Opt Out October is Over

::via::

The month of October has flown by. I can't believe the holiday season is upon us...not that I'm complaining because I love this time of year, but it's hard to believe that we're nearing the end of 2014. It's been a challenging but blessed year and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for our family.

At the beginning of October I decided to opt out of several things, both from a health and financial perspective.

(You can view my challenge updates here.)

Here were my health related goals...

To get healthier this month I will opt out of the following...
-excuses for not exercising. I have to get back to making my body move. Not as successful as I'd hoped...
-doubt. There have been moments over the last month that have made me question whether or not I can really do this. I can. I've gained a lot more optimism...
-complaining. If I don't like what I see or how I feel, I have no right to complain because it is within my control to change it. I can feel a change...

As for my financial goals...

To make some savvy spending choices this month I will opt out of the following...
-buying coffee more than 1x a week. Check!
-eating out more than 1x a week. We normally rarely eat out but this past month has been a bit crazier than most. It's just been so easy to grab a pizza or Chinese instead of making a healthy home cooked meal. Technically I only bought dinner out once a week...my hubby may or may not have gotten us dinner a time or two :)
-buying clothing...I rarely buy clothes for myself, but for my little one...yes. I adore tiny human clothes and when I find a great deal I jump on it, especially since she is outgrowing all of the clothes we were given as gifts/have received as hand-me-downs. The one exception will be a pair of black tights. Me: 1 new shirt for family pictures with a coordinating necklace, both for a total of around $20.   G: An $8 outfit when she threw up all over her other one while out in town and socks.
-home décor purchases. Nope. None. We're working on getting our house ready to sell and that is where the money needs to go. I did buy a pumpkin...which we carved and set upon our porch.
-things we don't use...need to be gone. I have big dreams to remove even more clutter from this house. I've got a couple bags of items ready to go!

Overall I'd say I did pretty well in a matter of 4 weeks. I'm going to try to keep with some of these things. Change can be good...

Linking up with Annie!