I said farewell to my spending moratorium a few hours early on Friday, July 31 with $.35 cocktails and free mini-grilled cheese sandwiches at the Edison. It was definitely one of the best happy hours I’ve been to and very schmancy. Short dresses and heels were standard.
Since my July spending moratorium is done, I’ve been spending a LOT. In just four days I’ve racked up a $230. 23 tab for coffee, lunch out, postage, cash, candy, beer, gas, groceries, and tips. But some of my moratorium habits have stuck with me.
- One of the most challenging things about the moratorium was eating on the go. Not being able to buy a quick meal, I started packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which don’t have to be refrigerated for a few hours. This saved me so much money – and time – that I still pack pb & j when I’m going to need a meal on the road.
- Go the distance for free/cheap parking. I popped into a parking garage yesterday and gagged at the rates – $2.50 for 12 minutes. IN. SANE. I drove two blocks and found meters for $1 an hour. It’s almost silly how close free/cheap parking is from overpriced garages. Drive a few blocks towards the outskirts – don’t circle the main drag – and you’ll be surprised at your options. It’s worth the walk.
If you joined me in the moratorium, how did you do?
If you missed my previous posts about my spending moratorium, here’s a blow by blow account of my experiment.
Going on a spending moratorium?
Votes are in! Bargain Babe goes on a spending moratorium
Spending moratorium starts Wednesday
Moratorium meet up: happy hour on $0?
Moratorium happy hour: an update
Moratorium broken for a third time
I’m not spending. Hubby is. Is our total spending any less?
August 5th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Good article, and i have something to say to all you readers out there. If you plan to open a small business or need a loan and have bad credit, go to Business Loans-Direct
August 5th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
I try and go 4-5 days without spending money. I went and got paper for 1 cent per pack and 75 cents per spiral notebooks at Staples today–I’m stocking up when I see bargains and carry the ads in the car. Staples also took $10 off and then also gave me a $10 gift card since I spent over $50–all on items we needed for my work and our son’s college supplies. College bookstores are very expensive!
August 5th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Julia, your July moratorium inspired me so much that I decided to start my own August moratorium. I guess its not exactly like yours because I treat myself once in a while. But every time I’ve wanted to do something (like go out) or buy something, I remind myself that there are perfectly good alternatives, especially now with all the free family summer activities. It’s been 5 days since I started, and I’ve spent $129 (all of which was spent on necessities, except for $25, which I figured would be my treat this month. [I hit another THRIFT STORE(!!), and just had to buy this sexy, vintage, lacy top, a dress, 2 pretty blouses and funky espadrilles.]
While deciding to start my own moratorium, I decided to also force myself to do something else that I’ve been promising myself all summer- GET FIT again!
I figured if I was going to force myself to watch my budget, I might as well force myself to get fit again, too. My gym (Total Woman) was offering free SLIM MY IMAGE appointments. I figured that this could definitely get me back into shape if I actually saw myself at my goal weight. After the picture was taken, the personal trainer talked to me and showed me some exercises to reach my goal -all for FREE! (She was extremely nice and even offered to get me back into shape for volleyball season, since she’s a coach! (Shout out to Bridgette! )
A couple days ago, you posted something about signing up for Jen’s List, so I did, and totally love it! In one of her emails, a personal trainer (Dustin) at Kutting Weight was offering 3 FREE sessions! So, as part of my dedication to my fit moratorium, I forced myself to ask him when the next class was. I’ve gone to two of his classes so far, and they’ve been excellent!
After Dustin’s class tonight, I even went to the gym! And the best part is that I wanted to go to the gym. Let me say that again- I WANTED TO GO TO THE GYM!!
In a couple weeks, my summer break will be over, and I will be going back to school. This was a perfect way for me to get used to forcing myself to do things that I wouldn’t normally do on my own. Hopefully my spending and fit moratorium lead themselves to become habits.
Thanks Julia!