Comments on: MMM #19 Round-Up: Getting Onto The Budget Bandwagon

By: Sayward

Sayward — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:57:26 +0000

Thanks to everybody who participated, and I’m glad we all learned a little something. Good luck to everyone who’s thinking of taking this on – I HIGHLY recommend it!

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Sun, 01 May 2011 18:56:42 +0000

I actually did a pretty good job of keeping on top of tracking things, and I managed to put 30% of my income into savings. That was pretty awesome considering that we had friends visiting and I managed to spend more than a week of pay the 3 days that they were here. I definitely going to keep this up!

By: Alegre

Alegre — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:34:35 +0000

I am learning how to use the computer (instead of pen and paper) for my budget. However I had family visiting for a few weeks and kind of flaked on the budget part of it. So I did half of what I’d set out to do. We only use credit cards or checks so I can go back and figure it all out. I’m grateful for the reminder to get back to it (the nice weather has me escaping the house with my toddler when i should be doing other things)

By: Monika {windycityvegan}

Monika {windycityvegan} — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:07:59 +0000

I haven’t looked at the numbers yet – Mar tracks it all to the penny, I just haven’t made the time to pull up the spreadsheet – but I know that our food and farm budgets are the two biggest things we spend money on. April has turned out to have some unique expenses, like a huge deposit into Nina’s college fund before the fiscal year end date (mid-April), so I am going to review our March expenses instead. Also, they will be more ‘honest’, since my spending habits weren’t being subconsciously influenced by this MMM!

I am going to be utterly disgusted with the amount we spend on petrol, I just know it. I need to steel myself for that one.

By: Alli

Alli — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:35:13 +0000

I tried this a few months ago, but might give it a shot for May since there’s been some changes in our budget since then. One number that stuck out was only 25% of my income was going towards rent (which is AWESOME, since we live in NYC and I know people who pay over half their income in rent). I also spend a larger amount of money on groceries, especially since I am trying to become better at not eating out for breakfast or lunch during the work week. The book The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway definitely inspired me in that respect!

By: Dana

Dana — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:20:11 +0000

I also track every penny we spend, and have done so for a long time. Since my husband got fired ( he did find another job, be it one that pays a lot less) we have been living on a small budget, so I really need to check where our money is going.
Most of our money goes to the mortgage and bills (insurance, phones, healthcare insurance, etc) and the groceries. What is left at the end of the month is spend on fun things, but it is so little that most of the time we just put it into the groceries (I don’t mind eating basic food, but every now and then I like to eat something more exotic!).

We save money by riding our bikes to work, and buying only secondhand (think clothes and stuff. Although I get most of my clothes from family/friends).That, and we don’t go out, that is just not our thing. I read/knit/crochet a lot, Matt spends a lot of time on the computer, surfing online.

This might sound strange, but I actually like living this way. Not having a lot of money to spend forced me to look at what I already have, and I have a lot…. I am very blessed!

By: jenny b

jenny b — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:01:55 +0000

May 1st- I begin !

By: Allison

Allison — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:43:09 +0000

Ok, so I didn’t track my funds this month but after looking at your breakdown I had to do some quick calculations. Your savings number and your mortgage number really surprised me. I found that my portion of my rent (split with my boyfriend) is only 20% of my income, my utilities and bills are 8% my accessible savings (for large purchases or emergencies) is 22% and finally my retirement savings is 3%. I feel pretty alright going forward with however much I spend on food! I also think I could afford to rent a place with a nicer kitchen and larger backyard. Thanks for making me think about this!

By: Steph

Steph — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 01:10:01 +0000

Oooh I might have to try this for March. I’m pretty sure I’ll be in for a heart attack when I realise how little (none) I earn and how much I actually spend of it. Might be a good wake up call for me. Our mortgage is about half of what we earn too but you have to pick your biggest needs and for us it was a safer area and a huge yard, no contest.

By: Mercedes@ Cultivating Consciousness

Mercedes@ Cultivating Consciousness — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 00:21:04 +0000

I’ve also been tracking penny-for-penny our spending this month. There were some areas that surprised me, but some that I figured would be right on. What I didn’t think to do, though, was figure out a percent. I’m on it now! Thanks for the reminder. I love, love, love, (love), your blog!