We spend a lot daily; if we start counting our expenses, it will be more than expected in a month. This is because we do not account for it to make it less or change it in a balanced pattern.
So, if I say there is a pill that will gradually make you feel like you know where and how to change your expenses, it is a “NO SPEND MONTH.”
The no-spending” month is a cha “challenge occurs when people try not to spend money in a specific category or category for a long time. For example, people will not go to restaurants the whole month, will avoid cigarettes and alcohol, will avoid driving a car, etc.
Yes! A no-spend month is the only pill that can make you realize that money is not always for spending on lame expenses. You can have a regular idea of spending in a stoppable way. You cannot go for a month without spending the money, and because of this habit for such long years, it feels impossible to cut expenses.
So that is why this is being called a no-spend a month. So once you go for it and accept it as a challenge, you can become more willing to attempt not to go for some lame expenses.
Now the question here is, what is a NO SPEND MONTH?
So, the no-spend month is what it describes: a challenge to spend nothing in a month. It is severe, like nothing of expenditures, whether you need something badly.
The process is quite simple; all you have to do is take a piece of paper and a pencil and write down all the grocery items and frozen foods already in the upper portion of your fridge, along with the quantity and the days for how long they will last. Then, use them for a month to spend no money.
Then, make another list on which you must write those necessities that are more likely related to medicines or first aid and buy them first. Then write down what others are there to buy for this month and make them delay for a month. Of course, in the first month, all you have to do is make a start; you may not make it through a whole month, but a week or two is not bad. Then, for the next month, you can try this challenge again.
That is not a big deal because this challenge is changing our bad habit of spending a lot of money on items we might think we need. Still, we do not need them in reality, but in psychology, we have made up our minds that other people are buying that specific commodity, so we should be buying that, too.
That is what children’s attitudes are. They tend to like those in other kids’ hands, and kids want kids to without realizing whether they need it. So try to remove that thing from your mind and start making decisions rationally. This challenge will help you think outside the box and change your habits.
How does this work, and what must you do in this challenge?
You must use some items you already have available in your home.
Without realizing what we need and what we do not need, we buy things to eat. That is why there is no space left in our fridges, and at the end of the month, when things get spoiled, we waste them; this should not happen after you take this challenge for a whole month.
As I mentioned above, make a list of items that are already in your fridges and still have some fresh taste. Then download the app MUthe Munch, which allows you to make the desired eatables from the resources you have in your home.
For example, you name whatever ingredients you have in the kitchen in the app, and the app will provide you with recipes you can make from those ingredients, so you do not need to spend a month in a hell of a boring way. You can make much out of it.
Now, come to the other commodities!
After the food, you must list other items in your home that you can use for different purposes.
For example, clothes, shoes, detergents, soaps, etc.
For cleaning purposes, shampoos, or chemicals, you can use the detergent you are using for laundry. That will leave any side effects on the surfaces of your home if you know how to clean your house after all. You have to do your partner’s dutiespartner’sd you can do your laundry yourself another time.
The same cleaning method is used. You can apply it. Clean yourself for one day and let your partner clean the home.
By dividing the duties, you can make it easier for both of you to have a less spending attitude about the house’s basic course. Many people clean and do laundry by themselves, and I also know many who ask the cleaning companies to send their workers to do the house chores.
Spending money on different house chores is not that difficult; when you can easily clean at least your room and the other room the other day, you can save quite a lot on the cleaning category. Specifically, you can try it in a no-spend month and make yourself comfortable with it. Once you know how to do the things, you can manage them in the next month.
A no-spend challenge will motivate you.
The most significant role this challenge will play in your life is motivating you to take care of your things and chores yourself. If you keep spending money and asking others for their services, you will never make a single penny in your account savings.
Why am I saying this? Because I have been through this, too. When I was making money, I got messed up with my routine. I barely knew how to manage things, which upset me. To eliminate this, I asked the companies to send over workers a day to clean my space and do my laundry. Usually, I deliver food from outside and make the payments to stay comfortable.
Little did I know that this life of luxuries and making myself comfortable would bound me to stay in this trap, and I would never be able to save anything for my old age and future.
These confusing things started haunting me: what to do and what not to do. I was so confused. Inside, I knew that this was not going smoothly because I had spent too much and kept on spending, and if this were going like this for any longer, I would be drowned. But after some time, I decided to take up this challenge and start this challenge a month or two ago.
The challenge motivated me to start working, serving myself first, and not asking others to do my work. Then stop buying food from outside and spend good quality time at home for the sake of your mental health and peace.
When you have a good time at home, you can make the changes in your home by yourself and cook for yourself. Healthy, delicious food has no comparison to outside food. It’s natural and delicious. It costs you nothing more than one percent of how much you already spend outside for food.
It can make you aware of your spending problems and easily change your spending attitude.
The other major factor this challenge plays in your budgeting and spending behavior is letting you know where you are spending more and where you need to pay more. Most of us do not see what we can easily compromise or delay; for example, if you buy beverages for a month in your grocery items, you can quickly compromise on them. Isn’t it n’tan
isn’t isn’t drink atbuisn’t, and if you are not feeling to drink them, they will expire, and your money is wasted. Try to buy a limited amount of food and drinks and buy them fresh so you can consume fresh food and beverages. It will save you money and boost your health routine and status.
The challenge of no spending month will allow you not to know the problem of your spending behavior like somewhere you need to bargain, but you don’t. Somewheredon’tbuy, don’t by lookingdon’tour fa friends, a friend’s a friend it. Sometimes, you spend money to eat food outside but do not feel good eating outside during the day. Because your friends get together, you spend money on food to show them off or save your face so you don’t feel don’t-spend-spend months can help you remove the unnecessary.
Decluttering means removing unnecessary items from your life or your home. After you go for the challenge, you can quickly develop the habit of decluttering your things; this habit will not only make your life easier and simpler because there are fewer messy things and fewer things to manage and remember, but it will also allow your budget to save a considerable portion of your income on a monthly or weekly basis.
Not spending a month is quite a way to help you save more and more and let you know that you can be more at peace if you spend less on unnecessary things. As I discussed, I discussed needs and wants in the previous article, identifying your needs and wants.
By going through this challenge, you can cut off your bad habits of spending more on wants than your needs and cut off the extra expenses you can survive without them. The other benefit is removing things from your life that are useless to buy.
Your home has less space, and you are buying heavy furniture. However, you can buy some light and portable stuff to keep a good breathing space in your home and save more by spending less. And buy only what you need; nothing extra can count on.
Of course, you can have fun with the challenge without spending anything. For example, you can buy movie tickets with coupons, try to apply for giveaways, and get fun rewards in return.
So, there are many ways to have fun without money. These ways will come to mind according to your taste after you accept this challenge and know you do not have to spend. In that bound feeling, you will make way for having fun. It will be more fun when you know that you will have a considerable amount of savings from the income you did not spend by the end of the month of the challenge.
How do you start your next month without spending a month after the first month?
Now, this question is quite tricky and unique in both ways, like for those who have gone through the first month of the spend-month challenge. They want this challenge for the other month, but once you buy groceries for a month, that will not be considered a no-spending month because you would be spending on groceries.
So, take the incense of the challenge, what this challenge is for, and what they are making us or molding us into. When you know how to deal with the spending money matters, you will be efficiently doing your stuff yourself and know you can do it.
Once your one-month challenge is over, you can buy the stuff you need by applying the limitations of wants and needs; after that, you can continue to spend the whole month compromising on lame wants or stopping yourself from unnecessary wants.
Tips:
There have been many ways to save money, but people around us keep coming up with why the average-income person has to go for savings and does not spend as they want.
So the answer is quite simple: many people around us are billionaires, and many live below the poverty line. We can be the middle, not too rich, and fortunately not too poor. The reason behind savings is that you are less likely to spend it with your family when you start making an income.
People with low incomes have no money but live with their families in a room. Many may not have the rooms to live in camps; one camp and many families adjust. Rich people have money but less time to spend with their families. Suppose you take the example of an actress who is a mother. She shoots the whole day from state to state every month. How much time will she give to her kids? These are natural things, not judgmental.
Of course, exceptions are everywhere, but more likely, different regions worldwide live like this. So consider yourself the luckiest person. You are earning a stable income and have a lovely family.
Saving will allow you more time to take off from work and spend time with your family and yourself. This saving habit will allow you to retire early and spend beautiful days with your daily. The most crucial happiness lies in a simple life with peace of mind and a loving family.
Indeed, you can spend life alone by spending all of your money without saving anything, but the decision is still in your hands before it’s too late. Consider whether it is worth taking this chance, making budget amendments, and saving energy for other things in life.
Good luck!
After leaving Wells Fargo Bank in 2014, Daniel began a career as a finance consultant, advising companies and individuals on economic policy, labor relations, and financial management.
At Promtfinance.com, Daniel writes about personal finance topics, value estimation, budgeting strategies, retirement planning, and portfolio diversification.
Read more on Daniel Smith's biography page.
Contact Daniel: daniel@promtfinance.com