As I end my third month of the shopping ban, I have some wins to celebrate and some tweaks that need work to improve!
Wins: As I see my savings accounts grow, I am proud that I am taking my shopping ban seriously and making big changes, and spending less on stuff I don’t need. I no longer spend time shopping online. I used to spend hours browsing Marketplace, on Lululemon, and I don’t have any surprise credit card bills (unless I forget to pay one, which I did one week!). A good change I’ve made was in what I purchase for my daily required Tim Horton’s Steeped Tea. Five years ago (and then for 2 years), I went to Timmie’s every morning and bought a tea on the way to work ($2.50 per day, $912 per year). Then I discovered their K-Pods at the grocery store. I was paying $23.99 for 30 pods ($0.79 per day, $288 per year). Then this summer, a friend of my dad’s told me that Tim Horton’s tea bags are way cheaper and the very same as the pods. But the price is crazy: $7.99-9.99 for 108 tea bags (about $0.08 per day, $30/year). That’s a savings of $882 per year! PLUS, no pods to wash to recycle or throw in the garbage! Another improvement I have made is my time on social media. Since I removed Facebook and IG from my phone and iPad. I watch fewer videos of dash cam footage and “Say Yes to the Dress” episodes. I used to watch for 1-2 hours a day! I’ve also been getting gas at Costco when I can to spend less on gas. Last time, leaving Edmonton, there was a 20-minute wait, so I detailed the inside while I waited. I keep all my detailing supplies in a bag in the car to make it easier for me to detail.
Needs Work: Even seeing the savings accounts grow, I can’t help thinking that I could be saving more. Food is my biggest expense every month, besides rent. While reviewing my ban with my Denver bestie, she said that grocery shopping may be my new spending outlet, my entertainment for the week. So, I want to rethink my spending for food to get that under control: I will make a grocery list each week (which I already do) and try harder to stick to it (which I haven’t been doing a great job of). I need to budget $100-150 per month on grocers + one meal out a week and stick to it.
This week, I received my Climate Action Incentive. Thank you, Canadian Government. A little boost never hurts, especially with rent, gas and groceries prices crazy high.
Money this week was spent on Sunday parking for the writer’s conference downtown, parking at the hospital in Etown for my appointment with my surgeon, gas for the drive back from Calgary, car insurance, home insurance, prescriptions, lunch in Etown, dog food, dog grooming, groceries, and chiro. My friends are moving and don’t need their apartment-sized air conditioning unit, so they sold it to me for a reasonable price. The last few summers, I have been so hot in the condo, and Alfie has been panting while just lying on the floor. Our summers are getting consistently hotter, so I will make good use of it.
Next week will be my month in review, with 5 weeks summarized with the percentages.
