DAY 38

Lizzy- Ok...HUGE setback. I just about ruined this whole thing on Sat. Luckily with my husbands reprimand and my own acknowledgment I saved everything. So I have only 1 pair of pants that fit me and I have been wearing them to the point that on Sat I got a big hole right where you don't want one. There is no way to patch this up so it only left me with the option to go get new ones. Instead of the mall and spending 40+ on a pair I run over to Kohls (where you "expect great things"...and I did:)...used a coupon to get %20 off and got the jeans marked down to $10. Great deal! But with that deal I got consumed in wanting to buy a couple more things. I ended up walking out of there with this really nice sweater for $22. I get home and the first thing Ryan does is grill me on what I bought. So right there I was called out on the sweater. Only were the jeans needed so of course I put up a defense because I like the sweater and in my closet I have 'nothing to wear' (at least that's what I tell myself regardless of the 20+ shirts hanging there) Its not that I didn't have a shirt its just that its winter and I have no new winter clothes so I "needed" it. Well...slap in the face. No I don't need it. I can wear last years clothes...even though some are a bit bigger because I was pregnant. But still we are putting aside fashion for this challenge and its a sacrifice we agreed to make. So today...I take back the sweater, get my $22 back and have to be honest here I am NOT happy about it, but this is what I asked for (I am learning self control and budgeting and its hard as rocks but still possible. So goodbye sweater and hello $$$).

Ryan - Let me first say, I didn't enjoy talking to Lizzy about the sweater. I was concerned we were slipping into justifying our actions, which is a trait that things are coming apart. Honestly, even the pants I still wonder, but I never had to wear a skirt or dress either, so I won't judge too harshly.When Lizzy came home with the shirt, I felt that crossed the line. I am proud she took it back. I sense the line is getting a little blurred (groceries and clothing) and when we take offense that is usually a sign we've crossed over it or are tempted to do so. I'm glad we have each other to give a different perspective.
When talking tonight about this issue with family, it was interesting to get differing opinions of wants and needs. One person thought that foregoing medical insurance for two months was too extreme. Or that buying  clothes was a necessity. This is a debate that I suppose will go on while we are doing this goal, but like most things, the heart is the deciding factor for me and hopefully for our family. I wouldn't want to put my family's health in jeopardy, but it's a calculated risk, since we have done all the visits and we are not scheduled for a visit for six more months. I could honestly reason the with the family member who wouldn't chance it. The insurance we are picking up in a month isn't much better than going with out insurance. It's a high deductible ($5000) and only "in" and "out" patient visits are paid with a copay. everything else is out of pocket. We may switch to a more traditional medical plan. We will need to put money into a Health Savings Plan (HSA). Money we put there is tax exempt and can only be used for medical related bills or purchases.

To end on a positive note, we took a big step to saving a lot of money. I was able to transfer my phone number from Verizon to my Cricket work phone. I still have a mobile phone, but it's paid by my employer. It has unlimited minutes, long distance, text messaging and voice-mail. It's just a crappy phone, but it's "phree." The total saving will take place when we cancel our service completely on October 10th (the end of the billing cycle). When you cancel Verizon won't prorate the bill. In place of Lizzy's mobile phone, we are getting a land line and I'll let Lizzy explain the details on how she basically got us a huge savings from what we are paying now for internet. She's a great bargain hunter.

TODAY'S WANTED ITEM: Beautiful green sweater

COST: $22

TOTAL $ SAVED YTD: $1082.56