{"id":358021,"date":"2020-01-29T15:27:21","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T22:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/?p=358021"},"modified":"2020-01-29T15:29:16","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T22:29:16","slug":"how-to-rock-a-no-spend-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/finance\/how-to-rock-a-no-spend-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: How to Rock a No-Spend Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-36-1.jpg\" alt=\"A woman looking at a bill. \" class=\"wp-image-358023\"\/><figcaption><em>This guest post was written by Heidi at&nbsp;<\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/thefrugalgirls.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><em>TheFrugalGirls.com<\/em><\/a><em>, a website dedicated to providing financial resources to readers. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The start of a new year is a fantastic time to review your budget and set some new financial goals. Whether you\u2019re resolving to supercharge your savings this year or to crush some debt, I\u2019ve got just the thing! With the holidays behind us and bills coming due, now is the perfect time to challenge yourself to a No-Spend month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do a No-Spend Month?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A No-Spend month is all about drastically reducing your excess spending\u2014like buying new clothes or eating out\u2014for one month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Prepare for\na No-Spend Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s going to be a challenge, so get\nyourself mentally ready. Discuss the concept with your spouse, family or\nfriends and explain to them the goals and benefits behind the challenge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s just one month\u2014you can do anything for a month. Stay focused on the benefits\u2014the process can be tough, but the financial reward will be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">No-Spend Month\nRules<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So: how do you take on a No-Spend month?\nHere are the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Don\u2019t go out to eat, cook at home.<\/li><li>Skip the coffee shop and brew your\nown.<\/li><li>Cut out all unnecessary shopping and\nonly buy items you need <em>right now<\/em>.<\/li><li>Reduce how much you drive. Combine\nerrands and stick to your most fuel-efficient vehicle.<\/li><li>Swap expensive entertainment for\nfree activities.<\/li><li>Cancel as many unnecessary monthly\nsubscriptions as you can (like cable, streaming, gym, etc.).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Rock Your\nNo-Spend Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step after cutting out all unnecessary spending is to replace expensive activities with free experiences. Sound hard? Don\u2019t worry\u2014it\u2019s easier than you think. Just make sure you have a plan before you start. Here are my top tips for how to sail through a No-Spend month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">For the Menu:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Recreate your favorite restaurant\nmeals at home.<\/li><li>Eat through your pantry and\ncupboards. Channel your inner baker and try making a special dessert using\nitems you already have.<\/li><li>Use up the food in your freezer.<\/li><li>Enjoy more meatless meals.<\/li><li>Fill up on pasta, rice and beans.<\/li><li>Shop the sales at your local grocery\nstore and then use coupons to save even more.<\/li><li>Buy store-brand food items.<\/li><li>Pay for your groceries at the\nself-checkout using coins and spare change that have been collecting around\nyour house.<\/li><li>Important: make\nsure you never grocery shop when you\u2019re hungry. Let\u2019s be honest, it never ends\nwell.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Free Family Time:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Go for a walk or a hike.<\/li><li>Play a favorite board game.<\/li><li>Dust off the ol\u2019 video game console and play a classic. <\/li><li>Take a trip to the library. Some libraries offer more than just books and movies, including musical instruments, seeds, tools, museum passes and more. <\/li><li>Go on a bike ride along a scenic trail.<\/li><li>Visit a local park and play frisbee, put up a slackline, hang a hammock or throw a ball.<\/li><li>Watch a movie at your local park. My local homeowner\u2019s association hosts a free movie at our park several times each year.<\/li><li>Go camping in your own backyard. <\/li><li>Plan a beach day at a local lake or river.<\/li><li>Volunteer together as a family.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"796\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25.jpg\" alt=\"Girl reading a book and spending time with parents.\" class=\"wp-image-358024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25.jpg 796w, https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25-450x269.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25-600x358.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Blog-PhotosArtboard-25-768x458.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 796px) 100vw, 796px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Creative Money Saving Ideas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cut your own hair (proceed with\ncaution).<\/li><li>Skip the carwash and wash your car\ninstead.<\/li><li>Turn down the heat and bundle up, or\nturn down the A\/C and open the windows.<\/li><li>Take shorter showers.<\/li><li>Try giving homemade gifts.<\/li><li>Put your credit cards away and only use\na set amount of cash. When the cash runs out, simply stop spending for the remainder\nof the month.<\/li><li>Have a garage sale. Sell items you\nno longer need or use to boost your No-Spend month savings even more.<\/li><li>Consider a new side hustle to make\nextra money.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Use Your No-Spend\nMonth for a Financial Check-In<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Use\nthis time to check-in with your budget, bank accounts, credit cards and credit\nreport. This will give you a clear idea of how much you have, what you owe and help\nyou set personal financial goals for this year. For example, maybe 2020 is the\nyear that you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Save up for a down payment on a\nhouse.<\/li><li>Pay off your student loans.<\/li><li>Buy a new car.<\/li><li>Travel abroad.<\/li><li>Boost a low credit score.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By\nsetting goals and knowing your financial status, it\u2019ll be easier to get real\nabout what you can actually do this next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FYI:<\/strong> There are some really helpful tools available from&nbsp;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/?tid=17191\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">CreditRepair.com<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;to help you challenge any questionable negatives clogging up your credit score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Benefits of a No-Spend Month<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A No-Spend month will take some\ndetermination and creativity to pull off, but the payoffs can be huge. This\nextreme savings approach is one of the fastest ways to make progress towards\nachieving a financial goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Start this year without being held\nback by last year\u2019s spending, and use this month-long challenge to start an\nemergency fund, supercharge your savings to buy a new home or simply save money\nfor a rainy day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever your financial goals may\nlook like this year, stay motivated this month, and enjoy the rewards!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Heidi of The Frugal Girls offers advice for dedicating a month to budgeting and cutting out excess spending.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":358023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158],"tags":[165,166],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v18.5.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Guest Post: How to Rock a No-Spend Month - 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