Essentials Only Month fail

Top: fridge on March 1. Bottom: fridge on March 31.

Well friends, the end is here! Essentials Only Month is done. And it wasn't the glowing success I'd hoped it would be.

I'm not sure what happened really...

I mentioned that hubs and I were both traveling a lot this month. Alex had several tournaments with the team, so he was gone almost every weekend, and I traveled a little bit for work (which is unusual). I thought that us being gone so much would help in the spending department, but honestly, what we didn't spend on food we made up for in gas.

One of the reasons for doing EOM is cleaning out the fridge and the pantry, and using up stuff that has been taking up space for too long. Well, we only cooked dinner a handful of times (due to the traveling), so this was a marginal success.

And budget? We definitely didn't stay within our $225 budget. We nearly spent that much on gas alone. Fail.

Another reason for EOM is to avoid shopping for entertainment, which is what I'm prone to doing, especially when A is gone all weekend and I'm bored. For me, this was a success. I didn't step foot in a TJ Maxx for an entire month - and that, my friends, is willpower. Alex, however, didn't take it quite as seriously as he has in the past. But, come on, this was not his idea, so what can I expect??

The good that came out of this annual exercise that we do? We did save money, if only by drastically reduced grocery costs. Although technically we weren't "supposed" to, we did eat out a few times, but opted for inexpensive places. And with all the gas we burned this month and all the gifts we had to buy for people - baby, wedding, birthday, and hostess - we needed to save in other areas, like un-necessary shopping and food, and that we did.

Essentials Only Month may have technically been a fail this time around, but it's still a good frame of mind to keep for 30 days. It's always a good challenge, and makes me aware of what I'm actually spending on all the extra, unnecessary things in life. And it makes me feel blessed that having an Essentials Only Month is a choice, not a necessity.

Between EOM and Lent (for which I gave up fried food), I'm ready to carelessly spend some money and binge on Chick Fil A fries.

Kidding. Sorta. (Gotta wait until after Easter for the fries, duh.)

Essentials Only Month: Halfway Mark

Oh, Essentials Only Month. You've been a tough pill to swallow.

See? An organized pantry is a happy pantry. 

As promised, here's the first of my weekly updates on our EOM progress. This time around - our third EOM - has been so much harder for some reason. We I chose to do it this month because both A and I were traveling for work (decreasing our out of pocket meal costs significantly) and had so much planned that I thought it'd be easy to resist the temptation to spend extra money. So far, some of that is true - we've been so wide open that we haven't had a lot of time to shop for "fun." But we've also been apart for about 6 of these 14 days, making the days we have spent together much more tempting to go out to dinner or pick up food rather than cook. Sigh.

TOTAL BUDGETED: $225
TOTAL SPENT AS OF 3/14: $139.03 (a large chunk of this was gas)
MONEY LEFT FOR 2 WEEKS: $85.97

If we hadn't eaten out a few times (small meals, mostly lunch), we would be in much better shape right now. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Our groceries have been a tiny sliver of this (about $17) because we had so much in the pantry.

I can already tell you that we're going to go over our goal limit, because I will be driving out of town this weekend to see my mom and stepdad at the cabin, and next week to see A at a golf tournament, and gas is not cheap, my friend. But at least we're not spending money on other stuff in addition to all of this, right? Right??

Besides, the pantry, fridge and deep freeze are already in better shape. So there's that!

xo
KH

Essentials Only Month, comin' at ya

What would you do if you found an extra few hundred dollars in your account at the end of the month? 

Save it? Invest it? Spend it on something you've been eying? Take a weekend getaway? Put it toward a debt? Blow it all in one trip to Target?

For the last 2 years, Alex and I have been self-inflicting an "Essentials Only Month" upon our house once a year. We're about to do it for a third time, starting Saturday. Why Saturday? Well, it's the start of a new month (AGAIN - those months, they just keep coming, no?), so why not? The last time we did it, we were in the midst of a few big changes, so although that wasn't even a year ago, I'm ready to do it again. And, the practical reason: February was an expensive month for us, as we were hit with property taxes, car insurance premiums, and some expensive car maintenance. 

What the heck is Essentials Only Month? [That sounds lame.]

I drew my inspiration from the fabulous Rachel at SmallNotebook.org. If you've never checked out this blog, you should. Rachel has very no-nonsense solutions to simplify life. As far as I can tell, she coined the term "No Spend Month" several years ago, and has been "hosting" a NSM every year since then. The premise of her No Spend Month - much like my Essentials Only Month - is to cut out the excess spending for 30 days in order to:

1. Save money
2. Eat what you've got in your fridge and pantry
3. Find entertainment in inexpensive or free things

I cannot tell you how much I've actually enjoyed dong this. Mainly because I've found the results to be:

• A cleaner home because A) I'm using up the foods in my fridge and pantry, and B) I have more time to clean/organize since I'm not out spending money
• I'm not shopping for entertainment as I often do, so more projects are completed around the house (how many craft projects have I already bought the stuff for but haven't done? How many pictures still need to be hung in the house we moved into 7 months ago?)
• More fulfilling "date nights" - because we're either cooking together, or doing something we wouldn't necessarily do if we weren't watching every penny
• More appreciation for the things I own - which in turn, means I analyze everything (Why am I still holding onto this sweater? Do I really need to buy this fillintheblank?)
• More money: obviously. There is simply more money left in the bank at the end of it all. 

The rules!

Set a tight budget for all the things in your life that you spend money on day to day. This can include gas, food, entertainment, clothing, toiletries, eating out, lunch break shopping out of boredom, etc. Stick to it by using cash wherever possible. 

Typically, I define "Essentials" - things that must be paid, and therefore do not come out of your allotted amount - as the following:

• Bills: mortgage/rent, car payments, utilities, insurance, cell phone, etc. 
• Medical costs: co-pays, prescriptions, medical bills
• Home or car repairs/maintenance
• Gifts for other people: your family/friends shouldn't have to suffer :)

How much? 

The first time we did this, I set a limit of $200. Last year, I budgeted a measly $75 (which didn't include gas), but that was due to a few special circumstances. 

This year, I'm setting a budget of $225, which is for all the non-essentials outlined above. 

A few things to note: 

• Alex and I will both be traveling for work some, so gas usage for work isn't part of the budget (since we get reimbursed)
• Similarly, Alex is out of town for work several weekends this month, and all of his meals are covered when he's away
• I'm flying to Florida to see my family in March, but I already bought my tickets (and, I'm flying for $88 round trip. Pretty hard to beat). 
• I typically spend about $60 a week at the grocery store, and about $50 every 2 weeks on gas. These expenses alone add up to about $340, BEFORE eating out, entertainment, clothing, and Target trips. 
• I am not "stocking up" before March 1. That would totally defeat the purpose. I'll be shopping for groceries like I normally do this week. 
• We have a few gift cards that we got for Christmas that we'll probably use when we're craving a dinner out

To be clear, everyone has to make up their own rules. What works for me might not work for you. There are just 2 adults and 2 furbabies in our house - obviously, a house with a couple of kids in it would need a bigger budget. That said, it's supposed to be a challenge - so if you want to join in on the fun, challenge yourself accordingly! 

Once a week, I'll give a report of what we spent and where we spent it. So if you're interested in the spending habits of others, feel free to get up in my business this March. Totally fine. 

Anyone want to join in? Let me know - I'd love to hear how your Essentials Only Month is going!

xo

KH

June Challenge wrap-up: "Essentials only month"

My challenge this month was an adaptation of the Essentials Only Month that I did last year, where we had a strict budget (all cash) to spend on everything for a month that was "essential" and nothing to spend on things that were not essential. This was a good challenge to do his month since we will be closing on our house July 22 and moving a week before that (still don't have house to move to yet, but that's another story). This gave us the chance to eat the food we already had in our pantry and freezer so we didn't have to move it or worse, waste it when we move.

My budget for grocery shopping this month was $75, and I'm happy to report that I only managed two trips to Publix (which is hard for me, because I LOVE Publix...) and spent about $45. I would call that a success!

Meanwhile, our fridge looks like this:

We're getting there, people!

It feels so good to use what you have a clean everything out (even if you're not moving). A fresh start is always welcome!

June is Essentials Only Month!

Last year, I got the great idea from SmallNotebook.org to do a "No Spend Month," which I dubbed "Essentials Only Month" for my purposes because it's basically impossible not to spend anything for an entire month. You can read about that adventure here.

Since I am challenging myself to something different every month this year, I knew Essentials Only Month would be making a comeback. Basically, what I did last year was to give our household a budget of $200 for an entire month. This included groceries, eating out, gas (that's a big one), toiletries, clothing, random shopping, and household items. It did not include medical or health-related expenses like co-pays or prescriptions, gifts for other people, or our normal monthly bills The key was to pay cash for everything so we weren't tempted to just put it on the card. And it worked: we saved a lot of money, cleaned out our fridge, and realized we could really pinch pennies when we needed to.

Enter June 2013, our EOM for the year. However, I am mixing things up a little bit this year due to a few circumstances:
1. We are putting our house on the market ASAP in anticipation of our move
2. For the next 3 weeks, we have a total of 4 weddings out of town and my best friend Lindsey's 30th birthday party in Florida
3. We are Italy bound on June 30 (can I get a heck yesssssss?!) and will be there through July 8

For all of these reasons, I am allotting myself and our household a total of $75 for groceries, toiletries, household items and misc. shopping for the month of June. I am not including gas in our budget this year because Alex will be between Columbia and Greenville all month (today is his first day as Coach!), and we are traveling out of town every weekend. I am also not including eating out, which might appear to be cheating, but we really only eat out about twice a week anyway, and I don't want to deprive us of our favorite Greenville eateries while we're still here to enjoy them. I think $75 will cut it because we have a freezer full of meat and a pantry full of dry goods, so we'll just need to buy fresh produce and dairy and that's about it. And we need to clean out our pantry and freezer before we make the big move anyway (I am hoping, praying, and crossing fingers that our house will sell quickly!).

The only "misc. shopping" things that are not included in the $75 budget are things we need to purchase for our trip: a new camera, possibly a new suitcase, and comfy shoes for all the walking we'll be doing. Just putting that out there as a disclaimer!

This EOM will definitely be different than last year's: in some ways, it will be easier, and in others, tougher. If you're looking for a good challenge, join me in sticking to a strict budget and saving tons of money in the process. You'll be shocked at how good you'll feel at the end of the month!

How to buy Christmas gifts on the cheap

Truth: I can be a little cheap.
Well...cheap has a negative connotation, so I'll go with "thrifty."


I did a whole series of posts on our "Essentials Only Month" in July/August, during which we had $200 for groceries, gas, clothing and eating out for 30 days. I definitely used coupons to get us through, as well as Groupons, gift cards, meal planning...anything we could get our hands on.

But honestly, I use all those things all the time - not just during Essentials Only Month.

While I might be a little frugal with day-to-day purchases, the one area I don't mind going all out is buying gifts for others. However: my motto is if you can get a good deal on something, you can get that person more of whatever it is within your original budget (and look like a baller in the meantime).

With Thanksgiving - and BLACK FRIDAY - just days away, I thought you might enjoy knowing the ways that I plan to save money this holiday season while I'm shopping for gifts.

eBates

If you are an online shopper and you aren't using eBates, you are literally missing out on cash money. The way it works: before you make a purchase, go to the eBates homepage and log in. From eBates, you can click through to thousands of online stores (including Target, Groupon and Living Social - see below). Make your purchases as you normally would. Once you make your purchase, you'll get an email from eBates telling you how much cash back you're getting (for example, usually at Target, it's 2% cash back). Then, once a quarter, they will send you a Check in the mail for your cash back. It adds up fast, people - I am getting a check for $27.00 from last quarter! Literally cash money. It's free and there are no catches. And sometimes, some websites will have huge cash back amounts of 8% or even up to 40%. Sign up here!


Target.com Daily Deals

This one is easy. Go to Target.com (after going to eBates, of course!). Click on the daily deals link. There will be 5 or more deals listed that are only food for 24 hours. They're usually 40% or more and always have free shipping - even if it's furniture! They have cute clothes, toys, makeup, electronics, you name it. And it's a surprise every day! Love. 


Rue La La

I know there are a ton of flash sale sites out there, but Rue is my fave. It has a great assortment of items, from designer handbags (think Chanel and Louie) to wedding dresses to vacations to casual clothes. They've even had my wedding china on there. The boutiques are usually open for a few days, but they sell out fast because the prices are so good. Sign up here.

eBay

If you haven't ever eBayed - where have you been for the last 17 years?? To be fair, online auctions aren't for everyone. But no need to sell to take part - although that is an excellent way to make some extra $$ for the holidays. Tons of items are "Buy it Now" and you can get some of the best, most popular gifts right now for little bits of nothin'. For example: bubble necklaces. I have seen them on there for $8 including shipping, no bidding required.


Groupon and Living Social

Now I'm not suggesting you buy someone a restaurant Groupon and wrap it up (although you certainly can), but what you should look out for are the national and online deals. There have been deals for Amazon, Fandango, Old Navy, The Body Shop and other national chains, or deals on actual products that you order online. Heck, I got a 2-year subscription to Better Homes and Gardens for $2. I have also noticed that a lot of local boutiques and stores will sell vouchers this time of year, so you can use the vouchers to by gifts for half off. Easy.


Cash in your reward points
If you get reward points for using your Debit or Credit card, cash in on those points now. A lot of people forget about them - don't let yours go to waste. I always redeem ours for gift cards, and then I use them to buy gifts (or a treat for myself - that way, I don't feel guilty about spending money on something for me!)


So now you know all my best secrets. You're welcome. I've already used most of these in my Christmas shopping this year and plan to continue to do so.

Good luck in your shopping - and may you score the best deals this holiday season. I'm pulling for ya!

We survived: Essentials Only Month wrap-up

Today is August 10, which officially means Essentials Only Month  in our household is OVER! Wow, what an experience. Our grand total was -drumrolllllllll...... $200.09. Yep, we went over budget by a lousy nine cents!! But I would call it a success!

While there were many little lessons learned along the way (like the importance of keeping an organized pantry so food doesn't pass expiration because it's shoved in some dark corner...), here are the main things I learned:

1. Cash is good
   Well, obviously cash is good. But for this experiment, cash is what made it work! Without tracking our spending due to the amount of cash we had left in our pockets, it would have been tricky to stay on task and on budget. Using a debit or credit card just makes it too easy to cheat. And there was some cheating, trust me (see my last post about that). Using cash can be a pain - like when Alex went to the grocery store this week and I had to make sure he had enough of the cash to pay - thus the invention of debit cards. Still, I think we were able to stick to the plan by using cash. And there is something about handing over bills  that make a purchase seem more...real.
   
2. Meal planning is the bomb
   I've gone through bouts of menu planning before where I've listed out the meals for the week, checked to see what items I needed, made my list around it, etc. But it's something I really need to stick with. It is SO helpful when I've had a long day and thinking about dinner is the last thing I want to do! Having a plan for dinner is half the battle. Plus I have an idea of how long it will take to prepare, so I can plan any post-work to-do's, like working out or errands, around dinner prep times.
   
3. I sometimes buy food items just because they're on sale
   I said at the beginning of the month that I was a pretty savvy grocery shopper and we are good about staying within budget for groceries, largely due to shopping around Publix's sale cycles and using coupons here and there. Well, I realized that I was buying some items just because they were a good deal. And some of those items were not things we needed nor necessarily liked. From now on, I'll think twice before I buy something at the grocery store just because it's super cheap. It must be something we like and something that's good for us, OR just a special treat that we love (like Peanut Butter M&Ms - Alex's favorite!).
   
4. I sometimes buy clothes just because they're on sale...
   Notice a pattern here? During Essentials Only Month, I cleaned out my closet and realized I have a lot of clothes that I don't wear. And the one thing 90% of those items have in common is that I bought them for little bits of nothing. (Target and TJ Maxx tempt me SO BAD). I have decided it's truly worth it to splurge on nicer things that you really, really love and will wear for a long time versus something that's just alright (but seems awesome at the time because of the price tag). I think I will be happier with my wardrobe in the long run this way. I'm not saying I'm going to blow it out on designer goods all the time - trust that my frugal soul and I will still shop the clearance racks! But I only want to buy things I really LOVE. 
   
5. Having some "fun money" set aside each month is a good idea
   This goes back to the love-of-cash. Alex and I have decided that we will each get a designated amount of fun money - kinda like an allowance - in cash each month to do whatever we want with. This will cover little treats here and there, like coffee or nail polish for me or breakfast or a book for him: the little things that chip away at a household budget. Once the money is gone, it's gone until the next month. I think it will give us the freedom to feel like we're treating ourselves without overdoing it.
   
6. We like to eat out - and hey, it's okay!
   I said from the beginning that our downfall is going out to dinner. It's a social thing - meeting friends for drinks or dinner out is part of life and we love to do it. Unfortunately, it can add up so fast, and without knowing what's hit us, we've racked up an $80 dinner bill. However, it was recently brought to my attention that we shouldn't beat ourselves up over spending money on our social lives and on date nights. Why? Well, when we have kids (which is so not in the near future, but in the eventual life plan for sure), we won't be able to spontaneously head out for Mexican or meet friends for drinks, dinner, then drinks again. So with a little more planning  and allocating of the funds, we've decided that going out is something that matters to us and is worth the spend.
   
7. Essentials Only Month was supposed to feel restrictive - but in some ways, it was freeing
   Yes, it was hard not to buy stuff I wanted. Yes, it was tough to refrain from my shopping norms. But overall? The feeling I felt most was freedom. What I mean by that is the fact that I knew we had both money in the bank and cash in our wallets: whatever we were buying day to day was coming out of the cash, and the money in the bank was for monthly bills and...what else? Exactly. There was excess. I found that I wasn't extra-excited about my next payday. because we had plenty left over from the one before! It's amazing what money you can find in your budget when you go on a little spending diet for a month. Such a great feeling to get back on track. It literally feels like we've started over where budgeting is concerned. 

If you are considering a No-Spend or Essentials Only Month, I highly recommend it. I think it's something we'll do annually (although I think we'll choose a different month next year - maybe June? I think it would be easier to do it in a calendar month instead of a 30-day period like we did it due to our Anniversary being July 9). Saving is hard. Not spending money is hard. Saying No to dinner out with friends or to a weekend away or to a new outfit you really really want is hard. But it is worth it when, at the finish line, you've learned new things about your habits and have been reminded that you can survive on a little less if you have to. 

I thought many times this month about families that have mandatory no-spend months every month because things are that tight. I am blessed that although sometimes things feel tight, Alex and I are blessed with more than what we really need. It's all about keeping things in perspective and being happy with what you have. 

Essentials Only Month: the finish line is near

Tomorrow is the last day of our little experiment known as Essentials Only Month, and I'm pretty excited to regain some spending power and ability.

Or am I?

Honestly, this hasn't been as tough as I thought it would be. We still have a ton of stuff in the pantry that I could create dinners from, and we still have a ton of deer meat in the freezer (there's only so many times in a week you can eat venison sausage or cube steak).

Our pantry surprisingly still has a lot in it! A testament to how full it was at the beginning.

The fridge is a little more bare (a word about all the beer: we clearly have plenty of that left. It is what we have left over from our beach trip! Promise we have not spent any precious EOM cash on alcohol!!)

I will admit that we have cheated a teeny bit. Alex and I had Chick-Fil-A for lunch yesterday that we did use our cash for; I was in Dallas over the weekend and used my debit card to buy lunch at the airport; and as I mentioned before, I got my hair cut last week and used my debit card to pay. So there. Being honest here.

As of today, we have about $20 left in cash. Alex is going to the grocery store today to pick up a few things to supplement our meals this week and next, so I am anticipating ending the month tomorrow with $0 in cash and a lot of lessons learned.

Side note: if you're a reader, I would love for you to follow my blog! I'd love to know who's reading my thoughts so I can read yours (your blog, that is), too! :) I really appreciate it! xo

20 days in - 2/3 of the way through Essentials Only Month

Well, here we are. Another 10 days of Essentials Only/No Spend Month have passed. I've got to say that it is (surprisingly) flying by, but that's good, right?

Our total spend during these 20 days is now at $139.04, which is just over the 2/3 mark of our $200 total budget. We're doing pretty well in terms of money spent.

The big money-suckers of the last 10 days were gas, groceries, and a trip to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy K-cups (hey, coffee is totally, unquestionably an ESSENTIAL! Plus, I always have BBB coupons floating around). I did have to take a short trip out of town for work, so that took a chunk of my gas: although I will be reimbursed for it, it was still an expense I made up-front, so I'm counting it for now.

For meals, we have done really, really well! I menu-planned the last two weeks and we made an efficient use of things we already had in the pantry, freezer and fridge. It sooooo helps to have all the meals for the week planned out - I love it. It makes life so much easier. I like knowing exactly what I'm going to make for dinner and about how long it will take so I can plan other things around dinner prep, like getting on the treadmill or running errands after work.

Eating out is a sticking point for us, but we ate out as a couple only once - last night - and a friend graciously and unexpectedly picked up the tab, so I guess that didn't count!

I will say that eating cheaply has cost me some precious calories: it's hard to eat well on a tight budget. We haven't had as many fresh fruits and veggies this month, that's for sure. And I much as I LOVE it and it's cheap, pasta - a staple lately - is not good for the waistline, generally speaking. [Side note: I have been tracking my calories in an attempt to lose a little weight since May. Prior to EOM, I had lost 11 pounds in 8 weeks! But I have now gained back 2 of those lost pounds, likely kick-started by our beach vacay over the Fourth of July and certainly not helped by EOM-style eating. Anyway, I'm still truckin' along! I hope to be at my goal weight - which would be a total of 16.5 pounds lost - by the end of September. Slowly but surely!]

Emotionally, it's a little draining. I still feel like Alex and I are doing this for different reasons: I am doing it to use up what we already have, save money, and try to change our spending habits. He is doing is because I am making him (kidding!!) - no, I think he's doing it simply to save money. I accused him of "cheating" one day last week because he picked up fast-food and used his business account, when he could (*should*) have used his EOM cash. But that's just me trying to challenge ourselves a little more! I guess it really doesn't matter, as long as we're both on board the same ship. And we are.

We have $60.96 to last us the next 10 days - can we do it? Well I'm going to go ahead and tell you...no. Not technically, anyway. I am getting a much-needed haircut tomorrow, and that is going to cost around $50. Yes, I could wait until after August 9th to get it done - but that's kind of cheating, right? I mean, I am going to spend the money anyway, and after consulting my calendar and my stylist's availability over the next few weeks, it was a now-or-never move (and for the record, I haven't had a trim since March. March!!!). In an effort to be fully transparent, that $50 expense will not be coming from our EOM cash and will be paid for by a swipe of the ole' debit card.

I am looking forward to EOM's end, don't get me wrong...but I have already sensed a change in how I think about spending, the things I buy, and my habits. I'm excited to see how those changes develop even more over the last 10 days of EOM. Change is a-comin'!

Penny is not losing sleep over Essentials Only Month and our limited budget.

10 days in - we're 1/3 of the way done!

Soooo...Essentials Only Month is 1/3 of the way through. Our money is almost exactly 1/3 of the way gone. Wow, how is that for being spot-on?

We started July 10 with $200, and we've spent $65.72. So far, we've spent money only on food and entertainment (I will admit I ate lunch out one day and saw a matinee with some girlfriends...). However, I will say that we are in great shape food-wise for the rest of the month and I am optimistic that we'll only need to buy perishable items, like milk, eggs, bread and fruit/veggies from here on out. We have plenty of meat in the freezer, and lots of pantry items like canned veggies, cereal, pasta, etc. I will need to gas up my car soon, but I have been really diligent about not using my car on my lunch break and instead just walking around downtown and getting fresh air. It's been good in more ways than one. 

Alex is doing pretty well with it. He was gone the first few days of EOM for business, and when he travels for business he uses another account, so I joked that he was "living like a king" while I was brown-bagging it and eating Lean Cuisines from our stockpile for dinner. But once he was home, he was thrust into the middle of EOM and I think he was a little scared. He even asked if he could have seconds one night at dinner or if we needed to save the leftovers for dinner another night. Now if that doesn't make you feel like a horrible person....anyway, of course I told him to have seconds and I reiterated that we. are. not. starving. This. is. self-imposed. This. is. a. good. exercise. I'm hoping he gets into it soon, poor guy.

Now I will admit: it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for me, either.

Let's talk about the not-so-fun elements of this little experiment:

• Not shopping is hard. I really thought it would be easy not to shop. I didn't realize what a habit that spending money really was for me: it's sad! I also didn't realize how often I use shopping as entertainment. I always thought of myself as a savvy shopper who can find a good deal. That may be true, but spending money on something you don't need is not a good deal, no matter what. I have tried to combat temptation by immediately deleting all emails that tout a store's sale or includes store coupons (which is 90% of the personal emails I get). I am not visiting some of the blogs that I typically frequent that provide grocery store and drugstore sales and coupon match-ups. I constantly have to remind myself that I don't need to go to this store or that store: I have more than enough toiletries, make-up, clothing, shoes and yes, even groceries. I'm good. 
• I don't like saying no. Aside from being pulled away from all the ah-mazing end-of-summer clothing sales, the hardest part is saying no. Saying no to friends, to myself, and to my husband. No, I can't go to lunch; no, we can't go to dinner; no, we can't get frozen yogurt. Obviously, I have said yes at times - to a movie and to lunch (which I will probably be kicking myself over in a week or so!). Saying no kinda makes you feel antisocial because you basically can't hang with friends for a month since 99% of social get-togethers involve spending money. But hey - we knew there would be sacrifices.

BUT - there are some things I'm enjoying:

• I like paying in cash. I like how it feels to pay with a couple of bills and coins, and knowing that money is already out of my bank account - anything left in the bank is literally money in the bank. Cha-ching.
• Planning out our meals is a great feeling. I have also been more thoughtful about each dish and the night I plan to make it. For instance, if I know I am going to open a package of shredded cheese on Monday for a recipe, I will try to use the rest of it the following night in a different way so we're not wasting anything (I hate letting food spoil! And unfortunately I've done that too much!). There are some items in my pantry that have been there for months, untouched - random ingredients that I have on hand but obviously don't need or I would have used them already (example: a 15-oz. jar of cheese sauce. Why in the heck do I even have this??). I have found some creative ways to use those items and so far, the results have been pretty tasty. Plus, it makes life easier to have all the meals for a week planned (I write them on a chalkboard in our kitchen as a reminder of what's coming up). I know when I leave the house in the morning what we'll be having for dinner, and that makes my job as a wifey that much easier.
• It makes you think twice - or three times. I am naturally a money-conscious person (just ask Alex!). But this is taking it to another level, and not in a bad way. I am giving myself choices - "If I have X, I can't have Y." Simple reasoning, toddler-style. I think adults often forget that we can't always have it all: just because we can buy it or want to buy it doesn't mean we need it. In the first ten days, I have already conditioned myself into these either-or scenarios: if I eat lunch out today, I can't eat lunch out tomorrow. 

We have 20 days left, which seems like forever in some ways. But I am encouraged by the lessons we're learning so far. I hope to break some of my bad habits that I just learned I have, like recreational shopping, and begin filling my time with things that don't cost money.

Feeling crafty...but it's Essentials Only month!

I was feeling crafty today. And hours on Pinterest over the weekend had pinspired me to make a new wreath for the front door. But these projects cost money, and with it being Essentials Only month, I couldn't justify a run to Michael's or the Hobster Lobster when we really aren't even spending money on food at this point in the month.

To stifle my crafty feeling, I started cleaning out my closet, which is something I've been meaning to do anyway. I tossed aside a couple of items that had tiny stains on them that I was planning to donate. Three of them were solid white: a pair of pants, a shirt, and a t-shirt. Just like that, inspiration struck!

I took the three items, a wire hanger, some ribbon, and a wooden "H" that I had bought for another project but hadn't used, and voila! New late-summer wreath for the front door. BAM. No money + an hour of time = mission accomplished.

"Essentials Only" Month - let's see how this goes!

I was recently inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest that mentioned a "No Spend Month." The pin linked to this blog, Small Notebook (that I have been loving ever since discovering a few weeks ago! So many useful tips on simplifying life). When I read about No Spend Month, I was intrigued - and a little scared. But I wanted to challenge myself...and my husband. :)

The premise of a No Spend Month is this: designate a month that you want to get back to basics and cut out extra spending. Take a set amount of money - in cash! - out at the beginning of the month. That cash is to be used for all groceries, gas, dining out, entertainment, clothing, and random purchases (hello, Target) that you would normally spend money on in a month. Not included in that cash is the stuff you have to pay monthly (mortgage/rent, car payment, utilities, etc), healthcare bills/prescriptions, gifts for others, and the like. The idea is that you will resist the temptation to whip out your debit or credit card, stick to your cash allotment, and therefore cut out the non-essentials while cleaning out your (no-doubt full) freezer and pantry and eating stuff that is already in your house.

When I mentioned this to Alex a few weeks ago, he was hesitant. "NO spending??" he said. Well, okay, I guess that's a slight misnomer - you do have to spend money to survive, that's just life. So I renamed it "Essentials Only Month" for our household. It gets the point across.

For us, starting this the first of July wasn't ideal, since we'd had our beach vacation planned for over the Fourth, and I really didn't want to eat Ramen for our romantic first anniversary dinner. So we decided it would be a 30-day period, going from July 10 - August 9. And hey, what better way to kick off Year 2 of Marriage? Yeah-yuh, get excited!! Ha. But really, it is a good exercise for us to engage in together as a couple, although Alex still thinks he is going to starve or worse, run out of peanut butter.

The allotment we are going with is $200 for the 30 days. Again, this is for gas, groceries, eating out, entertainment, toiletries, etc. Let's hope the dogs don't run out of food this month, or they are going to be mighty hungry...kidding!

You think I'm crazy, right?

I know it's going to be a challenge. We are already pretty good about our grocery spending: I use coupons for some items we purchase normally, like peanut butter (cough cough, Alex), coffee creamer, bread, frozen veggies, yogurt, and cereal. And I usually fill my car up twice in a month, so there goes $100 right there (Alex's gas is a business expense, so it's kept separate). Where we struggle is going out to expensive dinners with friends and mindless spending, like at Target or TJ Maxx, where I may not spend much at each time, but it adds up.

In addition to the $200, we started the 30 days with my car full of gas, a reasonable amount of fresh groceries, and a deep freeze full of random frozen foods and about half a deer (no joke).

My hope is that at the end of Essentials Only Month, we will have saved the money that we would have normally spent eating out, or on a round of drinks, or on a dress from the clearance rack and be able to put that toward something more important, like tithing or in savings. Plus, my pantry will be rid of all about-to-expire misc. foods that I bought for one reason or another and our freezer will be deer-less.

I'm actually pretty pumped about this. No doubt it will be hard, but it will feel so good to have a little extra at the end of the month that we can put toward something that matters.