Project Low-Buy 2015, Update #2: What I bought and thoughts on "catching up" on products

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Month two of my three-month low-buy challenge for 2015 is now over! I have managed to keep on track, so today I thought I'd share what I managed to pick up this month using my meager budget with you.

New to the challenge? Here are the basic rules:

GOAL: Reduce frivolous buying by spending no more than $75 out of pocket over the course of three months.

RULES: Other than basic living and blog or work-related expenses (outlined here), all purchases must be counted towards the budget. The budget can be increased by selling items I already own or if I receive a monetary gift. Purchases made with rewards points, referral credits etc. do not count towards the budget.

Just to quickly recap February, I did receive some cash gifts for my birthday, so my budget/balance at the end of the month was $69.86. I didn't go over budget this month, but I did purchase several things... would you like to see what I got?

Project Low-Buy 2015, Update #1: What I bought, what I didn't buy, and thoughts on careful shopping

Affiliate Links Bought It

It's been about a month since I introduced my three-month low-buy challenge for 2015, so I'd say it's about time I shared my progress so far! Just to quickly recap, here's the basic gist of the challenge:

GOAL: Reduce frivolous buying by spending no more than $75 out of pocket over the course of three months.

RULES: Other than basic living and blog or work-related expenses (outlined here), all purchases must be counted towards the budget. The budget can be increased by selling items I already own or if I receive a monetary gift. Purchases made with rewards points, referral credits etc. do not count towards the budget.

So, have I stayed on track so far? Keep reading to find out!

Project Low-Buy 2015: Introduction

Yep, it's that time again: Time for a little bit of sexy budgeting action. Last year I did a no-buy/spending ban that ended up turning into what could more appropriately be called a "low-buy"—I think I ended up spending about $50 on non-essential items over the course of two months, which isn't totally nuts. One of my New Year's goals/resolutions was to save more in 2015, so it seems logical for me to do an exercise in extreme budgeting again this year. Except I'm kicking it up a notch this time and low-buyin' for three months instead of two. THREE!!! Will I make it this time? Check out the rules I've set up for myself below and make your wagers in the comments.

Piggy bank art via

Finding Financial Peace: How I plan on saving an extra $1000 in 2015

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Building up a savings account can be difficult for people in their 20s and early 30s. A lot of us are new in our careers and not earning the "big bucks" just yet, some are still recovering from student loan debt, and others are just starting to learn the intricacies of budgeting and money stuff. I've always been financially aware, but I didn't really worry about saving money in my 20s—I wanted to travel the world! So travel (and spend money on travel) I did. But now that I'm a little older I've started to worry that I don't have much of an emergency savings—I'd like to think that I'm invincible, but the truth is that emergencies (and unexpected expenses) do happen and it's better to be prepared than not. With than in mind, I'm challenging myself to save an extra $1000 in 2015 to give myself a bit of financial peace of mind, and I think I've come up with a feasible way to do it!