30 (some) days later...

**Sorry we're so late on this!  We've had a lot of things thrown in our faces lately, and this blog post has sat open on my computer desktop for 3 days in a row right now, waiting to be finished!**

Well, I bet you're wondering how we did? 

So am I.  Let's recap.

We did spend money this month.  But we did SO much better than I could have even anticipated!  What money we did spend-on a crazy awesome deal for a wheel for Joey, on new brakes for our car, and on a few other things- was well thought out and planned. 

But we didn't do as well as I think we could have, or should have, done.  Towards the end of the month, we had to break down and buy Charlotte lunch after mass.  We had brought snacks, but they didn't have enough protein in them, and she hadn't had a big enough lunch, so she was flipping out.  And the drive home isn't a short one!  We also made some unexpected and unplanned for purchases while we were watching our friend's kids, but that, of course, is a different matter.

In the end, while we didn't completely succeed in our challenge, we did gain something much more important- knowledge.

Before, when I was tracking our money but still spending, we weren't really seeing where our money was going.  Even though we use a great program, EEBA, that allows us to see exactly where we put our money, we'd still run over our limits, and then wonder where it all went.  I guess looking at the numbers on a spreadsheet isn't as effective for me as making the choice NOT to buy something, no matter how cheap it is, or how lazy I want to be.

Besides, if we hadn't made this challenge for ourselves, we would not have had the money to buy Joey that wheel or fix the brakes on the car! 

October is a month full of opportunities, and we're excited about the possibilities that are before us.  Besides the meal planning that I'll be working on (again, crazy week, so I didn't start this week like I wanted to) we have a few extra goals.

Our Live Active Culture's October goal is "Make it Work!"  We'll be spending the month making as many things as possible- from bread to clothes, from garden beds to pottery for sale, etc.  While we have always been able to make things, and not much of our goal is anything new, part of our new goal will be to make AT LEAST one new thing a day- each.   More on this tomorrow!