Biggest Kitchen Table

Biggest Kitchen Table - Living Deliberately and Money
So if you too are serious about living Deliberately this is some of our method
Our challenge this week is to spend nothing for a week.

It is a thrill to do the no spend thing.
We often will go two and three weeks with this.
I shop in bulk and with the garden often have no need to go to the store.

however this last week we spent so very little until
we had some flowers and birthday gifts to tend too.
Thinking back if I were more on top of the birthdays I could have made something much more personal.
There are those times when things spring up quickly.
I think I will develop a method of keeping track and perhaps listing on the prior month any birthday or event that a gift might be required
Perhaps a creative gift list that has each name and month perhaps a line for interests and favorite colors and such.

I may need a bit for a luncheon out with the girls.
Or I may consider forgoing the meal or even perhaps doing an appetizer as an option and eating a small meal late in the afternoon.

We are using the Dave Ramsey system and have been living deliberately now for 7 months.

We use a zero balance budget spread sheet. I will try to have my husband give me a blank pdf to post for any one who is interested

These are the major categories and the suggested percentages from the book
we have tweaked them for our families needs

Charitable Gifts (10-15 %)
cash
Non-cash
Non Deductable

Savings (5-10%)
Emergency Fund No Touch(to eventually = 3 months income for emergency living)
Emergency ONLY Fund (for an a/c unit or such $1000) sugested
Child 1 savings
Child 2 savings
Pay Pal Fund

Housing (25-35%)
First Mortgage
Mortgage Late Fees
Additional Principle
( I am so looking forward to hitting this hard)
Repairs/house/furnishings
Replace Furn/Appliances /Deco
Yard/Garden Maintenance/insect control
Yard/Garden Purchase
Security Door
Flooring

Utilities (5-10%)
Electric
(It came down over $20. a month already)
Water/trash
Phone
(bare bones basic service)
(we have no cell phone)
Easy News (our brouser)

Transportation (10-15%)
fuel
car 1 car 2
then we list each week as in wk 1-5
Oil
tires
repairs
Auto Ins
Deductable
License and registration
by car with due dates
Emmisions Test
Car Replacement

Medical and Health (5-10%)
Doctor
co pay per family member
Dentist
list family members
Optometrist
list family member
keep track of apts and due dates for cleaning and exams...
Drugs
list each for each family menber
Non Mail order
non prescription
Hearing aide batteries (son)
Vet exams
list each due date for vacinations

Food (5-15%)
Grocery
list 5 wks
Stockpile
Birthday celibrations
Holiday/parties/vacation
restaurants
(a very rare event indeed)
Dog Food
Chicken Food
School Lunches
(I make them)
Steve's Lunches
(I make them every morning)
I have researched ways to save by baking bread
Supplements
Costco Membership

Personal (5-10%)
Allowance child one
Allowance child two
Computer fund hrdw/softwr
Cosmetics
Educational expenses
School Supplies and expenses
School Photos/Field Trips
Adult Eduation
Library Fines
Gifts (aniversary,Holiday, Christmas
Gifts(our bithday, adoption day)
Gifts (to give, bday , wedding, ect
Hair care (I buy in bulk at a beauty supply)
Hobby/craft/sewing

Life Insurance mom
(we place a very high priority on this)
Life Insurance dad
(Knowing that the family is covered if anything should happen to either of us.
However gain knowledge the type of ins. is crucial)

Miscellaneous
Postage/shipping and Handling
Pet supplies
Chickens(pine shavings)
Dogs (yearly Licence)
subscriptions/Magazines
Toiletries
Pocket cash (petty Cash)

Clothing (2-7%)
Adults
Children

Recreation (5-10%)
Entertainment
Admissions
Media,Movies, Games
Vacation

Debt
upcoming pmts for Dove
upcoming braces for Dash

Total all catagories



Income
by check or pay period
refunds/reembursments
Federal Tax Refund
State Tax Refund


Total income

every dollar has a place and if we do not use it there by month end it is either allocated for an unexpected expense or set aside for quarterly/yearly pmts.

We start out wit the income and then the essentials of house pmt and bills, transportation in that category we save for the auto insurance and pay it quarterly
Then we have medical and Rx, here I have gone to mail for the 3 months for the price of one co pay, all meds are then used in this way so that they are scheduled and we know when we need to reorder. We set aside a copay per family member

then as the totals drop we see what we have left if a bill is due that is covered.

Off the top we set aside our life insurance pmts divided by 12 so that is is there when we need it.

we have a spot for everything

I do not have a blank to show you but will try to create one. So every penny is assigned a spot in the apx column.
Then as the month proceeds we review weekly adding actual to the actualized column

we have paid off all debt except the house by prioritizing those sheets to do so. Now just the house is left.

We are basing our expenditures on the lowest 40 work weeks.
If overtime we will save of pay unexpected

any bimonthly or quarterly or yearly bill we set aside the amount divided by 12 so it is there when we need it.

If we then have a month where we have more than we need it will cover the items like clothing or shoes and such.

Now 7 months ago when we started the categories were often used
Now often as the months have gone by I have found ways to not use monies to fill those spaces but to use creative solutions to make it myself or find cheeper ways of getting by.

It is a highest leek come first basis.
Now only 7 months out most all leaks are stopped and any hemerages are gone
When they do occure we are able to say no to something and use it to cover the hit.

Thats the jest of it.
I hope it might help some of you.