When I first came across the idea of a no spend month on Pinterest, I thought that people were crazy. How am I supposed to go an entire month without spending money?! I'll be honest, when I really hunkered down on the idea of doing one myself, it was so daunting, but the more I thought about it, the more it just made sense for me and for the place I am in my life right now.
My husband, Chris and I are about to move (in just two weeks!!) and so having a little extra cash is never a bad thing. It's also birthday & graduation season and we had gifts to prep for. Gifts are the one thing that I didn't claim as an "expense" through this process, because we had already known my nephews were graduating high school, my nephew's first birthday is in a few days, it's my Dad's birthday today, and of course Father's Day is coming up! Phew. It's kind of a good thing I chose to have a no spend month this month, because after all of these gifts, I'm going to be broke! haha!
Anywhoo, aside from purchasing these gifts, the only thing that will be acceptable to spend money on will be groceries (we have to eat!), packing supplies (tape & bubble wrap!), and essentials like toilet paper and recurring bills like our phones, rent, insurance, etc.
Having the mindset of only needing the essentials has really helped me realize that I don't need that cute top just because it's 60% off. You truly only need the essentials to live your best life. All of that other stuff is just holding you back, cluttering your life, and you're left with more stuff than you need or can handle.
Packing up my life into boxes as we prep for our move has really opened my eyes to the fact that I buy things I don't need, hold onto them, and then I never use them. Having a no spend month will allow you to think about what you want to buy, and if you still want it at the end of the month, then it might be an acceptable purchase.
I decided to break it down into five main reasons of why I'm choosing to have a no spend month, and then I'll share a few practical ways to make this whole adventure a little less daunting!
Why I'm Choosing to Have a No Spend Month //
To learn to be content with what I have //
I never realized how much I truly have. When you're packing up your life, it really opens your eyes. Like no joke. I've discovered new products and items that were brand new! Learning to fall back in love with what I already own has been a huge game changer.
Save money for new adventures //
Saving extra money will allow us to pay off any debt and save for our home. We'll be able to put extra $$$ aside to go on adventures and an extra special date night. It gives us a goal to save for and look forward to.
Prep for our move //
When you move, there are always surprise expenses. We've needed a million times more packing supplies than I thought we would--which is okay, I just want our belongings safe in the move. Especially, our items that will be stored in the basement in storage.
Stop unnecessary spending //
I don't know why I think that I have to "keep up with the Joneses". Heck, I am a Jones ;) haha! There just comes a time where you have to realize that you don't need everything you want. Would that new skirt make a super cute outfit? Sure would! But, girl, ya don't need it. Do you need that millionth eye shadow palette? Probably not. Cut back to the essential spending and keep it at that.
Purge and minimize //
Purging is probably one of my favorite things. A few months back, I purged my closet like crazy and got rid of bags upon bags of clothing I no longer wore or fit into. I also purged the kitchen and my beauty collection so that I didn't have so much! Minimizing what you have to things you actually want to keep feels amazing. Plus, you can sell, giveaway, or donate the things that you no longer have a use for!
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Practical Ways To Make A No Spend Month Less Daunting //
One // Don't eat out--cook all your meals at home
Cooking your favorite meals will get you excited to be in the kitchen, and you won't even miss that burrito bowl from Qdoba! Plus, if you're really missing your favorite restaurant meal, try recreating it yourself with essentials from the grocery store.
Two // Delete & don't open store sales emails
Everyday, I get email after email from my favorite stores telling me that they're having an amazing sale, but I started unsubscribing from stores I was no longer interested in and I started to delete them without opening them so I wasn't tempted to shop.
Three // Restyle your outfits
Instead of wearing the same skirt with the same top, switch up your outfits! You will feel like you have so many new outfit choices. You'll be surprised at how many different outfit combinations you have hanging in your closet.
Four // Keep a list of the things you want
This list is for all of those things you think you want throughout the month, but most likely will have forgotten about by the time the end of the month rolls around. If at the end of the month you still really want that item, then you can make the decision if you'd like to purchase it or not. Chances are, most of those items will never get purchased.
What do you think, would consider doing a no spend month?! If you've done a no spend month, tell me about your experience in the comments!
One // Don't eat out--cook all your meals at home
Cooking your favorite meals will get you excited to be in the kitchen, and you won't even miss that burrito bowl from Qdoba! Plus, if you're really missing your favorite restaurant meal, try recreating it yourself with essentials from the grocery store.
Two // Delete & don't open store sales emails
Everyday, I get email after email from my favorite stores telling me that they're having an amazing sale, but I started unsubscribing from stores I was no longer interested in and I started to delete them without opening them so I wasn't tempted to shop.
Three // Restyle your outfits
Instead of wearing the same skirt with the same top, switch up your outfits! You will feel like you have so many new outfit choices. You'll be surprised at how many different outfit combinations you have hanging in your closet.
Four // Keep a list of the things you want
This list is for all of those things you think you want throughout the month, but most likely will have forgotten about by the time the end of the month rolls around. If at the end of the month you still really want that item, then you can make the decision if you'd like to purchase it or not. Chances are, most of those items will never get purchased.
What do you think, would consider doing a no spend month?! If you've done a no spend month, tell me about your experience in the comments!
Good ideas for avoiding spending extra money. My husband and I would save a BUNCH if we would just cook all our meals at home.
ReplyDeleteYAS! GURL--give it a try! It's been such a game changer for us.
DeleteI have spent a LOT of time working on no spending money. It's HARD! But I read this book that helped me a lot! It's about getting out of debt by avoiding spending money on anything but necessities! It looks like a lot of your ideas her match up with her philosophies!
ReplyDeleteI could learn from you on the "being content with what I have" thing! I spend WAY too much time looking for the next best thing on Amazon.
I've totally been there. It was actually crazy, because we decided to do this no spend month and no joke, the sermon our pastor preached on Sunday was being content with what you have, not overspending, setting a budget, and getting out of debt. We were like OKAY this was for US! haha!!
DeleteMark and I were just talking about this! We always try and then about 2 and a half weeks in we spend. Its such a trap! I hope you guys are successful at it! We'll be trying again so fingers crossed :)
ReplyDeleteIt's been amazing so far! Definitely try it again! Our pastor just preached on getting out of debt/only spending the money you have in cash and it's been a game changer. We were like okay--this is confirmation to get our act together.
DeleteYES, those sales emails are too tempting! I keep saying I'm going to use unroll.me to do a mass unsubscribe, but haven't done it just yet. Thanks for giving me the motivation to do it!
ReplyDeleteDenise// http://theelleaesthetic.com/
Oh i need to do that!! I've been unsubscribing to so many emails everyday.
DeleteI think this is such a great idea! I also love that you're allowing yourself to still purchase gifts. I'm not a huge spender myself, but I love the idea of setting aside money to bless others rather than to buy myself something that I really don't need. I guess it all comes down to being really thoughtful & intentional about where that money is going!
ReplyDeleteYES exactly! I LOVE to give.
DeleteYESSSS. I love this girl. I feel like the biggest reason I would want to do a no-spend month is to learn to be more content! I feel like we can get so wrapped up in materialism and things that we "need" to have. Great post, girl.
ReplyDeleteYes--exactly! It's been crazy this month so far, too. There have been so many things I've wanted and then forgotten about the next day, because I didn't allow myself to purchase it.
Deleteahhh you're going to LOVE it! I did this about 8 years ago and literally it changed my ENTIRE relationship to shopping! I used to shop every week and now I shop maybe twice a year? It totally made me rethink that things I actually want in my life!
ReplyDeleteIt's been amazing so far!!! We're redoing our budget and everything. It's been huge for our marriage!
DeleteI cut back on unnecessary spending last year and it was one of the BEST things I ever did.
ReplyDeleteIt's seriously the best thing we've ever done, too! Not only for our wallets, but for our marriage, too!
DeleteI definitely need a no spend month. You go girl!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely try it out!! It's felt amazing so far!
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