No Spend Month Goals

A few times a year - sometimes it's three times, sometimes four - I try to do a "no spend month".  I admit, sometimes I'm a recreational shopper.  In the past, I was at home with infant/toddler twins, and desperately needed to get out of the house! Shopping was a way to do that.  And while I was never a "shopaholic", I did overspend sometimes.  "No spend months" helped me get over that.

My monthly grocery budget is pretty large, but the first part of "no spend" is to stick to that budget!  For that reason, don't do a "no spend" around Thanksgiving or Christmas, or any month you know you will be feeding extra people a lot of food.  Every time I go to the store, I add up my receipts and write it in my weekly planner so I keep track.  One week, I may hit a discount store like Aldi for my necessities, just to make sure I stay under budget.

The next part is to use what you've got.  I am an avid reader and read every night before bed.  This means I go through a book on my Kindle every 3-4 days.  Ten books a month can add up!  So, for no spend, I go back and re-read old books - sometimes even *gasp* printed books!  I also dig into my pantry and freezer to use up food, and into my linen closet for all the hoarded shampoo I forgot about.

Lastly, give yourself a break.  You can't foresee every occurrence.  One of my kids broke my laptop adaptor and made off with the cord - resulting in an extra $100 purchase.  Life happens.

My goals is for 4 "No Spend Months" in 2018, so we will see if I can do that!