MID-MONTH PROGRESS REPORT for | September NO-BUY Month at Saturday Savers Club

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Saturday Savers Club. It's been two weeks since I started the September NO-BUY MONTH Challenge on Sept. 1st. As promised, I'm sharing with you my progress as far as failures and successes. I'm half way through my goal of saving 40% of my normal monthly budget.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
My journey through this challenge has been easier than I anticipated. I haven't spent any money, other than for the items listed on my Allowable Expenses list. I'm proud of myself. I knew I was prepared, but there are always unforeseen issues. Fortunately, so far I haven't encountered any major problems that will cause me to exceed my budget for the past two weeks. In that regard, I can say I have succeeded.

The reduction so far in my monthly expenses is mainly through entertainment spending. I haven't dined out or picked up take-out.

As you can see, the Entertainment portion of my budget is currently 15%, which roughly equates to about $450 monthly. This area is where I sorely need to cut back and is easily attainable if I'm to meet my goal of 40% reduction.

I want to place the 40% saved on entertainment in the investment and savings columns as I venture into farming in the crypto arena. I started with @cublife Farm once I opened my MetaMask account. I plan to invest my additional monies saved from entertainment into this new area.

SPECIFIC EVENTS

• Dinner for family. All went well. Entertained family without purchasing any additional items per my previous post during Week 1 of the No-Buy Challenge.

• Tropical storm announced. Not knowing where the storm would land, we decided, to be prepared. We always prepare in those circumstances when predicted landfall is within a 50 mile area of less and evacuation has not be issued. A few hours before landfall, the storm was upgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane.

  Emergency Supplies
  I have on hand emergency supplies. Losing power is the most critical issue for us. Of course, we purchased a generator. However, it's advised not to operate it until after the weather event has passed.

  3-Day Food Supply
  In addition to my Emergency Supply Hurricane and Storm kits, I always prepare enough food for my household and my children. They've already come to retrieve their share of pantry items.

  I'm proud of myself for having everything I needed to prepare all dishes. I also had on stock all the other non-perishable items. Since I rotated my pantry items recently, I was able to locate numerous snacks that I gave away to family member. I still had plenty remaining for my needs.

  Below are the items I prepared in the past two days waiting the arrival of the storm. Of course, I've been eating royally for the past two days.

column1	column2
Barbecue Beef Ribs	Variety of breads
Curry Chicken Salad	Nature Valley Snacks
Beef Sausage	Pound Cake
Fried Corn	Gatorade
Cabbage (organic)	Diet Peach Snapple
Dirty Rice	Healthy Drinks
Salad	Bottled Water
Fruit (organic)	Carrot Snacks

As with all things unpredictable, especially the weather, we were spared any major damage. We only lost power for 12 hours. The hardest-hit areas suffered significant damage. Their power has been scheduled to return within the next week. Fortunately, we haven't heard of lives lost yet.

But someone we know is always affected. So all our planning didn't go to waste. We donated it to a family whose power still hasn't returned.

And we always adhere to the saying, "BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. BE PREPARED."

Saturday Savers Club

If you're not familiar with the Saturday Savers Club, or would like to see what this challenge is about, check out the official post here: Saturday Savers Club with @susie-saver | Week 37 - Saturday 11 September 2021 | Week 5 - Autumn Challenge - Save $100! | SPI Giveaway for September NO-BUY month | Win EDS Tokens for Comments! Everyone Welcome

Here's how it works. You decide what you want to do without or cut back on during the 30-day period of September. You set your own rules for what is or isn't allowed to be purchased during the 30 days. Simple as that.

For the September NO-BUY Month, here's my approach below:

1. The NO-BUY month starts September 1st and continues through September 30, 2021. Everyone is welcome to join;

2. I've set my own rules about what I'm allowed to buy or not buy during the month. Here they are:

ALLOWABLE EXPENSES:

• Food - only dairy, bread, produce, and 3 gallons of Blue Bell Ice Cream each 2 weeks* (Pralines & Cream, Strawberry, and Vanilla).
• Essential toiletries and housekeeping replacements. This should be minimal.
• Essential repairs or replacements. (currently working on much needed repair projects)
• 1 takeout each week.
• Postage.
• Travel and fuel.
• Grandchild or other family members back-to-school items, if needed.

*Not for me. I'm participating in @shanibeer's Wellbeing Club.

NO-BUY ITEMS:

The items below I feel that I can definitely do without for 30 days.

• No new financial or crypto investment.

• No pantry storage stock items for family members.

• No shop-bought non-essential sweets or other treats.

• No ready-to-eat cereals (have 15 boxes already).

• No silver, gold coins, collectibles.

• No ceramic antiques, trading cards, comic or other books.

• No new clothing garments or shoes.

• No office furniture, or regular furniture.

• No household items.

• No new magazine or other subscriptions.

NOTES:

In preparation for my September No-Buy Month , I set out a time to grocery shop for all items I'd need for the month. I also set a goal to save 40% of normal monthly expenses.

After rotating all my storage items, including the pantry, I discovered new items that needed to be consumed first before they went out of date. This will assist me in in my no-buying month in September.

I hope you are able to join us in this exciting challenge.