October Saving Spree

I have decided that this month I will go on a 28-day Saving Spree à la Savvy Saver, starting yesterday, 10/3, ending on 10/31. That's actually 29 days total, all the better.

Here are my rules:

1. No lunches out.
2. One dinner out per week.
3. Designated wedding expense purchases are okay.
4. No snacks or sodas from the vending machine.
5. $75 budget for gifts and birthday cards (October is a busy month).
6. No poker. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I don't want October to be a losing month, so the best way to accomplish that is to not play. I normally count any losses as an "entertainment expense", but during a Saving Spree I will be cutting back on that whole category.

There is one issue I don't know exactly how I'm going to approach. I want some new work clothes, especially now that the weather is changing (finally!) and capris won't cut it. I ruined my khakis when I leaned up against some wet paint, and all of my other slacks are several years old and have *gasp!* tapered legs. What I'm going to do for now is organize my closet and take an inventory of what I do and do not wear, and I'm going to try my best to get the paint off the seat of my khakis. If I don't buy new clothes in October, I'll just buy them in November, which isn't the point of the Spree. I'll take a trip to Target and Lane Bryant and see if there's anything even worth trying on.

I got some "extra" money this weekend, so I made a transfer of $170 to ING. I netted $85 playing poker this weekend, I got some cash back from Citibank, and the rest is my net raise from my 9/30 paycheck that isn't auto-deposited.

This will be tough but it needs to be done, especially because this month is one of those wacky months where I get a smaller paycheck on the 14th and then have to wait 17 days until my next normal-sized paycheck. Ah, the perils of being an hourly employee.