Credit Trek: ditching the consumer lifestyle

A phone call four days into our fiscal diet nearly ended our social experiment before it even really started.

"Hey, do you and Macay (my wife) want to go with us to the movies this weekend? We could see 'Star Trek,' " the tempting voice said.

Just three months after the birth of our first child and limited social exposure, nothing was more appealing than two hours of sci-fi geekiness and space explosions.

I whispered the invitation to my wife. A look of disapproval told me I would have to wait for the DVD.

And so began the one-month experiment that tested the limits of my self-control and hopefully tempered my need for the consumer lifestyle: one month without any unnecessary spending.

I would make a budget with provisions for bills, a grocery trip once a week, gas and nothing else. The only wiggle room was $10 for emergency groceries and entertainment.

Any extra money would pay hospital bills from our baby's birth in February or credit cards.

We were going off the credit grid.

The first week was seemingly like a toned-down version of an addict's withdrawals.

By day three I was dreaming of the sweet plastic scents of new DVDs, the latest summer fashions and other gadgets of Target. The big-box department store was like fresh air to my consumer lungs.

Saturday — with just the one-hour supermarket trip, and 23 other hours in the day — was agony.

The first dip into the emergency fund came during

the second week, when we ran out of bread and had to shell out $3 at the convenience store for a loaf of whole wheat.

Spending nearly a third of a month's allowance on bread was a quick lesson in better planning.

The next Tuesday we rented a $1 movie from the automated box outside of Walgreen's.

The next three weeks brought increasing boredom, but with it came the ability to find cheap and fun alternatives.

Trips to Barnes and Noble were replaced by the library. We went on family walks at the new River Parks trails and hosted friends for dinner and board games.

By the fourth week, we were counting down the days and celebrated the month with a fun-filled Father's Day by heading to LaFortune Park with the baby to feed the ducks and see a double-feature at the Admiral Twin Drive-In for a grand total of $14.

Too bad "Star Trek" wasn't playing.

In the end we put hundreds of dollars toward credit card payments and made hefty payments on hospital bills. Best yet, the Target withdrawals have lessened, and we are adopting a $20 a week discretionary spending plan.

Maybe we'll even be able to kick the habit — at least until the "Star Trek" sequel comes out.

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