Going to try to not spend for a month....wish me luck!

**Bimmer** · 03-30-2009, 12:56 PM

Good luck.

I would not feel super bad about spending a little more on food than the budget says you should (assuming you are buying necessary and/or healthy items). You have to eat to survive. Just make sure you are buying smart and healthy.

**inneedofhelp** · 03-30-2009, 01:13 PM

thank you for your support.

to be honest, some of the food was healthy, some of it was not, some of it was due to necessity at not cooking lunch the night before, that kind of thing.

I did spend a lot this month, but I also stocked up on ALOT of protein and cleaning supplies and cat food and stuff like that.

I don't want my boyfriend to spend a lot of money, so I will be very conservative about my requests. He is a good man and I love him tremendously.

I know, I know...this is the finance forum, not the love forum.

**swaymonae** · 03-30-2009, 01:43 PM

$100 for one month is pretty low.. I don't know if I could do it.. maybe $150 per month...

Just make a lot of grill cheese sandwiches, and bean & cheese burritos.. and as always, never shop at safeway.. find a walmart, target that sells food... or Trader Joes.

.. g'luck.

**Dewayne** · 03-30-2009, 08:18 PM

Originally posted by inneedofhelp View Post

So, I have been on a super frugal budget lately, and not doing too well on it.

My primary expenses has been extra food and gas and bridge toll.

I am not eating out alot or anything like that, it is just that I tend to eat more than my $100 a month food budget. Sigh.

So, next month is going to really force me to be super strict about my budget. Super strict! I am paying off a bill and as such, will have to use my food money to pay this bill.

My bf is being super kind and wants to buy me food. He is on a tight budget himself, and since I have a lot of protein frozen already, I am going to try and only buy the things needed to make both of us dinner (like starches, and beans, and more veggies and dairy).

This is going to be a challenge for me because I overspent on food this month (march) since I had some money in my checking account for a future bill. Sigh. I don't know what is wrong with me.

I thought my friend was spending too much when she spent $150 on food for just a week, and yet, I am spending 10 and 20 bucks here and there a couple of times a week for food. Sigh.

I will be buying personal supplies and the usual gas and laundry, but that is about it.

Wish me luck.

Hi There!

Let me see if I can help a little. You appear to be falling in the "I'm going to control my expenses or else" trap. Ever hear this... "I'm going on a diet and this time I not going off of it until I loose that 25 lbs." Both statements are doomed for failure.

Why? Because both statements evidence a lack of sound planning and the recognition of human nature.

If I want to loose 25 lbs., I need a plan I can stick with 6 out of 7 days a week. On my "off" day... I eat whatever I want! This gives me something to look forward to, like that incredible pizza joint I love, but it also begins to show me how good I feel when I DON"T eat that kind of food. Same thing with a financial plan...

Sound planning begins with a sound budget plan. You should follow the psychology of the example above like this:

1.) Budget for your necessary expenses, i.e., living expenses and bills.

2.) Then... pay yourself. That means to put some money in an emergency fund, or any other fund that saves for the future.

3.) If you have anything left... spend it! Enjoy it. Do the things you enjoy doing. And... you won't have to feel guilty because you have done things right. Just like the diet example above.

Now... if you need a diet plan that will work for you, I am not the guy to offer that advice!

But... if you need a budgeting tool that is easy to use and free, I encourage you to give BudgetSketch.com a try. It's simple tool to help you get on track by following the budgeting principles above.

I hope that helps... good luck!! You are definitely headed in the right direction!

Regards,

Dewayne

**yellow heel** · 03-30-2009, 10:26 PM

sway, curious but why not shop at safeway? I sometimes shop there since it is so close. Is there something I should be aware of?

**swaymonae** · 03-31-2009, 11:11 AM

^It's so expensive! Every now and then I go there to get the items that either Target, Walmart or Trader Joes doesn't have,.. but you pay close to half of what you would at Safeway, Albertsons, etc.

Next time you go to Safeway... jot down a couple items and prices. Take that list to Walmart or Target and see for yourself!

**Joan.of.the.Arch** · 03-31-2009, 11:50 AM

Originally posted by yellow heel View Post

sway, curious but why not shop at safeway? I sometimes shop there since it is so close. Is there something I should be aware of?

I've noticed swaymonae saying that on several threads. It has been decades since I lived in an area with Safeway, but when I did they were an okay place to grocery shop: average, no texpensive If I shopped at Trader Joe's, my food money would not go far at all. Perhaps Trader Joe's is different in different parts of the US, but here, it is expensive. There are no Super Targets here, so shopping at Target would give me a very strange diet which would include no fresh produce. There probably is a Super Walmart (is that what they call them?) somewhere in my metro area, but I have never seen one, and presume I might have to pass up many good value stores to get to one. Where my son lives Walmart is one of the better places for groceries, yet I still would rate them as below average in quality and only average in price (as compared to where I am able to shop.)

Evidently, making specific recommendations for where to grocery shop is one of those "your mileage may vary" undertakings.

Going to try to not spend for a month....wish me luck!