(Week 3 – Spend Less Challenge)
Have you checked out September’s Earn More Challengers (see sidebar)? The list is getting bigger!
My family is meeting our goal. And it’s not easy! But, we are doing pretty good. A lot of frugality (great article) , no eating out, meal planning, finding stuff to sell, and a lot of faith, hardwork, & determination have been pulling us along our journey!
As you may know, my DH and I played hookie to walk from Huntington Beach State Park to Newport Beach Pier, have lunch @ Mutt Lynch’s (what a name!) and walk back. 
It was a 7 mile destination with a yummy lunch and great company. And in this case, we did eat out. We made an exception because we needed to do this as a couple. The good thing, the money came from cashing in our change jar. The rest of the funds will be used for miscellaneous expenditures at Universal studios this weekend – I won the tickets on a radio station contest a few months back (the kids will enjoy the fact they get to ‘eat out’ at the theme park).
Day at Beach:
- State Park Fee: $15 (ouch, they raised it due to our budget cuts)
- Lunch: $45 (great turkey sandwich & ice cold beer!)
- Ice Cream: $6 (mmm…peanut butter & chocolate 31 Flavors)
Ya, a tad bit more than I would have like to pay, but well worth it. I would do it again.
Next up for us two: a 6-mile local hike in Lake Arrowhead, CA.
How the week 4 (week 3 Spend Less Challenge) went: Left with $4 to our name! lol. But, we had our auto gas for work and groceries in our fridge. So, all is good!
I was able to stay on my target goal and send $202 off to my Visa. And for Week 5, I will be submitting another payment of $202 this week to the Visa, too. Yeah! (Goal update: Need to submit $202 for 15 weeks to stay on target).
How are all of the other participants doing on their Spend Less Challenge?
Have a great weekend! And I will post my meal plan soon! Are you ready for an Earn More Challenge in September?
Planned dates with your spouse is definitely a worthwhile expense. It sounds like it was a lovely day!
Good job on Week 4. $4 left with a full cupboard and gas tank is just about perfect.
Thanks, rtc. Having the bare essentials have treated me well. 😉
Woo hoo! You go!
Thank you! Now, if I can earn more next month. All will be even better!
I’m not sure how I’m doing this week, I have to tally everything up. There have been some expenses that I’ve made that I’m not sure what category they are in….hmmmmmm
You, on the other hand, have done WONDERFUL!!!! You are working hard and I’m sure the results will show for you!
LOL. Well, you should have time this weekend to tally? I will be playing at Universal Studios. 🙂
I’m excited. Good family trip.
Thank you! And surpisingly, it hasn’t felt too restrictive on me. Am I just getting used to it? Hmmmm….
Have a great weekend! And I have a great frugal prize for next month’s challenge! 🙂
You are doing so well! Your day sounds fabulous as does the sandwich with cold beer ;0)
Thank you. It was a great day. Can’t wait to do the lake trip next. I really need to remember to bring my camera to share my pics. The sandpiper birds were so cool. Its neat to watch them run towards the water when it recedes, dig for sand crabs, and then run up shore when the water comes back up.
you know how i feel about the stolen date with the hubby … fantastic and probably should happen more often;-). sometimes we just have to priortize and keep the main thing the main thing. family is definitely one of those things that have the power to trump other goals and plans, keep putting your family first!
Thank you. When life gets crazy its hard to always put family first. But it makes those ‘stolen moments’ all that much better. Thank you for kind words. And you’re right, it probably should happen more often. 🙂