October - aka the Month My Credit Card Companies Cried

I decided to do a little self challenge for the month of October. It's going to be a tough one, and one that requires a lot of self discipline and possibly at some point, restraints. I have decided that.. <Insert big dramatic sigh>.. I am not going to spend any money for the entire month of October. I know.. what!? I will keep my credit cards and checkbook tucked away in my new Tory Burch purse (said purse is part of the reason for my financial lock-down). 

Some people may not think this challenge would be that difficult. I applaud those people, and secretly despise them a little bit (kidding..sort of). I decided on this challenge because for the past few months I was spending money like it was going out of style. We went to Chicago a couple weeks ago, bought a lot (damn you, IKEA!) and ate out a lot. I also have a horrible compulsive shopping problem. I think I “need” things such as hair product, nail polish, makeup, etc when I have probably 10 years’ worth at home. What I really ‘need’ is this challenge to force me to stop spending money – even if it’s a few dollars here and there.  

This is much harder than I thought it was going to be. I work in an area that houses just about any store you could imagine. I feel like my lunch hour turns into a one-hour race of “how much you can buy”. I joke about power shopping, but it’s very real – and I am freaking awesome at it. However, my money isn't just being spent on ‘stuff’; there are also a lot of really good restaurants around work too. It makes turning down a lunch offer very difficult. The first day on my challenge I found myself daydreaming of where I would go for lunch – should I buy the new OPI nail polish? What about those new gym shoes? I opted for lunch in my car and I started reading a book that has been on my short list. Success. Day 2, same situation – knew I had to get my dad a present for his birthday (see fine print below) and thought that maybe I would pick up this hair stuff, I mean…what’s an extra $6? But, I fought the urge, bought the present only (not even a gift bag). Yay me. It’s Day 4 and well, lets just say there's been a few temptations   Yesterday, I caught myself thinking ‘what can I buy on November 1 as a reward for completing this?” Clearly I still have to grasp the meaning behind this challenge :) 

Okay, so the fine print: I get to still buy groceries and gas for my car (duh. I am not looking to waste away or lose my job here). There are also a few things that will require money, which I've already committed to this month. Those events have been grandfathered in to my challenge, but shouldn't exceed a total of $100.