I think I’m losing steam. Also, I’m realizing this month is not very no-spend, what with all the spending I’m doing…
Tuesday Nov 15: Was sick of bringing in sandwiches and leftovers. Call it no-spend burnout. Bought the taco salad at lunch. $5.87 Good news is that kept me pretty full all day, I think I didn’t even need dinner!
Wednesday Nov 16: Back to the sandwiches. No Spend.
Thursday Nov 17: We had a section meeting, so we got lunch coupons for the cafeteria. Used it to buy two large bowls of chili and a granola bar. No spend (of my money!)
Friday Nov 18: Ate the second bowl of chili for lunch. I’m a chili fiend! Dinner time, boyfriend and I wanted to go out to eat. So we did. Got some Thai food at a local restaurant. A few appetizers and entrees (and a little leftover to eat the next day) + tax + tip: $40.
Saturday Nov 19: Didn’t do much of anything, just relaxed all day. Staying home means no-spend.
Sunday Nov 20: Met up with some old friends in Cambridge. Ate at Abigails. $14 Wasn’t very impressed with the service, or the prices for that matter. But I was willing to go since I hadn’t seen these friends in awhile.
At church, put $1 in the collection plate. I’m a cheapskate.
My car’s gas tank was running on empty, so I had to fill up. Luckily, I had enough gas to get to the cheap station near home. $37.
Monday Nov 21: Brought salad for lunch, but was craving something warm. So I bought a cup of soup in the cafeteria to supplement my meal. $2.55.
As you can tell, I’m not doing so great at this no-spend thing. Total this week was $100.42. My mom’s been following along, and was worried that I was starving myself or being ridiculous with my lack of spending. But I assured her, I’ve just been cutting down on bought lunches, really. And avoiding going anywhere near Target or the mall…
Looking ahead, the expenses will definitely be another tank or two of gas, a few more lunches if I can’t get my lunch-packing act together. The only shopping I’ll be doing this weekend will be at local shops, trying to go with the Shift Your Shopping movement. And I wont be shopping anywhere that opens before 10AM on Friday 🙂
I’m very much looking forward to this Thanksgiving break. Family and Food? Two of my favorite things!
Will this weekend be no-spend for you? Or will you be spending up a storm at all the Black Friday sales?
Graduated Learning: Life after College 
I made a New Year’s resolution this year to bring lunch more often, and it worked for a little while, and then I just got sick of PB&J and didn’t think it was very healthy to eat the same thing every day. I think I probably ate the same thing for lunch every day in grade school, but I can’t stand doing that anymore. I think the trick is often some kind of leftovers from a dinner, so that you mix it up a bit. I also tried to take a cue from one of my coworkers and get salads from the salad bar a lot because it was easier to get my veggie servings there than trying to keep veggies fresh in the fridge for just me. In the future, maybe pick one day a week that you get to have your favorite cafeteria meal if they post the menu, and keep canned soups and snacks at your desk or something in the freezer at work that you can break open if you forget, wake up late, or stay at work late.
November is a tough month for a no-spend challenge! People start wanting to get together more with the holidays approaching, and there’s usually traveling, hostess gifts, and holiday food expenses. Plus the whole black-Friday thing. Crowded stores make me anxious, though, so I usually stay away.
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I think the problem with leftovers is that there often isn’t any! Aaron does a very good job of finishing whatever was prepared for dinner. Maybe I should start by putting away a serving for lunch before we eat dinner!
Good call on the canned soup at my desk. I should pick up some of those the next time they’re on sale. I do tend to bring a lot of snacks (fruit, granola bars, pudding cups). I suppose not all of them are the healthiest, but I try not to snack too much. But between the soup and the snacks, I’ve got my savory and my sweet cravings covered.
I never bother with Black Friday sales, it’s too scary/crazy and I don’t ever need the items they have marked down. Besides, I don’t even know what I’m getting for people yet!
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Target is what kills me. I try to avoid it at all costs. However, I’ve gone twice in the past week…
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Target is the worst. Sometimes I just get excited about going and feel obligated to buy stuff I don’t even need. Horrible.
I’ve also been trying to bring lunch to work. I was buying soup and sandwiches a lot. Buying the sale loaf of bread at Whole Foods and making my own sandwiches has saved me a ton and I will often make chili at home and bring it in for the week.
Good luck avoiding holiday shopping this month! I’m not going to fight crowds, but I am admittedly going to go for some of the online deals.
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