YNAB is all about your priorities, so you don't have to spend the money on something after the 34 days.

A challenge usually is better if there's a prize at the end of the road, but that can also be money in a specific category so you can get that thing sooner. They talk more about it here: https://www.youneedabudget.com/34-day-reset-tips--tricks/

killerog I did a Fresh Start too this year. 😀

killerog I guess I should've listed my rules too, but now I can't edit the post anymore.

- No buying alcohol (I should have enough beers left for a drink every weekend) - €  35 - 40

- No eating out (we still have a partial lockdown, so only take-away or delivery is allowed anyhow), take-away or delivery - € 55

- Only buy the neccessary in groceries - € 150 (Can I save € 50 on this?)

- No purchase of games, books, other entertainment - € 60

- No new clothes - € 15

I can still buy birthday gifts, and do investments if they're only available this month (I'll just cheat and move them to february temporarily :P ).

That's about what I can shave off I think.

killerog I'm doing the challenge as well.  I do have Facebook, but the threads are a bit overwhelming.  The amounts you listed are amounts you think you may be able to save?  It adds up to 320 euros which is $500 Canadian.  That's a pretty substantial saving.  I'm not sure I can shave that much off my current budget.

Silver Robot Those are my averages in those categories, so I probably still need some groceries :D but I do hope to cut most of the rest.
And maybe some expenses I'm not currently aware of that I have ;-)

killerog Maybe I should stop binging the YNAB youtube channel. I've found so many book, app, and home improvement recommendations already that it's kind of a wonder I didn't spend anything yet 😂

killerog So, the first grocery run is done, and I didn't buy anything I didn't need. Thanks to the pantry and the freezer the total was only € 13,20.

I did forgot to take my tablet to the store, so I had to enter the receipts at home. And now I seem to have misplaced 50 cents somewhere :D

killerog I managed to cook 12 meals out of it today, and I ate one (plus what was left at the bottom of the pan 😉).

Of course I'm still going to have to cook the pasta to go with the bolognese, but I might even have enough pasta in the pantry to match. Otherwise I could eat them with noodles too.

killerog As my main bank account still sends paper statements every fortnight, it's a bit hard to give a very detailed progress update.

Most of them are fixed costs of course, so I can give some information.

I did overspend on birthday gifts, and cake, (75 instead of 60) but I'm still getting 20 back from my sister for the gifts I bought for our dad. At least I know I budgeted way too less for this as I couldn't invite any visitors due to the lockdown.

So far I spend 33,78 and groceries from the 100 I budgeted. That's looking good.

I spend 2,99 on fun money, but that was technically before the challenge started on the 4th ;-)

It seems I'm doing good, still have to find out how I can compare it to last year or average last year easily. Ah well, that's still two bank statements away. Maybe even 3 :P

Faness killerog I started baking my sons' birthday cakes from a mix a few years ago. $5-10 with the decorations. It was very well-received and looked pretty good despite me not being a baker! The best part, each son helped me make it for the other (bdays 3 weeks apart) so they were proud. I even made one in a tinfoil lasagna pan we took camping! I was very happy not to spend $20-30 on a slab cake that was way too sweet. For my birthday, my Mom got me a delicious cake, but not too big so it didn't cost her too much. :)

Faness Yeah, it's the total so far. I ate out of the pantry for a few days (not literally), 2 to 4. I was visiting family for two or three days, and ate there too. So that helps a bit 😉

But overall I'm pretty impressed myself too. I'm not sure yet whay exactly I saved so much on, but I assume it's the 2nd (or 3rd, etc) item off deals that I'm now being more considerate off if I really need those this month.

I did consider making cake myself, but I'm not very good at it and I had been in the kitchen a lot lately compared to what I usually cook. I was considering not buying cake at all, because it wasn't really essential but I got some protests about that 😄

Purple Foal That's a thing I want to get better at. I made brownies lately that were pretty well received, but my last attempt at a real cake was a pretty big failure. It just wouldn't rise 😂

Faness I kind of meant it the other way around. I buy those deals too quickly without knowing/considering what's still left in the pantry. But they can be good deals, if you take in consideration what you still have at home. Don't buy bulk just because it's cheap.

That's how I ended up with 12 cans of soup 😂

killerog  I do not bake much any more, but you can make a killer birthday cake with brownies, ice cream and whipped cream. Decorate with as many candies as you chose (for elegance try shaved chocolate) for kids try plastic farm toys and playful candies. Food coloring etc. No need for artistic talent at all. You can make it in a round bowl like an igloo or two layers of brownies or just one. Look for ice cream cake recipes if you want more directions, but use the brownies or even store brought cake layers. The idea is to do it with love!!! It was (and still is) my kids favorite cake, even though my daughters and sons are excellent cake decorators, especially with the things that you can buy today. Good luck

Hello @rickii when I go to the grocery store, I use this app. (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.panagola.app.shopcalc&hl=en_US&gl=US) When I started to use the app I had to first make my list on the fly as I didn’t have the price for the items. But I was able to put in my food budget dollars. So, when I would put an item on my list it would show me where I was at dollar wise, so I didn’t blow my budget as I was shopping. Now that I have most of the items in and the prices now, I make my list and know how much I need to budget for. Since I found this app I haven’t gone over my budget. I find it really helps me get in and out without blowing my food budget. Maybe this could be a helpful/useful tool for you also.

Corruptress  Thank you, I just saw your reply today!! I will look it up. I use out of milk and I can add the prices there as well. I just never did, so I am going to try today, at least for everything else but the fruit and veggies.!!

rickii That is awesome!!! I hope it goes well for you.

Faness Yes, I also meal plan. The program that I have been using is https://www.eatthismuch.com/a/Kis1gtfe otherwise I get into a "I don't know what to make" And what to go out to eat. I've found the food ideas to be pretty good. And I'm able to adjust my weight goals as I need to. I've lost 25 lbs using this program.

Faness Love that way to shift my mindset!  Thanks

atoznewlyweds I'm curious, why go out to eat if movie theatres open and not to a movie?  Can you ask your husband to use his debit card for all his spending?  Then if he doesn't track it, at least it's recorded by the bank, unlike cash that just goes *pouf*  I'm am also terrible for the little spending that adds up.

Silver Robot Oh haha he WILL go to a movie.  He goes to our favorite mexican place for their great happy hour and then to a movie (which is "free" because he is an A-List member).  It's his ritual and his favorite thing in life (exaggerating but only slightly).  

He does use his debit card but one of the "rules" for the challenge is to manually record each purchase.  Normally we just let it import from the bank.  

Faness Thanks. The remodel is going on over a time, as we can afford it- all new kitchen, knocked out a wall, etc. Worked as a renovator for a number of years, so no labor costs.  I can knock off a major kitchen remodel for someone else in about 5 weeks, but it has taken eons longer doing it for myself in 'spare' time.  I would like to see those finished pictures also😄. 

Purple Foal I'm going to start saving for my Pop Up Camper in my Wish Farm. $2000-3000. Rather than using my TD TFSA. 

Faness Numbers don't lie! Gotta get those groceries under control. It's either food budget for money for food budget for calories. Gotta do both this year! I should do an inventory too. I have been WAMing a lot from other categories to fill up my daily expenses with the "whatever" attitude because of the pandemic. Now it's a wakeup call...creeping up. :)

Purple Foal Or I might just save for a new light fixture for the dining room for $250. That's attainable and I can say: I bought this with the money I saved in January not eating out, driving anywhere (WFH lockdown), and cutting my grocery spending! :)

Purple Foal are you doing a Whole 30 round?

Faness HaHa!! Yes it will be good to see that light was my January savings! :)

Gironaso Is that a program? No just doing my own thing. Made a tracker since I need to see something visual, not just on an app. I've attached it if anybody wants one. :)

Purple Foal  Yes, pretty much you cut out sugars and whatnot for a month and then reintroduce certain foods one at a time. Its supposed to show how your body handles certain foods, kind of an allergic sensitivity experiment for your body.

Gironaso I've done something similar in the past with my Naturopath. Can't say I have much motivation this January but there is always Feb! Good for you! :)

Purple Foal I had the exact same question in my head. Was staring at the winding path in the workbook and thinking - okay, how do I know how much I am saving day by day? I will be on the look-out for thoughts by others as well.

MyraJ I was thinking about using the average spending in the Income vs. Expense report as a number to compare it to. But maybe that Isn't the best number?

Love to hear other people's way of tracking that.

Faness Yes I just read that - thank you! My problem has been going over budget on my categories so it will be a challenge to have money left over. But I put my target goals beside each category: dining out $150, gas $200, groceries $400 etc. so hopefully there will be money left in some of them!

Since Ontario is now in a strict lockdown and all schools are closed for another 2 weeks, I won't be spending money on gas. I'm taking total advantage of the situation to look at the benefits: saving money, walking at lunch and after school during the daylight with my neighbours, sleeping in an extra hour, loungewear, working on my house projects, and eating pb & j on my toast! :)

QC Love the idea of unsubscribing from all consumer emails that come in.  We are already well into the challenge, but I'm going to follow your lead.  

QC I like the idea of keeping a running list of your “wants” for the month. I’ll have to try that, too. 
 

Unsubscribing to consumer emails is another great idea.  I’m bombarded with emails from Joann and Michael’s ... So many crafting ideas and not enough $ for them right now.  My goal is to use up my existing crafting stash. 

Faness I prefer here...don't want to use FB. :)

Wyvern Thanks! I'm going to replicate that one in a spreadsheet, as I mostly do me shopping directly after leaving the office I should probably carry it around digitally.

killerog I can share my Google Sheet if you like. You can make a copy

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gWraTwk9G0BBy-xwLV9EE3KqwaO4ZkVz0vmbG7qi0YY/edit?usp=sharing

Wyvern Thank you! Now lets dive into the freezer / pantry

Wyvern  Thank you sooo much for posting this. It's great!

Wyvern Just found out about this today, might be useful when indexing :-)

xgirlmama 

xgirlmama said:
$20 because my kids didn't clean their room to get allowance this week

 Love this!!

xgirlmama  I do not want to imply anything about your method of allowance setting, I just want to share my story. No sum of money would have encouraged me clean my room, or my home as an adult.  I even paid a cleaning lady once a week so a few hours of walking into the house would make me feel better *****until**** the kids and I trashed it again. I would hear my mother saying " why don't you just put it away when you walk in? What is so hard about making a bed and taking the clothes to the laundry room?  How can you find anything in this mess"??  Much later, I learned some things from FlyLady (which is where I first found out about YNAB).  It was hard going, but  today there are many sites out there which can help to install good organization habits,   I agree with Killerog, you do have to ignore all the adds for the products they are pushing. I wonder if financially challenged goes with organizationally challenged?? Anyway, Today, my budget is solid with YNAB and my home is clean and "company ready" for a home where I work from the kitchen table, where there are children,  grandchildren and the dog in an out. Where I have friends to share my journey with. Why am I doing this YNAB challenge? If nothing changes then nothing changes and I need to shake up my budget a bit. So far , from the grocery budget I have saved about 25 USD from the groceries and have not touched my non essential stuff. I may not save as much as I would like but I am becoming more aware of the waste in my food budget and am cleaning out my food pantry and freezer.  Good luck to us all.

rickii You mean there is hope for them? The kids have very few chores because school is their job. They are expected to help around the house (empty dishwasher, take trash to the curb) and to tidy their room once a week. The allowance exists because a couple years ago when it looked like squatters lived in their room I couldn't think of anything else to do to encourage them to tidy it once a week. It did help! This is only the second time they've lost allowance since then. I spent something like $1800 last year to re-do their room so that it can be nice and pretty and organized, but they don't seem to care to have nice things. Oh right, I know why. Teens.

day 10 (?) and I'm soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bored.

$ spent since Jan 4:

allowance - $20

rite aid (rx meds): $2.74, $23.61, $3.40 (we had a bunch of different deliveries. This amount is usually higher at the beginning of the year)

car/life insurance: $149.85 (I pay monthly)

That's it. Note: I sent mortgage and the month's food $ to wife on Jan 1, so I pay a lump sum every month ($2272 mortgage - yay refinancing; $850 groceries) - no way to save $ here.

Last night I was SO BORED, so I reached for my phone to look at the amazon app. I stopped myself and grabbed some knitting for my idle hands instead.

xgirlmama So am I, the lockdown got even stricter here. I joined a challenge last week to clean/declutter/reorganize one room each week. At least I've something to keep me busy this way ;-)

xgirlmama day 15. Haven't spent any money that isn't for the 4 walls! I spent time on Saturday cleaning out the pantry/fridge/freezers and taking inventory of what we have. This week we only spent $130 on groceries, which is usually at least $250+ (family of four adult sized people, using instacart and tipping heavily). And while *I* didn't save that $120, since I give my wife $850/mo and she covers the rest, the house saved money. So, that's good. I've made meals for every day this week using freezer meat + the fresh veggies we bought. I just had a mystery frozen meal for lunch that I found at the bottom of the freezer. It feels good to be able to see what's in there again. 34 day savings still sits under $80. 

xgirlmama I have 2 boys, 16 & 13, and they are at their dad's half the time. When they are with me, their jobs are to empty the dishwasher (we have a odds/evens days schedule based on their bdays which also applies to the front seat of the car. No more fighting over unloading/loading, it's just "their day".), vacuum, take out recycling, and then carry laundry up/down. They don't argue about helping when I ask them since I've reinforced that "we all live here, so we all have to help". I don't give them an allowance but I will be giving them money for their final grades. I've never agreed with $10 per A or whatever since kids in elementary school are graded by their abilities, not just performance. Someone who tries really hard will get excellent Learning Skills, but an A is given to work that is above & beyond the expectation with a higher level of understanding (I know, I'm a teacher). However, my boys are in grades 8 & 11 and are graded by percentage based on their efforts.

So in August, we had a discussion about their goals for the year and what they can achieve. They are both smart but not driven, hence the caveat of me paying them $50 per mark over 80% (not 79.9, yes the little guy tried that!). They are both working towards honour roll and my eldest now knows he wants to pursue software engineering/programming in university so we've discussed the expected courses & marks.  They are both excelling and trying a lot harder. It is a very challenging time being home and learning independently online: eldest is solely a remote student, whereas my youngest and I are at home since our province is in a lockdown, with schools online only in the urban areas until Feb, but I predict after the March break. They are missing their high school & grade 8 experiences so I've waived their online gaming times since that is the only way they can interact with their friends. It's really sad. I'm ok, I'll get over it, but I've also had lots of experiences at their ages which they are missing out on.

Long story short...I'm paying them for their performance on schoolwork, not housework. :)

xgirlmama I had to laugh today. I just spent an hour reading reviews about a frying pan, 132$  that was highly recommended. I can't believe that I almost considered adding  it to my wish list (I am looking for a fry pan) but read the reviews. No way will I buy it!! I have been so good about staying off of amazon this month!!!

Purple Foal thanks for your take. I think I pay the girls for housework so that I don't have to do it ;) And it's not even much. Dishes 1-2 times a week, trash to the curb, trash back down the driveway, their room

Gironaso this is pretty awesome... I do something very similar  - just not nearly so organized! 

Violet Yeti Yes I think it really helps us out by minimizing food waste. The only meals that we actually change are on Saturday and Sunday dinner. All of the weekday meals are "easy" with very cheap ingredients and we usually splurge on some salmon or ribs on Saturday or Sunday. 

Gironaso Very impressive! I find with the meal planning, you end up only making 4 things then repeat with leftovers. My challenge is feeding my boys (meat & carbs to fill them up) but then I end up eating the pasta too. 🐷 However, the weeks I don't have them, I eat pretty clean. Actually even when I have them, my breakfasts, lunches, snacks are pretty healthy & clean, then I just watch my portions with their meals. I write my weekly plan on my kitchen chalkboard...but haven't in a month probably. Guess what I'm doing this weekend? Lol

Gironaso love this approach!  Eating well and by that I mean inexpensively, healthily, without too much fuss / work, without too any leftovers) is a bit like budgeting isn't it. Try ideas out and tweak util you find out how to make it work for you and your situation!

Faness That's what I do, and it's a huge savings opportunity for me.  When I started YNAB in September my grocery "budget" was $400, I blew past that every month.  On YNAB, it's $250, I've stayed +/- $10 each month, and I'm shooting for $200 during the reset.  I highly recommend checking it out.  I am no where near as organized as Gironaso  (life goals) but I do try to have a general ideas of recipes I want to do for the month and when I'm extra high speed, I write out all of the ingredients for each week... then after I put in week 1's order, I update my cart with week 2 and then during the week if I realize I need something else, ie eggs, creamer, toilet paper... I just add too it. It's really great 😊

Faness Thank you! Yes, we order from our regional market HEB, but Walmart also has grocery pickup. I have found that it keeps us more organized and we are usually pretty good about editing any "impulse" buys through the app. Since we started using this approach, we no longer go inside the grocery and have found it to be a huge time saver as we just do curbside pickup. Also, a lot of the cravings associated with groceries have diminished! 

Violet Yeti Thank you! Its very simple, we just created a table template and we would make a "Grocery" day where we searched Youtube for different recipes based on a Mediterranean diet. We would copy and paste the Youtube link into our notes and create a title for it including the servings appropriated in the video. We would look for 5-6 recipes each week for breakfast and dinner. Once we found them, we would just choose them and write down the ingredients for each one, this makes it easier when inputting items into our HEB App. 
We would then do this approach to each recipe for the week. We would do this for maybe 4 times during the month until we had a large enough "recipe bank". Afterwards, we just copy the note, change the date to the day we are actually picking up our groceries, choose enough recipes for the week,and tweak the dates on the menu. 
Due to the pandemic, we agreed that we would no longer cook meal preps that needed to be heated at work as to decrease social interactions during lunch time.
So we implemented our 3/2 Rule which is: Look for a cold meal in which the servings can be multiplied times 6 (3 my fiance and 3 for me) for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday meal preps. Then look for a recipe that can be multiplied times 4 (2 my fiance and 2 for me) for Tuesday and Thursday meal preps. This is where Buddha Bowls, which are mainly quinoa, veggies, and protein, came in handy. 

If you guys want me to share the menus, just let me know. I wrote them on iPad Notes so I can definitely share them if you guys want, just PM me. 

Violet Yeti isn't it awesome when you "find" $ thanks to YNAB?

xgirlmama yes (well after I kicked myself for messing it up in the first place!)

Faness I didn't kick too hard!! Lol