Getting my act together, better late than never

[Stacy]

You make me thankful that I spent most of my working life working in public schools with unappealing food. Even the saddest leftover looked good by comparison.

Food is the toughest area to avoid spending money, since I often need to buy it. Then I end up throwing things in the cart because they look delicious when I happen to be walking past them. And when I'm tired after a day at work, resistance is futile.

[Stacy]

I'm trying to make a little progress every week.

• I worked some overtime on Sunday morning, so that will be a slightly bigger paycheck.

• Interest rates had dropped on the savings bonds, so I stopped my weekly purchase and started putting that money into my high-yield savings instead as a direct deposit from my paycheck.

• I'm doing great with my budget this month. Once I got focused on a goal, I lost my appetite to buy most things. I hope this feeling lasts.

• I started a "House down payment" envelope with a tentative goal of $40,000. I was surprised to find $6792 could be pulled from my other envelopes to go in it. Most of that is locked up in a CD at this time. If I can keep spending at or below my means, I wouldn't have to touch that money, except to reinvest.

• I bought one pair of work pants on the manufacturer's website with an introductory discount and free shipping. I'm going to need another pair, because two pairs of pants ripped in the same unmendable way, and I'm down to one. But I'm short on money now, so I may have to buy a pair at work, using the employee discount.

• I want to get back to buying vegetables through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. This helps the local farmers, cuts transportation of food way down, and kind of forces me to eat more vegetables. It also keeps me away from the side of the store that tempts me to buy other, naughtier types of food. I have to look into it to see if it will fit into my budget.

That's about it for now.

[mooretrees]

It’s been fun reading your journal as you are starting to make nice progress!

Are you on medication for the ADHD? @Scott2 turned me onto the YouTube channel Hot T o ADHD and I’ve found it invaluable to understand and work with my DH and DS.

Also, regarding weight gain, any chance you are going through perimenopause? Seems highly likely that would explain weight gain. There’s a lot of information out there about dealing with perimenopause, Dr Stacy Sims and Dr Mary Claire Haver are the two names that come to mind. Both have plenty of podcasts and our library had both of their books.

I’m excited to keep watching your progress!

[Stacy]

It’s been fun reading your journal as you are starting to make nice progress!

Thanks! I hope I'm entertaining.

Are you on medication for the ADHD? @Scott2 turned me onto the YouTube channel Hot T o ADHD and I’ve found it invaluable to understand and work with my DH and DS.

I am, and it's amazing how much better I can focus now compared to, well, the rest of my life.
I like How To ADHD also, although sometimes her personality can be a bit much for me.

Also, regarding weight gain, any chance you are going through perimenopause? Seems highly likely that would explain weight gain.

I absolutely am going through perimenopause, and that triggered my ADHD to get me so out of whack that I realized that I actually have it. I wasn't diagnosed until last year, when it occurred that me that it would explain what my problem has been all along and I mentioned it to my doctor. I'm glad I did. The diagnoses and treatment has been a game-changer for me.

As for the weight gain, my love of ice cream and pasta is also a good explanation.

[Stacy]

Yikes! I got off track.

My No Spend November was partially successful. I made an unexpected trip to Milwaukee to visit the art museum and Aldi, although I was mostly there as my son needed to buy a new bed and we enjoy the browsing the showroom. Even with this day trip, I still came out $108 ahead for the month, which proves to me that it's possible on my income without feeling impoverished.

December felt like a disaster. I made a budget but blew it to the tune of $959. There were two big expenses that I had not accounted for: Firstly, I was offered a big reduction in my medical debt if I made a bulk payment, so that was an extra $386; and secondly, car insurance was due. I like to pay for the entire six months to avoid monthly fees, so I paid $416 for that. That leaves $157, of which I spent $123 to get a U-Haul and haul my son's old bed to the dump, along with some other things of his. He reimbursed me on the first of this month. So that leaves $47 that I overspent on food. I'm going to give myself a break on that, seeing it was the holiday season.

This month, I'd like to say that I started off on the right foot, but that would be a lie. I went nuts on the post-holiday clearance sales, buying a lot of snacks and a few gifts for myself, including a flannel sheet set that I don't need but is very cozy. It's "One Day at a Time" January, and I have to be strong every time I go to work and see the pretty things. I had been until a lot of stress for the past couple of months, and that led to the overspending and overeating. (I gained 20 pounds! ) Things have settled down a little, so I think it's going to be okay from here on out.

I don't feel like putting my whole budget here. I've been sitting all day, figuring it out on a spreadsheet, and I want to get off the couch and get things done at some point today. So, some highlights:

• My income is projected to be about $650 higher this month due to getting holiday pay when I worked on New Year's Day and my son paying me back for the money I spent when we hauled away his mattress.

• With that, I'll set $225 aside in my high-yield savings account for non-monthly expenses and to work toward goals. I don't want to be caught short again like I did with the car insurance payment. I'll use the rest to make a principle-only payment on my car loan. The balance is getting pretty low, and I'm antsy to pay it off.

• I made some impulse purchases when tired and not thinking straight. I haven't even opened the packages yet. So I'll get about $45 back when I return them.

• Unfortunately, I spent the same amount when I reopened the accounts for the streaming services I had cancelled. So that's a washout. I'll be starting classes soon, so I won't even have time to watch all these shows. I'll go ahead and cancel them once again. Except for YouTube Premium. I really really liked not having to deal with commercials, and it helps to have a constant stream of my preferred music to keep me alert during my weekly midnight shift.

• I reduced my Roth IRA contributions from $100 every week to $100 every month, at least until after my car payments are done. Although I'm thinking that I'm going to immediately set up a fund to save up for my next car. So maybe I'll start contributing more to the Roth when I land a higher-paying job.

That was long. I'll get back to posting weekly at this point. Good luck in the New Year, everyone.

[loutfard]

Yikes! I got off track.

You say so, but reading your post, it looks as if you made a lot of progress!

Firstly, I was offered a big reduction in my medical debt if I made a bulk payment, so that was an extra $386;

Not easy, but great nonetheless. Might this inspire you to actively go haggle in similar situations for further debt reductions?

I'll go ahead and cancel them once again. Except for YouTube Premium. I really really liked not having to deal with commercials, and it helps to have a constant stream of my preferred music to keep me alert during my weekly midnight shift

On a smartphone, try NewPipe.

[delay]

December felt like a disaster. I made a budget but blew it to the tune of $959. There were two big expenses that I had not accounted for: Firstly, I was offered a big reduction in my medical debt if I made a bulk payment, so that was an extra $386; and secondly, car insurance was due. I like to pay for the entire six months to avoid monthly fees, so I paid $416 for that.

Thanks for your journal update! If I got an unexpected 6 month insurance payment, I'd add a line to my budget for 1/6th the amount, so next time I'd have the money ready. YNAB used to call this "Embracing your true expenses". When I've committed to insurance, those dollars are spoken for.

[Stacy]

On a smartphone, try NewPipe.

I forgot that I actually have this on my phone! My son recommended it, but I didn't take the time to actually learn how it works.

[Stacy]

If I got an unexpected 6 month insurance payment, I'd add a line to my budget for 1/6th the amount, so next time I'd have the money ready. YNAB used to call this "Embracing your true expenses". When I've committed to insurance, those dollars are spoken for.

"This calls for a spreadsheet!", she exclaimed nerdily.

Goodbudget does this too, but I like to put it on Excel, too, because it seems a little easier to work with. I'm tweaking my non-monthly expenses and will post an update later today.

[Stacy]

This week, I got $1108 back as tuition reimbursement for the computer apps classes I took last fall. I'm only taking one class this spring, a financial accounting class that will be more labor intensive and will also be reimbursed. I'm tempted to pay off my car with that money, because the balance on the car loan is now under $900 (yay!), but I promised myself that I would refill my education fund with it. It will go into my highest interest bank account, which is currently my high yield checking.

I unfortunately went crazy with buying marked down Christmas clearance items. Not much was spent in terms of money, but my body didn't need all that candy, and I already had plenty of tree ornaments. So that was an area in which I was weak. I'm pretty much over it now. Whenever I feel the urge to splurge, I need to remember the eventual return to sanity and regret.

I did score on some cheap healthy groceries, though. The meat department manager let me know about some salmon fillets and other items he had marked down because they were on their final sale date. I bought a bunch and froze them. Shopping the clearance items isn't all bad. I just need to be more selective.

I'll return tomorrow with more. I need to run off to my midnight shift.

[sodatrain]

Fun to read your journal. You seem very calm and organized and with clear ideas on what you want. Keep the sharing going and good luck! Congrats on the successes so far!

[mythicalman30]

Hi,

I read through your journal and am inspired by the changes you are making! Your journey and spending thoughts are a lot like mine, and it makes me happy to see you making so many changes. It gives me hope that there is a chance that I can make a change!

I am most impressed by your ability to work in a store and resist the urge to spend. That shows great self-control. And I agree, the amount of consumer waste that goes on is sickening.

[Stacy]

I haven’t gotten around to talking about my non-monthly expenses, although I did make a lovely spreadsheet, which I formatted with pretty colors and whatnot. I have these expenses set up as “envelopes” in my budgeting software. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to fill these envelopes every month, but I’m hoping to be able to once my car is paid and medical debt is paid off.

Every six months, I have these bulk payments:

• Car service: The amount I save mostly just covers basic stuff like oil changes, but I take from this envelope whenever I need a repair and then replenish it. $120, with a current balance of $89.20. I’ll add $30.80 in February and get my oil changed in March.
• Car Insurance: Just paid in December, and it was $416. I have a balance of $88.20, So about $65.56 a month for the next five months.

Annually,

• Car registration of $105, with a current balance of $26. To be paid at the end of November, so $7.90 a month.
• Renter’s insurance: $120 a year, payable in November, with a balance of $23. $9.70 a month.
Every semester,
• Tuition and other educational expenses. I’m going part-time to a tech school. Super cheap. I set aside $1000 per semester, and then I get reimbursed by my employer. I wish I’d had this deal thirty years ago. The reimbursed money gets dumped right back into this envelope, so I’d better not be tempted to use it to pay off my car. It’s fully funded for summer classes.

Savings for goals:

• Travel: I’m planning two small trips in the next two years, both a couple of nights to a couple of big cities a few hours away. And then in 2027, a road trip down Route 66, as far as we can make it in the time frame we have, and maybe back along another route. This is like a savings account that I will take from and replenish as needed. Already fully funded at $4000. In a CD that I got when interest rates were still high.
• Rewards for weight loss: If I ever get back to my diet, I’ll celebrate every ten pounds lost with a modest splurge of something I wouldn’t normally buy myself. Just $50, and it’s been sitting there, waiting for me to get off my butt.
• Down payment for a home: I’m starting with $20,000. I know that’s not even close to what I’ll need, but I want to make this doable with the budget I have. I’m thinking that the spring of 2028 is the earliest I could start seriously looking, and I’ll see where I am at that time. I have a balance of $5121.82 in a CD. With 38 months to go, that will be $391.53 a month.

So that’s $505.49 a month for non-monthly expenses, a bit steep for me, but I do the best I can to squirrel it away. If I ignore the house goal, it’s $113.96, which is easy for me to do. And then I put whatever money I can into the house goal. Although, at this time, I’m more likely to make a bulk payment on my car loan. I’m so close to paying that off, I can taste it!

I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I guess I’ll find out as the year progresses.

[delay]

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to fill these envelopes every month, but I’m hoping to be able to once my car is paid and medical debt is paid off.

Thanks for sharing your progress! Another way to look at it is that you're already using those envelopes, they are building a negative balance that will "surprise" you in a few months.

I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. I guess I’ll find out as the year progresses.

Everyone forgets things! No plan survives meeting reality. When a surprise hits, re-evaluate your priorities. "Roll with the punches", as YNAB used to say. There's nothing like an emergency to get your priorities straight.

[Stacy]

Once again, I’m a bit behind.

How did my “One Day at the Time” January go?

Income:
• Paychecks: $2312. Higher than usual due to getting 5 paychecks and working on New Years Day (holiday pay).
• Received from my son for his share of the bills: $870. He pays for half of all household expenses. It shows how little I could live on if I didn’t have a car payment and medical debt, and if I cut way back on my personal spending.
• Interest on accounts: $3. Not really worth mentioning. So much money was being moved around that I didn’t have as high of an average daily balance in my high-yield savings and checking as I wanted to.
• Total income: $3185

Expenses:
• Medical debt payment plan: $153. Same as usual.
• Cell phone: $21. Same as usual.
• Car payment: $308. Same as usual. Sadly, I couldn’t make any extra payments as I wanted to this month.
• Clothing and accessories: I didn’t budget any money toward this category, but I ended up buying a sweater, a pair of gloves, and some cheap earrings. All items were heavily discounted. The sweater and gloves were needed, as it’s winter in Wisconsin, and my gloves were literally falling apart after ten years. The earrings are a bit of a regret, because they are cheap in both price and quality. $77 altogether.
• Gas for car: $45, exactly as budgeted. I pretty much went back and forth to work.
• Groceries and household items: Budgeted $400 but spent $520. $228 (44%) was spent on CSA boxes, which I hope to make my main source of food. Slightly more was spent at the store where I work. I hope to cut way back on that. When I shop after work, I’m tired and prone to buy from impulse. My fridge and small freezer are packed.
• Home décor: I budgeted $50, knowing I would want to buy some clearance holiday decorations. I ended up spending $77, due to turning a blind eye to my depleted budget.
• TV streaming services: I budgeted $26 but cancelled them again before the end of the billing cycle. Now that classes have resumed, I don’t have time to watch TV anyway.
• Laundry: $40 as usual.
• Medical expenses and prescriptions. I anticipated $10 only for my prescription copay, but I had forgotten about a dentist bill that was already due and didn’t think about the fact that I was going to buy glasses this month. Dentist was $333.08 and glasses were $309.80. (I had paid $634.20 in December already.) It was higher than usual, because I wanted both glasses and sunglasses this time.
• Personal care: $130, as budgeted, for mostly supplements. I’m going to stop getting these (they’re on a subscription plan) and just use up what I have while switching to a healthier diet.
• Upgraded to a paid plan for my email account, for additional features: $4.99, as budgeted. I’ll see how much use I’m getting out of the paid plan in February and decide if it’s worth it.
• Roth IRA contribution. $200, as budgeted.
• Snacks and drinks. Budgeted $30 but spent $99. I should rename this one Snacks and lunches, because most of it was spent on lunch for work, on the many days that I didn’t pack a lunch for work. That’s one routine to get into place next month.
• Internet: $110, as budgeted. I haven’t gotten around to looking into lower-cost alternatives. I need to get on that.
• Rent, $750. Crossing my fingers that they don’t raise it again anytime soon. We are lucky to be living in one of the lowest-prices apartments in town, and I don’t expect it to stay this way for long.
• Electricity: $76, as usual. On budget billing.
• YouTube Premium. $15. Hesitating on cancelling this because I really enjoy the lack of ads.
• Money that should be set aside for non-monthly expenses: Budgeted for $642 but didn’t have any to spare. The dentist and eye center bills had to be paid instead.

Total expenses were $3274. So I ended up being short by $88.

Some goals for February:

• Make meals using our available food to try to cut way down on our food budget. It’s winter, and soups would be good. I have lots of beans and vegetables that need to get used up.
• Create an evening routine for making the mornings go more smoothly. This includes packing my lunch and having it in the fridge, so I can grab my lunchbox and go.
• Look into cheaper options for home internet, and scrutinize my subscription services.
• Fewer shopping transactions. In January, I went through a checkout lane 39 times!!! I want to see how long I can go between transactions this month. I’m up to 8 already for February, and it’s only the sixth.
• Practice mindfulness before buying. Ask myself if I can go without the item or just wait to buy it. Remind myself that I’m trading my life energy (and time that I’ll never get back) for whatever it is that I want to buy.
• Get my financial paperwork squared away. I have claims to make for my health flexible spending account, tuition reimbursement to apply for, and taxes to do.
• When leaving work, don’t shop! Walk straight for the door, and do not look around. When working, do not think of the products on the shelves as objects of desire but as data points.

[delay]

Thanks for your journal update! I read a lot of guilt in your journal. No human has ever managed to stick to a budget. Instead of feeling guilty, why not embrace your overspending self?

And how will you prevent being surprised by the dentist or glasses next time?

[Stacy]

I want to thank everyone who has read and responded to my journal entries. I'm not always able to respond, but I take everything into consideration and appreciate the suggestions and encouragement!

Thanks for your journal update! I read a lot of guilt in your journal. No human has ever managed to stick to a budget. Instead of feeling guilty, why not embrace your overspending self?

I know it would be better to not feel guilty, but I feel like I'm letting myself down. I'm continuing to spend above my means, which is going to lead to disaster in the long run. Increasing my income would help, but then I'll probably experience lifestyle creep, and I'll end up in the same situation.

And how will you prevent being surprised by the dentist or glasses next time?

I'm adding them to my list of nonmonthly expenses. I've also added them to my budget as a scheduled expense, so I can see when they're coming up.

[Stacy]

I got around to updating my budget for the month. I’m calling it “Spending Freeze February”, just for the fact that it’s February, and it’s cold out there. Things are pretty much the same as January, with a few minor tweaks:

• It’s a hard month for me mentally, so I’m being kind and allowing myself a little money in the categories that I may impulsively spend on, namely Book and Hobbies, Clothing and accessories, Home Décor, and Personal Care. I’m allotting them $20 each, even though I don’t have anything I need to get that I’m aware of.

• Also, I’m upping the grocery budget from $400 to $500, given the increased cost of food overall and the fact that I’ve been buying a lot of local organic products. I’m also increasing the Snacks and Drinks category from $30 to $40. I’m carpooling once a week for my midnight shift on the weekend, and we stop at a gas station that sells good coffee. So I’m not going to fight reality; I’m going to get a big coffee and a snack while I’m there.

• Two bills went up: The electric bill went up from $76 to $83. We’re on budget billing, and it gets recalculated once every six months. I need to look at that to see where we overused electricity. It could just be that rates increased. Also, the internet bill went from $110 to $113. Just another reminder to look into other options.

• That leaves $295 that can be allotted for nonmonthly expenses. It should be $839.90, but that’s all I had. If I spend below my budget, that’s where it’s going.

A couple of random notes:

• I’ve been reading How to Survive Without a Salary: Living the Conserver’s Lifestyle by Charles Long. I only had to get as far as the Preface to be reminded that my access to cheap consumer goods is dependent on slave labor throughout the globe. I need to keep that image in my head when I get tempted by the pretty things I’m surrounded by at work. I’m a cog in that machine, both as a consumer and as an employee. Refraining from spending is one thing I can do to not be such a big part of the problem. Other ideas are to use more sustainable transportation methods and to work for a business that shares my values. Those are bigger changes to make for the future.

• A big thing that has been costing me money has been my desire to create a specific aesthetic for my home and fashion choices. Rather than rushing to get the products needed to make everything just right, I can wait until I actually need something and replace it with one that fits in with my aesthetic, eventually transforming my space. I would be more likely to appreciate each and every item much more if I choose carefully, and I’d likely take better care of them. And, in fact, that urge may drop away over time, anyway. I look around at my apartment, and I’m pretty satisfied with how cozy it looks right now. The dining area looks cluttered, but that problem will solve itself as we use up a lot of containers of food we have stocked up on the open shelves. And I hate that it’s the only place for my son to store his bike. (But I like the fact that he rides it, so it’s a tradeoff that I live with.)

[loutfard]

A big thing that has been costing me money has been my desire to create a specific aesthetic for my home and fashion choices. Rather than rushing to get the products needed to make everything just right, I can wait until I actually need something and replace it with one that fits in with my aesthetic, eventually transforming my space. I would be more likely to appreciate each and every item much more if I choose carefully, and I’d likely take better care of them. And, in fact, that urge may drop away over time, anyway.

That taste may change. Or you may bump into other ways to achieve the craved results. Giving things time to develop is one of the greatest things I discovered through the ERE lifestyle.

P.S. Congratulations. You seem to be making great strides towards an ERE way of living!

[Western Red Cedar]

I wanted to stop by and congratulate you on all the progress you are making. Getting out of debt is a slog, but once you are successful with that and have established frugal habits, your NW will really start to take off.

Savings for goals:

• Travel: I’m planning two small trips in the next two years, both a couple of nights to a couple of big cities a few hours away. And then in 2027, a road trip down Route 66, as far as we can make it in the time frame we have, and maybe back along another route. This is like a savings account that I will take from and replenish as needed. Already fully funded at $4000. In a CD that I got when interest rates were still high.

In terms of travel, you might consider looking into credit card rewards. Particularly because you are looking at a longer timeframe for your trips. The sweet spot for getting rewards is opening a new account and hitting a minimum spend to get a sign-up bonus. Sometimes it is difficult to hit the minimum spend on an ERE budget, but I will often considering opening a new account when I know I have a large purchase coming up.

This strategy only makes sense if it won't encourage you to spend more than you normally would. Quite a few forum members use rewards for free or heavily subsidized trips, but most of us are only making purchases we would have made otherwise.

It might not be the best time to pursue if you are thinking about low-buy/no-buy months. Just another strategy to keep in your back pocket that could potentially allow you to move that 4k into your home downpayment fund, or somewhere else that works for your system.

Good luck!