Today was my last day of being allowed to shop.....and I didn't shop at all. I was planning on going to Target while I visited my mom, but that did not happen. I got caught up running a bunch of her errands and never made it. I'm kind of annoyed about that, actually. Wait no, I lied. I did buy a tube of 70 SPF Neutrogena sunscreen at the grocery store. Still. It's not the final shopping trip I had hoped for. My mother's not taking my not shopping seriously, she thinks the whole thing is dumb. Her theory is that I should just come up with a budget that allows for extra spending and then stick to it. Hmph.
Oh well. Tomorrow is day 1.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Last day, part I
It's 12:15am on my last day. I never did make it to Target yesterday, so that means I'll have to do it today. That could work to my disadvantage though, because chances are is the one I'm going to end up stopping at will be in York. It'll be a new Target, which of course means I'll have to spend even longer than normal in it because it's unfamilliar. Wallet, beware!
I also cracked and rented a Wii game last night. Lego Indiana Jones. It's actually quite fun, so I may take it along to my mother's so I can play there too - AFTER using her Wii Fit. I love Wii Fit. I want one so badly. Unfortunately as of Monday I know that I won't be getting one until at least August, if not later. It's a bit upsetting, but I think I'll live. It's just one more reason to drive out to see my mom more often. I just wish she didn't live 80 freaking miles away. At least gas is still an allowable expense!
I also cracked and rented a Wii game last night. Lego Indiana Jones. It's actually quite fun, so I may take it along to my mother's so I can play there too - AFTER using her Wii Fit. I love Wii Fit. I want one so badly. Unfortunately as of Monday I know that I won't be getting one until at least August, if not later. It's a bit upsetting, but I think I'll live. It's just one more reason to drive out to see my mom more often. I just wish she didn't live 80 freaking miles away. At least gas is still an allowable expense!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
One more day
After tomorrow, no more shopping. That is it. I keep going round and round in my head asking myself is there anything I NEED? So far the answer keeps coming up no. I hope I don't get home and suddenly realize there is something I should have bought after all and did not. Oh well. I suppose I will cross that bridge if I come to it. I know I do not currently have any sunscreen, but at the same time I am not going anywhere that really requires it anyway. I suppose if it turns out I need it later on I will just go buy some. Perhaps that's what else I should have gotten at Costco yesterday.
I may stop at Target later, just in case there's something I did forget about. I'll bring Jake with me, just in case, that way I don't get too out of control. Their clothing department gets me every time!
I may stop at Target later, just in case there's something I did forget about. I'll bring Jake with me, just in case, that way I don't get too out of control. Their clothing department gets me every time!
Friday, May 29, 2009
What I cannot spend money on
Clothes. Unless I am replacing a staple item (plain tank tops, underwear, etc.) that has somehow been damaged I am not buying any new clothing during this time. I already have tons of stuff I hardly or never wear to begin with. Time for a fashion rotation!
Shoes. I have plenty already. Just bought my last pair for awhile today, in fact.
Purses. I don't need any more of these right now. Really.
Eating out excessively. I think I covered this in the previous post.
Decorative items for my room/house. I have tons that I'm already not using, so I do not need any more!
Renting movies/video games. I already have a Netflix account and somehow Jake and I end up at the local Hollywood Video all the time anyway. In our defense, it is mainly for games, since Netflix only does movies. But the occasional (or not so) movie still makes it through, and it really is a waste of money. I am considering setting up an account with Gamefly, but we'll see how that pans out. It's $8/month to rent one game with an unlimited timeframe. Quite tempting. My Wii and I do get lonely..
Random make-up and body care items that aren't replacing something that's run out. Self explanitory.
Random "cute stuff" that has no other category. Self explanitory.
I think that about covers it. Basically I'm just trying to not spend money where it isn't necessary. I bought my last pair of sandals for the summer today. I was even at Costco for the first time this afternoon and the only things I got were raspberries and blackberries (which I didn't even pay for, lucky me!) to make a berry salad with the strawberries Jake had already bought. This is somehow a miracle, because trust me, there were TONS of things I saw that I could have bought without even thinking twice. I must say having a Costco membership might be beneficial if Jake and I ever get a place, even if we just use it to stock up on necessities like paper towels, razors, and toilet paper. Unfortunately (or maybe not so much) right now it really doesn't make sense for me to buy anything in bulk since I'm mainly just buying for myself. But yeah, major score on the Costco for the future. They have just about EVERYTHING, and in massive quantity. It really was quite insane.
Shoes. I have plenty already. Just bought my last pair for awhile today, in fact.
Purses. I don't need any more of these right now. Really.
Eating out excessively. I think I covered this in the previous post.
Decorative items for my room/house. I have tons that I'm already not using, so I do not need any more!
Renting movies/video games. I already have a Netflix account and somehow Jake and I end up at the local Hollywood Video all the time anyway. In our defense, it is mainly for games, since Netflix only does movies. But the occasional (or not so) movie still makes it through, and it really is a waste of money. I am considering setting up an account with Gamefly, but we'll see how that pans out. It's $8/month to rent one game with an unlimited timeframe. Quite tempting. My Wii and I do get lonely..
Random make-up and body care items that aren't replacing something that's run out. Self explanitory.
Random "cute stuff" that has no other category. Self explanitory.
I think that about covers it. Basically I'm just trying to not spend money where it isn't necessary. I bought my last pair of sandals for the summer today. I was even at Costco for the first time this afternoon and the only things I got were raspberries and blackberries (which I didn't even pay for, lucky me!) to make a berry salad with the strawberries Jake had already bought. This is somehow a miracle, because trust me, there were TONS of things I saw that I could have bought without even thinking twice. I must say having a Costco membership might be beneficial if Jake and I ever get a place, even if we just use it to stock up on necessities like paper towels, razors, and toilet paper. Unfortunately (or maybe not so much) right now it really doesn't make sense for me to buy anything in bulk since I'm mainly just buying for myself. But yeah, major score on the Costco for the future. They have just about EVERYTHING, and in massive quantity. It really was quite insane.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
What I can spend money on
Food. This is pretty obvious.
Bills. Of course I still have to pay these. Don't really want to, but hey.. who really does?
Prescriptions. Necessary evil.
School supplies. I will try to get them as cheaply as possible, but they are still necessary.
Tuition. I need to pay the school, too. Classes aren't free (but the pre-req's should be!).
Things that need to be replaced. Toilet paper, make-up that runs out, toothpaste, shampoo.. etc. You get the idea. I'm going to try and use up everything I have that is 'extra' before buying new, though.
Stuff for the dog. Food, treats, etc. Atticus cannot go without.
Craft stuff. My boyfriend makes chainmail jewelry so I'm allowing myself a monthly budget of $30 to spruce up the pieces he makes for me with charms, beads, etc. Also comes in handy in embellishing or redoing t-shirts or dresses I already own. I may also allow in this part a tailoring allowance to alter clothes I already own. I can sew (by hand only, I'm clueless on a machine), but not well enough to alter clothes drastically.
Going out/"fun" stuff. I'm going to limit this to twice monthly. A third time will be allowed if it's a special occasion (like a friend's birthday). This doesn't count if someone else offers to pay. If you want to take me out, by all means let's go!
Going out to eat/getting takeout. Also limited to 2-3 times per month. I'm already pretty good about this so it shouldn't be a drastic change. Same as above applies also, if someone else is paying I will gladly eat out more often.
Travel/gas. I need to get places.
Bills. Of course I still have to pay these. Don't really want to, but hey.. who really does?
Prescriptions. Necessary evil.
School supplies. I will try to get them as cheaply as possible, but they are still necessary.
Tuition. I need to pay the school, too. Classes aren't free (but the pre-req's should be!).
Things that need to be replaced. Toilet paper, make-up that runs out, toothpaste, shampoo.. etc. You get the idea. I'm going to try and use up everything I have that is 'extra' before buying new, though.
Stuff for the dog. Food, treats, etc. Atticus cannot go without.
Craft stuff. My boyfriend makes chainmail jewelry so I'm allowing myself a monthly budget of $30 to spruce up the pieces he makes for me with charms, beads, etc. Also comes in handy in embellishing or redoing t-shirts or dresses I already own. I may also allow in this part a tailoring allowance to alter clothes I already own. I can sew (by hand only, I'm clueless on a machine), but not well enough to alter clothes drastically.
Going out/"fun" stuff. I'm going to limit this to twice monthly. A third time will be allowed if it's a special occasion (like a friend's birthday). This doesn't count if someone else offers to pay. If you want to take me out, by all means let's go!
Going out to eat/getting takeout. Also limited to 2-3 times per month. I'm already pretty good about this so it shouldn't be a drastic change. Same as above applies also, if someone else is paying I will gladly eat out more often.
Travel/gas. I need to get places.
This is how it begins
I was inspired tonight. A friend on Livejournal posted a link to Holly Is Stopping Shopping and I decided that I'm going to give the whole not spending thing a try. I don't have the will (or desire) to not shop for an entire year, but 2-3 months should definitely suffice to help me get my finances in check. Depending on how things work out I may even extend it up to 6 months. I will have to take the time to come up with some rules, which I will post either tomorrow or the following day.
I'm going to use this blog as my financial tracker. I don't know if I'll be updating daily with my spending (or lack thereof), but I will try.
June 1 is my first official day of not shopping. Only 3 days to prepare! Wish me luck!
I'm going to use this blog as my financial tracker. I don't know if I'll be updating daily with my spending (or lack thereof), but I will try.
June 1 is my first official day of not shopping. Only 3 days to prepare! Wish me luck!
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