The evil *B* word..
 

BUDGET :)

Who here has one? Any tips, tricks or suggestions?

DH and I are trying to put some money aside into savings and we tracked into Quicken how much we were spending monthly. Boy, were we shocked at the numbers on silly things.. like Starbucks, Waters at gas stations, ect ect.

So, we're really working hard to create a doable budget where we aren't completely limiting ourselves financially, but also putting some aside.

So I'm mostly just looking for what has worked for you to keep the shopping bug at bay and to boost your savings :)

Thanks!!

Hey, I could use some advice also,bump!

Ooooohhh I LOVE saving money :o). I'm weird like that. First of all you need to make a plan of your goals and how much you will need for them. Then figure out how much you will want to save every month. As soon as you get paid, pay YOURSELF FIRST. Then pay your bills. Last, I keep a few hundred in "petty cash" for groceries, gas, and whatever. IF there is any extra I put the money towards any debts that I have.

-Go to aldies (sp?) Save-A-LOT, or other discount food stores BEFORE you go to your regular store for food. You will be surprised how much they have that is the same. I don't like buying their fruits or veggies, so I go to the real stores for that. But the boxed food, some soda, and frozen foods are cheap there. Bread, milk, and eggs are almost half the price!
-Shop the dollar store to see if they have what you want.
-Buy clothes ONLY when they're on sale.
-Try to LIMIT your wal-mart shopping and make a list when you do go.
-Don't buy books, get them second hand or borrow them.
-Don't buy magazines or newspapers, read the stuff for free on the internet.
-Rent movies (netflix) instead of buying dvds.
-Buy gifts ONLY on holidays or birthdays. Better yet, try to make homemade gifts and cards.
-Only buy the kids big toys on a holiday or birthday.
-Eat out ONLY ONCE a week. This makes it more special when you DO go out as a family. IF you find that you HAVE to get a fast food bite, use the dollar menu.
-Don't buy yourself nice gifts just whenever. Tell your hubby to buy it for you for the next holiday. This will make things easier for him too! It might SEEM like it's a long wait but think about it... Birthday, Vday, Anniversary, Christmas.... This will also make you APPRECIATE the gift more.
-Women have a hard time with this one... DO NOT spend TOO MUCH on gifts for other people if you can't afford it. The THOUGHT is really what matters.
-Try to slow down or stop smoking, buying soda, drinking coffee, and eating out. Find cheaper and healthier alternatives.
I have more, but that's all for now!

What works for us is having 4 bank accounts. One for paying just our bills, that we don't have any check cards or credit cards linked to. Then we each have our own checking account for individual spending money to do whatever we want with - and when it's gone, it's gone. Then we have our employers direct deposit our savings money so we never even see it. It has worked great for us.

With us only being married 16 months, my husband graduating from law school, the two yorkies, the new house, and two new(er) cars, we definitely had to get on a budget. And...this is coming from me, a total shop a holic!

Here's my laundry list of tips:
-Eat less meat. It's expensive, it doesn't go that far in recipes, and it isn't that good for you anyway.
-Ditto for drinking and desserts.
-If you've just gotta have your wine like I do, make it a game-buy the cheap ones or bottles that are on sale, and rate them with your husband. You might find some bad ones along the way, but also some new, cheap favorites! And, it's the journey that's fun.
-Shop for meat at WalMart-it's really the cheapest.
-You don't REALLY need new clothes. (and neither does your yorkie!) Try and make the clothes you have work for another season. Mend them yourself if necessary, and take items to the tailor that need to be taken in, hemmed, etc. It's worth a few bucks to make something older fit well again.
-If you MUST buy a few clothing items, buy only the necessities-a few classic pieces to mix and match, and wear them!!!
-Buy accessories on clearance sales to make old pieces fresher for a fraction of the price of new outfits.
-Have shoes and purses repaired rather than buying new. You know you loved the old ones anyway!
-Nix your health club membership and trade it for one of those 24 hour gyms that just have equipment and no classes. They're half the price.
-Get a digital programmable thermostat and set it and forget it. Why heat/cool your house when you're not there or sleeping?
-Don't redecorate your house. If you're just itching to update, purchase sale toss pillows or make your own to add a splash of color in a new way. Don't redo the bathroom, buy a couple sets of inexpensive towels in a new color or pattern.
-Don't charge anything on your credit cards if you can avoid it. If you don't have the money, don't buy it.
-For the inevitable purchases, if you have to charge something, make sure you have a low interest card that has cashback bonuses-like Discover does.
-Drop your "extras" on cable, internet, phone service, cell phones, the newspaper, etc. You can save a lot. Also, call and see if they're running specials! I'm saving $20 a month for the next year on cable just because I called to see!
-Don't eat out for lunch while you're at work during the week. Pack your lunch from home, or get those inexpensive microwave meals.
-Don't drive anywhere unnecessairily-if you're running errands, run a bunch in the same area, or save the trip until you're going to be out and about anyway.
-Get a library card! I just did this 2 weeks ago-you can borrow books, movies, magazines, and music for FREE!!!
-When you entertain friends, stay IN. It's summer, so why not grill on the deck and have a few margaritas? It'll save you tons, especially on food and drinks-and you get to stay home with your yorkies.
-Entertain potluck style-everyone brings a dish, and everyone saves $. We do this a lot, and it works great!
-If you have a hobby, invest a little in it now for hours and hours of entertainment later. For example, I'm on a budget, but I LOVE to paint, and I promised a friend of mine a few paintings for her new home. I didn't have an easel-I always painted on the floor before-but I really wanted one. I found one on sale, so I bought it. I plan to spend a good amount of my weekends in the yard painting, so it was worth it in the long run. My husband got a new computer game. $40 now will save you hundreds on entertainment.
-Look for FREE entertainment-fireworks, community concerts, walks in the park, art museums, window shopping, movies in the park, picnics for two, etc. We do lots of this-and why not be outdoors since it's summer?
-Another idea for entertainment-bust out the old board games you haven't played in forever. We have a ton in our closet, and they've made for a few hilarious nights in.

That's my list...sorry it's so long, but I'm with you-on that darn B word! Gotta make it work!!! Good luck!

I write down (excel) all of our bills and when they are due. Then I decide what bills get paid with each paycheck and what's left over. Thats how we know how much is left for gas, groceries, savings, etc. That is how I have been paying off debt - if less bills are due that month I send a bigger payment to something.

We also try to be frugal. We don't go to sit-down restaurants. I can spend $5 on soda that will last a week at home (it's $2.50 a glass some places!) We cook or we get sandwiches or pizza. I check the Sunday ads and only buy stuff like paper towels when it's on sale. When you do it enough, you learn what good prices are. I don't pay $4 for a jar of salsa that is $2 somewhere else. I wait until I go to that store. Sometimes stores will try to say something is on sale for 1.79 when it's normally $1.85. When you start to pay attention to prices you will notice those things. I hate grocery coupons because I forget them when I need them or I carry them around forever to save a quarter. So unless it's $1 off, I skip it. This isn't just groceries either. I know if something is cheaper at Target or BB&B with a 20% coupon. You just learn these things.

We also don't usually just casually shop for clothes. I used to LOVE going shopping on the weekends and I stopped when we bought our house a few years ago. I buy fairly nice clothes that fit well and last and I carefully do my laundry (and often). I buy stuff when I literally have nothing appropriate to wear. If clothes don't fit or wear out I pitch them and replace them, but I try very, very hard not to buy things just because. Last year I bought a $50 dress (on sale) that I HAD to have. I have never worn it. I hung it in the middle of the closet so I see every day why I shouldn't spend $50 on a dress I will never wear. I could have gotten a really nice pair of pants that I could wear every week instead. So far it has worked. I also occasionally pull the old Old Navy & Target stuff out of my closet that never fits right and is junky and throw it away. That also reminds me that cheap isn't always a bargain when your $6 shirt lasts through 1 washing. I'd rather have the $25 shirt I can wear 25 times. :D

Thanks you guys, those were really helpful suggestions!

We definitely fall into the "eat out trap" even though we spend at least 100 dollars on groceries each week. I can't tell you how many times that I have thrown out expired things because I was too lazy to cook. So I am definitely doing careful meal planning lately.

We spent so much redecorating our house and are installing a vinyl fence at the moment (slowly but surely, LOL) that I actually am genuinely happy to be hanging out at home beause it's so pretty!

I think we are definitely going to try the netflix thing because we ALWAYS return movies late, no matter how hard we try not to.

The library is a fabulous idea, but I also always return everything late. This is horrible but DH had a library card and has like 10 books he never returned so that makes me nervous! But, I am getting two subscriptions to magazines I like as I can buy all of them every month. So I'll get two subscriptions, save money, and skip the others.

To redecorate too, I've been scavengering lawn sales and repainting and adding new hardware to old things. It stinks searching forever to find things.. but like today I found a new, old, dining room table and chairs that is a nice shape, solid build, ugly upholstery and needs refinished. But I can do those things cheap and for 75 it was a steal (downn from 125, woohoo)

I really just buy lots of little things that add up, clothes for my pups, clothes for me, books, magazines, candles, ect ect ect. So I am totally trying to limit myself.

I am not working at the moment because of some anxiety issues I'm working on :(. But, DH might get a second every other week job at Home Depot for the discount and a little extra to put into savings. And hopefully, I'll be back to working somewhere soon :)

Good luck on your budgeting. It's not fun at first, but it gets easier! As far as HD for a 2nd job, that is a great idea, but (and I hate to burst your bubble) there is no employee discount:(

Oh no!! I think DH will cry!! LOL

Great tips guys! ...Every time my DH is standing there looking at something to purchase & he keeps debating, all I have to do is say in a very low voice, as if I'm his conscience is..."When in doubt..do without"...& that does it for him.lol

what has worked for me is paying for everything in cash.

I set a side so much money every two weeks for food and shopping and then pay the bills and the rest goes into savings...

If you dont spend all of whatever you put a side those two weeks. You can always go out and get you or your furbaby a little something with the left over money. Or you can be nice and get your hubby something:rolleyes:

I like blockbuster.com better than netflix. If you have a blockbuster store that isn't very far away you can trade the movies you get in the mail with the store while you're waiting on them to come in the mail. That means more movies, but be careful because any movies not returned to the store a week after it's due you have to pay full price on, but they do call you and let you know they're late.
As for the books and magazines I have friends that I trade off books with. We send or hand them to each other when we're done. It's cool because we tell each other if it's worth reading or not.
If you still have a shopping bug, try garage sales. I have found like new or NIP books, dvds, and candles at half of the price.
I agree with the person who said use your credit cards less. Only really use them if you can pay them completely off every money. Double your payments until they are paid off. NEVER buy restaurant food, furniture, or clothes on a credit card. If you can't afford to pay for that stuff in cash, then go with cheaper alternatives.
The key to saving money is to kind of look at everything from a different perspective. Our government WANTS consumer spending. Our society has made us feel like we HAVE to purchase some things. Try to look at things thinking "Do I really need this? or is this something I want?" If it falls under want, then it can wait.
I hope that your hubby doesn't have to get a second job. By the way, cash doesn't work for me. I try not to have any of it because I tend to spend it faster on little things. If my money is stuck in a checking account, it's harder for me to get the money out!

I track ALL of my expenses. We never carry cash. Everything is paid for on check card and written down in a spreadsheet. That way we know where all our money has gone and what we spent it on so we can cut out unnecessary spending. Some of my budgeting tips include:
1. Turn the AC on a higher temp (and during the winter, the heat on a lower temp) when you aren't home.
2. Unplug appliances (like coffeemaker, hairdryer, lamps) when they aren't being used. Most people don't know that they expend energy and hike up your electric bill even if they are off but still plugged up.
3. The dogs really don't need anymore clothes than they already have.
4. We only go out to dinner about 3 times a month. It really does make a special "date night" for us and we save SO MUCH MONEY!
5. We make a grocery list on Sunday of all the breakfasts/lunches/dinners we will have that week and on Sunday we go to the grocery store and only buy things needed for those meals. Then, no money is wasted buying groceries you don't need that will eventually go bad when not used.
6. Don't drink bottled water. We fill a pitcher up with tap water and put it in the fridge. It tastes just as good.
7. Only go to the mall/shopping for specific items. If you have a function coming up that requires you to buy a new dress, go to the mall and buy only a dress for that function.
8. Do your yorkie's grooming yourself. You may botch it a few times before you get the hang of it, but remember it always grows back! You would be SO SURPRISED how much money you will save doing your own grooming.
9. Don't buy expensive meats for meals. Pork chops, chicken breasts, ground beef should suffice. Steaks, ribs, tenderloins are all very expensive.
10. We also save big ticket items for special occassions ONLY! It does make it more special when your husband buys you something expensive for an anniversary/Christmas/Birthday, than you just going out and buying it for yourself. You'll treasure it more.
11. Before renting a movie for the night, see what free ones are on TV.
12. Clean out your closet and take what clothes you don't want anymore to a consignment shop. They'll buy gently used clothes for resale.
13. Buy cheap beer and wine.
14. when having guests over for dinner, have everyone bring something.
15. And last but not least, before I buy anything, and I mean ANYTHING, I think to myself, "Do I REALLY need this?" if the answer is no, I put it back. You'll thank yourself in the morning.

Another point about entertaining
 

When you do have friends and family over, I love RLC's point about having them each bring something, and about buying cheap beer and wine.

Someone told me this when I was planning my wedding reception: If you serve it, the guests will eat it or drink it. Period. They don't care what the label is on the wine or the chips. They're there to spend time with you! But, I know how it kind of feels bad when someone notices that you're serving an off brand of something-here's my solution to that: put that item into another container before the guests arrive, and/or change up that thing by adding something new and different to it to make it stretch.

For example, buy the store brand chips for your next BBQ, and put them in colorful bowls ahead of time. I'm having a little get together with the gals this week that was already planned, but money's tight right now, so instead of providing beer, wine, and mixed drinks for everyone, I'm making champagne punch! One bottle of cheap champagne goes REALLY far when mixed with juice and ginger ale, and they're more impressed that I put the effort into making it! Instead of a whole fruit platter, we're having fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar tortilla chips-way cheaper, but it looks nicer!

i love all these tips i need to start saving money im going to use them all !

When I had 6 kids at home I could make one hole chicken into two meals for 8 people easy. We drank cool aid or water. Breakfast was oatmeal. Kids took a packed lunch to school. I did a lot of shopping from thrift stores. We rarely ate out, but made home made pizza at home that were even better, we did not buy into cable TV and played board games. The family was so much closer in those days and my boys today are trying to do much of the same things with their kids. It isn't difficult to save money. If you don't "need" it, then don't buy it. Those "B" days will end for you if you play your cards correctly. :D

Free Tv
 

You can get free tv on the internet. When we moved recently we didn't get cable because we're just renting until we find a house to buy. I didn't want to deal with the costs of hooking it up. Of course people at work and my dad make fun of us but I actually like not having it! It saves me $45 a month. I prefer actually watching tv and news on the internet. Usually the website has it on for free. I get to watch the same thing everyone else does without as many commercials! I love Mtv.com, vh1.com shows and

http://www.tv-links.co.uk/

has LOTS of cartoons, movies, and shows (I watched all of Reba). We also use blockbuster, which is less than $20 a month.

Ok, seriously....reading this entire thread made me feel like crap. LOL. After reading what everyone posted...I just realised OMG - I spend SOOOO MUCH MONEY!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: On just "stuff" - that I DO NOT even need. Home decor items, CLOTHES for my babies (I go TOTALLY overboard with that), shoes, bags, going out to eat with hubby, etc. Good lord. I need to seriously re-think my spending :eek: WOW! Just WOW.

Brooke, I feel you! I am STILL struggling with it. It seems we do well one week, then crappy the next with our budgetting. I don't know if I"m doing something wrong or if it's just THAT HARD.

What do you find yourself spending extra money on? If it's the stores, try to go there less. Avoid the mall especially! Those places are DESIGNED to get your $$

Girl....seriously, I think it is just THAT HARD. lol :eek: I'm not kidding though....I have tried to put myself on a budget before and I always fall off the wagon :( OMG, if my hubby were not married to me, he would be BANKIN'! lol. I'm serious - he doesn't spend a DIME! ON ANYTHING! I don't know how in the hell he does it!!! :eek: Ahh I know, I guess cause he's a man :rolleyes: Most of us women are just cursed with the urge to shop and spend money :rolleyes:

What works for me is I count 'savings' as a bill! So each paycheck when I pay my bills I automatically deposit money into my savings account as a bill. I leave myself a certain amount in my checking account and that is what I have. No more! So if its $100 a week and I spend it on coffee & water, then thats it... doing this I have learned to cut back on things. I realized I was spending $40 a month or more for coffee at dunkin donuts! i have cut back to 2 a week now and I spend about $20 a month now.. a little more manageable! :)

We do this too. Ideally of course you want to have a cushion in your checking acct, so don't do this unless you are extremely good at bookkeeping! (I balance my checkbook *daily*) When we get paid I only leave a few hundred dollars for non-bill things like gas and groceries. The rest goes to bills or savings. It helps us not spend if we see there is only $200 in the checking acct. If I leave $800, guess what? We manage to spend it all by the time we get paid again.

Once we get all of our debt paid off, then I will relax a little bit and build up a reserve in the acct. I also helps if you have a bank that will automatically transfer from savings to avoid an NSF fee, just in case. Even though the money is there, it's separate, and I *hate* transferring money into checking unless it's an emergency. So it does feel separate, even though it's really not.

quicken
 

when my husband spent $39.95 or whatever on quicken i was frustrated. i thought that seemed a bit expensive.

but when i started playing around and actually being able to see what we spend i thought it was great!

it is amazing how much you can save by taking your lunches to work and not buying starbucks. our grocery store has packs of flavored coffee and also you can try some fun creamers. if i set the pot to start automatically there is less of a "feeling" or "craving" to stop at the starbucks drive thru.
i buy alot of store brands. but i still splurge on toilet paper, tissues, and good quality paper towels (but i did find a great store brand at randall's yesterday!)

i don't ever use the full amount of laundry detergent. we just don't get our stuff that gross.

i jUSt started a subscription to gamefly since my wonderful husband will throw down $59.99+ for one game and have it beat in 3 days (plus at blockbuster you have to have a credit card on file to rent xbox 360 games.) this sucks when he doesn't like the game at all after 2hrs of playtime. he doesn't know i got a subscription, so i can't wait for the first games to arrive at the door!

if i find something i like (express editor pants size 4...) i will try it on and then see if i can find it on Ebay for less. this goes for items for my son also. my wonderful groom will turn his nose up at most of this stuff, but i don't mind. alot of it's new w/o tags anyway (NWOT).

my husband and i also carpool to work. i drop him off and pick him up.
i kept my membership to bally's b/c by the time i get home from work, work out, and eat, it's to late to head out.

water your grass in the evening to save on your h2o bill.

if you like to go out sometimes, have a drink at home before heading out (make sure someone safe is driving) because most bars around here charge 4-8per. also, try to have dinner at home first. the later you go out, the less you have time to spend. (for us that's a 30-70 savings).

if you're really desperate, ramen noodles with scrambled eggs, ramen noodles with shredded cheese, and ramen noodles...

see a movie before noon (or check your theater times) and get the matinee rate. have lunch before you go so you don't need munchies. or carry an oversized purse with your own munchies in it!

i haven't ever done this, but if you have a friend in about your size range, you could do a swap. update your stuff and give her some more options!

if you feel the need to redecorate in your bedroom you could try a duvet cover. you could possibly make one with 2 large sheets and then put little ties on them. viola! add in some cute wal-mart pillow cases and even make your own throw pillows.

a friend of mine says her friend had some leftover paint she wanted to get rid of. it was only a few weeks old. enough to do a small living room. she took advantage of it and helped save the earth a little:)

thanks to everyone else for their answers!

Had to add a few more...

Oprah had a great show on back in like Jan... where she teaches women how to budget and make more money and pay off debt quicker. There are so many GREAT resources online for learning how to budget and save money.

1. take lunch/coffee to work that you make at home
2. food shop a couple times a week for a little bit. I am single and live alone, I found when I did a big shopping I threw away a lot of stuff bc it went bad before I could eat it. Now I shop 2 - 3x a week and I actually eat ALL of what I buy. Its just a quick 5 min stop on the way home from work.
3. This is my New Years resolution for this year - FINISH WHAT YOU START. If you go out to eat, take home your leftover and actually EAT them! If you get a mail in rebate, MAIL IT IN!
4. Fill up your gas tank. I find that if I fill up my tank for $35 it lasts all week. If I put $10 in it, it lasts for a day thats it. So in 3 days I pay the same amount as I would have for a weeks worth.
5. If you have storage room buy in bulk. I go to BJs and buy TP, Papertowels, Pasta and anything that will keep. Its much cheaper, you just end up with a lot.
6. Buy one of those Brita filters for your sink. Its WAY cheaper than buying bottles of water. Invest in a good water bottle that you can carry with you and a good travel mug for coffee. Best thing I ever did! :)

Food shopping often is so true. I buy 2 bananas at a time. I used to feel stupid not buying a whole bunch but then I would throw them away!

Also, our water tastes nasty even if you filter it. We use my dad's Sams Club membership and buy 32 bottles for $4.25, and then 6 gallon packs for like $5. We go twice a year and buy like 8 cases. I hate Walmart, but I think they are loosing $ on me so it's OK. :D We don't have a Costco. I do make a point to keep it in the car, at work, in my purse, everywhere so I NEVER buy a $1 bottle of water or a $2 fountain drink.

HI
im trying to learn how to be frugal and i found this website www.frugalvillage.com they have something interesting stuff. its just like yt but no yorkies are on there that i know of.

Here are something i know help out here

i take old shirts and cut them in to rags (socks, pants anything works) so i uses these instead of paper towels to clean the counter, to dust, to clean the floors, blah blah. and i buy the 10 $1 at cvs sponges to clean the toliet and the dishes (not with the same sponge..lol) i only use the paper towel for dinner and if you arent messing no worries on using it up. i have a 2 year old and instead of cleaning him after dinner with paper towels he either gets a bath, and i wash him with wash clothes.

instead of buying the swifter wet towels, i have tons of baby wipes, b/c i have a baby and tuck them in the swifer and i might add some soapy water to the floor and bam the kitchen is clean i also use it on the hardwood floors, for some reason the wipes pick up more dirt. the smell of the vinegar does not linger at all

Vinegar cleans almost anything, floors, glass, tarnish, counters, etc.if you google the uses it limitless. add the vinegar to your homemade rags and you just saved money on cleaning supplies. laundry detergent and softner cut in to half wether its liquid or powder. supposedly vinegar works as a softner too but i havent try that yet

buy the good toliet paper, the cheap stuff for .88 doesnt last at all

grow a small garden for veggies

good luck i'll be reading for more great tips too = )

also some companies will mail you coupons or samples if you ask them

i just go online and email them

example i emailed sunsilk they sent me gift cards with coupons and samples, then i got coupons in the mail with get one free, buy one get one, and $1's off. so when i go to use it i will probably get tons for little to nothing

also i dont buy the pricey dog food, mine eat purina and are very healthy sometimes they eat pro plan and sometimes they eat just purina.

my opinion is all that organic stuff is over rated (not trying to offend people who like organic):)

if you have kids let them pick out toys at the $1 tree

i rarely buy the box fruit juices or juice anymore we drink cool laid and tea but i gotta have pepsi sometimes

off brand named ceral is just as good as the name brand

i like save a lot grocery store for dry good and can goods its all off name but it all works when you cook. like the cream soups are .49 or less when in food lion they are .89-1.19 a can, broth .39 a can at food lion .89 a can of veggies $.33 we buy cases. add some butter or salt to everything or chicken broth to stuff and the flavor is really good. boxed mashed potatoes 2 for a $1, same for stuffin the list goes on. we also buy cases of the mac n cheese for my son i think its $5 for 20 boxes last time i was there that had chef boy r d spagettiO's for .25 a can my 2 year was in heaven. those things are over $1 a can at the food lion!!!

There are some very good ideas in this thread. Savings are direct deposited. I keep a calendar with all bills, checking deposits etc noted so I can mark when each bill is paid and know pretty much were I'll be financially. I get weekly Harris Teeter e-mails and take advantage of the buy 1 get 1 free deals, especially on meat. We use a Brita water pitcher instead of buying bottled water. I don't go to the mall unless I really need something and check out the bargains at Marshalls and TJ Max first. I stopped having mixed drinks when we go out to dinner unless it's a special occasion and now I've opted to order water instead which has helped me loose a few lbs. I stopped getting acrylic nails and pedicures, now my nails are healthy and I polish them myself. When we are going on vacation I check out Restaurant.com for which restaurants in the area accept their certificates.

Lots of good suggestions. I'm going to try them, cause we're drowing in bills.