Year 2020: January – April

Analysis this morning showed May-August 2018 (start of this site) as my lowest spending/highest savings period yet… but that is about to change. My April spending came in 11% under that period’s average (and 30% below my 3-year average!), largely thanks to some quarantine-imposed restrictions. I am hoping to keep that momentum going by getting back to posting here. The 4-month average seems to be the most accurate indicator, since my spending ramps up at least a couple times per year for travel (in normal times – in this case, already booked and banked as credit with the airline).

Some of the extra savings can be attributed to the cancellation of a house cleaning appointment (cancelled again in May), but that still leaves a few hundred extra dollars on the table (in the bank). I dug into individual transactions/merchants, and discovered that although my Amazon spending had increased by $300 (grocery delivery), my regular grocery stores missed all $500 of my monthly grocery budget (in reality this is usually closer to $550, putting an extra $250 in the Save column that I hadn’t expected). On top of that, bulk ordering in March at the start of quarantine front-loaded at least 30% of my grocery and household expenses – while I can’t count on this as a monthly savings increase, I can use this data to better manage inventory going forward.

The most important takeaway may be that, after all these years of limiting shopping trips and tracking line items to rein in spending, it took being “strongly encouraged” to avoid stores altogether to slash my “necessary purchases” – and by significantly more than intentional shopping alone.

It could just be that I haven’t been to Tarzhey in two months 😉

I definitely see the Opal House isolation as a key component, but there’s another aspect I haven’t written about yet: in February I undertook a massive decluttering project, and started experiencing a new feeling for me – annoyance at my stuff. Not annoyance at all my stuff, nor at any one item (for the most part) – just the sheer volume of STUFF I was mentally managing. After going through all my closets and cabinets, I was pleasantly surprised to find I had already donated some of the items I was dreading stumbling upon – a glittery Pink Panther hoodie in particular, had been taking up precious logistical energy in my brain for… maybe five years? Maybe more – yet it wasn’t even among my possessions! There I was, worried it was glittering over everything it touched, crumpled in a closet corner… and all this time someone else out there (who doesn’t mind living among glitter) has been enjoying the heck out of it! What a RELIEF.

I realize many folks have figured out (and written about) this already, but having less stuff really does make it easier to “live in abundance.” It’s hard to reconcile my current mentality with the way I used to operate – and the contrast even more stark since we now receive packages a few times a week in the way of grocery and household supply delivery. The old Thrill of a New Thing has been replaced by objective, logistical modeling for inventory control (and how to dispose of the box – that’s a conversation for another time). I still get excited for things – even material ones (my favorite musician released a book this week!), but my excitement centers around *using* the item, not simply receiving it. I sincerely did not understand the difference prior to this decluttering exercise. I was the queen of clothes-with-tags (usually clearance) in the closet, and still-wrapped CDs and DVDs on the shelves.

Minimalism is still not my jam, and probably never will be (can a minimalist have a kick@$$ lava lamp collection??)… but a simpler, visually “cleaner” existence is making it a lot easier to hunker down at home for weeks on end.

Whatever the percentage of this month’s savings is attributable to mind shift or quarantine, I am setting a goal for myself here to cut my spending by another 10% in May. It should be achievable, since 100% of my spending is taking place online (unless I fill the tank – another activity that’s much less frequent/costly in the current climate), and with a total available prior to pushing the Go button. Wish me luck!

P.S. Does anyone remember the brief period where some of the nicer grocery stores had calculators built into the cart handles? Was that just a Florida thing? Shopping exclusively online is like a grocery cart calculator that adds your items up for you!