5 Rules To Make the Most of My No Spend Month!

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Have you ever looked at your spending and questioned why you even needed certain things? Why do I spend so much money on food/ clothing/supplements/contacts or really just anything in general?

I have started looking at my budget and questioning whether I really need to spend money on some things. I don’t honestly buy clothing very often, but usually when I do it’s pretty costly.

Other bloggers plan for a no spend month to reset their budget and get back on track. So much reading has gone into the planning for this month, but I am excited.  I am currently planning a No Spend Month for April. April 2018 will actually be my 4th No Spend Month! I have had great success with them so far and I hope to keep chugging along!

It is exactly what it sounds like. I won’t be spending any money during April. My budget for April is going to be strictly bills, a little for some groceries and gas.  I am not planning to put any money in any of my “extra” funds.

During the month of April, I am working full time for the military as well as at Applebee’s 4 days a week. I am extremely excited about the money that will be coming in during the month of April so I decided that I wasn’t going to spend money on anything I didn’t need to. Having the military income will be such a nice addition, which makes it the perfect month to lock down and not spend any money. Usually, having this much extra income, I would be excited to be able to buy a few extra things that I have been wanting to get, but instead, I am going to really focus on sending every extra penny towards my debt payments!

As always, I have audacious goals.

My goal is to pay off a total of $3,000 in debt during the month of April. This is about 2 times what I have been paying off on a good month so far. I have been averaging about $1,200-2000 on good month so far. I am tremendously excited to see how much I actually pay off by not spending money. My overall goal is to completely get rid of my student loan and a good portion of my jeep loan. All of this is a part of my Debt Free Plan!

I wouldn’t say that I spend money frivolously, but I am really bad about eating out sometimes. Sometimes, I get into the habit of eating out and find myself doing it for a few meals a week sometimes.  I honestly think eating out is going to be the hardest part of the entire month because I am going to be busy. Also, when my friends want to do something, it usually involves eating out.

My goal is to keep blogging like I have been lately. I would like to earn my very first income from my blog during the month of April, even if it is only a dollar or two.

Because it isn’t realistic to not spend ANY money at all, I am setting a few rules that I am allowed to spend money on during my No Spend Month. If you are going to try one too, your rules can be anything you want them to be. You are never going to have a month without any expenses. If you know you have a baby shower to attend, I suggest setting a budget and as long as you stay in the budget, it doesn’t count towards your spending days. There will always be a reason not to do the challenge, so if you are waiting for the perfect month, I suggest just jumping in!

Here are my 5 rules for my No Spend Month:

1) Groceries

I share some of the groceries with my roommate and I enjoy eating fresh fruit.  It wouldn’t be fair to not buy anything for the entire month. My allotted amount is $100. Once that money is gone, I have to deal with what food I already have. I do plan to make sure that my cabinets are a little stocked up before April.  My extra stocking will not be going over on my budget for this month, but I still have a good amount left for the month of March. Also included in groceries is household items because toilet paper and cleaning supplies are not something that I will go without.

2) Gas       

Gas is going to be a must since I am going to be working both jobs during the month of April. I don’t plan on spending a ton of extra gas since I won’t be driving all over town for as many errands. I am going to be conscious of how much I am driving. When I can, I plan to combine trips and pack bags for the different transitions between military and work.  I also just got a Sam’s Club Membership, so I will be able to get gas for a little cheaper, which will help tremendously in this area.

3) Medical

I don’t remember the last time I actually had a medical bill to pay, but I will never deny myself medical expenses if something were to come up. I have a little money set aside for medical expenses already, but this is something you can’t really predict. There is a good chance that I will need to purchase contacts this month, but I am going to scope out some deals on them and see what can find!

4) Car Maintenance

I don’t need an oil change or anything big, but just like medical, sometimes you just can’t predict when your vehicle is going to need something. I don’t plan on looking for things that I need for it, but I do plan to put a little bit of money away for maintenance just in case something does come up.

5) Eating Out (With a limit)

I know I am not perfect, so I set a $45 budget for accidents. I have a lot of friends all over the place. It seems like every time I say that I am going to do a no spend, someone comes into town. While there are other options than eating out, I don’t mind having one or two meals in a month where I will give into the peer pressure.

Added Update: I do set one exception of a date night or for birthdays, but I create a plan and stick to it during the month as much as possible!

6) Business expenses

I know I said there were only five, but I will not count business expenses as spend days because I am in the process of growing two small businesses. I hope to be frivolous with them and really watch what I am doing with my businesses, but if I feel like the purchase will be worth the growth, I will not stop myself from making a purchase.

 

Obstacles I am predicting:

My biggest obstacle is going to be explaining to people that I can’t go out. I don’t think I will get a lot of complaining, but it will take a little bit of explaining. I don’t expect them to pay either. It will test my willpower and determination, but I am definitely going to stick with it. Motivation is going to be essential.

 

Interested in doing a No Spend Month?

If you are looking to jump into a No Spend Month with me, I created a No Spend E Guide with over 33 pages of tips and tricks for your BEST No Spend Month. Get my guide here!