no spend july.

I'm trying a little experiment for the month of July - I'm taking a break from spending money. I read about No Spend Month at Small Notebook, and after giving it some thought, I decided it would be a good challenge - to use what I already have and finish the things I've already started, to avoid using shopping as a source of entertainment, and to play around with how bare bones I can get, at least for a little while. So, I've set a budget of $200 for the rest of the month.

Obviously, I can't just decide not to pay my mortgage, so regular bills will still be paid as usual (including mortgages, insurance, utilities, and my car payment). I also won't be changing my regular giving. I spent the first week of this month in Virginia Beach, on a mini-vacation/work trip, and those expenses won't be included either. So for my experiment, July started on Saturday the 7th.

The $200 budget will include things like groceries, dog food, eating out, entertainment, gas, and all other kinds of shopping, including stuff for the house. I picked an amount that seemed both achievable and challenging. We'll see how it goes - whether I've developed new spending and saving habits, or whether I'm just longing for a drink at Starbucks on August 1.