11/20/09

No Spending--Day 18

Guess what happens when you don't go anywhere to buy anything? The car stays mysteriously full of gas. I can't remember when I last filled my tank. I'm sure it was last week, but I've got a lot of fuel left. We are also eating from our pantry. The pantry is looking bare, but in a good way. I used to have endless cans of pineapple slices and black beans, but I'm using them up to stretch the meals and not go to the grocery store. Our "Thankful Tree" has gone from bare to full, and we have many days left until Thanksgiving. So far my favorite sayings on the tree are "flu shots" and "garlic bread." This is a family that knows its blessings.
I am so excited for tomorrow. I am going to a movie (New Moon) with two of the best girlfriends ever. How shall I pay for my ticket, you ask? Oh, you mean the ticket I ordered back in late September when pre-sales started? Yepper, that one. And since I paid for all the tickets, my two friends are taking me out to dinner afterward. Ka-ching! I am desperate for a girly day out. Very much needed and I'm glad I don't have to sacrifice this day with friends. There will also be a trip to a fab consignment store that we all love (Plato's Closet, Melodie!) and I will restrain myself from buying clothes, but that's no biggie. I will also come clean and admit that if I hadn't pre-ordered my movie tickets, I would SO break this challenge. So I guess I got lucky this time.
Several of you have commented on my challenge and said "I could never do that!" or "That would be impossible for me." but if I can do it, ANYone can. And to be honest, after the first few days, it's not hard at all. You just put off buying what you think you need, and after a while you come to the conclusion that you don't really need it at all. And no, David is not doing this challenge. But he never buys anything anyway. He drops off his dry cleaning once a week and that's about it. No, folks--most of the money that leaves our bank account comes from yours truly. I do all the household shopping, pay all the bills, and balance the budget. The blame/control/power--whatever you want to call it--lies with me.
I highly encourage all of you to give this a try. January and February seem like great months. And if you don't want to go cold turkey, try not eating out for 5 weeks or not buying any clothing item for 7 weeks. Just doing that will make you so much more aware of how often you are able to buy things.

8 comments:

Mark and Sarah said...

Cathy,
I'm almost "there"...your challenge is getting into my bones. My only worry is that we might run out of something staple that I might forget to stock up on (TP, diapers (ok, I do have cloth, but my diaper wearer doesn't like them!), toothpaste, etc). Have you bought any items like that? I remember you saying something about making handsoap...hmmm.

cathy said...

i think if you run out of something you REEEEEAAAALLLLY need then give yourself some grace and buy it. we can live without liquid hand soap--we haven't run out yet so we may not have to worry about it. i do have extra toothpaste, shampoo, and tp on hand. i stock up when they're on sale so i useally have extras on those. but i wasn't counting on HOLES in all my kids' pants. i'm making do as best i can. this shouldn't be a challenge you beat yourself up over. more of a challenge to see how much you can save in a month, and to become aware of how often you pay for things. that's been the best part of the process for me.

Stacy said...

i think we are going to try a variation in Jan or Feb, like no meat for a month and no going out to eat or something. I rarely buy anything anyways (except out to eat for work lunches). I love reading about your challenge. I LOVE your thankful tree. We did something similar in the Latino Family group that I run, we clipped branches from bushes and set them in sand in a cup and had the families write on leaves and hang the leaves from their trees. Free(ish) group project that looked really awesome on the dinner tables.

Bekka-Reeeeeeee said...

I was just thinking this the other day - that if I want to do this challenge it will have to wait until January...there are just too many Christmas gifts to buy between now & Christmas! I think that if I do this challenge, the biggest hurdle for me will be not buying anything from the store I work in for a whole month!!!

Melodie Monberg said...

Ah, the movie. I'm so glad you get to go! Our pastor, about a month ago, challenged us to go alchol free for thirty days. I felt the same way as you. The first few days were really hard but then got easier. I really do want to do your experiment. I think the blog helps with accountability! GO Cathy!!

Chatter said...

Your thankful tree is so beautiful (is that on your chalk wall?). It's been great hearing about this and I too would like to try something soon. Maybe February. Thanks for the updates! Can you believe it's almost over?

Vivi said...

I'm so happy for your girls' night out and that you can hit the movie with all the die-hards!

You reminded me there's a Plato's Closet nearby...hmmm...

Tiny's Mom said...

You have insipred me!!! I am going to give it a try in January!