Monday, July 22

• No money spent

Here’s a really silly thing I’m sad about: I am running low on gems in one of my phone games. It’s impossible to play this game without gems and I have just decided to pay to play because I enjoy the game so much. But I have to abstain for another few weeks! Ahhh… what is a girl to do without her Cooking Fever gems?!

Tuesday, July 23

• No money spent

Normal day – nothing to report!

Wednesday, July 24

• Target: $7 (groceries)
• Target: $13 (Clorox wipes)

I placed a Target drive-up order today for two different food items I forgot at the grocery store. And I ran out of Clorox wipes so I bought a three-pack.

Also, I ran out of Cooking Fever gems today. THE HORROR.

Thursday, July 25

• Amazon: $9 (can opener)

My can opener broke tonight and I immediately pulled up my Amazon app and bought a new can opener. It will be here tomorrow. Living in the future is a wild experience! (And yes, I consider this to be within the parameters of No-Spend July because it’s a necessary purchase. I can’t live without a can opener!)

Friday, July 26

• Publix: $99 (groceries)

My same M.O. as last week: I went grocery shopping for the week on Friday so I could get myself a Pub sub for dinner. I wanted something yummy to eat for the Opening Ceremony! It was also really exciting to recognize that I only really need to plan for stuff through Wednesday since No-Spend July is over on Thursday. Woohoo!

Saturday, July 27

• Amazon: $21 (gift)

I bought a friend a gift for her birthday.

I passed a Target on my way home from picking up books at the library and got this small desire to go into Target and poke around. Obviously, I didn’t go in because I’m committed to seeing No-Spend July through, but I can’t deny that I really do miss shopping.

Sunday, July 28

• No money spent

Oh man, today was a hard day! I went to the gym at 10:30 and when I came home, I really didn’t want anything in my kitchen for lunch. All of the meals I had so lovingly bought for myself for moments like this just made me angry. I wanted Ubereats dammit! But I held strong and made myself eggs, sausage, and toast for lunch. It was a satisfying meal and I’m glad I didn’t cave when I’m so close to the end of this challenge!

Monday, July 29

• No money spent

I miss ordering takeout so much. This week, I didn’t really grocery shop that well so I’m feeling very meh about all of my lunch and dinner options. (I say I didn’t grocery shop well, but I still spent almost $100! Riddle me that, Batman.) Today, my lunch was popcorn chicken I heated up in the microwave, string cheese, a muffin, and white rice. At least I got most of the food groups? Sigh. At least I had plans with friends tonight, which meant dinner was pizza and cheesy bread! (And I didn’t have to pay for it since I was doing a favor for a friend.)

Tuesday, July 30

• No money spent

The worst part about today was when I was leaving a Marco Polo for my friend Mikaela and was excitedly talking about how I only had to make it through dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow because dinner on Wednesday was going to be with book club. EXCEPT BOOK CLUB IS ON THURSDAY. Cue tears! Nope, I would have to figure out dinner, lunch, and then dinner again. Ugh. I kept forgetting to take meat out of the fridge to defrost for certain meals (I had planned my whole week around a CrockPot meal but I didn’t take the chicken out of the freezer until Tuesday morning. And now that I think about it, if I let it defrost on the counter, I probably could have salvaged that meal even if it went into the CrockPot a bit late. But I didn’t and BOO ME.) Anyway, today my lunch was more popcorn chicken, tortilla chips with salsa, and a few pieces of chocolate. I’m really killing the nutritional game this week.

Wednesday, July 31

• No money spent

LAAAAAAAST DAY! I really, really, really wanted to get takeout for dinner. In fact, a friend who lives in the same apartment complex as me texted me that the power was out at her apartment when I was at the gym, and I was hoping my power would be out too, so I could justify an Ubereats order. I WAS ACTUALLY MAD WHEN MY POWER WAS ON! Lololol. I ended up having a pretty good dinner (pan-seared chicken, rice, and peas) but man, it gets old having to cook food for yourself over and over again, doesn’t it? How do you guys do this ALL THE TIME?!

Final Thoughts on No-Spend July

This was a hard challenge, but ultimately, a really useful one. It was the reset I needed for my spending because I was spending like crazy these past few months. And while I don’t feel like I saved a ton of money doing this challenge, I’ve also been spending beyond my means since the beginning of this year and July will be the first month I’m actually below my means. I was able to pay down my credit card balance ($1,550), which is very good news because I was in dire straights with my credit card at the beginning of July. I also created a new budgeting system for myself that will help me better understand how much discretionary money I actually have every month.

Of course, the biggest piece of No-Spend July was abstaining from Ubereats and other takeout orders all month long. And you guys, this was really hard! It showed me how much I rely on takeout and how much it can affect my mood. But I also learned that I can battle against my instincts to order takeout and find something just as satisfying to eat at home. It requires having a plan and making sure the food I have at home is something I want to eat. I’m a little scared to not have the strict parameter of no takeout at all because I tend to do better with something like that. (I’m more of an Abstainer than a Moderator, if you will.) But I do want to put boundaries up about how I often I use Ubereats or pick up food on my way home from the gym or something. I’m thinking:

• One Ubereats order per week (I’d like this to be lunch, which is often MUCH cheaper than dinner)
• One takeout order per week (this can be from Chick-Fil-A, Einstein’s, etc.)

And maybe I can give myself some sort of incentive if I meet that goal, like I can buy myself a book if I can do that for an entire month. IDK, I’m still thinking about it. I need rewards because I AM A CHILD.

Anyway, thanks everyone for following along on my journey this month! I’m glad these posts were somewhat interesting to other people. It was really helpful to have you guys cheering me on as my online accountability buddies because I am pretty sure I would have given up if I didn’t have these posts to use to report my progress.

Oh! And I can’t forget to share my final list of “Things I Want to Buy!” Anytime I thought of something I wanted, I added it to this list. It wasn’t too long (and I did end up purchasing one of those items), but I may just keep adding to this list so I can pick things to buy from it based on how much I budget for shopping each month. 🙂

Have you ever done a no-spend challenge?

Week three! This was a very hard week for me. I didn’t have any social plans, aside from a few things on the weekend, and that meant I was feeling the urge to order Ubereats a lot more than usual. While I broke some of the rules this week, I am still feeling good about where I am this month and committed to seeing this thing through.

Monday, July 15

• No money spent

Nothing much to report here. I am getting very antsy to buy a few things off my “Things I Want to Buy” list but I’m holding strong for now!

Tuesday, July 16

• Amazon – $100

Oops. I broke the rules of No-Spend July. It was Prime Day and the vacuum I’ve had my eye on was $50 off, so I decided to break the rules for this one purchase. It is a need, not a want, because my current vacuum is not working well anymore and my carpet is in dire straights.

Wednesday, July 17

• No money spent

Same ole, same ole. I have a little guilt about my Prime Day purchase but not too much.

Thursday, July 18

• No money spent

I really wanted to put in an Ubereats order for lunch. I just wasn’t feeling the leftovers I had planned. But then when I was looking in my freezer for inspiration, I realized I bought a few snacky items at Trader Joe’s for this very reason, so I threw two mini pizzas in the oven. They were very satisfying!

Friday, July 19

• Publix – $100

I did my grocery shopping tonight since I really wanted to have a Pub sub for dinner, but I could only have one if I combined it with grocery shopping. So I did! I felt like I didn’t get too much food and it still equaled over $100. Sigh.

Saturday, July 20

• No money spent

I came so close to ordering Ubereats for dinner! Tonight was my sleep study and I needed something quick and easy for dinner. I didn’t want to make anything that involved using my oven or stovetop because, well, anxiety. I didn’t want to spend the entire time I was at the sleep clinic worried I had accidentally left my oven on! I had a few options that I could nuke in the microwave but I wasn’t all that interested in any of them. I figured I could give myself a break this one time because it was a “special” night and even opened the Ubereats app on my phone to figure out what to have for dinner. But then I took a second and that’s when I realized I would feel guilty for the order. I didn’t need it. I had already planned something special for after my sleep study—I didn’t need to do something special before and after. So I put down my phone and pulled out some items from my freezer for dinner. This is remarkable progress for me and I’m very proud of myself.

Sunday, July 21

• McDonald’s – $10.59
• Target – $33 (cleaning supplies/mouthwash/conditioner)
• Target – $18 (gift for a baby shower)

In the above section, I mentioned that I had planned for something special after my sleep study. I planned to pick up a Sausage Egg McMuffin meal from McDonald’s on my way home, and that’s what I did! This breakfast was incredibly delicious and everything I had been dreaming of. It’s not within the parameters of No-Spend July but I also didn’t expect to do my sleep study in July, so I gave myself a pass. I also had to buy some more toiletries/cleaning supplies as well as a gift for my cousin’s baby shower.

What was the last thing you treated yourself to?

It’s week 2 of No-Spend July! I am doing pretty well with this challenge. I think it would be a lot harder if I couldn’t spend money on entertainment because I had book club and a movie/dinner night with friends this week. I’m keeping a list in my phone every time I think of something I want to buy, which I’ll share that at the end of July. Some of the items feel super necessary right now in the moment, but perhaps I’ll feel differently when August rolls around. We’ll see! For now, here’s what I spent this week.

Monday, July 8th

• No money spent

I worked from my mom’s house this afternoon to watch the dogs while my mom and stepdad were away in Orlando for the day. Typically, on the days I do this (which aren’t too frequent), I’ll pick up Chick-Fil-A on the way there or maybe order something to pick up on the way home. This time, I ate lunch before I left and made dinner when I got home around 5:30. This challenge is teaching me how many habits I have formed around food and ordering takeout. When I was growing up, it wasn’t something we did all that often and felt like such a big treat. So, as an adult, I leaned into the behavior of ordering takeout more than I should because I could. I’m the adult now! I can decide how often I get takeout! Well, I also need to figure out better boundaries when it comes to how often I opt for takeout because it has been brutal for my budget.

Tuesday, July 9th

• $15.48 on six cans of prescription wet cat food

Oh boy. I really wanted to stop by Chick-Fil-A on my way home from the gym tonight. I didn’t have anything exciting planned for dinner (I ended up doing breakfast for dinner, which was fine but not as fine as waffle fries and chicken nuggets) and it took everything in me to go straight home. The only money I spent today was for Eloise’s prescription cat food. She enjoyed the wet food much more than the kibble, so I asked for a prescription card so I can buy the food in bulk at Chewy.

Wednesday, July 10th

• $15 for a movie ticket
• $21 for dinner at book club

Spending money on entertainment is within the parameters of No-Spend July, so today, I paid a friend who bought me a movie ticket for Friday and also paid for dinner at book club.

Thursday, July 11th

• No money spent

Not much to report here! Oh, I do want to say here that I am kind of in this routine that Thursday dinner should be something “fun.” It’s almost the weekend, you know?! Let’s live it up! But tonight, all I had were leftovers to heat up, which always feels kinda “meh” to me. But I heated up the leftovers without complaint and they were delicious and I was satisfied. Let that be a lesson, self.

Friday, July 12th

• $39 on gas
• $22 on dinner with friends

I don’t have a lot to say about this day. It was nice to spend time with friends and have a meal at a restaurant.

Saturday, July 13th

• $39 on birthday essentials

I bought my mom a cake, ice cream, and some candles for game night. She hadn’t had a birthday cake yet, so I had to rectify that.

Sunday, July 14th

• $96 for prescription wet cat food (24-pack) and regular wet cat food (24-pack)
• $75 on groceries at Trader Joe’s
• $65 on groceries at Publix

A spend-y day! I’m really hoping Eloise doesn’t have to stay on this prescription cat food forever because, oof, $96 every 3-ish weeks for cat food is a lot. I’m buying Lila her own wet cat food for now, but she’s usually fine with kibble so I may not keep her on the wet stuff for very long. I also spent almost $150 on food this week because I stopped by Trader Joe’s. I got a lot of snacky options + some freezer meals that will last for a few weeks, so I’m hoping my grocery bill next week will be much lower.

What’s the last thing you spent money on?

It’s No-Spend July! This month, I’m committed to doing a reset on my spending and I cannot spend money on anything but necessities. The parameters of my challenge include:

• I can spend money on groceries, but not Ubereats or fast food. If I’m spending time with friends or family, I can spend money at a restaurant.
• I can spend money on toiletries and household supplies, but I cannot buy beauty supplies like skincare products (I shouldn’t run out of anything, but if I do, I’m SOL.).
• I can spend money on my car, such as if I need maintenance or gas. I cannot buy accessories for my car or take it through the car wash.
• I can only buy litter, treats, and food for the cats. No toys this month! (They’ll survive.)
• I can buy any gifts necessary for friends and family this month.
• I can make plans with friends and spend money on experiences. Experiences > things.
• Subscriptions will go through as normal; no changes.
• I can spend money on any medical expenses that my FSA card won’t cover.
• I cannot buy books or clothing or organizational items or new earrings or Etsy prints or anything that is not a necessity.
• I can load up my Starbucks card when needed, but I can only get Starbucks during my writing dates with Mikaela.

Every week, I’ll take you through what I spent each day (I’m not including anything that gets autodrafted by my bank, like rent, bills, savings, etc.) and how I’m feeling about the challenge. This will be helpful for mostly me because I need this kind of accountability, but hopefully someone will also find some solace in these posts and recognize that finances are a difficult topic and we’re all doing the best we can.

Monday, July 1st

• No money spent

Today’s the day I decided to go on a spending freeze for July! And that means I have to take out the books I added to my cart on my Book of the Month app (I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of The God of the Woods!) Instead, I sadly push the button to “Skip this month.” Wah.

Tuesday, July 2nd

• No money spent

Nothing to report – normal day.

Wednesday, July 3rd

• PetSmart ($15) – cat food

Lila’s being picky about the (less expensive) cat food I bought her, so I picked up the (more expensive) cat food that she likes. (This was a small package to tide her over for the time being.)

Thursday, July 4th

• No money spent

Today was hard. It was a day off and I am always tempted to put in an Ubereats order because it feels like the weekend and nobody should cook on the weekend, right?! Alas, I had to keep telling myself, “You have food to eat at home,” like I’m a grumpy teenage boy who just wants to grab McDonald’s while he’s out.

Friday, July 5th

• No money spent

Another hard day! On Friday mornings, I meet my mom at the gym at 6am and we do an hour-long workout. Afterwards, I typically stop by Einstein’s for a bagel and a large iced coffee. I was very sad I had to just go home and have oatmeal for breakfast. But also – this breakfast costs me $10 and if I have it every week, that’s $40 monthly! It’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it can add up.

Saturday, July 6th

• Starbucks ($25) – reloading my card
• Publix ($124) – grocery shopping for the week
• Publix ($8) – birthday card (it was a special one, but dang, birthday cards are so expensive these days!)
• Target ($33.50) – paper towels, hand soap (2), Zevo refill cartridges, conditioner
• Amazon ($46) – bulk package of k-cups

This was a spend-y day, but all of it was within the parameters I set for No-Spend July. I was happy that my grocery bill came under $150! I felt like I bought so much stuff (tried to get extra snacky things so I’m not tempted to go out to eat). I picked up some necessary household supplies at Target and also finally decided to stop buying the Keurig packages at Publix (it’s, like, $14 for 12 k-cups!) and instead placed a bulk order at Amazon. It’ll mean spending a lot less money in the long run but oof, $47 is a hit to the pocketbook.

Sunday, July 7th

• Ice cream ($21)

My mom, my brother, and I had a fun day out to celebrate her birthday (which is today!). While my mom footed the bill for most of the fun, I paid for the three ice cream cones we got at the end of our evening. It was the very least I could do!

What’s the last thing you spent money on?