Let's say I wanted to pose a challenge to myself to end this year with an average spending of $16.99 a day. I'm finding myself averaging out at little over $18 a day. I'm starting to hate that number. My desire each month seems to be to get under $18 a day and into the $17 range.
$16.99 a day sounds to me not only like a sweet number to end on but a triumphant number.
A goal of $16.99 a day leaves $2017.15 to spend for the rest of 2015, or in $12 a day speak that leaves me $13.36 a day. Considering that I'm regularly coming in around $18 a day THAT is a challenge.
Am I up for it... hm, I don't know but I have begun to ponder.
Average daily spending for 2015: 18.42 (Yuck)
That sounds like a very demanding challenge. You would have to reduce your spending by well over $2 a day to achieve that average over the year. Can I suggest a slightly higher target? I've been trying to think of a number which is sort of random and sort of significant and I wonder of something like $17.76 would be more realistic for you. You will still need to reduce your spending significantly but you would have a little bit or wriggle room and maybe you could drop back to $16.99 next year. Feel free to delete of course, but I'd hate you to set yourself up for failure!
ReplyDeleteI agree, that's why my post is pondering. I don't know what would be reasonable but I feel like I really need to challenge myself to spend less. I suppose I could shoot for $16.99 a day from here on out instead of trying to drop all the way down to $13.36. Hm, I need a challenge but I don't want to set myself up for failure either. (that'd put me at $17.42 for the year, haha, your goal is still higher than that... I like yours better)
DeleteThank-you Frugally Challenged :)
DeleteHow about aiming for $16.99 and being ESTATIC with anything under the $18 mark? That way you are well under where you want to be but still have a challenge for the rest of this year and next year? Any way you look at it, as long as you try, you have already won!
ReplyDeleteYou my friend, are right! Thank-you.
DeleteI am curious about how you come up with your figures. I have been trying to plot a course of daily expenses. Do you include your house payment and utilities in your daily rate or are they exclusive of your total? When I add everything together I am shockingly higher than 18 dollars a day.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness I do not include any bills. The average daily spending is actual "spending" with a few exceptions. I don't include any bills in my spending budget, like mortgage, utilities, and insurance. And since I also drive for work I don't include automobile expenses. The only other thing I can think of is medical, I don't include medical. If you go to the tab at the top of this blog that says 2015 purchases you can see my spending categories and what I've spent.
DeleteI know tons of people spend way less than I do, which is one of the reasons I know I can spend less with MORE effort but I do work really hard to keep my spending down.
Thanks for answering. I was honestly trying to figure out how much it cost me daily to live and my total was much higher. Now I can at least breathe. I knew we had some extravagances in life but I didn't think we were that financially crazy.
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