Week 2 of Cheapness

We are almost halfway through our experiment in cheapness! We are still doing pretty well, although we had to break down and buy some allergy medicine. The fall allergies are killing both of us this year. We also had to buy some teething cream for Baby D because she grew two teeth last week and has been pretty miserable for the past few days. Oh, and we had to buy her a little pink toothbrush for the two new chompers!

So far the hardest part of not spending is planning ahead so we won't have to buy food when we are away from home. I have cooked almost every night and then Bryan takes the leftovers for lunch the next day. I carry granola bars and fruit in my purse in case I get too hungry while we are out during the day.

I was worried that it might be isolating because we can't spend money on dinners out or entertainment, but so far that hasn't been a big problem. I have gone to lunch/dinner with friends a few times, but I ate before I went and said I wasn't hungry when it was time to order. I just drank water at the restaurants and said hallelujah for free bread and chips! Luckily we live in a city where there are unlimited free things to do, so I feel like we could entertain ourselves for free for ages: free outdoor movies, concerts, plays, art shows, libraries, dog parks, book signings, swimming, hiking, etc. We have been over to friends' houses a few times and I feel bad not having any good food to bring, but so far everyone has been understanding!

The weird thing is that I don't consider myself very materialistic, but since we started this experiment I can't stop thinking about things I want to buy- kind of like obsessing over sweets when you are on a diet! Here are some of my current obsessions:

placemats I saw in the CB2 catalogue
an exersaucer for Daphne
a professional-grade leaf blower that I can wear as a backpack
diet vanilla Cokes from Sonic
sushi
a closet organizing system
a cool tooth whitening system I saw on TV
a hamburger from Ski Shores
an outdoor light for our patio


It has been good for me to realize that NONE of these items are must-haves (besides the leaf blower, which I vow that I will obtain one day). Once we can start spending again, I think a good rule would be for me to wait two weeks to make any purchase that costs a considerable amount and isn't a neccessity. If I am still obsessing over the thing in two weeks, then I will know I really want it. I have a feeling I will forget about most things within that amount of time.

Thanks so much to everyone who has sent me helpful recipes! So far we have enough food to put together decent meals. My latest dilemma is that I need to go get some new library books this week, but I owe a fine from last time. Maybe I will just explain that I can't pay because of my experiment and see if they will have mercy on me. Librarians should be supportive of any educational endeavor, right?