Budget Budge-it Budget

[MouseWife]

Oh, if you could find someone who needs a place enough to take your couch.

One thing I thought of, always keep your receipts. If you do buy something, and it doesn't work out, get your money back. I know a lot of people who just say f'it and keep the item. Well, that is your money. Get it back and re-apply it towards something else.

AND Uh, this shouldn't surprise you but, if you listen to the radio and try to win things....this has been an avenue of my entertainment forever. Movies, Disneyland, concerts, prize packages.

And, back to the lunch~ well, I've changed my thinking about that. I love to eat out. I love all of that. But, if you think about what is in the food, what you are actually getting. I've tried to be more aware of what I eat. I think if you flip your thinking around and think you are treating yourself to a more healthy lunch, and the rewards of such a treat {your hotness amplified} it might go over more easy.

Good luck!

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I was thinking a room mate would be the way to go, but it's a one bedroom. One of us would have to sleep in the living room. I think it would be kind of odd. Unless I can find someone who doesn't care about that.

Hence, a LOVER is the only logical solution.




* * * * * *

Sorry if I came off too strident against the spreadsheet option. I'm not desperately trying to convince GC not to take the advice of GD. But it's the kind of questionably-necessary step that I believe focuses too much attention on lack.

I admit that as a concrete step to track where your money is going, it's an ok tool. But it is any more useful than just thinking about it for a few moments. Is it really a mystery if you're spending more than you can comfortably afford on restaurants or gasoline to Anaheim?


But I don't want to get into an argument. I'll restrain myself from being adversarial. Sorry.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Hence, a LOVER is the only logical solution.

Do cowboys make bank? Hmmm. Liz Taylor did pretty well for herself in Giant...

[madmonkeygirl]

GC good luck on the budgeting. It took me forever to get a budget that we can live with. As far as lunches go if i get a lunch break at work then i bring my own food if i don't then i grab something on my way home since i eat at home before i go to work (it equals out money wise).....coupons i hate them...lmao

I always use cash first never charge anything anymore. (yes i've been putting money aside for entertainment mainly concerts coming up) that way i have the money for tickets rather than putting them on credit yet again.

Sorry to hear your apartment is so expensive rent wise. That seems to be happening all over lately due to the housing market. That's why i'm glad we own even if it is a mobile home and we have to pay monthly rent space but hey it beats what they were are charging for an apartment.

Sorry to hear about your Disneyland AP expiring. I took my tax refund money and renewed mine with it. The only way i could renew it. I might have to do that again this year or else figure something out but have almost a year to worry about that.

For holidays for my friends i make things for their presents. Cut the costs down and it costs a few bucks to get the materials that i need to make presents. Family we do a gift exchange so we don't have to buy everyone a present. It really cuts down the expenses. In previous years i could spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars but not now.

Good luck

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Keep in mind, that sacrificing all pleasures is NOT a good idea, no matter how much in hock it keeps you.

I'm don't believe anyone's recommended that.

Winging it may work for you, and I personally don't track everything all the time. But spending 3 months tracking it helped me quite a bit. It's one thing to say you know where all your money goes and what you spend it on. It's another thing to see it all in front of you and have a good picture of it.

He's asking for help, winging it obviously isn't working for him. I thought I'd give him some advice to solve the problem he was asking for help with. Don't really know why you, Steve, feel the need to convince him that my advice is bad.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Just like MW said - When we did our budget the most glaring thing was how much eating at home and brown-bagging your lunch saves you. Seriously. That's the best advice you'll get regarding saving money on a day-to-day basis.

Originally Posted by iSm

Do you really need a spreadsheet to tell you what your discretionary spending items are?

Actually, I think so. It's hard to remember where all the money goes. Trying to remember all that will make you a nervous wreck. ("ok, so spent this and this and this, can I afford this dessert?"). It's also hard to figure out what's worth more to you. If you're able to look at the figures later and say "that night out was totally worth what I spent, but that thing I bought for fun was definitely not worth the cash," then you'll know where to cut your fun money.

You can't know what your budget should be if you'd don't get some real world data first.

[katiesue]

online banking helps me to keep track of things. It's not as detailed as keeping a journal or anything but I only have one account and use my check card for most of my purchases. It's easy to see vons $20, Target $40 etc to give you a basic idea of where the money's going. And I don't really have to do anything.

I do a spreadsheet every once in a while (I suck at money too). I have friends who are really good with money but their methods don't seem to rub off on me. I had one person who was helping me budget but she kept using my gross pay not my actual take home, then took taxes out. It's much easier for me to keep track of what my actual paycheck amount is and go from there.

And I hear you with the rent - mine is outrageous but I stay because I'm in Maddy's school district so I don't have to worry about transfers etc.

I'm trying to pay down some of the debt (I can't help it if Bloomingdales loves me) so that hopefully by next summer I'll have some saved for a down on a new car - or newer car doesn't have to be brand new.

I guess for me it helps to put in a basic spreadsheet what my expenes are - rent, gas, electricity etc to see what I've got left. Then add in for groceries, fun and put the rest toward the debt.

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Live beneath your means.

It's the easiest thing to say, but one of the hardest to do. I remember the first raise I got at my first job, I thought, "oh wow, I'll have all this extra money", and my boss (a good friend) said to me, "it doesn't matter how much of a raise you get, you'll find a way to spend it, and you'll be back in the same place that you are now". I didn't believe it at the time, but it sure seems to happen again and again. There are many smart people on this board who come up with good ideas. It's up to you to pick and choose the ideas that will best fit your situation.

For me, it's easiest if I don't see the money in the first place. If I can have a portion of my payroll deposited in another account (that's difficult to access), that helps to force me to save (sort of like a 401k withdrawal). It's amazing how well you will adapt to the spend only the money you have.

A friend of mine gave me a book, "The Richest Man in Babylon", which I found very helpful, and had a lot of good common sense advice told in an entertaining way.

You said that you eat out a lot. I used to too, but now I bring my lunch to work. Maybe you can strike a balance where you could eat out a bit (to appease the ISM on your shoulder), and bring your lunch ( to appease the DPR on your other shoulder).

Anyway, enough of my blathering. This is a situation we all have to deal with in our own ways. I'm sure you will strike a balance that will let you achieve your goals.

[BarTopDancer]

Eating out is my budget buster. I hate cooking for just me, so I eat out a lot.

But I've done some math on it and if I am going to Wendy's or McD's or Chipotle and not grocery shopping it works out about the same. If I am going out for $10 meals every day then my budget is shot.

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm pretty good at cooking dinner for myself. It's lunches that get me.
I guess it's because when I get home from work, I become a toad and don't want to move from my bog.