I know, I know..

I've been away for some time now. I apologize yet I don't even know if anyone reads this away and if it even matters! Lol. Anyway, I had Monday off since I have to work this Saturday and I tend to stay away from the computer on my off days. Then Tuesday I woke up with a horrible allergic reaction that made me look like this:

So I spent Tuesday on the couch trying to reduce the swellingness of it all. And yesterday, well. I was just plain lazy! So anyway, my No Spend Month is officially finished. :( Early, yes, I know but I ran out of money. I think I would still be doing well if I hadn't had to buy dog food and flea/tick medicine. But alas, those are things that just come up and there is no avoiding them.

The realization that I don't have to spend money all of the time is really nice. I'm going to do the same thing on a two-week basis (since I get paid every two weeks). I'm going to start small so that it's easier to focus on 14 days as opposed to 31. Oh, I also didn't eat out hardly at all (maybe once or twice) which was AWESOME, I saved a ton of money that way. I definitely loved cooking again!! I also like using cash only because it has helped me not spend as much because when it's in your hands, it truly is harder to spend. So, call me a failure if you want but by not spending as much I was able to buy Christmas presents for my Dad, Mom, nephew (and his birthday!) all at once which was awesome.

Wee! it's friday!

yay. i love fridays. do you know why? because i actually get to leave work before the sun goes down. tonight i'm going home to my girls, i'm going to finish my jon and kate plus eight, i'm going to sit in my jammies with my fuzzy slippers and relax. BF has to work tomorrow AM so he's not going to stop by so it's going to be a quiet girls night and i'm ecstatic. i've had this giant blister on the bottom of my left foot for over a week now and it's incredibly painful just to walk but i've been pushing through so my girls can get some exercise..but tonight we are going to relax.



tonight i will:

• paint my nails


• bathe the girls


• drink a cup of coffee


• do a load of laundry


• throw my hair up out of my face


• relax


• watch tv


• enjoy the quiet


• finish season 8 of will and grace (!)

i hope you all have an amazing weekend. it's supposed to rain tomorrow and sunday so it doesn't look like i'll be doing much. i'm down another $10 because i found gas for $3.09/gallon and figured i needed a top-off. so $29.01 is left for the remaining month, it's time to hunker down. i may check out this discount grocery store in my area and see if they have some cheap chocolate chips. i really want to bake some yummy cookies! :)

until next time,

LL

Day 10 totals:

Money spent: $10.00

Money left: $29.01

No Spend Month Update

yay, so far for the past two days i'm doing really well. i haven't spent any money although i did go to the dollar store and find doggie poopy bags 50 for $1. picked up the only box they had but since all the SAHMs decided to go shopping with their 50+ items, with only one lane open, and i didn't want to spend my entire lunch break slowly melting into the floor, i put it down and walked away frustrated. also went to the used bookstore and found lots of goodies but i resisted temptation and didn't buy anything.

since i want to work more on the girls' training i needed more training treats so bf was nice to buy those for "his girls"..now i can work more on getting them to obey more and perhaps walk ruby without incident.

i think i may call in sick tomorrow for work and enjoy a long weekend...because you know.. i'm sick and everything.....*cough*....

Day 8 and 9 totals:
Money spent: $0!!
Money remaining: $39.01

well hello there..*wink* *wink*

so i'm alive and kicking and have $5 less in my wallet. *sigh* i had to have some fresh fruit for breakfast so i darted off and bought some strawberries last night and they're sooo good. although this does seem like a bad month to do this experiment, i'm going to stick with it as much as possible. i have lunch for today (leftovers) and tonight for dinner i can have more leftovers or cook up something from my cupboard. what will eventually break me though is fruit. i love fruit and it has to be fresh, not canned. i'm going to pick up some cheaper fruits though like apples and grapes (if they're on sale) to get me through the rest of the month. i have a half tank of gas so i'm hoping it will last me another two weeks or so. i really don't do much driving at all besides to work and to the park so it shouldn't be a problem.

i really can't wait to see what kind of impact this experiment will have on my account by the end of the month, i'm excited! i think it will bring an appreciation of what i do have and an awareness that i don't need to spend as much money as i have been. i'm going to stick with the cash system again because i do think it works and does make me second-guess my spending on things that could be considered frivolous. there are so many things i keep putting off doing because i don't have the money to do it. for one, i have a number of items i would love to have custom framed but they're stuck in a drawer. i would eventually love to have my a/c in my car repaired to make things more comfortable but i've always looked at it as i'd rather have that money go towards paying off debt. i just like to look towards the big picture: being debt-free.

i've been debt-free before and i can't explain how wonderful and freeing it is to be able to save a ton of money and not worry about bills. i'm being patient though, i know my time will come and i can't wait! :)

End of Day 7 totals:
Money spent: $7
Money remaining: $39.01

Update on No Spend Month/Thrift store shopping

worst month ever to start this no spend month, but alas, i'm alive and kicking and down $2. the boyfriend took me to lunch today to sweet tomatoes (or soup plantation to some of you folks).. yummmm and i feel bad for the girls running around picking up trays and plates, so i left $2 for a tip. oh well.

other than that. i'm doing well. haven't spent any other money besides that. i have gas in my car and i have food in my fridge and pantry; i should be good for a while, but i am out of fruit..a cardinal sin in my house.

can't believe it's just the 7th! i still have 3 weeks and 4 days to go.. not like i'm counting. lol. what's funny is that there really isn't anything i'm tempted to run out and buy (besides christmas presents for family!) but i guess when you take away the option, it's hard to adjust. i just want to kick start my christmas shopping so this is just delaying that..also the girls are almost out of greenies and they REALLY look forward to that before bedtime..but at $15 a package i can't run out and buy two bags (yet again, two different weights, two different size of greenies!). i guess they'll have to stick with milkbones until next month. i'm really looking forward to the end of the month simply because i get 3 paychecks this month so that means i should have a happy bank account and more money to pay towards my debt! i can't wait for that.

it's so interesting how many articles are out nowadays about cutting back, thrift store shopping, and how America is adjusting to our poopy economy. it's funny because i've been doing this for years but now "mainstream" americans are just figuring this out. it's a shame too because they probably wouldn't be in the situation they're in if they would have just cut back to begin with! i'm just grateful that i can afford to support my furbabies and myself and that i don't have children to have to fret about how i'm going to pay for this and that. hopefully when that time comes, i'm debt-free, financially set, and mentally prepared!! :)

anyway, check out this article from CNN Living. it talks about how more and more thrift stores are seeing middle class shoppers. if you have ever been to a a thrift store how can you not love them and try to find as many different ones in your area? i know someone who found a pair of manolo blahniks for $4. really, it is one of the best places to shop, but you do have to have some degree of patience. but they're totally worth it. it's sad that people are just discovering these places as good low-cost places to shop.

even though the economy is in the pooper, it is great that over spending americans are finally getting the wake up call they all deserved!

Day 7 totals:
Money spent: $2
Money remaining: $44.01

is this cheating?

so for the past oh, 4 months or so i have been dealing with a cell phone provider who shall remain nameless *cough* alltel *cough*.

last september i bought my blackberry because i didn't have any internet at home and thought that it would be good for me to have (and good thing too, after i was laid off it really came in handy!). well, after getting internet at home and work, i no longer needed it or its extremely expensive phone bill. i've been trying to switch over to a different, less expensive phone so that i can pay less than $100/month. since it's my primary phone, i need it to keep in touch with my friends and family scattered across the country so i still need a good plan and i love their circle plans.

well, to make a long story short. over the past months, i made about 4 trips to two different stores, talked on the phone to one extremely UNhelpful employee, and left pissed off and not to pleased. all i wanted to do was buy a new phone and switch my phone plan. how hard is it to do that? nope. i was told i have to pay a $200 termination fee, buy a new phone, and start a new contract. even with all of that i still would have saved a few hundred dollars over the year, i was willing to do it. BUT they told me i couldn't keep the same number. grrr. so of course, i didn't do it.

well, i called on friday and spoke with an extremely helpful employee, taryn, who told me, "no problem you can buy the phone you want and we'll cancel your blackberry contract. you just have to pay the full retail price of the phone." WWHHAATT??!? yup. that easy. so why wouldn't the other employees do it? i asked. she laughed and said, i don't know, seems like an easy fix to me. well, i decided to go to the store to do it so that i could have my phone on friday, not wednesday (to be shipped out to me, etc).

walked into the store and yup, no problem, the employee did everything i asked. no hassles. no termination fee. nada. i just started laughing in the store, i told the employee about the problems i've had over the past few months and he didn't understand why no one would do what i asked either.

so i bought a new phone because over the next year i'm saving over $475 even after buying the phone at retail. i figured i was not going to wait another month and pay the outrageous phone bill one more time until the end of the experiment. so, maybe this was cheating on my no spend month, but at the same time, i have been trying to get this resolved for MONTHS now and since i could get it done, i was going to as fast as possible.

yay to saving $475, i see this as a victory not as a cheat. :)

And the money keeps disappearing..

boo. this is not going as well as i had planned. the dog food and now flea and tick medicine. the boyfriend and i took the girls to the dog park and on a three-mile walk on sunday; we get home and i find a tick on juno. the LAST thing i'm going to do is sit around and wait for more to arrive and create an infestation so there goes $30.25. ugh. i would have only bought one box for the two of them to share but since they are different weights, i had to buy two. yeah, the money is going fast.

here is an update of what i spent over the weekend:

• 10/03--groceries (1 loaf of ezekeiel bread and walnuts (to make vegan banana nut bread) = $6.10
• 10/04--groceries (2 containers of strawberries, parsley (to make hummus), 2 boxes organic mac and cheese, bottle of organic ketchup) = $12.02
• 10/05--Two boxes of natural flea and tick drops: $13.99 x 2 + tax = $30.25

Total for the weekend: $48.37

you may notice a trend with my spending. i really tend to go for the freshest, healthiest, most organic food possible. i will not skimp on my health for any reason nor will i subject myself to eating ramen noodles for the rest of this experiment. also when it came to the flea and tick medicine, i could have saved money by buying the chemical drops, i refuse to do that. my dogs health is one of my top priorities (this is why the only eat organic food and treats) and i refuse to put chemical-laden drops on them to save a few dollars, so i spent a little extra money so that they get the ones made from essential oils. i think in the long run this will benefit us all.

if it were not for the flea and tick drops, i probably would be doing quite well and really not spending any money at all, but alas, things come up and you can't do anything but just ride the wave.

Totals as of October 6:
Total money spent over weekend: $48.37
Total money left: $46.01

Update: Day three

Bought $20 worth of gas which was this close to filling up my tank, so hopefully i won't have to buy any gas within the next two weeks. Ready to get started on some weekend projects, thinking of rearranging my computer room for the heck of it.. open up some windows, let the sunshine and fresh air in.. yeah, i think i'm going to get on it this weekend. i also have a ton of books and dvds to take to my favorite bookstore. if i get enough credit that would give me something to do and get some new/used books. yay! no out-of-pocket expenses. i hope you all have a blessed weekend.

Day Three (thus far):
Money spent: $20
Money remaining: $94.38

Weekend ideas..

so i'm sitting here at work with nothing to do (shocker, i know!) and blog surfing again. pretty much sticking to design blogs (as usual) and i'm just so inspired to create change in my home. i see all of these people doing beautiful things to their home and i'm just a tiny bit jealous.. {----} <--this much. i wish i had a home that i owned and could do fun changes to! yeah, my time will come but how fun would it be to build this for my dogs and kitty? :) Via Apartment Therapy.

Anyway, since it's No Spend Month here at Who Are The Joneses? I'm going to find some creative ideas to spruce up my home, but I think it's going to start with scrubbing my floors. Gag. I really hate doing that chore.

Last week at the Dollar Tree I found some fantastic felt cutouts (kind of like modern doilies) in bright cheery colors; hot pink, lime green, neon blue. (Pics coming soon) I couldn't pass up buying the only package they had. I envision them in a shadow box maybe with pics or something.. i really have been needing to clean out the closet in my spare room. it has become a catch-all for everything and is just overloaded with stuff. i really need to post some items on craigslist but sometimes i just want to take it to goodwill and call it done so it's out of my house.

i have the motivation, i guess i just need to get it done. maybe i'll even decorate for halloween. :) that would be fun. cuz guess who's not spending any unnecessary money this weekend? (even though my favorite place is having an estate sale.. please don't go there *sigh*)

End of Day Two

Last night I bought the dogs some food and myself some strawberries: $28.72

Day Two results:
Total money spent: $35.62
Total money left: $114.38

Day Two: how things are going

so far so fine. yesterday i didn't spend a dime (although i was tempted to buy a cute pink pen). even though it was probably $.79, i resisted the urge and didn't buy it. for the family of small notebook they had just $4.00 left at the end of the month, i need to be cautious and careful of every dime spent. i just realized this morning my dogs are going to need dog food. yikes. this is going to set me back. of course after having months of having food, it's this month that i have to go out and buy a bag. since they eat organic it's not going to be $10 but more like $25 or so. i also have 1/4 tank of gas so i'm going to have to top off soon so there goes another $25! yikes, 1/3 of my budget gone.

the only money i spent today was for lunch with my coworkers. $6.90 spent thus far. not too bad for two days, but like i said, looks like on my way home i'm getting dog food. *sigh*

Day Two results:
Money spent (thus far): $6.90
Money left: $143.10

Day One: Results

No money spent, profit $.01 (I found a penny on the ground at Walgreen's). :)

As of Day One:
Total money spent: $0
Total money left: $150.01

Plan of attack: FOOD

I've been collecting recipes, dusting off my favorite cookbooks in an effort to figure out what i'll be eating for the next month since the majority of it will be at home (which i don't mind at all). i'm scared to go to the store and buy a lot of groceries at once and then bam, $80 later, i have a lot of food, no plan, and then i'm down over half my budget. i think later on i will make a trip with a dedicated list of things i need, not deviate at all from the list, in an effort to curb mindless spending. before all of this of course, i'm going to plan what meals i'm going to cook, guess how many times one meal will feed me (i can have 5 meals on one jar of spaghetti sauce), and what days i'm having what meals.

so, i've decided to make due with what i have in the pantry, fridge, and freezer for right now so i'm not buying anything unnecessary and it allows me to get creative. problem is, i've been doing this for a few weeks now, so i'm getting limited. that's ok. i can do it. people deal with less everyday, right?

today's lunch is leftover sandwich and baby carrots, dinner is out with bf (on him) or maybe i'll make him dinner. who knows...i've already brought my vacuum-sealed thawed bag of chili to take to boyfriend's place since i eat there for lunch everyday. so now i'm prepped for friday and next week. looks like my first expense will be lunch with co-workers but it's buy one get one free so i will save a few dollars there.

another experiment (well, side effect from this No Spend Month) will be to see if i gain/lose weight this month with eating at home and not buying snacks. i guess i could always make cookies if i get the cravings, but that would still cost a few bucks.

the one thing that i'm worried about is gas. i don't really drive a whole lot but i hope i don't have to cut back on the walks the girls and i take monday am, thursday am, saturday am, and sometimes nights. we drive to the 3-mile track and do running/walking and it's a safe place to do so. it's not too far from my house, but it's too far to walk there. i'll guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

well, it's lunchtime. :) i'm off to eat my leftovers.

Day One: Duh duh duhhhhhh

Here's to day one of my No Spend Month. I'm going to resist the urge to surf craigslist so that I'm not tempted to spend money. I had dinner last night with a friend so I have leftovers for lunch! Now it's time to start plotting where the best grocery prices are and preparing for my weekly meals.

Tonight I think boyfriend is taking me out to dinner to celebrate our one year anniversary and my new job. :) At least that won't count towards my budget! Free food. Lol.

Anyway, I'll keep the updates coming in regards to any obstacles that I run into!

Have a great day!
Double L