End of Month Report

It's time for my End of Month Report.  I forgot to write one for February but it basically would have said that I did great except for one day when I went to Little Rock with my sister, sister-in-law, and a good friend from Tennessee.

This month was basically the same. And, if I had written it this morning instead of waiting until bed time, I could have said that I made it a full month without buying something new. But today, after dressing Eily in what can only be described as white-trash-hand-me-downs, I broke down and bought her a few items that are fresh, clean, and crisp looking.  And she will look adorable. (She did get a few new tops from her Bebe but they were dirty and she needed at least enough tops and bottoms to get through a whole week.)(Just to clarify, they weren't dirty when Bebe gave them to her.)

Tomorrow starts another month. April! Can you believe it? Nora turns three in two weeks and I think my heart is breaking just a little bit. It just goes by so, so fast. The other day I came across this picture of Eily when she was two years old.

Seriously, my heart can't take it.

End of January Report

We made it one month without buying something new. Mostly.
These were my cheats:

2 dog dishes from Dollar General for Samson's food and water.
A chew toy for Samson from Dollar General
A dog collar and a flea collar from Dollar General (These were for Jason. ha! Just kidding.)

This is what I bought new that was under "forgivable" categories:
Pencil Sharpener
Stapler

These are the items I had an impulse to buy but then remembered not to:
Too many to remember

Seriously y'all, I had no idea how easily I bought things, unnecessary thing, without even giving it a second thought; baskets, house shoes, clothes, decorative items, cooking utensils, more, more, more.
This month has been very eye-opening for me. But what it hasn't been, is hard. I am grateful that the impulse to buy has been easy to stifle. I even went through Target and TJMaxx without getting one thing that wasn't on my list. I actually went into TJMaxx and came out with nothing! Today has been the first day that I actually feel an urge to shop. Instead, I'm going to waste a little time on Pinterest looking at some ideas for my future house, and then get busy cleaning my current house.

What I've already taken away from this experience:
Think before you buy
Sale racks are deceiving

That last one may sound odd but it really isn't. Several people assumed that my resolution only applied to full-price items but no, it applies to all new items, on sale or not. Before, I would have browsed the sale aisles, congratulating myself on saving money as I tossed things in my cart. Now I avoid the sale aisles, congratulating myself on actually saving money and also shaking my head at how easily I was tricking myself beforehand. Now, if I do for real need something, I'm going to check the sale aisle first, but other than that, I'll pass.

Have any of you had any denying-the-impulse success stories?

The moment where I rested

Today was a good day but a little bit exhausting. We all slept in this morning and it just seemed to take longer than normal to get my engine up and running. I finally started breakfast and Eily helped me make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. It was very exciting because it was her first time to crack the eggs all by herself.

Then I did the thing that I've been putting off all week. I emptied out the trailer. It took all afternoon but the girls and I finally got all the presents organized and put away. It's a good feeling to know that is finished for a year. Elaina and Claire have been very cute with the whole not-buying-anything-new situation. This evening, Elaina was telling us that it really doesn't matter if we don't buy any new toys because it's so easy to make things out of the items we already have in our house. Then she told us how she was going to make a play gun using some cardboard rolls and an empty crayon box. See? That right there is one reason I felt this was such an important thing for our family to do. We are all so used to just buying what we need instead of seeing if we can first make do with what we have.  For example, the girls got some new doll clothes for Christmas and the basket that we keep them in is already completely full. I immediately thought,  "Oh, I need to remember to buy another basket the next time I'm in Fort Smith." Then I remembered The Rule and decided that we either needed to get rid of some doll clothes or just use a container we already have for the new clothes. I ended up putting them in a cloth book bag that I had up in the top of my closet and I'll just keep my eyes open during the year for a used basket.

Then we ate salad for supper and Jason, Elaina, and Eily left for basketball practice. Claire stayed home with me and Nora because her mouth had been a bit sassy today. (Well, every day if we are being honest.)

Now, I'm going to go read to Nora and get her to sleep so that I can spend some quiet time reading before Jason and the other girls get home. I hope you are having a nice, calm evening.

January 1, 2014

Well, it's here. The Year of Nothing New. I went ahead and purchased my blog book this morning so that it would be out of the way and I can truly feel like I'm doing this.

We went to Misty and Thomas' house last night for New Year's Eve. It was a lot of fun. We got home at eleven but I forced myself to stay awake until midnight. Then I was asleep by 12:01.

We start the mornings with breakfast, coffee, and the classical music station. But before you can say I Love Bach, Eily has turned on River Dance and is tapping her feet silly in the living room.
I'm gong to be sad when the girls go back to school.

Aunt Abby gave the girls some play-doh for Christmas and our dining room table has been Play-Doh central for two days. I've never been good about leaving something like that out and about so I'm a little bit proud of myself for staying calm, despite the mess. I mean, it's not a total mess. We clean it up each night but all the equipment stays on the table.

Jason and I are going to have electronic-free Sundays for a while. No email. No texting. No browsing. Yes reading. Yes bonding. Yes relaxing.  Join us if you like. I bet neither of us will regret it. 

One more exception

I forgot to add my blog book to the exception. It's a must. (Not really, but kind of.)

Rules for 2014 Resolution

1.  We are not to purchase anything new - unless it is found in new condition at a yard sale/thrift store, etc…

2. There are a few exceptions to Rule 1 :)
    These exceptions are: toiletries, cleaners, Jason's art supplies, etc…, Car parts (hopefully this won't be needed), and shoes.
I have some very strong feelings about wearing used shoes. BUT- the shoes have to be needed and sensible. No more how-adorable-we-have-to-have-them shoe purchases.
Toilet paper (duh)
Groceries (double duh)

3. At the end of each month I have to report how we've done, what money we've saved, etc…

4. Since this resolution is for our family and not yours, if we are to buy a gift for someone in your family, it will be new. Unless I find something totally perfect and in perfect condition at a used item store. Hey- it could happen!

5. Also, I will not tell the girls they can't get new items from others when it's their birthday, Family Day and Christmas. Like I said before, this applies to our family, not your family.


I think that's about it.

The time is drawing near. I'm still just super excited about this challenge and the positive effects I hope it has on my family.  Let me know if you have any other rule suggestions (real ones, Adam). I love having input.

I want to take a nap.

Today, I'm watching four other children, besides Nora. It's been crazy, calm, exciting, messy, and exhausting. I never could get more than two kids to sleep at the same time but there was one hour where everything seemed to slow down and the commotion level was low. I think once the last child wakes up, we are going to go outside, despite the cold wind, and let our wiggles go wherever they lead us. I'm guessing they will lead us to the swing set and trampoline.
I've been prepping for next year's challenge. I'm still just as pumped and excited and nervous about it as I was before. I'm also still motivated and determined. I've had to laugh at myself, though. I keep thinking of all the things I need to buy before January. Kind of goes against the whole idea, doesn't it? I know I need to buy a calendar (one of my favorite end-of-year purchases) and the rest of the Christmas gifts. I hope to be posting the "list of rules and buyable items" soon.  I just need to sit down with Jason and go over it one last time.
I'm going to work two days a week at the local grocery store while the girls are in school. I have worked for this man on and off since I was 18 and so he's very willing to work with my situation and will basically let me set my own schedule. Nora is going to go play with two of her favorite cousins while I'm at work so I know she's going to be very excited. It's a win/win! Well, my cousin will make a little money from babysitting Nora, so really it's a win/win/win!

Something New & Nothing New

I don't usually make new year resolutions. I think the last time I truly made one was when I was a teenager. I discovered very quickly that I didn't keep them and most of the time, they felt forced and shallow.
This evening, I read a link that one of my friends had posted on Facebook. The catch line was Stuff, Do We Really Need More?  At first I passed it by but it wouldn't leave my brain so eventually I scrolled back up and clicked on the link.

Let me chase a rabbit for a minute. Last year, around this time, I decided to give up soft drinks.  At little bit of the motivation came from wanting to lose tummy fat but mostly, it was due to learning more and more about how food/drinks affect our bodies and how important it is to our health to avoid processed things/sugar/preservatives, etc…  Because I felt so convicted about stopping, it really wasn't that hard for me to stick to my resolve, and I haven't looked back since. The girls never really had coke to drink anyway, but it has been completely eliminated from their diets as well. I think Jason may have a Sprite every now and then but I don't nag him about it since he drinks them so infrequently. So, my point is this, it was easy (and in some ways, enjoyable) to quit because I had deep motivation and conviction about what I was doing. I also knew, it the deepest gut of my guts, that this time it would be easy for me to quit soft drinks. I had tried before and gone a little while but eventually would pick up the habit again. It was just different this time. I can't really explain it. It just seemed so simple and direct and obvious.

Back to the first topic. I clicked on the link and was directed to this website. The more I read, the more I was intrigued. The more I was intrigued, the more I was convicted. And the more I was convicted, the more excited I became. I got the same feeling that I had when I decided to quit drinking Dr Pepper. (All soft drinks apply, but that's really the only one that I ever drank.) It seemed so simple and direct. So obvious. So right.

I read the article to Jason who was immediately on board. This is his kind of thing, anyway. It will be much harder for me than it will be for him.
So, my friends, I am happy to announce that for the first time in almost 20 years, I am going to make a resolution.

We, the Jason Sacran family, will not buy anything new in 2014. 
Obviously, there are a few exceptions to the rule (like toilet paper) and I will be working on a post with those exceptions laid out so that you all can keep me on my toes. Every month, I will give a recap of the month and how the experience has changed us. We will be explaining it to the girls and I'm sure there will be times they will be frustrated, but they will also have a reason for the "no." We will appreciate any encouragement you can send our way. It going to be hard, but it going to be fun!