Member-only story
Week One Report: Lessons Learned From A Month of Zero Spending
Finances are tight — again. Just when I think I’ve got a handle on things, something happens. Whether it’s a car needing repairs or a child needing braces, my safety net isn’t always strong enough to catch me.
Can you relate?
To help re-calibrate, I’ve set out on a month of “zero” spending . It’s not quite “zero” spending as there are some exceptions such as transportation costs and grocery purchases only being made with cash in hand (requiring us to sell something from around the house). Of course, utilities and the mortgage are excluded from this “no spending” too.
The grocery purchase spending exception is included as we weren’t planning for this challenge and there are some items we’ll likely need during the month such as milk and eggs, so we figure this is a way of being realistic and best setting our family up for success.
Our family is aware of just how much the little purchases add up and tends to do a good job at staying clear of such spending, but I wonder what the impact will be of casting a rule of “no spending.”
Will it make me want to spend more? Or, will it motivate me to make some greater lifestyle changes?
