Pantry / Freezer / No Spend Challenge Update
I haven't made a 'big' deal about April being a Pantry / Freezer / No Spend Challenge because I figured if I just take it day by day, it will be easier to cope with. Seriously, it works for me that way! I've shared a few pics on Instagram if you follow me (click over on the little photos on the upper right column) there....
And I've done pretty damn good, if you ask me! Hubby would say not as well as I could have, but then again, he's one of them dudes that "it can always be better" and nothing is ever 100% ... which is part of his charming personality, whom I adore, and totally compliments my attitude of HEY, YOU GAVE IT WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS YOUR BEST, GOOD FOR YOU! ... They do say opposites attract and I am living proof that its true ;-)
So.
Where do we stand for the month? I haven't tallied up my receipts, and I'm not so sure I'm going to .... BUT I can tell you that there are definite gaps in the freezers (YEAH!) and the pantry is no longer a death wish to find something ... AND the checkbook was healthy enough to pay the lovely irs what they said we owe'd this year (!!!???) ... AND all the bills are paid for the month and the checking account is fat enough still to move money to the savings account again.
But still. When I walk in to the store, I have "WANTS" and they sometimes outweigh "NEEDS" ... and I do find myself saying "you worked hard this week, you've saved xx amount this week, you are E N T I T L E D ... Oops. Hubby may have a point, yet again, which is just flat out annoying :::swigs from the bottle Yuengling bought on way home from work because I have NO edible beer in the fridge, and well, it was a crappy week at work::: And yes, I am making Tequila Sunrises later this evening (recipe to be shared soon) because I have everything on hand (7 or so bottles of tequila, which is an improvement from 8 that I had previously), and well, that's the whole purpose of a pantry/freezer/no spend challenge.
So.
I still have another 13 days to go before FRIDAY April 30th ... which just happens to fall on a Friday (which, in the real estate law industry, you hate when that happens) ... and I think ... no, actually, I KNOW that I could/should continue in to the month of May on a REDUCED Spending Challenge ... because, heck, I pulled out 2 packages of bacon from the freezer this evening (I've been without the precooked stuff for a week and it's killing me) and I found another 5 packages on that same shelf ... imagine what must be in the other freezers?? Not to mention, there's still a few flank steaks, a pork tenderloin, chicken thighs (I thought I was out), chicken breast (I didn't pick up any last week and don't plan to this week either) and a LOT of ground beef still...oh, and a 5 pack of thick cut pork chops, fish, shrimp, and so on.
And you know what comes after May, right?
HURRICANE SEASON.
And for whatever reason, I'm a little on edge about that this year ... then again, if I went back and looked at previous May postings, I'd probably see that I say the same exact thing each year ... but still, having 3 fully loaded freezers and a portable generator that sucks the gas is not a comforting thing. IF we had a stand alone generator that ran on propane/natural gas, it'd be a different story, but we don't, we have big @ss 17,500 watt thing on wheels to lug around.
So ... if I ignore the fact that Cinco De Mayo (my birthday!!) is coming up (and I just drank the last of the golden margarita stuff), mother's day, memorial day, and oh, well, we might as well toss in MAY DAY for celebrations ... I think I really could pull off another month ... but the kids are NOT going to be happy ...
How about you? Have you ever done a MAY Pantry Challenge? For some reason, I think it's an awkward month ... start of summer, kids getting out of school, birthdays, Cinco De Mayo, Memorial Day and so on ... whew. I have a feeling a better brace myself, regardless of what I decide ;-)
And I've done pretty damn good, if you ask me! Hubby would say not as well as I could have, but then again, he's one of them dudes that "it can always be better" and nothing is ever 100% ... which is part of his charming personality, whom I adore, and totally compliments my attitude of HEY, YOU GAVE IT WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS YOUR BEST, GOOD FOR YOU! ... They do say opposites attract and I am living proof that its true ;-)
So.
Where do we stand for the month? I haven't tallied up my receipts, and I'm not so sure I'm going to .... BUT I can tell you that there are definite gaps in the freezers (YEAH!) and the pantry is no longer a death wish to find something ... AND the checkbook was healthy enough to pay the lovely irs what they said we owe'd this year (!!!???) ... AND all the bills are paid for the month and the checking account is fat enough still to move money to the savings account again.
But still. When I walk in to the store, I have "WANTS" and they sometimes outweigh "NEEDS" ... and I do find myself saying "you worked hard this week, you've saved xx amount this week, you are E N T I T L E D ... Oops. Hubby may have a point, yet again, which is just flat out annoying :::swigs from the bottle Yuengling bought on way home from work because I have NO edible beer in the fridge, and well, it was a crappy week at work::: And yes, I am making Tequila Sunrises later this evening (recipe to be shared soon) because I have everything on hand (7 or so bottles of tequila, which is an improvement from 8 that I had previously), and well, that's the whole purpose of a pantry/freezer/no spend challenge.
So.
I still have another 13 days to go before FRIDAY April 30th ... which just happens to fall on a Friday (which, in the real estate law industry, you hate when that happens) ... and I think ... no, actually, I KNOW that I could/should continue in to the month of May on a REDUCED Spending Challenge ... because, heck, I pulled out 2 packages of bacon from the freezer this evening (I've been without the precooked stuff for a week and it's killing me) and I found another 5 packages on that same shelf ... imagine what must be in the other freezers?? Not to mention, there's still a few flank steaks, a pork tenderloin, chicken thighs (I thought I was out), chicken breast (I didn't pick up any last week and don't plan to this week either) and a LOT of ground beef still...oh, and a 5 pack of thick cut pork chops, fish, shrimp, and so on.
And you know what comes after May, right?
HURRICANE SEASON.
And for whatever reason, I'm a little on edge about that this year ... then again, if I went back and looked at previous May postings, I'd probably see that I say the same exact thing each year ... but still, having 3 fully loaded freezers and a portable generator that sucks the gas is not a comforting thing. IF we had a stand alone generator that ran on propane/natural gas, it'd be a different story, but we don't, we have big @ss 17,500 watt thing on wheels to lug around.
So ... if I ignore the fact that Cinco De Mayo (my birthday!!) is coming up (and I just drank the last of the golden margarita stuff), mother's day, memorial day, and oh, well, we might as well toss in MAY DAY for celebrations ... I think I really could pull off another month ... but the kids are NOT going to be happy ...
How about you? Have you ever done a MAY Pantry Challenge? For some reason, I think it's an awkward month ... start of summer, kids getting out of school, birthdays, Cinco De Mayo, Memorial Day and so on ... whew. I have a feeling a better brace myself, regardless of what I decide ;-)
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