spending freeze results!

Our family goal in February was to spend ZERO DOLLARS on anything except bare necessities. Here is a report of how we did-

Necessary purchases:

church donations

mortgage

vehicles/gas

utility/gas/phone bills

milk, eggs, bread

Tires. We had previously planned to travel to Idaho in February to see my niece's mission report and my nephew's Eagle Court of Honor. Dax was nervous about the condition of our tires so we replaced them for the long trip as we were due for new ones. Then we all got sick and had to stay home. SAD. 

Vacuum. Our vacuum died lots of months ago. Our neighbors gave us an old crappy one they had lying around. It never worked that well and our carpets kept looking worse and worse. So we bought a new, amazing vacuum. Long overdue!

Popsicles, Sprite, yogurt, juice. Before the spending freeze, we had no idea Quinn would get her tonsils and adenoids removed in February. We splurged on some special foods and drinks for her recovery period.

Major victories(!):

Dax brought a lunch to work everyday in February! This saved us $50-$60.

Our grocery bill for the entire month (for 6 people) was $100, including special food and drinks for Quinn. We used a lot of stuff from our freezer, pantry, and food storage. Great to rotate through some of that and get creative with meals!

We were able to save money this month, pay extra on our house payment, buy tires and a new vacuum without dipping into savings. 

What we learned:

Not spending was a great experience and really opened our eyes to how fast little purchases add up and really make a dent in your budget (because we saw the opposite happen when we didn't make those purchases..that money stayed in our account and in our pockets!) The kids kept us in line every step of the way. We heard this a lot, "We can't buy that because we are on a spending freeze." 

There are so many things we can do without. We really have everything we need and way way more. We just have to look around and remember all of our blessings. "Gratitude turns what we have into enough." 

I really want to take my kids to the beach and to Disneyland this spring. When I remember that, it is easier for me to say no to impulse buys. All of it is just stuff. I want memories that will last forever!