Coming back after an absence

[MRAHoffman]

2011 I want to REALLY get serious about $. I am going to work on my budget while on vacation and was wondering, what do YOU spend your money on (i.e. mortgage, car, gas, electric, phone (land & or cell), cable, groceries, as well as "frivolities" etc. Thank you.

[pollypurebred39]

In this order

Mortgage
car gas-can't drive pizza without it
internet-DS2 can't go to school without it.
utilities
trash pick-up
phone
medicine
heating oil
emergency spending like car repair
paying down debt

Then
household money

which include food & hba and my envelopes for things we need to save for like a broom, or towels, clothing, shoes, birthdays, etc.

There is nothing else that is bought unless we are using money that has been gifted to us for birthdays or Christmas. I even have envelopes set up from Christmas gift money gifted to me last year to buy gifts this year. Along with an envelope with my Christmas gift money to do things like send someone something in the mail (postage) or something else equally important to me.

I take it back, I sometimes buy a 25 cent soda from the thrift food store's machine. I'm growing weary, it's been over 3 years now.

[Imarachne]

These folks have lots of good ideas--I'm still learning !

[cab54]

These folks have lots of good ideas--I'm still learning !

Ditto to this! Hi, Rhonda! Click your heels together and say "There's no place like home..." (FV)

[jas]

Welcome back!

Mortgage
utilities
Insurance-car, health, life
cell phones
car
Visa
several different savings accounts
regular
tags, HOA, and Dogs shots
Side jobs taxes
Gift fund

out of those really not too much frivilious stuff. I am sure some would pick it apart, but oh well.

[MTS04]

Hmmm...our budget items Editing to add -- Welcome Back!!

Well, we did use the envelope system which worked faboo for us to get us used to spending only what we could spend. We now budget on paper and are able to keep good track of our expenses.

Budget items:

Mortgage
Insurance (life, home, car)
Electric
Oil
Taxes (property and car)
Emergency Fund (mortgage and expenses for 2 years)
Retirement
Groceries
Essentials (HBA, cleaners etc)
Fuel for cars
Allowance for fun
Vacation Fund
Home improvements repairs
Yearly expenses (license, tags, etc)
Pet care fund

Hope this helps.

[frugal.lass]

My budget items:

• rent
• retirement savings plan
• savings (mostly goes to down payment fund)
• utilities (just phone since water/electricity are covered in rent)
• groceries
• car - insurance
• car -gas
• car - repairs (this is an acct I pay into monthly so that when my car needs repairs, the $$ is there already)
• clothing
• health (in Canada, doc visits are covered and my work covers almost everything else so this is basically for OTC drugs and bandaids...I'm the queen of the papercut!)
• personal (ex. haircuts, dry cleaning, pretty much everything not listed elsewhere)
• recreation (meals out, rental movies, yoga classes, anything I do for fun)
• gifts
• pet care
• travel fund

I DON'T have a very detailed budget so I might not be a great example but I'm now debt free and put about 50% of my net income into savings so I've found a system that works for me.

[acox68]

Welcome back, Rhonda! I recently came back to FV myself, so I'm right there with ya!

I don't really have a budget per se right now, but DH handles the bills and gives me an allowance and that's all I have to worry about right now. He hardly EVER spends $, so I'm the one that has to keep on the frugal lifestyle...I can waste money like water if I don't keep frugality in mind...

Once DH feels better (he's sick with a bad cold), I will have him put a spreadsheet together for our bills. I tell you, until we had a vision of where we wanted to be in the next 5 years (we now want to move out of state), it was hard to stick to any kind of budget. So, my advice is to have some sort of goal in mind and then when you reach it, have another goal to continue on the path. It helps keep one focused.

Best of luck to you!!!

Andrea