No, this month I shall mostly be not spending - or that's the idea. Froogs did it last year (and called it Stoptober), Elaine is doing it this year, and I am in too.
It really should not be a problem - we are really rather good about attending to needs, not wants. And I do not, and never did, define myself by my spending.
So why am I getting all antsy about it ? Is it the diet syndrome - thinking about not eating making you crave food, think of nothing but food, obsessed with food. And here's me, thinking of not spending, and suddenly the slippers do not look like they're going to last the month out, and maybe I really do need that fall jacket I have not bought for the last five years or so - as the weather gap between summer fleece and winter woollen coat becomes too hard to bridge - oh, and the baking trays are really a disgrace now, and haven't I been saying for ages that they really need to be replaced by the stainless steel versions ? And oh, oh, oh, what of all those books that are out this month ? New Tony Hill ! Tenth of October ! And a new Pratchett paperback ! And, and, and.....
Well, now. Calm down dear. There's no way I'd have bought all those in the same month anyway, spending fast or not. And DD has her own money to be spending, so I can help her do that if the push comes to shove.
In the meantime, all I shall be spending on is essentials. There are some of those on the OH's side of spending - like petrol, and car stuff, and step-son connected spending - but for me, in the here and now, the biggie is the food. The budget for that is £150, and I want to see if I can bring it under this month - and clear some of the storecupboard and freezer in the process. To that end, I have planned a month's worth of dinners:
..... and I am planning to eat quite a lot of these for lunch:
Frugal, filling, and healthy - not to mention ever so welcome on a chill autumn day. I really must make an effort to eat more soup ! ( That's courgette soup in the photo above, btw).
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