No-buy February.

Last year, on February 3, I declared a spending freeze for the month, so how fitting that this year, on February 2, I accidentally planned the exact same post.  Apparently after the holidays and all those bills get paid, I freak out a little and realize we need to tone it down for a little bit.  And reading back through what I wrote last year, most of it still holds true:

We have too much "stuff" that we don't really need, and even worse, at holiday time, the kids especially get more stuff than they need.  So as of right now, the two of them need nothing for the next five years or so.  And in general, that "stuff" creeps in slowly as we aren't so tight on the reins, where you think that one little thing won't matter, but over time those ten things add up.  My plan for the month is to cut out as many extras as possible- meals out, clothes, and fun little grabs at the store, while avoiding all fun stores like Home Goods at all costs, and trying to keep the grocery bill under a certain amount each week.

The problem is, that I find more often than not, is that there will always be some "extra" I'm not anticipating, like white board markers that Gus lost at school and now needs more.  (P.S. That's what I'm going today.)  And with two hungry children, it's hard to cut the grocery bill back too much, and there are certain food things I just won't budge on quality, so there will always be a little bit of a juggling act going on.  Overall though, I just want to be a little bit more mindful of what we are spending and where the money is going and I think that will get us back on track pretty easily.