Monday Accountability

Xstatic3333 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend?

2. Any progress towards your goals?

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music?

Xstatic3333 · March 2015

1. There were a lot of expenses this weekend, but all were budgeted. We picked up dog food ($15), groceries ($75), and some equipment I need for the dive instructor course ($107). H bought beer ($15 for a craft 12 pack that will last a while, $15 for growlers to bring to a party). One unexpected expense was that I finished my CPR/First Aid instructor certification, which I was given for free, but didn't know I'd need to register with the organization ($105) so that will come out of my next paycheck.

2. We've gotten pretty derailed from our goals and need to recalibrate. The main issue is that I keep budgeting in unrealistic ways. Ex. "I'm going to make a gigantic car payment and have zero fun for the next two weeks!" It's just not working for us. I sat down with H and we made a more realistic budget, raising our fun/slush/entertainment and grocery amounts. We'll shift our focus from debt payoff back to retirement, because we were doing a lot better when we used that approach. The crazy debt payoff approach works best when you're really willing to be gazelle intense, and we just aren't willing to make that sacrifice. That doesn't mean, however, that we can't use other methods to improve our finances.

3. Foo Fighters have been my favorite band since I was 13. I'm glad they stuck around! U2 is a close second. Other than them I like a mix of folk-influenced alternative (i.e. Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Neko Case) and slightly-cheesy classic rock (Steely Dan, Electric Light Orchestra). I also enjoy good hip-hop and my Zumba music mix for working out. Basically I'm all over the place.

jessica490 · March 2015

1. $5 hardware store and that's it!

2. $700 to house DP. We had 3 condo showings this weekend!

3. I like hip-hop, pop music, and just LOVE 80's music. It always brings me back to when I was a kid and it's so comforting/relaxing. H and I also got into smooth jazz after our honeymoon trip to Sandals St. Lucia because they had some awesome jazz players/singers come in. Very relaxing as well.

blessed81 · March 2015

45.00 on saturday for our date night and 20.00 for lunch on sunday

50.00 in savings

i love r & b and some old school.

cbee817 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? DH and I took Friday off to run errands and order a mattress for DD#2 (finally getting her out of her crib). We already have her headboard, footboard, and bedside table (ordered matching ones when DD#1 got her bed). Groceries ($150), mattress, box spring, bed rails, mattress covers ($672), TRU ($106), ON ($33), Target ($43), Joann's ($35).

2. Any progress towards your goals? $250 went to savings- we'll be sending $5,000 ($2,500 each) to our Roth IRA accounts this week too.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, Sam Roberts Band, and of course, Justin Timberlake.

formerlyGDaisy09 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend?

A bit expensive....we signed up for wholesale club membership a few weeks ago, and are still working on stocking the freezer in the basement, so food bills are more expensive as I stock-up on things on sale (so it should reduce long-term expenses). $200 at BJ's

2. Any progress towards your goals?

Our Tax return came in last week, so that has been allocated to our various savings goals

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music?

I'm Eclectic, I like top 40's stuff, big band, jazz, classic rock...not a big fan of rap, though I find uses for it in my dance classes.

lifeonthehill · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? H had a hockey tournament this weekend in honor of his grandfather. We budgeted $300 towards it and H only spent $215! He shared a hotel bed with a buddy and only had to pay $55 bucks for two nights in the hotel. I am sure the room smelled horrendous with four men and their hockey gear but he had a blast!

2. Any progress towards your goals? Nope. He doesn't get paid again till the 1st and I don't get a paycheck till the 10th. Our checking account is starting to get uncomfortably low.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? My Pandora stations are Disney & Summer Hits of the 90's. If I am listening to purchased music I am all about Ben Kweller and Jacks' Mannequin.

hoffse · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend?

Ours wasn't terrible, all things considering. I had to go out of town to a bridal luncheon, and H had to make 49 parts for the music thing with the Alabama Symphony. He spent about $50 making parts, I spent about $50 on gas, and we both spent about $125 on groceries and seasonal/allergy meds stock up.

2. Any progress towards your goals?

Not this week.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music?

I'm kind of boring. Can't stand most rap, pop, country, etc. H and I have a friend that works in the music industry in Nashville, and he's able to make almost anybody sound good through electronic tweaking. It sort of makes the entire industry feel like a scam to me. I really love the 30s/40s jazz, big band, broadway.... stuff that I feel like requires some training and talent and isn't easily modified by computers.

dragonstarjk · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? $20 gas to drive my friend and I to pick up dresses for her wedding; -$20 discount on said dress because they messed up the alterations; $36 at Michaels for bridal shower stuff; $90 on groceries; $80 at Amazon for the rest of the bridal shower supplies. All was budgeted for.

2. Any progress towards your goals? We got the quote for our front porch and it is just under $22000. Our budget was $20K, but this is including replacing the siding on the front of the house while the porch is being built. It wasn't part of our original plan, but it will be really nice to not have to try to go back and remove/replace siding after the porch is built. We are hoping to have it paid off in two years. It's kind of scary taking on this much debt when we really haven't had much for several years, but it's probably our single most expensive home improvement project so it will be a relief to get it done.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? I like a lot of different types of music. Everything from Frank Sinatra to Third Eye Blind to Taylor Swift. The only things I don't listen to are heavy metal, rap, and most country.

MissChanandlerBong · March 2015

1. It was not good. $102 on groceries, $50 gas, $200 target, plus about $230 on Easter stuff/gifts, mostly for my H. I paid off a big chunk of credit cards this week, so I sort of felt like I "earned" the splurge. I have a shopping hangover today and I'm going to return most of the stuff this week. It is not anything he needs (a nice shirt/cologne) and even though it would be nice to treat him, we have other goals and it's just not in the budget now. This Monday accountability post is really keeping me, well, accountable!

2. Paid off $4K in credit card debt.

3. I usually listen to pop music, but lately I've been listening to DR's podcasts during my commute. I don't agree with everything he says, but I like hearing other people's stories and it keeps me focused.

AprilZ81 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? I nickel and dimed my way through a good chunk of my fun money eating out while I was out of town for Dad's surgery. I'm not over budget but I did a lot of eating on the run going back and forth between my parents house and the hospital.

2. Any progress towards your goals? Goals all on hold while I am out of work. We are leaving my last full paycheck in the checking account as an added cushion to help with cash flow as we adjust to only having DH's income. My last paycheck (partial check) and severance will be put into savings to be used if we need it.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? I mostly listen to country but I also listen to some pop, a little rock and I can "tolerate" just about anything but heavy metal and rap.

TravelJunkie1234 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? We were kinda spendy this weekend, but considering DH and I rarely go out with friends and that everything else was planned for it's ok. $100 for Dinner with friends, $20 for cat food, $80 at Costco for groceries/household items, $40 for a birthday present for my brother.

2. Any progress towards your goals? I earned a few hundred dollars from a freelance gig. I should be responsible and put it towards SL debt, but I'm really tempted to use it instead for Scuba lessons during our vacation next month. So hard to be responsible sometimes!

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? I listen to a mix of everything. My usual go-to is more Alternative style, but I listen to metal, rock, Broadway musicals, classic jazz, samba, and lots of other random stuff. If you look at my Spotify playlists you'll find a mix of everything from Frank Sinatra to Five Finger DeathPunch to Jason Mraz to Disney songs and everything in between.

simplyelise · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? Finally got our monthly date night for right at $50 (budgeted), panda express lunch sunday (giftcard), and groceries $65 (budgeted)

2. Any progress towards your goals? Nope. H just started his job last week, so he won't get paid until April 15th. My last paycheck is needed for end of month/beginning of month bills.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? My favorite genre is alternative rock. Favorite band is Manchester Orchestra. But I enjoy pop, R&B, some rap, oldies and classical.

vlagrl29 · March 2015

1 - pretty spendy. We went out to eat with friends on Friday night. Saturday we had to get the balloons and cake for DD's bday party and we paid our tab at the movie theatre. We also were too tired to cook so ate out on Saturday night for dinner. met with out of town family for breakfast, but luckily we didn't have to pay for it.

2 - $175 in savings and $175 in retirement, also found out we get back about $557 in tax refund which will go towards painting the outside of our house this spring.

3 - I like classical, pop, hip hop, and techno

bmo88 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend?

We didn't do too bad given how much we did with friends and family. We spent $32 on Friday night for dinner, drinks and the tip. We went during happy hour, so that saved some money, and I brought half my meal home (loaded up on the free chips and salsa)!

On Saturday, I met up with a friend and went shopping. I bought a cute infinity scarf ($5) and two pairs of leggings ($8.50 after coupon). Then we drove up north to watch my nephew's football game and grabbed dinner with my brother's family. They were really nice and treated, so no money spent there (though we covered the tip ~$15) and I brought half my meal home again!

On Sunday, DH's brother came over and we made smoked bbq ribs and invited some friends over. We paid for everything, but for 5 people (3 racks of ribs, salad, potato salad and fries) we only spent $37.

2. Any progress towards your goals?

Yes, we have paid off 10% of our debt since last November. We also have just reached 4 months of living expenses in our emergency fund account.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music?

I generally like R&B and Pop music. I really like John Legend, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran.

smbenevides1989 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend?

Very good. Friday: $21 food, $24 groceries, $36 gas; Saturday: DH spent $5 on food; Sunday: nothing

2. Any progress towards your goals?

Not this week.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music?

I'm can go across all genres of music, but my favorite type is country.

Mustard76 · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? Not too bad. We went to the farmer's market and spent $50. It's more than we planned on spending there, but we got lots of good stuff. And it didn't cut into our grocery budget, we just spent less at the store. I also spent $68 on a baby shower gift, wrapping, and a card.

2. Any progress towards your goals? None this week.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? I love 80's music. All kinds. The year I turned 25, we went to see Journey, Heart, Cheap Trick, AC/DC, Pat Benatar, and Foreigner. That was the best year ever! At work, I generally listen to country and top 40; otherwise I'd be singing karaoke all day.

Wulfgar · March 2015

1. How MM was your weekend? Not too bad, spent cash for eating out and tried to sell stuff at a local rummage sale. We ended up making $25 after paying for the two tables. Then again, we were basically just giving stuff away. I did stick to my guns when someone wanted to really low ball me on my comic collection.

2. Any progress towards your goals? Not this week.

3. Favorite band/bands/type of music? Led Zeppelin, Rush, Sweet, Rolling Stones, Weird Al Yankovic, Gaelic music, classical, Big Band, a mix of 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's. On the country side, I am more bluegrass, Johnny Cash, and Jack Daniels. I can't stand most R&B, dance, electric, heavy metal, and rap.

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