Make Do Month
Posted by Gail | Filed under Saving
If there’s any month when you’re most likely to wonder if all the bills will get paid it’s usually January. After the feverish rush of the holidays and all the unexpected expenses that popped up, no doubt things will be a little tight. Add the extra cost of heating and the jump in “fresh” food prices and you’ll be looking for ways to trim back.
Enter Make Do Month. This is the month when you stretch everything a little farther so you spend a lot less. If you get invited to a party, you don’t rush out and buy something new, you get creative and shop your closet. And if you need a little something different, you shop a friend’s closet. Or hold a clothing exchange. What you don’t do is spend money.
When the weather is warm, it’s easy to do lots of free things. When it’s cold, entertainment gets more expensive. Sure there’s that great movie you’d love to take the family to for a night out of the house. For a family of four, you’re probably looking at $100 or more with popcorn and drinks. Recycle a movie you already own or do a movie swap with friends, add some home-made popcorn and a 12-pack of your favorite libation and you can probably do it for $10. Now that’s making do.
January is also a good month to experiment with a new routine as you make do. If you’re used to buying coffee every day, brew your own at home or work and save big-time. If you regularly go out for lunch, pack one from home for four out of every five days and not only will you drop those holiday pounds, you’ll be able to pay off that holiday debt.
But what if you have family or friends whose birthday falls in January. You’ll have to buy something. No you don’t. You can give something of yourself instead of something purchased. Make their favorite cookies, offer to cook them a meal or a bunch of meals for the freezer for those extra busy workdays, or create a coupon for three nights of free babysitting. Maybe you’re a computer genius and can offer to do maintenance or repairs. Perhaps you’re a mechanic and can offer a tune-up. Substitute your energy for spending money.
After the buzz of the holidays you’ll no doubt be happy to stay home for the first couple of weeks. Then you may start feeling itchy. You’ve got to get out. You can feel the walls closing in. Time to hit that great new restaurant that just opened up or head out to the clubs. Wait a minute. This is Make Do Month.
Call up a couple of friends and throw a pot-luck game night instead. See if you can do it at their house this time. Start a tradition of once a month game or poker nights and rotate from one friend’s home to another. No one says you can’t have fun in Make Do Month. You just can’t spend gobs of money.
Make Do Month is a conscious decision to stretch every dollar as far as it’ll go. Try it and see if just becoming conscious saves you money. I’ll bet your pleasantly surprised.
Okay, it’s your turn. Did you over-indulge in December, and what are you doing in January to catch up? How are you making do?
Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll. And remember that I’ll be signing books this Saturday, Jan 23 @ 1 pm – Chapters, Oshawa Centre, 419 King Street West.
January 18, 2010 at 7:21 am
Has anyone else discovered the Red Machine DVD Rental box? There’s one in almost every Safeway and Walmart here in Edmonton. I absolutely love it. I can get a New Release movie for 1.88 including tax! And by new release, I mean, if it’s at Blockbuster (for $6), you can find in one of these machines. Why would you spend three times as much?
January 18, 2010 at 7:39 am
I agree completely. But in Ontario, they had some disagreement with Wal-Mart and pulled their machines several months ago. There is another company that offers something similar but it’s a 25 km drive there so the saving disappear, especially when you have to return it the next day to stay at the 99 cent price. What I suggest is if you work, try and get 3-4 friends to agree to each rent a movie at Blockbuster for a week rental. Make a list of what you want to see and everyone rents a different one. Since you’re coming to work every day, it’s easy to exchange between people and you can watch 3-4 movies for $6. Just make sure you don’t let anyone join who isn’t reliable and doesn’t bring them back on time. And, always rent the movies on a Tuesday so that they are due on a workday and it allows for someone being ill Monday.
January 18, 2010 at 8:00 am
I eliminate the regular monthly clothing budget in January and Fabruary and put it towards savings (Christmas is paid for in advance from planned spending). A lot of the stores are still trying to clear their winter stock so they have nothing new to tempt me, plus I’ve hopefully received a few new clothing items for Christmas. We also make use of movie and restaurant gift cards received as gifts to make this month easier on the budget.
January 18, 2010 at 8:09 am
I plan fairly well for all 12 months…no extra $$ being spent in December so January is pretty much status quo…BUT, I did complete my 2010 budget and had it balanced perfectly and then rec’d my insurance renewal for 2011 and it has increased by 20.00 per month…ugh…now I am going insurance shopping (starting with my existing company to see if I can lower it) and if I can’t get it any lower then it’s back to the cutting board to accomodate the new cost…my other “make do” rule is for the whole year not just January but it involves the grocery category…if we are out of something before the next grocery day then we have to ‘make do’ with something else…so far so good:)
January 18, 2010 at 8:26 am
I try to get additional gift cards for movies on airmiles for the winter doldrums in January and February because we just need to get out of the house. I unfortunately caved into a major post xmas electronics sale and bought the big screen tv and home theatre unit we’d been saving to buy. I had the cash, and it was a good deal, but now of course I am kicking myself for forgetting about saving for the piece of furniture the monstrosity needs to sit on. So now have to do double time to get those dollars saved up….if only Gail had posted this at the beginning of the month, I might never have bought the darn thing
One consolation though, we massively decluttered the living room as a result – boy did we have a lot of junk that accumulated over 15 years. And it spurred me to declutter other areas of the house too. So now I have 15 boxes of garage sale and kajjiji sale items and donation items to get out of the house…
January 18, 2010 at 8:32 am
We under indulged in December. We came under budget for all of our holiday expenses. however this month still seems tight. Over all we are doing a pretty good job.
regards,
Jason
January 18, 2010 at 8:38 am
January definitely is a difficult month. A birthday, a course which requires 24 hours of driving, time to sign up for another course. It all adds up fast, really fast! I have started to save money this year (thanks Gail and other PF bloggers) so next December I will have money saved up. Birthdays too actually, saving so I can pay in cash!
January 18, 2010 at 8:55 am
We actually came in under our budget for Christmas, so we are doing OK that way. BUT, I did go over our budget a bit for my son’s birthday this week. He had some friends over this past weekend, and the expenses for that were a bit higher than I had planned. Still, we don’t do the birthday with friends party every year. This just happened to be his year and I didn’t plan well. Having said that, he had fun and the budget will survive with some cuts somewhere else.
I like to experiment with new routines in January too. I’m not sure why, but the New Year always makes me feel more ready for change.
January 18, 2010 at 9:09 am
Jan is almost always a tight month..it’s not so much because of Christmas overspending (but any extra money has certainly been used) but more so because my husband is an electrician and so if he doens’t work he doesn’t get paid.. with all the holidays over christmas it puts a serious dent in the incoming funds in Jan.. luckily this year Jan is a 3 pay month (LOVE 3 pay months) and I get quarterly bonuses- the first of the year is always paid in jan. And for the first time in foreever we have money in the bank account…
I think it’s the gluttony of Christmas but it never seems a problem to us to “make do” in Jan..it’s a relief to me to keep my wallet shut and out of the stores…
January 18, 2010 at 9:11 am
I always find January a tight month. What with CPP and EI contributions kicking back in I generally have around $300 less Yuck! So this year I’ve decided that I will stick to ‘approximately’ the same budget year round. Once I’ve finished paying the government off around July or August, instead of bumping up my Life spending I’ll keep on with what I’m doing now. It’s a terrible temptation to see all that extra money going into my account and I’ve never been able to do it yet, but this year I have Gail and all of you to give that extra kick in the pants when I need it! Plus watching my credit line drop closer towards $0
I’ve been reading my way through all the archived blogs… phew, there’s a lot of reading in there! and I found an awesome one called ‘Allowances for Learning or for Reward’ It really got me thinking and I loved the idea, I just didn’t know how to talk about it with my daughter. I had been giving her money sporadically for doing her chores but even if she didn’t get an allowance that week, she pretty much knew I was a sucker and would buy her something out of my own money… sigh
So just after I had finished reading the blog we were watching some tv before her bedtime and on come the commercials (did I mention she was 8?) and the chorus of ‘I want that’ started. Instead of my usual ‘we’ll see’ response a little light came on in my head and I used the opportunity to talk about money! It was so easy and she completely loved the idea of having different catagories for her allowance!
We decided on 4 baggies (I didn’t have any jars and I didn’t want to go out and spend money…) One was for Savings – not to be touched until she’s old and grey like Nanna
another for Sharing, a third for Planned and the last for Junk – her suggestion, not mine, but very fitting lol
I went online and we looked up how much this toy would cost, then we talked a little about tax and I figured that out for her too. Then she decided how much she would need to put into her Planned baggie and for how long in order to buy it.
We divvied up her allowance and then she remembered her birthday money and ran to get that and we put that in the baggies too. Now she’s excited that she can buy her toy next week and I’m happy that she’s loving the idea!
Then came the part that made me melt, I’m so proud of her! Last night she was reading one of her magazines and she saw an article about the World Wildlife Fund. She came downstairs, showed it to me and said ‘that’s where I want to give my sharing money!’ We hadn’t really talked about that category much, I had decided to wait a little before we decided what she was going to do with it.
Aren’t kids great? And thank you again Gail for giving me the tools to have such an important talk with my daughter! She actually gets it!
January 18, 2010 at 9:31 am
I’m using this month to make-do in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. I am systematically using food which I purchased and for some reason haven’t used yet. So a bag of green peas I’ve had for almost a year just became pea soup – made with a ham bone left over from a recent purchase.
.
I’ve just learned to make pastry, and will start grating up my leftover bits of cheese to mix in with the other ingredients. I just made one with a bit of leftover cream cheese and it turned out well. I’ve got my biscotti recipe to use up extra almonds purchased for christmas baking.
I think January is becoming the new Lent (well, except for the ham, and butter, and cheese…)
January 18, 2010 at 9:46 am
In my part of the world, you can also add these to the January costs: summer school holidays and new school year.
We have the long Christmas school break of 6 weeks (our equivalent of your summer vacation) and then having to buy all new school stuff for when school re-starts at the end of January (our school year runs Jan-Dec).
We have only 6 weeks of school holidays, and although that is at a bad time of the year financially, it makes me wonder how all you northern hemispherians (!) cope with the cost of 8-10 weeks of continuous school holidays. An extra couple of weeks of school holidays in one slug would almost be the (mental and financial) ruin of me!
January 18, 2010 at 10:03 am
I am with Julie. January is a good month to use up what’s accumulated in the pantry, freezer, and fridge.
I don’t consider January as a ‘make do’ month, but more of a ‘back to basics’ month.
We didn’t over-indulge this Christmas, so we have no catching up to do.
We did, however, start a newly revised budget for 2010, and have got our ducks in a row.
January 18, 2010 at 10:17 am
We were medium in December – we spent very little “extra” money, and what we did spend was out of our extra money left from not having to pay EI/CPP at the end of the year. However, because we baked all of our Christmas presents, we were over on the grocery bill almost every week for all of December. This month I’ve been working extra hard to go under – far under – our normal budget, by eating very healthy and reusing as many ingredients as possible. So far I’ve been between $10 to $60 under our $125 a week grocery budget! Yay
We are hoping to be debt-free by December 31st, 2010.
January 18, 2010 at 10:19 am
SophieW -
When we max out our CPP/EI, we use the extra money to beef up our emergency fund. We are used to not getting it, so we continue to budget like we don’t have it.
This way it also helps us bump up our emergency fund.
January 18, 2010 at 10:22 am
January is a tough month for our family. Both my husband and I have January birthdays as well as my mother and 7 (yes 7) nieces and nephews. Whew. Of course that means that both car licences and every few years our drivers licences come due at the same time. Over the last few years we have found that we are wiped out from the Christmas holidays (monitarily and socially) so we have resorted to bringing in food for our two birthday dinners Chinese, Arbys, Pizza) and a pasta dinner for my mother’s and we don’t exchange presents. Much cheaper for the whole family and we can provide drinks from the fridge at a savings too. As for the nieces/nephews we don’t buy presents for all of them but for a few of the younger kids it does add up. We do try to make things fun for them. After all it’s not their fault they have January (and my son is December) birthdays. They see their other cousins getting pool parties and lots of stuff in the summer when we’re not so tapped out so we try. Last year my Mother turned 75 and we had a big party for her so that just added to the expenses. This year is far more low key.
As far as groceries I find that if I send my husband with a list he sticks pretty close and we save money. When I go I find stuff that we need to replenish and although I stay within the budget I could have done without and saved that money.
January 18, 2010 at 10:25 am
We don’t have any bills hanging over from Christmas either as I shop throughout the year to spread out the cost. The bulk of the expense like most folks happens in the frenzied last month or two. Our property taxes are auto deducted from our bank account over 10 months from January-October. I leave the same $480/mth in the budget for Nov/Dec but relabel it as our holiday gift/travel/entertaining budget. We do have 3 birthdays in January but I generally shop for those when Christmas shopping. This year there will be a little more fuss made (read expense) as my husband turns 50 and my mom turns 70.
Like you Julie, we’ve decided to do a freezer/pantry clean out. It started with a comment that the freezer needed defrosting. We always do this during the winter so we can set the food outside while we deal with the freezer. Since the freezer was packed to the lid we decided to delay the defrost until February and use Janaury to “reduce inventory”. As a result our weekly grocery bills have come in around $120/wk rather than the budgetted $200. I figure with a little more effort to plan meals which require even fewer new/fresh items we can cut that well below $100. I think that’s excellent since our family includes a male teenaged eating machine. In addition to ensuring we use up what we have before it’s expired or freezer burned, we’ll be shifting the excess grocery budget into the vacation fund. Based on how well this is going, we’ll likely continue this through February or as long as there seems to be more than what is sensible sitting in the freezer and pantry.
It’s been really hard to walk past great sales on meat, but I’m determined not to add anything for the next month at least. I have to keep telling myself there will always be something on sale and I haven’t missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.
January 18, 2010 at 10:36 am
January sucks. Not only do I have my Birthday, but my Fiances and my mothers. Also as a supply teacher this is one of the worst months to get any work. So far in two weeks I’ve only been offered a half day….
I also hate the weather….
January 18, 2010 at 10:41 am
@ Leslie P
My birthday is right after Christmas/New Years. I think I’ve always had a bit of Birthday envy for those who have birthdays at better parts of the year. Everyone is so tapped both financially and physically that usually I spend my birthday by myself, or with my obligatory person i.e bf/finace
January 18, 2010 at 10:49 am
Hi Gayle, I am going to try and get to your book signing on Saturday!!!
I know that you don’t follow up with people on the show (TDDUP) but I just have to know ~ do you know what ended up happening with Lisa and Tom? Hey, maybe she would be good on your new show ~ she certainly was a Princess!!! I am wondering if he ended up kicking her to the curb. She certainly deserved it.
Susan Mladenovich
January 18, 2010 at 11:04 am
We did pretty well keeping to the budget over Christmas, as I am a task master with the budget to an even higher degree in December, but now DH has made the healthy decision to get in shape (which I’m thrilled about) so now we have a gym membership and personal training costs to get him going. I had to struggle internally to balance the financial goals with the health goals. It took about a week to figure out how much of the financial goal to sacrifice to meet his health goal, but we did it, and it shouldn’t delay the financial goal as much as I initially thought. So much for making do!
January 18, 2010 at 11:21 am
We typically have a low key January. We stay home more. We shop less.
I’ve been doing very well at staying out of shops. My last trip to Costco was a little expensive so I likely won’t return until I’ve covered that expense. We also try to make the groceries stretch more during this month.
Our more costly month is February with 3 parent’s birthdays. My parents are born on the same day and are divorced so we don’t get to pool a gift for them!
I find it hardest deciding what to give them. I’d love to do more for my MIL but we can’t . I’ve bought a lovely scarf & earrings for her that I’m sure she will love, but I know SIL will likely give her a large sum of cash and that makes me feel bad. I know it shouldn’t it, but it does.
One thing we do for entertainment in Jan/Feb is going to watch the Bald Eagles. Eagles migrate to Nova Scotia during the cold months. They like to settle around chicken farms. Each year we make a day of it and drive to the Valley region and look for them. Then we go for a nice lunch. It’s a nice time for us to reconnect and enjoy a date together. We take the camera and have a blast!
January 18, 2010 at 11:25 am
With the start of every January, I like to get a “back-to-basics” approach and re-think the budget. Plus, since I have just started watching Gail’s show, I am now trying to set my goals up and debt reduction is definitely one of my major goals, plus having an emergency fund.
I always find January and February difficult months. But I am lucky in that any family birthdays start in March — but there are 3 in March alone! I also do a pantry/freezer check and tend to make a lot of casserole dishes that can last more than one meal. I also have a 17-year old male teenage eating machine, so I really need to monitor the groceries.
Luckily my husband received a Blockbuster gift card for Christmas, so he was able to get all kinds of pre-viewed DVD’s, so at least we have something new to watch on Sat. night. We are also using this time to clean-up and de-clutter the house in preparation for a garage sale in May/June.
The one thing I did have to buy this month were some file folders and a file box. However, those file folders will probably last us a few years, and the file box is to get our pension/benefit and other statements organized.
I am proud to say that nothing has been charged this month (in fact all our credit cards have been taken out of our wallets), and I am going to make it until the end of the week with what is in the bank.
So, yes, we are going to “make do” for probably the next 2 months at least.
January 18, 2010 at 11:26 am
As far as entertainment goes, in the winter I spend much of my evenings catching up on my reading. Most of us will probably find that we have numerous books that we own that we haven’t found the time to read yet. There is nothing quite like curling up on the sofa under some blankets and having some quiet time to read.
January 18, 2010 at 11:28 am
Christmas wasnt a bust for me but the $$ i made on comission the one time of year I spent on christmas gifts so im not any further behind but If I had planned it better I would have paid off extra debt with it and been ahead this month on my visa debt than I am now but heinsight is always 20-20. Ive cut a lot of extras out of my budget to be able to splurge here and there on new work out gear as much of mine is well worn so not to the grind tight this month next month will be the killer as I have to spend 500 of ef to fly home to visit my sick aunt before she passes as shes in bc and im in ab but at least it was cheep flights!! now just for cheep entertainment for when I get home to off set my “holiday” thank to salary I dont have to worrie about my work pay. Happy Monday to you all!!!
January 18, 2010 at 11:36 am
Thankfully we had cash for everything at Christmas, so no “hangover” this January! YAY!
Unfortunately, our car was bitten by a cart return in a parking lot (grrr), and the repair ate up our emergency fund, so January is the start of rebuilding that.
All our entertainment this month comes from Christmas presents we received, including tickets to RENT this week.
Thanks to 9 months of cleaning up our act and budgeting, this will be the least stressful January ever.
January 18, 2010 at 11:41 am
For those with kids who have January birthdays and who don’t want their kids to feel the post-holiday letdown: why not have a small family celebration (maybe a cake at dinner, family presents) but postphone the party with friends etc for the spring or summer months? My birthday is just before Christmas, and often I’ve been to so many holiday parties of one sort or another that I don’t want to do anything for my birthday. I don’t know if it would work for kids, but I sometimes celebrate my birthday in November or in June, at the six month mark.
January 18, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Arteme – enjoy Rent! I went with a friend on Thursday and got rush tickets
January 18, 2010 at 12:58 pm
It just felt like we finished Christmas and started back up again. We have been so busy with invites to this and that…and they all add up. Our Entertainment fund depleted quickly these first few weeks of 2010. My husband used up all his allowance then realized he should save it up for a friends poker game. The game cost him a little over $5 and he won $35 (so he has a cushion now). My son is eating alot of pb &J sandwiches (that I freeze) for lunches so I can up the pb before it goes bad. When I make food at home I try to eat food I didn’t buy this week. Other than that we think our food budget is too low…350 a month for 2 plus a 3.5 year old. So that has been tight.
January 18, 2010 at 1:22 pm
We “make do” with the groceries all year, not just in January because our budget is so tight. If it can’t be bought for that week’s amount, then we make do with other things in the pantry. My husband takes the list, adds as he goes and if he goes over, he puts something back. The benefit is that we hardly have food go bad.
Our expensive time of the year is Oct-Dec because ALL the insurances and licenses are due then, plus most of the birthdays in the family, plus Christmas. We save up for that all year so it isn’t too bad. It’s still an ouchie to see the planned spending account drained in a month, even though that’s what it’s for.
January 18, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Personally, December is my blockbuster month for family birthdays – 11 of them!! Two of them are my sons, one a week before and one a week after Christmas. As the nieces and nephews have gotten older, they no longer get gifts, but then come the great-nieces and nephews! I also used to plan summer parties for my boys, as holidays usually meant most of their friends were gone away. January started off with a bang for me, first by falling off my horse and banging up my back, then five days later, falling on ice and breaking a rib!!! So, my sitting in a hard chair at home recuperating time has been spent revisiting my accumulation of receipts and realizing that I really need to get a handle on things, and cut down the grocery shopping in particular. The budget is going to be slow in putting into effect with all the changes in income, but no bills are unpaid and will stay that way. Clothing, etc. will take a back seat until my situation is more stable. This might be a goofy system, but I have started rounding down my paycheques to the next $100, and transferring the excess immediately to my TFSA. Out of sight, out of spending range. I am declaring a “no buy month” in my house, as I certainly have enough – everything. I think this is an awesome time to purge and get ready for an early garage sale. Still have to check out kajiji – have heard lots of good things. Another good way to pass the January time is to borrow seasons of TV shows from friends – everybody has something different, and it is a good way to see all the episodes. Keep up keeping us in tune with our finances, Gail. We know where we would be without you…
January 18, 2010 at 1:34 pm
January we are more busy that in December !!!
First my husband birthday, his father’s birthday also. My family on my mother’s and father’s side they do there’s christmas party’s in January. Plus this year oh the 10th it was the 40th years of mariage of my father and mother.
But I think a lot of Gail. We are trying to go to Toronto to see her on the 6 of february. We are 3 mother that wolud like to have a brake. We think that we will take the train and I’m trying to go to my husband haunt to stay to sleep( to keep the cost low). We are coming from Montreal (Quebec). She live in Mississauga. I’m a big fan of Gail.
I have a question if I come by train is it easy to go to scare one by public transport or should we take a Taxi? How does it cost by public transport vs by taxi ? Because I’m trying to see all the costs.
Thank you
Christine
January 18, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Hmm, a no spend month, good idea. I can do that in February as the cheques have been written for the next sessions’ pizza/milk/ski days for school. I received some gift cards to a sports store for my birthday, but my daughter needs some pants so I’m going to use an Old Navy gift card for one pair and she can use some of ‘my’ gift card money from the sports store for the other pair. Outside of that, Jan has already been another ’spend’ month (new winter boots, school stuff as mentioned, etc), but Feb we have nothing, zippo, nadda! To play it safe, I’ll get the kids a Valentine’s Day treat in Jan though, so then I won’t feel like I cheated.
Otherwise January has brought the new and improved meal plans again, so I feel less harried (a new years resolution), and we eat well (another resolution). I like cooking with what I already have in the freezer too, but the cereal/milk/etc just has to be purchased twice a week in my house, so the grocery bills stay relatively the same. I did use PC points to get $150 in free groceries at the beginning of the month though, so I’m happy.
January 18, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Emma – thanks!! I am really looking forward to it!
January 18, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Christine, I haven`t lived in Toronto for a lotta years, but I can guarantee you that public transit is the way to go! You can catch a but that will take you from the train station (if I remember rightly it`s Union Station) directly to Square One for a minimal amount. Compare that to the 1/2 to 1 hour taxi ride…
January 18, 2010 at 2:24 pm
@ SopieW – Loved that story about your daughter, too cute!!
@Stephanie – How do you stick to your food budget? Just curious. We spend about $450 month for just the two of us. Of course I am including household stuff in my number (cleaning products, shampoo, paper towel, etc…)
Re: January – We go back to our normal post-holiday routine so we are back on track with saving. Christmas usually has a lot of little bonuses (gift cards, cash gifts) that we use this month. On the other side, my commission is really low in January, which reduces fun expenses.
And I’ve been thinking about putting a little aside this month for our “Olympic fund”, so we can pay for all the inconvienences the Olympics are going to cost us (higher parking fares, higher transit fares, more gas because commute times are supposed to triple, etc…) Never would have even thought about it if I hadn’t been Gailvanized this last year!!!
January 18, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Christine, take the bus from Union Station to Square One — you can get the schedule and ticket prices from http://www.gotransit.com. The cab would be in the range of $40-$60 (it is about a 30 min drive but that’s assuming the traffic is not too bad).
On Gail’s post, I don’t find I have problems with overspending in January, I am usually just content to chill at home. I find this is when I start getting wanderlust though. At least I usually prefer to travel in the Fall (cheaper and most places still have good weather), so if I start planning in January I can save enough to pay for the trip in cash. I also helps when I do the budget review and factor saving for a trip into it I realize that I need to tone the plans down and figure out what I really want.
January 18, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Regarding movie rentals, if you are willing to go to the old section and forego the new releases, places like Blockbuster rent those dinosaurs for a lot less than their newer counterparts.
You can watch show such as Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie’s Poirot on YouTube for free! Many tv channel’s websites, Slice for instance, will allow you to watch episodes like TDDUP for free as well.
It’s amazing how much media is available online. I have a friend who pays $100/mo for his cable package. I just about fell over when I heard that. Granted, there are shows he gets that I can’t find online or in the video stores, but my $26 internet connection through Telus here in BC provides me with enough media. Add to that the wireless gateway Telus provided me along with my internet service, and I can watch these shows on my laptop from the comfort of my bed or couch saving me a lot of money in movie nights out and cable.
January 18, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Great posted information! This January is a bad month for me. Not because of Christmas as I shop all year. Christmas is paid for. I bought our DIL’s January birthday gift in December. I’ve been trying to save for a family wedding which is next week, and both car plates (both our birthdays are in February), revamping our life insurance which will be payable very soon. And, I know it is a want…not a need….but I’ve wanted pearls for as long as I can remember. Our good friends are going to China for a month and so I used $$ from the sale of some of my Mom’s things for her to bring me back…hopefully a 3 strand set like Jacqueline Kennedy always wore. I’m telling myself it is a birthday gift from my Mom. So, we’re squeaking here.
I am on track with the others eating out of the freezer. I want to defrost ours too.
My biggest problem is fresh food. We are big fruit and veggie eaters and it’s not cheap at this time of year.
As far as entertainment hubby likes sports on TV and with the Olympics and curling coming up he’ll love it (and he can DVR loads of movies) and I prefer to read (free from the library) and knit. We go for walks and have one game of Mexican Yahtze Poker per day (which I’m way behind in wins by the way).
Our most fun for entertainment though is a webcam visit with our baby grandson.
Re: Children having winter birthdays….my girlfriend’s son’s birthday is December 27th. She had a small family celebration then, but, on July 27th he had a party with his friends…and here’s the operative word….outside!
January 18, 2010 at 3:34 pm
January isn’t shaping up to be a bad month… inspite of hubby having his birthday this week. We’ll order food in on his birthday with the B-Day money he got from his mother, and I used $30 from the “gifts” jar to buy him a couple of small gifts. His car sticker was “saved for” so really, no extra expenses involved. Christmas was all paid for in December so no “Christmas buying hang-over” over here. And since we both enjoy the quiet return to our normal routine, we are not pining to get out and about. Toss a log on the fire and cozy up in front of the TV and I’m happy. Now, February might be a different story. A couple of birthdays for the kids… maybe a party “on the cheap”, but still, it will be a bit of a higher priced month than usual.
January 18, 2010 at 3:47 pm
This month has been the month of unexpected expenses. I thought we were laughing after Christmas was over and we had no additional debt to worry about.
But then my fiance’s vehicle brokedown … $369.00
Workout outfit fell apart ….. $89.00
Plane ticket to Vancouver for my fiance’s bachelor party … $267.00
Plumbing bill …. $$ will find out tommorow $$
Pillows needed replacing as got wrecked in dryer …. $60.00
Plus a bunch of random wedding expenses. Granted the money is there to pay for it all out of our savings but I hate seeing our savings get lower and lower, but then again our debt is doing the same.
And now I am going to need to start acupuncture for an old car-accident injury that has flared up and made my life miserable. First appt … $100.00!! Thank goodness the first couple appointments will be covered by my health benefits.
After reading this I have declared February the “No Spending” month to help us get back on track.
January 18, 2010 at 3:50 pm
I had a make-do 4 months during my final term in university. I took a moratorium from buying clothes because I figured that I had no one to impress at that point, and I also figured I’d be buying a lot of new clothes prior to starting my job after graduation.
You know what? After I got into the habit of not buying clothes, I never really went back. It was amazing.
January 18, 2010 at 3:51 pm
Accident prone son “killed” 3 permanent teeth last year and January was the month for the root canals. That little biking accident threw off our savings and is causing massive smile issues. Poor guy.
WEAR A FULL FACED HELMET WHEN RIDING A BIKE —- ALWAYS!
So we are trying to make-do for more than just January thanks to that dental work hangover.
(But Christmas was nicely low key and modest for once)
January 18, 2010 at 4:03 pm
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January 18, 2010 at 4:28 pm
January is like any other month in my budget. The money I have in the clothing & gifts section of the jars went to Mom’s birthday on the 12th. Next is Gramma in Feb, Poppa in March and my sister in April. Just worked out that we have one birthday a month. Best Friend and Brother-in-law are both July babies, niece in August, and hubby in November, the rest of the family we just have a dinner together and call each other.
January 18, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I am also working hard to use up what we have in the freezer and pantry. I have also declared a freeze on spending for ALL non-essential items.
As for fun, we are making use of the “stuff” we already have – board games, skis, craft supplies, books that need reading, etc. and maybe a potluck around the end of the month so that we don’t lose all of our social skills.
I once heard the expressin “Want what you have” as opposed to “Have what you want.” I am trying to be satisified and happy with all of the blessings that I do have in my life. More stuff won’t make me feel any better especially if I don’t have the cash to pay for it.
January 18, 2010 at 4:55 pm
I’ve been working this month on cleaning out my small freezer, using up what’s in the pantry and buying the bare minimum for groceries. ( fruit, milk, etc) I have made batches of soups and frozen them for work lunches. I’ve been getting lunch items ready on Sunday’s, plus my co-workers are trying to cut down, so no pressure from my co-workers!
I love books and haven’t bought a new book since before Christmas. I’ve been borrowing movies from the library, along with books, and enjoy sitting watching a movie in my home almost as much as going to the theater.
January 18, 2010 at 5:12 pm
I am bringing my lunch to work, which I didn’t do and cooking more. More to get more serious about debt repayment.
January 18, 2010 at 5:14 pm
I’m trying to use up whats in the freezer as well. The only problem I have is passing up the sales on meat. My freezer is so full I can’t fit another thing in there.
For us January is like any other month. The budget is the same every month.
January 18, 2010 at 5:40 pm
Manisha – I would like to add $50 a month because it is hard. We look for sales and really stick to lists. It incl. tp etc… but again if you find the deals it’s not bad.
January 18, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Oddly, December is not a very expensive month — January is when I buy Christmas cards and presents, as well as winter clothes. Guess February should be my Make Do month then…
January 18, 2010 at 7:48 pm
January is an expensive month: Taxes and insurance for the car and the motorbike, membership fees, magazine subscriptions, and the credit card bill for holiday online shopping and train tickets. No food in the house after the holidays, so one big grocery shopping trip in the first week to re-fill the pantry. And this year the weather’s horrible, so, a month’s ticket for the bus. All in all, 1,000 Euro more than a “normal” month. No way to just stretch the money enough to get by. I put my Christmas bonus aside to pay the January bills, which have, at least, one thing going for them: They are very predictable.
January 18, 2010 at 8:15 pm
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January 19, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Hi Gail. This weeks’ poll is not valid. I am not over 65 but do not work because I am on disability. Its not that I don’t want to work but I can’t. I wish I could. There are also people who retire before 65 and do not work too, but there is no input for them. You also do not have an input for stay at home mothers who work many hours at home and at times it is cost effective for them to stay home rather than work. You should have expanded your poll inputs, so far it will not correctly reflect reality.
Your blogs are fantastic and eye openers, however you need to work on your polls.
January 19, 2010 at 8:01 pm
My brother turned 40 on January 2nd and I made him a cheesecake (with Toberlone bar topping, his favourite – kraft.ca recipe) and gave him two hockey Jerseys that I never used that were in mint condition. I’m a believer in regifting. It’s ironic that this was posted, as some friend of mine have committed to having a game night at least once a month.
Christmas shopping season was a bit tight, so I have increased my Christmas/gift fund to $40 every two weeks instead of $25.
Happy January everyone! I love it now that I know the days are starting to get longer.
January 19, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Went over budget on the holidays, but made up for it by reducing 1st paycheque retirement savings, so I’m back on track – I upped retirement saving percentage for the rest of year to balance it out. My budget is lean and mean and I’m on track for 2010. I have too much stuff already and really don’t want anything more. We’re also busy cleaning out the overstocked pantry. If all goes well I will be debt-free by Dec. 2010!
January 19, 2010 at 10:48 pm
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January 19, 2010 at 10:57 pm
My ‘make-do’ preparation started in December. It’s the first year I didn’t buy Christmas presents without using cash (no credit cards whatsoever)! And I tucked away a bit of my Christmas bonus as a comfortable backup. This month I’ve already neglected the mall three times (my weakness). Instead of buying a new book to learn a program I was interested in, I looked up tutorials online! I’ve been really watching my lunch expenses. Not necessarily brown-bagging it, but choose cheaper, healthier options than I normally would. And I’ve been looking for things to keep me busy and entertained at home instead of going out and spending more money.
This is the year the debts get paid off!!!
January 19, 2010 at 11:11 pm
I have found that bartering is a great way to save money. I gave my neighbor some public speaking clessons, and she delivered a 5-course chicken dinner that lasted the whole weekend.
No money changed hands, but we each felt we got a good deal!
January 20, 2010 at 11:37 am
One thing i found in getting to the make due month, is that there are small things we can do to stretch our grocery that are in our age unexpected. think war time ration. I started using pickle juice that i use to throw away in my salad as flavoring instead of lemon juice, i save the bacon fat to make my sunday morning breakfast potatoes (really, it is delicious) instead of butter, making breakcrumbs with stale bread… honestly, these will not make my grocery bill go down halfway but they are stretching it just this much so that i can spend a little less every week. for wartime recipes, and they are actually good, look up the blog : the 1940’s experiment.
January 22, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Drive less, walk more, schedule driving trips so I can do a bunch of errands at once, change my driving habits, and maintain and modify my truck to save money on gas. I’ve managed to get my gas expenses down from about a hundred dollars a week to just over hundred dollars a month.
April 12, 2010 at 4:33 pm
January is always a tough month for me. I never go in the red for christmas, I learned when I was a lot worse off that if you don’t have it you definately shouldn’t spend it. But my son’s birthday is in January, followed by my boyfriends. Me and my boyfriend are even though as my birthday and our anniversary both fall in September so that’s his tough month