february challenges

Happy February!  I mentioned last week that I'll be participating in Carla's Challenges for the month!  It's time I sit down and figure out what I want to accomplish from the Low (no) Spend Challenge as well as her Decluttering Challenge!  She's made it easy and outlined some "rules" for us, so all I really need to do is fill in the blanks.

Here it goes!

Low (no) Spend Challenge:

1. Choose a financial goal for the month!

I want to spend 5% less in February 2012 than I did in February 2011.  This will be a tough challenge because last February was a very low-spend month!  Looking at my figures we only spent about $650 on food for the month, which is about $500 less than normal.  So that I have a solid number to stay under, my total spending needs to be under $4117 for February. 

2. How will you achieve your goal this month?

Eating what is in the freezer and pantry will help keep food costs low.  I've got 3 full sized turkeys, tons and tons of venison, as well as some chickens, Cornish game hens, fish and sausages.  Enough meat, where with careful planning, I will just need to purchase vegetables, fruit and stuff for lunches and breakfasts.  I will have to be diligent with the way we make our lunches so that the lunch food doesn't get eaten for snacks!  And some low cost, homemade snacks are in order as well!  

We're going on vacation at the end of the month, so keeping that in mind, our eating out and entertainment expenses should be minimal.  And it'll be much easier to say "no" because I can simply remind everyone that we need to save our money for vacation where we'll be saying "yes"!

3. How will you allot your spending this month?

I want to keep our food expenses under $700 this month.  I'll go to the bank tomorrow (payday) and withdraw cash for this.  Also, I will get $75 out for my "blow" money.  Let's see...I will also need to get cash for the boys (potential) commissions and my son's school lunches.  Any other expenses that come up (clothing, house maintenance, etc.) get put on our American Express card and is paid at the end of the month.

4. Track your purchases!

I have a notebook where I write down each and every expense.  

5. Are there any “exemptions” for the month?

Yes!  We have some maintenance and repairs that need to be completed on the house (fill dirt, a window replacement, replacement of rotten window sills, and pine straw are all needed), our vacation expenses, and our mortgage payment are all items that will not be included in the $4117 figure. 

Now for how the Decluttering challenge will work:

1. There will be 4 main challenges for the month. Carla picked the theme and I picked the challenge!

• Week One: Personal Space Challenge - I want to purge and clean out my craft closet.  While it's not a total mess, I have several craft supplies in there that would just be "happier elsewhere".

• Week Two: Family Space Challenge - For this challenge I want to declutter the basement.  There aren't many extras in the basement, but I know there are video games and some NERF toys that the boys just don't play with anymore.  These are all things that can give us a bit extra storage space and that can be donated.  And I believe I can take the videos up to Game Stop and sell them.  A definite win/win!

• Week Three: Productivity Challenge - This week I'll be in the kitchen.  I want to prep and freeze enough casseroles for Monday night dinners to last through the end of March.  Since I'm out of the house all day on Mondays for my Master Gardener class I like to have a casserole prepped and ready to put in the oven as soon as I get home.  If I'm counting correctly, I'll need to prepare 5 casseroles.  And since I'm trying to keep my food costs under $700 this will be a double-challenge. I'll need to come up with some frugal but tasty casserole ideas!  

• Week Four: The “Dreaded” Challenge - My office's desk drawers!  I have files in my desk that are no longer needed.  I want to sort through and purge/recycle all the old stuff so that finding files that I need will be so much easier!

2. Bonus Challenges!

- Carla will be giving us 4 *bonus* mini challenges throughout the month! They should be fast & easy to accomplish!

3. Purging!!

- Toss, sell, or donate 29 items! One item for every day of the month in February.

4. The Proof is in the pudding!

- I'll be sure to take before & after photos of my decluttering projects and post along with my updates!!

I'll keep you posted each week on the progress that is being made on each challenge!