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?
Oh, I so feel that comment about Thursday dinners being fun. It’s FRIDAY-EVE! What I’ve been trying to do is have a “special” component at home to let it be fun but not tank our meal plan for the week – so it’s a seltzer flavor or a little bit of a dessert from the freezer that I ONLY have on Thursdays that still lets it feel fun? A little lame, but it works on me haha!
That’s a great idea, Lindsay! I like the dessert idea – it could be a great way to still infuse a little fun and weekend-ing into the evening. <3
That is a lot for cat food, but I’m so glad she’s handling it well!
Last thing I spent money on. Hmmm. We filled up the car with gas on Saturday. How exciting…
I’m hoping I don’t have to spend SO MUCH every month. Part of that was Lila’s wet cat food, which she doesn’t really need, so I’ll probably get her back to kibble to save some money, lol. Sorry, Lila!
What movie did you see?
I love how this is making you evaluate your behaviors. I mean, duh, that’s the whole point, but the reminder that you are the adult now and can have treats whenever you want may make you want them less over time (I say “may,” cause I struggle with this).
I hope Eloise doesn’t have to stay on that food forever too.
I just spent money on an eyebrow pencil. I am making a duplicate set of all our bathroom stuff to leave at my parents’ river house so we don’t have to pack it when we fly and have limited space.
I saw Inside Out 2! It was so cute. I loved it!
That makes so much sense to have a duplicate set of items at the river house!
That is CRAZY spendy cat food. I hope Eloise doesn’t have to stay on it, too! This is coming from the QUEEN of spending tons of money on prescription food for pets.
Hmmmm…I ordered a dress and a shrug online and I’m going to return the shrug and get another one of the dresses in a different color. So I am spending money on clothes.
Prescription cat food is so expensive! And of course she’s a bougie lady and wants the wet cat food, argh. Hopefully I don’t have to keep her on it for TOO long!
Sometimes, you just need to spend some money on clothes! I’ve been there.
Again– isn’t it bananas how much we can spend even when NOT SPENDING?! I was not spending in anticipation of buying a $300 moisturizer refill and then we had to buy 2 tires for Harry’s car– but I STILL NEED LOTION FOR MY FACE **whomp whomp**
I have been so annoyed at how LITTLE MONEY I AM SAVING because I’m spending so much on THINGS I NEED. Ughhh, life is too expensive.
I know I said this last week, but I should likely do a ‘no spend’ month and see how it’s different for me. In the last week I bought myself face serum, and ordered a rash guard from Land’s End. I wear one of my dad’s old Target hoodies for walks when the temperature is too warm for anything else, but too cool for short sleeves, and it has holes in the pockets and pretty much looks terrible. So I splurged. I also bought myself french fries for the drive home from visiting my great aunt (1.5 hour drive) yesterday, which I easily could have (should have) skipped. I’m impressed by your dedication, you’re doing great!
It’s an interesting experiment, for sure! A little over halfway through and I really do miss being able to spend money “just because” but it’s a good lesson in abstaining. I can do it! (And so can you! If it’s something you want to do!)
Congrats on making it through another no-spend week. I spent HOURS and I-don’t-want-to-know-how-much at stores this weekend for food – Costco, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and the Asian Market. I spent nothing today but this weekend was spendy. At least I won’t have to go back to any of these places for a while.
Grocery shopping can take so long! It was a little over an hour for me to go between Trader Joe’s/Publix/home and I was like, “Oh right, this is why I rarely go to TJ’s.” I’m just too lazy!
Ugh I had a spendy weekend because of a few things that I really needed to replace – compression stockings (I KNOW, am I 80?), a sports bra, and a couple of toiletry items. Things add up so fast! I hate buying things like compression stockings because I need the good medical grade ones for travel, and they are $$$. Like, $150 for a pair. Isn’t that insane? AND WHY ARE SPORTS BRAS SO EXPENSIVE.
EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE. It’s honestly ridiculous. I don’t feel like I’m even SAVING a ton of money with this challenge, which makes me wonder how I was even spending money when I wasn’t doing this challenge. I mean, probably why I was always overbudget, ugh.
This sounds like a great week! It’s cool how by having a No Spend July you’ve prioritizing spending on things that connect you to other people. I love that.
I think the last thing I spent money on was either paying the electric bill or getting gas yesterday. It’s been so hot that I really want to go out for a boba tea, and I’m working at a theatre that’s near three boba places. But boba can get really expensive, so I’ve been telling myself that I don’t need a boba and I can just drink water. It’s not as much fun as getting a boba, but then I remind myself that boba will only make me happy for 15 minutes, so I may as well keep my money. I think it’s so hard to put a price on these little joys.
Ugh, making those decisions is so hard! I think that’s what I struggle with the most. I just want a little treat! What’s wrong with giving myself a little treat? Well, if I have that little treat FREQUENTLY, the money adds up and it becomes less special. I feel you on the boba tea vs no boba tea debate that’s happening in your head!
The last thing I spent money on was groceries, and before that a drink from Starbucks. And before that, more groceries. And today I’m going to shell out $125 for a dry needling treatment on my calf. I’m trying to reign in my spending in other areas because I’m spending money on this PT, and of course my insurance doesn’t cover any of it. Grr.
You’re doing great- I’ll be interested to find out if the things on your list are still things you feel are necessary when the month is over.
Gah, that sucks that insurance doesn’t cover dry needling! That’s an expensive appointment, but worth it if it works!
So far, I still want to buy EVERYTHING on my list so I don’t know if this is a helpful exercise or not. Haha. Or maybe I am good at curating things I *do* really want. I just have to figure out how to fit them into my budget!
You are doing SO WELL. And I think it’s so smart to have parameters around what counts and what doesn’t count in your no-spend. It would be counterproductive if it it made life totally joyless, right?
Last thing I spent money on was fruits and veggies at the grocery store. I bought two mangoes, two red bell peppers, two yams, two potatoes, and four zucchini and it was around $18. I am hoping that’s the only grocery store trip I have to make (besides shopping for our dinner party this weekend which will be spendy).
Yes! This challenge shouldn’t make my life joyless and I do need to be around people for my mental health, so I feel good about continuing to see friends and spend money on entertainment-like costs.
I feel like $18 for all of that produce is great! A bag of grapes can be, like, $8 alone. Ha.
Great post and reflection- thank you. My husband has no problem getting takeout but me – I am more stingy. Once a week, no problem, more than that- Tony better reevaluate his views on takeout. This summer I have been living the life style of a coffee queen- frozen coffee from McDonald’s, Wawa, Panera. It need to kick the habit because- not good for my wallet or heart rate.
Last thing I purchased?… Probiotics and fish oil for my gut (been having bloating issues, could coffee above be to blame 😉 and a book ob Boundaries – that one is a $12 investment in myself.
Once a week does sound reasonable for takeout! I’ve been trying to stick to one breakfast + one lunch for takeout, but sometimes it’s WAY more than that, especially if I don’t meal plan well and decide to order a pizza for dinner. Sigh. I’m working on it!
OMG how was your dinner with friends only $22?? I am impressed! My salad that I treat myself to once/week costs around $16 and that is takeout. My restaurant tab is at least twice but sometimes 3x’s+ what you spent! BUT I eat out very infrequently so when I do eat out, it’s often with book club and we tend to get apps to share + dessert to share and I often get 1-2 glasses of wine so it’s definitely a splurge experience for me.
I grew up in a tiny rural town with basically no restaurants besides a season DQ type of place and some bars that had dining rooms. So eating out was a treat that only happened when we went to a bigger town so maybe once/month? So I think that was kind of ingrained in me so eating out is still a treat type of thing. But the reasons we didn’t eat out during our childhoods were very different so I can see how now you are kind of making up for lost time and enjoying the fact that you CAN eat out. But dang it has gotten expensive! Hopefully you can find a happy medium after your non spend challenge. I think having a rule around it might be helpful, like I can have one breakfast, one lunch and one dinner out/week or something to that effect? For me, I limit my lunches out to once/week typically unless something special is going on. This week I threw that rule out the window because we lost power last weekend for 36 hours so I couldn’t bring lunch on Monday and now I don’t have anything to bring today so I’ll get 2 lunches this week but usually I am pretty good about sticking to my once/week rule. And then I feel like I enjoy it more since it’s a treat and not something I do often!
We went to a hole-in-the-wall diner for book club and they had excellent prices! I don’t remember spending so little on dinner in a long time. And when I went out with friends on Friday night, I had water + an appetizer since I wasn’t super hungry. But this is atypical!
Your power situation sounds awful! I would definitely give yourself a break on eating lunch out with something like that to deal with. I like the idea of one breakfast + one lunch + one dinner out going forward.
Stephany, I love how well you’ve done with no-spend July! I’m in awe. And, I’ll just offer a mini-reframe on this one (this is how I think about my food spending, FWIW…). Think about what you would have spent on Chik-Fil-A, UberEats, or DoorDash this week. How much would that have cost? then compare to what you spent at the grocery and TJs. For me, I realize that I get most if not all of my meals for the week out of my weekly shopping. That makes the hit to my wallet a bit easier to take. Just my approach – YMMV, of course! 🙂 (But you’re still doing an AMAZING job!)