Monday Accountability Post

als1982 · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend?

2. Any progress toward goals?

3. What are you most afraid of?

csuave · August 2016

1. Not MM but we had a blast at my HS reunion and visiting my best friend. We spent on food, travel and drinks....a lot on drinks...but very fun. We also got baseball tickets and a hotel for our trip later this month, but I'm happy with the prices paid for those.

2. We have started putting together some of our long term goals so that is progress.

3. I don't think I'm afraid of much. Losing both of our jobs I guess.

Mustard76 · August 2016

1. Great! I spent $30 on a tank of gas and $27 at Bed Bath & Beyond/World Market.

2. $250 to savings, but I had to take money out of our house account for a vet bill and to pay the plumber, so we're not really ahead of two weeks ago.

3. I'm really concerned about something happening to H at work. It's a really scary time to be a cop, and it only seems to be getting worse.

formerlyjessica490 · August 2016

1. $10 Home Depot, $21 Gas, $62 Oil change

2. Nothing new, we get paid this coming week

3. There are a few things I'm afraid of but nothing that bothers me on a daily basis, they are just in the back of my mind. Major car accident, house fire, someone breaking into our home, loosing my job, going into debt....

cbee817 · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend? It wasn't too bad- 10th anniversary dinner with DH ($110).. moscow mules are now my favorite drink ever! (and I usually don't drink at all), groceries ($129), Target ($40).

2. Any progress toward goals? Nothing financial. Bathroom is still coming along- we're tiling the shower. I'm on vacation starting tomorrow for the rest of the week so we hope to get a bunch done. DD#1's birthday is on Wednesday so we'll be doing something fun that day.

3. What are you most afraid of? DH and I worry about our girls a lot and their safety as they get older- just making sure nothing happens to them. As a parent, there is only so much you can control, but sometimes it feels overwhelming.. need to constantly keep things in perspective.

smetter04 · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend? Not terribly MM. H and I went to a combo bachelor/bachelorette party weekend at a rented condo, which was $90/pp so $180 for both of us owed to the best man. Then the costs of food/beer prior to the weekend. And costs of going to the bar on Saturday...maybe about $40 or so? And H went golfing with the guys for $62 ($37 for golfing & $25 for club rental). I'm ready to stop spending money...

2. Any progress toward goals? Not financially. Between costs for the wedding coming up, the bathroom renovation that should hopefully be done this week, looking at new cars, and now we just got a bill for the whole life my parents transferred over to me, this summer has been $$$. And, our city just completed property re-assessments, and our assessment increased by $39k.

3. What are you most afraid of? Honestly, I fear falling on hard times financially. H and I have been very, very lucky with our finances and jobs and health, and I can't help but wonder if/when it won't be so easy.

labro · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend? It was pretty good. I took my mom and sister out to a movie using a giftcard, and we did spend some money at the clay pigeon range and on groceries but it was all in budget. We actually walked out of Lowe's without spending $100 too which I always consider an accomplishment!

2. Any progress toward goals? Kind of in a holding pattern right now. Our big goals are all savings related so basically I just need to sit tight and let the money in my account build up. I started reading the Financially Independent subreddit over the weekend and I might start looking at some of those principles and seeing how we can apply them in our own life.

3. What are you most afraid of? Losing both of our jobs and not being able to get re-employed. We have a healthy e-fund that would get us through several months but that still is probably my worst nightmare.

short+sassy · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend?

It was okay. Our kitchen sink sprung a major leak and we had to make an emergency trip to Home Depot on Sunday. It was extra annoying because we had just been there on Saturday. We spent $76 for both trips.

I just hired a plumber two weeks ago to fix the kitchen sink at one of my rental properties.

Sinks are my new nemesis!

2. Any progress toward goals?

Alas, not this week.

3. What are you most afraid of?

My health failing and my H being killed riding his bike. I also really fear a home invasion.

bmo88 · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend?

Not good! Lol. Spent $551 on tires and alignment. But it was budgeted, so not unexpected. I shopped around for the best value and had a discount coupon through the dealership. But geesh, I know it's only every 3-4 years, but dang are tires pricey.
Otherwise, spent about $200 on groceries, dog food and toiletries which will last about two weeks.
DH won $180 in a poker tournament, so that was good!

2. Any progress toward goals?

I started to fund my HSA account and increased my 401k contribution for this pay period.
DH is continuing to pay down student loans, will be gone by December.

3. What are you most afraid of?

Not a lot. But in general, losing the ability to maintain our current lifestyle. We don't live a lavish life, but the first time, we don't have to worry a great deal about money. We live very far below our means and have built up savings, but the thought of it all going a way is an unsettling feeling. So it's not so much about money, as much of the feeling of financial security.

julieanne912 · August 2016

1. Pretty good. Saturday, H took me out to lunch, but we had a BOGO for an entree so that left more room for beer

Also went grocery shopping and spent about $90. Nothing spent Sunday, just stayed home and did laundry and worked on organizing our coat closet and the guest room closet. I also helped the neighbor write a paper for one of her nursing school classes (It was NOT nursing related, I wouldn't be much help there!).

2. Not this week, I get paid Friday.

3. H getting too sick to work. He has Crohn's and while they say he's in remission as long as he sticks with his treatment, it could always get worse. We'd be in a rough spot if it ever got that bad.

LillibetteV · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend? Not very, but all budgeted/planned.

Friday - $20 on two beers at the Red Sox game (thanks Fenway - at least my momma treated me to a hot dog! lol)

Saturday - $10 on a tour/drinks at Downeast Cider. $20 on dessert to bring to a party (because I didn't have time to bake myself...oops), and then about $65 on groceries for our big board game party we hosted on Sunday.

2. Any progress toward goals? Financial goals are coasting along. Life goals are that we got in a month earlier than expected to start the IVF process with our doctor thanks to a last minute cancellation he had! We'll be doing IVF w/ ICSI so hopefully we'll have some luck soon.

3. What are you most afraid of? Never getting pregnant. We spent a ton of time with our friends' kids this weekend and seeing how awesome my husband is with them kills me - he's going to be the best dad. I was holding a newborn on Saturday and he crapped his pants and started crying and the mom joked "isn't this the best birth control?!" Nope. I want to be exhausted and covered in baby shit in the worst possible way.

als1982 · August 2016

1. Good! Meal planning is still saving us a ton of money - we've cut our grocery spending by at least half. So, $60 at Sprouts and then $30 on SundayFunday apps, beer and Bloody Mary's.

2. Not much. Just send an extra $50 to the mortgage collected from recent micro gigs.

3. This question was inspired by a trip to the dentist today, which I hate. I had a crown put on a root canal which I had done in April. (I totally procrastinated out of fear!) MM wise, I am definitely willing to pay extra to have IV sedation for fillings, X-rays and the root canal itself. Luckily I have decent insurance and a flex spending account!

I've been tapping my flex spending and health reimbursement account a lot lately. Last week I went in for an HSG. While unpleasant, I'd rather do that any day than go to the dentist!

vlagrl35 · August 2016

1 - not that great but it was planned. DD starts school in 2 days! so I wanted to go to the amusement park Friday night. Tickets for all 3 of us was $110, then we spent $20 for food. Saturday DH went to lowes to get stuff to plant milkweed in our yard for the Monarchs. That was around $30. He also went to the grocery store to get some grillers for dinner. $5 donation to Yoga on Sunday.

2 - $169 to retirement

3 - I don't really fear much. I am afraid of heights.

hoffse · August 2016

1) Not bad - about $110 on groceries, $20 on some "bonus" groceries to surprise my H with a birthday dinner, and $15 on gas.

2) Not much this week.

3) I don't truly fear much. I'm somebody who gets stressed easily, but fear is a different kind of thing. I guess that in my daily life, my biggest fear or stress is a major change - it has to be something very very good for me to get excited about any sort of change.

Xstatic3333 · August 2016

1.) It was expensive. We spent $100 on dinner out with some good friends we hadn't seen in a while (including several drinks for H and desert for me). It was an amazing restaurant that was absolutely worth that, but still, ouch! I feel a bit guilty.

2.) Not a paycheck week. Just retooling the budget for the wedding coming up this weekend.

3.) I am most afraid of suffering a severe allergic reaction that puts me in the hospital or worse. I have a severe tree nut allergy, and though I am very careful and always carry an epi-pen and benadryl, the reactions I have had have been worse and worse over the last several years. The current trend to use nut powders and milks in everything has made diligence much more important. My last reaction was about three years ago at this point, and it was from eating "carrot ginger soup" that looked completely smooth but had cashew powder in it.

short+sassy · August 2016

Xstatic3333 said:

1.) It was expensive. We spent $100 on dinner out with some good friends we hadn't seen in a while (including several drinks for H and desert for me). It was an amazing restaurant that was absolutely worth that, but still, ouch! I feel a bit guilty.

2.) Not a paycheck week. Just retooling the budget for the wedding coming up this weekend.

3.) I am most afraid of suffering a severe allergic reaction that puts me in the hospital or worse. I have a severe tree nut allergy, and though I am very careful and always carry an epi-pen and benadryl, the reactions I have had have been worse and worse over the last several years. The current trend to use nut powders and milks in everything has made diligence much more important. My last reaction was about three years ago at this point, and it was from eating "carrot ginger soup" that looked completely smooth but had cashew powder in it.

Wow, that's tough! I've never even heard of cashew powder. I would hardly expect it to be in soup. I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of food items that contain nuts and people just wouldn't know it unless they are looking for it.

We have a family friend with an allergy to corn. After he was diagnosed and they started paying attention, corn and corn products (especially corn syrup) is in EVERYTHING. He can't even have bread from the grocery store/restaurants. Even if there isn't corn syrup, and a lot of bread has that, I think there is also another corn product in most breads.

When I was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, I remember being very surprised by how much sugar is in a lot of products...even things that are much more savory than sweet. Especially sauces! I'd even ask at restaurants about sugar grams or at least if something had a sweet taste, but quickly came to realize how pointless that was. Servers don't know. Kitchen staff/management don't know. They'd tell me a sauce/dish didn't taste that sugary, but I would take one bite and could tell it was teeming with it.

Over time and trial and error, I just learned what types of food/sauces to look out for. But at least it isn't a scary episode if a server or I am wrong about the sugar content vs. if a dish contains nuts or not!

Xstatic3333 · August 2016

Wow, @short+sassy, corn must be nearly impossible to deal with. At least in my area, nut allergies are always taken very seriously when I declare them at restaurants and aren't usually too bad to avoid. I did, however, have a host of trouble in your otherwise-awesome city when I was there for a conference last year. Many servers did not know what "tree nut" meant, and one at a conference-sponsored dinner brought me a dish that was clearly covered in pesto even after I declared my allergy. He swore there weren't nuts in it, but I couldn't trust it.

I think that the cashew powder was just super ground up cashews. That was offered by a newish friend, not at a restaurant, and I do blame myself for not being 1,000% diligent, but I mean, it just looked like carrot ginger soup. I never in a million years would have thought it had nuts until I reacted.

Sugar must be so tough as well. Lately I've been checking for added sugar at the grocery store and the amounts are shocking, even in seemingly healthy foods.

short+sassy · August 2016

Xstatic3333 said:

Wow, @short+sassy, corn must be nearly impossible to deal with. At least in my area, nut allergies are always taken very seriously when I declare them at restaurants and aren't usually too bad to avoid. I did, however, have a host of trouble in your otherwise-awesome city when I was there for a conference last year. Many servers did not know what "tree nut" meant, and one at a conference-sponsored dinner brought me a dish that was clearly covered in pesto even after I declared my allergy. He swore there weren't nuts in it, but I couldn't trust it.

I think that the cashew powder was just super ground up cashews. That was offered by a newish friend, not at a restaurant, and I do blame myself for not being 1,000% diligent, but I mean, it just looked like carrot ginger soup. I never in a million years would have thought it had nuts until I reacted.

Sugar must be so tough as well. Lately I've been checking for added sugar at the grocery store and the amounts are shocking, even in seemingly healthy foods.

Sadly, I am not surprised by the first bolded.

I saw a dietician when I was first diagnosed and one of things she told me was to avoid "low fat" salad dressings because they make up for the less fat by adding more sugar. I've noticed that trend with other foods also.

My least favorite is the current soda bandwagon implying that sodas made with "real sugar" are better than sodas made with "corn syrup". Maybe they taste better, but they give the implication that they are more "natural" and therefore better for you. What?!? Where does that even come from?

Neither option have any nutritional value. Our bodies treat sugar and corn syrup in exactly the same way. Heck, our bodies eventually break everything we eat and drink down to sugar. It just happens a lot faster if the item is already...well, sugar (or equivalent), lol!

With that said, for the specific instance of my aforementioned friend. He is absolutely thrilled with the push for "real sugar" sodas. For years he couldn't drink anything but diet sodas because corn syrup was always the sweetener.

brij2006 · August 2016

1. How MM was your week/weekend?
Not MM, but all budgeted. $60 on eating out for dinner, beer, and ice cream for our anniversary. $140 on groceries.

2. Any progress toward goals?
All of our bills are paid and all of our sinking funds are fully funded for the month. With 3 paychecks left to come in. It seriously feels amazing. The rest of the month is just incidentals, daycare, tithe, and then our savings goals for Hawaii.

3. What are you most afraid of?
Small dark spaces. Like spelunking. Oh hell no! My biggest fear is that I'll get stuck, can't see and don't know where I'm at, and I'll definitely freak out and die there. It would just happen.

Yet I'll happily jump out of a perfectly good airplane again.

Monday Accountability Post

Re: Monday Accountability Post

Choose Another Board

Search Boards