January is over so it’s time to give an accounting of my “No Buy January” challenge. Let’s take a look at how it went.

No Buy January Update

Overall I’d say I was relatively successful. This challenge always makes me more aware of my purchases and helps me make more thoughtful choices.

I was previously in the habit of buying iced tea at the little corner store/gas station whenever I bought gas or was going to town to run errands. I’m proud to report that I didn’t succumb to the temptation even once during the entire month. I would estimate that, on average, I was buying these 3-4 times a week. At a cost of $1.50 each, that means I saved $18 to $24.

I didn’t go to a regular grocery store the entire month. In accordance with my “rules”, I did buy dairy and fresh produce at Braum’s, a regional ice cream and dairy store which also has a small grocery section. Here is what I purchased during the month:

January 5:

• 1/2 gallon milk
• 1/2 and 1/2 – one pint
• butter
• bananas
• cheddar cheese slices

$13.53

January 9:

• 1/2 gallon milk
• butter
• vanilla ice cream (for party)

$10.25

January 14:

• 1/2 gallon milk
• cottage cheese
• 1/2 and 1/2
• cream
• kale/mixed greens
• bananas

$14.28

January 31:

• 1/2 gallon milk
• flour tortillas
• lettuce
• bananas

$5.43

I don’t have a receipt but one time during the month, David picked up milk, lettuce and tomatoes. I’m going to estimate that at $5.

Braum’s : $48.49.

I placed an order through Azure Standard Coop consisting of the following items:

• organic unbleached white flour – 10 pounds
• organic carrots – 5 pounds
• organic leeks – 1 pound
• organic potatoes – 5 pounds
• organic raw cheddar – 5 pounds
• shampoo bar

Azure Standard: $67.40

I met my cousin in Oklahoma City one day for lunch. She bought my lunch, which I hadn’t expected. We’ve decided to meet monthly so this month will be my turn. After a nice, long lunch I decided to go to the OKC museum to see the quilt exhibit. A one-time ticket would have been $12 and an annual pass was $50. Since I’m planning to make monthly trips to visit my cousin and I know there is a Matisse exhibit coming up, I decided to go ahead and get the annual pass. I figure if I’ve already paid for it I’ll be more likely to take the time to use it.

Museum pass: $50

Before the end of December I did a little grocery shopping here in town. One thing on my list was baking powder but our small town grocery store doesn’t carry the aluminum-free type I prefer. I was almost out and knew I’d be doing some baking during the month so I ordered some from Amazon. I also ordered my 2016 calendars (one for the kitchen and one to hang above my desk). Shiloh ran out of food before the end of the month so I ordered that, as well. The one additional thing I bought was the 5th season of Downton Abbey. David and I adore that series and started re-watching from the beginning. The plan was to finish before the new and final season began the beginning of January but we didn’t make it. We’ve been recording the new ones while finishing up the old. I already had seasons 1-4 but hadn’t bought season 5 yet. Neither of us wanted to wait until February so I ordered it. We’ve got a couple of episodes left of season 5 and then we’ll be able to start watching the current season.

• baking powder – 1 pound – $7.11
• calendar – $7.49
• calendar – $12.58
• dog food  (26 pounds) – $64.98 (yes, it’s ridiculously expensive!)
• Downton Abbey season 5 – $24.99

Amazon: $117.15

Sunday before last David and I stopped at Walgreen’s after church for a few things. I needed three condolence cards, we were out of spray starch and David needed some shoe polish. He used his credit card and I forgot to pay any attention to the amount. I’m going to guess around $20.

Walgreen’s: $20

I met my daughter at a coffee shop one afternoon to work on a joint project we have in the works. I had a cup of tea. The morning I picked up my coop order in town I decided to get a breakfast burrito at Sonic. I had a very busy day ahead of me and wasn’t sure if/when I’d have time for lunch. And then this past Friday I went to town to do a little writing at a local coffee shop. I bought hot tea there and then bought myself a chicken sandwich and fries for lunch afterwards. I’m going to have to estimate these.

Food/tea: $12

And I do believe that was it. Now, that doesn’t include dinners out with David. He always pays for those and this challenge was just for the things I purchase. It also doesn’t include gas or the one car wash I did.

So let’s see what the grand total was…

Total for January: $315.04

Not bad. It was a good reset after the holidays. I had hoped this would free up some space in my freezers but honestly they are still full. I’m going to continue using up what I have on hand and keep grocery purchases to a minimum again for the month of February. My daughter and I didn’t do our usual monthly shop during January so we will do one next week. I, however, plan to stick mostly to fresh produce and just a handful of other items.

I think I will limit my purchases of iced tea to perhaps one a week. I will also continue to give serious thought to all other purchases and do my best to keep “extras” to a minimum.

I did do a bit more baking than usual, which is good. I baked two loaves of sandwich bread, a loaf of beer bread and cheddar biscuits. I didn’t, however, make tortillas as I had planned.

So, I guess that about wraps up this year’s “No Buy January” challenge. If you ever do something similar I’d love to hear about it. And if you’ve blogged about it, please leave me a link in the comments so I can read it.

Have a beautiful week!