No Buying!

This month, I'm attempting a buy-nothing challenge for myself.  It's taken a little bit of planning ahead already and it's only the fifth day of March.  So far, so good- for the most part.

Day one I bought a birthday present for a birthday I'd sort of forgotten about since I'd been out sick two days.  With being sick and home, while I might have had time time to make a fun present, it didn't cross my mind and I probably wouldn't have felt up to it anyway.  So, I bought a plant in a pretty planter (which I wanted myself!).

Since then, I haven't bought anything extra for myself.  We got breakfast tacos on Saturday, which we always do and Doug and I got lunch on Friday which we often do when he has Fridays off.  Is that cheating?  I'm undecided.  I guess it depends on your reasons and goals for a buy-nothing challenge.

For me, specifically, I'm trying to cut out some of the little extras.  I usually make coffee at work, except for Monday mornings when a specific group beats me to it and makes decaf.  So, Phee and I usually stop for coffee on Mondays.  And, if you're getting coffee, why not get a big muffin or a bagel, too, right?  Not something I need.  I can easily make breakfast at home or eat oatmeal at work.  I can also plan accordingly and bring coffee with me, too.  It's not difficult, I just need to get into the habit.

Another thing I do is buy myself a little treat just because I had to run errands or go grocery shopping.  Guess what?  I don't need that diet Coke either.  Sure, it doesn't cost much, but I don't need it for any number of reasons.  It's being cut out this month.

This weekend I realized that I'm going to run into another "want to buy" situation- St. Patrick's Day.  As you know, Phee and I like to make little decorations and fun things for holidays.  Normally, I'd find something fun to make and go buy whatever supplies we don't have on hand.  I've just cleaned out, organized and taken stock of what crafty supplies I have, though, so we will be getting creative with our stash instead of going to buy more things to add to that stash. 

And the big, ongoing project that has me wanting to buy stuff all the time- cleaning out and organizing the house.  I've already been working on that large project keeping in mind that I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it.  Especially since it's not a one time project.  I've been trying to work smart, take stock of what bins, baskets, extra disposable tupperware, etc we have on hand and then using what we have to organize and contain as I clean out different cupboards and closets.  So far, it's working well.  I cleaned out the pantry, a couple cupboards and a closet using things that we already had in the house.  I managed the same with my craft supplies.  I'm looking forward to tackling the rest of the house in the same creative manner.

So, for the first five days of the month, I'm going to say I'm doing well.  I will be checking in again at the end of the month to take stock of how my little personal challenge has gone.  Hopefully I will have found a couple tricks and shortcuts to share, too!