Or, maybe not! I did spend some money, but I’m quite happy with how much I didn’t spend. Let me explain.

I spent nine days out of February’s twenty-eight days visiting sunny Pensacola, Florida. I found a very large studio apartment with a large, mostly private lot for $400 for the week. I split the cost with my friend, Marta, and used $150 worth of AirBnB gift cards toward my share. A week of lodging for $50? Can’t get much more frugal than that.

I wasn’t up to driving the whole distance in one day, so we each paid for a night in a hotel, one night going down and one night coming back home. I will admit to spending more than usual on the hotel rooms because my friend has higher standards than I do. I can sleep in a mud hut (and have!). I often travel with my dog and Red Roof Inns let pets stay for free. The rooms are basic but they work for me.

We took turns buying the gas, which was the most expensive part of the trip. Living where I do, I can count on buying at least a tank of gas every week. For the other nineteen days of February, I eliminated three tanks of gas because I spent most of my days at home. I’m happy with what I spent on gas in February.

While we spent several days visiting the National Seashore and hiking on free trails, we also did a few activities that were outside of my usual budget. Our Segway tour, including a tip for the guide, a visit to the Gulf Breeze Zoo, a rainy day movie, and a glass art project all contributed to a less than frugal month.

Other than going to a yoga workshop, I didn’t spend money on any other activities all month. Well….maybe that’s not totally truthful…. Because I’m just a few steps beyond normal, I made reservations for my 65th birthday bash in September at a destination to be announced at a later date. The reservations had to be prepaid so the charge card took a major hit. I’m thinking my frugal February was a fail after all!