Frugal Notebook totals for January 2005

**QuilterMom** · 02-01-2005, 11:33 AM

I just tallied everything up and here's what I learned from mine:

• Purchases at yard sales/thrift stores/library sales: $0

• Total savings by purchasing on sale: $89.41

• Total coupons used: $26.95

• Retail value of library materials used: $1,086.43

• Amount spent on groceries: $222.00 ($3.00 under my goal!)

• Amount put into EF: $446.58

• Amount for penny challenge: $1.01

• Income from 'found' money: $2.25 (we found bunches of coins in the bathroom we're remodeling when we removed the baseboards)

• Freebies:
- 44 magazines from the library freebie bin (Guideposts, Reader's Digest, Prevention, Better Homes & Gardens, Country Woman, Woman's Day, Southern Living, Ladies' Home Journal, Country Sampler Decorating Ideas, Parents, Conde Nast Traveler, Veranda, Healthsmart Today, Health, Sierra, Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Taste of Home, Country Living, Popular Mechanics, Travel + Leisure)
- 2 cookies from Sam's bakery
- sorbet popsicle at the health food store
- 7 gallons bottled water
- personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut (Book It program)
- Dinner from one of dh's restaurant clients
- bottle of wine

How did everyone else do?

**Michele Annette** · 02-01-2005, 01:11 PM

That's great Kim! I really need to start doing this too!!

**momof42003** · 02-01-2005, 10:49 PM

This will be one thing that I promise to have done by the end of the month of Feberuary... Your totals look awesome, especially the library material one.. WOW, you never know how much the library can save you until you see it in black and white

**PrairieRose** · 02-02-2005, 10:38 AM

Man those totals are amazing....I need to add my mine up but I know they won't touch your's. WTG!

**PrairieRose** · 02-04-2005, 07:10 PM

Ok I did better than I thought I did, although I did spend a goodly amount.

Just after I started my notebook, dh decided that he needed a new truck so this purchase falls into December not January "technically" but I wanted to post it here anyway...hope that's ok Kim.

For income tax purposes (we're self employed and we have to plan for income taxes) and because his old '93 truck was a diesel and using lots of diesel and it was very expensive AND because he wanted a new truck....! We purchased dh a "new to us" truck. It's a 2002 Z71 Chevroley Avalanche. It had 30,000 miles on it and in almost new condition. Full leather interior, still smells of new leather....very, very nice. ...... New prices range from $41,000 up with all the options (it's loaded). We paid $21,995 (had to get that ...995 in there....lol ). We did buy the extended warranty but we normally do on used cars and have always recouped the expense on it. So I'm not including that in the price of the truck.
~Savings ......... $19,805. !
We're both thrilled with the truck...but most importantly dh is.

Ok on to my real Jan. totals.

We had a JC Penney's go out of business in the next closest town to us. So I spent a fair amount on Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, things that we needed and wanted there.....
~Savings on those things (at anywhere from 50 to 80% off retail) $600. (most things lumped in together on total)
I wanted to list this one item singularly so I can brag about how thrilled I am....
I got dd#1 a new, black leather blazer, reg. price $199.99 for her birthday for only $59.99....! I'm so thrilled with it and I think she will be too.
~Savings $149.99+TAX=$161.29

Picked up a lot of new Christmas ornaments, wrapping paper, gift bags, tree lights and organizers for 50% off.
~Savings $148.93.

My January savings total is: $910.22

Our total savings on the truck including income tax....
~~~~$25,350.40~~~~~

I'm glad I'm tracking this stuff....Like I said my spending was big but the savings were great. Now, I can give my checkbook a rest for February....

Next....?

**DaisyLady** · 02-04-2005, 07:38 PM

Wow, Kim I am speechless at how much you fit into your Frugal notebook. I haven't been tracking very much but I am inspired to start over again on mine and see what I can do!

I especially like how you even tracked the coins you found in the baseboards.

**QuilterMom** · 02-05-2005, 08:35 AM

WTG Lisa!

Chriss - I admit it's been hard to keep up with. I always start out like gangbusters and then find myself missing days. Thankfully I've not blown it completely yet (I've always been able to remember the missing days). I've made it through Dec. and Jan. so far doing this. You'd think it would be habit for me by now! LOL It just takes a few minutes each day if I sit down and do it all at once, but my mind is in about 5 million different directions right now and sometimes I slip. I think what makes it easier to keep up with is when you actually have significant entries every day (we've had a lot of no spend days which is a good thing, but I think that's where I get thrown off).

**homesteadmamma** · 02-05-2005, 11:55 AM

I wasn't able to keep up with mine has much as I wanted too because of a family situation.

I will be this month though no matter what.

Kim and Lisa, WOW you both did great!!

**homesteadmamma** · 02-05-2005, 12:29 PM

I tallied mine up but there are a few things missing that I didn't keep track of.

I didn't keep track of:

~gas money spent
~all groceries although I did keep track of coupons
~I didn't keep track of sale savings
~I didn't keep track of savings from using the library

Here is what I did keep track of:

~gifts of money $650.00
~coupon savings $14.00
~thrift store - I spent $16.00 and saved approx. $325.00. Its incredible the savings you see when you shop at the thrift store and they have bag sale days.
~B1G1F - saved $8.96
~change jar $8.00
~penny jar $1.43 (both change & pennies will be transferred to savings on the 28th of Feb.)
~because of the large gift of money from my mom, we were able to put $1258.00 towards our debt in Jan.