Spending Free Fail

I was all set to make September my spending-free month, as I've done for the past two years (you can read about that here or here).  Unfortunately, I barely made it out of the gate and ended up failing miserably.  It was no less important to me this year, but it seemed infinitely more inconvenient.  That's the point, right?  I started this two years ago as a way to make myself more aware of what it would be like if I could only afford the things we absolutely need.  I was only four days in when the girls and I found ourselves out and about way past lunchtime, 35 minutes from home and hungry.  Thus, I picked the girls up something to eat, marking the beginning of the end of the spending free.  Shortly after, I decided that I could justify away my failure because there are so many other inconveniences in our life right now: Living quite a distance from all the girls' activities.  Mate's hour and fifteen minute commute to work some days. The double bed we're sleeping in. Having half of our belongings in storage. The ever-extending timeline to finish our house.  Here's the thing though, all of those "inconveniences" are things I'm thankful for:  The joy our girls get from preschool and ballet and soccer.  Mate's job. A really great temporary living situation. Realizing that stuff is superfluous.  Building a new home for our family.  Even though this endeavor was anything but successful, there's still a take-away. 

When all else fails, make a fort