Due to the unexpected appliance expenses, I think I will go on a 30 day spending fast. All during May I will spend only on what are necessities. I’ll make a game out of it to see how little I can spend. Of course that means I have to figure out what is a necessity and what is a want. New books are wants as much as I think I need them like air. Especially when I have books on the shelves I haven’t read yet.
Produce and good food is a necessity. Junk food is a want (good thing I stocked up on 1/2 priced Easter candy!). My pantry and freezer are full so I might not even need to buy much food.
My massage will be a necessity because it is unbelievable how much it helps my health and well-being. But I can wait a few weeks to get a new haircut. We can trade movies for walks, dinners out for picnics, Barnes and Noble for Howard Miller Library. (And NO overdue fines.) I think I will need to stay away from Target and Lowe’s all together.
Anyone else want to try a money fast this May with me?
Beth,
I am adding my comments even though it is 2018 and everyone else responded years ago. I need to reduce my spending but think I have been doing well to date. Let me tell you what I do now. I am retired and get social security and a retirement allotment from my old employer. To keep things working as they did when I had a job, I make two deposits each month to our household account. The balance is my money. With the remainder, I put $50 in two different pots (old Tootsie Roll containers) each time I go to the bank. One is a vacation/Christmas fund and the other I call my furniture fund. So far, in the last 2 years, I have purchased gripper bars in my bathrooms, rails to go up the staircase, a new stove (my husband paid for 1/2 of that) and a new refrigerator. I did not get top of the line anything but just the basics. While I hated spending all my savings, at least I had the money and did not have to charge anything. I began this savings plan before I retired and have continued with it. It took several years to save for the stove and I did not have an oven during that time. It’s amazing to learn how to cook and make good meals without an oven. The fridge was a necessity – last summer was a very hot one and we spent a lot of money on ice before we could find a fridge that was the size we needed for our small pantry. We just got back from a vacation at the beach with our family which we go to every other year. So the pots are empty now and a spending fast is certainly in order. I use the library every other month and read from my home library the rest of the time. So no book purchases (mostly, I buy books from the library sales at $0.25 each paperback). I am eager to join a 30 day fast. Oh, one more thought. I have found that menus help with the grocery bill. I eat meat that is in the freezer and buy fresh veg/fruit at the Farmer’s Market. I know this is a long comment but hope it helps others who are trying to pay bills and save a little.
Thanks, Maggie for all the helpful ideas!