Hello there! It’s time for a recap of the November goal and thoughts about December’s.

So, the November Goal was to not throw money down the toilet and flush. No Spend November, remember? How’d we do? Pretty good, up until that last week. I forgot that Black Friday was in November. And that I'd be in the suburbs for it, oh land of Target paradise. But, overall, I can’t recommend a challenge like this enough. As I talked about when I started this challenge, I was spending too much. The chief culprits were Amazon and the local parents listserv, which I would idly scan and then convince myself I needed someone’s used stroller caddy 17 blocks away because it was saving me $5 off new.

No Spend did save some money; I kept a list of things I thought about buying, and though I purchased some of them at the end of the month, some fell by the wayside. The list of things I wanted to buy as early as day one was pretty long. I was interested in seeing if I could manage to wait some of those things out. The good news is that I actually put pretty much things I still wanted in thirty days on the list. Which I guess is also the bad news?

Here’s the list, if you’re curious. It’s like a little wormhole into my psyche, and that’s always fun.

-          Flor tiles dots (to keep my new Flor rug in place; I still need these)

-          Plants for the kitchen (I have no idea what this means, so I guess I didn’t need it?)

-          Bugaboo footmuff (saw this for cheap on the list and really wanted it for West, but since I’m now considering selling my bugaboo, I guess it was unnecessary. Also, it’s been like 60 degrees, and also, blankets).

-           New snaps for West (to hold toys and pacifiers to make sure they don’t hit the floor when he chucks them. Found one in an old travel bag; did buy one specifically for cups/bottles at Target at the end of the month)

-          High chair cover (like this. Still could use, honestly, but we’ve been making do and he’s only getting bigger, so I’ll keep making do)

-          Yarn for pomp oms (used some of what we had; just bought some last night for more. All pom pom everything)

-          Cute boots for Lou (she wore through the one’s I bought her already. She’s like Bret that way. Is it genetic to be hard on shoes? We found a pair of hideous purple ones at Target on clearance so we bought those. Not cute, but she will wear them, so I guess that’s for the win)

-          Shower curtain liner (needed a new one, bought one)

-          New toilet scrubber (not sure why I thought I needed this. It’s a toilet brush. We’ll keep using ours)

-          Light bulbs (bought)

-          Entire Helmut Lang sample sale at Chelsea market (didn’t even go in. Couldn’t bear it)

-          Sisal rug from listserv (I don’t know what I was thinking with this? That I’d replace the new rug I just bought?)

-          Cylindrical lamp shades for new lamps (still want; lamp shades are pricey though, so I’ll deal for a while)

-          Primer (for hallway makeover I’ll share soon; ended up realizing the paint I had was super coverage so didn’t need it)

-          Bathtub ring (Like this, to hold West in tub. Ended up just flipping over my bath support and it works perfectly!)

-          Bathrobe (still want something I can put on after a shower, because there is never enough time to actually shower and get dressed before I need to do something child or baby related, and running around naked or holding a towel up is not the best)

-          Hair color (bought two different colors, then so many people started telling me how much they love my hair, I realized how well the blonde was hiding the gray, and I decided I’m digging the grown out look, so I haven’t even used it).

-          Narrow trunk for Lou (we need more low-profile storage, and I wondered if there’s a super slim trunk out there to hold her doll gear – and I found one)

-          Kitchen island (I’m over my bar cart and want more counterspace. A friend was selling their small one, so I thought about getting it and then couldn’t get the thought out of my brain – found one).

Well, that was all fascinating, right?

Being patient has its advantages, and not only because you might realize you don’t need something you thought you did. As for those two things I found: In Brooklyn, it feels like, if you’re patient enough, at some point, someone will put what you’re looking for out on the curb. I found the high chair I’m using as a West holder by the entry on the street; Yesterday I found this narrow trunk –– and this kitchen cart. No, really. Getting the kitchen cart home with West strapped to my chest and Lou “helping,” was a total disaster, but I am glad I made it work, and really impressed with how nice everyone was. So many people asked if I needed help, or did help me, replacing the wheels that kept getting knocked off on the bumpy sidewalk on the long trek home. And no one thought I was crazy - everyone was like, "Nice find!" I love this town.

But I digress. We saved some cash, but as I predicted at the outset, it also saved time. Just deleting those darn parent classifieds emails was so much easier than reading them. I also avoided all the angst I often feel when deciding whether or not I need something. Case in point: a parent recently posted this gray two-seater for $100. I was soooo tempted.

I measured and looked and hemmed and hawed, and finally decided that, as much as I want more seating, I just don’t have the space right now. (Even writing about it makes me want to see if it's still available. I could make it work!!) When I skipped the classified, the daily deals emails, and the browsing in the clearance section, I eliminated the waffling. Lesson learned, and it’s carrying over into this month. Unless I am looking for something specific, I don’t open those emails or do any browsing anymore.

Now it’s holiday time, and I’m shopping. But I was so into the No Spend concept that I plan to do the same thing in February. (Not January! And miss the after-Christmas sales???).

As for December, here’s my goal.

Sigh. This closet is the bane of my existence. I’ve been known to snidely declare that I don’t even have a junk drawer…but apparently, I have a junk closet. I need this thing to work for me. Right now, everything I plan to donate or sell or recycle or store gets shoved in there, on top of car seas and holiday decorations and air conditioners and yada yada. You can see in the top picture that I've started with sorting...and those huge boxes are still just chilling in my living room. It’s not working like gangbusters. I’m going to fix it. This month. I hope.

What are your goals for December? Did anyone play along with No Spend November? I’d love to hear your experiences!

Talk soon!