By, Nicole Crimaldi
It has been 14 days since I have last sinned.
And WOW this is more fun than I thought it would be! Mostly because I haven’t had to deal with buyers remorse, guilt or worrying that my checking account is getting too low. It also feels amazing to know that I haven’t increased my debt at all this month.
Here are a few things I’ve done this month:
-I went through my household “fixed costs” to see what -could be cut or reduced and I ended up cutting $140 out of my monthly bills, and now I’m tempted to keep on cutting!
-My boyfriend Nathaniel aided me in cutting up my credit card. It was liberating! I have not used a credit card at all this month and I’d like to not ever have to depend on it again!
-I’ve eliminated my trips to Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts during the week and eat lunch at home.
-I’ve made a conscious choice to stay out of stores and immediately delete promotional emails I get from my favorite stores tempting me to order something online.
-I have a list on my fridge of things I “need” to get in November. Every time I feel crabby that I can’t get instant gratification and buy something “right now,” I write it down on that list. I can already tell that half of that stuff is not a necessity but I would’ve bought it if this challenge wasn’t in place.
-This one is kind of embarassing, but since I’ve always had my car in the city I’ve never really learned the public transportation system. I decided to face my fear and am now relying on public transit instead of cabs when I can’t drive. What a money saver!
-I’ve made my friends aware of the challenge so that they don’t tempt me or have unrealistic expectations about what I’m willing to do on weekends. It has turned out to be great for everyone. Last Friday night the girls and I made food and drinks we already had and chilled at my house without spending a dollar. It was a nice change!
-I’ve increased the amount of money that goes into my savings account from a small dollar amount each pay period to 10% of my income. Very excited to see it grow!
-I noticed, like Leah, that I have become more creative overall in finding solutions other than buying things to solve little household problems/annoyances.
Since I’ve become so conscious of my bad habits and money, I’m already getting hooked on the idea of spending less and saving more. Let’s hope it lasts!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I wrote a post last night with this exact same intro likening shopping to sinning. Isn’t it funny how we’re both associating spending money with Catholic guilt?? Never thought that would happen to me!
I’ve been doing pretty good so far, except for I’ve sort of found a way around the not spending thing…it still feels like sinning, but not as bad.
Mid-month is here and I would say I’m doing quite well in the Challenge! Much better than I had anticipated. I would have to say though that I thought avoiding malls and my favorite shopping centers would be the trick to curb my impulse buying…but BOY was I wrong! I can avoid the mall all I want to, but that didnt change the fact that my Inbox is being filled with specials, coupons and last chance offers from all of my favorite stores and designers! It it currently day 15 and I am proud to say I havent given in yet… but like you Nicole I have made a list of “Things to Remember for November”. Hopefully I can cross a few things off that list by month end, but I am happy that in the meantime I have more money in my wallet and less debt to stress over. Thanks for this challenge, and good luck to all!