6 months of no spending

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-03-2008, 09:34 AM

ON the first I started a 6 month long no spend game for myself. I thought about what I might need in the next six months and all I could come up with was socks, so I went out and bought a package of socks. Then I thought about my crafts. OH no , sticky point. HOw do I handle that? Well I already know I need a few yards to finish my quilt, so I bought that. After that if I wanna make something I better find a way to only use what I have.
Food, toilet paper and medicine are the only thing I am allowed to buy for the next six months. NO CLOTHES, NO NEW TOYS, NO BOOKS. My goal is to have 3,000 saved by July. If all goes well and I think I can survive another six months I will give myself one day to go out and buy things I feel we need and then I will put a freeze on the spending for another six months.

I wanted to do a year but with small kids I know I will have to buy new shoes and clothes for them by this summer. And I plan on loseing some weight so I know I will need clothes for myself.

**DAAC3DEC** · 01-03-2008, 10:33 AM

Good luck, keep us posted..........I forget the title of the book I read, do you remember, I think last year a woman wrote a book about her year of "no spending"--it was really good..........I had heard about it on the "Today Show".

**leezza** · 01-03-2008, 10:35 AM

Whoo, Anne I am impressed.......

Me I am not much of a shopper but I do like to treat myself with a book or two now and again from the used book store.

Good Luck,
leezza

**kaykwilts** · 01-03-2008, 10:46 AM

Good for you. I know you can stick to your plans.

**dcompton** · 01-03-2008, 11:12 AM

I'm thinking of doing something similar starting in February; I'm giving myself another month to settle in the new apartment because little things do crop up -- I thought of something last night conspicuously missing. Forgot what it was by this morning, but that's a bear-of-very-little-brain issue, not a spending one. Which is why I'm giving myself some extra lag time.

Money mantra for the year: Just WHY do I think I need this?

Keep us posted on how it goes. You can be our role model!

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-03-2008, 11:54 AM

This will take tramendous will power for me. I do have some gift cards tucked away that I will save for the right moment. I won't count those as spending.

OH gosh, I almost forgot about dd's birthday, I guess I will have to make one exception for that. Im sure there will be days that will seam impossible but I will have to count of you ladies to get me threw it. I might need you to put you minds together to help me come up with an alternative to buying something I think I need.

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-03-2008, 11:57 AM

Oh , I also forgot I was going to make a new shower curtain. I did get a 20 gift card I could use to buy the fabric. I better stop thinking about this . The more I do the more I think its going to be impossible. Yeah, it looks like I am gonna need a lot of suport.

**KJayEsq** · 01-03-2008, 12:11 PM

Wow! I admire your drive. Good luck and keep us posted!

**sunray16** · 01-03-2008, 12:21 PM

Good luck! You can do it!

**Momof4cats** · 01-03-2008, 01:36 PM

Perhaps you could make the rule that if you *do* have to spend (say for the shower curtain) you have to purchase used?

**Daisygirl** · 01-03-2008, 02:04 PM

Ann I am so impressed. You are taking the bull by the horns and solving your problems.

I am having so much trouble sticking to my no-spend regime. I may not have been as committed as I needed to be. I like how you have planned it out. Perhaps I will do the same - we have money put aside for our craft room and I have been reorganizing the basement. I need to do a FREEZE.

What if you were to pick one day a month to do a little spending so that you do not feel too deprived. You could keep a list all month of what you feel you need. By the time you get to your shopping day, you may have already decided you could do without it or you may have come up with a free alternative.

I will be watching this - we can all learn from you!

**emily_hope** · 01-03-2008, 03:19 PM

Interesting. I have been keeping up with a lady's blog who spent 2007 not spending. You might want to read her blog. She did cheat a few times, but she did really well, I think.

Her is the blog:

ByeByeBuy

For 2008 she is not eating... LOL. Her new blog is ByeByePie. If you go to her old blog it will direct you to her new blog.

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-03-2008, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Daisygirl

What if you were to pick one day a month to do a little spending so that you do not feel too deprived. You could keep a list all month of what you feel you need. By the time you get to your shopping day, you may have already decided you could do without it or you may have come up with a free alternative.

I will be watching this - we can all learn from you!

Interesting idea, I could think about it. I really wanted to do NO Spending but with two little kids and a dh who might not be as interested as I am I have to plan for one or two slips. I think I could also limit it to a number of items. Like two things only. I will not spend a dime for the rest of january and if I think I need something I will write it down. On Febuary first if I still think I need it I will think about letting myself pick one item from the list.

Thank for the great idea!

**Dancing Lotus** · 01-03-2008, 03:36 PM

[QUOTE=emily_hope;820716]Interesting. I have been keeping up with a lady's blog who spent 2007 not spending. You might want to read her blog.

Im off to check out that blog.