So a few months ago, in March, I attempted a no spend month. Let’s just say it didn’t go very well. The main reason was Drusilla was so very sick. I basically quit trying because I was spending money like crazy to help keep her comfortable and keep me sane. And then at the end of the month we had to say goodbye to her, which was another expense that put me over the edge.
It has really taken me 2 full months to recover, enough, but then I was hit with another whammy with the expense of a new roof coming in the next few weeks. Ugh! And as someone who lives paycheck to paycheck it is overwhelming! That is when I decided to up the ante with a new and bigger challenge.
I’ve been reading the The Spender’s Guide to Debt-Free Living: How a Spending Fast Helped Me Get from Broke to Badass in Record Time
by Anna Newell Jones and have really become inspired to buckle down and cut off my spending.
Spending Challenge
One of the main points in Anna’s book is to challenge yourself with a savings adventure. Adventure. . . I love how she makes something so negative positive. There are two adventures to choose from: the spending diet or the spending fast. You can read about both on her blog, here.
Basically, the spending diet jump starts you on your no spend journey. You can pick your needs and wants and even set a little play money to the side each month. It is totally the easier of the two adventures. The spending fast is hard core! It requires you to spend NO money on anything that isn’t a necessity, like shelter and food.
I know me and it would be too hard for me to go all in right away. I need to ease into it a bit. So, I have chosen the spending diet, but for 6 months. Anna suggests you sign up for a year, which I will do in 2018 when I sign up for the spending fast! Eek! I am nervous already.
Are You Up for An Adventure?
I wanted to give myself about a month to come up with my game plan. This is a huge commitment that requires quite a bit of thought and planning. So, over the next few weeks I will be posting my spending diet outline as well as tips and tricks on how I plan on having a successful adventure/
challenge.
How about you? Are you up for a 6 month spending diet challenge? Or maybe 6 months is a little too much for now. How about 3 months or a month? Whatever you think you can handle, go for it! Even a month, 3 months, or 6 months can make a HUGE difference in your spending habits.
If you’d like to join my little adventure feel free to pin the challenge button, grab it to add to your blog or website, or just keep it as a reminder of your goal. The little piggy bank makes me smile.
This is not going to be easy, at all! But together we can do this and in the end it will totally be worth it!