Week Three: NO Spend Month

Week Three: NO Spend Month

Posted by By April 25, 2017Posted inNo Spend Challenges, No Spend UpdatesNo Comments

My No Spend Month Challenge is almost over. I put in 66 hours at work and cant wait for that paycheck! I would say Week Three went great! The farther that I get into the month, the more I find myself slipping up or at least considering it. Week Three was way harder than I expected it to be. I clocked out with 66.85 hours this week. It was a STRUGGLE because I was so tired by Sunday. Sunday’s are usually my I wrapped up week three by spending 8 hours behind my favorite bar and 7.5 hours serving around it.organization days, but I had a lot on my to do list. I still needed to drive back to my parents. Meal prep, go to the gym, and get some stuff done for work.

Good News for the week: My dad fixed my brakes on my Jeep, so all is great!

I am finding it harder and harder to stay motivated to keep up with my writing. I would rather be writing than working a billion hours, but I am also working some extra hours to pay off my debts. I can’t wait to get into a routine where everything actually works out, but I am slowly working on it!

This week I learned a lot about staying organized and prioritizing when it does come to my free time. I also learned that after 13 hours at work, I have very little will power when it comes to food.

SPENT DURING WEEK FOUR:

Super Saver Groceries   $  31.15

Sam’s Club Gas:       $ 25.00

Additional Gas: $10.00

Total: 66.15 Spent this week

16.15 Over Budget

Paid Off:

Student Loan #1: $104

Jeep: $77.88

Total Debt Paid Off This Month: $1,088

Week Two: No Spend Month

Week Two: No Spend Month

Posted by By April 18, 2017Posted inNo Spend Challenges, No Spend UpdatesNo Comments

 

The holiday and work made week two a little hectic, but I am finally sitting down to get caught up!It has been 18 days of not spending money! Check out how I am doing on week two of my no spend challenge and see how I slipped up a little bit!

Have you ever had something totally unexpected happen and it was completely out of your control?

Well Sunday while I was at drill, I get a call from my roommate asking me if I paid the water bill.

Yes. I did.

She tells me that the water isn’t working in our entire apartment. I ask her to check with the neighbor and sure enough the entire complex is without water. I get home that night. The weather is warm for this time of year and we have nothing cold to drink in the apartment.

I met with someone at Target to sell an item from one of the Facebook For Sale pages. As soon as I got that money, I went into Target to get a gallon of water (which I am usually against buying water, but it had to happen). As I was walking to check out, I saw cake mixes for $1 and frosting for $1.50. I gave in and got the supplies for two cakes. Brittney and I spend our water-less evening making cakes. While I still count it as part of my grocery budget, it definitely wasn’t the kind of spending I had planned. It was so worth it though. It gave us something to do instead of complain about the lack of water in our apartment and we spent most of the evening laughing in the kitchen.

I managed to make it through the drill weekend without spending money on lunch or any other food cravings. That being said, I have a long list of restaurants that I can’t wait to eat. One major lesson I have learned from the No Spend Month is that you don’t have to give into your food cravings. The other night, I desperately wanted Taco Johns. I didn’t give in. Instead I went home and used some chicken to make chicken tacos and I happened to have tater tots in the freezers. What could have cost $8-12 for one meal cost me nothing because I had the items on hand already.

SPENT DURING WEEK TWO:

Target Water/Cake Run: $4.83

Super Saver Groceries   $  16.43

Sam’s Club Gas:       $ 25.09

Wal-Mart Groceries: $10.63

McDonald Slip Up: $6.10

 Total: 63.08 Spent on Week Two

13.08 Over Budget

Paid Off:

Credit Card: $352

Student Loan #1: $324

My first week of my #NoSpendMonth was GREAT! Read about how I spent less than $50 on everything I needed this week!

Week One: No Spend Month

Posted by By April 8, 2017Posted inNo Spend Challenges, No Spend Updates2 Comments

Week One of my No Spend Challenge was not nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had a few ups and downs as I expected, but I really think I excelled all week! Thank goodness for my Instagram #debtfreecommunity. HUGE shout out to The Budget Awakens and Frugal Desperado for doing this challenge with me! All three of these have been amazing sources for me when I wondered if this challenge was really worth it!

Week One of my #NoSpendMonth was GREAT! Read about how I spent less than $50 on everything I needed this week and how I did it!

Buying supplies for my no spend challenge

The few days before, I spent $21.43 at Super Saver getting chicken, fruit, veggies, and other stuff to make for my meals this week.

Then I spend $25 at Sam’s Club getting enough toilet paper to last through the apocalypse and coffee creamer for the rest of the year. They were both killer good deals and I won’t worry about needing them for a while so I am not constantly using my small budget this month to buy items. (Update: I bought the toilet paper in March and I still have a ton left in August. My coffee creamer lasted until July.)

I put $25 worth of gas into my Jeep! Gas is probably going to be the hardest part of this month because it doesn’t really matter if I go over budget, I have to go to work. That being said, I have been trying to monitor how often I am driving places and if I can make multiple trips into one instead of driving all over town! Most of my driving is to and from work and the gym.

I had to buy more pre-workout and ended up spending $90 at Max Muscle (They still gave me a killer deal) for some pre-workout. BCAA’s are good for sore muscles and recovery. Since I have been insanely sore after my last few workouts, I decided to give it a try. I had a little bit of money in my supplement fund. While it was an impulse, it was worth it to get me through week one.

Week One of my No Spend Challenge!

I think I have done great on my No Spend Challenge so far! I have forced myself to keep packing my lunch no matter how great McDonald’s coffee may sound at about halfway through my 12-13 hour work days.

My coworkers for the week were eating out and I kept sticking with it all week! I desperately wanted some food at work a couple of those days, but I stuck it out and made the best of it. Some of my coworkers were actually nice enough to share their food with me if they didn’t eat it all.

SPENT THIS WEEK:

Wal-Mart Groceries     16.21

Sam’s Club, Groceries   5.48

Sam’s Club Gas:           25.09

Paid Off:

Student Loan #3: $78

Student Loan #4: $92

Free family friendly things to do are sometimes hard to find. During my No Spend Challenge, I am attempting to come up with multiple things that make not spending money easier. Do you have a favorite that isn't on this list?

37 Free Things To Do Instead of Spending Money

Posted by By April 3, 2017Posted inMillennial Life, Money Saving Tips, No Spend Tips2 Comments

Free family friendly things to do are sometimes hard to find. During my No Spend Challenge, I am attempting to come up with multiple things that make not spending money easier. Do you have a favorite that isn't on this list?

 

 

I have officially started my No Spend Month and free things have become my best friend! It is already a little harder than I expected, but I know it will be great!  It definitely requires more organization and planning than I am used to! Especially working two jobs some days, I diligently pack the night before to make sure I have the things that I need for the entire day. I know that I am working most of the month, so I will not have a whole lot of time to be bored, but if you are completing a No Spend Month (Or even just a weekend!) there are a ton of great things to do with your time. During a No Spend Time, you don’t have to sit and be miserable!

I encourage you to do things that you don’t get to do very often and make the most of you time! Don’t sit around thinking about the things you could be doing if you were spending money! The more you find to do that is fun, the less you will think about spending money!

March Debt Progress Report

March Debt Progress Report

Posted by By March 29, 2017Posted inDebt Free Journey, Debt Free Updates2 Comments

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. This is one way that bloggers make money, but it is at absolutely no extra cost to you if you choose to make a purchase based on my suggestions! Thank you!

How I paid off $850+ in debt during the month of March

My Story

If you have been following my story at all, you probably know that I tell my story at the beginning of every monthly report for those who just stumbled upon my blog. If you have read my story, feel free to skip ahead to my monthly report. I tell this story so I am not just some stranger, but instead someone who just might inspire each and every reader to follow the same journey!

My name is Elyse. I am 22, single with no kids and I am proudly on my way to being completely debt freeeee. I never really thought of myself as someone who was in debt. With no credit cards and no car payment, I was not the average American.  All I had was a few student loans. It wasn’t until a few weeks before my 22nd birthday that I got a loan for a Jeep and my very first credit card. I should say credit card(S). For the month of December, I thought it was so cool that I finally had a credit card. I was excited over it actually. I was learning about all the different rewards I could cash in and it was fantastic.

Towards the end of the month, I was cleaning off a bookshelf, getting ready to move (again), and found The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. This $15 book completely changed my life path at the time. Dave describes being debt free as such a rewarding and achievable thing. In his book, he says it will take work and it will be hard, but it will be worth it. He has been right. There have been days were I have completely questioned my sanity. I sometimes wonder why I don’t just make minimum payments forever like everyone else.

“Sometimes, you have to like like NO ONE else, so someday you can LIVE like no one else.” – Dave Ramsey

30 Date Ideas For “I don’t Know, What do you want to do?”

Posted by By March 17, 2017Posted inMillennial LifeNo Comments

I have written quite a few rants about dating as a millennial. It isn’t dating anymore, but it seems that I am not the only one who has this opinion. In the last few days, I have read a ton of articles about bringing back old dating styles.

I have heard excuses about being broke and not knowing what to do. Dates don’t always require money, but they usually require leaving the house. I don’t know why it is so completely impossible for some guys to pick a place and just go. But it is probably just as impossible as saying “What do you want to do?” to a woman and getting an actual answer. There are so many possibilities that when asked, what is a woman supposed to say? Dating can be hard. Usually both of you say "I don't know." Here is a great go to list for when neither of you have a date idea for the evening.

Some of these dates are super cheap and some of them could get a little pricey. A few of them would be good to watch for specials and have certain days that are cheaper than others! Not every couple will enjoy every one of these on the list, but there are a ton of ideas. I tried to keep most of the date ideas to things that don’t require a lot of advanced planning, but a few of them do. I know that I have done almost all of these at one point in my years of dating.

Here are 30 date ideas for the next time your partner says “I don’t know.”

All About This Sagittarius Stuff

Posted by By March 15, 2017Posted inMillennial Life2 Comments

 

When I first chose the name “The Savvy Sagittarius” for my blog, I just thought it was playful and cute. I wasn’t that deep into my horoscope, but I was beginning to learn. I follow a few horoscope sites on my social media and some days it is completely spot on.

Some days I am amazed with the personality that comes out of my horoscope. While I don’t really pay attention to a lot of the theories behind the horoscopes, I do think they are extremely inspirational. The daily posts are motivating and encouraging, especially when they are completely on point with what is going on in my everyday life.

Below are the traits for a Sagittarius based on ZodiacFire.com and Astrology Zodiac Signs.

When I first chose the name "The Savvy Sagittarius" for my blog, I just thought it was playful and cute. I wasn't that deep into my horoscope, but I was beginning to learn.

Truest of all the Sagittarius statements that I have read,

“However, although she is wild, do not expect her to fall in love with you immediately. Once the Sagittarius woman does fall in love, she will be a loyal and caring partner. If you give her a reason to think a relationship with you is going to be difficult, she will simply walk out the door. The Sagittarius woman usually has multiple love affairs throughout her life, due to the fact that she will not settle for a relationship that makes her unhappy.”