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Budget is working!!!!

November 2nd, 2010 at 01:42 pm

My informal budget plan-- to spend no more than $400 a week for everything, such as diapers, formula, clothes, gas groceries, etc...ALL of it-- is actually working.

It's crazy. It's been about six weeks since we've started and it has been on the mark or slightly under every single week.

As a result, I was able to up the contributions to the kids' 529s by $50 a month and add $50 more a month to the savings account. In another two weeks, I may feel confident enough to up the savings a little more.

All of this, and we have still spent on extras and stayed under budget. I bought most of the kids' Christmas gifts, paid our entry fees for warrior dash, and bought some fancier cuts of meat to help me feel less deprived on my 6-week weight loss diet.

I guess I wonder why I didn't do this sooner.

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments »

15 Responses to “Budget is working!!!!”

  1. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 01:45 pm 1288705551
    1288705551

    Way to go!

  2. creditcardfree Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 02:08 pm 1288706889
    1288706889

    Nice job!!

  3. NJDebbie Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 02:45 pm 1288709109
    1288709109

    Excellent!

  4. campfrugal Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 03:17 pm 1288711075
    1288711075

    Great job on staying within budget.

  5. Looking Forward Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 05:49 pm 1288720193
    1288720193

    That's great! I think I might try "copying" you.

  6. momcents Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 05:59 pm 1288720752
    1288720752


    I became inspired to "save" as much as I could from the "spend" envelopes. It is unrealistic for me to think about doing that during Nov/Dec (our high spending months). But I am inspired now to see how much I can save while spending.

    Good going!

  7. scottish girl Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 05:59 pm 1288720754
    1288720754

    Brilliant!

  8. Ima saver Says:
    November 2nd, 2010 at 06:44 pm 1288723462
    1288723462

    Good for you!

  9. ThriftoRama Says:
    November 3rd, 2010 at 02:28 am 1288751284
    1288751284

    I think it works because it's simple. A spending cap that includes everything, rather than sitting down and trying to say $40 for food, $60 for gas, etc. Not too much to keep track of. I just have to keep a running tally in my head, which isn't too hard.

  10. Homebody Says:
    November 6th, 2010 at 03:34 pm 1289057640
    1289057640

    I agree with Thrift. When doing the envelopes, I get stealing from others, I think a set amount for everything is good.

  11. Dandi Lion Says:
    November 7th, 2010 at 12:43 am 1289090587
    1289090587

    Whatever works!

  12. Debtnomore Says:
    November 10th, 2010 at 05:46 pm 1289411203
    1289411203

    That's great! Yeah I find I rob envelopes when trying to do the envelope system. I kind of have an idea of what to spend on food but it's not something I'm going to worry about if I go over. As long as I stay within how much I plan to spend during the week.

    It's amazing how much better we do financially we have a plan..even a really simple plan.

  13. ThriftoRama Says:
    November 12th, 2010 at 01:13 am 1289524382
    1289524382

    Today was surreal. My budget is set for $400 a week. ($800 every two week pay period) Paid the bills for the past two weeks today and they all came in under $550. I have no idea how that happened!

  14. BudgetMstr Says:
    November 22nd, 2010 at 10:38 pm 1290465508
    1290465508

    It's great to hear such success. One thing to watch out for is that sometimes success can be misleading if you forget to account for some expenses. Most budgeting tools have no way of highlighting these missed expenses, and you will think you are under budget when you really aren't.

    I'd like to let everybody know about a new budgeting software called '3D Budget'. 3D Budget is the only budgeting tool that I am aware of that can truly balance your budget with your available funds. It reconciles your budget with your credit accounts and your cash accounts. 3D Budget is currently offering free permanent licenses to anybody who helps test its Beta version. Search for "3D Budget" in any search engine to visit the website.

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