Thursday, September 3, 2009

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.

2 comments:

Ashley said...

Wow that sounds really hard. I want to hear how it goes! Groceries are the worst. It is so hard to not buy whatever I want or think I "need."

S.A.S. said...

Jolynn - this is Sarah (used to be Stancliff) from the PG High days. I l-o-v-e the no-spend month idea! My husband Paul and I have talked a lot about provident living, and living in DC where thing are ridiculously expensive, we really need to try some creative things to see if we can par down our budget. If I get brave enough to do it soon, I'll report (p.s. I think your $563 is enormously impressive).