No Spend Month

So, I lost my debit card this weekend. The last I remember, I went to a local drug store to buy toilet paper. I was carrying out the package without a bag, and I think I slipped my card into my pocket instead of my wallet. Everyone was screaming at home, so I was admittedly a bit preoccupied. Regardless, somewhere in the quarter mile drive home, it was lost. But I didn't realize it until the next day.

I ran 8 miles on a local path Sunday. (GO ME!) The path happens to have parking near Home Goods. I stopped in to look at some throw pillows, found a few I wanted, and got to the checkout . . . only to realize my card was gone.

Blessing in disguise? Maybe.

When I got home, I frantically searched all over and didn't find the card. I called the store where I last used the card. No card. I called the gym near the store. No card. The donut shop. No card. We canceled it immediately. No weird activity was noted in our bank account, which is a good thing. (But I still feel creeped out.) My new card should be here in about a week. This is a boring story, no? BUT there's tremendous good that has come out of it.

I pull out my card without abandon -- all the freaking time. I spend money on the dumbest things (stupid Instagram SWIPE UPPPPP, GUYZ!). We spend way too much money on food after bringing Eden home this fall. Money here, money there, money everywhere. Losing my card made me stop and think about my spending habits. How they need some MAJOR change.

Yesterday afternoon as I lay on the floor sore from my run, I decided that March would be a no spend month (as much as possible). Meaning, no extra food outside the budget. No random toys for the kids. No random thrift store adventures for me. No books (library!). No candy (rots your teeth!). No whatever else we spend on (#allthethings). The only exception might be going to the movies because we have a $1 cinema close to our house, and I'd say that's a damned good deal for some family entertainment.

OK. But on top of this, I'm trying to whip the budget back into shape. The area we can focus on for the most improvement is groceries. To start things out right, I'm going to try to spend as little on groceries this week as possible. I want to USE UP all this random food we have hiding in the pantry and in the freezer.

Meal plan:

Breakfasts of either eggs, oatmeal, or smoothies.

Lunches using that random tub of applesauce in the cupboard, homemade granola bars, awesome bread we have in the freezer (pumpkin spice!), cheese sticks + yogurt we seem to have in bulk, or dinner leftovers.

Dinners:

• M: Frozen veggie burgers with fries (adults) // Mac and cheese + peas (kids)
• T: Tofu stir-fry using frozen veggies, Aldi sauce, and some frozen beet noodles
• W: Lentil soup with sourdough bread
• R: That random frozen lasagne I bought when I was immensely pregnant and hormonal
• F: Pizza night
• S: In-laws are visiting. Not sure yet.
• S: Frozen chili from the bag meals I made in September

Anyone else trying to readjust spending habits or their budget right now? Tell me your tricks! It's actually quite fun and exciting. We are also having our taxes done, so I always get nervous about if we'll owe money or if we'll get a return (usually we owe). I made only half of what I've made in previous years due to being sick and then taking off several months after having Eden.

PS: For those of you following along for quite some time, Stephen and I have less than $7K left on our student loan debt (together). That's tremendous! We started out at over $70K!

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