Well, we made it through March. Let’s not even talk about it. It was unexpected, it was heartbreaking and it was unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. Now let’s indulge in a little bit of light-hearted distraction from the current state of the planet by judging my questionable spending decisions. That’s right! It’s time for my March no buy update. Spoiler alert: much like everything else in March, my no buy year did not exactly go according to plan.
No Buy Year Successes
Not a whole bunch to celebrate here this month. My budget went a little awry, much like my social life and my sanity. That said, the one great positive of the month was having the Less Junk, More Joy Facebook group to turn to when things got overwhelming and I felt tempted to blow all my money on video games and donuts. Having that support system has been invaluable and, if you still haven’t joined yet, what are you waiting for? It’s a group full of wonderful, supportive people who are always there to give advice and chat about all things no buy/low buy/zero waste etc. It’s a ball!
No Buy Year Struggles
I knew my spending was going to get out of hand this month before it even began. For the first half of the month school was closed here, but social distancing still hadn’t been brought in. The result was that I made the most of every day off work by eating out constantly, drinking expensive cocktails a midday and generally acting as if I was part of the cast of The Hills. Brunch? Why not! Throw some mimosas my way!
Now that I’m barricaded in my apartment and too scared to leave the house in case someone gets within 6 feet of me, I assume I’ll spend a lot less next month.
Another struggle this month was that I kind of broke my no buy year rules…twice. The first time was to buy a new nail polish to wear to a super fancy event because all the nearby nail salons were fully booked. The second was to purchase a new eye cream because all this time spent indoors in the A.C. has dried out my under-eyes to the point where I look like the wicked witch from Snow White. Seriously, the crows feet are real!
What I Spent
You know what’s truly incredible? I actually didn’t go over budget this month. But I came very, very close.
As per always, I’m going to give the breakdown in Bahraini Dinar (BHD) and keep in mind that my monthly budget is 250BHD.
Total = 249.320BD (£540, 660USD, 613EUR, 940CAD).
So I spent more this month than I did in January or February…by a lot. But I don’t regret it because most of that money was spent on dinners out, cocktails at rooftop bars, fun events during the day and a plethora of other things I won’t be able to do for a while. So at least I made the most of those fun experiences while I could. And hey, that’s what my money is there for after all!
