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No Buy 2020: February Review

While January seemed to just drag on and on, February has just flown by for me! I honestly can't understand how it's already March tomorrow ... and already time to recap another month of my No Buy.

How did I do this month? Well, I did okay-ish.

I spent 78% of my monthly average from 2019. Now, this doesn't sound like much of a win (a mere 22% less than usual? psh). But, I bought plane tickets for my vacation in June, which totaled $278 dollars. So even with a couple hundred dollars in vacation spending, I'm still under my average. And I'm going to consider that a win.

Has it gotten easier? Absolutely. During January, I felt like I was saying "no" to myself all the time. But now that this is more of a habit (and I know to keep my butt out of Target), it's actually not so bad.

If I could be buying things, what would I purchase? I have a birthday in April and I would be lying if I wasn't starting to make a list of gifts to ask for! I want a cookbook ("Plant-Based on a Budget"), a hiking backpack, and blue light glasses. Old me would have bought this stuff without thinking twice, rather than waiting to ask for it as a gift.

The No Buy definitely has me thinking a lot more critically about things I "need." For example, I wanted compression socks. And you know what? I don't think I really need them, at least not right now. I still catch myself trying to justify things (oh, but blue light glasses are good for my health), but at the very least I'm forcing myself to think about it for a long time before I'd pull the plug. Which I'm not going to. Because, birthday.

What was a big spending category in February? Food and restaurants. Oh my goodness. Admittedly, I was going out a lot more with friends and on dates (and as a strong, independent woman I enjoy paying for my share, haha). So this category was a mess. Just a mess.

What do I hope to do better in March? Rein in the above-mentioned food and restaurant category. Sheesh! I had a goal in February to eat more of what I already have at home (my pantry and freezer are surprisingly packed), so I want to refocus on that goal in March. Then, I need to pay more attention to my spending when I go out. Maybe more coffee and appetizers, less dinners with multiple drinks. But, I honestly don't feel too guilty about this because it's my social life and that's important to me. Oh, and I'm hoping to use more coupons when I go grocery shopping. Step one will be to actually remember to bring them with me...

What have I been doing well? I've really stuck to my rules of no coffee if I'm not studying, packing a lunch for work, and not buying any clothes/shoes/make-up/stationary/books/house stuff/toys for Milo (don't worry, he has plenty). And I'm pretty confident I can keep this up for the long run.



Thanks for reading,
Olivia
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