OK, tomorrow officially starts my 31 days of nothing challenge. Super excited to see how things go! The past few days I've been coming up with my dollar amounts and here's what I've come up with:
#1- Grocery budget = $100. Should be doable since we have a fairly well stocked pantry. Bread, fresh fruits/veggies, milk, cheese and that's about it for the month. Meals may be interesting to say the least. :) I didn't even do a pre-challenge pantry stocking party although I really wanted to!
#2- Gas budget = $125. With gas prices being as high as they are and the fact I work 5 days per week (out of town) I'm hoping this will be all I need.
#3- Entertainment budget = $250. I would have set this budget to zero but Jayden and Todd both have birthdays this month. Normally Jayden's birthday consists of a large party, whether it be swimming at King's Pointe or bowling followed by supper out but we will be doing a much smaller party this year. This budget includes presents, food and entertainment for both parties.
#4- Being less wasteful. My family is phenomenal for leaving the lights turned on all over the house. We are going to work harder to shut lights off, reduce water usage and keep the thermostat a little cooler. I'm even foregoing my nightly "hide in the bathtub and read a magazine" routine to help conserve on water usage.
#5- I will not be eating at work anymore. All meals will have to be brought from home. It is all too easy to eat at work 5 days a week and spend almost $100 per month on lunch alone. If I forget to bring lunch I always have a jar of peanut butter in my locker.
If I think of any additional rules I will add to this list but for now this is my plan. Here goes nothing!
That's awesome, Nikki! Good for you for wanting to better your financial future. I can't wait to hear how your progress goes. $100 grocery budget...that will be tricky but don't forget to price match at Walmart. I've even price matched Aldi ads there because their produce is so low. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteI wish we had an Aldi's! Our closest one is an hour away and it's not worth it to drive 2 hours for cheaper groceries. :) I do price match a LOT and look forward to seeing how the month goes. Stay tuned to see how my $100 grocery budget goes!!
Delete