Time to challenge myself

I've been on this mission for 8 months now and expect to have paid off around $8,500 by the end of the month which is something that I'm very happy about.  However, I think I can do better... some of the changes I've made have been easy like making a better meal plan, reducing energy consumption, and hunting for better deals on the stuff I have to buy.  Other changes have been tougher, like curbing my creative/ crafting/ home improvement spending and reducing the amount of meals and snacks I eat out.  I am consistently being more conscious about what I spend money on and how much it costs and I've come a long way but I've yet to "put it all together".

In other words, I still don't think I've pulled off a significant number of days in a row where I use ALL of my new found skills.  Some weeks I bargain hunt, some weeks I don't.  Some weeks I'm better at saying no to myself when I want to start a new project, most weeks I'm not.  And I don't think there has been even one whole week were I ate every meal from home.  So it's time for me to challenge myself.  For the rest of June (all 19 days of it) I will be adhering to the following:

• Every meal must be from home (or from the office if someone brings something in) and this includes all snacks and drinks!  
• Make a thrifty meal plan and bargain hunt for savings, use coupons
• All errands done either on the way home from work or in a group... no single stop errand trips.
• Hang all laundry to dry
• Shorter, cooler showers
• No new home improvement or crafts projects 
• Take on a new sewing job or two
• Push the Etsy shop

I'm sure I will think of other things to add to the list but for now it looks challenging enough, the first one on the list alone will be a huge challenge for me!  Wish me luck...

Oops! I did it again... but will undo it ASAP!

S and I were using our extended holiday weekend to get done with a ton of household chores.  One of those tedious chores was to run errands... the pet store, the hardware store, the grocery store, etc.  We were doing great until S said the magic words "oh, I just need to stop by Target for some things".  Target is possibly my biggest enemy on this new quest to get rid of debt and live a thriftier/ simpler life in general.  It doesn't matter if I walk in there armed with a list and resolve by the time I leave I have managed to pick all sorts of random crap that I "need" that I didn't know I needed until I saw it.


But we were already out and it seemed silly for me to just sit in the car while he ran in to get his stuff.  Right now I'd love to tell you that I made it out without spending a dime but, sadly, that's just not the case.  I made it so close but we were literally walking to the register when a new sports bra and a gift for my bff's daughter ended up in my hands.  I would also love to tell you that I realized I did not "need" these items before it was too late but again that's just not the way it happened.  It wasn't till I opened up the bag at home and looked in that I realized I had mindlessly purchased more stuff that I don't need (although my bff's daughter would look really adorable in the jumper I bought).


Instead of shamefully cutting off the tags and promising myself it would never happen again (which is sort of my routine) I put the items back in the bag with the receipt to be returned ASAP!  In the process I also remembered a shirt I had bought for a gala but didn't end up wearing that still had the tags on it and the receipt... those went into the to-be-returned bag as well!  And all of that stuff went immediately into my car so that I can do the returning some evening on my way home from work (and to help me avoid the temptation to just cut off the tags and accept them into my home!)


One more teeny tiny step towards making real habit changes.  

Thrifty shoppping trip

I've been getting better and better about making a shopping plan for our weekly needs.  Making lists comes pretty naturally to me so for years I've made a weekly meal plan.  I've done well at cutting the grocery expenses just by making a thrifty meal plan.  The part I have trouble with is hunting down the best deals for the items on my list.  I usually end up at the most convenient grocery store, which is not the cheapest one near me, and just pick up everything I need at once because I'm always rushed for time.  I do buy store generics but the weekly grocery tab has really been nagging at me.  I know I can do better at reducing what we spend on groceries and toiletries by getting better deals.

This weekend I put together the meal plan and wrote out the grocery list, added all of the other household items and pet supplies we were running out of, then sat down at the computer to deal hunt.  I'm amazed at how easy it was to find good deals for almost everything on my list!  Just by going to multiple stores (all within a very reasonable distance from one another) I was able to pick up everything we needed for at least 30% less than I would normally spend!  I even ended up with a $10 gas card from CVS for spending $30... and those $30 only went to items on my list.  It did take significantly more time to get the weekly shopping done but I'm hopeful that once this sort of pre-planning will become second-nature and I'll get better at cutting down the time.


I know I've got a long way to go in changing my spending habits so I can get out of debt but it's shopping days like today that I realize that I've already made a lot of progress in my attitude towards the money I have to spend.  Just because I have to buy something essential doesn't mean I can't spend a lot less on it than I used to!

Working overtime

First off, let me just say that I have a decently good salary at my career job.  It is enough to cover my bills and pay down my debt in a reasonable amount of time plus there are bonuses from time to time that I can shovel towards the debt.  However, I am still struggling with some of my worst spending habits like dining out because I am too busy rushing to my well-paying job to make food or using retail therapy to ease the stress from my well-paying job.  I am making OK progress at kicking those habits but I decided I need to bring in some extra dollars to make up for the extra spending I haven't been able to completely kick yet.

Thankfully, I can sew and  from time to time I list my sewing services on Craigslist when I'm strapped for cash.  So I posted my ad and quickly lined up several large jobs which seemed manageable when I took them on but....  I also bring in a little extra money from my Etsy shop but it's never been very significant.... until recently which has sent me scrambling to make orders to ship!  Add to that my actual real job has been demanding way over 40 hours for the last couple weeks with no end in sight and you've got one incredibly stressed out girl!

And unfortunately this girl runs right back to old bad habits when stressed out and strapped for time.  So in my quest to earn a couple extra bucks to cover my habitual bad spending decisions I've actually set myself up for complete and utter failure and increased my bad spending over the past two weeks.  sigh.  I will eventually get this right, it's just frustrating to keep getting in my own way.

Small triumph at the grocery

In previous posts I've shared my personal struggle with my soda addiction, namely Mountain Dew which I've been drinking daily for the last 15 years.  It's bad for my wallet and my health so with this whole get-rid-of-my-debt, change-my-life, the Dew has to go.  When I realized that going cold turkey off was not an option (I can't stand coffee and tea wasn't satisfying the craving) I decided that I could at least switch to a diet soda and buy 12 packs instead of the expensive single serving from the convenient store.  


This morning, when I realized I was out of soda, my first instinct was to just stop at the gas station on the way to work and pick up a 20 ounce which would probably be MD because I obviously lack self control.  Instead I reminded myself of the purpose of my mission and decided to take the extra 10 minutes to stop at the grocery.  I'm glad I did because 12 packs were on sale, 3 for $10 (which they are usually $5.99 each up here in Boston).  Proud of myself I went to the u-scan register to check out... but for whatever reason the total was over $16!  If it was a year ago, I probably would have just paid this amount so I could be on my way and just grumble about being ripped off.  Not today!  I called over the cashier who re-scanned the order, when it was still over $16 she tried to convince me that once I ran my card the additional amount would come off.  Um, no, who's ever heard of the total being reduced after you run your card?!


I told her to void the order and I would go through the regular lane.  Again the total was too high so a manager had to get involved... who decided to give me the discount AND give me a free 12 pack for my trouble!  So in the end I walked out with three 12 packs for less than $9 and a new understanding of why it pays off to be patient and watch out for the bottom line.  It might be silly but it's these types of things that keep me motivated to stay on track... small manageable changes over time will add up and in the end I'll have a much better life!

Spending trigger 3: Creative and home improvement projects

Since I’m still avoiding going over the last three months of debt reduction, I’m going to write about another one of my big spending triggers: Crafts and home improvement projects! 

I constantly get myself into new home improvement, crafting, or creative projects… and each new idea comes with a list of supplies I have to buy to complete the project.  The problem is I don’t have time to accomplish everything that pops into my head so I end up spending money before I need to and creating a ton of clutter.  The other half of the problem is that I frequently lose interest in finishing the project, like the baby blanket I started knitting for my best friend when she told me she was pregnant (her son is now 2) and I have only completed about 15 inches of blanket!

To solve this I’ve decided to have a “waiting period” of two weeks before buying any supplies for the new project.  I am going to keep a little notebook with me and jot down the ideas and what supplies I need and then wait for a couple weeks before getting the supplies.  Most likely after two weeks I will have come up with some other idea that I can jot down and then wait through, a nice cycle that never results in purchasing supplies or creating more clutter!

In the meantime I can work on some of the projects I’ve already started.  Some evening soon or maybe this weekend I’m going to go around the house searching for unfinished projects.  I know they are lurking in every closet, drawer, box, bin, and shelf.  It’s time to either give the project up as a lost cause and get rid of the clutter or actually get the project finished!