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Blog: The Pile High Club--how NOT to become a member
 90 Day Fiscal Freeze
So last year in response to my husband's comments about my weekly Target spending, I secretly put myself on a 90-day Spend Freeze. I decided—of my own will—to not buy ANYTHING for 90 days that was not groceries, gas, or medically necessary. And I was going to see if my husband noticed.
The first few weeks were easy. Then it got hard. REALLY hard.
For instance, I often have time in between clients and like to stop at the local Borders to buy a magazine or iced coffee to relax for a few minutes. That had to stop. Movies at the theater? No m'am. Eating out on a Friday night or going for happy hour somewhere with the girls? Uh uh. You'd be surprised at all the little $2 or $4 things here and there that add up, and quickly.
But as time went on, it got easy again. I realized that if you're not in the stores or the malls, you don't see what is new and "must have" and therefore you don't know what you're missing. Or at least you don't care.
And if you're cooking at home, you actually eat a lot healthier. And bonus: you learn to get daring with your regular weekly menu. I even went a step further and decided to use up everything in my pantry. I didn't buy anything for my family's weekly meals except the meat (which had to be fresh). I used all my canned beans, canned veggies, canned pumpkin pie filling, pastas, rice, etc. I vowed not to buy pantry items until my "side dishes" were cleared out. That was a lesson in creativity and recipe substitutions!
Still, despite all my efforts, during my attempted Fiscal Freeze last year I only made it 74 days. I finally cracked when my husband and I had a planned evening out and I had torn through my closet and could not find one thing to wear that people had not already seen me in four times. So I bought a $30 shirt. I was weak, but still proud of myself for making it that far. And yes, my husband DID notice and patted me on the back for watching my spending (though I still don't think he had any clue how good I'd really been).
During those 74 days, if I saw a purse I loved in a magazine or saw a commercial for some new hand cream that I wanted to try, I would write it down in a journal. So I kept a list of my "must haves" so that when my spend freeze was up, I could go out and get them all. Well you might be surprised to hear that even after just 74 days, when I looked at that list and was ready to shop, I didn't really want any of that stuff anymore. The pull of instant gratification had passed. Some of it was even out of style by then.
Fast-forward 10 months.
This year, after attending three weddings in four months and looking at our credit card statements full of travel expenses, wedding gifts and dinners out, at my suggestion, my husband and I agreed to go on a spend freeze together. We are currently 79 days into it and holding strong.
My husband (ever the genius) did find a loophole in our Fiscal Freeze, which saved us from having to tell our children that they had to wear last year's gear on the first day of school. He turned our ridiculous amount of unused American Express points into gift cards for Target, Lands End, Home Depot and the like. So at least we were able to get the kids their uniforms, shoes, backpacks and school supplies without spending a penny.
I do realize that I'm near the 74-day mark/range again and that is the trouble zone for me, but I'm determined this time. I'll keep you posted and let you know how far I make it. And even if I don't make it the full 90 days, I've already beaten last year's count so… there's always next year. ☺
posted on: 8/25/2008 10:30:00 AM by Heather Lambie
category: Paper
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The Pile High Club--how NOT to become a member
by Heather Lambie
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About Heather:
My Husband - "Honey, how thin can you spread yourself before you're no longer there?" Me - "I don't know. But I'm in it to win it, so we may have to find out."
Heather's Website:
www.yourhomeeditor.com
Favorite Websites
- The Sartorialist
This site appeases my hunger for all things New York, reminds me of my time there, and gives me great ideas for unconventional looks.
- Toffee To Go
They are located in Tampa, very near me, but they deliver/ship nationally. They have THE BEST toffee EVER. It's buttery, salty, sweet--all my favorite things in one bite.
- The Container Store
I know this is a no-brainer for an organizer...but this place really turns me on!
- The Poetry Foundation
- Because I Said So (blog)
As a mom myself, this mom of 6 (!!!) has me in stitches.
- Michael Buble
If I wasn't happily married, I might be stalking him. Bar none, the best voice and best sense of humor!
Quotes That Move Me
- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
"The truth of the matter is, you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it."
- Ivern Ball
"Most of us ask for advice when we know the answer but we want a different one."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The secret of education is respecting the pupil."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
- Abigail Van Buren
"The best index to a person's character is how he treats another person who can't do him good, and how he treats people who can't fight back."
- Dorothy Galyean
"Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."
- Aristotle
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
- Mark Twain
"To be satisfied with what one has; that is wealth. As long as one sorely needs a certain additional amount, that man isn't rich."
- Jackie Kennedy
"If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much."
Places I'm Dying to Visit
- Hawaii
Any how, any way, any time.
- Los Cabos, Mexico
- China
- Japan
- Alaska (via cruise ship)
- Marbella, Spain
Places I've Already Been
- Australia (Sydney)
- New Zealand
- Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora
- London
- Paris
Spent only one day here (took the Chunnel from London when I was there) but it was one amazing, beautiful day where I walked the flea markets, visited the Louvre, people-watched and used all 6 senses to experience it.
- Trinidad & Tobago
My husband is from here, so we go several times a year to visit family.
- Italy (Milan, Vicenza)
- Jamaica
Things I'd Like To Do Before I Die
- Run a leg with the Olympic torch before the games begin
- See the monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico
- Ride a horse on the beach (in the water)
- See a prize fight (boxing) in Las Vegas
- Run the NYC Marathon
I ran the Disney Marathon in 2000 (pre-kids). Would love to run another post-kids, to prove I can.
- Have washboard abs.
- Eliminate self doubt.
- Own an apartment in Manhattan.
- Watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve.
- Take an RV trip down the coast of California.
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