So Kevin and I took on a challenge for the month of February. The goal is to spend as little money as possible for the whole month. We put all our monthly purchases on our credit card. Then we pay it off at the end of the month. Our system works well with us, and we are fairly frugal people always so we always can pay our bill. But often it is higher than we hoped for.
This month We are going to eat the food we have in our house (just buy dairy, bread and produce - foods I need to feed my boys because I do not want their nutrition to be affected) not spend money eating out, and not spend money shopping or for entertainment.
We did not stock up on anything in preparation of this month
Week 1
Day one - I had to go to Costco. Will lives on peanut butter and honey tortillas and I give him the multigrain with flax seed tortillas I get at Costco. I also needed eggs and AAA batteries. I could have not bought the batteries, but they are for some flashlights we have for emergencies. I couldn't stand the idea of there being an emergency and needing them and I didn't have them because of this project. Also, Kevin needed yogurt. So I left spending $44. This isn't bad considering our usual trips to Costco are $150 or more. I passed many food items I normally would have saw and bought. I didn't even go near the clothes or other non food items. I have enough tortillas for at least a month so we shouldn't have to go back there to be tempted again this month.
We saved $65 today by canceling our YMCA membership. We haven't gone in a few months, so we finally took the steps to canceling, preventing the monthly charge for February
Day two- Kevin had to buy gas. Like I said, we didn't stock up in preparation for this month, so that is an expense we just have to deal with.
We had a bowling groupon to use up. It included bowling and food. We ordered just enough food to reach the groupon limit. We don't want to short others with this challenge, so Kevin did tip $5 cash
We saved $4.50 on newspaper subscription. Before I was told that $6.50 was the cheapest way to get the newspaper. I only wanted it Sunday but they said it was cheaper to get it everyday. So we have but rarely read it on other days. Funny that when I went to cancel it altogether I was then offered a special for Just Sundays for $2.00 a month. That's all I wanted all along
Day three- I went to Sprouts. I don't want my children's nutrition to be affected, so while we could survive without fresh produce I didn't want to do that. I had a Mastercard type giftcard we have had a for a while I used and I spent $11 on produce that was on sale (so no charge was put on the credit card). Many times I buy produce and I don't use it all and we end up throwing some away. I bought just what I needed, we have been eating all and are not throwing any away. Usual Sprouts bill is $30. The week previous I bought a watermelon there. As soon as I cut into it I could tell it was no good. Normally I would just throw it away. I saved it, took it back and exchanged if for a new one. So in a sense, we got a free Watermelon.
Kevin wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Will while Westley was in school, so he took Will to Legoland (we have annual passes) Will wanted to get ice cream, so I found a free Milkshake coupon we had for Chick-Fil-A and they got that on the way.
Grandma offered to watch the boys for us to have a date night. We had some old movie gift certificates and a Ruby's gift card which were still valid, so we used those for dinner and a movie.
Day four- Kevin bought $20 worth of girl scout cookies. Again, don't want to short others and me stingy even though we aren't spending. He used cash, so at least no purchase on the credit card.
At work Kevin went to Denny's He had a free meal coupon he got at an SDSU game so he used that to pay.
Will needs more sweaters. I thought about buying them, but knew I couldn't. I asked a mom friend I give baby stuff to if she had any from her son. She brought over two. I avoided clothing stores
Day five- I went to Albertsons. I had a $5 in rewards to use. I bought Milk, some cooked chicken strips that were on a good sale and I had a coupon for to make them just 50 cents. After my $5 reward my total was $2 that went on my Mastercard gift card
Kevin was asked (begged) to take on the manager/coaching position for Westley's newly starting T-ball team. Bad news is T-ball has some expenses, like $40 for pants, cleats, cup, and belt. But the good news is we get a full refund of the money for registration. Not sure how much it was, I think around $100?
Day six- I went to Walgreens. I never go there because they are expensive, but I had a $10 gift card I got as a baby gift when pregnant with Westley (6 years ago) I bought children's ACT for the boys and a package of shredded cheese. I have $1 left on that card.
Day seven- I had a $2 off groceries coupon for Vons. It expired today. Usually I miss using these as they expire quickly. But I made a point to use this one- at 10:00 at night after teaching my class. I got a loaf of whole wheat bread and bananas. Total cost after coupon 60 cents. went on the Mastercard Giftcard. It should still have like a $5 balance on it.
Summary:
It was surprising how much more aware I became of things. The first day Will asked for cereal, once I poured the milk he didn't want it anymore. I got the idea of how people feel who do not have much money. Usually I would be annoyed that he didn't eat, this time I was upset... he just made me waste the milk!
Despite the project we have been eating well. I have made good meals with frozen meat I had. I also made more things from scratch including crepes and a new healthy banana bread.
This week totals
$45 on Costco Credit Card (tortillas, eggs, yogurt, emergency batteries)
about $90 on regular Credit Card (for Gas and T-ball Supplies)
$25 in cash (tip and girl scout cookies)
