January No Spend Challenge Is Complete

brandib1977

January 31

My No Spend Challenge - January edition comes to a close today. In all, it has been pretty easy even though I have spent more than planned and shopped more than anticipated. You can read my last update here.

Meanwhile, here are some things to note:

Eating out was heavily curbed this month. I did end up eating out more than I liked because it was either that or go hungry for hours. In one instance, the power went out while I was working from home. There was nothing to pack for lunch when I had to dash into the office to work that day. Unless I wanted to take a can of green beans or something random - I guess that would have worked! That said, food on the go amounted to under $50 for the month.
Supporting small businesses that I like is an act of service in my mind. That's why I ended up buying two books at Wheatberry in Chillicothe and spent about $17 at Peddlar's Junction, a vendor mall in Athens. That was for an adorable hand carved wooden owl, a great old hammer for my fella, and a set of vintage salt and pepper shakers representing the Washington Monument and US Capitol Building. I had admired them before and they were on clearance for $1. Like I could turn down such a deal when I really wanted them.
Car vs. Deer in early January caused almost $8,000 worth of damage to the Nerdmobile. I was perfectly happy to shell out my $100 deductible to liberate my car from the garage and get me back on the road in my own wheels.
Groceries. Man, can we talk about this for a minute? I needed a lot of stuff at the grocery store last week and wanted a few more things that I simply refused to buy because sticker shock wouldn't allow it. Six dollars for some sad, wrinkly strawberries is not a deal. I'm looking at you Kroger. Produce in general has been overpriced, even by winter standards, and it's not in good condition when it hits the shelves because it IS winter and it is shipped so far to get here. When I started doing this no spend month challenge back in 2018, I could get by with under $20 for groceries every couple of weeks. That always included some produce, eggs, and whatever random thing I needed to cook with the random things I already owned. Now, it's more like $100 and that doesn't include a lot of extra fun stuff. Tell me, how do people afford to buy potato chips and frozen junk foods? Yikes! Anyway, no spend month or not, I don't compromise my health and bought plenty of nutritious foods to fill in the gaps with what I have in the freezer and pantry.
A Valentine's gift for my fella. It's our first Valentine's Day together and I hope he likes what I picked out.
My Book of the Month membership charged me for a credit to get a book this month but I didn't redeem it. So I did pay but didn't shop for a book. That credit will be waiting for me when I'm ready to shop with it.

That's about it.

In past years, January was much more austere and I followed the rules much more closely. I would never have stepped foot in Wheatberry or bought the carved wooden owl. I would have perhaps planned better by keeping an apple and a granola bar in my bag so I wouldn't have to stop for fast food. I bought one bottle of water while out this month. That wouldn't have passed muster even three years ago. In all fairness, it was the day I hit the deer and my reusable bottle was left in the car. I needed hydration so this was more of a health issue than anything else.

I have also been out to eat and to the movies a couple of times on my fella's dime. I typically drive because I enjoy it and he always wants to pay for whatever we do. This has been a hard thing for me to accept but it seems to bring him joy. Five years ago, I would have said no to these gifts as it goes against the grain of what I am trying to accomplish but these outings have felt like special occasions and they haven't tempted me to go out and do more stuff. In other words, I'm swallowing my independence and enjoying the fun with someone I never expected to find in this lifetime.

All told, I'm pleased with the month and I'm pleased to carry on in February with some planned exceptions.

I will continue to focus on being home, feathering my nest, decluttering and doing things I enjoy. Life is so good when you like your home and have time to stay there and enjoy the quiet, restful period we call winter.