We've realized the biggest lesson we have learned is how excessive our spending can become...and how easily we can normalize this. I'm notorious for always having to buy something from the impulse section of any retail store and Makoto can't go into any hardware store without picking up a new gadget for the house....we've cold-turkeyed this behavior. It's refreshing to not have little piles of gum, magazines and random treats and knick knacks that we've bought during the week. Our recycling bin is no longer overflowing with the take-out coffee cups from our fave coffee shops.
On the weekend, our usual routine is to go wine and dine with friends....usually for all three meals of the day. This month, we definitely cut down on eating out but instead hosted several get togethers at our house or went to our friends house's for dinner/wine/dessert. This included Makoto's 33rd birthday fiesta at our house! We were still able to buy organic meat and fresh produce for the Mexican feast and I baked 3 different desserts all within the budget we set :) We had a fantastic time and it felt great that everyone was able to enjoy the night and fill their bellies with healthy food!
Being more mindful about your spending naturally directs you to cook your own food, become more home-centric and enjoy all the little things in life (hanging out with my puppy at the park with home-brewed iced green tea makes me so happy :)). The automatic bonus to this is that we've been eating cleaner, spending time on our house (our garden has never looked better and Makoto built a bench, table and new gate for the yard within the last month!), becoming more organized (I cleaned out my closet instead of going shopping...scary how many items of clothing still had tags on them!) and we both realized how well we slept this month and how great we both feel!
I'm hoping to keep everything up but realize that I'll somehow end up on several patios with this amazing sunny weather! I kept a journal of the month and we put it on our fridge to remind ourselves to become more mindful...not just of our spending and eating quality food...but to become more grounded in everything we do.
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