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September NO-BUY MONTH Challenge Kick-off for @justclickindiva (9/1/ - 9/30/2011) | SATURDAY SAVERS CLUB

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@justclickindiva
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Hello everyone and welcome back to the Saturday Savers Club. In July, @shanibeer proposed a new initiative for the members to consider. It's called the NO-BUY MONTH. We've all heard of the term, "make do or do without". Well, in our Saturday Club, we're constantly trying to find ways to save.

We then share those ideas with each other on Saturdays. Our readers and followers get a chance to see what the Saturday Club is doing. Hopefully we share tips and tricks that will help in our financial (as far as savings is concerned) and personal lives.

Finally in August, we held a week long dry run to see if this initiative was doable. I participated because I love a challenge. I was excited as my week came to end. It was a successful undertaking. I was fortunate enough not to have made any unscheduled withdrawals out of my current offline personal accounts. I made do with what we had, opting to cook each day instead of ordering take-out. Fortunately, didn't encounter any large, non-routine, or essential purchases.

At the end of the week, I realized a total savings of $30.00. I was proud of my accomplishment.

So, when @shanibeer decided that we would forge ahead and try our initiative for month-long journey of a no-buy experience, I was definitely going to participate. If you'd like to see what this challenge is about, check out the official post here: Saturday Savers Club NO BUY CHALLENGE.

The NO-BUY month starts September 1st and continues through September 30, 2021. Everyone is welcome to join.

Here's how it works. You decide what you want to do without or cut back on during the 30-day period of September. You set your own rules for what is or isn't allowed to be purchased during the 30 days. Simple as that.

In preparation for my September No-Buy Month , I set out a time to go grocery shopping to collect my cooking sauces. I also blanched and froze some onions, bell peppers, and celery.

MY GOAL: Save 40% of normal monthly expenses.

I've decided to publish my initial post on my No-Buy rules on September 1st. Oops, a day late, but still timely. Then update my readers twice in September on my progress. So look for my next update on September 15th. That's half way through. I hope you'll visit to see how I'm accomplishing not buying certain items for 30 days.

Now, let's get started on my September NO-BUY Month.

I've set my own rules about what I'm allowed to buy or not buy during the month. Here they are:

Source

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES:

  • Food - only dairy, bread, produce, and 3 gallons of Blue Bell Ice Cream each 2 weeks (Pralines & Cream, Strawberry, and Vanilla).
  • Essential toiletries and housekeeping replacements. This should be minimal.
  • Essential repairs or replacements. (currently working on much needed repair projects)
  • 1 takeout each week.
  • Postage.
  • Travel and fuel.
  • Grandchild or other family members back-to-school items, if needed.

You may wonder why I feel that ice cream is a necessity. It's not for me. I'm participating in @shanibeer's Wellbeing Club.

NO-BUY ITEMS:

The items below I feel that I can definitely do without for 30 days.

Source

  • No new financial or crypto investment.

  • No pantry storage stock items for family members.

  • No shop-bought non-essential sweets or other treats.

  • No ready-to-eat cereals (have 15 boxes already).

  • No silver, gold coins, collectibles.

  • No ceramic antiques, trading cards, comic or other books.

  • No new clothing garments or shoes.

  • No office furniture, or regular furniture.

  • No household items.

  • No new magazine or other subscriptions.

NOTES:

You have a budget. You plan. Then you see an advertisement for an item you think you can't live without or because an item is on sale. Marketers convince you that you can't live without the items and have to have it in your hands today. Then, they give you a sale deadline to prompt you to move quickly to purchase on their timelines. FREE SHIPPING!

Sounds familiar? Well, I've learned over the years to purchase on my timeline. This was especially true when I noticed the same item was on sale again the next month or two. And the price was lower.

Lesson well learned.

When it comes to eating, I've discovered this about myself. Out of habit, I'll purchase something different when I know full well that I have two refrigerators and three freezers. I can cook anything I want for any day of the week.

But it's convenience. And I don't mind paying for it. However, lately, I've been reassessing my behavior over in the Saturday Saturday's Club. The past few months, I started sorting out my freezers. I discovered poultry, fish, beef, and other meats and veggies that need to be eaten by the expiration date. I was horrified that I had to toss out items that had expired simply because I didn't rotate them.

So I rotated all my storage items, including the pantry. Now I know which items need to be eaten first. I have more than a month's worth of both frozen food and non-perishable items.

I'm ready to start.
See you on September 15th with my mid-month progress report.
I hope you are able to join us in this exciting challenge.

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/658410090872963112/658411730292178945/Stars.png?width=1067&height=68

@flaxz initiative #iamalivechallenge (Published my September 1st initial No-Buy Month Challenge post for my blog today)

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/658410090872963112/658411730292178945/Stars.png?width=1067&height=68

Thanks, @justclickindiva

Happy rest of the week everyone with whatever your endeavors.

<a href=https://discord.gg/P4nqcj6>

SOURCES:

a) JustClickindiva's Footer created in Canva utilizing its free background and images used with permission from discord admins. b) Unless otherwise noted, all photos taken by me with my (i) Samsung Galaxy 10" Tablet, (ii) Samsung Phone, & (iii) FUJI FinePix S3380 - 14 Mega Pixels Digital Camera c) Purple Butterfly part of purchased set of Spiritual Clip Art for my Personal Use d) All Community logos, banners, page dividers used with permission of Discord Channel admins. e) Ladies of Hive banner used with permission of and in accordance with the admin's guidelines. f) Saturday Savers Club logo created by me @justclickindiva in Canva utilizing its free templates and free images from PXFuel (i) and (ii).

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