My last No Spend Month (January 2010) did not go as well as I had planned because of a number of unexpected crises. I did do less shopping but I ended up spending more money on bills that completely ate away any savings that I might have had from buying less. I am going to try another Financial Fast this month and try to have a No Spend February.
Here are a few of the things that I already know I should not buy this month because I already have enough to last me until the next month:
- toothpaste
- toothbrushes
- antiperspirant/deodorant
- mouthwash
- body wash
- bath soap
- laundry detergent
- toilet paper
These are the things that I normally buy at CVS anyway so this might not translate to actual reductions in spending for the month since I have a separate CVS gift card that is used for those purchases.
I know that I will have to go shopping for food because I have eaten almost everything in the fridge and in the pantry already and I have to get cat food for his royal highness Dinero.
So for this month I will try to see how much I can stick to just paying bills and not buying stuff and see if it goes better than last month. I am making a huge (huge for me anyway) payment of $555 to the demon card with a balance this month but this is not going to be counted as part of the regular bills or spending.
February should also be more frugal for me since I don’t have a Valentine (Dinero meows quizzically) and won’t be spending on anyone but ME!!!!!!
Hey, at least you’ll be saving money on V-day! So many people spend tons and tons on this day when really all you need is a nice dinner at home and a glass of wine. Hopefully your no spend February will work out better if other crises don’t come up…
My start-up is doing research on electronic receipts. if you take our survey, you can enter to win 1 of 4 Visa gift cards we’re giving away at the end of the month. It only takes 5 minutes, is anonymous, and no one will contact you unless you win. It’s strictly just for us to understand behavior and perception. THX
Unfortunately despite our best attempts to not spend money, there will always be something unexpected that comes up. In the past when I thought I was starting to get better financial footing, suddenly I had to pay for removing wisdom teeth and then that winter I had to buy winter tires for my car.
I think in addition to concentrating on saving money, you need to be looking for more ways to make money. Perhaps you could start a 2nd blog or find some other income source. Or maybe you could ramp up the marketing for howisavemoney.net and get some bigger google adsense checks.
If your last month’s spending is larger than the current one, I think it’s still good. As long as you’re having some progress, although not that much, it always motivates to most people to recognize and treat it as a success.
Sorry to hear that you’ll be alone on St Valentine’s day. Treat yourself to a nice bubble bath and a bottle of vino, and remember that loving yourself is key to your own happiness! Enjoy!
Sorry to hear that your month has nt gone as well as expected but personally I think you have gone great. And don’t worry about Valentines Day, we all know it is a ploy to make people spend money they don’t have!!