The other day I realized I never reported on the outcome of my Austere August.

It went really well and, other than a small slip up at the start of the month, I managed to not spend money on anything not needed (and truly not needed… because face it, I can justify needing just about anything) and it felt really good. In fact, it felt so go that I’ve pretty much celebrated by spending money on anything and everything in September and October, completely destroying all the financial gains I made in August…

I bought fabric and clothes, plants for the garden… but the biggest expense wasn’t actually my fault.

You may remember that Dave’s Charger went in the shop at the end of July for what as supposed to just be a brake conversion….

But I know a little about cars, and when you let them sit and don’t drive them…. let’s just say I knew it wasn’t going to be JUST a brake conversion…

She came back mid-week this past week… and that brake conversion turned into new suspension, new exhaust, frame work, gas tank work, this work, that work…. and the price ended up being six times what we budgeted.

(SO nice to have the girls reunited under one roof)

Now I’m not complaining… every time he and the mechanic talked about doing something else “while they were in there” I said to do it. Because there’s no point having a classic car if you’re not going to drive it. They sit, and they rot… which is why the car is in the shape it’s in! I told him his options were to suck it up and get it done, or sell the car. We all know he wasn’t going to do the latter.

Also… he has a small amount of money coming from his grandmother’s estate that will more than cover it. I don’t expect to see it until next year, but it is coming. In the mean time, most of the cost is sitting on my credit cards, collecting interest.

So it’s the perfect time for another month of fiscal dieting.

Other than one project for the house (reinforcing a beam in the basement), nothing is pressing there. And though we’re getting into the holiday season, almost everything on my list is either bought already, being made, and I already have the supplies, or can wait until December. The present I have left to buy are just gift cards anyway.

So… I’m heading into NO SPENDER NOVEMBER! Lets hope I can stick to it!