Welcome back to another edition of Want It Wednesday! While this is typically where I share things I’ve been lusting after lately, this week will be a little different.
Everyone who shares their life with another person has a different way they handle money with their spouse/partner and everyone believes their method is best. You have the “completely separate” folks, the “all in” folks, and everyone else who falls somewhere along the spectrum in between. My husband and I fall in that “in between” crowd. Basically, we each maintain our own personal checking accounts but we also have a joint account. Our paychecks go into the joint account. All of our joint expenses (groceries, bills, meals, gas, etc.) comes from the joint account. But, we also each transfer a certain amount of money into our personal accounts each month and that money is ours to spend – no questions asked. It works for us and gives us a bit of autonomy while still working toward our financial goals together.
It feels like every month there’s a reason I’m almost in the red: a new winter jacket, Black Friday, vacation, Christmas, my husband’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, one pair of jeans, this shirt that’s on sale. This leaves me nearly broke by the end of the month and that sucks. So in an effort to curb my own spending for the rest of February, I’m devoting today’s Want It Wednesday to some great things that won’t cost a dime.
Spring Cleaning
It’s coming! I know it is! February is already more than half over and spring is right around the corner. This frozen tundra can’t stay this way forever and soon enough there will be birds chirping, green things blooming, and windows opening. And I can be assured that those windows opening will stir up enough household dust and allergens to send me into sneezing fits until late October. That is, unless it does not exist. That’s right, I’m waging a war on “winter blah” in my house this weekend. There shall be no floor left unmopped, no area rug left unvacuumed, and no tumbleweeds of dog hair shall remain. I’ll be listening to This American Life podcasts, turning on the Roomba, and working toward a brighter and less Claritin-fueled tomorrow.
Finally Donate Those Clothes
My husband and I KonMari’d our closet in January but the bags filled to the brim with perfectly good clothes have been left to rot in our guest room. We are in serious need of a trip to Goodwill to drop off these bags. Plus our guest room would no longer be filled with giant black garbage bags. Just a thought.
Speaking of KonMari…
It felt so seriously awesome when I finished my closet that I couldn’t wait to take on the rest of my world… but then life happened. We have been gone on the weekends or have other projects we are working on but it is time to get back on the horse. I assure you I still have plenty of crap to get rid of before I should even consider buying something new.
Write More Blog Posts
So, I have an actual list of ideas for blog posts but haven’t found the time to word-vomit them out. Sitting in front of my computer doesn’t cost anything… except when I see super cute stuff or great coupon codes on other blogs and end up online shopping. Such is life.
Get Some Sleep
Ah, sleep. You tricky devil. I always plan to head toward bed around 9:00 and keep finding myself watching episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix at 11:30. It’s not good for my brain. What am I doing that’s more important than some quality beauty sleep? I’ve already seen all of Buffy and all of 30 Rock so what am I really accomplishing here?
Some Extra Room in my Budget for Something Fun Next Month
Dreaming doesn’t cost anything! With a little bit of extra padding in my account this month, maybe I’ll order another Stitch Fix or pick out a great new pair of shoes in March. I’m a born shopper but my saving grace is that I actually enjoy the process of hunting and wanting just as much as spending and having. I’ll bide my time, y’all, but something good will be coming.
That’s all folks. What are you wanting this Wednesday?