August Spending Update

Monthly Spending by Category

	May	June	July	August
Fitness	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$175.90
Entertainment	$123.07	$325.82	$90.94	$202.06
Groceries	$166.62	$160.34	$143.21	$137.18
Dining out	$168.64	$142.09	$272.36	$266.69
Health and pharmacy	$0.00	$173.96	$7.21	$112.00
Transportation	$0.00	$30.00	$0.00	$0.00
Gifts	$179.61	$110.87	$0.00	$97.06
Household	$147.60	$79.10	$80.12	$132.11
Dogs	$234.53	$541.29	$54.35	$750.57
Clothes and accessories	$248.77	$522.18	$124.30	$372.89
Miscellaneous	$12.84	$12.62	$10.99	$149.33
Total	$1,281.68	$2,098.27	$783.48	$2,395.79

August was an interesting month for spending. On the surface, it’s a very high number – third highest over the past 20 months – but it was more of a convergence of a lot of purchases in the same month. The dogs – always expensive, but this month Hunter got a cardiac ultrasound ($650 split with my partner), which he will get every few months going forward. Fitness is also quite high this month because I bought a bike helmet and paid to enter a 10K, both things I don’t expect to be recurring costs. The Miscellaneous category was also unusually high, as I got a haircut and restocked some bath products. I’ve also been dining out more now that we are allowed to eat on patios, though I expect that cost to go down over the next few months.

Obviously, I could have done better, but I’m not going to be too hard on myself.

I am a little nervous to see what my September looks like, because I know it’s going to be bad. We moved into our new house last weekend and there have been a ton of costs! Most of them are annual or one-time costs, but I know it’s going to be a doozy. I’ve had to really pull back on saving in my TFSA, but I did manage to save $1,000 in August (goal is $2,500, but I definitely have to revisit that given my change in circumstances). Every little bit helps, so I try to put money away when I’m feeling flush. Otherwise I just spend it!

June Spending Update

Monthly Spending by Category

	March	April	May	June
Fitness	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Entertainment	$52.09	$48.64	$123.07	$325.82
Groceries	$138.27	$213.25	$166.62	$160.34
Dining out	$43.47	$123.11	$168.64	$142.09
Health and pharmacy	$0.00	$8.88	$0.00	$173.96
Transportation	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$30.00
Gifts	$0.00	$0.00	$179.61	$110.87
Household	$79.10	$398.68	$147.60	$79.10
Dogs	$4,965.82	$161.48	$234.53	$556.09
Clothes and accessories	$467.51	$624.84	$248.77	$522.18
Miscellaneous	$15.28	$13.16	$12.84	$12.62
Total	$5,761.54	$1,592.04	$1,281.68	$2,113.07

It took me a lot longer than I planned to do my June spending. Not totally on purpose – I started a new job and it’s been very intense. Working late many nights, plus my partner and I were looking for a house – and bought one! – which has taken up a lot of time.

Which makes it even more important that I take a good, hard look at how I’ve been spending my money. We own our condo, but the expenses are pretty minimal. We don’t owe a lot on the mortgage and we haven’t had any unforeseen costs. Owning an actual house will be a whole different ball game. Our monthly expenses will be higher, and there isn’t a maintenance fund that we pay into to cover the care of our home (like the maintenance fees we pay for the condo). All that said, I know my quality of life will be improved. We won’t have to deal with annoying, loud neighbours, broken elevators, taking the dogs down the street to find grass. I can’t wait to move!!

Anyways, back to my June spending. It’s my highest-spend month this year, excluding the month of Kali’s (our dog) surgery. My spending in the entertainment category was much higher than usual, since I made a very large cross stitch order from England. I also spent over $500 on clothing AGAIN. What is wrong with me?? I bought a pair of white shoes for almost $200 which I highly regret, because they are already very dirty and I have cleaned them multiple times. I also spent $550 on vet bills for my dogs, but that can’t be helped. Looking at my spending for this month, I think I get a higher enjoyment value from the money I spent on cross stitch kits than clothes. While I have a lot of both, cross stitch gives me hours of enjoyment and relaxation, as well as a feeling of accomplishment when I finish a piece. I enjoy putting outfits together, but I think I get more enjoyment out of finding a really great item at a thrift store for a great price. I have so many clothes that I can always find things to wear that I feel great in. I think, going forward, I need to really curb my spending on new clothes. I think I can give myself the leeway to buy used clothing, if it’s a good deal. At least for now!

April / May Spending Update

Monthly Spending by Category

	February	March	April	May
Fitness	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Entertainment	$0.00	$52.09	$48.64	$123.07
Groceries	$167.34	$138.27	$213.25	$166.62
Dining out	$84.77	$43.47	$123.11	$168.64
Health and pharmacy	$44.73	$0.00	$8.88	$0.00
Transportation	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Gifts	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$179.61
Household	$108.64	$79.10	$398.68	$147.60
Dogs	$62.04	$4,965.82	$161.48	$234.53
Clothes and accessories	$464.03	$467.51	$624.84	$248.77
Miscellaneous	$41.79	$15.28	$13.16	$12.84
Total	$973.34	$5,761.54	$1,592.04	$1,281.68

I finally got around to posting my April and May spending. They are both pretty average-high months, with my April clothing spending being particularly ridiculous. I also paid our condo insurance in April, so that also added to my spending that month.

I’m kind of on the fence in terms of the way I feel about my spending on clothing. I read “I Will Teach You To Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi and he talks about living your “rich life” which means spending a lot on the things that you love and spending nothing on the things that you don’t love and highly value. I love clothes, but not as much as I love vacations (though that hasn’t been an option for a while now due to the pandemic). Fashion is fun and exciting for me, and I truly love putting different outfits together and trying out new trends. My problem is that I love a lot of things! So it’s hard to decide on just a couple to focus my spending on. That said, I know that I enjoy clothes more than, say, dining out, or getting coffee and baked goods in the morning. So maybe trying to limit my spending on clothing isn’t the answer… I’ll have to give it more thought!!

Despite my spending being on the higher end, I was still able to reach my savings goal every month except for March, and I made up the difference in May! This is mostly due to the fact that I was paid for the overtime hours I worked during our busy period (usually we have to take them as vacation days instead of money). I’m really happy and proud of where I’m at with my savings! I look at my TFSA every day and it always makes me feel good.

February / March Spending Update

Monthly Spending by Category

	December	January	February	March
Fitness	$0.00	$45.20	$0.00	$0.00
Entertainment	$175.77	$20.91	$0.00	$52.09
Groceries	$162.54	$148.38	$167.34	$138.27
Dining out	$198.91	$75.20	$84.77	$43.47
Health and pharmacy	$0.00	$8.88	$44.73	$0.00
Transportation	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Gifts	$27.37	$218.98	$0.00	$0.00
Household	$105.08	$79.10	$108.64	$79.10
Dogs	$640.46	$130.34	$62.04	$4,965.82
Clothes and accessories	$712.68	$525.59	$464.03	$467.51
Miscellaneous	$13.55	$22.12	$41.79	$15.28
Total	$2,036.36	$1,274.70	$973.34	$5,761.54

It’s been a few months since I did this exercise, and I can feel it. All the money I’ve spent is blending together so I can’t remember what I bought each month until I look at my credit card transactions. Obviously I know this is not a good thing, and I don’t want to make it a habit! But I am giving myself a break because work was absolutely bananas from February to May! And since I hadn’t posted in a while, it felt so daunting to start and do multiple months, so I put it off. That’s the reason I decided to bundle February and March. I’ll do the same for April and May.

Looking at the numbers, I am happy with my spending in February (despite that pretty hefty almost $500 on clothes). I didn’t spend any money on entertainment (because I was working all the time!), and all my other spending categories were low or within reason.

Obviously, things changed in March! Our dog, Kali, needed an emergency surgery to remove her gallbladder and spleen, which cost a small fortune. She’s doing really well, and completely back to her feisty self, so it was well worth it! Apart from the additional veterinary costs, I didn’t do too badly, except for in the clothing category. That one is always so hard for me!!

I’m really happy that I started doing this again because just looking at the numbers is a reminder to me of my financial goals, and it is so helpful for getting me back on track! I’m hoping to get April and May posted soon!

No Buy Year – May Update

Monthly Spending by Category

	January	February	March	April
Gym membership/fitness classes	$570.20	$170.63	$66.67	$88.14
Entertainment	$100.58	$79.00	$235.43	$86.87
Groceries	$220.80	$155.60	$49.78	$38.90
Dining out	$192.19	$165.79	$58.04	$46.78
Health and pharmacy	$160.06	$70.31	$141.99	$0.00
Transportation	$150.00	$120.00	$60.00	$0.00
Gifts	$128.13	$0.00	$0.00	$3.70
Household expenses	$90.52	$79.50	$158.20	$79.10
Dogs	$18.76	$0.00	$537.32	$249.40
Clothes and accessories	$0.00	$38.99	$536.24	$470.18
Miscellaneous	$1.41	$0.00	$0.00	$61.89
Total	$1,547.98	$879.82	$1,843.66	$1,434.38

I can see from looking at this that February was the exception, not the rule! Even though my spending in many categories was down, I spent almost $500 on clothes and accessories AGAIN. It’s clear to me where my problem is. While it was an expensive month for the dogs (Hunter had an x-ray), my half of that cost was still almost half of what I spent on clothes. I bought a new pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans (light wash for the warm weather we haven’t gotten yet), and they were $260 on sale. Probably not the best call, but I do love the jeans! Sephora had their spring sale and I didn’t buy a single thing, so that is my win for the month. Interestingly, makeup and skincare products aren’t tempting me right now.

My goal for the next month (and year) is to eliminate my spending on clothes and accessories. It will make a huge impact on my spending and my ability to save. I don’t know how I’ve gotten so far from my New Years resolution to make this a no buy year. Let me know if you have any tips for not spending money on clothing.

2020 No Buy Year

2020 is almost here and I want to recommit to my No Buy. I started strong last year, but fell off pretty precipitously at the end of March and I never recovered. To be fair, I made a choice to …

First Yogaclub Box – June 2019

I have been seeing ads on Instagram for Yogaclub, a subscription box for athleisure clothing. Having been recently obsessed with Lululemon and filling out my gym wear collection substantially, you would think I wouldn’t be interested, but you would be wrong! After watching a couple unboxing videos and finding a promo code, I was ready to order.

Shopping Ban – Week 13 Update

Numbers

Money Spent
Groupon – Cardio Go	$25.00
Metro – Groceries	$6.13
Cross Stitch Magazine	$6.94 (used $10 of Optimum Points)
OOAK – Cards	$21.00
OOAK – Daub + Design athleisure wear	$711.90
OOAK – Vegan protein cookies	$11.30
OOAK – Beard oil set for Mitch	$39.55
OOAK – Uppdoo purse	$295.00
OOAK – Air plant	$31.64
Tea at the AGO	$56.98
Uber	$8.85
Eyelash tint	$27.12
Dog stuff (nail trim, bags)	$17.58
Presto	$30.00
Total Money Spent	$1288.99
Money earned selling stuff	$45
TFSA	$100

So… yeah… not my best week… To be honest, I’m not surprised this happened. The One of  a Kind (OOAK) show is a major weakness for me. Meeting the artisans? Yes! Supporting local businesses? Yes! Unique, handmade items? Yes! I am here for it, 100%. Clearly the shopping ban didn’t do much to stay my hand in this situation, but honestly, it did a little bit. There were so many great things that I saw and wanted to buy, and when I reminded myself of the shopping ban, I was able to stop myself. The things I didn’t purchase were impulse buys, things that I don’t even remember a week later. What I did purchase were things that I have been thinking about for a long time (except for the succulent and the beard oil for Mitch), and I have been wearing them and loving them non-stop since the show. That’s how I want to feel about every single purchase I make, which is part of the reason I am doing the shopping ban in the first place.

How do I move forward after such an epic failure? There’s nothing I can do at this point except enjoy my purchases and move on. I am still doing the shopping ban. I am going to give myself a pass and get back on the horse!

Shopping Ban – Week 12 Update

Numbers

Money Spent
Lunch with my bro	$16.95
Massage	$10.20 (out of pocket)
Magic bag (heating pad for your shoulders)	$6.15 (used Optimum points for $30)
Freshii green smoothie	$6.77
Silkscreening workshop	$96.05
Body Blitz	$85.32
Pizzaiolo	$42.00
Presto	$30.00
Total Money Spent	$293.44
Money earned selling stuff	$20
TFSA	$100

I have definitely been slacking on keeping up with these updates!! Going forward, I may have to do them less regularly – maybe once a month. Though, I do feel like I get some perspective from reviewing my spending on a weekly basis.

This was one of my more expensive weeks because I paid a couple of activities – a silkscreening workshop (in April), a visit to Body Blitz Spa for my birthday, and pizza for my guests. Not something I can splurge on every week, but I am happy to spend money on those kind of things once in a while – especially for my birthday! I want to be spending more money on experiences, and less on physical things, and my spending seems to be reflecting that (but just wait until I tally up the next week…).

Shopping Ban – Week 10 Update

Numbers

Money Spent
Hunter surgery	$2,765.57 ($5,531.13 split)
Dollarama	$13.62
Groceries at corner stores	$12.25
Presto	$30.00
YMCA membership	$66.67
Soup at La Prep	$3.98
Toothpaste at Rexall	$2.42
Total Money Spent	$2,894.51
Money earned selling stuff	$185
TFSA	$200

Our dog, Hunter, had his surgery last week and it went well! We got to bring him home on Friday, so it’s been a few days, but he is doing really well! He seems to be in better spirits and it looks like he is healing.

Apart from Hunter’s surgery, I feel like I am keeping my spending in check really well. Being on a shopping ban has been kind of freeing. Even though I see things that I like and want, it’s a back stop that I can’t ignore.

However, I’ve noticed that now that I’m nearing the end of the ban, I’ve started to think about what I want to buy once it’s over, and that is exactly what I want to avoid! I’ve started watching makeup videos on Youtube again, and it has been really easy to fall right back into the habit of wanting all of the new releases. I have been considering doing a post about the palettes on my wishlist, but I keep stopping myself, because the truth is that I already have more than enough palettes.

Based on my experience thus far, I feel like my life, and definitely my finances, have been improved by the shopping ban. It’s also obvious how easy it would be for me to fall back into my old shopping habits, which is why I’ve decided to extend my shopping ban for the rest of the year, with check-ins every three months. The check-ins are a time for me to reflect on the rules of the ban and decide if I want to make changes. I was thinking about giving myself one luxury purchase a month, but I won’t do that at least for the next three months. I am allowed to buy myself replacement items, so if I really want something new, I can choose to declutter the item(s) I currently have, and then I can buy that item. For instance, I have been wanting a new pair of winter boots, but I have three pairs. I can buy myself the ones I want, but that means I have to get rid of all three of the pairs I currently have. I’m not ready to do that yet, so no new boots!

Here is a refresher on my current shopping ban rules:

Rules

What I’m allowed to shop for:

• Groceries and basic kitchen supplies (no new appliances)
• Toiletries (only if I completely run out)
• Cleaning products
• Gifts for others
• Something to use $100 Sephora gift card on (expires February 25, 2019)
• Craft supplies – if I run out of something specific (ie. a colour of thread)

What I’m allowed to spend my money on:

• Experiences and activities (spa, trips, movies, etc.)
• Fitness classes and gym memberships
• Personal grooming (haircuts, mani/pedis, waxing)
• Eating out
• Fixing items I already own
• A table and standing lights for our condo (Mitch and I split these expenses)

What I’m NOT allowed to shop for:

• Clothes, shoes, accessories, jewellery
• Makeup, makeup brushes, makeup accessories of any kind
• Knick knacks
• Books, magazines, stationary
• Household items (candles, décor)
• Electronics
• Craft kits

I know I will be adding plants to my list of things that I CAN shop for, but that’s the only change I know for sure I’ll be making.

Let me know if you have any suggestions!