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Floradise

A lifestyle blog by Marette Flora

Spending Ban Update and Lessons

** This post was originally published in April but has since been updated.

In March I shared my goal of doing a pre-baby spending ban on certain categories. I wanted to stop unnecessary spending, especially it comes to dining out, before our baby is born so I can focus on financial goals. Now I want to provide a spending ban update and lessons I learned in hopes of inspiring those who want to also try to do a ban. Perhaps you can learn from my mistakes! Before I get into what I learned from trying to do a spending ban for a month, here are my fails.

Spending Ban Violations:

Total: $221.15

Most of my violations were food-related, as I expected. Believe it or not this is actually an improvement from February, when I spent maybe twice as much on Starbucks alone, all because I failed to have breakfast items stocked at home.

Despite all those fails, I did have lots of success thanks to decluttering. My pre-baby nesting included a lot of reorganizing and minimizing. I have donated bags and boxes of stuff, but I also sold quite a few things I no longer wanted or used, including a camera, books and a watch.

Decluttering Income/Gifts/Refunds:

I made some money to counteract the spending I did in March. Most of it was from decluttering and selling items online. I also received a refund from an order that never arrived in February, and I was given three gift cards.

  • Poshmark: $9.13
  • Preserve refund: $14.99
  • Target gift card: $10
  • Visa gift card: $100
  • Ulta gift card: $20
  • eBay: $298.49

Lessons from my Spending Ban Attempt:

  • Stress is a trigger to spend money for me. We had a rough start to March, which led to poor communication and a lack of energy. I found myself simply not having the motivation to cook my own food on some of the worst days. I discovered I am an emotional spender. When pregnancy or life in general was getting me down, the last thing I wanted to do was “deprive” myself or summon the energy to actually cook after a long day, which led to unnecessary spending.
  • You’re going to have a difficult time with a spending ban if you don’t prep food in advance or grocery shop in advance. I could have tried to use up more items we already had rather than spend on takeout.
  • You don’t need to spend money for self-care, but you also don’t need to feel guilty when you have a terrible day and a long soak with a bath bomb makes you feel like a human again. I tend to reward myself, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, except when you’re trying to do a spending ban! I’m working on taking care of myself in ways that don’t involve money.
  • If you’re going to violate your own spending ban rules, at least look for ways to bring in extra cash as well. Decluttering worked wonders for me in March because I was able to bring in more than I spent simply by ridding myself of items I don’t need, want or use.
  • I need to be more mindful of the waste I cause when ordering food and buying food and drinks on the go. If you don’t have a reusable bottle or your own silverware you are creating more waste.
  • I have been using chilly Chicago weather as an excuse to spend. Same went for my pregnancy. I really just did not feel like driving to a grocery store, picking up what we need, bringing it home and carrying it by myself (or with V) from whatever street parking I can find to our apartment, especially when I’m so cold and uncomfortable. Maybe late pregnancy was not the best time to do a spending ban?
  • Know your why. What is it that you hope to accomplish with a spending ban? Are you saving for a trip? Paying off a student loan or credit card? Being able to remind yourself of the reason may stop you from spending.

My Spending Ban Goal:

The reason I wanted to do a spending ban was to focus on saving as much as I could for my maternity leave. I am proud of the amount I was able to save throughout my pregnancy, even if this month of not spending wasn’t as successful as I had hoped. While I still want to be mindful of where my money goes, I am happy that I should be fine for the remainder of my maternity leave.

Have you ever done a spending ban? Was it a success?

Related post:

Pre-Baby Spending Ban

Pre-Baby Spending Ban

I have been in decluttering, organization and cleaning mode for a couple of weeks now. There’s something about the approaching change of seasons that inspired this, but mostly it’s preparation for the baby’s arrival! As part of my simplifying, I decided after analyzing my February expenses that I also want to implement a mini pre-baby spending ban in March (and possibly April, too!). The main idea is that I don’t want to spend money outside of baby items, groceries and replacing necessities.

Pre-baby spending ban categories:

Gifts: I don’t have any occasions I need to buy gifts for in March, so this should be easy. I do have a wedding gift to purchase in April.

Makeup/hair products/skin care: I already replaced my mascara after I ran out, so I should not need anything else. It’s possible I will run out of foundation in March and I’ll replace that if needed, but I won’t buy more makeup. I’ll admit it’s hard for me to not want to try new cruelty-free products after watching YouTube videos or reading blog posts, though.

Nail polish: I will use the polish shades I have.

Audible books: I have three books to finish, which might be enough reading material until after maternity leave. I put my membership on hold, so I am not buying more monthly credits.

Clothing: I won’t be buying any clothing until after the baby is born. I am instead selling and donating items I don’t wear. (I’m not counting nursing bras/tops because those are considered items for the baby.)

Planner stickers: I stretched out a mini kit for two months and I still have $3 sticker set from Target that I use. I used a birthday gift card to order another mini kit, but other than that I don’t plan to buy any stickers until after our baby is born. If I run out I can always decorate with markers.

Home decor items: We don’t have a need for it, nor do we have space! I just replaced an old rug under my desk chair, but I plan to not buy anything else unless it’s something we need for the baby.

Plants: We typically buy plants/seedlings in the spring or summer, but I’m not sure if we will this year. It’s probably not a great idea to add to our plant collection or start our summer garden before moving, which we want to do this year. (Note: We want a bigger place; we’re not leaving Chicago. Another note: I can’t control the actions of my husband, who loves to buy plants. haha)

Starbucks: I am not completely cutting it out, though I have already cut back. I want to keep it to once a week. (I haven’t been drinking much coffee but I do enjoy a refreshing drink or a breakfast while I’m on the go.)

Dining out/takeout/food delivery: I want to limit this to once per week in March. This will be the hardest category to even cut back on for us and I am the least optimistic about how we’ll do. Just being honest! But we are going to try. I am going to allow myself a couple of friend dates that will involve going out to eat.

Not included in the ban: Blog expenses, transportation, groceries and other essentials.

I’ll be posting an update at the end of March listing any times I break the spending ban. I hope it’s not too long! Have you ever done a spending ban? What are expenses that are worth it to you? Let me know in the comments!

Related posts:

Decluttering and Items I Wish I Didn’t Buy
End-of-Summer Cleaning and Decluttering List

Budgeting: Things I Don’t Spend Money On

Things I don't spend money on and what's worth the money to me | Cutting spending and budgeting

I’ve been thinking lately about goals for the new year and how I can make daily decisions to get me to where I want to be. Budgeting and being mindful of my spending have been on my mind (maybe because I have a baby on the way?). I took a lot at what I spend my money on as well as what’s just not worth it to me.  Today I’m sharing the categories I rarely pay for to perhaps inspire others to analyze their priorities or to give ideas on ways to cut back on spending. If you have categories not listed here that you try not to spend on, please share them in the comments so we can bounce ideas off each other!

What I never or rarely spend money on:

  • Manicures/pedicures at a salon: I just do them myself at home. I have only gotten my nails done once in 2017.
  • Haircuts every three months/hair color: I get one or two haircuts a year. I have never had my hair dyed at a salon, and I don’t see myself starting anytime soon.
  • Dry cleaning and clothes that need dry cleaning.
  • ATM fees: I try to plan accordingly by stopping by my bank’s ATM.
  • Waxing: I do this myself at home.
  • Credit card interest: I pay any balance off before I am charged interest.
  • Accessories/Jewelry: Besides a bracelet I can’t think of any jewelry I purchased this year.
  • Dog grooming: We take Capone to a doggie self-wash place; it’s much cheaper.
  • Lottery tickets.
  • Hats: Any hats I have were given to me except one winter hat.

Things worth the money to me:

  • Fitness classes/races: I will gladly pay for yoga or fitness classes and races because they help me with my health/self-care/fitness goals.
  • Good food: I would rather go to a nicer or healthier restaurant than fast-food place. (Who wouldn’t?) I also try to visit locally owned restaurants as much as possible.
  • Self-care goodies, such as bath bombs.
  • Plants.

Things I want to cut spending back on:

  • Food takeout/delivery: I can’t say I want to eliminate this, but I would like to reduce spending on takeout. In my first trimester I constantly ordered via food delivery apps because I was too exhausted to cook anything and felt sick. Also, I am not a native Chicagoan, so when it’s cold I tend to be a chicken about going out in the cold to get food. That’s why we spend more on takeout/delivery than I’d like.
  • Parking: This is kind of unavoidable in Chicago, but if possible I’d like to cut back on parking costs.
  • Shipping: I used to never pay shipping, but lately I have been ordering more and it’s not always from companies that offer free shipping. I don’t really like adding more items to my shopping cart just to hit a threshold; I only like to order what I need.

Is there anything you’d like to cut spending on?

 

July Goals

This summer is moving too quickly for me, and yet so slowly. When I’m waiting for certain things to happen, I want the time to pass quickly, but at the same time I am struggling to keep up with life lately. I’ll survive, though, because I am a planner and goal setter.

Before I get into July goals, let’s check in with my June goals.

June goal check-in:

  • Prepare for a major life change that I’ll share more about soon. We made some preparations, with more on the way. That’s really all I can say. (#Rhymes)
  • Pay off one of my student loans. Done! I did it at the last minute (yesterday) but it’s paid. I now have less than $1,000 left to pay on a second student loan before I can kiss the debt goodbye! 
  • Plan a summer camping trip. We still haven’t done this because Graham has not had consecutive days off yet. We are determined to make it happen!
  • Continue to grow my blog community. I had set secret goals for my social media accounts, and I hit my Pinterest and Instagram goals but not my Twitter one. Help a girl out by checking out my tweets?
  • Start marathon training! It was a slow start but a start nonetheless. Read my recaps: Week 1 and Week 2.

July goals:

  • Continue to prepare for a big life change. Sorry to be so vague. I hope to finally be able to share some news once I find out for sure this month (or next?!).
  • Continue tracking my meals and macros and stay on track with marathon training.
  • Cross off at least four items from my Chicago summer bucket list.
  • Pay off another debt account and save money toward a trip.
What are your goals for July? Share your blog posts or goals in the comments!

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June Goals

May was a big month in Floradise. We learned some important news about our family, we moved into a new apartment and I ran my half-marathon. I am excited to see what June has in store for us. The weather in Chicago has finally changed, and it seems so fitting as we start a new chapter in our lives. I can’t wait to share more about our journey!
But first, accountability.

May goal check-in:

  • Declutter a bit more, pack and move into our new apartment! Done! It was difficult and exhausting, but we moved! We already love our new apartment much more than the previous one. 
  • Find freelance writing and editing work. I found a few sponsored opportunities and will have an editing project later this summer. I kept applying for freelance work only to have the project turn full-time, meaning I couldn’t do it along with my full-time job. I will continue to look for more opportunities. I even reached out to a company I regularly blog about and hope we can work together soon.
  • Continue half-marathon/marathon training, and beat my previous half-marathon time at the Chicago Spring Half. I wanted to set a PR, but I was 5 minutes off. I did beat my previous time, so I am happy! I am confident I can PR in the fall if I keep up with training.
  • Limit personal spending to $50 a week. Fail, except for one week. It was nearly impossible with  travel I had to do and changing apartments. Moving meant eating takeout a lot more than usual while we set up our place and get groceries.
  • Grow my blog community and social media presence. Success! I have grown my blog community by joining Blog Boss Babe and a couple more Facebook groups. I love finding new blogs to read. Leave a comment with your blog link; I’d love to check it out!
  • Live in the moment despite the anticipation of what’s to come. I did the best I could. Now that I know what is coming our way I am happy to make preparations for all the changes. I am happy to be in our new place and ready to move on from our first apartment experience in Chicago, which I plan to write about soon. My half-marathon is done and now I can start training for my full marathon and my next half. It’s going to be a fun summer!

June goals:

  • Prepare for a major life change that I’ll share more about soon.
  • Pay off one of my student loans.
  • Plan a summer camping trip.
  • Find freelance writing and editing work and sponsored posts.
  • Continue to grow my blog community.
  • Start marathon training!
What are your goals for June? Share them with me in the comments!

May Goals

April was a month of uncertainty. There was so much unpredictability that it was making me anxious to the point where I was losing sleep. At the beginning of the month, we had no idea when we would have to move or where we would live. We had no idea how to pay for the move that is being forced upon us. (Our apartment building was sold and our units are being converted.) I had no idea whether I would be running a marathon this year. I didn’t know whether the family member dealing with addiction would get help. I had no idea what changes this year would bring for Graham and me (and I still don’t). I’m grateful that things became more clear by the end of April. That brought me a little more peace at night and has renewed my inspiration for the new month.

Before I get into my May goals, let’s check in with my previous goals.

April goal check-in

  • Continue looking for freelance writing and editing work. I didn’t find any freelance work in April, but I also didn’t really look. I’m going to really focus on this in May. I’d like to also grow my own blog and newsletter. (Please sign up here!)
  • Film one video for YouTube. Success! I filmed the Yoga & Mimosas event at the John Hancock Building in Chicago and our weekend in Kentucky for Thunder Over Louisville 2016, as well as a yoga video that will go live this week. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here.
  • Stay on track with half-marathon training. Done! I ran about 50 miles in April and stayed on track with training. I also found out I’m running the Chicago Marathon in October. I didn’t complete the Orangetheory Marathon, but I helped out Care for Real, a food pantry in Edgewater (Chicago) that provides food, clothing and referrals to people in need. Read my half-marathon recaps.
  • Adjust my diet to cut out more junk. Somewhat successful! Eating mostly healthy, unprocessed foods is harder than running a marathon! I ordered farm boxes, which helped me eat more vegetables. I have been following some fitness bloggers and vloggers who have helped me find healthy snack options. I plan to blog about this at some point.
  • Continue saving and paying down debt. Any money I saved had to be used for moving and general life expenses that came up. We have paid down debt and plan to have an account paid off by June. I am also super close to paying off a student loan, and I can have the other paid off this year. It feels like it’s taken a million years.

May goals:

  • Declutter a bit more, pack and move into our new apartment! 
  • Find freelance writing and editing work.
  • Continue half-marathon/marathon training, and beat my previous half-marathon time at the Chicago Spring Half. I want to set a PR, but I don’t know if that’s realistic given my times during recent long runs.
  • Limit personal spending to $50 a week. 
  • Grow my blog community and social media presence. Won’t you help a girl out?
  • Live in the moment despite the anticipation of what’s to come. We have some big changes on the way, and I want to be able to enjoy the journey instead of letting stress kill my vibe.
What are your goals this month? Share them with me in the comments!

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