Debbie in Florida wrote: I think you mentioned on Prudent Homemaker you would be doing a no spend month. Do you find you spend more the month after a no spend month?
I mentioned that the decluttering challenge I am doing with some online friends made me realize I need to do a no spend month for at least the rest of June. I should have said I need to do a no spending on frivolous stuff month. I figure if I want something bad enough I can wait 7 weeks to get it.
To answer Debbie's question, I usually do not spend more the month following a no spend month. For needs I try to find a way around them. There are some things for which that is not realistic. I need a new vacuum as we have 3 cats and four dogs. A broom does not do the same thing with fur that a vacuum does. I "need" a new soaker hose, but instead I put the small sprinkler up higher and it works for now and allows me to water more at once compared to the soaker hose. Often I find I do not need an item as much as I first thought.
Wants are either still there or go away. I wanted some fleece fabric on sale at Joann's. I already have fleece fabric and need to use it up before purchasing more. I know that it always goes on sale around Thanksgiving and can order some then. I wanted some magazines that were on sale but can admit that I have more than enough magazines to read. It seems as soon as I declare a no spend month I see all of these great "deals". Are they really deals if they only fulfill a want (especially something I did not want until I saw the deal) compared to a need?
I keep an ongoing Wish List at Amazon. This allows me to think about my purchases. I usually save it for Christmas or my birthday. I have no problem with buying things, but we are saving to build a new house. I am reminded of Dave Ramsey's saying: "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else". I am not doing without any needs and more than enough of my wants are covered.
That is probably much more than Debbie wanted to know. The bottom line is that these no spend months remind me that it is okay and even good not to buy stuff. I can make do with what I have to reach a larger goal.
1 comment:
Thank you for answering my question! I always try to spend as little as possible but was thinking of doing a "no spend month." It was very helpful to read your explanation of what you do.
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