Wallet Watch

Seriously think I was not thinking at all or totally went into the April wallet watch with absolutely no plan.  Either way...it sucked.  To the point that I will be playing the redo game in May.  Let's just go down the list of dirty deeds:

Let the good times roll...right along with the bank roll. 

 

Ice cream station Trip, Badgers in the final four, parents welcome home dinner, and a fish fry.  Living like a rockstar.

 

Since you are living it up like a rock star, why not shop like a professional shopper right away too.  Unplanned infractions beginning in 3...2....1

Cents of Style - Friday Fashion find.  So cute and only $6

Awesome find for a wall in our breakfast nook...you know we were going to redo the kitchen anyways.

Then there was the time where we "had" to stop at the mall since we happened to be in the area with time to kill.  Resulting in an awesome smelling candle, new blush (not shown), and a fresh face mask from Lush, of course.

 

Then my mommie "needed" to go shopping with me.  The hubbie is always very grateful for this.  Found me some adorable not budgeted/planned for clothes and these awesome shoes...totally in love with rocket dog.

And last but not least due to circumstances way beyond my control, the hairdryer died and I had to get a new one.  Which new one may have just been located near a sephora resulting in massive makeup budget shame...

Now I am going to crawl under a rock with my shame and snuggle for awhile.  The only wallet watching I did was watching it being opened. 

 

This girl will/is doing a do over in the month of May.  Same rules and hopefully a better outcome...would say momma needs a new pair of shoes but obviously I took care of that.

 

Wish me luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mayhem

Mayhem aka chaos.  That was exactly how I felt about the month of April.  For some reason I  was totally completely off track. It was in enough areas to make me want to pull my hair out and just stay in a perpetual fishy face...

Seriously when everything seems to be going a little nuts there is nothing that makes one feel better then a fish face.  Sooner or later you have to stop because otherwise, like mom and dad say, "keep making that face and it'll get stuck like that."  Meals from a straw, I don't think so.  Keep the fish making faces to a minimum, got it.

To prevent mayhem from spilling over into May, I decided it was time to put some goals out there or aka shit I would like to accomplish this month.   As everyone knows when they are tossed on the blog it holds one majorly accountable.  Of course so does putting money on the subject, but with the shitastic job I did on the wallet watch...I be a broke girl with cool things currently.

MAY GOALS

Getting the Booty in Shape

1. Run once more per week aka Saturday long runs
2. Walk the pudgie puppies 3x's a week
3. Finish the #1800 minute daily challenge

Feeding the Machine

1. Less carbs more veggies
2. Try a new grill recipe (also known as find recipe give to the grill master aka hubbie to cook)
3. Alcohol one day a week  (yes, you read that correctly)
4. Little to no Sweets

Happy Home

1. Get Morgan and Coopers picture changed out aka make the yearly collage of the goobers
2. Kick ass on the house to do list (one project a week minimum) Note to the Wisconsin weather...please cooperate

Cyberworld

1. Refresh the blog
2. Celebrate our Blogversary

 Spirit

1. 100 Days of Happy challenge - Click on one of those little social media icons to follow along.

Show me the Money

1.  Do over on the little wallet watch
• No outing that is not budgeted for.
• No items not budgeted for. Above and beyond the everyday
• No unnecessary purchases. Not on the preplanned list. No buy.
• Stay within the house, grocery and personal item budget.

And there you have it...now that those goals are set we can bring on May and the warm weather that best come along with it.  Boom we will be getting on track and kicking some arse.

Blowing it Like it's no One's Business

It happens people, more often than one would like to admit.  You inadvertently blow it.  Generally this happens during the oh so necessary trip to Target.  They should put a sign on the door that says hope you have $100 bucks or extreme will power, good luck.   It is absolutely inevitable that I blow at least $100 whenever I go there.  Thankfully (or really not) there is not one close to home.  Going to a Target it like a mini vacation.  Hence going on said mini vacation completely justifies dropping a nice wad of cash.

Now this brings me to what this post is about…blowing an amazing amount of cash at Target.  Now there is something you can do to lessen the blow to the wallet, in which said savings could possible justify that cute pillow that you have to have, and that is Target couponing.  Honestly I am not a huge couponer (is that a word), just takes way to much time, thought and patience. You know there are better things to do.  Like reading a blog, which would tell you how to target coupon the “easy” way.  Tra La La…thank you Kaitlyn over at Wifessionals for that blog post.  Check it out. How to Extreme Coupon Basics

To some that bad ass post up (the Target section anyway), use manufacturer's coupons (newspapers/online), a Target coupon printed from their website, and the cartwheel app.  You get extra bonus if the item you are shopping for is on sale in the circular.  No idea what the cartwheel app is…google that bad boy.  It is a life changer. Not only can you pre look items up with it, you can scan the barcode of everything you put in the cart and it will tell you if there is an “electronic coupon” for you.  Completely thanking the cashier for that little tid bit.

Now let’s see how I did since it was the first time it was kind of half ass.

What I did do:

·         Went on line to Target to print coupons when available for items on my list

·         Attempted to look up items on the cartwheel app prior to going (use cashier tip above, much easier)

·         Used my red card

Didn’t do

·         Have manufacturers coupons

Here are the savings:

·         Cartwheel App  $5.42

o   What I will do on the future is scan the items when I add them to the cart for coupon checking

·         Coupons  $27.00

o   Got lucky and scored some additional coupons, my cashier was the bombed

·         Gift Card addition for one of my purchases $10

·         Red Card Savings $17

Overall Bill would have been $410.64 and I paid $351.90

Savings 14%

via

 

Not too bad for feeling like I didn’t have it together.  Was it easy, yes?   Will it be easier the next time? Most definitely.   No fear my non-couponers.  Target couponing easy as pie highly recommended.

Scared keep the eye on the prize, or pillow or adorable shirt that you just need or the amazingly cute lip gloss.  Good luck loves on your bargain hunt.

 

April Wallet Watch

Once again it is time to clamp down on the spending and start watching the wallet.  Teaming up once again for the Wallet Watch with Steph over at Life according to Steph.  This time around you make up the rules.  Basic rule though is make a budget and stick to it.  Fess up your sins on May 6th.

 

Now regarding the little rules I will be making for myself this time around.

• No outing that is not budgeted for.  Somewhat scared that there is nothing much on the calendar providing mucho chances for me to mess up.
• No items that are not budgeted for.  Above and beyond the everyday.
• No unnecessary purchases. Not on the preplanned list. No Buy.  Red Alert - Avoid Target at all Costs or and Kohls.
• Stay within the house, grocery, and personal item budget.

There you have it.  Come back on May 6th for the recap.  Or watch my instagram for my shames.  Sure I won't disappoint.

January Spending Freeze

During some crazy moment coming off of Christmas I decided to join this whole spending freeze link up thing.   Good idea possibly, tough definetly.



 

Let's just get down to business and see what are infractions are shall we...

Lindt Chocolates
Spent $9
Notes - This one is totally going on my little brother.  If he would not have gone in that store, I would not have had to go find him there.

Bath and Body Works
Spent $35
Notes - Whose idea was it to go to the outlet mall during this month.  Why did I have to walk into a 2 for 1 sale.

Old Navy
Spent $3
Notes - Well I probably could have lived without one of the items that I purchased.  Thankfully this was only $3 and will be removed from the personal item budget.

Shopko
Spent $37
Notes - Completely blaming this on the fact we are trying to get healthy and my old scale of many years decided it was time to end its life.  We will just avoid the conversation in which I have to fess up wandering in the cosmetics section for some very unnessecary lipgloss.  At least it was on sale.


Redbox
Spent $2
Notes - Fast and Furious 6 ....curse you VinDiesel, Paul Walker and crew.

Walmart
Spent $22
Notes - Due to the getting healthy again $10 on a food scale that came out of the house supply budget.  Will be fixing this little problem by creating a new sub category called household health.  Cheating the system people.   $1 Beef Jerky since I did a piss poor job planning my food intake. $4 instyle magazine. No control really need to subscribe to this. $7 clipboards to encourage my crazy organizational ease of doing household business.

Walgreens
Spent $5
Notes - Forgot to put this in the budget (my bad) need to get new pictures up on the wall from last year.  Would like to actually have this accomplsihed in a timely fashion this year.

Grocery Overage
Spent $50
Notes - Parts of this contribution is that we are eating healthier this month and purchasing our lunches at the grocery store versus at a gas station or work.

Sephora
Spent $42
Notes - One of the items I would normally purchase.  Just did not expect it to run out this month. So it was uplanned right along with the new lip treatment I needed.

Grocery Overage
Spent $85

Night Out at the Mineshaft
Spent $20
Notes - Nonplanned event but worth every  penny. see....

 

Will I do this again.  Yes.  It really did make me put some things in check.  Of course right now I am on vacation, so that whole budgeting crap is out the window.  Here is to eating out and spending money on silly things.