Comments on: Finally…Here’s June’s Spending Report

By: Lyndsay

Lyndsay — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 01:36:16 +0000

This is the first time I’ve been to your site and I think it’s great. Keeping that in mind, forgive me if this old news, but if you’re looking for better ways to organize your time, etc., there is a great website called http://www.getorganizednow.com – hope it helps

By: Vicki

Vicki — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:01:05 +0000

Overall a great job! Most importantly, great job keeping track and knowing exactly where your money is going. I am always impressed by this chart. (I prefer to live in ignorance, especially that taxes column–ouch!).

I think your grocery budget is fine. Cutting produce and my other “splurge” of organic milk are not an option to me. That said, it must pain you every month to tally up the cigarettes.

By: Rob in Madrid

Rob in Madrid — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:48:18 +0000

For me keeping our food budget under control is a challenge as well. I have a friend who feeds a family of 3 on less than I feed a family of 2.

She does it by shopping strictly at the discounters (not sure if America has the same discounters as Europe) but it means buying only store brands and I don’t always like store brands. Beyond that I’ve tried driving slower to stretch the gas.

By: Tricia

Tricia — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:38:35 +0000

For our fuel costs, we were very fortunate way back when and we purchased a very fuel efficient car. We get on average 35 mpg. I also work at home, so my commute involves walking down the hall. My husband works from home right now too with his temp job. With not having to commute to work, we save a lot of money there. So most of our driving is recreational in nature (to go swimming, go on a picnic, go hiking, etc.) or for shopping.

By: Hector

Hector — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:24:19 +0000

Cut back the smoking!! I agree with the previous post, how do you manage the gas bill, we live in TX and I spend a good 300 a month on gas! and we have a honda civic and a toyota 4runner!!

By: Lynnae

Lynnae — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:01:04 +0000

You’re doing really well! How do you keep your auto: fuel spending so low? That’s one of our biggest budget busters (besides food & eating out) right now. Gas is so expensive these days!

By: Tricia

Tricia — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:47:48 +0000

pj – For June, my blog income (includes my other blog as well), came to a little over $600.

By: pj

pj — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 12:07:51 +0000

Would you like to tell us how much of that stated income comes from this blog?

I am guessing about $400. Just a guess…

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:28:28 +0000

Getting a food budget under control is tough especially if you happen to like certain (pricey) foods. Sacrificing your food for that extra $100 is tough because it really does seem like a sacrifice for a small benefit to repaying your debt… but I guess this is all a matter of attitude. I’d personally try controlling the food costs but I wouldn’t sacrifice on the types of food I ate.

By: nodebtplease

nodebtplease — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 10:32:18 +0000

wow, that food budget is out of control given your debt levels. i feed a family of 4 on around $300 per month with little trouble. i suggest you stop buying processed foods and junk food, because that’s an easy way to cut the budget without much thought. then start cooking simple meals at home. and avoid restaurants regardless of the justification, because guests can be entertained with lovely meals cooked at home and your family will be healthier if they skip the fast food.

By: SingleGuyMoney

SingleGuyMoney — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 09:57:58 +0000

It seems like May should have been a big spending month. As far as your finance charges creeping up, can you not transfer the balance to a lower rate credit card?

By: Aric

Aric — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 06:32:09 +0000

Thank you for your post and maintaining this blog. Seeing someone else go through the same things I’ve been experiencing is reassuring.

Groceries are one of my biggest expenses behind rent and debt payments. As you mentioned, failing to plan often ends in higher grocery costs. My experience shows that it does and can even push up other costs such as “dining out” and “misc – cash”. It seems that when I make spontaneous grocery trips to get something I really needed, I end up with a mishmash of things in the refrigerator. Not finding ingredients that make a meal, I’d eat out. When I analyzed my expenses, this really stood out.

When I was planning, I had a monthly calendar that I would write out exactly what I was going to have for each meal and made a list of things to buy. The goal was to go to the grocery no more than once a week. The neat thing is that when you get it going and get an extra couple of meals out of some leftovers, the food carries over to the next week, reducing your expenses. It worked like a charm until I got burned out on cooking.

Kristina is right, set yourself a goal and shoot for it. For me, it is bringing my lunch to work three days of the week for a month. I’ve done it for a few weeks now and have saved a lot of money already.

By: Kristina

Kristina — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 05:15:40 +0000

It’s wonderful that you continue to help the stray kitties, and it’s great that you are finding them permanent, loving homes.

As you commented, it seems like you could pay off hundreds more in debt each month if you got your food budget under control. What if you focused on this area next month and tried to challenge yourself to spend nothing on eating out and cutting your grocery budget significantly? It could be a fun thing if you made it a challenge and tried for just one month initially.

Also, here is a link that gives a very realistic menu and shopping list for how to feed a family of 4-6 for only $45 per month (plus, it’s healthy):
http://hillbillyhousewife.com/40dollarmenu.htm