We wanted to create this blog and this challenge for ourselves. After sitting down and going over our finances we realized how much we were spending over the Summer on "extra" things. And that included everything that is beyond the basic needs to survive. It really inspired us to try for one year to see how possible it would be to literally not spend one penny more than what is needed. And that meant no eating out. No activities involving money, no buying gifts, no toys or appointments at the salon, no items for the house or vacations, no putting things in the cart at the store that were not a life or death need at the moment. Could we really not give in to all the marketing temptations? Maybe. Would this put a damper on our social life? Probably. Could this cause some contention along the way? We think so. But is is possible? We feel that it IS. No its not going to be easy. And we have set some ground rules. Basic needs such as groceries, gas, Dr appointments, car repairs,preschool and internet are allowed. Internet only because we have bills that we pay online and because we wanted to have this blog as our guide. We also are taking out two trips that have already been planned and paid for. Our main rule is this. That from 8/13/2010 until 8/13/2011 we cannot and will not spend any extra money beyond the basic needs of each family member. Preexisting items are not included. There is the motto which we are using. "Use it up...wear it out...make it do...or do without." We wanted to challenge ourselves to find ways of getting by without spending the extra dough. Could we still live happy fulfilling lives for one year without the "extras?" It may be more possible because the kids are so little still. With Jack still 8 months and Gracie just 3 the difficulty wont be from their resistance as much as it will be from everyone else and ourselves. The exciting part at the end of this will be not only how much money we saved but to see how strong we are as a family to make do in this world without giving in to all the marketing temptations. I'm sure movies will still be around in one year from now. I bet our favorite frozen yogurt will be in business. Home improvements can wait. Except I will be sad not to plan flowers but again...its flowers...not food. One year without flowers will not break the circle of life. We can only hope our friends will still be around but this will for sure make it more difficult and we are fully aware of that. We are excited to see how this will work. One year of really extending our creativity as a family and on a personal level and seeing just how much we can do to take care of our home and ourselves with as much self reliance as possible. So to get things started we created this blog. We are hoping to write each day of our experiences. What challenges we face for that day or documenting our achievements and new ideas. We wanted to make this public to also get support and feedback. We are hoping you share with us your own ideas. When things need repairing, instead of throwing cash out frivolously maybe you could tell us your remedy. Or when we get into funk you may have some creative activities to share or some good grocery saving ideas. We are of course aware many friends and family members may find it hard when we decline spending any money with you on things but I hope you know its only for 365 days and if anything we will be more in tune with coming up with new things to do and places to go. We will be searching out lots of events around town that we may not have looked into before. So hanging out with us may be a little different than usual but that doesn't mean we are closing our doors...just improvising. We just hope the support is there and we thought it would be fun if anyone wanted to join us. Doing something like this is kind of fun. Just to prove to society that its possible to not spend that extra $5 here or $20 here just because its something you THINK you need. Self control and patience is probably the worst its ever been in the world today. This challenge is going to be hard but we are ready to do something different and challenge ourselves. So with that, we begin tomorrow. Wish us luck!
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