No/Low Buy Update: Week 7

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week as a way of keeping myself accountable for my No/Low Buy Year. Also, in order to see my true savings, I am also tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t. 

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This last week dragged. Perhaps it was the dark dreary weather, or just the fact that I’m not getting outside very much (darn foot!). It seemed that I had had too much time on my hands and fell into old patterns of browsing stores online. Items magically found their way into online carts! Thankfully I came to my senses and completely clicked out before buying anything. Well, except for some sandals…but I’ll explain that below.

What I spent February 14 – February 20th:

• Groceries: $29.06
• Household/Personal Care: $82.00 (another replacement fry pan, and misc. personal care – all replacements)
• Gifts: $81.19 (more birthdays/baby shower)
• Sandals: $43.00 (sandals)
• Eating Out: $56.00
• Auggie the doggie: $471.72 (yearly pet insurance premium, dog food and dog walking)
• OTC Medical: $18.95 (compression socks)
• Road trip: $89.95 (gas, tolls and food)

Total Spent: $872.41

What I almost bought but didn’t:

• Sweater(s) from The Loft: $100.00 (a gorgeous sweater was on sale, and a couple of other things that needed to be added to cart so I wouldn’t have to pay for shipping.)
• San Diego Hat Company: $40.00 (a foldable sun hat for my upcoming trip)
• Kitchen mats: $48.00 (Actually purchased, but returned! Ugh, an ugly pattern of mine rearing its ugly head – but I prevailed!)

Total: $188.00

The Takeaway

Although it seemed like a spendy week, a big chunk of the spending was for the annual pet insurance. I’m truly hoping that this is the last large pet expense I will have to make (at least for this year 😉 )! It’s a good thing he’s cute because he’s been a very expensive addition to our family.

We did get away for the weekend to see my parents, and we brought a few meals. Gas was a bit high, but other than that, we didn’t spend much.

My foot issues continue, and finding the right shoes to wear has been difficult. Caring for my feet has taken precedence over saving money and finding supportive, high-quality shoes is a must. Stores don’t usually carry my size so I have to purchase online and hope for the best. After returning three pairs of shoes, I finally found one that was comfortable. I’m hoping by the time I take my trip next month, they will feel even better — it’s hard to tell right now with my foot not quite right.

I wish I spent less this week, but I did resist some purchases. In that regard, I do think this no/low spend challenge is working. I’m controlling my urges (for the most part) and not adding extra clutter to my home. There is always room to improve, of course, and every day I keep reminding myself of why I’m doing this in the first place. And that is WAY better than anything I could possibly buy.

So, how was your week? Did you stay on budget?

No/Low Buy Update: Week 6

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week as a way of keeping myself accountable for my No/Low Buy Year. Also, in order to see my true savings, I am also tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t. 

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you have a day full of love and chocolate. 😉

This week was a lot better than last as far as my spending. I would have loved to spend $0, but under $200 is pretty good (for me!). I stayed within budget on gift-giving, which is HUGE. I splurged on a ‘donut’ for Auggie, instead of the large cone he was given by the vet. He liked it a lot better.

What I spent February 7 – February 13:

• Starbucks (breakfast): $6.00 (on my way back from early drs. appt)
• Dog Collar: $31.94
• Birthday gifts: $60.21
• Groceries: $24.23
• Valentine’s day goodies: $18.20
• OTC meds: $8.00
• Take out: $40.00 (Italian for dinner)

Total: $188.58

What I almost purchased but didn’t:

NOTHING!

In all transparency, I did re-book a cruise this week. I originally canceled the cruise when I thought foot surgery was imminent but decided I really wanted to get away, bad foot and all. So we are cruising in March – 7 days instead of 10, so I actually received money back. If I end up needing surgery, I will schedule it when I get back.

This looks like a perfect setting to heal a broken foot, right?

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How was YOUR week?

No/Low Buy Update: Week 5

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week as a way of keeping myself accountable for my No/Low Buy Year. Also, in order to see my true savings, I am also tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t. 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Another week has passed, and this one was a doozy. I think all of my February spending was done in the first 7 days! At least I’m hoping….

What I spent February 1st – February 6th: (I don’t list my normal bills, i.e. mortgage, utilities, etc.)

• Medical: OTC $37.99 (A new heating pad)
• Groceries: $319.95 (Two weeks’ worth)
• Pet Expenses: $875.68 (Neutering, meds)
• Gasoline: $77.66 (Two fill-ups)
• Spontaneous Giving: $260.27 (Sam’s Club delivery to my parents)
• Household: $19.05 (Office supplies)
• Gift: $50.00 (Parents 66th wedding anniversary)
• Misc.: $23.30 (New bible)**
• Charity: $103.29 (Granddaughter’s fundraiser at school)
• State Tax Filing Fee: $40.00 (includes my son’s taxes)
• McDonalds: $25.00 (a weak moment — for me, my husband and daughter)

Total: $1,832.19

Oh my. That is a lot of spending for one week. The pet expenses were expected, saved for, and ready in the bank. The groceries surprised me a bit, but then again, I didn’t shop at Aldi. Both cars needed gas. I will ALWAYS have a spontaneous gift category for my parents. The two ‘questionable’ expenses were McDonald’s and the new bible. I have a bible that I use every day, but it is large. I wanted a more compact one to take with me when I travel. In my world, taking a bible with me on a trip is a need. The McDonald’s lunch? Ugh. A complete and utter fail. Not only for my wallet but for my waist. I anticipate next weeks’ expenses to be a lot lower.

Things I was tempted to spend money on this week but didn’t!

• A planner perfect subscription: $44.00
• Ordering in dinners 2x: $100.00
• An exercise bike: $400 – $1500

Total: $544.00 – $1,644.00

The first two items were normal ‘wants’ for me. I’m getting used to them, and getting better at ignoring them. However, the exercise bike was new. I went to the orthopedic surgeon this week and my foot is not healing – it is still broken. He is giving me another 4 weeks to see if it will heal, but if not there will be surgery. It’s already been twelve weeks. Twelve weeks of no exercise. Twelve weeks of lying around. I’m gaining too much weight and I need an exercise program. I thought maybe an exercise bike would be good. I even had my husband research them, but the prices were ridiculous. I decided to search exercising with a broken foot on YouTube. I found several videos that featured ‘chair’ aerobics. In fact, I now have a whole playlist of exercise videos that I can do with a broken foot. That will have to be my jam until I can walk again. Expense diverted.

Unexpected/Expected Money Received.

Sometimes I receive extra money during the month that I wasn’t expecting, or expecting but not knowing the exact amount. I thought I would include it in my updates. Here is what I received in February so far:

• Rakuten: $88.00*
• Chase Rewards: $80.22
• Celebrity Cruises: $261.37 (port tax refunded from a canceled cruise. 😦 )

Total: $429.59 (A nice bump to my savings account!)

I hope next week is more on the low spend side. Even though I’m staying within my approved spending categories, I would like to stay below $1800 in variable spending each month. It didn’t happen this month, but given that I had a large vet bill, I should be okay going forward.

How was the start of February for you?

** Rakuten is an online cash back program. I signed up years ago – it doesn’t interfere with my online spending — it just gives me money back for the purchases I make. I know it’s not going to make me wealthy, but the checks have been a nice bonus. And with prices on the rise, this is an easy way to get some of the money back. RAKUTEN is running a new program — if you sign up, you will get $30! If you sign up using my link here, I will get $30 too! There is no obligation on your part, just an easy way to get more money in your pocket. ;). Please note that I will never suggest something that I don’t wholeheartedly believe in. If you are an online shopper, this is a no-brainer. 😉

Thank you in advance to all those who would like to try it!! xoxo

Click here

No/Low Buy Update: Week 4 and a Monthly Tally!

Every Monday during 2022, I am posting an update on what I spent for the week as a way of keeping myself accountable for my No/Low Buy Year. Also, in order to see my true savings, I am also tracking items I was tempted to buy but didn’t. 

Photo by Harvey Reed on Pexels.com

It’s now the end of January and I’m wrapping up the first month of my year-long low/no buy challenge. This month had some challenges (controlling my impulsive spending!) but they were expected. As long as I kept remembering my ‘why’, I stayed on track! Yay me. 🙂

This week I purchased a few items for my daughter, topped off groceries, and replaced a couple of items that either didn’t work or were worn out.

What I spent (January 24 – January 31).

• Groceries: $41.58
• Household: $80.29 (two new fry pans, laundry supplies)
• Spontaneous Giving: $63.96
• Gift: $20.00 (Grandkiddos)
• Home Repair: $20.00 (new faucet head for kitchen sink)
• Take Out: $21.00 (Chinese food)
• Hair Cut/Color: $75.00
• Dog Food: $86.88
• Personal Care: $52.47 (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste)

Total: $461.18

Although I wasn’t thrilled with ordering take-out, I was happy with the spending. Everything was intentional and needed. However, I believe I’ve spent my limit on spontaneous giving this month. 😉

Here are the items I was tempted to buy this week but didn’t:

• Books, books and more books: $72.92 (I was trying to complete a series)
• Sweatshirt: $18.00
• An apple pie: $10.00

Total: $107.48 (includes tax)

I’m not sure what was going on with my desire to buy books this month. It seems to be my only real temptation. All four weeks. I felt I needed to do something about it so I typed out all the titles of the books I already own but have yet to read. I was surprised at how long the list was. I have more than enough books to read for 2022. I’m hoping this does the trick. If not, I will just keep putting books I want on a wishlist.

The apple pie? What can I say — I was hungry when I was walking around BJs. My wallet and waist thank me for not buying it.

JANUARY SPENDING

Total spent: $1,707.00

Total I almost spent: $792.66

My takeaway for January:

WINS:

• I stayed under my food budget.
• I blessed others with spontaneous giving.
• I found other places to purchase items instead of Amazon.
• I replaced household items instead of adding more.
• I found an inexpensive solution to get dog off bed (for the most part).
• I ordered extra dogfood before price increased in February.
• I ordered personal care items when I ran out of what I already had.
• I kept my impulsive shopping in check and ‘saved’ almost $800 in the process.

LOSSES

• I spent way too much money on eating out. 😦

Since there are way more wins than losses, I’d say January was a success!

How did you do in January?

If you missed it, here are my weekly No/Low Buy Challenge Updates:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Amazon is now on the chopping block.

In an effort to make this no/low buy year successful, I needed to see how and where I spent money in 2021. In the process of doing that, I was able to single out payees in my budgeting software program. Out of curiosity, I decided to see how much money I had given to certain retailers — in particular Amazon. I knew I had been ordering a lot on Amazon (and I had all the Amazon packaging to prove it) but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on the budget report. In 2021, I spent over $7,000 on Amazon purchases. Yes, you read that right. $7,000. What? It must be a mistake, right? Nope. And, for all intents and purposes, I have nothing to show for it. Some of it was spent on my parents, gifts, and Christmas, but everything else? I.have.no.idea.

I’m not even going to try to come up with an excuse for this. There is no excuse. I’ve known for several years that Amazon is my Kryptonite. It weakens my resolve to the core because of how easy it is to get anything you want in the shortest amount of time. And, of course, it doesn’t help that every social influencer links products to it. One easy click and a package is heading my way. Well not anymore.

For 2022, I will no longer be making purchases on Amazon, even if it is something from my “can buy” list. I also will not be renewing my membership for 2023. If I want something that can only be found on Amazon, I just won’t be able to have it. Period.

I’m telling you all this so that there is no room for error. (I tried to do this in 2019, but it didn’t stick). If I write it, I have to follow it. It is my desire to be a much better steward of all the money that flows into our lives. (And I’m sure I can find something better to do with $7,000 than to make a billionaire richer.)

Have you ever added up how much you spent on Amazon over the course of a year? The number may just surprise you too!