Friday Estimate
Good morning! It’s time to estimate our weekends.
My former grad school roommate is visiting from New Zealand, so we’re going to find some time to grab a bite and catch up. He’s the reason I get to say, “Oh, I have a friend from Auckland!” when that rare occurrence of meeting someone from Auckland arises. I plan on treating (~$40 depending on where we go). I’m also having dinner tonight with friends downtown at an Italian restaurant ($30).
The majority of this weekend will be spent working, cat-sitting, and trying to recover from this cold I’m shaking off. Add in a grocery store run, and my estimate is: $120. What are your estimations?
Photo: eGuide Travel
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Previously on The Billfold
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Wine to bring to friend’s house for Thanksgiving – $30
Gas to drive to friend’s house (two hours away) – $50
Bar tab since we’re probably going out while in his podunk town $20
Total – $100 and a bunch of optimism. Realistically I will probably end up spending about $150 by the time all is said and done.
I want to finish unpacking after last week’s move this weekend. That will include a little more shopping- rugs, mirrors, etc. I’m going to roughly estimate $100 on that, and another $50 on groceries. I need to get back in the habit of cooking something big on Sundays so I can eat it all week, and the forecast next week is autumnal enough to make that much easier than it was over the summer- yay for soup and stew weather!
@RachelG8489 hell yeah soup and stew weather.
mike dang, you are the nicest to your friends.
after spending all of the dollars EVER last weekend when i was in my best friend’s wedding, and booking a flight to visit another friend on wednesday, i’m trying to take it easy this weekend. i have sunday football plans with friends, but not planning to do much else. i’ll say $50 for groceries and $30 for sunday funday = $80.
I am going away for the weekend. I have already paid 150$ towards the house rental and food. My friend who is driving will probably refuse any gas money I try to give him. I will probably spend an additional 20$ on roadtrip incidentals (candy) and miniature golf (if I can force my friends to go with me).
I also have a new roommate moving in on Sunday so on Monday when I get home there might be some welcome dinner food I buy (10-15$) and I will probably need to buy groceries for the week (50$ my share)
Having spent the week in a hellish vortex of 12 hour work days I’m looking forward to having some fun times this weekend. Fortunately for my wallet my life’s maximum fun potential is pretty low. On saturday I’m going to a winery so probably $50 for a tasting, lunch, and a bottle of something niceish. Saturday night I have a friend’s birthday to which I will probably brig said bottle rather than bothering to buy something else. Sunday I’m volunteering, then making dinner for my roommates. They are hungry dudes so this will probably be another $50 plus normal weekly groceries. I’m calling the weekend at $150. This does not include the Monday holiday during which I will be sleeping for all the hours which is FREE
I have no plans to spend money tonight. Game night at a friend’s house, and I have leftovers to eat at home first. I also have enough gas to get through the weekend, even if we drive all around like we currently plan. I will budget $15 for some kind of ridiculous treat this weekend, whatever it may be.
Saturday: Grocery shopping. It shouldn’t be an expensive trip. $75? Also there’s a chance my partner might pay, I think it’s his turn.
Sunday: Sunday Market at my local Co-op. I’ll likely drop $25 here on fancy things I don’t need (but which make me happy).
Total estimate: $115.
Hopefully this will be an inexpensive one…
Volunteering tonight at Lansing’s Oktoberfest to get 1/2 off admission for the weekend, so that will be $10.
Add another $20 in drinks tonight after the volunteer shift
Plus $20 in drinks tomorrow during the day and maybe $7 for food at the festival tomorrow.
A grocery run tonight after work… Maybe $60, but probably less.
Grand total: $107… When you look at it that way, it doesn’t seem so inexpensive…
Having just made a huge student loan payment and with email reminders that it’s time to renew my car insurance and registration popping up in my inbox, I need to exert some meaningless control over my life by spending as little as possible this weekend – so gas to drive to my parents’ house, [nothing for two days], and groceries on Sunday ($50-60). This means I will be spending maybe $50 less than usual, which pales in comparison to my big bills, but it feels like something …
I genuinely have no idea what I’ll spend this weekend. Usually I have a better grasp.
Date night tonight with my boyfriend but I’ve put him in charge of planning and I don’t yet know what it’ll involve. I would imagine I spend some money on eating and drinking though. I’ll say $40.
Tomorrow is pumpkin extravaganza with a friend and the Little Sisters. So I know it’s a $15 entry fee and I’ll be paying for myself and one of the girls. There will be dinner involved as well and again I’ll be paying for myself and one of the girls. But we’ll probably wind up a Friendly’s or some such, so I’ll estimate $60 for the day.
Sunday is open at the moment. I would normally spend money on groceries to make a meal for the week but I’m eating out Tuesday and Thursday of next week for birthdays and I’m leaving town for the weekend Friday morning. Doesn’t make much sense to cook something I will only eat two nights. But maybe.
So …… $100 for the weekend? Eh, that seems low. I’ll say $150.
$200, give or take.
My friends are getting married next week so this weekend will be spent getting ready for that.
I find this weekend spending estimate thing haaaard! (that’s the point dummy)
Okay … maybe … $50 on gas, $50 on discount campus crew clothing because it’s the thanksgiving long weekend up north, $20 on wine, $40 dinner tonight
That’s my guess but I’m hoping I’m overestimating on all counts.
$120 – modem and other gadgets (damn you Time Warner!)
$12 – takeout tonight
Hopefully that’ll be it.
$20-$25 for a pedicure
$55 to get hair done
$0 cover for my Nook (I got a $25 gift card since Best Buy took forever and a day in delivering my online order. I got an email from them saying my order was “stuck”…whatever that means
$30 ish in miscellaneous groceries
so $105-110 for the weekend?
WELL, tomorrow is our cat’s 1st birthday party, so there are going to be some expenses for that… I spent $50 a couple weeks ago on decorations/supplies so the only things we need now are balloons, streamers, cupcake supplies, and booze. So, another $50? $75?
And my friend from college is coming in for the weekend too, so we’ll get Sunday brunch at Diner out in Brooklyn, so, another $30 max. Hopefully no more than $100 total for the whole weekend.
I’m trying to be super frugal because I spent $200 on a pair of leather boots earlier this week… although I might take them back, that is the most I’ve ever spent on one article of clothing and they’re only like 90% what I’m looking for. I’ll take them back if I find a pair that works better. Blah purchases like that make me so nervous.
@AlliNYC oh and probably $10 to get my eyebrows waxed tomorrow.
And I forgot I’m buying two of my friends dinner tonight to apologize for being a fuck-up a couple months ago, so another $75. Oopsie.
@AlliNYC lady. I spent 300$ on boots 4 years ago. I spent a lot of time looking for these boots. I love them. I have spent maybe 30 to 40$ for repairs since then. Get the pair you love and you can wear them as long as you like/whatever your budgetary requirements.
After more than 7 years of good service, my iPod has crapped out on me. So I’m going to the Apple store after work to get a new one. That’ll be $250 + tax unless it can somehow be salvaged…
Saturday’s a friend’s going away party, so about $10 on beer to bring over, $10 for my share of a photo album present for him and probably $10 on a cab home. I’m also guessing about $20 on eating out with my boyfriend and $30 on groceries.
So rounding up a bit, probably looking at a total of $350. Oof.
@KingCash Take your broken one!
They do a thing where if you trade in your old one, even if it’s broken they still give you 10% off your new ipod purchase.
I expect this will be a pricey weekend:
$150ish for my half of a car rental plus at least $40 to drive to VT for Harpoon Octoberfest. $5 admission plus at least $20/day while there for food and beers. Lets call it another $60 for grocery related expenses. Paid for the campsite already, but that was I think $18 for the weekend so…$318 not counting an unexpected expenses or splurgy meal purchases.
but it’s my favorite thing ever.
Today’s my last day at my old job! New job starting Tuesday, after the holiday weekend.
Friday: no plans to spend money — no actual plans either, ha, as my boyfriend is out of town working on a campaign and I’m meeting up with friends tomorrow night. Probably going to finish this book I’m reading (The Inheritance of Loss – SO good) and drink some celebratory wine I picked up earlier this week.
Saturday: In the morning, I really want to get up early for a run and then buy some flowers and fruit from eastern market. Maybe $15. Haircut at the Aveda institute ($20 plus tip) and meeting up with friends at their house party. Another $25 or so for wine.
Sunday: essential groceries ($60) – big list. Working part-time job that afternoon and then meeting up with a good friend I haven’t seen in a few weeks. We might buy some gin. $30?
Monday: relaxing before my first day. Picking out first day outfit, painting nails, practicing new hairstylez. Ha. Fill out all that new employee paperwork and go to sleep early. I also kinda want to see Arbitrage… $10.
Total: $165, but hopefully less.
Today grocery run… maybe $75, and dinner with boyfriend, maybe free (his turn?).
Saturday night will be out at a bar for pal’s birthday, so maybe $30 there.
We are likely to spend money on food, wine, and coffee this weekend also (ah, young love)… maybe another $75 for my share.
So $180 total? Not too bad by my account.
Long weekend, woohoo!
Drinks tonight, and possibly dinner out: hopefully $30
This will hopefully be a big weekend of studying since I’m taking the GRE on Tuesday, so I’ll throw in $15 for cafe purchases. The only other solid plan I have for the weekend is that my roommates and I are holding a big Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Since we’re all prepping for it together I’m going to say hopefully $20 for my share?
That adds up to $65 but since a lot of the rest of my weekend is open I’m going to hope to stay under $90.
Friday: drinks with a friend tonight, possibly snacks ($15)
Saturday: Shopping for desperately needed rainboots so I stop ruining shoes. I’m finally buying a good pair so I don’t have to buy new ones every year (~$100). Possibly grocery trip for essentials ($35).
Sunday: Tentative brunch plans ($15) and maybe fancy coffee later ($4.50).
That adds up to roughly $170, so I’m going to consider it a win if I stay under $200 since most of the weekend is still pretty open.
Friday: 4 tickets to the American League Championship! $400. Unless the A’s don’t win, or I sell two of the tickets because it’s not a Yankees-A’s series so my friends won’t come. But I’m fronting the money this weekend, so I’ll count it. Otherwise, no other expenses.
Saturday: Potential cash bar at a wedding (man I hope not), I’ll allow myself up to $40 depending on how expensive it is.
Sunday: Groceries – we’ll say $80; I need to buy more processed foods than usual because I’m having oral surgery later in the week and use that as an excuse to binge on chocolate pudding snack packs and the like, but the boyfriend needs to eat like a normal human. I also have to get my sister’s birthday/going away to The Basic School present – $100.
$620 total, $220 on normal things.
@polka dots vs stripes I’m in the process of begging my dad to buy two tickets to game one of the National League Championship, because it is the only viable option for me to see my Nats in the playoffs. Sometimes living in a different city than your team is a serious problem. But game one of the NLCS is on a Sunday!
@polka dots vs stripes That’s so exciting!!! I live in Toronto, where you never have to budget for these “playoff baseball tickets” you speak of.
It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada, and I am actually going to my relatives (it’s been a very long time, though I always try to get up there for Christmas), so I will probably not spend any money, because I have no way to get anywhere, UNLESS I get a ride into town to go to Mariposa Market, cuz that place is the shit, and I will buy all the fudge/baked goods.
Leaving for Mexico tomorrow morning and once I get there I won’t be spending much, but tonight: soup dumplings, crispy shredded beef ($20), car to JFK tomorrow ($52 plus tolls minus 3 dollars for coupon plus tip, so probably $70?), and maybe $12 on airport snacks. Total: $102. Go team!
Tonight I’m making chili and caramel apple dip for a potluck tomorrow: $20 on groceries for that.
Tomorrow: Hosting the potluck which will turn into a game night. $15 on wine or other booze.
Sunday: No plans, but whenever that happens I blow $50 on coffee and shopping and who knows what else.
Monday: Friend is in from New York and wants to explore downtown. $50 on Chicago related activities and food.
Total: $135
Meds for my allergy-ridden dog-$90
Money burning a whole in my pocket-$40
Coffee with a friend-$10
Sunday night coffee-$1
I am hoping I will resist spending that $40, but if I can buy a nice new handbag to replace my flaking fake leather one, I will be ok with that.
Canadian Thanksgiving! Not going home because I am later in the month, and I can’t afford to do it twice because my hours have been way way down at work. (I end up buying at least groceries for my mom every time I’m home, so it’s never actually a free weekend.)
Tonight – if my friend decides she is staying on my couch, probably $15 for drinks at newly opened neighbourhood brewery with other friends. If she is not (and I have realized I really don’t want her to, but it’s too late to cancel), those drinks plus possibly either $10 to bring drinks to a house party or $12 to go to a concert (and then not drink). At least she’d save me money.
Saturday – $40 groceries, I guess including fruit that I am supposed to bring for Thanksgiving dinner (I have no friggin’ idea what they want, and no one will eat it instead of the pie anyway). If I go out, $15.
Sunday – Thanksgiving dinner at my newlywed pals’ place, shouldn’t have to spend anything!
And let’s guess that my lack of cable and tiny netbook screen go out once this weekend to watch a baseball playoff game, that’s $15-20.
That’s $70-$102, so I’ll try to stay under $100.
Mom’s in town, sooo…. nothing?
Or rather: $35 for supplies to cook her dinner with my boyfriend, and $15 for a nice bottle of wine. But chances are not zero that she will chip in for groceries.
On vacation/home visit in Portland this weekend. Friday: bingo. $5 buy in plus snacks, $5. Saturday, hanging out with a friend, then dinner and a movie with fam. Maybe $50 for the day. (20/20/10?) Sunday: pumpkin patch/corn maze with fam/kids. Maybe $15ish for entry and snacks, probably some other meal out somewhere for another $15. Around $100 for the weekend.
Mum’s birthday dinner out on Friday (mum+me+Mr TARDIStime): $99.80
Movie (me + mr TARDIStime): $34 ish? (he covered dinner)
Cab home from train station due to the rain: $11 ish.
Small grocery shop paid for by mum.
All up: about $145! This was about what I expected.