No-Spend Month {Round 2}: Week 2 Check-In

 

Chris and I had plans all set to go out tonight {with gift cards!!} to the Cheesecake Factory for our Valentine's date….instead we are snowed in with yet another (!!!!) blizzard and I’m writing a blog post in my jammies instead.  Oh, life! lol!

Anyway, this week went pretty good but I did go a *little* bit over my cash grocery/household allowance {oops!!}. I’ll explain why in a minute. 

Last Saturday I had some Hobby Lobby returns from Livi’s party and since Trader Joe’s is right across the street, we took a family trip up there.  I LOVE Trader Joe’s but since it’s a solid hour from my house I don’t get to go up there very often.  This week I tried some new foods thanks to suggestions from friends and I was pleased, as usual.  {We haven’t tasted anything from there we haven’t loved!}

 

{This was the only picture I took of my groceries this week…we most definitely did NOT survive on just this food in case you were wondering! HAHA!}

Since we went up there on Saturday and I don’t get to go up there super often {meaning I put some things in my cart knowing I wouldn’t be back up there again for at least a month} I didn’t leave as much of a “margin” in my grocery budget as I should have. 

Which means that I had to pull out my debit card not once, but twice.  Oops.

The first was to buy Olivia a sippy cup.  Sister is a little DIVA when it comes to her drinking preferences and I have literally tried FIVE different cups with her over the last several months.  Luke? Drinking from a cup by his first birthday, no problem whatsoever.  Not this girl!  Until I FINALLY saw a tip on a forum about these Nuk “Learner” cups so I got myself to Wal-Mart and bought one. 

 

 

Best thing ever!!! I wouldn’t say she loves it over her bottles, but she will suck one dry and that has never happened before!  I decided it was better to pay $6.94 now rather than wait until February was over since this was a habit I needed to break as soon as possible.  Money well spent! 

 

The second time was under $2 at CVS to get Luke some Valentines for his class.  {I paid part cash/part debit}.  We don’t have a color printer and we had no candy in the house, so I literally *had* to buy them for his class party that we didn’t end up having anyway because of all the dang snow but that’s besides the point.  He was pretty thrilled though – we got Monster’s University ones that came with a cute little pencil that slides inside.

 

One thing that helped keep me sane? A Starbucks run on Tuesday.  We only drink exclusively Starbucks coffee {I’m a big believer in the theory that life’s waaaaay to short to drink coffee that you hate} and I always, always, always save my bags to return them for a free tall coffee.  Did you know you can do that?  As long as it’s no more than 30 days past the expiration!  Both of my local Starbucks will also let me add flavoring for free {bless them!} so I get a tall Pike Place with cream and toffee nut.  YUMMM! 

    

 

I popped my little coffee cozy from Lindsay around it and the stars aligned so that when I pulled in my driveway Livi was asleep and Luke would be home in about 15 minutes on the bus.  I just stayed in the warm car and sipped my coffee in the sunshine and quiet and it was BLISS.  :)

 

 

Okay wow I gotta wrap this up!!  I did purchase a diaper bag at an amazing, can’t-beat-it price  because I needed an upgrade and a friend was putting in a 31 order and I had to do it this month…but I am slowly selling things around the house to pay for it so I don’t count that because I’m paying it off. After tomorrow afternoon I will only owe $5 more it. :)

Oh and my amazing grandparents sent Luke and Liv each $25 for Valentine’s, which I’m going to add to the Consignment Sale Fund! Yay!

Recap:

$58 for the Consignment Sale Fund

$42 left to fund it

Oops money: -$8.50 on sippy cup and Valentines for the class

Still need to earn: $5 to make up for the new diaper bag

 

Not bad….but I am REALLLLLY looking forward to March 1st right now! lol!