What We Spent October 22 - 28

Week one of our “no spend” challenge is behind us now, with mixed results.  We did very well with the grocery portion of the challenge but broke the rules elsewhere, spending money on both a gift purchase and on recreational driving.

The gift purchase was in the form of yarn, bought from a local thrift store.  My step-dad’s birthday is in late November and I’ll be making him a gift.  I’ll be posting the project later this month so you can see what I made. 

As for the driving, we have, rather arbitrarily, decided to change the rules:

My husband and I have a long-standing “date” to go on an outing together each weekend.  We have some strict rules about these trips - they're never more than two hours’ drive from our home, we never buy food or beverages while we’re out, and they must be to a destination or activity that doesn't cost money - but we’ve both come to enjoy them.  We look forward to them.  

Since our weekend outings can be made within our existing monthly fuel budget, we’ve decided to continue these trips even during our “no spend” month.

So… The new allowable spending guidelines are:

• We can spend money on dairy products, eggs, and fresh produce. Otherwise, we’re eating from the pantry and freezer.
• We can purchase necessary household goods and personal care items.
• We can use the car for travel to and from work, and on our once-weekly outing together.
• We'll finish and ship my step-dad’s birthday gift, but we’re standing fast on our resolution to celebrate my birthday without presents.

Here’s what we spent this week:

Date	Item	Amount
Oct. 22/12	1 bag veggie lover's salad mix	$1.99
Oct. 24/12	4 liters skim milk	$4.43
Oct. 25/12	thrift shop yarn	$6.00
Oct. 26/12	tomatoes (.962 kg)	$1.86
	1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach	$1.68
Oct. 28/12	Gas	$38.56
	TOTAL	$54.52

Care to join us on this challenge?  If so, we’d love to hear from you.

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