Reflections on a Frugal(ish) February

Well, with just a few days left until we are into March, I thought I would reflect on how well (or badly) I had stuck to my New Year aims this month. 

I have strived to be as careful as possible with regard to spending, and have continued to make a daily record of money spent.  So far this year, I have managed to achieve 13 no spend days, out of the 50 I set myself for the year, so I am easily on target to date.

I have paid quite a bit more than the minimum off my credit cards again this month, but still have some way to go to pay them off entirely.  I figure that it might be June before they are cleared, but any earlier would be a bonus.  Spending on them, however, has been significantly less, due to the January sales being well and truly over, and through deliberate efforts to avoid temptation.  I've really only used my card for Approved Food orders.

The month, however, has not been entirely indulgence free, and I have treated myself to a few extras, mainly for the new workroom, but also a few bits of clothing and shoes for myself and my daughter, so I could have done much better.   Sometimes though, a few treats go a long way to making frugal living bearable.

On a more positive note, I have been trying hard to use up food in the cupboards before buying more and I took lots of food from our fridge and cupboards with us on holiday, so we only had to buy a few essentials when we got there.  This meant that our spending whilst away was minimal. At this point in the month, I miraculously still have some money left in my account, so that is a definite improvement on January and far less dispiriting.  There are a couple of things, however, such as getting new lenses put in some new glasses frames and getting my hair recoloured, that I have been putting off and I do desperately need to attend to soon, but they will possibly have to wait just a little bit longer.

How has your February been?  Have you managed to keep on track, if you had any particular aims in mind that is?  What are you hoping to achieve in March?

For me, March is going to be all about getting the garden tidy, putting up my greenhouse and getting started with sowing and planting up the allotment, weather permitting.  I also want to continue decluttering the house and eventually free up our dining room, as we have family visiting in April and need to use this room as an extra bedroom for their visit.  All of this should keep me busy and should have the added advantage of keeping me away from the shops too, but we'll see what happens!