In Revelry

We've officially passed the half way mark in the forty day challenge! I'm happy to report I have not stepped inside a Kohl's, TJ Maxx, or other department store in the past twenty days which is definitely a personal best. I still have a ways to go on this personal financial journey, but we're taking baby steps, at least!

This past weekend was a mish-mash of spending & saving. Friday night, my husband and I met our friends at The Melting Pot in Atlantic City. The four of us have been going out together for Atlantic City Restaurant Week for the past three years, so I knew prior to starting the challenge this night would be coming. We stuffed our faces for $33.12 each and it was phenomenal. Hanging out with great friends is worth every penny! The hubs and I were going to hit the slots, but by the time we were finished eating all we could think about was going to bed. That was at least $20 saved.

To close out Restaurant Week, I went back to Atlantic City on Saturday with my momma to lunch at the new Golden Nugget casino. The food wasn't great, so I'm happy we only paid $20 each (tip included) for the 3 course meal. Then I said a tearful goodbye to my second favorite week of the year (birthday week takes the top spot, obviously).

Momma Q has been saving her inserts from the Sunday paper for me so I spent some quality time with her and clipped a bunch of coupons. Since neither the hubs or I read the actual paper (we're online news people), it saves us a cool $2.25 per week. I also picked up my wedding video which finally came in the mail and so far looks like the worst $600 I ever spent. Win some, lose some, I guess.

Saturday night, I headed up to my sister's house for some more quality family time. Even though I bought gas on my lunch break Friday, the gas in Hammonton was only $3.48 so I couldn't resist the opportunity to fill up for .05 cents cheaper than at home. You know gas prices are out of control when you get excited for under $3.50 a gallon. After hanging out with my sister & her family, I went to The Pour House in Collingswood with my friend. Mrs. A was so generous and paid for my veggie burger (delicious!) and my two beers (Hefeweizen- yum) in exchange for a shout out on the blog. Let's give her a nice round of applause, shall we?

After staying up all night and getting home at 7:00 AM on Sunday, I didn't get any of my household errands accomplished. I ended up running to Walgreens for a heat wrap for my knee which has been super sore lately. I picked up some medicine that I had a store coupon & a manufacturer coupon for, total savings- $3.00! I also purchased my first "reward" which was a new mascara & some concealer. I had coupons for both and the mascara was on sale, which kept me under my $10 limit for both items. Our local produce market finally re-opened for the season, and I was able to use my savings from Saturday to buy a ton of fruits & veggies. I managed to resist buying a box of Girl Scout cookies conveniently located next to the register - a difficult task indeed!

This is the week where the majority of our household bills are due, including my credit card payments, so it's the ideal time not to spend any extra money. Hopefully, I'll be able to work at my friend's restaurant on Saint Patrick's Day so I can sock away some extra money in our savings account. With spring right around the corner, we have a lot of household projects that need to be accomplished!

What did you do this weekend?

Saturday Spent:
$17.32 gas
$14.98 Rite Aid
$22.00 lunch @ Grotto
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Saturday Saved:
$25.00

Sunday Spent:
$10.48 Walgreens
$11.67 B&B Produce
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Sunday Saved:
$3.00