Prepping for My No Spend Month

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of folks who popped in to read my post on my very first "no-spend month" ever - thanks to all of you who came by! And a special thank you to each of you who left me a comment - I really do cherish all your sweet comments and I look so forward to reading them every day!

Today I spent part of the day prepping for my no-spend month. I would have done this prior to January 1st if I didn't come down with that nasty bug. So my month will begin tomorrow morning and go until the morning of February 4th, to make it a full month. 

It is what it is. 

In order to get ready to lock up my wallet for the next month I took stock of what I needed from the grocery store and made a trip to stock up. 

My veggie tower is full of fruits and veggies that will hopefully get me through a good part of the month. 

The Veggie Tower in August

I didn't get a pic of the veggie tower today as it's so dark and cloudy here and it's been flurrying on and off all day. 

The veggie tower is stocked with potatoes, yams, onions, pears, a pineapple, 2 cantaloupes, and bananas. 

The crisper drawer is also full with baby carrots, green beans, red cabbage, endive, radicchio, baby spinach, scallions, lemons, limes, and peppers. 

I have lots of garlic in the pantry from both my garden and the last farmer's market. 

I stocked up on dairy - we're all set for organic milk, cream, sour cream, cheese, butter, and yogurt. 

Our eggs come from a neighbor and I always have plenty. 

The freezers and pantry are full. 

The bar is well stocked. 

I ordered more food and treats for the pups as well as their flea and worm medicines. 

I made sure I am all set with contact lenses and solution. 

My back up supply of vitamins are on their way. 

I even made a special trip to our local Ace to make sure I had enough black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, and suet for my little critters. 

I even bought a few extra light bulbs. Just in case. 

Last stop was to the gas station where I topped off the tank. 

I am going to try not to have to go to the market at all for the next 30 days if at all possible. If I do need to go it should only be for a few fresh fruits. 

I'm ready - bring it on!!

My Very First No-Spend Month

I wanted to write this post to launch on January 1st but since I've been under the weather it got pushed to the back burner. 

Oh well....can't be helped. 

Anyway!

I first read about the idea of a no-spend month last January from Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick. I was very intrigued!!  However, it wasn't the right time for me to try it at that point. I was waiting to close on my new house and shopping all the good after-Christmas sales in preparation. 

And then it was moving day. And gardening season. And a million projects to get settled into the house. 

And then the Christmas shopping began. 

So....my no-spend month trial was put on hold. 

But I knew, come January 1st I was going to give it a go. Perfect timing, right? Because, let's face it, we all spend more in November/December than we normally would. 

So here we are, 2 days into January. And granted, I haven't spent anything yet. 

But I never got to start off the way I planned, because I was stuck in the house in my jammies with a nasty virus. 

So, tomorrow I will hit up the local market for the few necessities that are on my grocery list, fill up the car with gas, and launch my no-spend month....three days late. 

My plan is simple - I will only spend on absolute necessities for the rest of January. 

That means basically fresh produce and dairy. And perhaps a loaf of bread here and there. 

I will shop the freezer and the pantry for the rest of my groceries. 

Naturally, I'll have to pay all my bills, and if anything urgent comes up I'll have to weigh the situation. 

But I really think I can do this. It will be a good test in living simply for a month and being resourceful. 

My pantry is stocked, my freezers are full, and I believe I have all the beauty, health, cleaning products, and paper goods I will need for the next month. 

The Very Best Veggie Lasagna Ever

I will combine errands to try not to have to put gas in my car for a month. 

And I will ignore all the after-holiday sale emails that have been bombarding my inbox. 

Have you ever tried a no-spend month? If you did, I'd love to hear some of your tricks!

And some of your biggest hurdles. 

Wish me luck!

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