Hello FRIENDS!
Well we are nearly at the end of January and I wanted to take the time to finally sit down to write this post before anymore days passed us by. The purpose behind this post is to share a little bit more information about the challenge I gave myself (Mel speaking) for “No Spend January.” Some of you wrote me and were curious as to what it all entailed, so I wanted to clear up a few things and update you on my progress.
Does No Spend January mean you can’t buy ANYTHING all month…what about food, gas…your bills?! Let me just start off by clarifying what this challenge represents and the “rules” I put in place for myself.
- Yes, you can still buy groceries and pay your bills. I don’t recommend not paying those, especially your rent or mortgage. (Wishful thinking, we could do some things aka house projects with that extra money!! )
No spend January (or insert whichever month you choose to challenge yourself) is a way to not spend on unnecessary “wants”. For me, this is almost always stuff for our home, whether it be home decor or furniture. I decided that January would be the perfect month to do this and a great way to start off to the new year.
Let me just say that I love a good sale and after Christmas clearance shopping is no exception. You could always find me up and early on the 26th, checking out multiple stores, scoping out all the deals! But for about the past year and a half, we have been really trying get better about budgeting and saving up to help us meet goals and plan for our future. And while it has been tough, I have gotten better at saying “no” to unnecessary spending and being more intentional with what we bring into our home. It also makes me question myself when out shopping with, “Do I really love this?” (you will notice, this is a favorite quote of mine 🙂 )
But, this year was different and I actually stayed home on the 26th, didn’t even have the desire to go out! And guys, this was a HUGE change! Instead, I made a list of a few things I wanted to look for ( Christmas paper and ribbon, since this Christmas I tried to be more resourceful and use up gift wrap we already had) and went out a few days before New Years Eve. I didn’t find very much of what I was looking for and probably would have had better luck if I had repeated history and gone out on my usual day. But instead of worrying about “all the good deals” I may have missed out on like old me would have, I just tried to think of it as money not spent on items I won’t even “need” until a year from now!
Image: Becoming Minimalist
2. You CAN buy a “want” but only if you have sold something else to pay for it.
This helps keep the goal realistic and attainable for me. So if I buy a little something for the house or myself, I’m not beating myself up about it because I sold something else to pay for it.
So what do we sell you may ask? Well, for us, there is a lot of extra home decor and even some furniture that we haven’t used in awhile. Either we have replaced it with something else, bought it and never used it (guilty) or it just doesn’t fit our style anymore. What I like to do is go through room by room, clear out items that we no longer want or need and turn it into some cash. We do this by posting our things online through local resale sites like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. These two sites is where we have had the most success in selling.
While going through our items, I also like to make donate and toss piles, might as well de-clutter while you’re at it!
3. Remember to be intentional with your purchases. Do you LOVE it?
After going though the house, taking the time and energy to photograph, list and sell, arranging pickups or meetups… you will soon realize it’s a lot of work to sell your stuff! Even having a garage sale is another option but that’s also a lot of work and time!So when it’s time to spend (or save) your earnings, I personally want to make sure it goes toward something we really need for the house or an item I have been eyeing, but hadn’t allowed myself to purchase; I want to make it worth it!
For example, after clearing out and selling lots of home decor, clothing, furniture etc, Izzy and I took a trip to Home Goods with intentions of looking for a new set of towels. We were able to find a set that we really loved and even bought enough to keep a second set in the guest room. This was something that we really wanted and needed, since our current towels were getting pretty worn out and we didn’t have enough if a few were in the dirty laundry. (We would have to supplement with beach towels when we had guests).
Now, we could of gone out and bought a set of towels anytime. But, I wanted our next set to be a quality product that would last and we really loved using. For certain things, I would rather be patient and save up to get something that I really love with a higher price tag vs spending money on a cheaper product that will have to be replaced quickly.
UPDATE: Have I been able to stick with it?
As of today, it has been a success. I haven’t purchased any unnecessary “wants” unless I used a gift card, voucher or money earned selling our stuff. It also helps that this month we have been “Tidying Up” Marie Kondo style, so we have been finding lots to donate and sell. To be honest, I did get a bit of a late start because I didn’t fully decide to commit until about 5 days into the New Year but so far, so good. I have also found that by not running out to buy something new, it forces me to get creative and take a look at what we already have when it comes to redecorating spaces in our home.
I hope this blog post helps give a bit more insight into my WHY for No Spend January and my new perspective on shopping. Old habits are hard to break but I promise you, your outlook will shift as you begin to challenge yourself. If you feel inspired to do a no spend month of your own, go for it and please let us know how it went!
XO
Mel & Izzy
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