No Spend Month, Week 4 Update: Girl Scout Cookie Time Edition

Girl Scout cookies came in a few weeks ago and we have so far avoided buying the little buggers, even with 2 Scouts at home. Of course, it helps that 80% of our family is allergic to them. The hubby will buy our leftovers, to keep at his office, at the end of cookie season. Next up, booth sales & adorable little girls dressed in uniform really sell cookies. The problem? Neither of my Scouts have their uniforms yet, as I am a slacker mom.

Luckily, I used a coupon to buy Brenia’s new vest last year so I only need the insignia. I’m also saving a bit of money because Stacia wants a sash, instead. I’m also out a bit of money right now because it turns out, I never submitted their registrations in the fall. I still had the packet sitting here, checks included. Registration is verified at cookie time so I had to dig it up, turn it in and watch that money come out of our checking account.

On a related note, we’re paying for softball registration next week. And, Girl Scout Camp fees will be due soon. Clearly, we need a better way to budget for the girls recreational activities. Our current pay-as-you-go method means a lot of “unexpected” expenses tend to crop up at once, just because we aren’t paying attention. That’s one thing that will be addressed immediately.

Total Money Spent $119.07

• Girl Scout registration: $36—membership dues for Stacia, Brenia and I. Typically, I keep Spencer registered in case I need a driver or help at a meeting. I skipped it this year, since I’ve already made it this far without him.
• Science Fair Board: $2.09—I knew I’d end up needing to purchase a 2nd one. Once again, organization is key! If I’d stored last year’s boards somewhere that made sense, they could have been reused.
• Target: $9.98—glue sticks for our project and drain clog remover. Because, well, I’d like to be able to run water down the sink. Usually, we use a drain snake for a chemical-free fix, but it’s not cutting it this time around.
• Climb Time Indy: $36—this one is a long story, based on a huge customer service fail. I’m calling Groupon for a refund ofthe price I paid on the Climb Time Towers pass I purchased months ago for Saturday’s outing, as I’ll never be stepping foot in there again. In the meantime, I’m out of pocket for the move to Climb Time Indy instead, since I couldn’t disappoint my Scouts. (Which, by the way, turns out to be bigger & nicer in addition to treating their customers with the respect Towers lacks.)
• Travel: $35—normally, I wouldn’t make 2 trips “home” in a row, but my nephew’s baptism was yesterday, and I just couldn’t miss it. I did remember to use my Fuel Finder app to keep costs as low as possible. We also avoided traveling through meals, this time. And, I resisted stopping for snack when we were near a Sonic. For once.

Total Money “Saved” $47

• Steak ‘n Shake: Did not spend $15—I was planning to meet with a friend for lunch on Friday while I was in her area, but Snowpocalypse 14 kept us home for the day. Saved by the weather! Or, something like that. Probably, we’ll just be rescheduling this, but for now it’s money in the bank.
• Valentine’s Day Clearance: Did not spend $10—I’ll own up to buying a little V-Day candy on the clearance shelf, but that’s totally a grocery expense! (What? It’s food, right?) However, I did skip the little trinkets I saw everywhere that tempt me. I found candles, dish towels & many other things I would love to have, but so don’t need. There were some Disney princess stampers that would make a great party favor, but I don’t think we’ll be doing any Disney birthdays this year so I let it go.
• Sonic: Did not spend $10—it would have started as a quick pick-me-up for me during my late(ish) night drive, and ended up including slushes for the girls. I just powered through the last hour of my drive, and grabbed a snack when we got to my parents’ house.
• Music: Did not spend $12—the hubby, yet again, had to skip a new album release so music definitely needs to be budgeted somehow. He has a March birthday, though, so he’s started a list. It’s a little longer than even I had anticipated. This is obviously one he’ll need to learn to control, even once we do have a budget in place.