July Is ‘Don’t Buy Crap’ Month
I need to offer up some penance for the month of May. I had another friend over this past weekend and with the visit, I made another round of spending above and beyond the budget. Suffice to say, and I have mentioned it before, May is going to be a bad month for my budget. It will be the first month out of the year to be over budget. It makes me just a little sad.
So in order to make myself feel better, I am announcing that July will officially be known as ‘Don’t Buy Crap’ month.
NO crap will be purchased for the entire month. I am going to make amends to my wallet. It is hurting this month.
Some Exceptions Apply, Void Where Prohibited
There are always a few exceptions to anything official and ‘Don’t Buy Crap’ month is no different. This only applies to discretionary spending. Obviously, I’ll need to buy gas and groceries. It is all of the rest that I will be targeting. Eating out, entertainment, hobbies.
However, I will still purchase gifts that I had already budgeted for that month. Just because I need to make up for a horrible month of budgeting does not mean that my generousity has to take the month off as well.
I will also continue to go out to eat at the end of each week with my pseudo-boss at work in typical Never Eat Alone style.
Why July? Just One Month?
It can’t be June because I am going to get married that month. I would be very interested to see someone make it through their own wedding without making several large purchases. July is the next closest month. By then, we will also be done with our honeymoon. After the wedding and the honeymoon, I wouldn’t be too surprised if I was tired of spending money anyways, which would make July go by easier.
Shouldn’t every month be Don’t Buy Crap Month? Well, yes, to a degree. Just because I am classifying my entertainment and hobby spending as Crap for the purposes of July, it does not mean that they are actual crap spending that I could do without forever. My hobbies make me happy and I will continue to make them a part of my life, frugal or otherwise.
What I am looking for at the end of the year is balance. When I look back on my performance for the year, there is undoubtedly going to be a huge black mark for the month of May. July can be the balancing force to even out the year as a whole. It will make me feel better about myself and will help me accelerate towards my financial goals which are for the most part on hold anyways due to the fact that my fiancé and I are paying for our wedding very soon.
I would of been better off if I never went crazy with my hobby spending at all, but I feel that I should be able to take opportunities when they present themselves. That is another form of balance. I should be free to pursue what makes me happy while taking the right financial steps along the way. Not every step is going to be the most correct through the unforgiving lens of frugality. But I am willing to live with it.