So we are ending week 1 of no spend week, and goodness ya’ll. It is so eye opening to see what my natural tendencies are, my go-to spending when I’m feeling stressed, my go-to stores when I’m feeling bored, my to-go or restaurants when I haven’t planned well. Even though I’ve been on my debt-free journey for 2 years, it’s still so much learning or unlearning that happens during a no-spend month. My family of 6 have adjust. Some well. Some not so well, as we realized where some of our spending habits have impacted our kids and their consumerism. It’s like taking a hard look in the mirror, and the hard and ugly truth is….we spent nearly $800 on eating out last month. Yes, we had a few birthday celebrations, but that $800 could have gone to debt. Yes we had some wiggle room because we side hustle ton, BUT $800!? Yep! So here goes week 1 truths.
You don’t need to spend money to have fun. My sister came to visit and normally we would eat out, spend so much, but I stuck to the budget by planning out our meals and being prepared. Find activities to do that are free. Get creative and have fun for free. We watched one of my favorite shows, The Bachelor, ate sugar free foods, and I cooked every single meal at home. We didn’t even dine out at our own restaurant Eggs Up Grill! I probably should put that as an exception. Eating at our breakfast/brunch place! :) But I didn’t so we didn’t eat there or eat out any while she visited.
Planning your meals is critical or else you will fail on a no spend. I created some cute printables to go through your pantry, fridge, freezer to see what you have on hand. By doing this, you can create your meal plan based on what you already have then buy what you need and spend less by shopping sales and what’s in season. Click here for printables.
Make sure everyone on your house understands what the rules of your no spend month are. My kids are very much a part of our no spend month, and breaking some bad spending habits has been so eye opening. We usually eat out at least 3 days a week with sports! Friday night is pizza night. Sunday after church is Paneras. And then one other night after a practice. It’s all budgeted, BUT it’s all budgeted money that could go to our debt free and savings goals!
Decide what your why is for doing a no spend and go back to it over and over again. One of my kids is struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel and asks every day to spend on this or that. I have to remind said child that this is a no spend month and what she wants is not a need. Spending less and leaning into less in your home may come with a learning curve and some hard conversations, BUT it will be so worth it. Some of my family members are having a very hard time, and that’s the hard truth. We eat out so much during sports season and beyond, so going back to our why is necessary to keep everyone on the same page and motivated to not spend. So keep going back to your why even when it gets tough!
Adjust your no spend rules as needed. So I forgot to include generosity in my spending rules! So I had to adjust my rules to accommodate that as well as educational needs. The kids started back homeschooling, and there were some items they needed. Also, there was a course on investing I had been eyeing for months that finally went on sale. SO I used Christmas money to cover the cost of that “educational” expense. For some, that is not a need. But for us as we are coming to an end of our debt free journey, it’s super important to me to learn how to invest to prepare our family for the future and set my kids up for success. I’ll be sharing my investing journey soon!
A no spend month is absolutely possible and doable. It’s been so much fun going on this journey with my friends, Kelly and Lauren. Kelly from Simple Home Mom’s favorite tip this week is: “Pause before every purchase and reflect on the purchase. It’s a habit/practice that leads to becoming better with your finances.” So good!
Until next time friends, and remember YOU GOT THIS!
Shelly