Nothing New - Summary

Here's the deal: I don't know if it was a coincidence or if my "Nothing New" month has actually paid off. So, the Man and I were looking into our month-end to see what dollars and cents we have to carry over to October and we were both in awe. Normally we have a positive number, although not by much, and a time or 2 in the last 12 months the number has been in red font - again, not by much. So, we usually break even after bills, food, taxes, gifts, charity and pre-authed saving. Whatever we do have left over goes into the savings and we start again.

My friends, this month was different. Much, much different. I'm not talking a couple hundred. I'm saying over a thousand! WTF? We/I can't possibly have spent that much in crap in months before! Can we/I have?

Not just chump change. 

I thought that maybe I had forgotten some horribly important payment so I went over everything with a magnifying glass. Let's take a look at the rough month:

• Food - check (and within budget! and including the time or two I asked the Man to stop in at the Deli on his way home to pick up something ready-made!)
• Bills - check, check, check, check, check, check, check (I could keep going)
• Mortgage - check
• Property Taxes - check (Curse you, City!)
• Car, insurance, fuel etc. - check
• RRSPs, RSPs, RESPs, Secret Savings ;),  Life Insurance etc - check, checkity, check
• Charities - check
• School lunches - check
• Gym membership - check

On the [paid] credit card (These items come out of our savings anyway because we budget for them monthly even though we pay them out once a year/term):

• Ballet payment for Boy ($$$$) [Trust me when I say you do not want to know that amount!]
• Swim lessons for both ($$$)
• Gymnastics classes for both ($$$)

Extra:

• 2 trips to local thrift shop - $52 total - for gifts etc.

There you have it. EVERYTHING accounted for. I'm trying to think of whether we felt at all denied. I can't say that I did. I don't think my family even noticed. For sure, the Man had no recollection because when I reminded him that September was my "Nothing New" month, I saw the tumbleweed roll across his blank stare. 

He suggested that I try it again for October to see if the theory holds true. However, we have not had an auspicious beginning. The Man needed a winter dress coat. I know that this is a purchase that will last for the next 5 years. He really wanted a new one and I wasn't about to deny him. He had saved a gift card from his birthday (March!) and had earned additional cash at a beer tasting test marketing thingy that he specifically earmarked for a coat. He found a half-off sale and bought a nice, decent, wool coat (reg. $200) for essentially $31.22 of "our" money. Not bad, all things considered. 

We also went out to dinner - at the mall, but hey, beggars can't be choosers - for the first time in forever. It cost us about $25, so not a bank breaker, but still. Had we not gone though, we'd never have this lovely shot of the Girl's first taste of pad thai:

And that, my friends, is a picture worth having. :) 

So, on to Nothing New October. And I will note here that my Nothing New months have been inspired by the lovely Mrs. T over at AThriftyMrs.com. Visit her and stand in awe.