State of the Checkbook

Week 1:  Literally spent $10.99 on extra things.  WINNING.

Week 2:  Um.

$20 for field trips
$25 for birthday gifts
$40 for cookies (for school) and snacks (for the Pinewood Derby)  and pizza (for us) from Costco
$2 on in-app purchases (SHUT UP I am totally addicted to Design Home-- do not download this game).
$20 for movie tickets (The Greatest Showman-- me and the kids)
$23 for movie tickets (I, Tonya with a friend)
$12 for movie tickets (Ben and me, The Post)

(OH MY GOSH-- buying movie tix at off times and using my rewards from the app really affects the price!)

$6 to rent Ingrid Goes West, which is something you should do, too
$20 for Fun Day at school (this event only cost $2, but then the rest of the $20 disappeared-- on what I do not know).

Week 3:
$11 for donuts
$15 on in-app purchases RE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME

And then? I stopped counting and stated just pissing money away $5 here, $7 there.  And then!  The boys went to a hockey tourney and needed a hotel, etc, so SCREW IT.

Week 4:

Started with a bang by going $42 over on household items and it just went downhill from there, including a dress and a sweatshirt for me.  BAH.

Then there were the 2 things at Ulta that cost more than $50, dance stuff for Dorothy, Valentine party supplies that I bought in January so I could be virtuous in February and the list goes on and on and on and on.

So "not spending any money" we still spend TONS OF MONEY.

I mean, I even bought clothes.  For me.

So, February-- spending freeze for serious.  But!  I am going to stretch my definition of necessary to include all of my skincare products and also my BB cream plus all my hair products, all of which are going to run out at the same damn time.

On my bookshelf  is The Tightwad Gazette, which I have heard has bad politics but good budget tips, so I will let you know how it goes.