"31 Days of Nothing" Challenge - Week 2

This post is a part of Learning The Frugal Life's "31 Days Of Nothing" Challenge.  Along with many of you, I accepted the challenge and this is my weekly check-in to chart my family's progress!

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We're rounding out Week 2 and I am finding some of my habits beginning to change this week!

1.  Conservation is the Name of the Game!  With the prospect of making my pantry items last for another three weeks, I am finding myself being very conservative with certain items I used to take for granted.  For instance, I am only making ONE CUP of Coffee for myself in the morning whereas I used to make a half-pot and throw out what I didn't drink.  My son's morning glass of juice (I usually pour half water/half juice) is put back in the fridge if he doesn't finish it.  I'm only using the minimal amount of laundry detergent necessary to do a load of wash.  All in all, it's making me much more conscious of what I usually waste.

2.  As the pantry is getting emptied, I am looking for suitable substitutes instead of replacing (for now).  Instead of buying more Pop Tarts for my son's breakfast, I made a big batch of this old favorite from New Zealand...Crumpets.  With a little butter and honey, he's satisfied.

3.  My body is getting used to it being 65 degrees in the house during the day.  I am even finding that when I turn the thermostat up to 67 degrees after 4:00 that it feels warm!  I also pulled out the humidifier and found that the extra humidity in the air really warms up a room.

4. I had to purchase a new pair of sneakers for my son since he decided that the ones he had were much better as brakes for his tricycle!  Instead of hopping in the car and going to Walmart in hopes that they'd have his size, finding they don't and galavanting all over, wasting gas and getting tempted by other store "deals," I decided to shop for them online.  Only cost me $12.49 and only took me 5 minutes!

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5.  I'm really pleased that I only had to fill up on gas once this week.  I have to drive my son to school and pick him up each day (about 25 minutes each way, twice a day), so that pretty much eats up one tank of gas.  I usually end up filling up every 5th day, but with keeping my other errands to a minimum  and staying in on weekends, I cut that to once a week.


Meal Plan Week 2*:
Sunday: Beef Chili & Corn Chips
Monday: Chicken Pot Pie (leftover chicken from last week)
Tuesday: Jambalaya with Hot Dogs, Okra
Wednesday: Tuna on Toast, Tomato Soup
Thursday: Belgian Waffles & Bacon
Friday: Shrimp, Baked Potato, Asparagus
Saturday: BLTA's on Amish Bread, Fries

*With some variation, our other meals are typically:
Breakfast: Bagel/French Toast (husband), Buttered Toast/Crumpet (son), Yogurt/Cereal (me)
Lunch: Leftovers (husband), PB&J/Can Fruit/Chips (son), Soup/Egg on Toast (me)


Purchased at Aldi this week:
1 Gallon Milk
1 Dozen Eggs
2 Loaves Wheat Bread
Hoagie Rolls
Bagels
2 Packages Bacon
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Bananas
Guacamole
Cheddar Bratwurst
Deli-Sliced Turkey
3 Cans Chopped Clams


Money Spent Week 2:  
Grocery  $32.66
Shoes for my son:  $12.49
Gas $41.27
Total $86.42


Week 1 Expenses:  $96.28
Running Total/Month:  $182.70

Feeling motivated?  It's not too late to join in Learning The Frugal Life's "31 Days Of Nothing" Challenge!  Also, LTFL is hosting a weekly Link-Up on Fridays to see how others are living frugally through the month here!

Linking Up at Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, The Frugal Girls, Funky Junk Interiors and these other Great Parties!