Life Marches On

Funny how you can have every intention of posting and life marches on. Days become weeks, weeks become months, and suddenly, it's been nearly seven months since I've posted. Well, I owe you a bit of an update on whether I continued the spending diet and how living life with less is going.

via OhSoBeautifulPaper

The day after my last post, I decided I needed to think a bit more about what I could do to make the biggest bang for our buck. So, after chatting with my hubby, I called Directv and canceled our service with them after nine years! We had paid up through most of March, and by chance, the service was canceled the same day Wisconsin was playing in March Madness. To say my husband was suddenly questioning our sanity is an understatement. But, when he realized how much we'd been paying a month?!*%! (his words), he knew it was the best decision for us. Before the cut-off date, I picked up two Roku 3 receivers (for FREE because I had won a Target gift card on Instagram!) and looked into our options. We decided streaming through Hulu would be a good start, and the kiddo and I were stoked. Unfortunately, sports was pretty much out of the question. Also, because we live over three hours from any major television stations, we were out of luck in the antenna department. Within a week, we added Sling, a streaming service by Dish, to the mix -- giving us the option of realtime viewing of ESPN, HGTV, Disney, and others. So, what did these changes net us? We were spending over $150 a month on Directv. Our streaming subscriptions are $8 for Hulu and $25 for Sling (with the Disney package). Leaving us with a savings of $702 in six months. I'd say it has been worth it... until now. While my son and I are loving where we are, my husband has been missing out on sports for months. Because I also value his sanity, I am looking into our cable options now. Would I recommend ditching cable and satellite to others? In a heartbeat! Especially if you live in an area where an antenna is an option.

Not only have we been continuing to find ways to save, we've been purging, purging, purging. It's been such a freeing summer. It's amazing how living with less can relieve stress, as well. Now that I've been drilling down my wardrobe to items that fit, have current cuts, and bring me joy, getting dressed in the morning is quick and easy. No more standing in the closet lamenting over having nothing to wear while staring at loads and loads of clothing. One of my favorite things this summer was packing up jewelry and shoes to send to my nieces and friends. When you have great items that don't bring you joy, you might as well pass them on to someone else who will find joy in them! Next up... taking items to consignment and listing on Ebay.

I am starting another No Spend Month in October. Would you like to join me? Strength in numbers, right?