"no retail" update

My "no retail" challenge is going pretty well so far, 19 days in. That's almost 1/3 of the way!

I haven't been perfect. I've made a few spending justifications, like:

• A thrifted pair of jeans, but they were a swanky name-brand pair for $11. Had to do it, right? They are this exact pair ($187 retail)- HA!!! This is the best thrift find I've ever had.
  
• A pretty fern for my house for $2 at a nursery
• New bag for my laptop... I got a good deal on Amazon.com and bought it the night before my no-retail challenge but it didn't show up on my debit card for a couple days... Grrrrrrrrrr

This whole thing really has me thinking about money, however. Like, those few things I did buy don't make me feel guilty because they weren't impulsive. This makes me really think through my purchases, which has stopped me from picking up a shirt here, sandals there.

Another thing I've noticed is, I don't put entertainment costs in the same category in the least. A few frames of bowling with friends, a movie with the hubby, having people over for dinner and a few pitchers of mojitos... I don't give it much thought, but I also don't feel much guilt over it. I think experience costs are worth it, in moderation. But I do need to put a bit more effort into slashing this bill, too.

Today I'm working on an official budget I'm going to try to stick to in August........

image via fffound