No SPEND Month - 14 days

Well, so far so bad. We have spent way more than we should have and we are only half way through the month.

Groceries: $163 (which also includes a large box of diapers from Costco)

Gas: $70 - not too bad with a road trip included

Misc. $26 - (a part for Mikey's buggy while we were at the ranch)

We only have $41 left to go. I don't think we are going to make it, but hey at least we will have spent a lot less this month than last month.

Road Rash

Grant has been waking up early this week. So on Tuesday he was up early and Mike didn't sleep very well, so I decided to take him on my run with me. He was a great little companion. He thought it was great because he saw a small dog that of course he thought was a cat and was meowing at it. He also got to see the moon which was still up.

Ever since that morning Grant wants to go for a walk. He goes to the door and tries to open it and starts saying "walk". I guess on Tuesday after my run Grant kept telling Mike "walk" all day. Finally after dinner we got to go for a walk. Grant spent most of the time out of the stroller bouncing up the street. Well we were a 1/2 block from home and Grant was in his stroller when he decided that he leaned forward and tumbled out of the stroller.

Of course it didn't look as bad that night. But when he woke up the next morning this is what he looked like.

Playing in the Garden

Last week we replanted our garden and this is what Grant came out wearing. He was so proud of himself. He just kept saying "hat". He actually wore it for a while before he finally took it off.

Throwing rocks into the water.

We love Tennis

A couple of weeks ago we were watching a tennis match with Serena Williams. Grant thought it was so funny. Every time a point would start Grant would just start laughing.

Another NO SPEND Month

Have you ever felt like this???

I thought I would take another try at the NO spend month that we did in Feb. However, this time we will be having a budget of $300 rather than our $250.

You may be asking:

What is a NO spend month?

Several months ago I happened to come across this blog that talked about her NO Spend Month . I thought it was such a great idea and a great challenge to learn to live on strict budget. I know everybody is trying to cut back on everything in their life and I thought what better way to learn to cut back than live off $250 for a whole month.

What does my $300 cover?
Food, entertainment, household items, gas, clothing, and any other basic items that I would purchase every month.

What is NOT covered by my $300?
Rent, car payment, medical expenses, phone, Internet, water, power, tithing and other monthly recurring bills (thankfully we don't have too many).

Why the move from $250 to $300?

Well it is because this weekend we are going out of town and I am hoping that the extra $50 will cover the gas we need to get up there.

How can you survive on only $300?

Well I don't know how we will survive this month. So far it has been 3 days and I already want to go shopping. It doesn't matter what I buy I just want to buy. Hopefully by the end of the month I won't feel that way and I have learned that I can live without things.

What will I learn?

I want to learn the difference between NEED and WANT. Hopefully I can use lots of food that has been sitting in my cupboard for months. What greater thing than just simple meal planning so you don't have the WANT to out to eat.

What is the potential of living off $300?

$,$$$. Need I say more!

Did I stock up supplies in August?

No, I work really hard not too. My car didn't have a full tank when I started the month. I probably had a 1/2 tank of gas. However, I didn't fill up on the 31st. I also noticed Grant was getting low on diapers (well I knew I would have to buy some in Sept). However, I didn't buy any yet. Last week I used all our Mayo, Miracle Whip and butter. Well I didn't make a run at 10pm to the store on the 31st even though I should have. So no stocking up for us.

How does Mike handle it?

Well, Mike tolerates it to say the least. I don't think that he really cares about it and I think he finds it a complete inconvenience, but I don't care because I learn that I can live without certain things and we can make do with what we have. I for sure learn that restaurant food is usually NOT better than a home cooked meal.