A City Life For Me

This is our last day of no-spend-month.  We started out with $250 in cash to spend on everything except bills, tithe, medical, and moving expenses.  I think we accidentally added a little money to it because I had some cash from selling items on Craigslist.  But we didn’t withdraw any extra money, and it is refreshing to say that we lived a whole month on around $250! Here are some things that I learned: I planned my trips better so that I used as little gas as possible.  I had gotten lazy in this area. You can go out to run errands without getting a snack in the drive thru or a coffee at Starbucks (this is my #1 downfall!) I used my bread machine to make bread for Ben’s lunches this month.  He said it was more filling, and I love the smell of bread baking.  It saved us about $20. I used coupons to get about $100 in free groceries.  They were not the items that I would have put on my list, but it forced me to be creative and use what I had o...

We are almost half way through our no-spend month experiment.  It has been so good for us to do this, even if we don’t make it at the end (but I’m thinkin’ we’re gonna make it!) Started with: $250  Spent: $158 Remaining: $92 Notes: Freezer and cupboards are stocked, so only milk has to be purchased through the end of the month. Last three days are moving days, and moving expenses don’t factor into no-spend month. Trip to NYC this weekend is separate, so the gas and food are not paid for out of the $250. Things we have done to save money so far: Took advantage of triple coupons to get over $60 in free groceries Filled a new prescription at Target to get a free $10 gift card Won an iTunes gift card from MoneySavingMom . I used this to get a new Adventures in Odyssey for entertainment on our trip to New York City. Garage sale: $130 income.  Used some to go out to eat for Mother’s Day (along with a gift certificate I had). Earned two free Chick-fil-A mea...

With May just around the corner (already?!?), Ben and I have decided to do a “No Spend Month.”   I was inspired with the idea from a blog I enjoy reading, Small Notebook .  I especially enjoy this blog because the author and her family live in an apartment, and they enjoy a simple life.  Apartment living is definitely in my future for a while, and I love new ideas for organization, de-cluttering, and saving money. Back to No Spend Month.  The challenge is to spend only $250 for an entire month.   We are doing this because we need to simplify some things, and save some more money toward our big move to Brooklyn.  We are leaving our debit cards at home, and we have $250 in cash.  When it is gone, it is gone.  Here are the details: The $250 is for: Food Gas Entertainment Personal items Household items Not included: Tithe Gifts (already purchased) Rent & bills Medical expenses Moving expenses (the moving truck, boxes, une...