Friday, October 2, 2015

And then she splurged

You know how when you have a really stuffy nose and then it clears up you end up getting this wonderful sense of delight just from being able to fully breath through your two nostrils? You know how when you're really really thirsty and you get to a tall glass of water practically your entire body says "ahhhhhh" as you indulge in the simple clear liquid? You know how when you have a horrible headache, or sore throat, or aching back, the kind of pain that won't allow you decent sleep, sits on your mind at almost all times, and picks away at you like torture, when that pain lets up and your head feels normal again, your throat has no ache in it, your back regains its strength you feel like a million bucks just from feeling normal?

The $10 a day challenge was really good for me. I WAY held back on spending during it and I am very happy that I got the overall average daily spending for the year down a good bit. Yesterday our kitchen cupboards, freezer, and refrigerator were wiped! I went to the store hungry (which my mom always says you should never do) AND after having just spent maybe 20 minutes on pinterest (this of course means that I was interested in trying out the recipes for cinnamon roll pancakes, pineapple bars, and pumpkin cheesecake monkey bread I had just pinned). I did not have a shopping list written up and I was planning to splurge.

After 10 days of really limiting my spending I came away from the grocery store with Oregon chai tea mix and almond milk (to mix with it), a bin of mint chip ice cream, candy corn (FINALLY) and store brand oreo cookies (to put in the ice cream). I think it's been a few years since I bought that chai mix. I NEVER buy almond milk. Of course I bought other things too like food and tissues that my husband requested because his nose is stuffed up right now. Little Abe specifically asked for bacon which I thought was crazy since we basically never eat it. Apparently he had some at his aunts house the other day when him and my husband were visiting over there.

I was terrified as the cashier was ringing up the groceries. I mean like imagining the total would be close to $200. When the total came to a whopping $46.46 I was not only relieved but impressed that although I was totally splurging I had also apparently practiced an unknown to me large amount of restraint. Yay! When I got home I heated up the almond milk and chai mix on the stove. Now, I'm a really big fan of hot beverages. Hot cider, hot coffee, hot cocoa, hot tea; these are the sort of little pleasures in life that make everything vastly better in my world. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a hot beverage as much as I enjoyed that cup of hot chai. I drank it feeling proud to have accomplished my mission with the challenge, proud to have not spent $200 at the grocery store, and really happy to be treating myself with absolutely no guilt associated. ahhh.

Average daily spending for 2015: $17.91

It's up again BUT under $18. I bought dog food today and spent money on Christmas. I'm very okay with a $17.91 average right now.

8 comments:

  1. Isn't it funny when we become "frugal" what a difference there is in our "splurges"??? :) I may have gone a little overboard on my "splurge" - we just had the roof fixed & skylights taken out and the contractor textured the walls.....well, everything is out of the room (does anyone NOT sleep on a couch in their kitchen???) so we are painting this weekend (we haven't painted since we bought the house 16 years ago), and in another week, since we are painting & pulling the disgusting carpeting out we may as well replace the floors right???? Spending a little more than $46.....

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    1. That all sounds so wonderful though! And I know you guys have both been working really hard on spending wisely. I imagined you deserve all the "splurging" on your home. Very happy for you! We need to "splurge" on a few things around here too. But they can and they will wait.

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  2. As always, super impressed with your restraint! I also splurged - as a surprise for my husband, I upgraded our Hawaii room to partial ocean view. Total expense = $350, so a LOT, but much cheaper than if I'd booked the room that way originally (about $1500 less). We also don't really do gifts, so I'm feeling happy about it. Vacation starts tomorrow!

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    1. Oh my goodness!!! That sounds SOOOOO wonderful. I hope your vacation is AMAZING! Have fun!!!

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  3. You are doing so well if you splurge and it is just 46 bucks. Pat yourself on the back!

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    1. Thank-you! I honestly thought the total for that shopping trip was going to be WAY higher than that. I was really impressed.

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  4. You should hit the nail on the head. I've needed new black flats and basic tennues for over a year. I was making due too long, so this week I splurged. Two pairs of shoes under $40 but I thought I would have had to spend more. Previoulsy I wouldn't have balked at that for one pair.

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    1. Isn't it weird how much your perspective changes when you begin to simplify? Back in our credit cards days the hubby and I would go to Chicago and spend loads of money on clothes, and like only a few clothes but they were SOOO expensive and we'd hardly bat an eyelash. Now I don't want to buy pants if they cost more than $15. So crazy!

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