Friday Estimate: How Much Are You Spending This Weekend?
Good morning! The first Friday of the month means the new jobs numbers are out, but media outlets are all over it right now—especially after the President’s speech at the DNC last night. So, I decided, based on some of your comments, that we should use Friday mornings to estimate our weekend spending, because Logan and I have stopped doing that during our weekly conversations. Let’s bring it back. I’m flying away for a wedding next weekend, so I’m going to be trying to spend as little as possible this weekend. My target is $75, which will be mostly spent on groceries. What’s your target? We’ll do a expectations vs. reality check-in on Monday.
Photo: Polycart
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Previously on The Billfold
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Depending on weather I am going to the beach or checking out a huge antique market just outside of town – either way, a budget of $20. Shouldn’t be too hard (I hope!)
This weekend is a break for me. I had a wedding last weekend and one for each of the next three. Love! But also Expensive! At any rate I’m planning to lay low this weekend and continue my Whit Stillman movie marathon (Barcelona!) Which is free. Tomorrow I’m going to lunch with friends and enjoying crazy cheap sushi lunch specials for under $10. I also need to go grocery shopping for basics. Let’s say no more than $50. I’ll throw in $15 for emergency spending, aka drinks. That brings my weekend total to an optimistic $75. All of this should be covered by the massive jar of change I’m finally taking to the bank.
i am saving every penny possible for a trip i very much hope to take next month. i already spent $22 on a CSA box that will last me all weekend and into the week, so i’m giving myself another $30 for groceries, $20 for miscellaneous fun, and $20 to spend on a few items that i need because being a girl is expensive sometimes. so $70. CHALLENGE.
I am going to try to spend as little money as possible this weekend. Maybe a few dollars for ice cream and books (my Sunday ritual), but mostly I’m going to try to deep-clean the house and get rid of a bunch of crap that is cluttering up my room/life.
@kellyography I did the deep-clean last weekend and somehow wound up spending an insane amount of money on household organizing items and small decor things (soap dispensers! area rugs!) to make all my hard work really shine (plus, y’know, cleaning products). DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES I HAVE MADE. Chances are you need $30 more than you need a hanging shower caddy.
I forgot that I have to buy two wedding presents this weekend so instead of spending $75 I will now spend ALL OF THE DOLLARS EVER! Oh well.
Hmmm. I know I’m going out for dinner and drinks tonight (should be no more than $40, I hope not even that) and I usually end up getting smallish meals out on the weekends (bagels, etc) so I’ll toss in another $20 for that. My sister/roomie and I are planning to pick up some stuff for our apartment, which will also probably run in the $40-$60 range. Sooo… probably around $120.
Yay!
I don’t think I’ll need groceries. I had kind of thought about inviting my friends out or over for my birthday (Monday) but I guess I’ve decided against it since I didn’t plan anything. I’ll probably make my dude take me to brunch somewhere. I am actually realizing I’m surprisingly sad about not planning anything so maybe I’ll plan something now, like maybe just lunch out somewhere tomorrow?
I will need to get gas (about $65). I also need a small toothpaste container for traveling and will probably buy mouthwash while I’m at CVS… so that’s like $8. I really hope there won’t be more but there probably will be… sigh. I’m feeling both low on money (I just got hit with a landlord license fee I didn’t know I owed, since I only have one roommate?) and like I need to be frugal anyway because I have this expensive 8-day trip starting Tuesday. Anyway, my estimate is $73.
I just got a bonus in today’s paycheck for more than I make in a month. I will probably spend way too much money this weekend.
I’m going to aim for under $100? As long as we don’t count the money that my parents are helping me with for deposit/realtor fee/first/last for my NEW PLACE that I get to move into in October. My parents are being really really generous, so I’m just aiming to save enough that I can pay for my own movers.
There is a beer festival this weekend that would be 35$ and an ice cream thing that is 9$. I will probably do one of the two. Then I have a brunch to attend and make a themed dish for Sunday morning. That will probably be 10$ for ingredients.
Tonight I will probably spend too much money on alcohol. Giving myself a $20 budget.
Projected spend is 39$ at the low end or 65$ at the high end.
@LizF I’m curious what an ice cream thing is?! Mentioning it in the same sentence as a beer festival made me think it’s an ice cream festival where you get to taste a dozen different ice creams, which Yay!
@forget it i quit It is Eat Boston’s Ice Cream Showdown! Where you do get to taste a bunch of different ice creams. Last year I attended because it was on the docks of Community Boating where my friend is a member and then we sailed afterwards. This year it is in a different place and there will be no sailing involved so I’m not sure I’ll go.
Aiming for under $20, which should cover dinner tonight and possible snacks for the week runs. The great question now is: pizza ($5) or Thai ($10ish) tonight?
Not going to be pretty.
1. After having no storage whatsoever in my new place for over a month, and having had no luck with sketchy Craigslisters selling second-hand furniture, have to go to Ikea and then pay to have items delivered: $360 – $450, depending on whether I choose to get a bookcase there or elsewhere. Already budgeted for this to come out of savings, but GROSS.
2. Gift for friends’ wedding next weekend: $55 French press from registry (wanted to choose something they’d use all the time)
3. Bachelorette party: luckily the pre-party has free booze, but the bar will run $5 cover plus at least a couple of beers ($11). Hopefully the fear of riding the bumpy Ikea shuttle hungover will keep me on budget, but wearing extremely shiny leggings as pants may require more liquid courage. Hopeful estimate: $16
4. Other weekend going-out: definitely a beer Sunday after kickball, but I’ll try to stay in Saturday night, so $6.
5. Groceries and coffee – estimating $35
6. Vintage boots I am in love with but need to check if they will accomodate an insole: $95 if it works. A little torn about this purchase because I obviously have bigger financial fish to fry right now, but I also have a ton of difficulty finding attractive shoes (I have short but very wide feet). These would be replacing an older pair of brown boots that I had repaired several times but my cobbler says aren’t worth trying to fix anymore.
Low estimate: $472, high estimate: $657 (barrrrf)
@zamboni re: the boots
Even if you’re financially tight right now, if you’re replacing a pair that isn’t worth fixing anymore, getting a new pair would be worth it. Not only are you about to be out of a pair of boots, but who knows when you might find another pair that fit properly? I say go for it.
@polka dots vs stripes Thanks for the vote of confidence!
My target is as little as possible cuz I still haven’t gotten my cheque from working three weeks ago.
Oh dear.
$40-45 gas
$100 groceries? Hopefully less, like $60-80. I’m not sure what my list looks like yet.
$40 Joann’s
$45-50 haircut (not sure yet how much I want to tip)
I will get $20 back for a ridiculous miniature humidifier I bought, which I’m using to justify the Joann’s a bit. I was hoping not to spend a lot this weekend since I’m going to a wedding 500 miles away next weekend, but it doesn’t look like it’ll work out that way.
So, $225 ish? Ick.
Hmm.
$9-ish on kitty litter
$31 on course reader
$20-ish on a bottle of wine to bring to a party (probably less)
$20 on hanging out with a friend. I don’t know what that would go to, but I’m going to budget that.
So…$80. Hmm, not horrible.
eeeek I knew this weekend would be busy, but I hadn’t thought about the cost.
roughly $65 to renew my drivers license (I’m a bit late on that since I only use it for ID, they might charge me late fees)
$80 for my therapist
$35 for a friend’s birthday party at a restaurant (hopefully less)
$40 to get my sister out of the house and take her dancing (hopefully less)
and $10 (hopefully less) for beer, when I go to watch the Godfather at my buddy’s house.
which leaves a total of $230 – pretty much exactly what is left of my paycheque after paying all my bills. That’s not cool.
I have to go to a bachelorette party tonight, but I’m giving myself a $20 limit (one drink for me, one for the bride, tip, subway home) and I hope it will be a relatively early night. My favorite coffee joint is opening a new spot near my house, so I am going to treat myself to coffee tomorrow morning ($3) and then the Jasper Johns exhibit ($10) after I drop off a dress to get altered ($millions? I do not know what this shit costs. I won’t be paying upfront anyway, so I will not count it for this weekend!) Maybe going out Saturday night ($40). Sunday Times ($6). I’ll round it up to an even $100 for some breathing room, and hope for the best.
ugh I’m also waiting for a cheque to clear, so like, I”m trying not to spend any money because I know if I do, I will accidentally go over and then the cheque will try to clear and I will get overdrafted. HAVE I MENTIONED I HATE CHEQUES??
Oh boy. I just spent $37 on a GORGEOUS watch (the groupon sale is still happening! Rose gold and diamonds on a watch for PENNIES!!), I have to do drinks with my friend before she leaves for 6 months of work, so that’s another $30 easy, then day-drinking for the football games tomorrow at Brother Jimmy’s, which I can estimate at around $50 bare-minimum. None of this includes random groceries/cat toys that will inevitably show up in my apartment by total accident-slash-blackout.
This one’s gonna hit my bank account hard… at least $150 I think. Ugh. At least payday is next Friday.
oooooof. I got some wisdom teeth yanked this morning ($350 + $10 for vicodin rx) and picked up another rx ($20). i won’t be going out all weekend but will probably run over to whole foods for another giant container of clam chowder ($6). if you count the money i lose by taking today and tomorrow off from work for said surgery/recovery, tack on another $200 for a grand total of $586. worst weekend of my life?
Friday night lazy pizza, 1350 yen. Saturday evening is the Latvian night market, will probably spend 1000 on train fare and 2-3000 on food and drink. Sunday evening I’m helping out at a skills auction for the animal rescue I work with, but will probably spend around 2000 on food/drink again and maybe 800 on train fare. Also, let’s buy a book. 700.
8000 yen-ish.
So far so good. Just got off work from my second job and deposited that paycheck. Checking my balance somehow makes me more motivated to see it last a while. (It helps that my rent check hasn’t cleared yet!)
Seeing my balance also makes me come to the Billfold on a Friday night, haha!
So, some grocery essentials -$40 (maybe?)
I want to see the Bachelorette this wknd – $12
there’s a crystal sculpture thing at a nearby park – tickets are $10, I think?
probably dinner out once – $30
inevitably some drinks – $15
Trying to keep it under $100.