Frugal February: I made that (and that .. and that)

Sweet potato and black bean enchiladas. Recipe here.

My resolution to kick my debt's ass combined with my subscriptions to LearnVest's bootcamps, have turned me into a money-saving monster machine. I'm calculating and recalculating every penny, calling up utility and credit card companies to lower my payments and interest rates, and not buying crap. Surprisingly, I'm having so much fun doing it. It feels like a game -- and I'm WINNING. (Yes, I can be very competitive.)


The biggest money-saver (besides boycotting CVS) has been making -- and sticking -- to a monthly food budget. Common sense, I know, but for some reason Jack and I failed miserably at this -- we both over-budgeted and overspent like crazy each month on food.

But not anymore. Now we plan our meals and bring our lunches, and it totally rules.

Even though I'm a pretty pathetic cook, I've made some delicious meals and side dishes in the past 14 days, including the pictured sweet potato and black bean enchiladas and:

• Crock pot chickpea, butternut squash and red lentil stew
• Vegetable Gumbo
• Garlic Naan
• Mac and cheese
• Spaghetti with kale, bacon and brie cheese
• Popovers

We also started having a weekly taco night, which Jack estimates improves our overall household moral by 300 percent.

I have to say I agree.

Frugal February

{Adorable piggy bank via Target}

I've recently become obsessed with LearnVest -- an online budget management website similar to mint.com but geared towards women (so it's way prettier). Featured in this month's Marie Claire, LV is a a fantastic tool for tracking your spending (with color-coded folders) and it also has advice from financial experts -- including articles on shopping (how to resist sales, why online shopping is dangerous, etc.), investing, and pretty much everything else I've ever wanted to know about my moneyz.


My absolute favorite free feature is the 15-day Get Out of Debt bootcamp. You guys, this is SO good. In addition to daily "To-Do's" to get control of your spending stat, they also have great tips-- like how to successfully negotiate for a lower APR on your CC (which I did!). I'm only on Day 5 but I feel more in control of my finances than I have in a long time (probably since I had an adorable piggy bank*).


So in an effort to make the most out of my new found love of budgeting, I've decided to be super frugal for the month February (naturally I pick the shortest month of the year).

What exactly does this mean?

Basically -- no CVS. Seriously that drugstore's beauty section is my weakness -- it's a huge problem. I'm not even going to let myself walk into the store for an entire month. It also means no trips to the local coffee shop after lunch since I don't just buy a latte -- I also get a cookie or a cupcake. If my math is correct, these two little things could save me an embarrassingly large amount of money. Oh and clothes. No clothing or accessory or shoe purchases -- regardless of how great the sale is.

So ... we'll see. I'll keep you updated on how it goes. (Gulp.)

Any advice out there for how to save/tackle debt/not go to CVS? 

*Sidebar: I just remembered I had a piggy bank with hand-painted cherries on it as a kid. It was ceramic and you had to break it with a hammer to get your money. After collecting change for, like, EVER (i.e., a month), I decided I wanted my money and broke into it. And then I cried because my piggy bank was ruined. Not going to lie -- I'm slightly sad right now thinking about it. The end. 

Oh and in case you're wondering -- no one paid me to say nice things about LV. I am legitimately so excited about a financial-planning website that I decided to share it with everyone. You're welcome.