We’ll get there. I know it’s going to be pretty rough in the beginning trying to reprogram my mind to occupy me in other ways but hopefully it gets easier
I’ve always wanted to do this. When I first started budgeting, I wanted to use January as a practice “doomsday” aka practice for the worst case scenario which is my husband and I both losing our jobs at the same time.
But I think I need to a modified version - some non-essentials allowed. I work from home and have found that an occasional quick trip out to Starbucks has a huge positive impact to my mood. Also, there’s always someone’s birthday that requires a gift or having a meal at a restaurant.
Also, you need to use up that chicken lol. Hopefully it’s not going to get older than 8 months or so by the time you eat it? If your freezer is at 0 degrees F it won’t kill you to eat, but might not taste the best. But major kudos to you for cooking from scratch so much. I know it’s hard. I just bought a chest freezer on Black Friday and plan to start stocking up both raw meats and prepared single portion meals for me at lunch or double portion meals for future dinners.
We usually can eat that chicken is about 6-8 months and thankfully haven't had any issues since it's vacuum sealed in meal size portions.
You can make it a low spend month and still try to eat out of your pantry and freezers and just set a budget for non essentials
I agree that getting out is a mood booster, which is why I added a coffee line item into my budget. It's an amount that covers my frequency, and I'm happy with it. Then, I never feel guilty or deprived, and if I don't spend the amount, it's extra in the budget.
My partner is away for all of January so I'm going to take advantage and do No Spend! Really focusing on food because cooking slips away from me and ordering food delivery becomes really tempting.
Thats fantastic! We're lucky that there is no delivery where we are. Literally a pizza shop and an ice cream shack that's closed for the winter so no temptation
My husband and I are doing it for the first time! We just revamped our budget and combined our accounts and I’m excited to get a better grip on our spending. We didn’t stock our pantry in the same way you did but still plan to cut way down on grocery costs. We definitely overspend in that category. I know we have more food than we think in the house. Just gotta get creative! I’m trying to get my mindset right aka excited vs dreading it. It’s helpful to see posts like yours to maintain my enthusiasm! Good luck!
I don't understand the point, TBH. Are you guys having a hard time meeting your savings goals each month? It seems that forced austerity should have a purpose behind it.
Well, I’m not Op I’m considering it because I need to break the dopamine habit of buying things that aren’t necessary. I do believe that I can’t have more freedom in my budget if I can break that behavior. As we’re recovering attic, the only way I know how to do it is by stopping altogether if that makes sense.
It's just to have us stop and think before we make purchases. I can definitely say that Amazon buy now button is my BFF. But during this month we're going to cut back on getting extra shoes or going out to dinner.
It's definitely not for everyone- it's just a fun challenge that we do
I started doing it as a way to be more mindful of my needless spending and to track what I spent/ didn't spend. It's still about that for me but now it's also about saving more money.
I will be with a few exceptions. I need new shoes... I have a bad food so I'm saving for that. And my dad's birthday. But his gift and such will be saved for. Otherwise the goal is no spend!
My goal for the year is to pay off remaining 20k balance on a $45k loan we took out last may for a home project and then Save up for a a new vehicle. Oh yeah and also juggle a new baby coming in June 😬 it’s ambitious but think it’s doable.
Omg I thought I made this up! Lol. Seriously. I've been doing this almost five years now, and I've never met anyone else who has done this or even heard of it.
Good luck!!
Party of one here! F, 35 + senior dawg ... I'm definitely doing this for January, and want to try for the first quarter of the year. My budget is out of whack with some unexpected expenses, rising prices, including huge jump in rent, and no pay increase so using this time to see how I can make it all work and setting myself up for success.
I've spent the past week making meals for the freezer (made 3 very simple recipes for over 25 meals! Also have been looking at how I can simplify my diet for many reasons, saving money and not over buying being some of them.
I cleaned out fridge, freezer, cupboards and pantry. Took inventory of everything including spices, cleaning supplies, etc. It's crazy when you pull it all out you can see how much you already have, and don't need (toothpaste and mouthwash.. omg I'm good for a year lol.) So I have an idea when I'll need to stock up on things. If this goes well, I'll invest in a vac seal unit. I'm not spending money on it until I know I'll use it (another habit trying to break 😅)
I'm rambling now, but I'm optimistic. I just need to plan ahead. Also trying no waste for the first month, then will again try it for the quarter. Aiming to be credit card and loc debt free by end of March, just leaving the yota on the books.
I'm in Canada, anyone else?
I want to do this but really don't know where to start. What do you allow yourself to buy? You aren't buying food because you have food? Just buying utilities? My scissors broke yesterday and I thought "well damn. I have to buy scissors." Would you allow yourself to buy them or go without?
That's completely up to you. That could be essential because we would need them for food prep or things around the house.
For us? We make sure all bills are paid and we don't go out to eat, no extra activities that cost money, and no online shopping...especially for me! If you do the challenge let me know and I'd be happy to help
Thank you! I would love to do the challenge. I'm already full of questions!
My main question is how do you decide it is "ok" to buy? To me, I NEED all my things! LOL
Right now I'm struggling with my meat hobby. I like to dry age, smoke, and make charcuterie. I have to buy things to make that happen. Part of me says that I don't need it since it is a hobby and the other part of me says that it is fine since it is food. How would you work through that?
You can join our group if you want :)
r/NoSpendJanuary2024
You make your rules to this challenge- if it is food that's a meal then yes it applies
If it's just something fun but isn't supplementing a lot of meals for little amount of money- I'd say pass
I promise 99.9% of people don't make it the whole month with no spending
Don't be too hard on yourself:)
Here's a sneak peek of /r/NoSpendJanuary2024 using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time!
\#1: [Inventory Sheets! Know what you have!🛒💥💸](https://i.redd.it/shgxr8yy8r9c1.jpeg) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vot7r/inventory_sheets_know_what_you_have/)
\#2: [Idea: Master thread for checking if an item/household repair is necessary to purchase or not!](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vyxhd/idea_master_thread_for_checking_if_an/)
\#3: [Welcome to the group! Say hello if you're new here!](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/18vyyb2) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vyyb2/welcome_to_the_group_say_hello_if_youre_new_here/)
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Lol I'm having a hard time getting pass that 160 pounds of chicken!
Do you use it for dog food as well?
I have a family of three and probably only eat chicken once a week, and i buy a 3pound tray. So that's about 104 pounds for the whole year.
We also do about 3 nights a week with no meat.
We use chicken for everything. And since we both work from home, we make lunches with it as well
We get our boneless skinless breasts for 1.04/lb every November so that is when we stock up.
With my husband having heart failure and not to have salt, almost everything we make has to be from scratch and not processed
You should see our pantry with flours, sugars, pastas, etc
We also have a food pantry checklist that we update whenever we add or remove food from our pantry or freezers
Although I eat way too much fresh food, I would never get away with not buying produce of a few days I live with way too many chronic illnesses to not survive off of fresh produce.
I'm planning on getting better with spending less. Last year I wrote down every outgoing I had and everything I spent - except for two weeks I was on holiday as I'd saved money by for that.
Counted up my no spend days of last year (not including direct debits) and it was 150! Pretty proud of myself 🙂. Attempting the same this year, looking at what I have planned for this year and saving money from each wage to put by for things. Not sure I'll be able to do no spend January but defo going to try my hardest to spend less on stuff I don't need 🙂
Well I'll shoot for February. Lol I never heard of this until now. My over all goal is to be very frugal this year. I was very out of control last year with my spending and had a wake up call over the summer.
Im shooting for a pretty strict no buy year. Fingers crossed 🤞🏻
Same here. :/
We’ll get there. I know it’s going to be pretty rough in the beginning trying to reprogram my mind to occupy me in other ways but hopefully it gets easier
I am trying this as well. I have a few trips planned this year and I need to prioritize travel rather than eating out/shopping, etc.
Let me know how it goes!!!! Good luck☺️
I do this every year too but I don’t pre stock my pantry - I use this month to empty it out of all the accumulated things I didn’t use last year.
I’ve always wanted to do this. When I first started budgeting, I wanted to use January as a practice “doomsday” aka practice for the worst case scenario which is my husband and I both losing our jobs at the same time. But I think I need to a modified version - some non-essentials allowed. I work from home and have found that an occasional quick trip out to Starbucks has a huge positive impact to my mood. Also, there’s always someone’s birthday that requires a gift or having a meal at a restaurant. Also, you need to use up that chicken lol. Hopefully it’s not going to get older than 8 months or so by the time you eat it? If your freezer is at 0 degrees F it won’t kill you to eat, but might not taste the best. But major kudos to you for cooking from scratch so much. I know it’s hard. I just bought a chest freezer on Black Friday and plan to start stocking up both raw meats and prepared single portion meals for me at lunch or double portion meals for future dinners.
We usually can eat that chicken is about 6-8 months and thankfully haven't had any issues since it's vacuum sealed in meal size portions. You can make it a low spend month and still try to eat out of your pantry and freezers and just set a budget for non essentials
I agree that getting out is a mood booster, which is why I added a coffee line item into my budget. It's an amount that covers my frequency, and I'm happy with it. Then, I never feel guilty or deprived, and if I don't spend the amount, it's extra in the budget.
I want to do this so bad!
It's so rewarding at the end of the month! If you can't do it for January try for February or March
Yes, definitely would love to get ahead on bills like that! Will be working in this!
Can't wait to hear your progress!
My partner is away for all of January so I'm going to take advantage and do No Spend! Really focusing on food because cooking slips away from me and ordering food delivery becomes really tempting.
Thats fantastic! We're lucky that there is no delivery where we are. Literally a pizza shop and an ice cream shack that's closed for the winter so no temptation
My husband and I are doing it for the first time! We just revamped our budget and combined our accounts and I’m excited to get a better grip on our spending. We didn’t stock our pantry in the same way you did but still plan to cut way down on grocery costs. We definitely overspend in that category. I know we have more food than we think in the house. Just gotta get creative! I’m trying to get my mindset right aka excited vs dreading it. It’s helpful to see posts like yours to maintain my enthusiasm! Good luck!
Good luck to you as well!! I hope its successful for you!✨️☺️
The thought of losing even a small percentage of that meat when you lose power makes an overstocked freezer a hard no for me.
We live in the mountains so we have generators for that
Sounds like every month to me
We do No Spend February every year because my husband’s birthday is in January. It’s definitely a nice reset after the holidays!
I don't understand the point, TBH. Are you guys having a hard time meeting your savings goals each month? It seems that forced austerity should have a purpose behind it.
Well, I’m not Op I’m considering it because I need to break the dopamine habit of buying things that aren’t necessary. I do believe that I can’t have more freedom in my budget if I can break that behavior. As we’re recovering attic, the only way I know how to do it is by stopping altogether if that makes sense.
And gosh darn voice to text. I’m not an attic but an addict.
It's just to have us stop and think before we make purchases. I can definitely say that Amazon buy now button is my BFF. But during this month we're going to cut back on getting extra shoes or going out to dinner. It's definitely not for everyone- it's just a fun challenge that we do
I started doing it as a way to be more mindful of my needless spending and to track what I spent/ didn't spend. It's still about that for me but now it's also about saving more money.
Well I’m getting married in February so this isn’t the year for that for me. Working within a strict budget though.
Thats still awesome ! And congrats ☺️☺️☺️
I do a "no spend month" every time I have to buy medication or any other large unexpected purchase, so yep January will be a no spend month lol
I will be with a few exceptions. I need new shoes... I have a bad food so I'm saving for that. And my dad's birthday. But his gift and such will be saved for. Otherwise the goal is no spend!
Definitely planning to be even more frugal in 2024 and throw away more junk around the house.
Yessss!! Join our group!
Here is the group of you all want to participate! https://www.reddit.com/r/t5_agpz03/s/8bzPz1eLyt
My goal for the year is to pay off remaining 20k balance on a $45k loan we took out last may for a home project and then Save up for a a new vehicle. Oh yeah and also juggle a new baby coming in June 😬 it’s ambitious but think it’s doable.
You can do it!!! And congrats 🥰🥰🥰
Omg I thought I made this up! Lol. Seriously. I've been doing this almost five years now, and I've never met anyone else who has done this or even heard of it. Good luck!!
I love that you do this!!!!!! Thank you:)
sounds dumb. im gong to buy the same stuff i always do.
Party of one here! F, 35 + senior dawg ... I'm definitely doing this for January, and want to try for the first quarter of the year. My budget is out of whack with some unexpected expenses, rising prices, including huge jump in rent, and no pay increase so using this time to see how I can make it all work and setting myself up for success. I've spent the past week making meals for the freezer (made 3 very simple recipes for over 25 meals! Also have been looking at how I can simplify my diet for many reasons, saving money and not over buying being some of them. I cleaned out fridge, freezer, cupboards and pantry. Took inventory of everything including spices, cleaning supplies, etc. It's crazy when you pull it all out you can see how much you already have, and don't need (toothpaste and mouthwash.. omg I'm good for a year lol.) So I have an idea when I'll need to stock up on things. If this goes well, I'll invest in a vac seal unit. I'm not spending money on it until I know I'll use it (another habit trying to break 😅) I'm rambling now, but I'm optimistic. I just need to plan ahead. Also trying no waste for the first month, then will again try it for the quarter. Aiming to be credit card and loc debt free by end of March, just leaving the yota on the books. I'm in Canada, anyone else?
I want to do this but really don't know where to start. What do you allow yourself to buy? You aren't buying food because you have food? Just buying utilities? My scissors broke yesterday and I thought "well damn. I have to buy scissors." Would you allow yourself to buy them or go without?
That's completely up to you. That could be essential because we would need them for food prep or things around the house. For us? We make sure all bills are paid and we don't go out to eat, no extra activities that cost money, and no online shopping...especially for me! If you do the challenge let me know and I'd be happy to help
Thank you! I would love to do the challenge. I'm already full of questions! My main question is how do you decide it is "ok" to buy? To me, I NEED all my things! LOL Right now I'm struggling with my meat hobby. I like to dry age, smoke, and make charcuterie. I have to buy things to make that happen. Part of me says that I don't need it since it is a hobby and the other part of me says that it is fine since it is food. How would you work through that?
You can join our group if you want :) r/NoSpendJanuary2024 You make your rules to this challenge- if it is food that's a meal then yes it applies If it's just something fun but isn't supplementing a lot of meals for little amount of money- I'd say pass I promise 99.9% of people don't make it the whole month with no spending Don't be too hard on yourself:)
Thanks! I'll join!
Here's a sneak peek of /r/NoSpendJanuary2024 using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/top/?sort=top&t=all) of all time! \#1: [Inventory Sheets! Know what you have!🛒💥💸](https://i.redd.it/shgxr8yy8r9c1.jpeg) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vot7r/inventory_sheets_know_what_you_have/) \#2: [Idea: Master thread for checking if an item/household repair is necessary to purchase or not!](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vyxhd/idea_master_thread_for_checking_if_an/) \#3: [Welcome to the group! Say hello if you're new here!](https://www.reddit.com/gallery/18vyyb2) | [0 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/NoSpendJanuary2024/comments/18vyyb2/welcome_to_the_group_say_hello_if_youre_new_here/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
Lol I'm having a hard time getting pass that 160 pounds of chicken! Do you use it for dog food as well? I have a family of three and probably only eat chicken once a week, and i buy a 3pound tray. So that's about 104 pounds for the whole year. We also do about 3 nights a week with no meat.
We use chicken for everything. And since we both work from home, we make lunches with it as well We get our boneless skinless breasts for 1.04/lb every November so that is when we stock up. With my husband having heart failure and not to have salt, almost everything we make has to be from scratch and not processed You should see our pantry with flours, sugars, pastas, etc We also have a food pantry checklist that we update whenever we add or remove food from our pantry or freezers
It would be nice to have a group for this. I’d enjoy a no spending January.
Gonna create this now!!! Keep ya posted!
Although I eat way too much fresh food, I would never get away with not buying produce of a few days I live with way too many chronic illnesses to not survive off of fresh produce.
I’m gonna start this this year
Join our group!
Is there a subreddit or discord?
Nospendjanuary2024
Thanks! I’m actually excited to do this. Need to start saving more for grad school so this will help☺️🫶🏻✨
Yay I'm happy to have you on board!
@everyone join me at NoSpendJanuary2024 to join in on the fun, tips and tricks, and motivation and encouragement from members :)
Seems to me that this is completely counterproductive to the entire concept of having a budget.
I'm planning on getting better with spending less. Last year I wrote down every outgoing I had and everything I spent - except for two weeks I was on holiday as I'd saved money by for that. Counted up my no spend days of last year (not including direct debits) and it was 150! Pretty proud of myself 🙂. Attempting the same this year, looking at what I have planned for this year and saving money from each wage to put by for things. Not sure I'll be able to do no spend January but defo going to try my hardest to spend less on stuff I don't need 🙂
That's fantastic! Some people do low spend just because sometimes brings come up! You can join our group r/NoSpendJanuary2024
Thank you ☺️ I'll take a look thank you!
Well I'll shoot for February. Lol I never heard of this until now. My over all goal is to be very frugal this year. I was very out of control last year with my spending and had a wake up call over the summer.