Another problem is I just don't think my husband would go for a true no-spend month. If I tell him we really need to watch the extra spending, he'll agree. But then he turns around with 2 or 3 things he wants to pick up at the store an hour later. Or if we run out of 1 grocery item that he likes to have on hand, like low fat cheese slices, instead of making due, he'll go to the store and walk out with a bag full of groceries we didn't need. I tend to run to the store 2 or 3 times a week just to pick stuff up and try to prevent him from wasting money on stupid expensive convenience food type groceries.
Then there is also the fact that we have a lot of birthdays in the next 2 month's to buy for and 1 more Mother's day gift we still need to get.
So here are my spending break goals for May 9th (pay day) - June 6th. That is exactly 4 weeks.
- Average Grocery Spending - $90/week. I need to get back to meal planning and grocery list making and stick to it. That way I won't forget things, we won't run out mid week and my husband won't have an excuse to go grocery shopping.
- Extra Misc. Spending - $250 for the full 4 weeks. This is the amount I normally set, but lately I've gone over and made up the difference with extra money from pay checks or money I've earned through doing extra work. There are so many birthdays and holidays coming up that I will be really impressed if we can stick to the $250 budget.
- Personal Spending: No clothes, make up, etc, just because I find a good deal. No food or drink purchases at work. I get $100 every 2 weeks for spending money. I'd like to save as much of my spending money as I can.
I second grocery lists and menus. It really helps us to cut on grocery expenses and avoid food waste. Good luck on your fast!
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