Recap on week two: I’m hurting.
I started off the week feeling really good, I’d been able to control myself in the face of things I normally buy without a second thought: An ice tea on Saturday morning, new books for my kids off the Scholastic sheets that come home from school and Friday night Netflix movies.
Something interesting happened to me this week, I realized I spend a lot of money without even realizing it. I would catch myself about to purchase something and say, "wait a minute, this is spending!" Things like a new spatula at the grocery store, a bottle of water at the gym, batteries for toys that need new ones. True, none of these things cost millions...but they sure add up!
I only had one major cheat this week—an upgraded cell phone. It was time to upgrade my phone and I wanted to get with 2009 before it is 2o10 so I was looking at touch screen phones. If I went with the one I wanted there was going to be an additional fee because it was more than the $150 they allowed for the upgrade. I broke down. I guess in some ways I could justify the spending based on the fact that a cell phone is a life or death thing for me because I run a business and have two kids. I need to be reachable at all times (I told myself repeatedly). My upgrade was about to expire, so I went for it…but I still feel like I cheated. (As I type this I’m flashing back to my freshman year of high school when my friend and I were caught sharing answers on a Math test and I blurted out “we’re cheating” because I felt so guilty).
Other than that though, I am holding steady. I desperately need a new compact and a hair cut….badly…but I am holding off until next week. In the past week I’ve been to work, birthday parties and out with friends and have not worn a stitch of make-up. I’d say that’s some serious effort on my part. *pat on the back*
I did feel like a drug addict at one point this week though. I got a Save 25% coupon at Gymboree (which is in walking distance to my house) and one afternoon when I went to return a gift at the toy store I popped into Gymboree on my way out. That coupon was burning a whole in my pocket let me tell you…my leg was on fire…but I made it out without a purchase. There’s always another deal I kept telling myself.
The hardest part for me has been grocery shopping. We spend on average $200 a week on groceries, so roughly $800 a month. Some weeks are more if we need the big ticket items like diapers, dog food, cat food and litter. I am trying so hard to find a balance between buying healthy and buying cheaper. It’s really hard. During this no spend month I have been trying to spend less than $200 in an attempt at reducing this area of consumption in our lives too. I started to come up with simpler meals that require less ingredients, but at the same time I don’t want to compromise taste or freshness. This is something I am still trying to figure out—Sweet mercy, if you have tips send them to me! The bill was $140 this week but I know I’m going to run out of something before next weekend---paper towels being on of those things I know for sure.
This week I saved money by:
- Using Kokobean’s artwork as wrapping paper and handmade cards for birthday parties we attended.
- Inviting a friend over to drink wine I already had instead of going out.
- Canceling the cleaning lady and doing it myself—although I didn’t get the whole house done. (don't get me wrong I know this is a luxury most people don't have)
- Bathing the puppies myself again. (Now this is something I normally do myself in the summer with the hose-no problem- but in cooler weather I'd much rather drop them off at the doggie spa than have to clean my whole bathroom afterwards!)
- Trimming my daughters hair myself.
- Watching DVR’d shows instead of renting movies on Friday night.
- Picking up the dog poo—this really sucks, but I’m on board to stop spending.
On to week three…Lord help me!
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