Spending Hiatus - Week One

Pin It now! the first few days were difficult, but it's gotten much better. i think that changing my reasons for spending money and having to come up with a legitimate reason has helped get through the first week. rather than rationalizing "i really need it!" like i normally do, i've been trying to find alternatives. for example, i love starbucks (i know, i'm a boring broken record), but instead of buying $4 lattes, i bought a $2 box of swiss miss hot chocolate to get my sugary hot drink fix. i've also been drinking (free) flavia coffee at work instead of getting one in the morning from the aforementioned starbucks. for lunch, i've bought a big bag of spinach and lots of veggies to make my own salad, i've made extra portions for dinner so i can bring leftovers, and i've only eaten what i bought from the supermarket (chips, snacks, etc.). no extra purchases at work! i also rumaged through my parents' house to find stuff they didn't need anymore. i bought these gorgeous magazine binders from west elm a couple of weeks ago, but my dad had just as nice ones (although definitely not west elm) hidden in his basement office that still had tags on. the west elm ones have been returned and i'm saving some moolah by returning stuff too.

i went to target while i was home in nj this past weekend. you would be proud...all i bought was $2 box of cereal (i love nj - in the city it would have been $6!), birthday cards my mom asked for, and a big bottle of tide (again so much cheaper than in nyc).

being home this weekend also reminded me how fabulously frugal my mother is or rather, had to be. growing up i never knew most men drycleaned their work shirts. my mom always washed my dad's work shirts and every sunday night ironed each one. she really is amazing. so...i'm not drycleaning my stuff for awhile and i'm going to be ironing a lot more. convenience really does cost more, but working hard is still pretty amazing.