Spending Fast

My name is Claire and I have a Lululemon problem.

This problem would not be such a problem if today they hadn’t come out with mint wunder unders, which I have been dreaming about for months. It would be even less of a problem if each thing they sold didn’t cost  about $90. But as it is, both of those things are true, and today I spent a really embarrassing amount of money on spandex. And then I finally got around to ordering some Reebok OLY shoes. And then I signed us up for the Color Run in Denver. And then I bought 2 jars of chocolate hazelnut coconut butter.

And then I kind of freaked out.

I have a friend who writes a blog about budgeting and staying within her means, and a few months ago she did a “Spending Fast.” Inspired by another blogger who was able to pay off over $25k in debt in 15 months by cutting out excess spending, she saved over $1300 in 2 months. Pretty amazing. I was inspired by this because I have never really learned to budget and have mostly just spent the years since college going through extreme peaks and valleys in my income and spending habits. Two years ago, everything I owned could fit in my car. Today I spent hundreds of dollars on leggings and shoes that I honestly don’t really need. There has to be a balance.

It seems only natural that at some point in my physical and emotional CrossFit journey I would start to take a look at the rest of my life as well. I have experimented with my sleeping habits, I am actively trying to figure out what the optimal diet for my body looks like, and I have even started to focus on healthier personal relationships. I guess it’s time to clean up my financial life, too. So, starting about 8 hours ago, I am on a spending fast.

What does that look like? Well, just like any good program it’s a little different for everyone, but the basic idea is that you spend money only on what is absolutely necessary: rent, utilities, insurance, groceries, gas and car maintenance, and credit card and student loan payments. I am also including CrossFit into my budget, for obvious reasons, as well as a haircut that I desperately need and have been putting off. But other than that, I am going on a fast. No eating out, no $25 clever CrossFit tank top or letting that quick trip to Target for toilet paper turn into $100 worth of flannel shirts and matching mugs (you know you’ve been there). The fast will end on February 14, conveniently just in time for a fancy Valentine’s Day dinner. And we’ll see what happens.

What is your go-to strategy for budgeting? If you were to go on a spending fast, what would your priorities be? And most importantly, what is the most ridiculous not-exactly-on-purpose thing you have ever walked out of Target with?