Day 11 - fail on no-spending

Well today is day 11 of my no-spend month and I failed! Luckily it wasn't a big fail at all. A total spend of $2 so I am not kicking myself too hard. :) Basically I caught an earlier train to work this morning and then a later one home - I chose to travel on the "comfortable" train (the Wairarapa one) instead of the usual electric unit. Travelling on that train costs me an extra dollar each way on top of my train pass.

I am pretty happy with my progress on this no-spend thing. It has really made me think about the choices I make.

We are moving towards summer here in New Zealand and I was thinking about my summer wardrobe - or lack of it - there are some really yummy fashions in the stores at present and I spotted a few things today that made me drool. Then I thought about the clothes I already have and realised that I am not wearing most of my summer skirts because they are too big for me (a bonus in some ways as it means I haven't put on the weight I lost at the beginning of the year). So I decided today that I will drag my sewing machine out this weekend and alter my skirts. I figured that I used to sew the majority of my clothes in the past so I am more than capable of taking my skirts in to extend my wardrobe. Yay for me!

8 days down - one slip

As I reach the end of day 8 of my No Spend month I am pretty happy with how it is going. As mentioned in my previous post I met my brother for lunch the other day. We had an awesome lunch sitting in the sun on a glorious Wellington day. It was great to catch up with him and totally worth the $23 it cost for lunch.

All in all the challenge is going well. It has certainly changed how I think about what I am doing every day. The only issue I have is that I have a list of things that is growing day by day of items I need to spend money on - next month. I need some putty to repair my garage window. I need some chicken wire to repair my strawberry bed cover. I am also plotting an extension to my chicken coop so that will require a bit of timber as well as chicken wire.

We've had a great weekend weather-wise - if this is indicative of what summer is going to be like I will be more than happy. The fine weekend has meant I have almost managed to finish painting the garage, mowed all the lawns and been busy in the garden weeding, planting seeds and watering. I made a point of taking my "before" photos of the garden on Friday so will post those sometime soon.

4 days down

My No spend challenge has been all good so far.

I have needed to make sure I bring a couple of extra small snacks to work and have tended to stay away from shops to avoid temptation. I was worried yesterday as I flew to Auckland for the day for a training course and felt sure I would end up hungry or thirsty on the trip home. Luckily the lunch provided on the course was substantial and the airline provided some very nice cheese and crackers (and a free beer) so I didn't end up spending a cent! In fact I couldn't face eating any dinner when I did get home.

Sadly tomorrow I think I will fail. I am meeting my brother for lunch in the city and am certain we will end up going to a cafe for lunch. We only meet a few times a year so I figure this slip is ok (with me anyway). What I plan to do is have a late morning snack so I won't need to buy a lot and probably skip having a drink. That will keep the cost down. If I can do lunch for under $10 I won't be too worried as I sold a chess board on Trade Me for $10 so that can pay for lunch.

No-spend month is underway

I mentioned last month that November was going to be a no-spend month for me. Well, today is the 2nd November and so far so good. :) Only another 28 days to get through.

Just to re-cap, no-spending to me means no spending on anything other than essentials. So I will still be paying the mortgage and other bills and will still be buying groceries. But no spending is allowed on entertainment, eating out, hair appointments, clothing purchases etc.

Yesterday was a struggle but I managed to get through with no spending. On Saturday night (still October) I went out to celebrate an impending wedding with friends. This was a big night out for me and I had booked into a budget hotel for the night so I didn't have to find my way home. I woke in the morning feeling slightly under the weather and quite tired. Normally I would have found a nearby cafe and had a nice hot breakfast to kickstart my day. But it was the first day of my no-spend month so I headed home and made myself breakfast. It was a lovely sunny morning so was nice to be at home having breakfast in the sun. After breakfast I spot-primed two walls of the garage in preparation - I get all the fun!

In the afternoon I met a friend to go to the movies. I made sure I ate lunch beforehand and took along a bottle of water from home. That was a successful strategy except that the movie (Julie and Julia) made me feel hungry! I had a voucher for the movies (part of my birthday gift from one of my sons) so no money spent there. After the movie I went straight home and cooked dinner. So no money spent on Day 1! Yay!

Today I have made sure I have brought along plenty of food from home to work so no need to go buy any snacks through the day or on my way home. I made a muesli slice on Saturday to use up some old cereal so that is my "treat" for the day.

I will be posting a bit more frequently this month to give you progress reports.

A healthy spring meal

At the weekly market today I picked up some lovely asparagus which reminded me about this dish. The combination of the ingredients may sound unusual but the result is delicious.

Asparagus Pasta Combo

Ingredients :
350g small-medium waxy potatoes
100g spiral or penne pasta
1 large lemon
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves
400g fresh asparagus
400g zucchini
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered (optional but a good way of getting some protein)
1 cup black olives (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil

Method:
Cook the potatoes until just tended. Drain then cut into small bite-sized portions and immediately toss in 1 tbsp lemon juice (half a large lemon), 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp mint leaves and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside and allow to cool.

Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and immediately refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent sticking.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Snap ends off asparagus and lay in a single layer on a baking tray. Toss in 1-2 tbsp oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Trim the zucchini and slice each thinly down its length. Place zucchini on a baking tray and toss in oil, salt and pepper. Place trays (or tray if you have only used one) in oven and roast, tossing once, for 7-12 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, place the pasta and potatoes on a large serving platter and pile the vegetables on top with the hard-boiled egg quarters (if using).

Just before serving, toss everything with the remaining juice of the lemon, olive oil, remainder of mint leaves, salt and pepper to taste and olives (if using).

This should be served warm and with warm crusty bread. Enjoy!