So a number of expenses have cropped up. I can't necessarily say it's Murphy's law as these were not tragic nor an inconvenience. But all of these kind of avalanched at once. A local parent reached out and asked if my son was interested in playing for the traveling baseball team to which my son, of course, said yes. I knew I was going to have to pay high school baseball fees, but they also asked for an additional fee for some supplies. Then my son came home with a flier for baseball apparel for the HS. I also realized I really needed to purchase a bag for my pump as I return to work in less than three weeks and next payday won't leave enough time for it to arrive. Since I rented a hospital grade pump, a normal bag would not do (it's heavy, cumbersome and large). So all of that kind of was a wham at once.

I am really looking to project out purchases so I curb impulse spending. This is where I struggle the most. If I can work on sticking to those projected purchases every pay period, that will help a lot. I know I still need to purchase some new work pants or skirts. I haven't yet tried on my work clothes, but as I'm still about seven pounds off from my pre-pregnancy weight, I'll assume they don't fit. I need to wear pants or skirts as dresses will make pumping difficult. I also need to purchase a good pumping bra. I was able to purchase a cover for $1 on a local Facebook garage sale site. I intend to pump during my hour commute each way. This will help me do that incognito (or so I think). I also need to purchase the car adapter for my pump. I purchased a used diaper bag for $5 from this site so we can send this one to the sitter on a daily basis.

I recently found out my son may have a cow protein intolerance that is common in many infants. It may also include a soy intolerance. So off to Whole Foods I went today to purchase some dairy/soy free yogurt, butter substitute, and a few convenience foods. Obviously, the most frugal way to deal with the allergy is home cooked meals but let's face it, sometimes we all reach for convenience foods, especially in a rush. Also, I love afternoon tea with a few cookies. It's a small luxury I afford myself. Geez, Whole Foods really IS WHOLE PAYCHECK! It was super duper crowded and I can't believe how many people actually do the bulk of their grocery shopping there. I've got to explore what Aldi has to offer in the allergen friendly side of things.

Looking at projecting expenses for Friday's pay period. I need to pull the trigger and purchase a carseat base for my car so I can have the installation inspected by the fire department before I return to work. This pay period I purchase dog food. I also will purchase two more items from Costco that are needed. Last pay period, I did a big purchase from Costco: men's vitamins, toilet paper, cashews and a few sale items such as toothbrush heads ($29.99 for two at Target, $39.99 for 6 at Costco), dental floss. This go around I will purchase chocolate milk for my son so he can bring them to school/workouts and Nescafe. Other than that, expenditures should be just groceries and possibly a tank of gas. I've been completely local as of late so maybe not. I still have a half tank left. I do need more lotion for my eczema and may need more facial lotion, but we will see.

Lately, my meal planning has been totally on point. I've also done a better job of determining when to freeze to maximize purchase power as well as decrease food waste. It's getting better...no where near perfect. We have also happily not been eating out as much, but part of that is because I'm home and have been cooking more regularly. Sleep deprivation hasn't killed everything.

So the newborn diapers I purchased turned out to be not absorbent enough for my little one. I've been toying with a diaper service (research has yielded this is better for the environment, not necessarily better for the pocketbook though). I then remembered that I bought a lot of about 18 pocket diapers used! I had not yet sanitized them as they were too big for a newborn. The LO has gained so much, he can now fit in them on the smallest sizing. I'm busy sanitizing them today. These are called pocket diapers, so I can put more inserts into the pocket to make them more absorbent. I will see if these work out better and then I won't necessarily need to go with the diaper service. I feel that it's "greener" too because I purchased these used. Diapers DO have a lifespan though, so I hope I can get some time out of them before they stop being effective.

Today is not an NSD because I noticed I needed to add more to BS (big son) lunch account at school. I don't put too much on because he gets to spendy though he is getting better about it. I don't like to give him the temptation. The lunches at the high school are significantly more expensive. This transition has been a lot for him and he's also playing 3 sports this year, so I don't require him to make himself a lunch. I would make it for him, but I am sleep deprived and exhausted. One hill at a time...

I've got some larger expenses coming up for which I need to be planning. I've already been planning daycare, but now I'm planning a Christening luncheon and there are baseball expenses on the horizon. Need to wiggle things around and see where we are at. I want to stick to the saving $700 per month! Still haven't heard what my disability benefits will be for the 3 weeks of my leave that I have no pay. I've used a rough estimate in my planning.

Another below zero wind chill day here in the midwest. Most of the week is predicted to be pretty darn cold. The warmer days are slated for snow and rain. Ick! Just want to get out and about a bit more.

Today was my first NSD for the month of March. Friday, I put money on my son's lunch account at school. I ordered pizza Saturday as my sister and her family came to visit. Sunday was groceries. It's been over a month and I still have a half a tank of gas left. All good stuff. Looking for NSD's until Friday.

For the month of February, I tracked my NSDs. Total of 11 which to me is...not good. Sometimes they're just really small purchases, but those add up. At least I've got a baseline number and can track a bit better this month as I have something to compare it to. I'll track again and try to keep to a goal for April.

My Christmas challenge total is now over $100 which is awesome. That will at least cover the calendars I make for the family (I make a calendar every year with pictures of everyone).

Goals for March: reduce spending, increase saving. I have GOT to get this under control.