thrifty: dave ramsey is awesome, except when he isn't.

I have a history of addiction. Oh, don't worry, I won't bore you with all of them (yet) but besides tackling my health, I'm also paying down my debt like a boss. Thursdays are going to be all about thriftiness. Frugality. A spartan lifestyle. Except not really, because I'm not nearly that hardcore.

I like Dave Ramsey, don't get me wrong. I particularly like his snowball plan, which I've put into motion with great success. However, I think some of his advice is, well, batshit crazy. I don't think it's a smart decision to buy a piece of crap car because any monetary payoff (however slim that might be given maintenance costs) is not worth the hit to my piece of mind. As someone who already experiences the joys of anxiety, I don't want to have to deal with the thrill of wondering whether my car is going to start or not. I already drive a ten year old car, but it's a good old car, and Dave seems to think I should sell it and get a $500 car. Sorry, Dave, but no.

Tithing. I do not. Although I do send money to various organizations on (very) rare occasions. Like the ASPCA. But that's due to Sarah McLachlan, not Dave Ramsey.

I also haven't canceled every subscription. I gave up Comcast digital cable and DVR and HBO including True Blood goddamnit but you'd have to pry my Netflix streaming out of my cold, dead hands. I don't plan on selling everything. Or anything. I like my things and I don't see how selling a $700 bike for $200 is a good deal. Sure, there's $200 towards my debt but I like my bike. And my TV. And my PS3. And all my other crap.

What I have done is curb my spending dramatically. I was the queen of online shopping, but now I've created a new email address for my blog and my friends, and my old one I check very infrequently because it's littered with sales. If I check it once a month instead of once a day, most of those sales will be expired. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't tell you how many times I suddenly needed new clothes or shoes because I had a 20% off coupon.

I'm also a beauty junkie. I have an enormous amount of makeup, much of it mid to high end. The irony is that on a daily basis I use tinted moisturizer, concealer, generally the same bronze-y eyeshadow, and mascara. I'd buy expensive skin care when deep down I truly do believe drugstore is just as good. Point being, the only beauty type products I'll need to purchase in the next couple of years (honestly) are mascara, face wash, and lotion. That will honestly cut down my spending a lot.

Anyway, those are the changes I've made so far. My next challenge is lowering my grocery bill. There's only me here but I manage to spend a ton at the grocery store, mainly when I either buy things at random or don't bring a list.

My challenge for the next week is to spend no more than $40 at the grocery store, to include paper products, toiletries, whatever. Total bill cannot exceed $40, and it has to last me until next Friday. Definitely do-able.