Off the wagon

I've been sooooooo good about not spending any money. Soooooo good. But I slipped off the wagon twice. A tiny slip.
The first time was last week-I took T to the dentist and she was a total super star. Afterwards she asked for a Starbucks....I caved.
She enjoyed a vanilla steamed milk and I enjoyed...nothing :) That's right, nothing. I was good and didn't get myself anything because I have coffee at home :)

The 2nd time was on Tuesday. It was late, we were exhausted...ok, I was exhausted. The thought of making dinner was making me even more exhausted. McRib is back for a limited time.....You see where this is going.

With 30 days of nothing coming to a close I feel good. I surprised myself. I think this is something that has really changed the way I view what I "need" vs. what I "want".

We also donated some cash to Oxfam and the Red Cross to help with relief efforts in Haiti.
As a result of this little study of my willpower, we were able to donate more than we would have been ;)

"Mommy, why they so sad? I wanna rescue them"

Me too T......me too.

My heart is breaking.


photo courtesy of Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

sometimes it hits you like a ton of bricks

Today it happened in the shower, brought me to tears, almost to my knees.

The thought. The need. The urgency to go back to Ethiopia. I have to go back. I want to go back. Soon.

I feel like if I don't go back then I will forget. I will forget the smells, the sounds, the people, the emotion.

I don't want to forget.

Ever.

Day 8

I've been really proud of myself the past week :) Yesterday I totally forgot to bring my lunch to work. It was all packed up and sitting in the fridge....where it stayed all day. I had a brief moment of panic when I realized my mistake but calmed down when I remembered that we have a cabinet at work that one of the Dr's is nice enough to stock with goodies. So, I survived on coffee, a ding dong and a bowl of ramen ;)

Yesterday was also the Ethiopian Christmas and we usually like to have a special Ethiopian meal but I didn't plan ahead this year so we had a frozen pizza. Hey, we had a lot of pizza while in Ethiopia-Italian food is pretty common in Addis, given the brief occupation of Italy but I digress-it was all good :)

I do have to make a trip to The Gap to return a gift...I have to go before my reciept expires and I am a little nervous about making it out of there without spending a dime.....



-- Post From My iPhone

Flashing Lights

*a trip to the Museum of Science & Industry and not a dollar spent! I even found street parking ;)

-- Post From My iPhone

30 Days of Nothing

For the month of January I have given up spending money on anything other than essentials. Groceries are ok, but I am trying to be more aware of what I buy and whether or not it is really "essential". Coffee in bulk is ok. I think I would wither up and die if I didn't have coffee. It is most certainly an essential. Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts is not. No more lunches on the fly, I need to be more prepared when we leave the house. No more throwing things into my cart at Target....in fact, I am trying to avoid that place all together!

Today marks day #5 of the challenge and y'know what? It hasn't been that bad. I have been brewing my own coffee at home and taking a travel mug (Love you Keurig!!). I have been making my own breakfast sandwiches too (another typical commuting splurge of mine) and bringing lunch to work. We have also have plans to make a bunch of meals in the slow cooker. It is easy and generally stews and such last us a few days.

As far as entertainment goes, we did go to the movies on New Years Day but Ryan bought the tickets and he isn't playing along ;) So.....that doesn't count...right?
Otherwise, we already have a membership to the Kid's Museum and have plans to hit a couple of the local museums in the next weeks on their free days. On Tuesdays, Borders has free storytime, which is great...except I have to avert my eyes from all of the books so I am not tempted. I did hit up the library on Sunday for reading material so I should be ok.

It was hard to tell T no when she asked for a Starbucks today when we pulled into the parking lot of Borders but y' know, she said "Ok Mom!" when I explained that we are trying not to spend money in January. No tears :)

So far, so good....I think. It is actually a good feeling having this kind of control.