Question re: creating new budget category

[madhen]

I have a small vegetable garden every year. This year, I am going through the seed catalogues to decide what to plant, but I am not sure where to place the cost of seeds. I don't have a "garden" category, but I do have both a "grocery" category and an "entertainment" category.

Should I create a whole new category for gardening, since I will most likely buy seeds for both edible and non-edible plants, not to mention potentially getting fruit trees that won't produce for several years? Or do I put it under "groceries" because the ultimate goal is to have these items provide me with food? Or do I put it under entertainment as a recreational hobby?

[ladytoysdream]

If seeds are for food......then groceries.
If flower seeds.......entertainment.


Get some flowers that will self seed.
I have some snapdragons heading for year 3.
And glad bulbs I am experimenting with.

[forHISglory]

I would suggest either food or recreation, depending on how you interpret your use of it. If it tends to be more for food (either now or future), then put it in that category. If it is mostly for fun, then put it in the entertainment category.

My garden is for food. My fun factor with it is a side benefit.

[madhen]

I was leaning toward grocery, but the whole flower thing was tipping me toward entertainment, and I didn't really feel like figuring out how much of the bill was for each, especially for the ones I get mail order. Maybe I should just get edible flowers!!

I think I'll put it under grocery for now, all of it, because the flowers will be a small percentage of the total cost. If I go out and buy only flowers or flower seed, I can put that under entertainment.

[Frugal Nurse]

nah.... I say start a new category and give yourself a gardening budget. period.
if you grow food and are able to save on the food budget put it into next years garden budget
win win situation.

[madhen]

Interesting idea. The one reason I was thinking about starting a new category for garden was to see how much I actually dump into my gardening costs each year. I think of it as saving me money, because I grow my own veggies, but I usually have to buy fertilizer, new hoses, drip lines, trowels, etc every year, so sometimes I wonder!!

[ladytoysdream]

Interesting idea. The one reason I was thinking about starting a new category for garden was to see how much I actually dump into my gardening costs each year. I think of it as saving me money, because I grow my own veggies, but I usually have to buy fertilizer, new hoses, drip lines, trowels, etc every year, so sometimes I wonder!!

Well then go garden category

We have cut way back here on seeds, etc.
I buy my seeds end of season now for the following spring.
Good markdown percentages. I also save quite a few seeds
from the sunflowers and winter squashes.

I do most of our outside hanging plants for the deck.
I found geraniums for half price toward end of spring.

And the Uncle gave me some flower plants and bulbs last year.

[madhen]

I am still debating. I have such a nice, neat budget written out. That would mean rewriting the whole darn thing to add a new category and make it all match up again. I should have written it in pencil!!

[sunshine]

I add mine to the grocery category -- food seeds can be purchased with food stamps, hence my putting it in that category (even though we don't get food stamps)

Flowers - I use them to deter garden pests, so I still include them in my grocery category.

[madhen]

Thanks! I didn't know that about the food stamps!

[Brat]

I think that I would just use the grocery budget this year but before I set up next years I would add Gardening to the plan and just see how much you do spend in the gardening part of it..

[beks37]

I like the idea of setting up a gardening category since you will have to buy other items for the garden besides the seeds. For me personally, if I bought flowers (non-edible) then I would put them in the house maintenance category since lawnwork is a cost of maintaining my house.

[madhen]

I'm thinking I wll keep them in the grocery category, but I'll make a note next to the entry to indicate they were a gardening expense. Yeah, the flowers are still bugging me, though. They may have to go into entertainment this year (or house maintenance, although when I set that up I was thinking more like broken pipes and such!), but also with a comment.

[frugal-fannie]

I would put seeds- edible foods to grocery and then flowers entertainment and last if it is trees or something that would increase the value of your house in later years- household.

[madhen]

Oh, great, ANOTHER category!!

Good idea, ff, and since trees are not a regular purchase for me, typically just do one visit to the nursery and pick out two or three at once, it wouldn't be that difficult to add it.