Yesterday managed to be another NSD. That makes #5 for the month. I forsee the next two days to have spending in them, but I'm hoping for a No Spend Weekend!
On Tuesday, I did not get myself Chinese!!! I picked up boyfriend's pizza and then went home and went for a run. I was so proud of myself for not getting Chinese and instead eating the meal I had planned.
I did spend $20 on a magazine renewal. That was for two years for Cooking Light. I often will make meals from the magazine, so this is a good spend for me. It keeps me trying new veggies and eating better.
Frugal thing I did on Tuesday: I rode the bus from my work to the big grocery store. I didn't have much to get, so I saved myself the gas money to drive there. Riding the bus is free for me with my work ID. 
Frugal thing I did yesterday: I made up a big batch of my homemade cocoa. I add this to my coffee both at home and at work to make the coffee special. It is just a combination of dry milk powder, splenda, and unsweetened cocoa powder.
Today is bowling, so I will be spending $10 for bowling and $something for dinner. I will also be taking back something that boyfriend bought that I love, but we don't need. He has been spending a lot of money on fixing stuff around the house too and doesn't need to be spending money on pretty things that we don't need. He didn't want to take it back, but I have no problem doing that.
I almost feel like I'm not doing No Spend Month quite as strictly as I would like. Workout shirts for boyfriend; eating out on bowling nights; pizza for boyfriend. All these things are wants, not necessarily needs. I don't know if I need to crack down on myself or if I should just shrug and keep doing the best I can. I guess, for me, there would never be a real "No Spend Month" where you don't spend anything at all. There is always going to be gas for the car to buy and groceries. Maybe it is enough that I'm questioning what I'm buying.
Another NSD
June 12th, 2014 at 01:03 pm
June 12th, 2014 at 02:27 pm 1402583252
June 12th, 2014 at 03:59 pm 1402588794
Since all the research says we spend more grocery shopping when hungry I shop early AM or late evening with the added benefit of avoiding long check out lines. Try to avoid buying anything but bread from the in-house bakery as it's so expensive, so unhealthy and so easily made for less than 1/3 cost if you use a cake mix. [If you have a discount bread store on your route, day old bread and baked goods are a terrific bargain]
It really pays to have a list before walking into a grocery store. Sure, buy/stock up on items you use regularly that has a special price but pretty much stick to the list. It really helped us to have a simple, flexible, meal plan. 5 entrees & 1 side dish of meals we like based on the loss leaders at grocery chains on our regular route. It reduces stress knowing what to make for dinner walking through the door. I keep it simple like one chicken based, one pasta dish, one vegetarian, one beef, one fish and one 'plan' over made up of leftovers and Saturday whatever's at hand. breakfast for dinner, grilled cheese etc. since we're likely to go out.
Do you use on-line Gas Buddy? Our nearby outlet has an unadvertised discount every Wednesday so I make it a point of getting a fill every Wednesday on my way home and challenge myself to manage errands to stay with one fill and weekly top ups per month.
...just random ideas
June 13th, 2014 at 01:41 am 1402623706
June 13th, 2014 at 01:51 pm 1402667518