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Bought Nothing Month

I did it. Almost.

These are the thing I said "no" to because of my little challenge:

  • Incendies (I nearly went on a solo movie date, which I have never done. Then I remembered that I couldn't.)
  • Eharmony (They gave me an offer I could hardly refuse! $10 a month! Better chances of meeting a man with that investment than any other option in that price range, I think.)
  • Shirt (Glad I didn't, as I don't even remember what it looked like.)
  • Belt (If it was $10 like I thought at first, j would have bought it. But it was $35.)
  • Thrift store!! (Note to self: go thrifting next time I am in Guelph. Way cheaper than Toronto.)
  • The Fighter (Not a movie I really care about, but I missed out on some quality company.)

Things I forgot I'd pre-planned to pay for:
  • Massage therapy
  • Trip home (BUT I got a ride with a friend that halved the cost!)
  • Part of my iPod touch. (I had the second portion to pay the friend I bought it off.)

Things I Broke The Rules For:
  • Taxi (after a particularly late night out, I justified it by the fact that I had not paid for food, drinks, or cover)
  • Tickets (if the event doesn't happen for a month, it is kind of like I didn't spend the money yet, right? There was no way around this expenditure, I'm afraid...)

So. Success ish. Did I save any money? Not really. Turns out most of my spending money goes to meals and coffees with friends.

This next month I am going to try something really radical: sticking to the budget I made for myself last summer when I first got my nannying job!

We'll see how it goes...

Tomorrow I am buying a shirt. I have wanted it for months, and then my friend's tweet reminded me, and tomorrow I am buying it after work. 
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Comments

  1. becca5:00 PM

    hiya beth. i must say, i've had this 'struggle' off and on since i became an 'adult.' i hate money. but i've found something that i love, actually brian found it. and he loves it even more than i do. it's called mvelopes. you should check it out! http://www.mvelopes.com/
    it is an amazingly easy and secure way to keep track of your budget. you can try it for free, but it does cost $6/mo if you decide to do it. but it's well worth the investment i think. ...you just give up a coffee or two/month and it's paid for.

    also, if you can, i highly recommend going through dave ramsey's financial peace university. he offers very helpful, practical steps to becoming financially free. it used to be that when i would sit down and look at our budget and spending plan, i would cry at least twice during each sitting. but not any more!

    also, side note, before we went through the dave ramesey stuff, we were budgeting $25/mo for clothes. brian couldn't care less about money for clothing. but one thing dave suggests in his overall budget plan is 5-7% of your income should be allotted for clothing. so i get way more money for clothes now! ;)

    that's all!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beth9:27 PM

    thanks, becca! i am generally pretty good with money & not always stressed about it...but i did get out of sync before christmas and it's been hard to get back into it.

    i am curious about dave ramsey, as i've heard a lot of good things about his stuff...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Russ8:22 PM

    Have you thought about trying mint.com to track your finances?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beth10:59 PM

    Russ: I have thought about it, although I am a bit wary of storing that sort of data online. Also, the problem is pure self-control. I know where my money goes...I just keep putting it there when I need to hold back. TOO MUCH EATING OUT!

    ReplyDelete

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