In my post yesterday on having extra money, I mentioned purchasing an oriental carpet on clearance. I stated that I would have to adjust my budget to pay for it. I want to clarify that I paid for it in cash but that the money that I used was designated for something else in my budget.
Frankly, my budget doesn’t have much wiggle room except for food. I don’t break the bank on food but I do eat pretty well. I buy things on sale, stock up, use coupons, etc. so the larder stays pretty full. I was going through it in my mind today and thinking about my budget. I usually make a trip to the grocery store every week and spend about $25 to $30. I probably have enough food in the cupboard that I could go for almost a month without a grocery store trip. I would be scraping the bottom of the barrel (hamburger helper is as low as it gets here) but I think I can manage at least a week.
I have decided to take a suggestion from The Ultimate Cheapskate and see how long I can go without spending any money. I am going to start off with one exception. I have to buy gas to go to work. I’m 15 miles away and I don’t know of anyone who goes from my small village to the other small village on a daily basis.
It will be a challenge but I think I can go until the end of the month without spending a dime. The Ultimate Cheapskate recommends it as a way to get control of your spending. He believes that it will show you what is important and what is not. I will let you know if he is right.
Have you ever consciously gone for a period of time like a weekend or a week without spending any money? How long do you think I will hold out? Would anyone like to join me?
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Tags: No Spending Challenge, Spending
I love the idea of seeing how long you can go without spending. Just this week my husband and I decided we have enough food in the pantry for quite a long time. We are going to see how long we can eat out of the pantry and freezer without buying food.
I am trying to be a bit creative with recipes but it looks like it will be quite awhile.
PS love your blog and all the interesting Ideas as well as information about what others are writing
Susan
It’s the little things that get me, forgetting postage for a letter that has to be mailed, really craving a soda at work, etc.
I try to do at least 2-3 no spend days per week. It’s hard! I managed to do Sunday and Monday this week, had hoped to do today (but my milk went sour I need milk). One of my goals for May is to increase my no spend days and like you said, it can be done via smarter shopping trips, using whats in the cupboards, etc.
BB
Just found your blog…very cool idea to try to go the rest of the month without spending.
I think I’ll have to try for a no spend day first, just starting out here.
Good luck!
Awesome idea. I should give that a try. And good luck to you!
When my husband and I were younger and poorer, we made a game of not spending for a month. We would pay bills on the 30th, stock up on groceries, and put gas in the cars. The only thing we spent money on the rest of the month was for gas. By the end of the month we were ready for some fresh fruit. And I can’t stand powdered milk. The real benefit of doing this is to break my bad spending habits. I got out of the habit of eating out, going to Target, etc. I got creative with meals and recreation. Now that I have 3 kids this isn’t totally practical, but right now April is a “no spend money month” and the kids know not to ask to go out to eat, or for anything that isn’t a need. It gets them thinking about how often they want to spend money and that they really can make do most of the time.
I try to regularly have no spend days just like I plan no meat meals into our weekly menu. Sometimes it works out well and other times it doesn’t. I try to plan for them and that helps. If I know that Monday will be one and I have to work that day, I get gas on Sunday and take my lunch and drinks with me Monday. Of course, I do that most of the time, anyway, but planning ahead helps me be a little more successful with no spend days.
Good luck to you and keep us posted on it!
Denise, yes, planning ahead is wise as long as you aren’t stocking up in advance.
Planning your day ahead is a lesson that I need to practice more often. I often have no spend weekends just because I don’t leave the farm.
[...] on April 27, 2008Filed Under Spending | I thought I had better update my no spending challenge. I did pretty well until yesterday when I met my teenage children after CPR class. We [...]
Ha ha, I just found your blog, and love it! The first time I tried this, I was thwarted within a few hours when I discovered I had just finished the very last roll of toliet paper in the house… yeah, its the little things that will get you!