A No-Warning/No-Spend challenge!

[Bookie]

Friday -- Day 10 of the extended Challenge

A multi-car pileup shut down the interstate during rush hour this morning, producing gridlock among the commuters sturggling to get on or off the highway. I live on a major feeder route, and no way was I going to get my car out of the driveway. Walked over to the office, threading my way through the motionless motorists, and picked up my paycheck., Paused long enough to raid the break room for a cup of coffee and an enormous muffin, then ambled down to the bank to cash said check and moseyed on home. End of spending saga.

Spent a quiet afternoon harmlessly amusing myself by counting my money. Frugal pastime counting money. Reminds me of someone''s blog where the writer discussed ironing greenbacks. I wish I'd bookmarked the entry. Don't recall if she used the steam setting or not. I do remember that spray starch was mentioned. Do ventiing machines accept starched and ironed currency?

Today was gastronomically uninspired. Can opener cuisine. I was going to cobble together a tuna salad thingy until I ran into a mayonnaise problem. I don't eat much mayonnaise, so a jar of it lasts me a good long time. This one, according to expiration date, has been around so long that if I don't toss it soon, I may be legally obliged to pension it off. Looks and smells OK, but they put so many preservatives in condiments you could probably use them in place of embalming fluid. Not legally, of course.

Still, corned beef (canned), baked beans (canned), and mixed vegetables (frozen) will certainly hold me over for a while. And I have whatever-overs for the weekend.

But I didn't spend anything.

[LuxLiving]

Hello Bookie -

Sheepishly raising hand...twas me.
http://luxliving.savingadvice.com/20...ssional_14919/

I enjoyed reading about your no drive no spend day. Tell me, how are you eating canned corned beef? We use bbq sauce on it to make sandwiches. I would enjoy knowing of another use for it.

[Bookie]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

Hello Bookie -

Sheepishly raising hand...twas me.
http://luxliving.savingadvice.com/20...ssional_14919/

I enjoyed reading about your no drive no spend day. Tell me, how are you eating canned corned beef? We use bbq sauce on it to make sandwiches. I would enjoy knowing of another use for it.

Thank's for the link to the blog entry about ironing money.

BBQ sauce on the corned beef sounds appealing. I'll have to try that. All I did last night was to slice it, fry until a bit crispy on the outside, drain to remove the grease, and serve with horsehradish.

I mostly use the corned beef in hash. Onions, potatoes, grated carrot, corned beef, beef broth for moisture, and herbs (I like sage.). I make it in an iron skillet and let it cook down slowly until everything is blended and the broth has reduced and absorbed, Then I run it under the broiler to crisp the top slightly. Simple, easy and appetizing.
.

[Bookie]

Saturday -- Day 11 of the extended Challenge

I arrived at the office this morning to discover the break room in an advance stage of flooding. The Bunn coffee maker is an industrial model with a connection to the water line. The hot water reservoir sprang a leak during the night, and as it drained, the automatic mechanism attempted to refill it. By the time I got there, the counters were awash, the storage cabinets below were soaked through, and the rising tide had begun to seep into the hall carpeting. Major, major mess. I shut down the coffee maker, turned off the water. and called the manager to let him know that he had a problem.

Spent the morning trying to reconcile the books for the week. They were about as much of a mess as the break room. Rescued by a friend who wanted to go to lunch (his treat), so I'll need to go back tomorrow and finish up.

Sunday will be the final day of this Challenge for me. I have a dental appointment on Monday, and it will NOT be a no-spend day. I will need to put my money where my mouth is.

That will be followed by some serious rebound spending. Inevitably, I have a major grocery store expedition in the offing. The siren call of the laundry room beckons to me and my stash of quarters. I have a two-week backlog sorted and ready to go.

But that's for Monday. Today is Saturday, and today I spent no money.

.

[Bookie]

Posting after myself.

Sunday -- Day 12 of the extended Challenge

Bought a morning newspaper, $2, my one non-negotiable Sunday expenditure, scheduled and budgeted.

As mentioned, today wraps up the no-spend Challenge for me. Tomorrow, "Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war," for it is then that spend I will.

There are probably as many ways to evaluate a no-spend Challenge as there are participants. I try to keep it simple by concentrating on the amount of cash I have in hand at the finish line. Final accounting for the days now ending, including residual sums held at the onset, shows me a rounded total of $150 for the period. This is the amount I will deposit in saviings tomorrow.

It's been fun, folks. We'll have to do it again sometime.

G'night.

.

[lrjohnson]

I think I may have spent $15 total. That's in 12 days. I'm thinking that even though I had my one coffee "out" a year, that I'm overall okay; I spend less than $1026 a month, and I can live with the frivolous fifteen.