Dates of the Challenge: August 2nd thru January 30th
- Our list of NOPEs:
- Clothing (unless to replace an item we have - one in one out rule)
- Beauty Supplies (hair color, make-up, nail polish)
- Candles or Wax-Melt
- Decor Items
- Books & Magazines, Journals
- Coffee from Starbucks / Gas Station
- Fast food (other than Smoothies, limited to 1x per week)
- Eating out at Restaurants/Carry Out Orders - UNLESS for a Date Night
- Gardening Supplies
- New Tech (except our Cell Phones)
- Lastly... Storage Fee's (Cuz we're planning to get out of our current unit)
These are the areas we feel we need to cut back on, use up what we already have, or minimize our collection of. Personally I'm gonna have a hard time with candles and books/journals. We both depend way too much on eating out for time and convenience throughout the work week, but this just doesn't support our financial goals, plus it's not really healthy.
In support of our personal goals, we have a list of items we can buy in the next 6 months. I don't believe we will get EVERY item on the list, and we may decide to purchase these items used or have them gifted. This list serves as a reminder for what we are trying to build toward, things we actually want so that we won't keep nickel-and-diming our money away on smaller stuff. It also encompasses the "essential needs" of basic living:
Approved Shopping List:
- General Needs -
- Groceries
- Toiletries
- Cleaning Products
- Kitchen Items -
- New Cooking Utensils
- Mandoline Slicer
- Meat Tenderizer
- Cooking Thermometer
- Bread Box
- Bathroom Items -
- Floor Mat
- Bedroom Items -
- New Bed / Mattress (Queen Size)
- New Bed Sheets
- Wall Shelves
- Cat Wheel
- Business / Personal -
- Photos & Supplies
- Printing Costs
- New Phones
- Gifts (Holidays, Birthdays, Etc)
- Date Nights/Travel
- Household Projects -
- Emergency Kit items for Car
- First Aid Kit for house / car
- Window Clings (privacy)
- Tools (as needed)
- Repair Items - Glue, sewing, etc. as needed
Total number of items on the list: 23, although some items are actually multiples. Six months of time is only 25 weeks, so I doubt we will be buying everything, but we wanted to make a list of all the stuff we've been talking about getting.
We've needed a new mattress for at least a year now, the one we have is a hand-me-down that we got 4 years ago and are currently adding support to with a piece of plywood on top of our box spring... and if we're gonna get a new one, why not spread out a bit to a queen? Honestly, I'm hoping that we save our money more than anything, but it's nice to have a reward from being responsible and patient too!
Posting the Process...
Each week I am planning to post an update on how we're doing with the Spending Ban. Anything we've learned, where our money is going, and difficulties or adjustments we encounter. I'm not going to put every penny out there for scrutiny (though I will be keeping track here at home), but I will put the general numbers or percentages for how much we are able to save against household expenses.
What comes next?
Following this challenge, my husband and I will review what we've learned during this journey. I suspect we will adjust our budget, create a new approved list, and continue our progress toward becoming debt-free, conscientious consumers.
*** *** *** *** ***
If you're interested in finding out more about starting a Shopping Ban, and where my inspiration for this project comes from, I highly recommend reading "The Year of Less" by Cait Flanders. You can also check out her website, where she still has relevant posts about her own personal Shopping Ban Journey.
What do you think? Leave your comments below:
No comments:
Post a Comment