The year is halfway over. I’m finally getting the hang of writing 2018 instead of 2017, so I’m ahead of the game.
Two things often happen this time of year in our household.
- We realize there are SO MANY PROJECTS we wanted to finish that haven’t even been started. #outoftime
- We spend some time looking closely at our budget and SHUT DOWN ALL SPENDING. #outofmoney
Yes. I realize these two things are in direct contrast to one another. Such is life.
This year has been particularly challenging – our rental properties have sucked out an exorbitant amount of of time, energy and money in 2018. More than we have experienced in nearly a decade of owning rental properties. Ryan has been working his full time job and then spending many nights and weekends working at the rental properties.
We also have a new baby and a grade schooler. And those little people can be expensive and time-consuming, too. (In many good, life-giving ways, but it’s true.)
What does this mean? That we have had less time, mental energy and money for projects we wanted to complete in our home this year.
But friends, this is just our season of life. A messy and beautiful season. And we are truly beginning to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe? Hopefully?
We are close, but we are tightening in the reigns as we begin the second half of the year. That means kickin git off with a month-long spending freeze – avoiding the unnecessary expenses that can easily derail our monthly budget. We are skipping clothes, kid toys, unplanned eating out, and even HOME DECOR AND RENO PROJECTS.
We do a no-spend month every so often when we see parts of our budget beginning to get off track. It’s almost easier to stop all extra spending than to try to cut back. And it really opens my eyes to the amount of small things we spend money on daily.
But don’t think that just because you are on a spending freeze, you can’t improve your home or work on projects. In many ways, months we cut back our discretionary spending are some of the best months to improve our home. Here’s how we do it.
Finish projects that are half-started.
I like to use no-spend months to work on projects that haven’t been finished around the house. In our case, there are always plenty of supplies hanging around and ideas in my head.
If you already have paint, paint a room (or an island). If you have fabric for curtains, pull out the sewing machine and get crackin’.
I had picked up this mixture of tobacco baskets a few months ago on clearance with a half-baked plan to gussy up the staircase. So I pulled them out and put them up in a new way. I still have tweaking to do, but I’m happy with the change.
We have also been working on the backsplash in the kitchen. We had been saving rebates to pay for the tile and grout, so it was a no-cost project.
And I have a few craft projects I’d like to finally complete this month, too.
Work on maintenance projects that get put off.
There are so many maintenance projects that need done around a home – but they often get overlooked in favor of new and exciting projects.
Here are a few things I have been working on this month when I have free moments:
- Scrub and clean the floor on the back deck.
- Water my plants.
- Clean the windows.
- Weed the flowerbed.
- Touch up cabinet and trim paint.
- Oil the island butcher block.
These little things make such a difference.
Organize and declutter.
No-spend months are the perfect times to purge, organize and declutter. I have been working on cleaning out closets – especially the kids’ closets.
As a bonus, I have been able to sell and make a few bucks in the process. (I’ve had great luck with our local Facebook marketplace.)
Make lists instead of pressing “order.”
I’m a bit of an online shopping addict. And it’s far too easy to order anything in just a few clicks online. (I’m looking at you, Amazon.)
So, when we freeze our spending, I do try to shop less overall. I skip going to stores that would tempt me. I try not to browse online stores to kill time. But sometimes, I end up finding something I wish I had. Instead of buying, I put all the items I want to buy online onto a wish list. (I either save them on Amazon wish lists or add to a private Pinterest board.)
At the end of the month, it’s pretty amazing to see all the things that I would have purchased on impulse a month ago. But there are rarely any items I actually order after thinking of it.
Sidenote: I should probably just do this all the time.
Dream and plan for projects.
No-spend months are a great time to think about what projects are a priority for the future. It gives us a chance to take a beat and actually make a plan. By prioritizing what’s most important, we can plan our budget accordingly.
And I’ve found that taking a month away from extra spending makes us a little more hesitant to spend freely when the month ends.
Sure – no-spend months can throw up some challenges. (Ahem: AMAZON PRIME DAY?) But it’s sort of like a Whole 30 for your budget. It can reset your spending habits and help you make wiser choices going forward.
Of course, my camera also broke during the first week of the no-spend month. But that just adds to the challenge, right? Instead of buying something new, Ryan’s taking the entire thing apart with the help of Google.
Send wine.
Do you ever take a month-long spending freeze?
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Gretchen says
I really need to do this to recover from our summer of Canadian gas prices :). But I also really want to paint my hallway, and I don’t have enough paint….
Sandra B. says
I definitely know the feeling of being on a tight budget, but I’ve never done a month-long spending freeze. I love that idea. When I’m low on funds I also do a lot of organizing and cleaning – especially my garage. I recently read this article about organizing your garage, and it helped me a lot, not only to keep from spending money, but to actually make money through a garage sale. http://anderson-doors.com/9-great-garage-sale-tips/
Debbie says
We have been forced into a work stoppage here…my husband fell off a ladder last weekend working on a DIY project :/ Pretty traumatic injury to his right foot….surgery and a three day hospital stay and he is home. Off his feet for at least six weeks…trying to find “sitting down” projects for him to do since all of our other “to do” list projects will be on hold. I might be bringing him things from the garage to “declutter” and I’ve told him he can start doing the drawings for our den remodel. It will be a long summer for sure.
I keep telling him it could have been worse…
Kayla aka Kilo Bravo says
I love this reminder. We are selling our home and moving back to NY (!!) and it’s been interesting and healthy to refrain from all new purchases for a few months. I think of myself as a minimalist but the hardest has been to reel in the tiny purchases for the kids – a teeshirt here, a toy there. Of course we got them new stuffed animals to put on their new beds for their first night though…I’m not a complete ice queen 🙂
Hoping to actually start blogging about all of this again (it’s only been 2 years since my last post!) Energetic vibes via the internet appreciated.
Jackie B says
I really enjoyed this post! You have inspired me to get cracking on those half finished projects!
Ellen from Ask Away Blog says
AMEN! I spend a lot of time organizing and decluttering when my budget’s tapped out. Glad I’m not the only one that thinks that way!
Jill says
Enjoyed this post – we all need a “no spend month” every so often and your suggestions of what to do when your are not “spending” are all great. This is the perfect time to declutter/purge and sell or donate things (if you can get several friends to split the cost of a flea market booth with you, that is an excellent way to dispose of nice quality items. The monthly cost is low and the burden of booth upkeep and stocking is spread around. I have done this and it works well – to do it all yourself can be a bit of a pain and your have to sell a lot to just break even). Donna’s comment of eating out of your freezer (and pantry) to use up your food backlog is a good one also. Finishing up projects, doing home and yard maintenance give you a sense of completion and removes the feeling of “lurking projects” that can weigh you down. A savings suggestion – when you pay off a large purchase (like a car or furniture, etc), put what had been a regular monthly payment into a savings account – if you lived without it for 3 to 5 years, you can certainly continue to do so. I have done this twice with car payments and it is a painless way to save if you have your bank do an auto transfer each month. Leave it alone and let it grow (it will be there if and when you need it). Also as you said – watch the on-line purchases (and stay out of stores), if you don’t see it you won’t be tempted to buy it buy it. Thanks again for a great post, look forward to more.
Barbara F Lane says
Getting ready to sell our house we realized we had too many half-completed projects. It’s so easy to start something and then get distracted with new ideas. Taking a month like this every year will be something we will try in our new home to make sure we don’t have too many half-completed projects.
Michelle says
Yes I am in the same boat as you right now! I just completed an entire gallery wall in our living room simply by gathering things from around the house that I already owned. It was so fun trying to pull it off without going out shopping for something new!
Donna B says
I do this about every three months with food in the freezer! Use it up and try new recipes. Chance for culinary adventure!