World Enough and Time

I got e-mail from a close friend asking if I wanted to join her in the No-Buy Month challenge. Well, goodness knows, I have no money - this is designed for people with an income to get out of debt, or save a little, but right now my income is so minimal it's pathetic.

Yeah, a good month for not buying stuff.

( I was also challenged by... )

• No-Buy Month Rules, from the website:
  
  
  Yay! No-Buy Month starts on Wed. You know I can’t wait. I hope you all will join me and get ready to save big in February! I normally save just under $400 for the month! Some rules of engagement:
  
  1) You pay all of your bills and handle your business. During one No-Buy Month, my car needed new tires. I got them because it’s important to be safe.
  
  2) No buying food at restaurants or getting snacks from vending machines. Food bought at grocery stores is fair game. Yes, wine bought at the grocery store is approved. No getting your car washed professionally. Wash it yourself. No professional mani-pedis. No buying new clothes. Shop in your closet!
  
  3) If you have any gift cards that you haven’t used yet, No-Buy Month is the perfect time to use them. Now, don’t buy gift cards for yourself today so that you can use them in February. Use gift cards that you already own and haven’t gotten around to using. So often, we forget to use our gift cards and end up losing them or letting them expire. No bueno. I hate waste.
  
  4) You can go to a free happy hour, but you must tip the server. I hate cheap.
  
  5) Have fun! I want to be sure you find at least one free and fabulous activity to do
  
  
  
• Frugalista on facebook
  
  
• Frugalista: the frugal side of fabulous
  
  
• the book at amazon ca. Sadly, the library doesn't have the book, which I'd like to read. But buying it righ now looks like cheating. I will make do with the website, and improvise.
  

Problems I can foresee:

1. The month starts on Wednesday. Wednesday is comic book day. I can say I'll just stick to the comics on my subscription and no more, but I deliberately left my subscription loose for the occasional addition, like Winter Soldier #1 coming out really soon. Moreover, I like having a cup of coffee or a bowl of soup with fairestcat on comic book day. How to handle this? Hmm. I do have money on my Bridgehead card. Or I could, say, allow myself only the simplest cup of tea and plan for that: a cup of tea on Wednesdays is okay.
   
   
2. Two pre-planned events: a trip to the National Gallery on Friday, and a club meeting (at a pub) that night. I believe art galleries should be free - and the National Gallery used to be - but sadly, they now cost a lot. ($20 looks like a lot to me.)
   

Potential solution:

1. Cancel. But I don't want to.
   
   
2. Go, but be frugal: spend minimally.
   
   
3. Allow these pre-arranged events but nothing more.