale? Yes, my family seems to go through the bread, but I am no Caroline Ingalls. :D

Years ago I had one and liked it. I saw one the other day for around 60 bucks.

[*AHIMSA*]

It depends on how much bread you eat. You have 3 children, yes? You would probably need to make several loaves a day!

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

I eat at home.
I do not go out to eat, EVER.
(Unless someone else is buying :) That sounds simple, but think about how often you go out on the spur of the moment because you're too bored, tired, uninspired to cook? Blows my MIND how often people eat out.

I buy almost NOTHING canned or "packaged" (like faux meats, rice mixes, fancy flavored sauces, canned soups, canned beans, fancy Trader Joes curry-and-whatever-bla-bla-bla...). The exception is soymilk and canned tomato sauce and TJ's "two-buck-chuck" (wine).

I shop at the "scratch-and-dent", farmer's market or discount warehouse. I never, ever pay "full price" for groceries.

I cut up my credit cards.

I trade babysitting and ESL tutoring for haircuts and nails/manicures.

The above is crazy-hard and sometimes it doesn't work... but those are basiclly all the "budgeting" rules I do...

[Tori~CL]

It depends on how much bread you eat. You have 3 children, yes? You would probably need to make several loaves a day!

They are not here at the same time though. I have a blended family. :)

I would say we go through two loaves a week. It's a lot for me!

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

"Wheat" bread at the bakery outlet (or Wal-Mart) is 25 cents a loaf. Not the most nutritionally wonderful bread in the world, but cheap.

[Tori~CL]

"Wheat" bread at the bakery outlet (or Wal-Mart) is 25 cents a loaf. Not the most nutritionally wonderful bread in the world, but cheap.

I try to stick to whole grain or whole wheat but sometimes I cut back when I have too. I shop at Wal-mart and I don't think I have ever seen 25 cent loaves. Is there a special day to shop?

We had like a "Wonder bread outlet" store but they went out of business. To shop another outlet would be across town.

Also, I do have an extra fridge and freezer in the garage that I would love to stock up on sales and fill those babies up! :nana:

[Tori~CL]

I eat at home.
I do not go out to eat, EVER.
(Unless someone else is buying :) That sounds simple, but think about how often you go out on the spur of the moment because you're too bored, tired, uninspired to cook? Blows my MIND how often people eat out.

I buy almost NOTHING canned or "packaged" (like faux meats, rice mixes, fancy flavored sauces, canned soups, canned beans, fancy Trader Joes curry-and-whatever-bla-bla-bla...). The exception is soymilk and canned tomato sauce and TJ's "two-buck-chuck" (wine).

I shop at the "scratch-and-dent", farmer's market or discount warehouse. I never, ever pay "full price" for groceries.

I cut up my credit cards.

I trade babysitting and ESL tutoring for haircuts and nails/manicures.

The above is crazy-hard and sometimes it doesn't work... but those are basiclly all the "budgeting" rules I do...

New Year's Eve my husband said order Pizza. I said no way. I got a veggie one from the store on sale. I used to love going out to eat and now when I see how much it cost, forget it. Not worth it.

My friend that we did each others hair for the barter system moved out of state. :cry: I do my own hair but I miss the really good highlights. It's hard to get the back. lol

Cutting up the credit card is a hard one. I feel I need one for emergencies, but I have used it also to pay doctor bills. The doctors are not nice here. It's all in 90 days and into collections they send you. Even if you make payments on time. :-/

So yes, I need to shop better and be creative.

[WonderRandy]

You should check out a book called Your Money or Your Life. It can completely transform your relationship with money. Not just tracking and budgeting (which is part of it), but determining your priorities for a happy successful life. How much is your time really worth? How much time are you spending earning a living? and what do you really value?

[Tori~CL]

You should check out a book called Your Money or Your Life. It can completely transform your relationship with money. Not just tracking and budgeting (which is part of it), but determining your priorities for a happy successful life. How much is your time really worth? How much time are you spending earning a living? and what do you really value?

I think I have heard of this book before. I think this guy was on Oprah once.

If anyone brings up Dave Ramsey in this thread.... I have many reasons to.......:gun: you down.

[WonderRandy]

I think I have heard of this book before. I think this guy was on Oprah once.



I wouldn't be surprised. This book is very well known, and very well regarded. Ask anyone in the Personal Development industry for their number one personal finance book, and they'll recommend this one.

[heidiny77]

First, excellent thread! I was thinking about starting one myself but wasn't sure what exactly to put in the first so post so good job for you.

Second, I have read just about every personal finance book under the sun (to no effect on my messed up, instant gratification brain)! The Year Without Buying It was a not a personal finance book per se but it was about a couple that needed to severely restrict spending, have a tight budget, and not basically not buy anything but necesseties for an entire year. It was a fun read...I may need to read it again.

Yes, I need to make a budget....desperately...and completely stick to it! I plan on at least going over my finances this weekend to come up with a plan. All of my money is flying out of my window and I have nothing to show for it. I have a ton of debt (I am in a debt management program for the SECOND time).

I need an interevention! Maybe posting in here will help get me on track. I had made a list of things I could do to save money...I'll see if I can find it and post some of those ideas here.

[Yaeli]

My husband and I are trying to save £ in 2009. We spend way too much money on food (£70 - £90 pw), so I'm interested in any tips to cut down our spending!

I think a lot of it has to do with buying mock meats. They are terribly expensive!

[Tori~CL]

Randy, I am going to see if my library has that book. Sounds really good.

Heidiny, glad you joined in. I have also heard of that book. Any tips from anyone on how to cut back would be great. Food is always the first place to start at.

Last year I started transfering an x amount into the savings on pay days. It was great because I never missed it, and the small amount added up, but had to dive into a few times and now it's not much.

My husband stops at the convient store everyday on the way to work. That sometimes adds up to around 35 bucks a week! I figure I can buy the stuff he likes in bulk and save him a trip and money. He will not cut out the lotto tickets. :D

When gas was so high we was spending about 250 a month that really hurt us. I hope it stays down, but it looks like it is going back up. :-/

The bills are close to our income so you know how bad that can be! I did a great budget for Christmas and never used the credit card. That was a first for me.

I should go back to OAMC but it would be more like just a few meals to put away. I did this years ago and it saved money and calories. :yes: Like just freezing beans would be a great start.


My husband also took out a loan that is 300 bucks extra a month that is hitting us hard! Our house taxes were do the 31st and that is around 13 hundred bucks we have to come up with. :eek:

Yaeli, I have not bought mock meats for awhile now. It just cost so much and got burnt out on them. Making your own veggie burgers can be really good if you have the time.

I pulled up my credit card statement online and I can't believe things I bought that I really didn't need for the year 2008. My credit card bill is not terribly high, but for me it is.

We haven't have had much time to start the budget in detial, but bill paying is this weekend. We will go from there. I also have a basket that I set next to my other computor to keep track of everything spent.

That's all for now.

[Starblossom]

my budgeting has been really bad the past month. I just moved and was living out of boxes for a while, so cooking dinner everyday was hard so sometimes i would just get fast food or whatever so at least i wouldn't go hungry.

the buses are on strike right now and i have no car so i've been walking everywhere or bumming rides off people. after 24 days, i finally took a taxi tonight for the first time since the strike started so i guess thats not too bad. it still hurts though to spend that money when i already bought a bus pass i can't use. i have to take a few more taxis tomorrow too to get places which really sucks.

i do live now in a place with a big freezer, so i can finally save money by buying bulk beans and making lots of meals ahead of time and freezing them and all that stuff. once my life is less hectic (as in, actually ABLE to GET to the bulk food store...) I guess I will start doing that.

I have to totally reevaluate my budget soon since I need to go get a new job since I am not treated very well where I am not and I ended up not getting the new position even though they told me I had a job...that I actually don't have. yeah I spent a little too much money cuz I thought I would be making more money soon.

[rainforests1]

I shop at the "scratch-and-dent", farmer's market or discount warehouse. I never, ever pay "full price" for groceries.
Do you find that farmer's markets are cheaper compared to regular markets? I buy organic a lot of the time so that may be the problem, but I don't notice much difference in price personally.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

Raiinforest; I do notice a difference on SOME items. I don't buy everything at the farmer's markets, and I usually go at the end of the day when they mark everything down or they'll throw in a few extra bunches of semi-wilted greens or whatever, just to get rid of them and not take them home... you hvae to know your prices - and know which market vendors you can dicker with to get prices even lower...

[Tori~CL]

To the people that don't use a credit card or have cut it up.....what was your experience like after? I mean besides just doing with out stuff that you really don't need, but did you ever find yourself in a situation that you really needed it again?? Like an emergency or something? What did you do?

That is my biggest fear and the CC just gives me like a 'false sense of security'.

I've had a Discover card for years and years. Paid it off a million times and racked it up a million times. I have a super high amount that I could use, but would never charge that much.

I also have a Visa that really can't get me into too much trouble. It is through my bank for like over draft protection. They only gave me a small amount to charge.

So should I cut the Discover card up? What is the worst that can happen? No more fun stuff I guess. I would not close the account down though because that would lower my FICO score and I am all about my good credit. Every since TNS said she cut hers up and I know she has to be on a good budget too....I have seriously been thinking about it.

Thoughts. :sweat:....

[synergy]

I'm trying to save a few grand in the next couple months before I quit my well paying job to move to another city to become a student again and just work part time.
I know how to live on a budget and did so when I was getting my degree and working part time for 5 years, but I've gotten used to having a lot more disposable income.

The first thing I've done is cut down on coffee/tea out and buying extra beverages at work. I'll treat myself to a soy latte once every two weeks or so, instead of buying a round of coffee for a few people at work twice a week.

I was given enough shampoo, conditioner and lotion to last me a good year or so, so that'll help.

Me and my friends have started having potluck dinners and cooking for each other instead of going out for dinner or for drinks.

I cut off my cable since I only watch TV once in a blue moon.

I found a way better insurance deal for my car (turning 26 helped), and saved about a grand!

That's all I've started with so far, along with an auto deposit of a couple hundred bucks every paycheck.

I've gotten free movie passes from work, and stopped renting movies too. Not sure what else I'll trim, but I do want to live more simply, so it kind of all goes together.

[Tofu-N-Sprouts]

To the people that don't use a credit card or have cut it up.....what was your experience like after? I mean besides just doing with out stuff that you really don't need, but did you ever find yourself in a situation that you really needed it again?? Like an emergency or something? What did you do?....

I do a LOT of sweating (and praying!!). What's it like? It's terrifying!!!
Right now I simply cannot HAVE a credit card because I had too many "emergencies" and charged two cards to the max - (and they were "emergencies" too; medical bills, or car or appliance repair.

I am sure some stupid company out there would gladly give me another one, my credit is basically good - but I am paying these off come hell or high water. If something happened, I would be stuck, quite frankly. I do not have the income to cover "emergencies" right now. It's not a "good" budget by any means; it's a "barely scraping by" with the bare necessities, plus paying off the cards I never should have maxxed out in the first place.

[Tori~CL]

I do a LOT of sweating (and praying!!). What's it like? It's terrifying!!!
Right now I simply cannot HAVE a credit card because I had too many "emergencies" and charged two cards to the max - (and they were "emergencies" too; medical bills, or car or appliance repair.

I am sure some stupid company out there would gladly give me another one, my credit is basically good - but I am paying these off come hell or high water. If something happened, I would be stuck, quite frankly. I do not have the income to cover "emergencies" right now. It's not a "good" budget by any means; it's a "barely scraping by" with the bare necessities, plus paying off the cards I never should have maxxed out in the first place.

We need new tires on the car and don't have the money saved for at the moment. I had to put my medical bills on my cc because it would be better than going into collections. I am an honest person and I want to pay my debt, just like you. I need some work on my teeth too! That is part of my debt even with dental insurance that doesn't cover everything.

We can sweat it together!!!! I am going to cut it up. I figure if they want to come after me, you can't bleed a turnip? Or something like that. lol

Thank you for always being such an inspiration(sp)

[Tori~CL]

Oh, I will post a pic when I cut it up. :pibo:

[ReaganNC]

I am pretty good with money, but I have some goals:

1. Pay off the rest of the balance on the credit card (that's happening in February). We will keep it put away as it has been for a very long time for emergencies.

2. Cut out eating out unless it's super duper cheap or someone else is paying. I like the potluck idea instead of going out to eat with friends.

3. I usually put away 10% of each paycheck into savings. I think I will up that to 12-15%. You'd be amazed at how quickly that will add up, and you won't miss it b/c you probably spend that on something unneeded anyway.

4. No more faux meats and convenience foods (getting good at making my own stuff). No more sodas. I'm using the bread maker for breads, pressure cooker to make dried beans faster, etc.

5. Cut our grocery bill big time. We are notorious for deciding we don't want what we have and buying something new. The new rule is to finish what we have before buying anything else.

6. Getting hubby to cut out daily stops at the convenience store.

7. Clip coupons.

8. We are using the 30 and 60 day lists. We will put things on a list (either the 30 day list if it's something small) or the 60 day list if it's a larger purchase. We will revisit it after 30 or 60 days to see if it's something we still think we should purchase. Chances are, after the impulse has passed, the answer will be no. It cuts down big time on impulse shopping.

[rainforests1]

Raiinforest; I do notice a difference on SOME items. I don't buy everything at the farmer's markets, and I usually go at the end of the day when they mark everything down or they'll throw in a few extra bunches of semi-wilted greens or whatever, just to get rid of them and not take them home... you hvae to know your prices - and know which market vendors you can dicker with to get prices even lower...
I just went this morning and I noticed that tomatoes are cheaper. Pears seemed to be cheaper as well, but not a great difference. It's a shame they have so few vendors though. I can't wait for Summer to begin.