Financial Fast ….Check!

A few weeks ago I started a financial fast. Today is day 21 and I am proud to say I accomplished my goal.

Earlier today, I was interested to see how much money I spent in the same time frame in previous months. Since I rarely use cash and can wear out the magnetic stripe on my debit card I used my banking statements to gather the information. Due to the holidays I decided to look at September and October 2009 for a more accurate average estimate. I discovered I spent an average of $443.12 each 21 day period on non essential expenses. So what is a non essential expense? Shopping, eating out, eating out, shopping and eating out. Ok I did have $90 hair appointment thrown in there but you catch the drift. I spent $443.12 on eating out and shopping? Really Nika? For this reason alone I will continue to monitor my spending as I would like to make it a lifestyle change. Maybe now I can actually meet my saving goals and stop wondering where in the world my money went.

On My Way to …..

Rehab. No, not that kind of rehab…shopping rehab. I've known for quite some time I have a problem with shopping. It doesn't matter what kind of shopping. I simply love to shop. Years ago, while working in downtown Chicago my sister noticed I brought a bag home every day after work. During lunch, I would venture over to State Street or Michigan Avenue for some power shopping. Sometimes it something as small as a pair of socks or a splurge purchase regardless, I purchased something every day. While I am not as bad as I used to be, I still find some reason to purchase something. Please don't let it be on sale then it is completely justifiable. This type of shopping mentality has put a dent in my finances that I seriously need to get in order.

In order to get back on track I decided to go on a financial fast. Basically, during a 21 day period of time I will not be allowed to do any non essential shopping. I started on yesterday and will be joined on this journey by two friends. You know shopaholics travel in packsJ. I will post an update at the end of the fast. If you are interested in completing your own financial fast, you can read more about it here.