Last month, I participated with Erin & friends for the January Spending Freeze. Like when I did a spending freeze in July, the point was to only spend money on necessities like bills and food.
I won't say that I was perfect this month, but thinking about the spending freeze definitely saved me money!
Of course I had some bills and necessary expenses this month, including my cell phone bill and some food. I still live at home, so I don't have to pay rent or utilities or any of that fun stuff. I had to get gas for my car, and I also paid for my car insurance this month. It's due early next month, but I figured that I would take care of it early since I could. I also had to send out an eBay order, so I had to pay a few dollars for shipping, but technically that's covered in the price that the buyer paid, so never mind. I also had to pay for a Kickstarter campaign that I pledged to last month.
I actually did go shopping a couple times this month, but I didn't really buy anything. I had to print off some pictures at Target for my grandma, and I went there again towards the end of the month, but there were a lot of things that I wanted to buy that I didn't. I just got mascara like I needed to, and some granola bars which were on clearance and I had a coupon for! I used some credits from Christmas returns to buy some Pyrex and Wilton bakeware at Gordman's and a pair of tights at Kohl's. I also was able to use some of my Amazon credit (from SwagBucks gift cards) to buy a book. Finally, I did also buy some foam stickers for my Sunday school kids and a little pick me up for a friend who needed a smile. They made me smile too, so that was a bonus.
There were a lot of things that I wanted to buy last month, but I said no so that I could call this a success. Do you know how hard it is to go to Target and not buy everything? I was so proud of myself for spending less than ten dollars there!
I'm going to try to let this experience guide me through the rest of the year. Do I need cute Eiffel Tower notecards for a dollar? I have a 20% off coupon though! But I knew that I already had so many notecards at home, so I put them back. And then there was that album I wanted to buy on iTunes, but I said no. January really helped me put my spending habits in check!
xoxo.
It's really all about knowing our spending habits and triggers so we can not spend when we need to not spend, right?
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
So glad you linked up with us! I really think it can just be so eye-opening when you look at what you want to spend money on.... like you said, do we NEED all those adorable $1 at Target? Nope! Save those few dollars here and there and your bank account will be in much better shape before ya know it!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you did a really good job saying no to yourself! I had a harder time sticking to budget for planned events. Nixed the shopping for the most part though!
ReplyDeleteI need to take a halt on spending but this is my birth month so that probably isn't gonna happen lol.
ReplyDelete-ash
www.thestylizedwannabe.com
I should have been on a spending freeze last month, haha!
ReplyDeleteAlso, just found your blog and I LOVE that you named it after you and your car - great idea!!!
Andddd I nominated you for a Liebster Award! Check it out and post your answers: http://www.mixedupmayhem.com/2014/02/the-liebster-award.html
The spending freeze really helped me think about what I was buying too. I didn't do a great job in January, but moving forward I feel like I have better control on knowing where I REALLY need something or not.
ReplyDeleteThe coupons and deals always get me! Going shopping and not spending anything is a good way to test how much you really want it too. Great Job keeping your spending in check!
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