Money (and Monkey) Monday

Target -- and temptation to spend -- are coming to the neighborhood

No-Spending January has come to an end, but I'm optimistic that the healthy spending habits I've cultivated will go forward with me through 2020. I've learned a lot about myself and money and it's been relatively easy to change my every day use of money. 

I ended January with "savings" of $169.16. To be clear, I didn't put that amount aside, but rather tracked what I would have spent. I know I went to the bank less and literally bought nothing that wasn't food, medicine or household supplies, e.g., paper towels. I spent $173.00 for groceries, using the Fetch app to track purchases and get points. I've never tracked grocery spending before, but this doesn't seem out of line for one person in Manhattan, eating most of my meals at home. I'm also going to track groceries in 2020, now that I have a baseline. 

Did I feel deprived? Not consciously. There was nothing that I wanted to buy that I felt badly not being able to buy. Absolutely nothing. There were days I still had snacks, days I went to lunch with friends and more days than not that I had coffee while I was out. I went to a movie, bought theater tickets -- "paid for" by my savings -- and despite my cold, had a nice month. 

What did I learn? I learned that I buy things to make myself feel better. It's not unlike eating a cookie to cheer myself up. Neither of which is awful, but too many cookies aren't healthy and it's the same for purchases I don't need. I'm happier having two theater tickets than a dozen impulse purchases.  

I also learned that being thoughtful about spending and eating ultimately makes me happier. My membership in Weight Watchers has taught me to plan my treats. I get treats, but not all the time. Some days it doesn't work, but other days like today, I find a pear is a fine dessert. 

The first month I retired in 2013 I found myself going out to dinner frequently. When I looked at my bills for the month I 'd spent around $300. for dinners out. They weren't special occasions, no one was visiting from out of town and none of them were memorable. I knew that had to stop. If a retired friend asked me to go out to dinner I suggested another activity. I was happy to have coffee, lunch, see a movie or visit a museum. A few people didn't join me for other activities. They told me that dinner out was their recreation. It wasn't mine. 

Last month as part of my thoughts on No-Spending January I did the calculation for my "dinner savings." By not going out to dinner once a week for 80 months, my savings are, Drumroll, please, $12,800. I actually think this is a conservative estimate. New York restaurants are expensive and $40.00 is a relatively modest dinner. That $12,800. bought a good number of plane tickets in the last six years. 

Is there going to be a No-Spending February? No, but I've embarked on Thoughtful-Spending February, and Decluttering February. My only purchase thus far in February is a set of baskets to organize my makeup, for a total of $3.99.   

Happy early Valentine's Day!

These cuties called out to me. But there really isn't room for one more monkey (or bear or sloth) in my apartment. I'm happy to share them as a fine addition to Monkey Monday in Buttercupland.  

Thank you, all, for your encouragement and thoughtful comments about No-Spending January. From time to time I'll be doing Money Monday posts to keep me accountable and to share information about living the Thoughtful-Spending life. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great week!