So it’s been a week since the kick-off of the Live Better for Less Challenge. For those that joined in, how did you do? Good? Bad? Indifferent? More tips and tricks to share? If you commented on this post, report below and we’ll let the random number generator pick someone for the BUILT NY lunch tote.
When I was looking at our February spending, there were a bunch of random $2, $3, $4 listings in the food column. Drive-thrus. Not for food. Not at all. All drinks. Every last one. For the days when the kids can’t make the ten minute trip home and NEED. A. DRINK. NOW. For the Mama who gave up Diet Coke OVER SEVEN WEEKS AGO and needs a caffeine boost stat in the form of an Iced Coffee. For the convenience factor that everyone doesn’t have to pile out of the car, into the store, and back to the car. Those drive-thru charges.
Went adios for the month of March.
I talked to the kids about it. We voted. They were down with it. I love that my kids love a challenge. Understand the need to change things up sometimes.
During the entire month of March, we only hit the drive-thru twice.
And I feel exactly ZERO guilt about it. The first time was at 12:45 am, on the way back home from the hospital with Madeline, and I was trying to lure her to drink. Something. Anything. And the promise of Sprite did the trick.
The second time was later that week, when Nick was sick with the same ailment.
Both times, we had a quick family discussion about it.
Everyone had to agree.
Because we were breaking our self-imposed challenge.
We decided the cause justified the detour from our no-drive-thrus-challenge.
“But we go right back to no drive-thrus tomorrow!” Nick declared from the back seat.
Agreed.
And we did. And here it is, April 9th, and month two of no drive-thrus. In fact, as we celebrated our success at the end of March, Nick wanted to know what change we were going to make for April.
I love them. How open they are to trying something new. How much they’re like little sponges, soaking everything up. How they thought something that saved us time! money! gas! was fun.
And for the record, for the month of April and our new challenge, we added weekly stops to the library. I love our library. And we go. But not nearly often enough. A designated library bag hangs near the front door (to cut down on losing track of library books), and everyone checks out a short stack when we go. I love how much they love reading. That a trip to the library and the local used book store is something fun for them.
One more tip before I go? I was talking about erranding a few months back with a friend of mine and she said she has a “three stop rule.” If she’s going out in the car, she has to have three stops to make. Otherwise she waits until she does. And how much sense does that make? It’s too easy to just run out for one quick thing. And driving an SUV and pumping $3.75/gallon of gas into my car, I am ALL about planning my routes carefully. So ever since then, I put way more thought into every trip we make with the car. Even in the mornings when I’m dropping the kids off. If we run out to the grocery store, we add the library, and drop something off at a friend’s house too. The key is to plan your routes carefully. To think about it ahead of time. Not every trip is going to have three stops. Because that’s reality. But I will be as efficient as I possibly can to make the most use out of my time and the gas. And since my gas expenses dropped $42 from February to March, I have to think that the efficient route planning and lack of drive-thrus were absolute game changers.
YOUR TURN. What change did you make in the last week?
Did you know that April is Financial Literacy Month? The folks at TD Bank are all about getting kids to save, and as luck would have it, they sent over the below tips just this afternoon. Perfect timing if you ask me.
Tomorrow? A super healthy, super delicious dinner.
Wednesday? Wordless.
Thursday? We head South. And to the zoo.
*The winner of the lunch tote will be drawn tomorrow to give those doing the challenge a chance to check in.
**I’m going to be doing the Live Better for Less Challenge the first week of every month, so stay tuned for more tips and challenges to come.
***That sunset at the top? Random picture the kids took last week for me.
****Tweet today’s post for an extra entry.
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