SPENDING FREEZE- Part One

These are personal notes from my experience doing a Spending Freeze for the month of November so it's a little TMI but like a diet plan, it's good to see everything in writing to really understand where your money is going so please bear with me!!!!  For more info, see our first Blog about it at: SPENDING FREEZE- THE PLAN

Description:
RED is what we spent in excesses or was not "needed"
GREEN was money we brought in or "saved"
ORANGE was free stuff
PURPLE was spending that was necessary to living like bills or groceries

Day 1:
Since I'm thinking of NOT spending money, of course I want to!  The first day follows Halloween and EVEN THOUGH we don't decorate, I'm eye-balling this Charlie Brown lawn decoration just because I KNOW it'll be on clearance and my husband is a fan.  Oh, I'm a sucker for a red-sticker item!


Spent today-

• Before the sun was even up, I gave my daughter $10 for gas since she doesn't get paid until the 2nd
• $280 went to the orthodontist over the phone- $100 final deposit for replacement retainer that the chihuahua ate and $180 for a month we accidentally missed payment because we had a 5-week appointment 
• Saved $11 by NOT buying that Charlie Brown!  (I almost cheated by asking a friend to pick it up but was good and told her I changed my mind)

Day 2:

So far so good....though it's easy when you haven't actually been anywhere!  Weighed myself today hoping that not eating out so much will cause a lightening in the hips, too....though with all this Halloween candy laying around, I'm not getting my hopes up.

Activity-

• Had an epic fail hiking Mt. Peak.  Forgot my inhaler and the 5 yr old decided he did NOT want to be there so husband carried him on his shoulders.  Needless to say, we only went 1/3 of the way up.  Luckily, hiking is a FREE activity!
• Was supposed to go to a Relay For Life Meeting at a restaurant but wasn't feeling good so headed to bed for an evening nap.

Spent today-

• Sent my son to school with $26 to pay for his yearbook before the price went up the following day.  Apparently I had already paid so I got the $20 back but he kept the $6 for school lunches.

Day 3:

So that we have food to eat, I'm going to have to hit the grocery store.  I haven't been clipping coupons as well as I've wanted to so won't be getting the deals I could but oh well.   Hardest part today was seeing a bunch of red sticker clearance body washes at Target...husband had to hold me back!  We did look at the Halloween stuff but didn't see anything we even wanted.

Activity-

• Went to chiropractor, Target, McD, and library with hubby and 5yr old.  Later that evening, drove up north with my 16 yr old to to the hospital to see a friend that had a baby and then went to Winco.

Spent today-

• Hubby had to get gas $40 (commutes almost 2 hours each day to Seattle)
• Made +$7.65 by doing return of a shirt at Target but then spent $30.74 for dental floss, 1lb coffee, loaf of bread, applesauce, undershirts for 5yr old, and a box of dog treats for each dog (were on sale and I had coupons so saved $4).  Corbin bought a bag of Doritos and an Icee from the Cafe but we used a gift card earned from buying tampons last month so it was FREE so saved $2.64.  Normally we would each buy a coffee from the Starbucks but passed it up! (saved $8)
• Had to pay $30 for co-pay at the chiro office for me and my daughter.  
• Popped into McDonalds and used two FREE med fries coupons (won playing Monopoly) and got two Large Vanilla Iced Coffees FREE by using punch cards (saved $8.16).  Spent $1.41 buying the  youngest 4 pc nuggets.
• Owed over the $10 minimum late-fee limit at the library by $2.60 so paid $3.75 so I could check out books and movies 
• Spent just shy $20 for inhaler (middle child) and fluoride pills (for youngest) at the Pharmacy.
• At the store, got $52.80 for lunch stuff, cereal, etc in groceries and picked up a magazine to give to a friend in the hospital who just had a baby $2.94 (am doing in RED because technically, I could have given her some Body Shop Lotion I have in inventory if I would have thought ahead)
• Saved about $12 by NOT stopping at McD on the way home from the hospital though my daughter was starving and she had missed dinner (she ate at home instead).

Summary:

Necessities- $463.54

Excess- $14.10

"Saved"- $53.45

Weight fluctuation- 0 (starting point)