Monday, January 9, 2012

No-Spend Month Check-In {Week One}

Just thought I’d pop on and give you my weekly update about how our No-Spend Month has been going! 

First of all, I am happy to say that NO plastic was used this week!  YAY!
I did use every last dime of my grocery budget, though.  hahaha

Also, on the positive side, so far I have earned:

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to put towards debt this month!

Which only leaves me with:

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to reach my personal goal of adding $200 toward our loan payment this month!  Sweet!

I reached that number by getting paid $80 for music lessons, plus I sold $49 worth of items from my house on a local resale group I’m a part of on Facebook. 

{This group, by the way, is a GREAT idea that I cannot take any credit for…but I want to pass on the idea to you!  It’s a group of local shoppers/sellers who list items for sale in a group on Facebook by creating an album.  People can see the items and the prices and then set up a time to meet each other by messaging the seller.  It’s a little safer than Craigslist because you see real names and the person can potentially get deleted from the group if they repeatedly don’t show up to meet and stuff like that.  I always meet in a neutral location, just to be on the safe side!}

 

I did get a Vera Bradley diaper bag (that I am in looooove with) for $15 via one of those groups (using Christmas money – remember, I allowed myself that in “the rules” haha!).

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We also were able to go out to Olive Garden on a date on Saturday night, thanks to my parents watching Luke and $50 in gift cards from my in-laws for Christmas.  This is why January is a good month for us to do this challenge…it’s not as hard to stay sane this month like it might be in February!  :)  I think summer is also a good option since you can grill out, have picnics, go to the park, the beach, etc. all for free. 

There’s something about knowing you CAN’T spend any money that somehow makes it all the more tempting!  lol

Throughout this upcoming week I’ll be taking pictures of what I spend our money on so you can get a glimpse of how our weekly budget works.   

How about all of YOU? I know several of you said you were trying the challenge – how’s it working out for you??

7 comments:

  1. Woo hoo! You are awesome for doing this! Budgeting is really hard, but you are doing an amazing job :) It's been awhile since I've visited your blog, but I love it! I hope you are doing well!

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  2. I did great this week too! Used my Panera gift card to eat out with friends on Awana night, and the only spending I did {other than groceries} was some fabric and supplies for my etsy shop which I paid cash for {cash that I got from selling items on the FB resale group!!} Thanks for helping hook me up with that! =)

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  3. Hi!
    I'm just passing through your blog, caught my eye because of the pinterest post about the mold. Really enjoy your blog. You are a great mom! Keep up the positive outlook, and prayer. You remind me of Jamie on her blog "This little Home of Mine." You have so much in common, on opposite sides of the country. Happy to introduce you :)
    Blessings to you and your family,
    Cindy

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  4. how can I join the FB group?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Type in your city name and the word "Resale" into your FB search bar and see what comes up! :)

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