The Challenge: Use What You Have

My plan for saving was born of two needs: first, to use up some of the stuff I've accumulated, and second, to have spending money for London. I'm the kind of person who does not follow a budget. I basically spend at will, until I realize it's out of hand, then I am a penny pincher. Once the bank balance starts looking healthier, I loosen the reins, and the cycle begins anew. I'm fine with it. But it does result in the accumulation of a lot of unnecessary and sometimes wasted stuff. For instance, take my pantry. It is full. You'd think a family of four lived at my house. Yet when I open it, I inevitably think, "There's nothing to eat." Same with my freezer. There's a similar issue when it comes to toiletries. I have enough soaps and lotions and shampoos to clean and moisturize an army. Of course, the army would probably not care for my choice in fragrances--a little too flowery for the soldier types--but I digress.

Which brings me to my challenge for May. I will not purchase anything at all from now until May 20. If I think about how much I spend on clothes, meals out, etc., my eyes get big and my eyebrows go up, like in a cartoon. I like that I can afford to live that way, but I want to see if I can live without. Or rather, what it's like to live without. I know I CAN, but how hard will it be? So my plan, in all its complicated originality, is to charge nada. Nor will I use my debit card (except for gas). My goal is to save $1000 this way. On paper, it works out. What remains to be seen is the reality...

I have the highest of hopes and the most earnest of intentions. I already purchased a Mother's Day gift and a birthday gift for my niece, since both fall during the spending moratorium. For any unavoidable incidentals, I took out $40 from the ATM and will use that if necessary. The Blue Planet Run is the first weekend of May, and I anticipate needing to purchase food at the venue, since it is an overnight camping trip. But I plan to find out if bringing food is an option. (There are still so many details I am in the dark about--and it's causing more than a little anxiety. I'll be glad when it's over.)

I will keep you posted on how it's going. The hardest thing is the moment of realization--like just now I realized I won't get to have a massage for a month. Boo hoo!