It has been a quiet week in Lake Spend-be-gone*. In honor of no-spend February, this has been a week without questionable stock-ups of Tater Tots, trips to the movies or other unnecessary expenditures.
One big-ticket item, though: a plane ticket to Phoenix* for next month, which set me back close to $600, including trip insurance. Of course, I expected to pay a lot: Right now is the high season for people wanting to get out of Anchorage.
But this trip is an essential expense: My daughter is having cataract surgery, so I’ll be driving Miss Abby. Also painting her bathroom, doing a few household chores, making some casseroles and scooping the litter box. And, yeah, taking daily walks on gloriously ice-free sidewalks.
I watched “The Walking Dead” at my niece’s home for free, rather than go to a local bar and have to spring for a soft drink and a tip. The writers group to which I belong had its monthly meeting, and I brought a spice cake made from ingredients we already had. (More on that later.)
While I’d planned to get some vanilla ice cream on the way to the meeting, to go with the cake, I forgot all about it. Turns out it wasn’t necessary (very moist cake!), and besides, the forgetting jibed with something from last week’s comments section.
A reader named mdoe37 said she’d picked up a planner to help organize her household. Soon afterward she had what she calls a “hello!” moment: Don’t I already have a couple of binders at home, and couldn’t I go online for some organizational sheets to print out?
Somehow her first impulse on seeing a planner was to buy it: Look, a thing that will help organize all those other things! Upon reflection, though, she decided to return it and save a little over $5.
“It’s all about taming the reflex,” she notes.
If people take away nothing else from the no-spend month, I hope they get this part.
Vowing not to spend – even just for a month – is a great way to help us tame the see-it-buy-it reflex. To help us say “maybe later” to a purchase that ultimately won’t make much difference in our lives. To deal with challenges in creative ways rather than just throwing money at them.
‘Making smart money choices’
Sometimes those solutions are not just creative, but fun.
To treat her three school-age grandkids for Valentine’s Day, a reader named Ann bought heart stickers from the dollar store and made cards. With the cards came a dollar’s worth of Sweet Tarts Sweet ’n’ Chewy Ropes candy: two for 50 cents each and one for free because Ann took advantage of the Kroger “Free Friday Download” coupon.
On Feb. 15, Ann bought discounted candy for two older grandkids, whom she would be seeing later on. In the meantime, she and the younger kids were to make marshmallow treats except that Ann couldn’t find her heart-shaped cookie cutter. When she asked to borrow a neighbor’s, that friend responded not only with the cookie cutter but also leftover cereal and some frosting and sprinkles. Score!
Finally, she took the kids to the movies at a theater with $3.50 tickets and “reasonable” concessions. Again, those who participate get to decide what “essential” spending is. Did they have to get cards and make treats and see a movie? Technically, no. Did she want to do these things? Then it’s essential.
“I so enjoy reading how others are making smart money choices,” Ann writes. “I like to learn and celebrate with others when they are successful.”
Letting ourselves slow down
That’s been my favorite part of the no-spend month, too: seeing people’s make-do gene rev up, or in some cases reactivate. A few examples from this week:
Cheryl’s business lunch was too big to eat. Did she leave the remainder? Of course not. Getting a doggy bag meant that night’s dinner was already prepared. (This is the same Cheryl who paid off her mortgage.)
Bad weather helped Cakester in her no-spend resolve not to go out for Chinese food, even if leftovers would have fed her for a few days. Instead, she stayed home and read free Kindle books.
Revanche had a houseguest, who luckily was “very flexible.” The household turned three potential meals out into one small takeout order plus leftovers and pantry items. (Revanche blogs at A Gai Shan Life. You should read her.)
Jenzer, a small business owner, spent part of her staycation doing fun things with the kids. But she also planned to give herself the luxury of reading and a little television: “I don’t often let myself slow down…so sacking out on the couch with the remote will be a real treat.” Also cheaper than a mani-pedi or a shopping trip.
I’m looking forward to updates on how everyone’s past week went.
About that spice cake
I didn’t tell anyone there that the recipe was actually called Sour Milk Spice Cake. In part that was because I didn’t want any of the other writers to be grossed out (sour milk? eeewww!), but it was also because I didn’t actually use sour milk. A few days earlier I’d had a batch of yogurt not set up, and I’d been looking for ways to use the too-runny-to-eat result.
Smoothies, waffles and then cake. And dang, was that cake good, with a tender crumb and a moist texture that belied the fact that there are no eggs in the recipe.
I did tinker the spice ratio, doubling the cinnamon and adding some ginger. Definitely a winner, and one that will stay in my baking repertoire. If you decide to make it, I suggest leaving out “sour milk” from the description. People are easily appalled.
*“A Prairie Home Companion” fans will see what I did there.
**If anybody in the Phoenix area is interested in a meet-up between March 14 and March 20, contact me at SurvivingAndThriving (at) live (dot) com and let me know what days and times might work. Usually we do this at the Wendy’s restaurant at 2640 W. Thunderbird Rd., which will give you some idea of the neighborhood where I will be.
Thanks for the mention! Chuffed I could add something to this edition.
Taming the reflex indeed!! All day today I was flicking my reflex on the nose about eating out: that really cute old brunch place with the heavenly pastry (of which I could only have a bite), someone mentioned Red Robin I bet burgers would really hit the spot!, I heard mention of steak and potatoes and now I want some… I was basically fueled by cravings all the livelong day. But recognizing them as temporary cravings helped me dismiss them much more quickly than when I believe it’s truly hunger and sink deep into the craving.
Yes, yes and yes. Taming the reflex…a perfect expression for the see and buy syndrom. I’m having a lot of that this month. 🙁 I just need to stop ‘seeing’, especially online. I’m hoping to do a no YouTube/internet challenge next month. This should help. 🙂
Did pretty good this week. A neighbor (who doesn’t like leftovers!) made a large pot of “green bean soup”, and asked if I wanted a bowl…when I showed up with my bowl, she told me it wasn’t big enough and sent me home with a larger container of soup, AND my bowl full! Fed me all week, good neighbors for the win!
Note: I was skeptical about “green bean” soup—but it was delicious! Think “southern style” green beans (much like they serve at a Cracker Barrel) in a broth with lots of bacon and kielbasa.
A commenter in the following article had a recipe for Dill Pickle Soup:
http://donnafreedman.com/good-to-the-last-drop-getting-full-use-of-condiments/
We tried it and although we probably won’t make it again, it was actually pretty tasty (if a bit vinegary). We served it over smashed boiled potatoes.
I have not had a difficult time with this February incentive to be frugal. I am already frugal in many ways. This was not without challenges for me. I live in NY. Things here a very expensive, as in other places as well. I enjoy a bargain just like most people. What I have learned during my road trip to Frugal was that I could do it. I could find and create a different way to use my money. I went from working to early retirement for different reasons, and my husband and I live in a home we own, live in Long Island, very expensive to keep a home, maintain it and have the basics in life. Selling and moving was not an option. We hunkered down and started major adjustments.
Having undergone a significant change in income from working to early retirement and social security. My husband took his retirement for major health reasons also, I knew I had to get creative and find my way to new solutions to financial distress. All the while that was happening, I knew I could steer the ship and that we would not sink. It was a time of change and change required resourcefulness. I also know that we were lucky, but we changed. It was fundamental and essential and we understood it was a new season for us. I am grateful for so many things and I did not like every lesson I was learning during that “shift”, but I learned them and am better for it. I always knew money was important, how I used it was important too. I have enjoyed the articles and the comments. I garner something from all who are on this site. I appreciate the content.
That’s one of my favorite things about maintaining a website: The comments and ideas of everyone who comments. We learn from one another how to steer our own ships.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving your thoughts.
The local store had another coupon for a free item. Tortilla chips for free…..nachos on the menus this week! I did return the binder along with a couple packs of organizing stickers (another $4).
I made yogurt for the first time this week. The Oikos is nearly $5, Aldi brand $3.59 ….homemade $1.50. I didn’t even splurge on cheesecloth to strain it. Flour sack towel did the trick.
We have a potential wind storm coming in the next 24 hours. I drove mother over to get a few groceries with her van, which needed filling. So I ran my errands (the return and the tortilla chips) during the same trip….and I didn’t spend $3 in gas (money is skimpy this week!!)
These are all great examples! Thanks for sharing them. I love that you saved more than $9 by deciding not to do the prefab planner.
Don’t bother with cheesecloth, all you future yogurt makers. A flour sack dishtowel (which I’ve also used) or even a sturdy cloth napkin (what I’m using now) will do just fine. They’re easier to wash, too. Another pro tip: Using close-dated (“manager’s special”) milk cuts the price further, and the yogurt lasts just as long as it does when made with longer-dated milk. Remember to save some for the next batch (one-half cup per half-gallon of milk). When the starter begins to smell more like bread or beer than yogurt, it means that wild yeast has taken over and you’ll need a new starter. But don’t throw it out; instead, use it in the spice cake recipe noted in this article, or the sour cream chocolate cake recipe noted in https://donnafreedman.com/eat-cake/.
Incidentally, the whey that drains out of the yogurt can be used in various cooking projects; we use it for bread, oatmeal, curry, soups and stews. Do an online search for “uses for yogurt whey” to find other ideas.
“Taming the reflex” — yep! This challenge has made me VERY aware that I have a Treat-Yo-Self reflex of buying snacky foods when I’m out running errands. I’ve never had a fancy coffee drink habit, but Doritos and Diet Coke? Yes, please. And who am I kidding? That’s just as expensive as getting dressed-up lattes most days of the week.
I did make it through the last seven days with no impulse food purchases, though.
In other No-Spend news, here’s how our staycation wrapped up …
Day Three (Sunday) was another day of puttering, reading, and TV watching. We entertained our taste buds with a new recipe from the Budget Bytes blog for dinner and made a pan of homemade brownies for dessert.
Day Four (Monday) started with the chore no one wanted to do: shoe shopping for the teen and tween. We put it first on our to-do list to get it over with. Luckily, we found what we needed on clearance, and the store had a promotion of “buy one clearance pair, get a second clearance pair half off.” Nice.
The next stop was a fabric & craft store, where my daughter spent her own money on supplies for her next sewing project. She and I went through the check-out line separately so we could each use a “60% off one item” coupon.
Lunch out was a new-to-us Chinese restaurant that specializes in hand-pulled noodles. All three of us had enough food left over from lunch to eat for dinner that evening.
We all agreed that the weekend was very satisfying. We got out of the house to have some adventures that aren’t part of our normal routine, but then we got to sleep in our own beds every night. That’s much more pleasant for a trio of introverts, and it saved a few hundred dollars on hotel costs. We’re already thinking about staycation ideas for spring break next month.
Go you guys! It sounds like a pleasant weekend indeed, except maybe for the shoe-shopping. On the other hand, an additional discount on clearance would make it all worthwhile.
It’s way too easy to get into treat mode, and can be hard as heck to get back out. After all, we’ve just been doing [errands, housecleaning, kid-wrangling] and we need it. Or we’re overwhelmed because Bad Stuff is happening and want a little comfort.
Fact is, sometimes it’s okay to say “yes.” But if we can tame that reflex even half the time — say, changing the coffee-after-church thing into a twice-a-month habit — then we will notice significant savings.
Or we can find workarounds, such as:
— Using a coupon. I’ve got two “free doughnut” coupons in my wallet right now, in case I’m out and about with one or both nephews.
— Bringing our own. Whenever I go to the library to write, I bring a small bag of peanuts (filled from a Costco can) and a soft drink that I’ve partially frozen and wrapped in newspaper (you can have drinks if they have lids, and I have one that snaps onto cans).
— Saying “not this time.” Often that works for me. Yes, I want to get McDonald’s fries before or after the library. But I take a moment to think about it, I usually realize that (a) this is habit, not hunger and (b) I’m no more than 12 minutes from home and I have plenty to eat there. Note that I said “usually” — sometimes I do get the fries. But only when I’ve thought about it and decided to get them. That’s the whole point of a no-spend exercise, after all: to get us to spend more intentionally.
Spending more intentionally — that’s my goal. Usually those snack cravings are a mindless reaction to stress. I’m working to build a pause between stimulus and response in those situations, and in the pause consider if I’m making a constructive or destructive choice. Sometimes I come up with an alternative that’s much more wholesome and soulfully nutritious, i.e. “Maybe I need to go for a walk outside instead of eating the fifth chocolate chip cookie.”
I know now that when I’m craving what I call “F— It Doughnuts,” I’ve got issues other than hunger that need my attention.
My no-spend win was recognizing I didn’t need anything. My favorite clothing website (LL Bean) was having a clearance and I pulled up the website to see what was on sale. Then I realized: I don’t need anything. Have enough clothes for summer (nearly upon us here in Florida). Have enough clothes for winter, such as it is here. My criteria for “enough” is that I can get through a work week without having to do laundry because there’s not always time or energy for it. And I can. So I left their website. No temptation, no spend.
Hello to my fellow home yogurt makers! I have a batch going in my mini Instant Pot right now. 🙂 A friend shared with me a way to thicken the yogurt without straining it: add powdered milk to the cold milk *before* you boil it. The ratio I use is one envelope of the powdered milk (envelope says it’s enough to make a quart of milk) to about 2 1/2 quarts of liquid milk. Whisk it in, let it sit for a few minutes, whisk again. It dissolves better that way. Then go about your normal yogurt making. Your results will be much thicker with a little more protein and calcium to boot. Per local prices, it adds about a dollar to the cost of a week’s worth of yogurt with no need to drain off whey.
Yay you with the “I don’t need anything” epiphany.
As for draining the yogurt: I do it because it tastes much milder that way. The thickened texture is good, too, but mostly it’s because undrained yogurt has just a little too much tang for me. YMMV.
I had an easy time not spending this week, as I had absolutely nothing scheduled (besides church) that took me out of the house. I think the only thing we bought besides groceries was some cough syrup and some cold & flu medicine, because we seem to be entering round 2 of the crud.
And we spent very little on groceries at that, because being at home all week gave me a chance to plan, use up, and stretch what we had on hand.
We even had oatcakes, a delectable treat I don’t make nearly often enough. Start with a thick oatmeal (about a 1:1 ratio of quick-cooking oats to water, with butter, salt, pepper to taste and a dash of sage. Stir or knead in flour or baking mix to make a soft dough. Form into patties with floured hands and coat lightly with flour. Fry patties in a thin layer of oil in a skillet, turning once, until golden and crispy on both sides. Serve warm. Excellent plain or drizzled with a little honey.
\Looks like everyone has had a pretty good third week. I do love the community you’ve built here. Rock on, fellow frugalists!
Thank You for this timely blog post! I recently had “trouble/challenges” with the entry door knobs to our place. One lockset had broke and another was about to…So I jumped in the car and went to Home Depot and bought $60 worth of replacements. Read your blog post and got to thinkin’…and realized I had “found..scrounged…saved” a couple superior door knobs. Looked around and ACTUALLY found a key from my “key inventory” that fit. Went to Ace and had two more keys made for $4…returned the $60 worth of door knobs to Home Depot…The door knobs look great and I have a jingle in my pocket and less junk… “inventory” in my basement. Thank you once more…
Easy not to spend on food this week. Temps in Fairbanks have been reaching into the high 20s some days, so next to the house it is about 33. Time to bring everything from our winter freezer (a Rubbermaid container on the back porch) into the only other freezer we have, the one that is part of our fridge. So, eating odd things to make room…like stuffed pepper soup, turkey soup, all those other soups I made doubles of and then froze half for future meals. Oh, and 13 pouches of pumpkin pulp from last summer’s garden! I put it into chili and made bread and we still have a ton left. Only thing I had to buy was milk, since the husband won’t drink powdered. Instead I buy full fat, take out a quarter of the gallon jug and refill the jug with water plus add some water to the quarter jug that I took out. He’ll drink 1% so the watered down full milk is just fine with him. Certainly stretches the milk.
Those danged warm spells. They ruin everything.
Thanks for this tip regarding milk! Didn’t need to stop at the grocery store mid-week on account of your good idea.
I was speaking with a younger dweller in my apartment building, and she said something quite interesting.
“Everything you own,” she offered, “will eventually wind up in a landfill.”
Therefore, she and her roommate, when faced with a purchase, ask if it would be worth buying the item simply to be thrown away at a later date. Hmmmm.
She also told me that the local Goodwill has had so much donated that it cannot keep up. Supply is exceeding demand.
Mindful of this, my little band of merry single women over 60 decided to adopt this philosophy. One of us wanted to buy a new set of dishes and decided against it (she already had 6 complete sets which we find utterly hilarious). Another had some jewelry she never wore made into a lovely ring, thus foregoing a brand new one. The corker? One of us trades her car in every year and because of the philosophy of my young neighbor decided to keep her new model for another year. Darn. At least 3 of us have one of her cars. I was hoping to get this one because mine is beginning to nickle and dime me.
That will teach me to listen to the youngsters around here. Lol.
Well, maybe she’ll backslide and go for a newer model.
The landfill analogy is a good one. So is asking yourself, “Can I see myself dusting this item five years from now?”
Thanks for reading, and for sharing your story.
Like Tina, I had a clothes revelation in that even though I get a coupon in the mail, I don’t NEED anything so I don’t NEED to use the coupon. I removed myself from a lot of mailing lists this month in order to avoid the coupon temptation. I also cleaned out my closet, gave away clothes I no longer wear and vowed to see how long I can go without making a clothing purchase. I think I’m good for at least a year if not longer!
That’s great! While coupons and sales are great frugal tools, they can be mere temptations if you don’t actually need anything right now.
Thanks for sharing your progress.
+1 on removing yourself from mailing lists. I was helping a friend clean up his house a few weeks ago when I realized a lot of the clutter was piles of mail. I asked him to give me all the flyers, circulars, and catalogues he wasn’t interested in, and sat down and called or emailed every one. It took less than half and hour, and his volume of mail has been reduced by over half. Less temptation to spend, less waste, less clutter!
As for myself, I recently did the ‘opt out’ thing online. I’ve received so little mail lately that I thought something was wrong! Then I remembered that this was what I was aiming for 🙂 Instead of checking every day to clear out the junk mail, I check a few times a week to get mail I actually want! And zero instances of “ooh, a sale, I’ll just pop on over and see if I need anything”.
Less clutter, less paper waste, fewer chances to overbuy: I would call that a win-win-win.