How are you doing Lila?

I fixed the two things! And I put the unrecyclable broken pieces in the trash.

We ate our leftovers and we have been eating out of the fridge, freezer, and pantry all weekend. Still plenty of food!

I went to the arts and crafts fair at the local high school (was annoyed by the surprise $2 admission - that was not on the advertising!) and bought some art for ddil. Following my "buy art from living artists" philosophy. Honestly, it was pretty disappointing. There was a good selection of crafts, but a lot of them were unoriginal - like, clearly the person programmed her embroidery machine and then just embroidered the same design on a bunch of things - which is great if you designed the embroidery, but they were obviously purchased programs. And lots of signs and objects painted from stencils, that sort of thing. (Yes, you get credit of you made the stencil. If you bought the stencil or printed it out and cut it - not so much.)

Also, 3D printing. I am so sick of 3D printing! Again, great if you created the design. But if you bought the printer and downloaded the design, you're neither an artist nor a craftsperson - you are a technician at best and a machine operator at worst. They made a big deal in the advertising about "everything hand made"

Ok, rant over. Sorry.

I have also purchased a few small things for grandsons from used book sellers and eBay.

Today I thought, it would be so nice to have a grilled cheese with tomato soup! And I thought about opening a can. Then I realized I have 3/4 can of crushed tomatoes in the fridge from when I made something else. So I poured that into a pan, added a little broth, garlic oil, butter, onion powder, salt and pepper and it is simmering. I think it will be a good tomato soup. I might add some basil some something as well, and I have bread and cheese for a grilled cheese.

So, I was thinking about this some more while I was working in the studio (just cleaning up)

Going back to the goals and I set in January:

Can we use/fix something we already have instead?
Can we make it?
Can we borrow it?
Can we buy it second hand?
Can we buy it locally made?
Can we buy it not from China?
Can we do without it?

I have been doing pretty well, it's just that I have indulged a lot of my wants - even though they were second hand.

This week, besides food, the only new things I have bought were a thumb brace and a new planner. Unfortunately both of them were made in China. But my hand hurts, and all the braces were made in China. Also, I love my planner. It is the same one I had last year and it runs July to June and the overlap with the regular year kitchen calendar and the school year set up make it so much easier.

I guess I could have made one myself. I have paper and pens and book binding supplies, and it might actually be fun, but I'm going to just give myself grace for this one.

So, yeah, I think I just need to focus on the questions more and limit my wants.

Here is my first post as I prepare for a No Spend October.

Of course I will spend SOME money on things I need. But I am hoping to stop all extraneous spending for the month. I am in deep doo doo with my finances because I recently spent:

- over $1000 on a trip
- over $1000 on my annual house insurance payment, which went up from 800
- about $250/month for new health insurance when I used to get it for free

I now have over $3k on a credit card when it was paid off 2 months ago. It has to stop. Some things I have noticed that I spent a lot on:

- ordering food deliveries because I was tired, sick, grouchy, etc
- picking up fast food, pizzas, expensive coffee drinks
- ordering extra stuff I want but don't need on amazon etc
- buying gifts for people on amazon etc. Not sure how but I need to get a handle on the gifts by either making things, getting more personal less expensive things, planning ahead
- buying clothes I don't end up even liking or wearing

I have some expenses coming up, most notably my property tax payment which is twice a year about $2k. I tend not to worry about expenses like this, because God provides. But I am sensing that if I am wasteful with what I have, that is not being a good steward. I need to do my part to manage the money well, and he will still provide.

These are my thoughts as I stop spending NOW and make a plan of what I NEED to spend in October.

- mortgage
- utility bill
- gas for the car
- health insurance
- dog insurance (it's only thirty bucks a month or so)
- some food for me and for the dog

Really, there is nothing else I must spend money on that I can think of now. I have no other bills except the one offs:
- pay off that credit card
- property tax

I lift this up to God and trust he will help me as I do my part. I hope to be debt free again by the end of October, aside from the mortgage.

Great work, SubC! One of my sons bought a 3D printer some time ago. I think plastic stuff is mostly cheap junk, but he does make some useful and cool things that he needs from it. He got it to design a special small stand for his good camera. And he makes some creative stuff as well.

I am proud of myself for not spending any money on food so far this month and we are over halfway through. When I have had cravings or wanted certain things, I made due.

I really wanted to order pizza but I found a few slices frozen in the freezer and ate those.

I wanted cake, cookies, etc but instead I found a slice of plum bread in the freezer one night, made a little dish of peanut butter fudge another night, and just ate fruit the other times. I also found some hard candies in the cabinet, and one or two of those fixes the sweet tooth. I also drink hot tea for "dessert" some night, plain or with a little honey.

I have been thawing frozen things to eat, and making soup every week. I made potato soup last week and added dill and chopped pickles to it and that was good. Today I need to make a new soup for the week.

I have only told 2 people locally what I am doing because I don't want people feeling like I need them to bring me food. Neither of them would do that. Other people who don't know, have given me some food. A friend had a lot of potatoes and gave me a bag of them this week.

I also had several free meals at work as we often cook for my programs, so this week I had 3 dinners at work plus 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches - way more than usual.

My son bought some bananas and bread the other day and offered me some (he also does not know what I am doing, but he is single so occasionally buys more than he can use and shares with us) so I had 2 pieces of the bread to make a sandwich, and one banana.

Doing great, and should be out of debt with my next paycheck.

Well I have been thinking about doing another no spend of some sort, because I am so annoyed and frustrated at my credit card bills. I do pay them off every month, but I always look at all the charges and go what is this for?? When did I spend that?? Because it does not give specifics, just general info on where the money went like amzon, paypl, etc. While I did not spend NEARLY as much in December (because I kept the habit of not going to drive thrus or ordering food delivered etc and not buying a lot of junk, but eating mostly what I have), it still feels like I am spending too much. I am sure part of that was just because it was Christmas, too.

I have a couple of January birthdays to shop for this week, but then I think in January I am going to try and spend as little as possible to try and get my bank account back up. I have a smaller than usual paycheck for December.

So I will use the gift cards I have left for any groceries etc (they are for a specific store that does not deliver and has construction around it, so I kind of avoid that store). Will keep eating what I hae in the freezers and pantry, buying only what I need to round it out, like fresh produce or an ingredient for a recipe - using the gift cards.

I have a few regular expenses like car and health insurance and such, but if I can do a month of no credit card charges, I will get back to a comfortable state with my finances. I have a little cash I can use if I really want something.

Ok, I took a deep breath and an honest look at my finances. I have spent my February paycheck and $46 of my March paycheck ("spent" includes what I have on my credit card that is not due on April 3, I have to pay what was charged by March 10, so some of the balance will be on the bill that is due May 3. I will get paid for March on the 31, and April on the 30.

But, I do not usually use my credit card to spend money that is not already in my account, so that is not good. (My account is not empty, I keep a buffer and the lean-to money is there, but the point is that in March I spent $46 more than I earned in February.)

And there is another week in March.

But my gas tank is full, I just went to the grocery store, I have a birthday gift for my son's birthday in May, and gifts for Birdy's birthday that is not until December. I also have a sale in April that will hopefully generate a good check.

OTOH, my March check will be much smaller because I took so much time off.

Here is my plan: no spend this week, except postage for Birdy's Easter basket. and focus on making work for the sale.

When my March paycheck comes, I will subtract the $46, Birdy's postage, and the fixed expenses for the month and that will be my spending money for April. Also, I will divide it by 4 with the first amount for the first week, anything left plus the next fourth for the second week, etc. the last two days of the month I guess I'll just see if I have any money.

When I get my April paycheck and sale check, I need to set aside some of the money for summer, because I don't get paid in July or August, and only 1/4 pay in June.

Mostly, go back to buying less stuff!

Good morning Lila!

Who are you buying gifts for and for what occasions? Do you have Amazon prime? And also, it is not too early to make a plan for reasonable Christmas choices.

(Have you ever read the book "unplug the Christmas machine"? See if you can get it from your library!)

Do you mind if I join you here? I know I have said my finances are currently solid and about to change for the better because of retirement decisions, but I still want to make sure I stay focused on good stewardship and thoughtful choices about where to spend that money, and I have lots of practice finding ways to not spend, so I'd like to help and cheer you on.

Still chugging along, not spending any money on food. Doing fine. It is changing how I think. For example, I have plenty of crackers and cheese and such, but tend to just go buy crackers and cheese I like "better" and let things go stale or bad. I am doing better about this.

I am running low on eggs but still have maybe 10. I are butternut squash and an egg for breakfast.

I am almost out of plant based coffee creamer, but had enough to enjoy with coffee today. I do have half a carton of almond milk, so can use that or drink it black.

Lunch was leftover canned tomato soup with the last of a box of crackers and some spray cheese I found in the back of a cabinet. And half a can of lemonade tea that I forgot I had brought home from an event months ago. It was really good! I found it in a bag in my bedroom, lol.

For dinner I had a big salad of lettuce, pomegranate, and a Cuties clementine. I picked the Cutie up at the last dinner we had at work. I took one but saved it for later. I made a dressing from another half of an orange that looked pretty dried out, but tasted fine and had enough juice to squeeze onto the salad with a little olive oil, honey, garlic, and red wine vinegar. (Normally I would have run out and bought a bottle of dressing, but this was fine!) I also added some walnuts to my salad.

I had a snack of a slice of that little cake I made with ricotta that was past date but fine. I wanted frosting, so I mixed a little plain yogurt from the fridge with cocoa and powdered sugar and it was good on the cake.

Just now I ate two small plums (the last of them) and a couple slices of cheese (who knows what kind of cheese, just a small piece left in a baggie, but it tasted good).

It is kind of fun to figure out what to make or eat from what I have. I am thinking about oatmeal with apples and cinnamon for upcoming breakfasts so I don't run out of eggs. I have several apples and a container of oats.

Happy January Lila,

I would like to join you on your no spend/low spend January.

Dh and I have set some shopping rules:
Can we use/fix something we already have instead?
Can we make it?
Can we borrow it?
Can we buy it second hand?
Can we buy it locally made?
Can we buy it not from China?
Can we do without it?

Some wants are allowed, but they have to be things that really add value to our lives or will become needs later and make sense to buy now - for example, my jeans are getting worn out - I currently have enough, but if I find a cheap pair that fits well in good condition at a thrift shop, I will buy them instead of waiting until I am down to one pair and have to buy new.

I am also working on planning meals around food that is already in the house.

The only spending I know I need to do this month is my garden order, one or two trips to the feed store, and fill in groceries.

Ok, I mailed the package and I bought feed.

With the $46 carry over, I now have $168 on my credit card (due May 3) that has not been paid to me yet.

I didn't spend any other money today.

hi SubC! Thank you for the book recommendation. Yes, please do join me! This is open to everyone and I appreciate the support.

We are a week into the month so on my day off I will come and post how I am doing so far on not spending. I probably spent more than I wanted, but a lot better than last month!

Back in a couple days!

Happy Saturday.

Today, eating what I have:
- oatmeal with chopped fresh apple, walnuts, pomegranate arils, cinnamon

I am going to make some seasoned rice, because I have a lot of long grain rice in bags, some fresh garlic and cilantro, and plenty of herbs and bouillon.

With it, I will make a curry, because I went through the cabinet and found a jar of thai green curry paste and a can of coconut milk. I do not have much variety of veg, but I do have a small piece of onion, some garlic, part of a red pepper, and the cooked butternut squash, so those will go in. I also have ginger paste and lime juice to add. I think it will be yummy!

I also went to the deep freezer last night. There is a lot of old stuff that probably is not good anymore, but I found some fresh corn I cut off the cob last summer. I brought up a quart bag of that and will cook it in butter for dinner. I might make elote with it later, too, where you add a bit of mayo, lime, cilantro, chili powder, and cotija cheese. I have a small amount of cotija in the freezer.

I also had a snack of the rest of some veggie crisps chips from a bag.

Those are great questions, SubC! I will use those as well. I had to place an order this morning which was annoying, but it was prescription delivery and pet safe ice melt. It is sleeting and my only other choice was to go out and get them, so I added a few more things and placed an order for approx $100.

I think that should be the only order I need to make this month!

This is long. I am actually looking for some feedback. You don't have to be supportive, you can be judgemental. I think I need that. I am not doing great on the not spending. I know I said I was going to be more careful with my spending money, but I am having trouble with wanting my house to be filled with certain things and with opportunity spending.

Examples:

With Dh approval I had placed an order for some new (as opposed to used) toys - replacement parts for a much loved toy, a bday gift for Buddy, and a few small, high quality items to stay here. (Made of wood in Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland). Everything but the replacement parts were on sale. Those arrived yesterday, so I am +4.

I had been complaining about the missing parts for months because the boys really love the toy, and Dh asked "can you buy replacements?" And I said "yes, but they're kind of expensive" and he said "just buy them, but can we clear out some of the stuff they don't play with?" (Which I have been doing). Then the place that had the replacements had a really nice toy on sale that I thought Buddy would like for his birthday (in Sept) and then I realized if I bought a few more on sale toys I loved I would get free shipping (I did not buy everything that was on sale that I wanted - I bought just the items that put me over the free shipping total by the lowest amount)

I bought a $5 Lego set on eBay for Bean's birthday, and asked the seller to hold for combined shipping so I could bid on a few more of his auctions. He asked what I was looking at, (three other Lego sets totally $24.70 minimum bids + shipping) and he offered to end the auctions and add all three to my original purchase for a total (including what I had already paid) with shipping of $20.57. So, yes - birthday gifts for Bean!

We usually try to do one large, one or two medium, and 3-5 small gifts for birthday. - goal, six packages. The large is generally a child request, usually bought new. The others are usually surprises and often used. Depending on how I package the Legos, they will be a medium or four small. (Maybe 3 small and a stocking gift for later)

So far I was still in my budget at least, but then I found the truck. Ds left his Tonka trucks here, and Bean and Buddy love playing with them, but he wants to take them home for Birdy before Birdy turns 4. So I have been looking for replacements. So far I have replaced two and sent them home with him. There are three more. One of those probably won't be missed, but one is THE VERY FAVORITE TRUCK. And that one, it turns out, is a lot less common and a lot more collectible. It also has accessory pieces that tended to go missing (I can't remember if we got ds his used and it never had the pieces, or if he lost/broke them). Anyway, for a year I've been looking and every option is ridiculously expensive. I finally set myself a price I didn't think I would ever find and said "ok, if I find it for this in decent/fixable condition, I will buy it, and if not I will just tell the boys that the truck is their uncles and it was nice of him to let them borrow it and they can play with it when they visit Birdy."

Yesterday there were two auctions ending seconds apart for the same truck from the same seller. Looked like a double posting error, but I had messaged the seller and asked, and the seller had two. If you looked closely at the photos, you could see that the wear was in different places too, but both were in good condition and had the accessories! Generally if there is a double posting, the seller cancels the one that sells at a lower price as the error. I guess nobody else checked, because I put my trigger price as my maximum bid on the one that had the lower price and only one bid, and either the person who had already placed a bid moved to the more expensive one, or they had placed a lower maximum bid, because there were a lot of bids way over my price on the other one, and I won my auction at 15% less than I was willing to pay!

But I still spent some of next week's spending money. "Next week" starts Thursday. So that's not too bad?

oh! I forgot to add -

I have two birthdays this month: one grandchild and one son. Then thinking forward about Christmas. I do have Amazon! Will think about what would be meaningful and not expensive! Suggestions welcome for my adult children and my grandkids ages 1 to 7.

I still have not spent anything on food this month.
I did not spend anything on fast food, coffee shop stops, or anything else like doordash or food delivery. No restaurants. I think I saved about $500. I am using part of that to buy Christmas presents - not ALL of it. Thankful to not be in debt for the holidays.

I have an urge to just throw out all the old stuff in the freezer and fill it with things I like, but there is no point in that because most of it is stil fine and whatever I buy would just get old anyway. I am going to be more cautious and judicious about what I purchase, when I start buying food again.

Week one. Was not a great start.

$315 (rounded) at the grocery store to restock things "we" were out of - mostly wine, beer, chips, salsa, cereal, frozen ready to cook things and meat. I do drink the wine, and will eat some of the frozen food (fries and spring rolls) if Dh cooks it. Also, one box of cereal was mine for "treat" food, and I bought soda.

My goal is still to use as much as possible from the freezer , pantry, and farm so that all that prepared food will last as long as possible!

hi SubC. I hear you on the opportunity shopping. You asked for feedback, so here goes. This feedback may not apply but maybe something will be useful. I took like to buy for my grandkids!

- can you set a budget for opportunity spending for a longer period, say $x per quarter? Once it is spent that's it.

- you could also do this for gifts, a budget per person by name or by year or quarter. "I am setting aside $x for Buddy's gifts this year." You may find you are even more careful as you do not want to run out for Christmas! And if you spend it all, you can set something aside for later gifts.

- maybe a budget for the playroom as well

- do a challenge where you find as many needed gifts as possible for free. I do this on Buy Nothing on FB. You can post, "does anyone have a lego set for a x year old to give?" and see what people have to offer.

- instead of things, give experiences. Maybe one small birthday or holiday gift to open, but then a little certificate you make that says something like "this certificate is good for one movie night with Grandma/SubC." Or "this certificate is good for one pottery item I will make for you." That kind of thing. My favorite gift of all time was my son giving me a paper where he wrote "good for one car detailing." Then he spent hours detailing my car! It could be a trip to the zoo/museum, a special meal you make or a treat ("good for one homemade treat of your choice") or "good for 3 hours of doing whatever you want to do."

That's all I can think of for now. My no spend did not go great either. But I am starting fresh this week.

So, here is the thing about Amazon, it was not a recommendation. (Although I use it) It is too easy to spend money on Amazon! Delete any payment information so that you have to enter it manually, and be sure you log out every time you visit..

The biggest key to managing spending on gifts is managing expectations. The good news is that most of your grands probably don't have gift expectations yet. What did you do for tot last year?

I had two grandmothers with very different circumstances and approaches. I would see them both every Christmas. At the first house, I had a stocking full of treats I now realize were mostly homemade, often from yarn or fabric leftovers, one or two presents (a game, or toy, a book - sometimes a hand me down book) (plus gifts from my uncles) a chocolate Santa, and my grandmother's complete attention. - we played with the game or toy. There were stories - If got roller skates - there were stories about my dad and uncles roller skating. there were crafts and baking together (because my grandmother never had time to get the baking done before we arrived) - I remember stringing popcorn for the birds.

If the chocolate Santa had been missing, I would have been disappointed. Because there was ALWAYS a chocolate Santa.

The other grandmother put on a huge event with extended family, piles, of presents, a huge spread of food, a fully decorated house, music. It was always amazing to walk into. Then there were hours of watching other people open presents, too many gifts to actually appreciate, and so many treats that I almost always made myself sick. My dad always got frustrated because we were given so much it was hard to pack the car and the evening went on so late I was exhausted and cranky. My grandmother was too exhausted to do anything but watch and there was no space to use most of the things I was given (I heard "don't open that, the pieces will get lost" a lot) but it was a wonderland, and my best friend cousin was always there to share it with and to play with.

If we arrived first, I would take in the beauty of the untouched scene, get excited about all the presents (even though I knew most of them were not for me and some of them would be unexciting clothes - they were like a window display in their glittering promise) grab some cookies, and demand "when is K getting here?"

So, Christmas for me was a chocolate Santa and my cousin. Everything else was equal. If it had changed, I would have been surprised, but not dissapointed.

Unplug the Christmas machine is about evaluating what is really important to you and your family about Christmas. It has a Christian focus. One year when Dd was a baby I gave copies to all the women on my second grandmother's side of the family. Everyone said it was a great idea and very meaningful. Only my cousin changed anything.

When my first grandson was born, Dd set rules - only a few gifts, well thought out, used if possible, experiences welcome. Ddil, who grew up in different circumstances, said "anything!" As the boys get older, this may be a challenge.

So how are you feeling about your accomplishment today?

I know you were thinking about continuing. What if you planned meals for this week to use as much old stuff from the freezer as possible and bought just fresh fruit to round them out?

We spent money on food for everyone at ds's place, but I think we have at least a week left here. I personally need to cut back because ddil put 5 lbs on me in 5 days!

Well, I think being aware is a step in the right direction. We are both being more aware of our spending and adjusting down.

I had to place another order (because I've been sick, and needed some soup and fruit and simple foods I could eat) and then today I got prescribed 2 meds, and either had to go drive to get them or order $35 of stuff to get them delivered for free. So I have another order coming today. Annoying but I am too sick to be going to the other store to use my gift cards.

Last night I watched the new show Toxic (America's food supply) with Jillian Michaels and it was very good. It got me thinking about trying to not just NOT buy things, but to eat ore natural foods as well. I have done better in that regard, but the show talked about ultra processed foods and looking at how many ingredients are in things, and could you make this in your kitchen or are the ingredients too weird? So from now on, I will be paying more attention to ingredient labels. Ideally eating things that don't have a label, like fresh produce. And trying to find options for things like crackers that have fewer and healthier ingredients, or make my own when I feel up to it.

I am irritated at my visa bill again, so obviously I need to pay more attention to what I spend.

Lila,

I like your ideas, but I do need to modify them. For starts, I am deliberately not connected to Facebook, so no buy nothing (or marketplace) for me. Also, my "community" is a little out of alignment with me. I have gotten some great stuff out of my neighbors trash though. (Including the table and chairs my Dd used for the first 10 years she was married - the table leaf was damaged and one chair was broken, so she had a square table with four chairs plus one.)

But I now have one new thing for Buddy and a good collection of used things for the other two boys. I need to leave budget room for one new request for each boy if they have one, and fill in with free things by shopping my basement/making things from materials I have. I love doing activities with them, but I pack as many of those in as I can. I don't want to make them gifts.

One thing I've been thinking about is that my grandmother used to take me on an outing every year before school started. I got lunch, one small toy or accessory (the only one I remember is a stuffed pig I still have), and new clothes of my own choice within a budget (sometimes it was just one dress, sometimes it was several outfits or separates, sometimes I got shoes. But what I most remember is that it didn't have to be PRACTICAL. And she never judged my taste.) I would kind of like to do that for my boys. Sometimes I get target or Starbucks gift cards from students as end of year gifts, so those would be good toward Beans first trip if I do. We'll see...

I am not good at budgeting for a long period. I either spend everything too fast and then feel strapped, or worry about the future and don't spend it but feel deprived. That was part of why I broke April into weeks (my thrift store trip was $11 and change and I still have a little spending money that will roll over into "next week" on Wednesday if I don't buy anything else.). Even though all of "April's" money is currently in my account.

Ironically, I am better at setting aside money I already have for something specific (the lean-to money is sitting in my account untouched and untempting) then I am at planning for how I will spend money I don't have yet. So maybe I should just put some of that April money into a "Christmas account" instead of buying things (Do I want this whatchamacallit, or do I want to feel flush at Christmas time?) There are also some nicer shelves I want for the playroom, but I can't have them until I clear more stuff out. Setting the money aside for them now instead of buying stuff would get me there faster!

SubC, I REALLY enjoyed reading your Christmas childhood experiences. Thank you for sharing that. I want my grandkids to have good memories of me and our times together. That matters more than what the gifts are.

It turns out I got my son a very good and practical gift that he will use, and I did not actually buy anything for the child who turned 1. There was no formal party and we were all busy and it was fine.

My no spend went absolutely terribly for the first 3 weeks of October. I just yesterday made a list of all the purchases. Today I will put them in categories (groceries, gas, fast food, clothes, etc) so I have a summary to compare to for the coming month.

But this week I have done better. I am eating what I have on hand. I am restraining myself from buying unnecessary things. I am will stay accountable.

hi SubC! Thank you for your support and encouragement!

I feel good about this. I almost, ALMOST bought a food order and/or stopped at fast food or bought pizza, because I was so "over it", but I thought, hey. If I am considering this a fast, or a spiritual discipline, I would not quit when it gets hard. It is a greater discipline to continue WHEN it gets hard.

So I decided to continue on as is to 40 days as suggested by my pastor. Today is day 35. It has been more of a challenge but I am learning by doing this. I am growing in self discipline, not giving in to cravings, and being satisfied with what I have. Also not being as wasteful.

The other day I dug through the freezer and took out fish sticks and brussels sprouts for my dinner. At work there was a free donation of a lot of bags of frozen French fries, so I brought a bag home to have with the fish. When I went to cook the bag of brussels sprouts, I checked the date and it said 2012!!!!!!! I literally said out loud, 2012????? What????? and threw them out. I can hardly believe it!

So I got out some frozen peas and had those with the fish and fries and it was good.

I also have been eating cans of soup with crackers and cheese. I have almost no cheese left and just a little bot of other crackers.

My son bought bread and I got some free sample jars of jam from work, so this morning I had a apiece of toast with jams on it and some coffee. I am out of any kind of creamer, out of almond milk, so have been drinking it black. DDIL left some regular milk upstairs so I put a splash in my coffee today. Also have been drinking plain tea.

At an event I was in charge of at work, someone left a vegetable tray! so I brought it home and am deciding what kind of soup to make now that I have a handful of baby carrots and some celery sticks.

I have a spaghetti squash on the counter I am thinking of cooking this weekend. I have half a jar of pasta sauce (I had with spaghetti noodles this week) and some parmesan and a little mozzarella I can put on it too.

I can do this for 5 more days, and then have a nice celebration meal with fresh groceries! I am not going back to buying a ton of junk.

We are eating both the newly bought food and things we already had. A good balance I think.

Today I spent money registering for an all day workshop for pottery teachers. It is really good value though - I go every year. Not only are the class sessions useful and inspirational, it includes lunch, breakfast, and beverages all day. Plus there are vendors who show up and give you free stuff. The free stuff is sometimes worth more than the $25 the workshop costs. It is good stuff too - like glaze or brushes, not just stickers and pens and tote bags.

I am still shopping.

I am paying attention to the budget now though.

I am having a hard time because I currently have some money, and listening to the news, I feel like things are going to be significantly more expensive soon and shipping costs are going to go up. So when I see a good deal on something I want I feel like "better get that now". My inner squirrel is very agitated and buying it treats is the only way I can get it to let go of things that are not adding to my life right now. My trash output has actually doubled (which is still very little trash, but is a big deal for me - accepting that I am never going to repair/salvage things that have been set aside because they could not be recycled and might be useful again - literally investing in things I really want is keeping me from investing time and energy in things I don't really want, but have and feel tied to.)

Most of my wishlist is eBay or other resellers of used/vintage merchandise. (Which also adds the pressure of "if I don't buy this somebody else might buy it and then I will never get it.") But also, for eBay, I have very firm maximums, so it's about being able to bid, not necessarily buying - if someone outbids me, then I am fine letting the thing go, because I didn't want it for that price.

I have one big toy wish I am thinking about for the boys that is a new item, and one cart of small new stuff that is $21.36 (including tax). None of it is made in China. The toy should wait, but it is on sale. But it will probably be on sale again eventually. It's a preschool toy, so Bean is too big for it and Buddy and Birdy have time.

Also, I feel discouraged about my basement, and I am not saving for my shelves.

I have actually broken my spending money down by the day for the rest of the month. And I have a wishlist. Today I "cannot afford" anything on my wishlist, but if I avoid thrift stores and yard sales all weekend, I can buy one thing on Monday when I have released three days of spending money to myself. (I consider the price of the eBay items my maximum bid, so they could end up being cheaper or I could end up not buying them after all)

Hi Lila!

Did you get things organized?

I have started Christmas shopping for my boys, plus Birdy's birthday. I ordered Birdy's big birthday present (it was on sale) and had it sent to his house. We still haven't really decided how we are going to handle celebrating his birthday, because it is Christmas Eve. Last year I sent him multiple small gifts and he opened them whenever his mom felt like it in December. This year he has the one big gift plus a thrift shop find that goes with it. There is another thing I want to get for him, but it may be too much. I am already over what I spent on Bean and Buddy (not that anyone is comparing)

Every year I buy the boys new pajamas and a book at Thanksgiving. Ordered the pajamas on sale (the place I buy them has a sale every fall) and I have used books coming for Birdy. I need to find books for Bean and Buddy. Hopefully when Dd and I go thrifting on Sunday (we go the first Sunday of most months)

I also ordered some new Halloween decorations. I have given myself an annual decoration budget for each holiday. Halloween is one of my favorites and unfortunately I am technically over it by 50%. However, that 50% is tea lights and two short extension cords which can be used for lots of other things, so maybe it's not so bad? I spent the rest on lights. The orange ones will stay up until December.

Here are my current challenges about not buying stuff:
The place I bought Birdy's birthday gift gave me $20 to spend by Monday. And the place I bought the pajamas gave me $10 to spend by January, but I have to spend $50 to get free shipping, and the shipping is almost $10.

So now I am looking to see if there is anything I "need" or a Christmas gift at those places (as they intended)

Also, I need to not buy discount Halloween candy. I will eat it.

Lila, I'm very impressed!

I just suggested fruit because I was concerned about your food groups, but you are doing great.

No one is bringing me food, but I still have not had to buy much food (except what we bought to contribute on our thanksgiving trip) I did buy another loaf of bread. The fridge is getting low, but we have lots of eggs and milk. It would be lovely to clear it out before the Christmas cooking. I'm trying to eat more rice, potatoes (I grew them) and pasta (part of my big stock up) instead of bread.

I bought a new box of clay for my class.

This was a definite set back, because I have clay, but I just do not have time to rewedge and prepare what I need for class.

This is an example of overscheduling, disorganization, and sunk cost (I already paid for the class, so I need clay so I don't waste the class fee) costing me money.

I am NOT going to sign up for a class in March and April. No matter how tempting the offerings are. I will focus on getting ready for the spring sale, working on my home studio, and using up what I have.