I've learned that tracking expenses in an Excel spreadsheet makes my OCD flare, making lemonade out of lemons that are about to expire is not for the weary, and my life is not a laboratory experiment that I want to exact rules on.
dollar stores
money
I challenged myself to do at least one "Fun & Free" activity every day this week to bust my slump -– like a challenge within a challenge.
diy
If there is one person that truly gets the shaft on this experiment, it’s my boyfriend.
dollar stores
What do you eat when you're trying to shop exclusively at the dollar store? You're about to find out.
money
My food used to emerge pre-prepared from cellophane and go down the hatch in one fell swoop. Now I let the dishes stack up until the last possible moment and towards the end I wind up eating cereal out of Tupperware with a coffee spoon.
diy
So how does one regain perspective after melting down over a shoe?
money
It’s a law of motion: As soon as you say out loud –- or worse yet, put in print -– how positive life has been treating you, that tide will surely change.
dollar stores
This week, for the first time on this project, I ran out of tampons -– not a product you want to cut corners on.
makeup
I don’t go crazy when I need to use an extra paper towel because I know I can get more at the 99¢ Store, but items like face wipes are now conserved like war rations -- rare and cherished treasures.
money
A whopping 35% of my discretionary spending has been on dog-related necessities since the launch of this challenge, but it’s one thing I truly feel is worth every penny.
money
At this point, I’m a Picasso sketch of my former self. It’s grim -- I’m basically down to a big nose and a tweaked out left eye. I’m just hoping my family recognizes me when they scoop me up from the airport.
dollar stores
My boyfriend's been a saint. But on this particular shopping excursion, my 99¢ OCD was driving him up a wall -- I could tell, he could tell, we didn’t really need to talk about it.
dollar stores
No matter how many days I restrict my spending, I won’t be able to fathom how the depths of real poverty must feel.
dollar stores
Even during this first week, I’ve had to suppress some yearning I would have otherwise caved to, but, surprisingly, the act of denial leaves me more energized than the purchase would have.
issues
Think Morgan Spurlock on ramen and rough toilet paper.
