We completed our 30 days of nothing challenge. When we did the challenge 2 years ago it was definitely eye opening. We developed a new way of living after that month. While this challenge wasn't nearly as eye opening it did remind us that we can live (for a short while) without consumerism.
It got us back on track with our composting and recycling. We are better at remembering to turn lights out and appliances off when not in use. We learned that we can live with the heat set a little lower. It made us get a little creative with some meals and to be grateful that we actually have food to eat and there are others out there who aren't as lucky.
We are going to continue to eat from our pantry. I don't feel like I need to rush out and go shopping for anything. I will be happy to buy some fruit and Cheerios though! I love our canned items but fresh is best. I will be making a trip to the grocery store for some dairy and fresh produce. I also need to make a trip to Sam's Club to stock up on baking supplies.
We were able to stick to only spending $30 on groceries for the month. In fact we have almost $4 left. We didn't eat out the entire month, we spent $0 on entertainment. There was no shopping. I did make a Pampered Chef purchase at the end of the month but that was the only non necessity item that we bought for the entire month.
I am pretty proud of us. Here is what I figured we saved in these 30 days based on what I budget each month for these categories. The first number is the amount we budget for the month and the second number is what we actually spent.
Grocery $500 spent $26
Entertainment $150 spent $0
Will and Sara Allowance $80 spent $0
Clothes $50 spent $0
We saved about $754. I was able to pay a couple of large medical bills with this money. That feels pretty good!
If you did a no spend month how did you do?
Showing posts with label 30 Days of Nothing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 30 Days of Nothing. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 29
Almost there. We are doing well. I ran to the store again yesterday because we ran out of toilet paper, never a good thing. So I stopped at Fareway and bought TP, lettuce and a gallon of milk. Total spent was $7.97. I am not counting the TP towards our grocery so that leaves me with $4.18 left for the month.
There is one thing I bought though. I did purchase some Pampered Chef items from my SIL, so I did have to write a check for that. I wasn't going to since we are having this challenge but Pampered Chef only comes along so often and I wanted to get it from her. So there, I admitted it. Sigh...that has been the only non necessity purchase we made so far for the month.
There is one thing I bought though. I did purchase some Pampered Chef items from my SIL, so I did have to write a check for that. I wasn't going to since we are having this challenge but Pampered Chef only comes along so often and I wanted to get it from her. So there, I admitted it. Sigh...that has been the only non necessity purchase we made so far for the month.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 27
Food Update...
Well we are officially out of fresh fruit. What I do have is...
canned applesauce
canned peaches
canned pears
canned pineapple
frozen blueberries, strawberries and a few raspberries
We are on out last bit of lettuce and spinach. We have a small bag of carrots left. The milk and bread are gone. I have a little bit of powdered milk left and I will make a loaf of bread this afternoon.
Our freezer has a pretty good dent in it. Still plenty of main course food though; fish, chicken, pork. The pantry is getting thinner. We have done a really good job cleaning it out. I am getting low on bread flour and butter. I should have enough to last the rest of the month though.
The fridge is looking pretty bare. Looks like it is a good time to give it a scrub down.
Well we are officially out of fresh fruit. What I do have is...
canned applesauce
canned peaches
canned pears
canned pineapple
frozen blueberries, strawberries and a few raspberries
We are on out last bit of lettuce and spinach. We have a small bag of carrots left. The milk and bread are gone. I have a little bit of powdered milk left and I will make a loaf of bread this afternoon.
Our freezer has a pretty good dent in it. Still plenty of main course food though; fish, chicken, pork. The pantry is getting thinner. We have done a really good job cleaning it out. I am getting low on bread flour and butter. I should have enough to last the rest of the month though.
The fridge is looking pretty bare. Looks like it is a good time to give it a scrub down.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 26
Yesterday I took the kids to the mall to play at the indoor play area. We had made a deal before we left the house that there would be no whining for pretzels (Auntie Anne's is out tradition, if we make a trip to the mall, we get a pretzel). The kids did pretty good. I took a substitute snack along and that seemed to work ok. There was just a little bit of begging, but no fits. I think it was actually harder for me. I had to sit there and smell the pretzels the whole time the kids played. Mouth watering...
While at the mall we stopped in at Target so I could see what they had available for space heaters. While there I browsed the little girl section, seeing 75% off signs. I had to walk away. I just kept telling myself, it will be even cheaper at garage sales in a few months.
We also had to go to the feed store because the chickens were out of food. I went ahead and got our cat food there as well. Total spent...$42.16. I had $19 that I had earned from selling eggs. I used that towards the total cost. It would be nice to sell enough eggs to pay for their food.
I forgot to mention that we went to a spaghetti dinner the other night. It was to support my nephews boy scout troop. We did give a donation. I felt that is was well worth it though, supporting a good cause.
While at the mall we stopped in at Target so I could see what they had available for space heaters. While there I browsed the little girl section, seeing 75% off signs. I had to walk away. I just kept telling myself, it will be even cheaper at garage sales in a few months.
We also had to go to the feed store because the chickens were out of food. I went ahead and got our cat food there as well. Total spent...$42.16. I had $19 that I had earned from selling eggs. I used that towards the total cost. It would be nice to sell enough eggs to pay for their food.
I forgot to mention that we went to a spaghetti dinner the other night. It was to support my nephews boy scout troop. We did give a donation. I felt that is was well worth it though, supporting a good cause.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Challenge Day 22
Less than 10 days to go. I must say I am getting a little anxious for it to be over! For some reason this week was a little rough. I ran out of a few things at the end of last week and I have been trying to use substitutions but it is getting extremely frustrating.
For example, we ran out of dryer sheets. I have been using waded up balls of aluminum foil. That really didn't work so well. I posted suggestions on Facebook and got lots of responses to using vinegar in the rinse section. I did this too and am still having horrible static! It is so bad I can hardly stand to fold laundry. I finally went in to the store today and bought a bottle of generic liquid fabric softener. I am going to try using the spray bottle method. I'll let you know if that works!
Next we ran out of Pull-ups for my youngest boy. He only uses them at night because he has accidents. He has done really good for about a week. Now he has had 3 accidents in a row. Sigh....I am putting off buying any for now. We will try and work through this.
Warning this could be TMI, any man readers you may want to skip. I ran out of nursing pads. I decided instead of running to the store to buy any I would try and find a substitute. So, I started using pantyliners cut in half. Now these are pretty good when you are in a pinch. However for long term use, they just weren't working for me. After a week I caved and bought a box of nursing pads.
So today at Target we bought a box of nursing pads, liquid fabric softener, brown shoe laces for hubby's work shoes and a 2 liter of pop. Yes, I know, pop is not a necessity but my husband has made tremendous cut backs on his pop intake. I am so proud of him for this. He is used to drinking a 2 liter every couple days and he has only had about four 2 liters for the month! I keep thinking there could be worse things he could be addicted to. We spent $15.18. I am counting the pop toward our $30 allowed for groceries. So this leaves me with $7.92 for the month.
I am a little worried about getting through the remainder of the month with only $7.92. I am almost out of milk and have no fresh fruit left except for a few bananas and 2 oranges. This will be an interesting week.
For example, we ran out of dryer sheets. I have been using waded up balls of aluminum foil. That really didn't work so well. I posted suggestions on Facebook and got lots of responses to using vinegar in the rinse section. I did this too and am still having horrible static! It is so bad I can hardly stand to fold laundry. I finally went in to the store today and bought a bottle of generic liquid fabric softener. I am going to try using the spray bottle method. I'll let you know if that works!
Next we ran out of Pull-ups for my youngest boy. He only uses them at night because he has accidents. He has done really good for about a week. Now he has had 3 accidents in a row. Sigh....I am putting off buying any for now. We will try and work through this.
Warning this could be TMI, any man readers you may want to skip. I ran out of nursing pads. I decided instead of running to the store to buy any I would try and find a substitute. So, I started using pantyliners cut in half. Now these are pretty good when you are in a pinch. However for long term use, they just weren't working for me. After a week I caved and bought a box of nursing pads.
So today at Target we bought a box of nursing pads, liquid fabric softener, brown shoe laces for hubby's work shoes and a 2 liter of pop. Yes, I know, pop is not a necessity but my husband has made tremendous cut backs on his pop intake. I am so proud of him for this. He is used to drinking a 2 liter every couple days and he has only had about four 2 liters for the month! I keep thinking there could be worse things he could be addicted to. We spent $15.18. I am counting the pop toward our $30 allowed for groceries. So this leaves me with $7.92 for the month.
I am a little worried about getting through the remainder of the month with only $7.92. I am almost out of milk and have no fresh fruit left except for a few bananas and 2 oranges. This will be an interesting week.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Challenge Day 18
Things are going well. I did go to the store today. I actually shopped at Aldi. I haven't been there is ages. I heard they had really cheap milk so I thought I would check that out and see what kind of prices they had on other items.
I went ahead and picked up some produce while I was there. Their prices were reasonable I thought. Here is what I got.
Bananas $1.81
Carrots $.59
Spinach $1.69
Pretzels $1.29
4 Yogurts @ $.35 each
Milk $2.29
Total spent was $9.01. That leaves me with $13.05 left for the month.
We have eaten dinner at home every night. I made my first French bread the other day. It turned out pretty well and was super easy to make. I will post about that later this week.
The kids have done a much better job about turning off lights and making sure doors are closed tightly. Recycling is going better as well. I have seen a decrease in the amount of trash we have been putting out.
We have kept the inside temperature at 66. I wish it wasn't so cold outside (lows below zero this week). The furnace seems to run non-stop.
I went ahead and picked up some produce while I was there. Their prices were reasonable I thought. Here is what I got.
Bananas $1.81Carrots $.59
Spinach $1.69
Pretzels $1.29
4 Yogurts @ $.35 each
Milk $2.29
Total spent was $9.01. That leaves me with $13.05 left for the month.
We have eaten dinner at home every night. I made my first French bread the other day. It turned out pretty well and was super easy to make. I will post about that later this week.
The kids have done a much better job about turning off lights and making sure doors are closed tightly. Recycling is going better as well. I have seen a decrease in the amount of trash we have been putting out.
We have kept the inside temperature at 66. I wish it wasn't so cold outside (lows below zero this week). The furnace seems to run non-stop.
Friday, January 14, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 14
I finally went into a store yesterday. Actually 2. We hit up Target for a couple birthday gifts. I also decided to get some lettuce and bananas. Hubby was needing a 2 liter of Mt. Dew and we needed juice for our youngest son. He was just put on some medicine and we needed to mix it with juice for him to take it. Total spent on groceries was $7.94.
I had my first real urges to spend yesterday. There was sale signs everywhere. We had our little boy with us and he wanted to roam through the toy section. While browsing I came across some toys that were 75% off. It was a little tough to pass a couple things up, knowing that they might make good gifts for later. However after thinking about it I knew we didn't really need them. And the kids interests may change before we want to give it to them.
We have stuck to the meal plan perfectly the last couple weeks. Wednesday we were to have dinner with my grandparents. One of my boys started running a fever so we stayed home and they brought dinner to us, along with another gallon of milk! Can't beat that. I will need to buy some yogurt and maybe some fresh fruit here in the next couple days.
Other than the gifts we bought and the few groceries, I haven't spent money on anything that wasn't a necessity. Someone wrote for my gift giving I could make dishclothes or cross stitch something. I need to add those things to my list of things to learn!
I had my first real urges to spend yesterday. There was sale signs everywhere. We had our little boy with us and he wanted to roam through the toy section. While browsing I came across some toys that were 75% off. It was a little tough to pass a couple things up, knowing that they might make good gifts for later. However after thinking about it I knew we didn't really need them. And the kids interests may change before we want to give it to them.
We have stuck to the meal plan perfectly the last couple weeks. Wednesday we were to have dinner with my grandparents. One of my boys started running a fever so we stayed home and they brought dinner to us, along with another gallon of milk! Can't beat that. I will need to buy some yogurt and maybe some fresh fruit here in the next couple days.
Other than the gifts we bought and the few groceries, I haven't spent money on anything that wasn't a necessity. Someone wrote for my gift giving I could make dishclothes or cross stitch something. I need to add those things to my list of things to learn!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 11
We are 1/3 done with our challenge. I haven't stepped foot in any stores yet. I made pancakes Sunday morning and was almost out of milk so I used some powdered milk I had in the cupboard. We had a family gathering this weekend and I scored some lasagna and a gallon of milk. The lasagna was enough to feed my family 2 dinners and lunch for hubby and myself.
I have spent 3 days with the thermostat set at 66. I haven't felt much of a difference. Of course I have been baby wearing all day today so I stayed nice and warm!
We are getting low on cereal for breakfast but the chickens have been supplying me with lots of eggs each day so we always have them to fall back on. We haven't made much of a dent in the freezer. We used up some peanuts and bagel chips that were in the cupboard tonight when we made chex mix. My husband is excited to get rid of some items that have been in the cupboard for some time. He wants to extend the eating from the cupboards and pantry only into next month.
As for produce I am getting low on apples but still have lots of oranges. I miss my bananas. I still have plenty of canned peaches, pears and applesauce. We are out of fresh veggies with the exception of about a pound of carrots. Those will be gone this week. Then I will have to maybe think about getting some items. I still have $30 left to spend.
I have spent 3 days with the thermostat set at 66. I haven't felt much of a difference. Of course I have been baby wearing all day today so I stayed nice and warm!
We are getting low on cereal for breakfast but the chickens have been supplying me with lots of eggs each day so we always have them to fall back on. We haven't made much of a dent in the freezer. We used up some peanuts and bagel chips that were in the cupboard tonight when we made chex mix. My husband is excited to get rid of some items that have been in the cupboard for some time. He wants to extend the eating from the cupboards and pantry only into next month.
As for produce I am getting low on apples but still have lots of oranges. I miss my bananas. I still have plenty of canned peaches, pears and applesauce. We are out of fresh veggies with the exception of about a pound of carrots. Those will be gone this week. Then I will have to maybe think about getting some items. I still have $30 left to spend.
Friday, January 7, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Day 7
We have survived the first week of the challenge. We didn't step into one store this week and it felt really good. This weekend I will need to get some milk and yogurt. I found a gallon of milk in the basement fridge yesterday so that bought me a couple more days. We are rationing it out to make it last as long as we can. Our fridge is starting to look a little bare. Maybe I should clean it once it gets a little more cleared out.
The kids are doing a really good job keeping lights off and making sure doors get closed tight. We had to review recycling. I was finding paper and yogurt containers in the trash. Hopefully they are a little more aware now.
I keep an old coffee can next to the kitchen sink for food scraps. Once it is full the kids dump it into a 5 gallon bucket we have on the back deck. Once that is full we take it out to the compost pile. Some of the scraps get taken to the chickens.
The kids are really wanting to use some gift cards that they received for Christmas. I am making them wait. They haven't complained too much. I think they know I won't hear it.
Overall I am feeling really proud of us. So far it has been a positive experience and I am not missing much.
The kids are doing a really good job keeping lights off and making sure doors get closed tight. We had to review recycling. I was finding paper and yogurt containers in the trash. Hopefully they are a little more aware now.
I keep an old coffee can next to the kitchen sink for food scraps. Once it is full the kids dump it into a 5 gallon bucket we have on the back deck. Once that is full we take it out to the compost pile. Some of the scraps get taken to the chickens.
The kids are really wanting to use some gift cards that they received for Christmas. I am making them wait. They haven't complained too much. I think they know I won't hear it.
Overall I am feeling really proud of us. So far it has been a positive experience and I am not missing much.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
30 Days of Nothing Challenge Day 4
It's day 4 of our challenge and so far so good. I had a little bit of temptation yesterday. My husband was off work and the kids went back to school. It is days like these that we sometimes would go out to lunch since it would be cheaper. Also since my husband was home I really wanted to head out to the nutrition store to look around but I knew it would be just too tempting to window shop.
We haven't spent any money except for yesterday I had to pick up 3 prescriptions. That was horribly expensive since it is the new year and deductibles start over. Boooo.
I am running low on milk so I will have to pick some up in the next couple days. Other than that the food supply is fine. Using up the last of my lettuce tonight, that is kind of a bummer.
It looks like some others around the blogoshere are doing a similar challenge for January. Feel free to head over to Jennifer at Getting Ahead and Autumn at Penny Pinchin Momma and see their progress. They too are on a spending freeze for the month of January.
We haven't spent any money except for yesterday I had to pick up 3 prescriptions. That was horribly expensive since it is the new year and deductibles start over. Boooo.
I am running low on milk so I will have to pick some up in the next couple days. Other than that the food supply is fine. Using up the last of my lettuce tonight, that is kind of a bummer.
It looks like some others around the blogoshere are doing a similar challenge for January. Feel free to head over to Jennifer at Getting Ahead and Autumn at Penny Pinchin Momma and see their progress. They too are on a spending freeze for the month of January.
Friday, December 31, 2010
30 Days of Nothing Guidelines
After sitting down with the family and discussing this challenge we have come up with the following guidelines for our 30 days of nothing challenge in January. Feel free to join us on this challenge at anytime. You can make your own rules. Here is ours.
1. NO eating out.
2. Stay out of the grocery store. We are going to try and only spend $30 for groceries for the entire month. I have a huge stockpile of canned fruit and veggies as well as a freezer full of pork, chicken and fish. This should supply us for the month. The only think I am worried about is buying milk and fresh produce. Will says we just need to ration what we buy.
3. NO spending except for monthly bills. There will be no new clothes, books or movie rentals. I will have to purchase one birthday gift this month so I am allowing myself to do this.
4. Keep all lights off during the day. Keep candles lit in the bathroom where it is always dark. Remember to turn off lights when leaving the room.
5. Watch our laundry. This has increased significantly lately. Wear clothes until they are dirty. Use the same bath towel all week. I will be making clips to identify which towel is whose.
6. Keep heat at 67. I really don't want to drop it lower overnight because I am up with the baby during the nights.
7. Bundle errands into one trip to minimize driving therefore saving on gas.
8. Continue to wash clothes in cold water and turn the heat cycle off on the dishwasher.
Like I said I am using this challenge to help get us back on track with our spending. If all goes well, it should help jump start our savings account. I am also wanting us to be more aware of our energy usage. I am hoping to see a decrease in both our energy and water bills. I am hoping to remind my children of how lucky we are with what we have. It will remind us of what is truly a want verses a need.
I will be posting along the way our progress. I am actually really excited to start this challenge.
1. NO eating out.
2. Stay out of the grocery store. We are going to try and only spend $30 for groceries for the entire month. I have a huge stockpile of canned fruit and veggies as well as a freezer full of pork, chicken and fish. This should supply us for the month. The only think I am worried about is buying milk and fresh produce. Will says we just need to ration what we buy.
3. NO spending except for monthly bills. There will be no new clothes, books or movie rentals. I will have to purchase one birthday gift this month so I am allowing myself to do this.
4. Keep all lights off during the day. Keep candles lit in the bathroom where it is always dark. Remember to turn off lights when leaving the room.
5. Watch our laundry. This has increased significantly lately. Wear clothes until they are dirty. Use the same bath towel all week. I will be making clips to identify which towel is whose.
6. Keep heat at 67. I really don't want to drop it lower overnight because I am up with the baby during the nights.
7. Bundle errands into one trip to minimize driving therefore saving on gas.
8. Continue to wash clothes in cold water and turn the heat cycle off on the dishwasher.
Like I said I am using this challenge to help get us back on track with our spending. If all goes well, it should help jump start our savings account. I am also wanting us to be more aware of our energy usage. I am hoping to see a decrease in both our energy and water bills. I am hoping to remind my children of how lucky we are with what we have. It will remind us of what is truly a want verses a need.
I will be posting along the way our progress. I am actually really excited to start this challenge.
30 Days of Nothing Challenge
The family and I are gearing up for a 3o days of nothing challenge for January. We did this challenge back in January of 2009 and that month of extreme frugal living changed my way of living forever.
We discovered many ways to save money, some small and some large. We also became more earth conscious; recycling, composting, homemade cleaners are a few things that are now part of our everyday life.
The last few months we have become more relaxed in our spending. The reason my husband and I decided to do this challenge again was to get ourselves back on track, not only with spending but with things like watching our water output and making sure to not waste electricity.
Tonight we sit down as a family and set the rules for the challenge. It starts tomorrow. I will post the guidelines that our family comes up with. Feel free to join in. This challenge can be specific to your family. You can set the rules. Anyone have any ideas for us?
We discovered many ways to save money, some small and some large. We also became more earth conscious; recycling, composting, homemade cleaners are a few things that are now part of our everyday life.
The last few months we have become more relaxed in our spending. The reason my husband and I decided to do this challenge again was to get ourselves back on track, not only with spending but with things like watching our water output and making sure to not waste electricity.
Tonight we sit down as a family and set the rules for the challenge. It starts tomorrow. I will post the guidelines that our family comes up with. Feel free to join in. This challenge can be specific to your family. You can set the rules. Anyone have any ideas for us?
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