by Hope
We made it through the month! And it flew by. And more importantly, I truly enjoyed it.
I enjoyed the quieter life, being home more, cooking more. I’ve enjoyed not looking at my bank account every day and worrying about upcoming bills. I’ve enjoyed working for the sake of working and not counting every single penny.
I’ve enjoyed getting creative in the kitchen and trying new things. And I’m happy to report that not one failed meal happened this time. (in the past, I tried a cabbage and sausage dish that sent us out for cookies and ice cream for dinner.)
I didn’t quite make my goal for our trip to November, but I did grow my business significantly for the months ahead. And more importantly I put in some time on business development that I have not done a lot of in the past few months.
In the end, I am starting the month of November with a spirit of gratitude and relief that we are headed in the right direction. A solid plan for business development and growth. And some anticipation of our upcoming trip and holidays. It has been a good experience.
Extending No Spend Month
In the end, I have enjoyed it so much that I have decided to extend our No Spend Month by two more weeks.
We leave for our Texas roadtrip in just two short weeks, so why not continue to clear our cupboards and save money! There are a couple of small caveats to this though:
- I’m going to have to spend a little money on food and sundries, not a lot, but there are definitely some needs. For instance, we used our very last garbage bag yesterday and we are down to our last bar of soap. Working on a list of those items now.
- I have to finish Christmas stuff for my Texas family. And while I don’t anticipate spending a great deal as I’m making a lot of it, there are a few things I will need to purchase. Again, working on a list, my brothers are hard to think of gifts for. Anyone have ideas for frugal gifts for 3 single men in there 30s?
- Princess may need a few new clothing items. It’s started to get cold and while she has stopped growing, I hope, she doesn’t fit in any of her winter clothes from last year. She is going to need a couple of pairs of long pants soon. If we can hold out, we will, but it is a upcoming need.
Is anyone else ready to put up their Christmas decorations? I admit, I am. I don’t want to play Christmas music all the time, but I am certainly ready for a time of hope and good cheer. And I’m still thinking about a Christmas budget since I didn’t originally add one to my fall budget.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
So, my question about gifts is: What is the gift giving culture in your family like? Why do you have to buy gifts for siblings/parents when the trip to see them or an activity together could be the gift? Could you guys just do something where you pick a name out of a hat and everyone who is going to be at the holiday celebration only buys for 1 other adult? Or just agree that the gifting should focus on the kids?
We’ve gotten to that place in my family /extended family where we were simply exchanging gift cards for the same reason: certain people were hard to buy for and/or already had everything they needed or wanted, so we stopped buying big stuff, draw a name, and do a fun smaller “token” gift. Just an idea……
Could you make some frozen meals for your brothers—if you’re going to see them/they live close? A big batch of stew and some casseroles that they can have on gand for when they don’t want to cook?
Yay for you! Goal met. It does bring some satisfaction, huh? And impetus for the coming “spendy season.”
Thank you, and it does feel very good.
What are your brothers interest s? If they fish then fishing lures aren’t too expensdive or an ornament that celebrates their interest works too. Perhaps you have a brother who loves a football team find something small that acknowledges his love of the Cowboys. Maybe one of them is nerdy and loves superheroes find him nerdy socks with Captain America or batman as a gift. The best gifts don’t have to be expensive but they should come from the heart.
As far as your kids go once my kids became adult a we focused on stockings. I usually start with basics like toothbrushes and then add novelty socks( my kids love deadpool, Harry potter, the Redskins, and anime) a $10 gift card to an eatery they enjoy for a lunch on mom, some sort of soap or shaving gift set. I then add one or two fillers like a small leg o set or keychain and some sort of snacks like cliff or Luna bars. The stockings are really my chance to show my kids that I notice little things about them each yea r. My larger gift is usually money because in at least 2 of their cases they know better than I do what they need and want to spend money on.