100 Day Spending Fast

A few weeks ago my sister sent me a blog written by a couple who had done a year long "spending fast". While I think that going an entire year may be a little much for me, I have continually been tempted to try my own fast since reading their blog. Since AB and I both want to return to grad school, we've made the decision to try and pay off as much of our credit card debt as possible before doing so (mainly b/c he won't be able to work at all and I will be pushing it to stick to full time). I definitely have more debt than him so I'm going to attempt a modified 100-day spending fast of my own, just to see how it works for me (or doesn't). Based on the other blogger's guidelines, I have modified them to fit my needs.

My Needs (What I Can Spend Money On):

• Rent & utilities
• Car payment
• Bills (credit cards, student loans, cell phone, insurance)
• Food to make at home ie grocery store
• Gas
• Vet bills
• Pet food and litter
• Birthday gifts 
• Medication
• Doctor co-pays

My Wants (What I Cannot Spend Money On):

• Alcohol
• Gigi's cupcakes (and any other non-homemade cupcake)
• Clothing/shoes/linens
• Starbucks
• Anything other than pet supplies from Amazon.com (my biggest weakness)
• Movies
• iTunes
• Eating out
• Magazine subscriptions
• Housecleaning services

I plan on starting the fast on June 1st and ending it September 8th. While I don't buy that much extra every month, I'm hoping that cutting out a few things will enable me to save more and pay off more. Wish me luck!