Financial Detox: January Wrap Up and Report

I really like taking the month of January to reassess my spending patterns and remind myself of what I need vs what I want.  I think this will probably become an annual tradition, and I am a-okay with that. Ok, so what I promised to do: spend money only on bills, groceries, and gas. No browsing Amazon, Etsy, or Target; no unnecessary beauty purchases (nail polish, fun eyeliner, etc); no breakfast burritos on Fridays (sob!); bulk up my savings account.

Last January when I tried this I had just moved to Arizona, which is a terrible time to banish any house spending. I kind of failed. This time, however, I did really really well! I didn’t buy any new books, I used the library and Overdrive; I didn’t spend money to go do things, I went to the gym, rode my (darling!) bike, and worked on some projects at home that I already had all the supplies for. Except for one “forgot my lunch” situation, I didn’t eat out this month either. Prior to deciding I was going to go on a financial freeze this month I had made plans for two events that would necessitate spending a few dollars, I am thrilled to announce that I spent less than I’d set aside cash for, and the total for both things was only $30 anyway, which seems extra super reasonable anyway.

Can we talk a little bit about what I did spend money on? Besides the aforementioned activities? In the 10 days since the Cheeto in Chief took office I have donated to a number of organizations, and I have ZERO guilt about that. I’ve set up monthly donations, given one-time chunks of cash, and tried to do what I can to counteract the heinous activity coming from the White House with as many dollars and cents as I can spare. Luckily, this particular month, I had more to spare than usual. Silver linings, folks.

I think I’ll do another detox this spring to help keep me in check. The thing that surprised me the most this time around was how…not hard it was. I mean, inconvenient at times, sure. But it wasn’t nearly the struggle as it has been in previous iterations. Which is a GOOD THING! That means that my day-to-day and month-to-month spending habits and patterns are becoming more in-line with my needs instead of my wants. Hooray! Adulting!

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6 thoughts on “Financial Detox: January Wrap Up and Report

    1. Feisty Harriet Post author

      I keep thinking of your “No spending not even really groceries” detox…and I still am wondering if I could really go that extreme. I dunno, but I think about it ALL THE TIME. So, that’s something.

      xox

      Reply
  1. Kelsie O

    I love everything about this. Good job with reducing your spending (especially only eating out ONCE!) and even better job giving to charities as a result of this political mess.

    Reply

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