A self imposed spending limit a week before Christmas?

Yes, you read that right! Actually, because the kids got such big presents for the birthdays earlier this month, we had decided that we were NOT going to do a big Christmas, and I’ve warned them of such. Whether they believe me or not, well, that remains to be seen. Because we are paying our property taxes this month instead of last, we have really been focusing on saving this month. Would have/should have paid them in November, but the car needed $700 worth of repairs & the cat (the expensive, exotic one) needed $600 worth of doctor care. Grrr. So that’s that, over & done. I’ve decided that I will give myself $20 a week for the rest of this month (3 weeks) for groceries. Should NOT be too difficult so long as I don’t run out of the essential things, such as laundry soap, dish soap, coffee, cat food, etc. You know, the things that make my life so much easier . And yes, those 4 items appear to be low. I’ve told the cat he may have to hunt a little more for his meals. I have about $40 in ECBs from CVS that expire the end of this month. I also have a $10 gift card from Target. Sooooo….if it gets too close to my $20 … well, it’s nice to know I have about $50 in back up plans. This week, I’ve already spent $2.45 (much to the disbelief of cashier) for 3 cans of soup & 3 whack a can of bread sticks. I love steal deals. Progresso is $1.25 a can. Have a $1.10 off each (used 3). Then on the cans of soup, there was a $1.00 off any Pillsbury bread meal. Those were on sale for 3 for $5 so, $1.67 each. Total for each can of soup was 15 cents and total for whack a can was 67 cents. Woohoo. So $17.55 left in my hands to spend. Know I need bread, may go to the bread store around the corner from gym BEFORE class (they close at 6) and see if a loaf is cheaper than $1.19 …

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