Spending Fast Recap - January 2013

 

One month down, eleven more to go!

 

At this point, that sounds kind of depressing. The first two weeks were easy. I was running on a motivational high and just KNEW I could do this, without a problem.

 

 But then week three showed up, and at that point I had already had one of my favorite (but unfortunately not necessary) kitchen tools bite the dust, I ran out of lotion, facial toner and toothpaste, and I really wanted a glass of wine. Combine that with all the amazing books being released right now and my love affair with all things crafty - well, it kinda stinks.

 

I have the means to make my own lotion, toner and toothpaste, so those were not classified as needs just yet. Thankfully I have a husband that's willing to brush his teeth with clay for me - if that doesn't say "love", I don't know what does.

 

And while staring at a large crock pot full of potato soup needing to be blended, I initially thought a new immersion blender was a need, but I waited. I'm glad I did, because really, for the few times a month I actually use the immersion blender, I could easily use either my regular standing blender or hand mixer depending on what needed to be done. So, for now, an immersion blender is not really a need for me. Before this, I would have just gone out and bought the blender without a second thought.

 

This was a turning point for me, I must admit. I really didn't think we spent all that much on unnecessary purchases, but we do. A few extra minutes and a little thinking outside the box can take you pretty far and save a lot of money.

 

At it's very least, this year will be a paradigm shift for me, and at it's best, my student loans will be paid off.

 

On that note, I'm extremely happy to report that even though this month was not perfect, I still came up with A LOT more money than I had anticipated.

 

I slipped up a smidgen, I did buy some wine and I splurged a bit on my spices so I could make our own Chai - more on that later...

 

Honestly, I had a target number that I wanted to throw towards my student loans, which at the beginning of the month I thought was a bit optimistic.

 

Well, I surpassed that.

 

That surprise, that feeling of accomplishment, that outweighs any purchase any day.