by Hope
I have decided to start my 2019 with a bang! Our No Spend October led to an incredible last quarter for us financially. Some of my financial highlights from the last few months were:
- Saving $1,700 for a Thanksgiving trip to Texas
- Paying an extra $2,500 toward my tax debt
- Putting $1,000 more towards my EF
Why Another No Spend Month?
With that being said, I have decided to do it again. Here are my thoughts on why this is a great month to do it:
- My pantry is stocked with the last of our food stamps.
- All of the kids have their winter clothes in order.
- There are no kids activities until the middle of February. (Princess is going to play on a rec volleyball league beginning mid-February.)
- It’s cold and rainy outside so staying home is always a great idea.
- The new semester of school is starting, with all three in college classes, so they will need study time.
- And there are no holidays or birthdays coming up.
It’s the perfect time to do another No Spend Month.
Having the motivation to meet or exceed my last debt payoff prediction, and it being the first of a new year which always means new beginning and new hopes for me, it’s a great time for me to laser focus on work. Not only continuing with my current workload but also expanding and growing as well.
What is a No Spend Month?
What this No Spend Month will look like:
- Other than paying the month bills, there will be no extraneous spending (no eating out, no entertainment, no shopping.)
- No grocery shopping unless absolutely necessary. We will essentially eat through the pantry as much as we can. (Which is going to mean more Chicken Noodle soup than any of us like since I accidentally bought two cases instead of one.)
- All budget money that is not a monthly bill just gets stockpiled.
There are two exceptions to the No Spend rule though:
- My car is due for an oil change and tire rotation. So that money will be spent this month.
- I have to register Princess for the rec volley ball league staring in February this month. I believe it will be about $60.
My goal is twofold:
- Stockpile money without thinking about it since I try not to look at the bank accounts during no spend month (so I’m not tempted to make rash decisions.)
- Grow my business by being laser focused on work and homebound without distractions.
I will tell you this now. I may have already mentioned it. We are planning to go back to Texas for the kids’ Spring Break. It is not in my budget. And I’m going to have to put some thought into it. Before you say “Oh, Hope, not again,” my mom’s health is not good. I don’t want to have any regrets for not being there. And I don’t want my kids to have those regrets. That is the sole reason I will make that trip again. There are just some things that are worth more than money.
Want to join me with #nospendjanuary? Use the hashtag on your Instagram to share your money saving, free entertainment and financial wins through January. Follow the hashtag #nospendjanuary and encourage others on this debt free journey!
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
If your Mom is sick then yes, you need to visit. Maybe you can take half the money you save from no spend month and bankroll at least half the trip?
I’m sorry… $1700 for a trip in November???!!!
Yes, that trip budget was detailed out in a previous post. We went to Texas for 10 days over Thanksgiving.
If your mother is in poor health then yes you should go see her while you can. But you should also budget for it and have a plan for how you are going to pay for it.
Yes, I’ll roll it around in my head this month and have a financial plan by next month. The trip would be the first week of April.
A no spend month is the perfect way to scurry away extra cash. Visiting your Mom will be more value added than a mindless meal out or a trip to the mall.
I would challenge your kids to come up with recipes that use the chicken noodle soup as an ingredient or ways to elevate it by adding more carrots, celery, etc. Maybe adding diced tomatoes and seasonings can help it either be more like tortilla soup?
That’s a great idea, Walnut! A cooking challenge. We haven’t done one of those in a while. I used to challenge them to make homemade granola and biscuits and such when we were homeschooling. But the advent of public and the crazy busy-ness of our lives that has kind of fallen off. Thanks for the great idea!
Hi Hope,
Buy a cheap pkg or box of bisquick and make chicken and dumplings. We love that here. Add some more chicken and carrots/celery to the soup to make it heartier. I promise this will go over well.
Great idea, again, one I hadn’t thought of. Thank you!
In an article on guessing up canned food in addition to adding corn, black beans jalapenos avocado to make it Mexican an article suggested adding tomatoes and chick peas with Mediterranean spices like oregano thyme basil and parsley as well as feta to make it more Greek or adding 1\2 a fan of coconut milk, a teaspoon of fish sauce and garnish with lime and cilantro to make a Thai inspired soup.
Oooh, I like this ideas too. Thank you!