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Tuesday, February 4, 2014

January Spending Freeze


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.

Love, Fun and Football

7 comments:

  1. It's really all about knowing our spending habits and triggers so we can not spend when we need to not spend, right?

    Thanks for linking up!

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  2. 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!

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  3. Sounds 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!

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  4. I need to take a halt on spending but this is my birth month so that probably isn't gonna happen lol.
    -ash
    www.thestylizedwannabe.com

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  5. I should have been on a spending freeze last month, haha!

    Also, 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

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  6. 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.

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  7. The 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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