I drastically cut back my spending this month to pull an additional 150.00 out of my budget in order to partially fund a used computer. I use an allowance system with a per day amount and this savings forced me to drastically cut back my spending. It was a struggle but not as much as I had thought.

Basically this month I have bought very little but groceries and gas. Now I'm wondering what I used to spend that extra 100.00 on. Before this month I was considering raising my allowance by cutting back on savings. There were several months where I have been over budget and I'd just about convinced myself that I needed a "raise."

This extra lean month was good for me in making me aware that even what I consider a lean budget there was still plenty of fat. Instead of raising maybe I should cut it.LOL

I bought the refillable coffee mug today. It was 2.79 for a 20 ounce cup. This inlcuded a 20 initial fill. I also got a coupon for another free refill.Ao the cup paid for itself. I have been paying 1.38 for a 24 ounce of coffee. I am gload that I did this. Refills are under a $1.

Also yes I have checked the price of bananss. At the grocery store they are running between .39 and .49 a poundat the convenience store they are consistently .29.

I have wondered if grocery store bananas are fair trade and the convenience store aren't. However, I can't seem to find this information. So I am sticking with the convenience store for now.

Thanks for all of the comments.

I am over budget again this month. I was doing pretty well until I went grocery shopping and bought luxury items. I love Belgium Chocolates LOL. I will have to be very careful this week to get back in balance.

I have been thinking about my "latte factor." I do have one. On morning when I am not telecommuting I stop and buy a coffee and some bananas. I usualy spend $2 or $3 dollars 3 to 4 times a week. I've thought about tryig to bring coffee from home and buying the bananas at a grocery store. However, the bananas would not be any cheaper and I really like the convenience of being able to stop and pick up a big cup of hot coffee. Also since I don't buy lunch at work this expense is really not that bad. I've decided that the expense is worth it. Maybe I should buy a big refillable cup. The place I stop gives customers a discount for getting refills rather than using strofoam cups. It would also be much better for the environment.

About two years ago I discovered e-books and I haven't looked back. These are electronic books that are designed to be read on the computer. These books use special reading software and are easy to read.
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There are several sights on the web that allows people to download ebooks for free. There are also some websites where you can buy ebooks for less than the paperbook would cost. For example I saw Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts at the bookstore for 7.99 and the electronic version was on ebay buy it now for 2.99.

What I particularly like about ebooks is there convenience. You can control the size of the text which makes reading with poor eyesight very nice. I am also hooked on the ability to take almost an entire library with me whereever I go. This is especially true if I am using a laptop on a trip.

I love ebooks.

Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement for ebooks but I really do think that they have saved me a lot of money and they are so convenient. Plus they allow ne feed my ravenous reading habit.

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I had a no spend day so I was able to add 18.00 to my computer fund. I am also adding 100.00 from a medical reimbursement check. This brings the total to 203.00.

I've pretty much reached my goal of 200.00 dollars. I'd liike another 50.00 but we'll see. I;ll start looking for a used computer. I need a portable computer that I do not have to worry about to take on trips to work, etc. This became important when the computer I am currently stopped working on batteries and had to be plugged in.

I've just realized that I am going to be staying home on the Day of the Dead (Also known as Samhaim or Halloween.) This is a big day in many religions including mine. I can't make the 400 mile round trip home because November 1 falls on a Wednesday. Wednesdays are my busiest day at work and I can't get the time off. Bummer. I'd much rather miss Christmas than Halloween.

Oh well I have friends who will take care of my part. I will also be saving some money.

Its snowing. It has been snowing all day. We now have half an inch of snow on the ground. Also there is more snow in the forecast. Its been hovering around 32 degrees. I love the first few snowfalls but then I get tired of it.

I've had the furnace on off and on for over a week now. The house costs around 200 a month to heat through the worst of the winter. I've been tackling this number. Last winter I bought a programmable thermostat that keeps the house at 62 during the day. Also I cover the windows with film. This seemed to help so I'll do it again this winter.

Today was a no spend day so I was able to add 18 to the computer fund. This brings the total to 85.00.

I am telecommuting today. Staying home to complete two powerpoint presentations that are needed tomorrow. Telecommuting has its ups and downs. So far I have been staring at the computer screen trying to figure out what to write. I'll get it done. I have been very busy at work with a lot of deadlines.

Finacially not a lot has happeing. The middle of the month is usually pretty quiet. I am paid once a month for 9 months. This is one of the few things I truly dislike about my job. I do not understand why a 12 month pay plan can't be set up. But so far that does not seem possible.

I have added 10.00 to the computer fund bringing the total to $60.00

This has been a stay at home weekend. I did manage to get the house semi-clean which was my weekend goal.

Also by staying home and not spending I managed to get my budget back on track. I slurged at the grocery store on Friday and needed to conserve this weekend. I wasn't certain I could but I did. Yeah.

I haven't heard anything from Eyemart Express about the discrepency in their website. I may just let the whole matter drop although it was annoying.

I went grocery shopping today after work and spent 30.61. 13.21 for gas and 3.00 for a car wash.

I am now 22.00 over budget. That might not seem like a lot but I am trying for a bare bones month. Stripping everything to the bone to see how much money I can squeeze out of the household operating budget so 22.00 is quite a bit especially this early in the month.

Well tomorrow had better be a no spend day. LOL I am out of money. Even that won't bring me completely back within budget but it will certainly help.

I was listening to National Public Radio today nad they said that out of all of the homes in the United States only about 2 or 3 percent are owned outright. By this I took it to mean that these houses were mortgage free. Wow.

Nothing much is happening finance wise. I was able to add 11.00 to the computer Fund bringing it to a grand total of 40.00. I am hoping to make it 50.00 by the end of the week. We'll see.

Nothing much has happened today financially. I worked all day and managed to stay under my daily allowance. So I am adding 3.00 to my computer fund.

Computer Fund Total $34.00

Nothing much has happened here today. I've been eating out of a crockpot that I set up last night so I wouldn't have to cook today. I haven't gone anywhere so its been a no spend day.

After reading all of the helpful suggestions about my strange experiences I decided to send EyeMart an email and see what they say. I sent off a polite email asking for an explantion We'll see what happens.

Also after being inspired by some of the other blogs I decided to count all of the loose change in the house. I've been dumping it into various containers for a while. To my surprise it came to 11.10. I'm going to take it add another 10.00 from the no spend day and add it to my computer fund.


Computer Fund
opening amount $10.00
change 11.00
No spend day 10.00

Total 31.00

A good beginning I think.