a quick money diet weigh in

It's been a couple of weeks and I'm doing great with my lightened budget. 


Things I've said "no" to buying:
tickets to see walking with dinosaurs
a new fabulous looking home magazine with a STELLAR three year offer
a truck of sand for Zeek's new sand area
a used, relatively inexpensive fishing boat and trailer up the street that I WANT

a fishing pole and bigger bike for Zeek
clothes, clothes, makeup, clothes
and pretty much whatever i want when i'm in a store


I've even gone into stores and left with one or two items totaling under $10. 


Things I've changed to suit the plan:
weekly menu with shopping list so we don't have to keep a small store in stock at the house
emptying and unplugging the gigantic freezer in the garage
purchasing homeschool curriculum and books used, online 
borrowing books, music and DVDs from the library
combining purposes for trips made into town
grocery shopping only at woodmans for all but our meats
making due with what we have instead of buying exactly what i want
sadly, less buying things for people and/or footing the bill at gatherings 


Things we still enjoy:
movies
lunch or ice cream while we're in town now and then
organic and whole foods
girls' and guys' nights out
playdates with cost


Things that threaten to break me:
my disposable contact lenses
my herbs and supplements
my hair upkeep


I have trained Zeek to yell "walk away, Mom. walk away!" when I'm looking at things in a store that I shouldn't. Sometimes he even says it when I'm looking at something we need to buy. It's adorable. :)


I have stuck to the new budget and not gone over. I am proud of the savings. I am enjoying following a menu plan and grocery shopping with purpose. 
Today I spent 1/3 of what I normally would on groceries and household goods. 


I'm hoping to add my menu plans with links to recipes soon. We are having lots of fun cooking and baking. I feel so much less stress when I don't have decide everyday what I'm going to make. 


I will "weigh in" again in another couple of weeks to see how much I've lost gained! :)