Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

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alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by alliesmama4 »

SandiSAHM wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2018 11:48 am The first entry here is partially my last entry from the January no-spend:

January: 7 out of 31 (there is no weeping icon - picture a weeping yellow face)

22.5%

DH points out that actual expenditures weren't that bad (define "that" bad, I asked - he couldn't), but the # of days expenditures were made was just awful. Which means, since we live in place with a 0 rating for walkability, driving. Almost every day.


Today there'll be an expense, the first of the storage unit monthly charges. Hopefully we won't have to use that service more than 5 months. That's sort of a pipe dream, as they're breaking ground on the next house next week (its a contingent thing, we have to sell this one, but one of their realtors is doing it and the whole thing is on a reduced commission, so we'll keep more of our equity).

This, too, is a lesson to me - when you marry a guy who has a farmer in his grandparental lineage, don't kid yourselves into believing a small (I mean small ) yard and container gardening are going to give him enough dirt experience, it just doesn't happen. That, and you don't get as many sun-ripened tomatoes as you need. We sure miss those.

Oh, don't get a small yard and then get a big dog. Boy she was a deceiving-looking puppy. I thought she'd hit 35-40 lbs. The she started on nutritious food...

This year's big challenge in the first half will likely be apartment rental - one that's reasonably priced, has a dog area, allows 60+ lb dogs and has a 3-month lease option that goes month to month (or starts month to month, whichever). I read on a blog that sometimes you can negotiate rent by paying multiple months up front and/or having excellent credit. We have that, and could pay up front... and we have a target apartment complex; it's nearly new and because of its location hasn't been able to get much occupancy. Waaay too big for their britches rent-wise for the area, but friends who lived there said they're so desperate for renters they're even allowing week to week!! That's a questionable practice but if it's still the case they should be willing to work with us. Other places are cheaper, but this one has a location that works well for us, allows the dog, has a huge dog run... Pray.

So, February: 0 for 1 0%
Sandi when I was a traveling therapist my company paid for my apartment or house.. Many times there was a lease but my company said to offer them 25.00 to 50.00 extra a month encase I had to move sooner. They all agreed to it without a problem.. That was many years ago but hope you can get a similar deal. Janet Alliesmama
Last edited by alliesmama4 on Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by alliesmama4 »

Sandi sorry about the duplicate post. I tried to delete it but it said I cannot.. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
SandiSAHM
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by SandiSAHM »

alliesmama4 wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:52 pm Sandi sorry about the duplicate post. I tried to delete it but it said I cannot.. Janet Alliesmama
No biggie; it's just a system glitch, I'd bet. It's happened to me a couple of times.

I have discovered, so far in my limited apartment investigations, that they do charge more per month for short term or month-to-month leases AND many of them upcharge for a dog. Not just an additional $$ deposit in advance in case of any destruction that you can recuperate when you leave if no destruction has occurred, but a non-refundable deposit in many cases AND a monthly addition to rent. I guess I can see a small $ up because if you use the dog park... (we clean up after the mutt when we take her out and she makes a fertilizer deposit; I do wonder if the extra $ is because not everyone does that so they have to have a staff person tidy the place).

The mutt is totally housebroken and crate-trained (she has a huge thing she walks right into on her own when she figures out we're all leaving - something about EVERYONE putting shoes on but no one going for the leash... aaaah-HA! They're leaving me... TREAT TIME!!! and she goes to the crate because crate = snack). I don't anticipate destruction or "oops" events. I can see $100 non refundable, she's a big dog. But $300? Forget it.

And to vent, if I may, to a fellow dog-lover - I get the caution, particularly in apartment complexes where some may have small children, regarding 'dangerous' breeds. But WEIGHT is not a factor in aggression. I have met more attitude-infused small biters than big biters. My 63-lb Heinz 57 mutt is not going to bite anyone, her personality isn't bent that way. Why cite 'dangerous' breeds and then put a 50-lb weight limit on dogs? You've eliminated most of the sweethearts - the German Shepherds, all the labs and retrievers, collies, setters, great danes! who are the biggest babies ever - it makes no sense. Lots of pit bulls weigh under 50 lbs (I know, it's the environment not the dog, I had a half pit once who was a total clown, not an aggressive bone in his body). Limiting by weight is just short-sighted.

Rant over. Have a lovely weekend. Stay warm!

(It's 20 here with a wind chill of 9. NINE!! But we've had so little precipitation for so long I fear we're going into a drought.)
SandiSAHM
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Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by SandiSAHM »

All right... unhappy update. It's the 10th! How many no-spend days have I pulled of so far this month.... 1.

10% :oops: (that's embarrassment, not anger)

Overall expenditures? Kinda low. That blows up this week when I hand over the $$ for the boy's braces, but...

I'm not really counting that into the month - more into the 'year' - because, as it is with many children, we knew this day was coming. No way were they going to straighten out on their own. Our daughter - sure, close to straight, there was hope; turned out it only took less than a year for invisalign to turn those chompers into a dazzling smile, (but only $200 less - you pay for Invisalign!!) but the boy... I had hoped for invisalign, because it's a less uncomfortable process, but it wasn't meant to be. Poor kid.

But WOW the advancement in tech in the orthodontic world - they used 2 cameras in his mouth to create a 3D image of his teeth. DH (braces in the 90s) and I (in the 80s) AND DD (2015) all had to have molds made. DS is a tech enthusiast who, like the rest of us, does not enjoy goo on a tray in his mouth, was all over that.

Oh I just had this terrible idea... number of days YTD and no-spends YTD. % YTD. Yeah, not doing that right now, don't want to kill my overall good cheer. :D
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by alliesmama4 »

SandiSAHM wrote: Sat Feb 10, 2018 12:36 pm
alliesmama4 wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2018 11:52 pm Sandi sorry about the duplicate post. I tried to delete it but it said I cannot.. Janet Alliesmama
No biggie; it's just a system glitch, I'd bet. It's happened to me a couple of times.

I have discovered, so far in my limited apartment investigations, that they do charge more per month for short term or month-to-month leases AND many of them upcharge for a dog. Not just an additional $$ deposit in advance in case of any destruction that you can recuperate when you leave if no destruction has occurred, but a non-refundable deposit in many cases AND a monthly addition to rent. I guess I can see a small $ up because if you use the dog park... (we clean up after the mutt when we take her out and she makes a fertilizer deposit; I do wonder if the extra $ is because not everyone does that so they have to have a staff person tidy the place).

The mutt is totally housebroken and crate-trained (she has a huge thing she walks right into on her own when she figures out we're all leaving - something about EVERYONE putting shoes on but no one going for the leash... aaaah-HA! They're leaving me... TREAT TIME!!! and she goes to the crate because crate = snack). I don't anticipate destruction or "oops" events. I can see $100 non refundable, she's a big dog. But $300? Forget it.

And to vent, if I may, to a fellow dog-lover - I get the caution, particularly in apartment complexes where some may have small children, regarding 'dangerous' breeds. But WEIGHT is not a factor in aggression. I have met more attitude-infused small biters than big biters. My 63-lb Heinz 57 mutt is not going to bite anyone, her personality isn't bent that way. Why cite 'dangerous' breeds and then put a 50-lb weight limit on dogs? You've eliminated most of the sweethearts - the German Shepherds, all the labs and retrievers, collies, setters, great danes! who are the biggest babies ever - it makes no sense. Lots of pit bulls weigh under 50 lbs (I know, it's the environment not the dog, I had a half pit once who was a total clown, not an aggressive bone in his body). Limiting by weight is just short-sighted.

Rant over. Have a lovely weekend. Stay warm!

(It's 20 here with a wind chill of 9. NINE!! But we've had so little precipitation for so long I fear we're going into a drought.)
My doggie nephew is a 15 lb tiny little dog and when his previous owner moved in to an apartment in Texas they had to pay $300.00 for his security deposit. Not sure if she will get it back.. but still that is a lot of money for such a small dog. You are right the little dogs tend to nip or bite more and the big dogs are more gentle. Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
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Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Sandi's 2018 Miserly Minimal Expense Journal

Post by Dgflorida »

I have kind of given up on no spend days. In part because the stores have now started the 2 day specials, and not the same 2 days.
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