Goodbye $1.00 in my bank account - Hello adventures, activities and lots of fun!

Hey everyone,

As you all know - if you have read some previous posts, I just moved into my first house with my boyfriend.  I am loving the house and the neighbourhood but not so much liking the very small amount of money in my bank account and the very large amount on my credit card.

This isn't so much a result of the down payment but rather a number of small purchases that have been made at walmart, etc for things like paper towels, and other small household purchases that just seem to have been adding up.  I also had a bit of a starbucks/ bridgehead/ amazing bakery on Bank street (Bread and sons) binge that has lasted just over 3 weeks.  This may be why I currently have a terrible cold.

I want to get my finances in order pronto so I can relax and start planning for a big trip, joining some activities like ballet or a sports league in the fall and buying some nice things for the house that will last a lifetime ie. art, good quality furniture and finally perhaps taking a university course.

Luckily I haven't been receiving my new salary yet although I started my job just over a month ago so I will also get a back paycheque which should take care of the remaining balance on my credit card.

Anyways - you don't care about the ins and outs of my financial status.  But what may interest you is a challenge I am going to embark on; something called spend no money.  I haven't run this by my boyfriend so we'll have to figure this out haha.  I don't want him just paying for my half of everything - since this will defeat the purpose and may put a dent in our "perfect suburban life".

Anyways - today is Monday - my challenge will be not to spend any money for 1 entire week.  This won't be impossible because the fridge is decently stocked right now, we even have some left over crown royal for this coming canada day and we have all we need to live comfortably.  Any spending I could do this week would likely be frivolous - but if I don't impose this challenge on myself, I know that tomorrow I will head to bridgehead in the morning for a coffee and then maybe bread in sons in the afternoon for a bun or brownie, then maybe I will decide I need something red for Canada Day, then I will decide to buy a membership to a gym although it is gorgeous out so I should just run outside.

I think the biggest challenge will be food, possibly commuting as well.

I definitely have some good tools to help me get through the week:  my bicycle, a gift certificate to a fancy restaurant, lots of canned beans, a decent sized wardrobe, low maintenance family and friends who aren't $$ crazy, Gatineau park with lots of nice hiking trails and beaches.

I'll check back in on Monday and let you know if the week was a success.

Free yourself!