For my own simplicity, my shopping ban reviews going forward will be monthly instead of every two weeks.

September was calmer and a little cooler here in Arizona….finally!!!

Most of our receipts each month are groceries. We buy the food, we eat the food, and we repeat.

But every once in a while there are things outside of food we need.

This month, those things were homeschool supplies, Halloween costumes, and soccer cleats.

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Homeschool Supplies

I held off buying anything for homeschool the first month. I watched what materials we used and looked for things we lacked.

I wanted it to be clear we needed something before I bought it.

After establishing our supply needs, I headed to the Dollar Store.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Dollar Store.

I hate the cheapness of the toys, but love the cheapness of their art supplies, toiletries, and spices. And living in a small space, I love “right sized” things. I can buy a bag of 14 cough drops for $1 and not have a 60 pack lying around for months.

I understand that buying “right sized” might mean spending a bit more over time, but for items we don’t use often I am okay with that.

So I spent $29 total at the Dollar Store this month. I got all our toiletries (toothpaste, toilet paper, mouthwash, etc), and homeschool supplies (finger paint, tape, poster board, etc).

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Goodwill

I love Goodwill. It is a thrift store where you can buy used clothes, shoes, furniture, housewares.

Giving items a second life and seeing them used to their full potential brings me immense joy.

The kids and I had the car one day and decided to search for 3 items: 2 Halloween costumes and soccer cleats.

We left with those three items for $18. One Spider-Man costume, 1 Pikachu costume, and 1 pair of soccer cleats.

I was planning to spend $20 on cleats alone at a sporting goods store, but instead got cleats and costumes for less.

If you are willing to buy used items you save so much money, and the planet.

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Simple life, Simple Expenses

Reflecting on September, one of the things I realized was a simple life leads to simple expenses.

Most of our money goes to life’s basic needs. This makes calculating our monthly budget and expenditures easier.

We have only 5 categories on our monthly budget spreadsheet: rent, groceries/toiletries/gas, internet, basic cell phones, student loans.

This simplicity makes it easier to talk about money within our marriage. Most days it is a quick 10 minute conversation.

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September was a better month than August for our budget.

We look forward to fall/winter in Arizona where we spend most days at free parks and trails.

And my coffee tastes better in 80 degrees than 110 degrees. 🙂

-Brittany