Every so often, my eating junk food gets a little out of control and do a little juice cleanse. To help reset my body’s ideas of food as fuel and why I eat.
JUST KIDDING.
I’ve never done a juice cleanse and the only diet I’ve ever tried was a “low carb” diet for about a week in high school. I can’t restrict what I eat without feeling absolutely CRAZY (tell me I can’t have something and I want it even MORE. Putting restrictions on food, for me, makes me obsess more.
Money, however is a different story. I find that I can easily spiral out of control and get in an indulgent rut of spending. The best cure for me is taking a fast from extra spending for a few weeks or an entire month or two. I discovered the idea almost a decade ago, called “A Buy Nothing Month” and it found it so effective for me to bust out of a heavy spending rut.
(Maybe I’m the only one who that happens to? I’m used to spending in line with my budget, but then we go on vacation or it’s the holidays and are eating out for every meal and indulge in some shopping and paying right and left for things – suddenly constantly swiping my card or handing over cash feels normal.)
A Buy Nothing Month can be tailored for whatever your needs or goals are, but here are the guidelines I’ve used in the past:
- Essentials are fine, of course – gas, groceries, rent, utilities, medicine, doctor
- No eating out (I’ve also done it where I can only eat out if it’s a place with no disposable products, to try to emphasize eating out as an activity, not just out of poor planning and needing FOOD RIGHT NOW OMG)
- No purchasing anything aside from essentials. This usually means I stay away from Amazon and Target for the month.
I talked about our budget last week and why we budget – something like a Buy Nothing Month helps me reset and stay in line with my spending priorities. Otherwise I’d probably spend all my money at Amazon and Target and wonder in a few years why we don’t have enough to travel or replace our car with cash.
(By the way, sometimes Mike joins me and sometimes he doesn’t. I’m more of the spender than he is, anyway.)
I’m doing a Buy Nothing Month in March – join me if you like! :)
I did have dinner out last night and paid for two pairs of leggings that I ordered in February, but I’ll be in for the rest of the month! I really need to stop.
I’ve done this twice varying the rules slightly, and I REALLY liked how it curbed my spending and my incidental purchases.
xox
I’ve read on a few different blogs about the “no spending month” and I am definitely intrigued. I absolutely know the feeling that you described: I am also used to spending within my budget, but then travel happens (or a move to a new house *ha!*) and the spending seems to get out of control…. and it’s like “I only need this ONE MORE THING”…
I think I am going to try my hand at a no spending month later this spring. March is my birthday month (hooray!) and I’ll be traveling, so I don’t see it happen this month, but maybe April or May would be a good month to try.
When you say that Mike doesn’t join you, does that mean that he has a separate spending budget within your budget, or are just trying to reign in frivolous spending on your part (because Mike doesn’t shop much anyway)? J definitely is like that – he almost never buys anything.
Ahhh, the “just one more thing” thing. Yes. I just said that to my husband two nights ago.
Hmmm. I think the real test of your seriousness is whether you consider Starbucks an essential.
To: johnwags123@hotmail.com
I put myself on a spending freeze for Lent and it’s going great! For me, spending is addicting and I had gotten a little out of control (even though I’m not typically a huge spender). When I give myself rules like this, it’s so easy for me to follow. I guess that makes me an abstainer rather than a moderator, at least where money is concerned!
When I read your first paragraph I was like WHAAAAAAAAT?!
We’ve just started budgeting and I was so shocked at how much I spend on “household items” (aka Target) and dining out. I mean, I’ve always known we spent a lot there but to see it as a line item and know that it’s taking away from other things we should be prioritizing…
I think I will join you this month. And it’s a perfect month because they are remodeling the cafe in ours, so I won’t be able to buy icees to entertain the boys while I shop!!
I just completed a buy nothing month and it was wonderful for the budget, helped me to realize what our “leaks” are and we have determined to cut back going forward. I have to say, it felt really nice NOT being a consumer for four weeks. We are just a few days in to being “allowed,” to spend on things if need be, and so far, so good. We haven’t gone hog-wild like I thought we would have!
My biggest bad spending habit continues to be buying lunch on my break at work because I forgot to prepare something at home. The solution is SO SIMPLE – prep ingredients on the weekend and put together lunches the night before – yet I skip it so often that it’s embarrassing. I tried doing a no-spend month in February and was mostly successful except for this one bad habit, but that one thing adds up (I spent around $4/day on take-out lunches).
I find that staying out of stores is a huge help for me. I feel like I get into shopping “cycles,” where I’ll get in the mindset of “needing” things and going to Target/Michael’s every few days or popping into Kohl’s or the mall walk around and browse. Once I resist the urge to stop into Target the first few times, I could go for a few weeks without going in there.
$4 on a lunch is pretty darn cheap! I hate spending money on food because I’m OMG SO HUNGRY NEED FOOD RIGHT NOW, but it totally happens all the time.
And yes! Just not GOING to Target is key for me. It’s also why buying my groceries via an app and getting them delivered from the local grocery store tends to save me money because I’m not picking up other impulse purchases!
For me I’d have to try and cut my spending on groceries too. I spend a lot on food that I don’t really need to. I should really try meal planning before I shop.