I think that once I get things around the house organized I will be able to concentrate more on this goal. 3 years ago

Done. 3 years ago

Finally getting around to organizing the clipping in my budget binder. 3 years ago

Starting July 1st I started a budget journal writing down everything that I spend. It really makes me think about where, when, and why I’m spending money.

I think that it’s an easy way to record spending without having to turn on the computer each time I want to record an entry.

My goal for August will be to cut back spending from some of the categories. 3 years ago

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote down a few goals within a framework of what action I’ll take, and I’ve already achieved a couple of small goals.

Each small step adds up. I think that I might make a vision board for my goals within this goal (create a financial plan so that I will have financial security). 4 years ago

I’ve been thinking about this goal a lot lately! Maybe too much. Maybe I’ve been stressing, and that is why the weight is not coming off anymore. Things will be interesting in a month’s time! 4 years ago

I was disappointed that the fridge stopped working when it did, but I guess that a 10 year old fridge would need to be replaced sooner or later: I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

I can’t believe how much food spoiled, and how quickly it happened!

Luckily fridges were on sale. I did a lot of research to find the fridge, and discovered how to negoiate discounts. This is the first time that I have used this to get a discount.

I’m very happy with my new fridge, and I think that in the long-run it will help to save money. I can see where the food is, and how much food I have which helps me to do my weekly menu plan.

I plan my menu once a week, shop for it once a week, and cook all of my meals at home. It really cuts down on the trips to the grocery store, food spoilage, and dining out. 4 years ago

Insured, and driving one car, and reduced cable package. I don’t even miss the channels that are gone. It helps me to stay focused on my weight loss strategy.

It’s all about having a strategy to stay focused on my goals. 4 years ago

It surprising, but I think that losing weight, and saving money are two things that you can do at the same time. Funny how you are trying lose something, but at the same time gain something!

Another thing that I’ve discovered is that losing weight, saving money is also tied to being organized. You need to be somewhat organized in order to do these two things.

I just need to find a way to manage all of my papers, and it will save me time…. oh, I guess that is another postive outcome (time management)! 4 years ago

My goal is to keep saving, and keep my spending under control.

One way to save money is to only insure, and drive one vehicle. It will be a challenge, but worth it in the long-run. I think that there may be some other cost-saving measures in the works. I’m thinking about cutting back on the cable tv package. 4 years ago

I need to update my spreadsheets. I should have approximately 6 to 7 months worth of data. It will give me insight into spending habits, and where I can cut back to make a budget for next year. 4 years ago

I have been tracking my spending, and trying to take a list whenever I go shopping, but have been slipping on my efforts. I’m going to have to gain control before I resort to my bad habits of shopping. 4 years ago

I’ve been tracking my spending, and now have almost 4 months worth of information. I’m also tracking ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda’ expeditures so that I can see where I’m actually saving.

For example, if I felt like ordering a pizza, but didn’t then I write down how much I would have spent. At the end of the month, I’ll add up all of these ‘savings’ and put them into my savings account. Whoo hoo! 4 years ago

I’ve got a good list coming along so far. It makes me feel confident that I can start doing little things to save, that in the long-run will end up being big savings!

1. Making a list of grocery savings tips;
2. Going to start researching ‘coupons’ and how to use them;
3. Coupon binder?
4. Grocery shopping list;
5. Meal planning ideas;
6. Pantry ‘must-have’ list;
7. Store polices (coupons, when things go on sale, etc.);
8. Keep tracking expenditures;
9. Start comparing other stores to get a complete sense of the price of things.
10. Keep things in order/ organized, and set a budget for August. 4 years ago

After reading about $ 100 week on groceries, I found a forum on $ 100 a month on groceries.

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=148324&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0 4 years ago

I just finished updating my financial spreadsheet, and thought that it would be a good idea to research some more ways to save money on various purchases. I just signed on to the internet to look up ‘saving on groceries’ and saw an MSN article on how a person tried to spend $100 week on groceries.

After doing my updates, I quickly realized that in just this week, the price of groceries have gone up! I can’t believe that (skim) milk is now $3 for a 2 litre jug!!!! (In gallons, I think that might be $3 for half a gallon).

Here is the link:
http://finance.sympatico.msn.ca/savingsdebt/insight/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8810514

Fresh fruits, and vegetables have gone up quite a bit too. The reason why I’m able to know this is that I track the prices per kg so that I can compare it from store to store, and from week to week.

I think that my grocery bill has gone up by $5 this week, just by the cost of food going up!!!! I generally buy the same products each week too. 4 years ago

Once I started recording my spending, I realized just how much I was spending on eating out. Not only was it costing a lot of money, the food was neither healthy nor satisfying.

Since recording this expenditure, and adding up how much a week’s worth of groceries cost I am now cooking almost all of my meals at home. So far this month we have not eaten out! I can’t believe it!

Usually every summer, it feels so hot that I don’t want to cook, and being sick for at least 2.5 weeks it’s quite an achievement to not resort to getting some fast food.

I also think that having food prepared ahead of time, and then frozen helps with the times that I don’t feel like cooking. My husband has also been helping to cook so that is great.

I’d like to buy a deep-freezer so that I can take advantage of grocery sales, and a BBQ to add variety to my meals so that I don’t have the urge to eat out. 4 years ago

Need to start thinking about what to do soon… maternity benefits will start to run out. 4 years ago

Got a LOC! Really nice surprise! 4 years ago

Going to help with this goal by using my new library card. 4 years ago

I’ve started making a grocery log to track grocery expenditures.

Groceries is probably one of my largest variable expenses. Part of tracking the grocery expenditures is to see how I’m allocating my money to groceries, and where I can buy the cheapest groceries. Another part of me wants to track it for curiousity sake.

I set it up so that I track the items against 5 different grocery stores. I used to go to different grocery stores for particular items, but I might consolidate, and just shop at one store if it turns out to be more economical. 4 years ago

I’m impressed that I was able to maintain a spreadsheet for one month of spending. At least now I have some idea as to how much I’m spending, and can make a realistic budget. The financial web sites are also very helpful in saving money. I do some of the reserach instead of watching tv at night, and I do this while the baby sleeps. I feel like it a productive use of my time, and energy. 4 years ago

To read later, and learn some new things about money management. Found some good web sites on how to live within one’s means. 5 years ago

and it has helped me to see some spending habits, although I think that I will probably need to do this for at least another 2 to 3 months to get a better picture of what is going on financially.

I think that this is what I will do:
1st month: Just track expenses
2nd month: Try to set a budget for spending, and stick to it

3rd month: Start cutting back on spending
4th month: Start saving more—stay out of debt! 5 years ago

Have started a journal of spending to see where money is going each day/ week thus far. Will soon have a snap-shot of monthly expenditures. 5 years ago

I’m starting to visualize my future financial plans, just need to commit to it on paper. 5 years ago

I would like to pay off debt, and save. I know that these are vague goals, but will still think about the specifics later.

1. Debt- Pay off all consumer debt
2. Save- Retirement, Education fund, Emergency fund, Vacation/ Rainy Day

Someday goals- Long-term future goals
Buy a vacation property 5 years ago

so I need to start thinking about my financial goals for 2008. I should sit down, and make a list of goals, and prioritize them. I think that writing goals really helps me to achieve what I set out to do. 5 years ago

I’m going to start focusing on this goal as much as I can, because of new responsiblities.

The first thing that I can do is to watch flyers for things that we need to buy, compare prices, and make a list. Plan the purchases, and only go shopping when we need things for around the house.

I need to start thinking about immediate goals, short-term, and long-term goals. It seems like there are a lot of things that I can be doing better, but if I break the goal down into small steps, I think that I’ll be able to manage, and be successful.

One thing that I’ve recently learned is that you need to have a vision; a vision of what you want to achive, but that extends beyond your comfort zone. Basically, dream big!! 5 years ago

My husband, and I worked really well as a team to save for our first house. I saved every pay cheque, and didn’t spend any money on clothes, hair cuts, or other indulgences. Having to work long hours also helped, because there wasn’t enough time to go ‘leisure shopping’ and make impulsive purchases.

Now that there’s a baby on the way, we will need to continue to watch our spending, and make more planned purchases. One thing that we’ve started doing is watching the weekly flyers to find out what is on sale, and plan our purchases. I think that planning the purchases, and either buying things when they go on sale, or comparing prices to get the best deal has helped to save money. 5 years ago