Spending Freeze

From someecards.com

So, thanks to the threat of a government shutdown in October (and with that, my paychecks) and my inability to save money the way that I truly should, I have decided to buckle down, get my finances in order, and put myself on a mandatory two month spending freeze.  I realize two months seems a bit drastic, but you know what they say, right?  How it takes 30 days to form a habit?  Well when it comes to me and shopping, I feel that I need to double that for it to really sink in.

With all the upcoming sales, the fabulous fall clothes now out, and my ever shrinking waistline (yay, me!), this is really tough for me.  Alas, it needs to be done, so here I go...until October 18th (I wrote this post a few days earlier than it's publish date), my new mantra is as follows:

1)  I will only spend money on the necessities:  food, bills, gym, medical/physical therapy, and my car.
2)  I will eat out no more than two times per week--this includes buying lunches at work rather than bringing my own.
3)  I will allow myself only $25 per week on extracurricular activities--a movie, new book, special event, mani/pedi or night out.
4)  If I don't spend my all of my $25 for the week, it can roll over into the next week (will reinforce saving up for something special).
5)  If I absolutely have to spend money on anything other than this, it will only be out of emergency, replacing something basic that I need (like toiletries) or doctors orders.

I need to learn to live on less, and I especially need to break the habit of my retail therapy crutch.  And it's gotten bad--instead of doing healthy things like working out, writing or talking it out when I'm feeling blue, I shop.  But I need to remember this:  No matter how good buying those new shoes may make me feel, it makes my checking account sad.  No more sad allowed in this house!  And now that I've aired my dirty laundry, it feels great that you all can now also help hold me accountable for this.  So no temptations either friends! 

So, that is the test...think I can do it?  I gave up spending for Lent this year, and ended up losing 10 pounds in the process, so hopefully that will be an added bonus this time too!  There are a lot of great online resources that can help you form a budget, keep track of spending, and give great advice on managing your finances. The two I use most frequently are Mint and LearnVest, but if you know of any that you prefer, let me know!

Let the spending freeze begin!