Man, those three months really flew by, huh? What's that? You forgot that I started this blog to talk about my spending hiatus, because I stopped talking about it. That's true, I did. Why?
-It's boring to talk about not spending money. I didn't really do anything to fill the void of spending money, apart from not going to stores. So that's not that fun to talk about.
-I didn't stop spending money altogether. I did buy some stuff, some makeup, 4 dresses, a pair of shoes, some summer clothes, etc. So I guess I was a little ashamed of that and didn't want to tell you guys.
But here are some things I did do:
-I stopped going to Target as much, which saves me $50 for every visit. I swear, I can drop hundreds of dollars a month at Target, no problem.
-I took the time to think about my purchases. One of the things I bought was a cocktail dress, because I don't really have one that fits anymore. But I will wear that dress to each of the 5 weddings I'm attending this year, so I reasoned that I will get my money's worth. So I try to think about how I'm going to use things when I buy them and if they're worth it.
-I try to use coupons more. I used an Amazon gift certificate to buy my onion goggles. That wasn't really money spent.
-I feel no qualms about returning stuff. This black dress that I bought? I returned it, because I felt bad about buying things I didn't need.
-I reject even the smallest purchases. I bought a Rimmel eyeliner the other day cuz I needed one, but only one, even though they're like $2. I reasoned that I didn't need another one, no matter how cheap it is.
So I didn't stick to the spending hiatus whole hog, but I feel like I did spend a lot less money. I used to go to Target and World Market and wander around, just finding new things. I don't really do that anymore. I'm gonna try to stop doing that. I still have some debt to pay off, and I want to get an iPhone to replace the cell phone I've had since 2003, so I really want to buckle down now and save.
Spending hiatus over! Did anybody else try a spending hiatus? How's it going?
4 comments:
Lauren, thanks for sharing. I think that we all need to learn how NOT to spend money un-neccesarily. I had a 20% off coupon from Harbor Freight (tool store) the other day and I wander around the store during lunch time thinking to buy something. Well I debated and debated, picked up something, and walked around with it, but at the last minute I dropped it and walked out of the store. The coupon expired that day, so I didn't spend a dime in the store that day. I am also thinking that someday I'll (want) to retire, and I need to know how I am going to survive on limited income. J.
We have been on a budget for a while now and I find that if I just stay out of stores, I don't buy things I don't need. We buy all our meat and seafood in bulk at Costco or Sams Club and portion it out and freeze it. Works great and that way we ALWAYS have something to cook (even if we don't want to ;) I also have the luxury of being so close to home, so I come home at lunchtime and get at home most of the time. It is also really nice since Teddy works at night, so that is our family mealtime together. So those are just a few ways we save money!
congrats on completing your hiatus rather well i might add. i think you did great. i have been on a spending hiatus myself but no real rules and no one really knows. it's due to my being unemployed since april, it has really put the kibosh on spending unnecessarily. but i'm ok with that. :)
I think you did a great job! Like you saw on my blog, I did a spending hiatus for the month of July. Although I wasn't completely true to the rules of No Buy July and I bought two things, what I think is important is that it helped me to refocused my spending energy. What I mean is, now, after going an entire month without buying something I saw and wanted but didn't really need, I now feel like I am more focused on thinking about whether I need the item rather than just want it. I think sometimes we just have to refocus where we are putting our money and how we are spending it, and from the list I see above, that's exactly what you did. You learned some really good lessons from your hiatus that I am sure will pay off in the future. Congratulations and happy spending!
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