[ArabDiva]

Instead of fasting from certain foods, I give up spending for Lent each year. I buy the necessities (food, animal feed/board/lessons, bills etc) but stay away from restaurants/Starbucks, Target, amazon.com, the tack store, etc.

I actually look forward to it each year, it feels good to exercise restraint and reset habits.

[EponaRoan]

I'm experimenting a little right now with cutting down my grocery bill & using things that have been around awhile by using up what's in the freezer/cupboards. I can buy stuff to make things out of what's in there - for example, I have chicken breasts, veggies, noodles and want to make soup, but don't have broth/stock so will pick up some of that and some bread.

I also question whether I really need to replace something (the round plastic rubbermaid dishes I just trashed) with the same thing or if I have something else that will work just as well.

It's a fun game sometimes. I'm not exactly a minimalist, but as I get older, I want to cut down on "stuff".

I've found that my Kindle purchase from this spring actually saves me money on books since there are a lot of decent freebies and deals on Amazon.

[suzier444]

If I declared a no spend month atleast one of my horses would immediately require a large vet bill...they sense these things...

My thoughts exactly -- vet bill, or breaking something expensive. I'd love to do it, and I may in fact give it a try, but it also feels like tempting fate!!!

[altermetoday]

so...who is in for this challenge? Just a few more days left!!!!

[Come Shine]

I'm lucky to get a no spend DAY. Agree with some others that it seems like as soon as extra money comes in or I decide to really try and minimize spending on any 'extras', there is a huge bill that comes in. Why tempt fate? Plus I want to do my part to keep the economy rolling.

[LovelyBay]

I'm in! I've been giving it a lot of thought the last few days and I have tons of stuff around the house that I need to use up or go without. I'm very crafty, and one of my goals for my employer forced time off this winter was to finish up some sewing projects that I started and got burnt out on. They are basically money sitting around half completed. I still have two saddle pads to finish (ones I'm making for myself from scratch!) and a set of Christmas placemats that I started two years ago. I did finish a baby quilt for my sister today though!

I'm trying to use up fabric and other crafty supplies, and I'm not allowed to waste money on things like that for the next month. I'm also going to inform Mr. LB that we aren't eating out all month. :-) And I must stay off Amazon too.

[SmartAlex]

I'm up for it. Horse's supplements are bought for January. The big bags of cat food and litter are bought. Oil is changed in the car. My sister's baby shower gifts are bought....

January will be only gas and necessary perishable groceries.

[tle]

Definitely doing this. I have a couple things I need to purchase (car is due for an oil change and I have 2 lessons scheduled) but beyond that... I'll be on a CASH budget for food, gas and entertainment... this includes anything needed for the house (cleaning supplies, personal hygiene, etc). Critters will still get their care... that's not a huge issue. It's MY personal spending that has gotten out of control, or at least seems to be.

[Guin]

What curtails my spending is when I get back to a normal work schedule and can only shop on the weekends. With all this holiday time off, I go out to breakfast, buy a sub for lunch, and go into stores that are NOT grocery stores. At work I bring my own breakfast and lunch, and there are no "shopping" stores nearby.

I have one major purchase this month, and that is four new tires, which I will get next week. I'll be able to pay for them with the overtime that I got from working a couple of days last week.

Can't wait until Wednesday when I'm back to a normal schedule again!

[outside__line]

We do this all the time, except I call it "stay home and play with the toys you already have." DH was initially not cool with the idea (he loves dining out, shopping, travel etc) but after a few "stay home" weeks he has learned to love it. I love restaurants, shopping, and travel too - but I love not worrying about money even more!

I try to think of 'no spend' times not as depriving ourselves of extra shopping or entertainment, but as time to enjoy all the nice things we already have. I also like that it forces us to actually eat all of the food in the house (not that we ever really manage that...)

[knightrider]

How did everyone do on day one of no spend? I haven't spent anything yet! have food ready for lunches and dinner... and curious how long i can do it...

[SmartAlex]

How did the month of No Spending go for everyone?
All I bought was some groceries and gas for the car. I'm going to extend it through February and see how I do.
I also sold a bunch of stuff on ebay (as opposed to buying), so definetly in the Black.

[knightrider]

How did the month of No Spending go for everyone?
All I bought was some groceries and gas for the car. I'm going to extend it through February and see how I do.
I also sold a bunch of stuff on ebay (as opposed to buying), so definetly in the Black.

Thats awesome! I did really well till the end of the month... had some doctor appts and meds I had to go on so that was extra money spent. Towards the end of the month, I got behind on cooking ahead and ate out a few times.

Trying again for the second half of this month...

[knightrider]

How did the month of No Spending go for everyone?
All I bought was some groceries and gas for the car. I'm going to extend it through February and see how I do.
I also sold a bunch of stuff on ebay (as opposed to buying), so definetly in the Black.

Thats awesome! I did really well till the end of the month... had some doctor appts and meds I had to go on so that was extra money spent. Towards the end of the month, I got behind on cooking ahead and ate out a few times.

Trying again for the second half of this month... I did earn close to $600 farm sitting so that worked out well for me....

[tle]

Sounds great!! I WAY underestimated what I would need for gas. And towards the end of the final week, I went over my food budget a bit... but at the same time had leftovers that went well into this week. So I figure it all worked out. Overall I was really happy. Feel like I reset what needed to be reset and worked out some kinks overall. I know I can cut what I'd been using as a food budget number, but can't cut the gas number much if at all. Definitely a great experiment!