14 Day No Spend Challenge Beginning July 13-26!

We will be joining together for a 14 Day No Spend Challenge beginning July 13!  I hope you will all consider participating!  The last time we had a No Spend Challenge, I found it to be a great way of saving money, a good reminder of needs versus wants, and a nice way to use up many of the ingredients in my pantry!

This time, I will be using my No Spend Challenge as a means to save up for back to school shopping and I really need to get in my deep freeze and use up many of the items in there!

Here is my explanation of the 2 Week No Spend Challenge:

For some of you, a No Spend Challenge will be spending NO money on anything that isn’t essential for 14 days.  The only thing you will spend your money on is paying your bills.  For those of you who choose to do this,  I would love to hear what you how much you are able to save during this time!  For some of you a no spend challenge could mean paying your bills and eliminating as  much as you can from the non-essential category and maybe even trying to trim your essential category.  (Paying your bills are essential, cookies at the grocery store when you are grocery shopping, probably not!) For me and my family, this would be eliminating gas station stops, clearance aisles at Target, and take-out food!

We all have different definitions of what is essential spending.  For some people tithing at church would be non-essential, for some it would be essential. This challenge is for you and is designed for you!  We will not be judging others on what is and what isn’t essential.  We WILL be encouraging each other along the way as each of us has different struggles and we are a community of encouraging women.

Here are some expenses that could be cut from the budget during this No Spending Challenge: buying soda, coffees at Starbucks, eating out, clothing, playing the lottery, buying alcohol, toys, and items that I should already have on hand like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, and any other impulse items.

As you think about participating here are a few questions I think you should answer (and these will be different for everyone!):

1. When I go to the grocery store, Target, Wal-Mart, etc. what can I not buy that would help me save money that our family either can live without for 2 weeks or that isn’t beneficial to my family? This is where the soda, candy, and junk food comes in. (I’m not saying you can’t drink soda at all during the challenge, I’m saying not to buy more during the challenge!)

If you can live out of your fridge, pantry, and freezer for a week, I challenge you to not go to the grocery store. The purpose of this challenge is to save you money but when you are out of milk for your kids, please go buy some. I have a deep freeze that needs cleaned out as we will be butchering a steer soon and will need the space so this is a great time to work on cleaning it out and using up what we have.

2. What expenses do I know that are coming up in the next 2 weeks that I will need to account for? We have our county fair during this challenge.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I set it, because this always adds up to impromptu spending but I have been putting money aside to cover those expenses.

3. What will I NOT buy during these 2 weeks?

4. Is my partner on board?  Jason will be willing to participate in many aspects of this challenge but not all of them.  If we have farm equipment break down, we will need new parts.  If he’s irrigating in 100 degree heat and needs a drink, I want him to go buy a bottle of water if he’s not going to be coming home for several hours.  This challenge is not meant to cause a rift between the 2 of you, it’s meant to be beneficial.  I had a reader email me after the last challenge when I stated Jason wouldn’t be on board who said she was sorry for me.  I don’t look at that as sad at all, each situation is different.

5. Are there any other exceptions or rules that I want to use in this challenge? This is your challenge. There’s no judging from me, I just want to help you reach your goals! The more you stretch yourself, the more helpful this challenge will be.

Date night is not optional in my home. It gets me out of the house, gives me a breather, helps me be a better mother and wife, and I get to spend time with my husband. However, what we choose to do on our date night is.  There are many date options that are reasonable or don’t cost a thing. I’m going to try to be really creative and think outside the box.

I think that’s about it.

If you have questions, leave them in the comments, Facebook me or email me (womenwithintention@gmail.com).  I sincerely hope you will consider joining this no spending 14 day challenge. Here is our Facebook group (that is closed to protect privacy) for those of you who wish to participate!