Monday Musings

I wanted to issue a reminder that the GIVEAWAY for Gooseberry Patch’s 10th Anniversary Edition of Meals in Minutes ends tomorrow. The winner will be announced on Wednesday – be sure to ENTER and take advantage of BONUS #1 and BONUS #2.

Last Friday marked the end of my 2nd Fiscal Fast for 2012. Again I was able to go the entire week (PLUS - YAY!) without spending. I had a fraud issue in my checking account and my debit card was shut down – good thing I wasn’t spending. It made it easy to sort out my business from the fraudulent activity and I didn’t miss the debit card being out of commission for the few days it took for me to get a new one. Yesterday evening I did make a quick trip (list in hand) to Walmart for some essentials and then made a pass thru the do-it-yourself car wash. Again this month I busied myself working on projects that I had previously purchased supplies for (don't we all have those) and used my public library for entertainment. In the end, I had finished up some things that needed finishing and got to drop off the books I read instead of having to store books that I purchased. Next Fiscal Fast begins 3/24.

We had a very spring-like weather all weekend – including wind – LOTS of wind. I guess that is why kites are sold in March, lol. I am so excited about Daylight Savings Time starting next weekend. That means I get to move my training for my 10K run OUTSIDE!! I am not a big fan of DREADmill running. Probably stems from the fact that the women in my family are proficient at FALLING (we get that from our Mom, lol).

Gabe the Babe came to visit me this weekend too. His Momma went back to work last week and it was her weekend rotation. We had such a nice time. I’ve renamed my little dog. She is no longer Josie but now called JoJo the Super Nanny. She loves Gabe and is so concerned about his care. If he even stirs, she comes to get someone to take care of his needs.

Wising everyone a blessed week!

Fiscal Fasting ~ 2/2012

I don't officially start fasting until Saturday but I have another post going up then so I figured I'd post this a little early -- I have no plans to spend any money between now and then with the exception of filling my gas tank. Oh, and speaking of THAT, I noticed gas has creeped up to $3.49 a gallon here with lots of hoopla about it continuing to rise. How much are you paying for gas? Does it make you think twice about unnecessary trips?

Round 2 of Fiscal Fasting for me for 2012. Last month, I was able to abstain from spending for the full 7 days. YAY!! A few things have changed in my budget since then. I purchased a car -- although I put down a good-sized down payment, I financed a portion too. That means a car payment (it still scares to write those words, lol). Debt -- I really hate it - That makes my modest budget even more modest. In this case, it was the right decision but it still makes me want to get it paid off asap.

Back to my fast, NO spending for the next 7 days. I know that a lot of you, like me, are experienced thrifty's but it is amazing to me to talk with folks and find that *not spending* isn't even on their radar. A friend of mine and I discussed this a few days ago. She talked about giving up clothing shopping for lent. I am not sure if that is indeed what she did but I know that is a big deal for this friend.

I thought I would share when weighing the merits of a potential purchase, some of the things I consider……

Do I need it to live? - This puts food, clothing (to some degree) and the such at the top of the list.

Do I already own something that will meet the same need? - This prevents me from getting take-out food when I have food at home, or buying a new pair of shoes when I already have many pairs.

Will it solve or prevent a real problem? - I don't need toothpaste to live, but it prevents cavities and bad breath so I'm going to buy it. I may think that boredom requires a new DVD, but that's not a real problem so it doesn't pass the test.

Will it provide SOME kind of value? - Sometimes things aren't necessary but we want them anyway. For example, I bought a new laptop last year. It provides me opportunity to blog, keep in contact with friends and family and a great amount of entertainment. So even though I don't need a laptop to live and it doesn't necessarily solve a real problem, I still decided it was worth buying.

Can I afford this item without going into debt? - If I have to go into debt for something I must have to live, I can deal with that (though I'd rather not go into debt - my new car fits into this category). But if it's not a need and I've still decided to buy it, I have to make sure I can do it without pulling out a credit card.

Will someone be angry if I buy this? - Will I have to hide it or hide the receipt? Now that I'm divorced, I don't have a spouse that I have to answer to and even when I was married, I was never one of those wives (although I’ve had friends like this) who pull the tags off new clothes and sneak them into the closet (Hint: This is a sign that you shouldn't have bought said clothes).

Could my money be better spent elsewhere? - Can I really justify buying a pair of shoes if I know my car needs an oil change?

Is the "something else" really important? - Am I spending money that needs to go toward bills? If so, not buying is the wise choice. If the money is just earmarked for a competing *want*, I'll have to make a choice between the 2 *wants*.

Do I still want the item after all this? - If I get through this list of questions and I haven't given up, I'm probably buying whatever the want is. Going through this is my mind though saves me from a lot of impulse buying. Some stores REALLY seem to fuel impulse buying – WAL-MART is one (at least for me). I don’t know if it is something in the air or music or what, but it always seemed I’d go in for a few necessities and come out with a cart FULL – I am very cautious of using my list when I shop in there – if it isn’t on my list, it has to pass the test.

Fiscal Fasting ~ 1/2012

Thank you for all the great tips on saving money. Well, here I am at Day #6 (I started on Saturday - that is the day my work week officially starts) of my first week of Fiscal Fasting for 2012. I have stayed true to my goals -- NO SPENDING. Well, no money has gone out. I did a little online car shopping and started that process. I am going to be finally retiring my 1998 Honda Odyssey (with 270,000 miles). It has served me well and been a very frugal investment. I have to admit that the entire prospect of car shopping has caused me some stress but I have tried to turn the stress into opportunities for prayer.

Anyway, I usually allow myself lunch *out* with the girls at work once a week (they mostly eat out daily). NOT this week...and I think I am going to rethink that altogether. Lunch out is expensive and lunch brought from home is both more healthy and makes better fiscal sense. I have avoided all retail establishments -- boy, just going into some stores fuels spending and feelings of covetousness. I've worked on projects at home that I have already purchased materials for (you know, UFO's-- unfinished objects, lol) and visited the library. I also went with my daughter to Zumba class at the Y as a way of getting out and being entertained (I pay for my Y membership annually). I will need to visit the grocery store on Sunday -- but only for what I need. I've done a good job of using up some of what I had on hand.

February is a shorter month so I'll only a 3 week break from fasting before my next fast begins. Have you fasted? How did you do? If a week seems too much, maybe a NO-Spend Day is a better idea for starting out.