Friday, January 6, 2017

In Our home: How we are doing on our first week of No Spend January





You know things happen in real life. Life is not perfect and believe me it's certainly not for us.  Bumps in the road happen and mistakes will be made on our No Spend January. I wanted to share with you our week in the hope that you won't give up on No Spend January, if you are on this journey with us.  

Our week so far:  

Monday seemed like our first real morning on the challenge and we woke up to a wind chill and temperature that I don't want to think about ever again. Well, except this morning. I had to think about it again this morning.  The oldest grand child needed a ride to school so I  put on all my layers and went out to start the car.  I noticed it took awhile for it to turn over.  To tell the truth I was kind of getting downright worried and was ready to start praying.  Then it finally started.  
While the car was warming up (update 1/9/17 this week I found out that it's illegal to warm up your car in MI-yep) I went to talk with husband. When I explained what happened he said, "well we have been needing a battery for quite awhile".  He loves to make things work as long as possible.  He said, it worked two more years than they told him it would.  I'm now getting worried about a few other things.
Mark in $111.00 for the cost and installation of the battery.

I got news this morning that I am getting a scholarship to a Master Gardening Class! Only half the bill is being paid though. This class I know will teach me so much and I can't wait to take it.  Then I can pass along more gardening knowledge to you and others!

The last class I took like this was a master canning class 30 years ago.  It gave me so much knowledge about canning and the courage to get started. We've recouped the price of that class many, many times over.   This amount has to be paid now.  Mark in $150.00

Little things matter!  

When you are watching your grocery budget you are watching your leftovers.  Every leftover counts as another meal, lunch,  or a late night snack.  So when I headed for bed one night I noticed that the last two pieces of homemade pizza were still on the stove. I had high hopes someone else would put them in the refrigerator because I was just too tired to do anything else. They were still there in the morning and I threw them away.  

Mark in  the cost of two slices of homemade pizza -$1.50?

Sister forgot to send me a calendar.  Every year like clock work I get a calendar from my sister for Christmas.  She has never missed a time in many years until this past December.  I love that calendar she sends.   It always has beautiful Hawaiian scenery on it.  She is such a sweet sweet sister.   

My one regret is that I did get one free in the mail but decided to use the pictures for a craft. In other words I cut it up into pieces. So, I have no calendar.  Have you seen the prices for a calendar? Just plan ridiculous!  

Marking in the price of a calendar that I refuse to buy until a sale.

So far we are down a total of $262.50  plus the cost of eventually getting a new calendar.  

Successes!  

Not that I'm discouraged at all. We have plans to sell a few things to make up for losses we have had this week.  Along the way we have had some little successes too this week:

We have squeezed all the uses out of the leftovers that have made it to the refrigerator.  

I won a scholarship to the Master Gardening Class!  Can you believe it?  I'm so excited!  

How are you doing so far this January?

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The post has been linked to The Saturday Sharefest, Financially Savvy Saturday, The Art of Homemaking Mondays, Motivational Mondays, Making a Home-homemaking Linky, Thrifty thursday, 

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