Yesterday marked the end of the second week of my low buy challenge. I found this week to be much more difficult than the first: though I mostly stuck to the rules I set out for myself, I ended up spending more money than I’m proud of. I even had one slip up.
In total, I spent $307.59 this week1– quite a bit more than I spent during Week One. I started off by spending $50 on a gel manicure at my nail salon (including tip). Then, throughout the week, I spent $32.20 on transportation (subway fare and parking) and ~$96.02 on groceries. Two of my monthly subscription services renewed: Netflix at $21.46 (when did Netflix get so expensive?) and PicMonkey, a photo editing website, at $12.99 (since when am I still subscribed to PicMonkey? I unsubscribed immediately after being billed). Most annoyingly, I spent $84.92 on dine-in and take-out food (my second-largest expense category of the week). Finally, my slip up came from spending ~$10 on melatonin supplements.
Although I’m not very happy with how the week went, I won’t say it wasn’t productive. Many of my purchases made me reflect on my spending habits.
First, the nail appointment. I’d already carved this out as an acceptable expense when crafting my rules for the low buy. However, as I was getting my nails done, I gave a lot of thought to whether the purchase was “worth it” and whether I should continue doing my nails regularly. I started getting my nails done every few weeks when I was in law school and under the pressure to look professional and composed. The pressure intensified when I started working in private practice and still follows me today even though I now work in a more casual office. You might think that continuing to do my nails myself at home would be a good compromise, but I’ve never been good at giving myself manicures and when I do they only last a few days as opposed to four weeks. For now, getting my nails done is a luxury that, while pricey, isn’t something I’m willing to give up.
I was also forced to reflect on how much money I spent on dine-in and takeout food this week. For what it’s worth, none of the purchases actually fell outside of the rules I set for the low buy- they were mostly social. While I don’t regret any of the individual takeout purchases, I regret how much money I spent on them collectively. Perhaps moving forward I should try to limit money spent on takeout or dine-in food to only once or twice a week even where exceptions apply. This being said, on days that I spent money on takeout this week, I’m proud of how I minimized my spending in other areas. For example, I took public transportation as opposed to driving downtown, I brought my own lunches to work everyday, and when I got food with friends, I mostly limited myself to coffee as opposed to meals.
I also had to consider the melatonin purchase I made. I’m calling it a “slip” because I wouldn’t define it as a necessary medical or grocery expense. It wasn’t a mistake- I knew at the time of purchase that I would be breaking my rules by buying it. The purchase was driven by a bit of desperation: I’ve been sleeping very poorly over the last few weeks, I’ve tried other things to improve my sleep which haven’t worked, and I know a few people in my life who swear by melatonin. I suppose I could have waited to make the purchase until the low buy is over, but it was relatively cheap and there are certainly worse things I could have slipped up with. As long as it doesn’t lead to a landslide of other slip ups in the remainder of the challenge, I’m willing to make peace with it.
Onward to week three!
Laura Kate
- Not including my car insurance payment, a necessary expense outside of my control for now. ↩︎
Laura Katherine 