March 9 Back in January, we made a list of things we would be allowed to purchase this year. Today we drive to NE Portland to pick up 2 kids’ used kayaks Nate found on craigslist. They are a gorgeous shade of bright turquoise and look brand new. At $75 each we are saving about $70 total from buying new and keeping new plastic out of the landfill. And they will allow us to spend more time together doing outdoor activities that bring us so much joy.
March 10 My 12-year-old daughter is growing out of her clothing. Several of her shirts have holes in them. We go to the big box stores to see what we can find. We find one shirt she likes (on clearance for $3.49!) at Old Navy. We strike out at Nordstrom Rack, J. Crew, and Banana Republic (“Mom, isn’t Banana Republic for old people who golf?”) I feel incredibly virtuous that we spent less than $4. We agree to order from Stitch Fix (they waived the $20 “styling fee” because it’s been so long since we ordered) since she has had better luck with their selection. I immediately second guess this decision and wonder what a thriftier option might be.
March 11 Lunch at home with my husband.
March 12 A coworker offers me half of her veggie wrap – just as I am about to walk to the food carts.
March 13 Leftover stew and lots of work coffee!
March 14 I packed my lunch but went to the food carts anyway :/ $16
March 15 It is an unseasonably warm, breezy Friday. It is one of those afternoons that just begs for celebration and the feeling of anticipation of summer is palpable. Typically morose coworkers sail out the side door with a huge smile wishing me “a fantastic weekend!” I call Nate and tell him to try to have the kids ready to hop in the car – we’re going out for ice cream! Our neighbors own a local ice cream shop called Cloud City with (we think) the best ice cream flavors in Portland. My favorite is Better Than Therapy, and indeed, I have to agree it is. And I’m practically a therapist.
March 16 The Stitch Fix boxes arrive. My son likes 4 out of the 8 things they sent and I agree to purchase them for a total of $84.50. He is a very tough kid to please with clothing, so this feels like a win. He actually glows with delight on Monday when he puts on his new hoodie and I can tell he feels super cozy. Sylvie likes 1 thing – but it is a sweater, and she already has many sweaters; it is not what she actually needs. So we send all of the items back and I schedule one more shipment with specific instructions to include leggings and tshirts, as I cannot bear to traipse through all the stores again.
I am starting to notice spend-creep. I ordered from Stitch-Fix, I shopped at Whole Foods. Come on! I need to figure out a bit more structure to feel successful in this no-spend endeavor. After a few calculations, I console myself that, despite going well over our February food budget, we still reduced from our 2022 and 2023 monthly food spending by nearly 30%. And our clothing spending as a family is a drastic 80% lower than the previous two years. Several expenses (summer camp! roof rack!) have come up that would normally have us reeling and reaching for the credit cards, but we haven’t charged a thing, while noticing our bank balance sitting about $1500 higher than usual most days. Celebrating these wins, I still want to further reduce our total spending and darnit I’m going to figure something out.
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