Jan 13 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
Day 6 of the No Spend Declutter Challenge! I'm sure you are seeing some progress in your home and bank account! When I did my very first No Spend Challenge, it was at about the one week mark that my mindset started to shift. I was starting to find other activities to occupy my time and didn't feel the draw of sales as much.
Download and print the No Spend Declutter Checklist here. Check off your completed decluttering tasks and color in a square each time you successfully have a No Spend Day.
Day 6 Declutter Task:
Today, we're still in the kitchen! Since we started in the kitchen on Monday, you may have felt the need to just keep going. And that is awesome! But in case you haven't, or only have little increments of time to work, we're going to tackle two drawers or cupboards in the kitchen today. Perhaps you'll do more than two because sometimes it just takes starting a task to get on a roll!
To start, pick either the cupboards or drawers that are least messy, if you're feeling drained. Or if you feel like you have lots of energy, then start on the two most messy!
Here are some suggestions on things that you can toss:
- Broken appliances
- Tupperware with missing pieces
- Ratty dish cloths or towels
- Unused cookbooks
- Unused/old kitchen utensils or tools
- Chipped plates, bowls or cups
- Extra oven mitts
- Old bakeware (scratched cookie sheets, etc.)
- Extra mixing bowls
- Cleaning supplies
- Unused small kitchen appliances
- Old spices
- Vitamins/medicine
- Fridge magnets
- Flyers and take-out menus
As you're going through your cupboards and drawers, be sure to put like items with like items. Also, be thoughtful with where you put items. Don't put your most used items way back in the dark corner cupboard. Make your kitchen work for you by having the things you need most, the most accessible.
Day 6 No Spend Task:
Today's main task, once again, is to simply, not spend any money on unnecessary things. However, since we're in the kitchen, I want to talk about grocery shopping.
When it's time to get groceries, I want to encourage you to try out online ordering if you haven't already.
I am a big fan of ordering my groceries online. The main reason is that it is so convenient, I can bring my kids without bringing them in the store. The secondary reason is that it saves me so much money on impulse purchases! š I create my shopping list before I sit down at my computer to order. Because I have a list, I only order what is on my list! I'm so guilty of being in the grocery store and finding things that I think would be good to buy, when I never intended on purchasing that item in the first place! Sure, it probably is great, but I didn't need it to complete the meals I had planned. (It's probably a treat of some kind...haha.)
Have you tried ordering your groceries online? What do you think of the service?
I will be posting each task in the Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram! Follow me on Instagram @simplyfrugal and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
Jan 12 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
Here we are, at Day 5 of the No Spend Declutter Challenge! How are things going for you so far?
Download and print theĀ No Spend Declutter Checklist here. Check off your completed decluttering tasks and color in a square each time you successfully have a No Spend Day.
Day 5 Declutter Task:
Today we tackle the fridge and freezer! Good thing because Iām sure I have some old things that need to be tossed. Plus, Iām sure Iāll probably find a few meal ideas!
Normally I would try to defrost our deep freezer, but itās actually not too bad at the moment so Iām going to leave it today. As for the organization of the freezer, Iām still pretty clueless on how to make it work well. But I can find things so I guess thatās a good thing!
For the rest of my day, Iāll be tackling the fridge and fridge freezer. (Wonāt take too long, but the drawers really need a wipe!)
I have a couple of things that may help you today:
How often do you clean out your fridge? Ā How often do you defrost your deep freezer if you have one?
Day 5 No Spend Task:
To go along with our kitchen endeavors, yesterday in the pantry and today in the fridge/freezers, we're going to brainstorm meal ideas! I'm sure you have discovered a bunch of things that you have forgotten about! This is also a useful task to do several times a year since food is a huge area of the budget. Using what you already have will save you a bundle.
Here's how to brainstorm meal ideas:
First of all, take a quick inventory of what you have on hand already by taking a look at your pantry inventory sheet from yesterday and your fridge/freezer sheet from today.Ā
Next, with your inventory sheets in hand, think of one meal that corresponds with each ingredient. For example, if tomato sauce is on your list, you could write spaghetti, sloppy joes or lasagna. Or if you have an abundance of oats, you could make baked oatmeal, granola bars or oatmeal pancakes.
Finally, find more inspiring ideas by taking a look though cookbooks, magazines or browsing the web!Ā Ā PinterestĀ is a great way to find recipes as well.
Here is a free meal ideas printable to help you brainstorm:
Iād love it if you left a comment listing at least one meal idea from the list you just made!
I will be posting each task in the Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram! Follow me on Instagram @simplyfrugal and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
Jan 11 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
How was your weekend? Did you work on decluttering? I took my big box of donations in, but that's it! What sort of No spend activities did you do? We had a quiet weekend. But did make a quick trip to the city over to go to Costco and make some Christmas returns.
Download and print theĀ No Spend Declutter Checklist here. Check off your completed decluttering tasks and color in a square each time you successfully have a No Spend Day.
Day 4 Declutter Task:
In our home, I have a few cupboards and shelves devoted to pantry stuff. No official pantry, but it works for me! However, after a while, things start to get messy in those places because I tend to get a bit careless when Iām putting things away. (Mainly because Iām trying to hurry, since putting things away is not one of my favourite things to do.)
I think I can do so much better with getting like items with like items. So thatās what today's decluttering task is going to be. Decluttering and organizing our pantry areas.
In case youāre looking for some inspiration on how to organize your pantry, hereās a post I did that has a bunch of links toĀ pantry organization ideas.
Day 4 No Spend Task:
Once again, we're going to try our hardest to not spend money! But also today, since we're organizing our pantries, we're going to take inventory of what we have found. This is going to help us with our No Spend task tomorrow.
For your convenience, I have a printable pantry inventory list here.
What is the weirdest thing you found in your pantry?
I will be posting each task in theĀ Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram!Ā Follow me on InstagramĀ @simplyfrugalĀ and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
Jan 8 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
Here we are, at Day 3 of the No Spend Declutter Challenge! How is it going so far? Have you seen a little bit of progress in your mind and in your house?
Download and print theĀ No Spend Declutter Checklist here. Check off your completed decluttering tasks and color in a square each time you successfully have a No Spend Day.
Day 3 Declutter Task:
Todayās task for the Declutter portion is one that is definitely needing some attention in our home. Toys. Weāre going to work on organizing and decluttering the toy situation! If your home isn't overrun with toys, then you could concentrate on sporting goods and pet items if either of those apply.
Iām going to try to involve the kids. Especially my oldest, but she tends to get attached toĀ everything. I will give her some guidance and encourage her to really choose the toys she actually plays with and loves. Even if we only discuss the possibility of one day donating an item, I find that she can part with the item when she's had time to think about it. I also think I will be decluttering some, but storing others so I can rotate them.
Do you have any toy storage tips? Share your ideas in the comments!
Day 3 No Spend Task:
Before I did my very first No Spend Challenge way back in 2008, one of the reasons why I would spend impulsively was because I was bored. I'd find myself at the mall wandering around and getting caught up in the sales I would find.
So, with boredom in mind, today we are going to talk about fun! After all, I think a key aspect to a successful No Spend Challenge is learning how to have fun for free! We don't have to spend a lot of money, or any money at all to have fun.
Since it's Friday and the weekend starts tomorrow I'm going to list a whole bunch of ideas for a No spend weekend. Of course, these ideas will work any day of the week, but typically the weekend is when most of us have more time for fun! These ideas should also work with our current world situation. š
No Spend Weekend Ideas:
- Make a time capsule
- Have a game night with board games and cards
- Movie night ā grab a movie off the shelf that you havenāt watched in a while and make someĀ homemade microwave popcorn!
- Read books
- Try Minute to Win It games (ideas found all over google)
- Do a puzzle
- Learn a new skill
- Have a theme night/day ā Mexican, Italian, pirateā¦the list goes on. Plan dinners and activities around your theme!
- Go for a hike
- Build a snowman
- Have a craft night ā paint, sew, drawā¦etc!
- Go sledding
- Visit the library
- Go sit by the water with a hot drink
- Play on a playground
- Try a science experiment
- Make homemade pizza
- Make something from old magazines
- Bake a cake
- Start a home project
- Try geocaching
- Look through old photos
- Go bird watching ā see how many different types of birds you can spot. Maybe bring along a bird book from the library.
- Go for a walk around the neighborhood
- Do some summer planning
- Take a nap
- Prepare a meal for a friend (drop it off outside)
- Have a picnic, inside or outside depending on the weather
- Shovel a neighbors driveway
I'd love to hear your ideas for free weekend activities in the comments below!
I will be posting each task in theĀ Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram!Ā Follow me on InstagramĀ @simplyfrugalĀ and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
Jan 7 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
Here we are, Day 2 of the No Spend Declutter challenge! Since yesterdayās task may have been a doozy, todayās task is quite a bit simpler. Yahoo!
Day 2 Declutter Task:
Today, weāre going toĀ evaluate our cleaning supplies. Yes, we're going to assess our supplies. Haha! Pull out all of your cleaners and tools and make a note of items you need to replenish. This is important to do because weāre going to clean as we go along each day. Itās no fun realizing youāre out of something halfway through the task!
This is also a perfect opportunity to put everything together in one easily accessible spot.
Simply Frugal has a few homemade cleaner recipes that may interest you! Here they are:
Iād love to know what your favourite cleaners and tools are in the comments below!
Day 2 No Spend Task:
Before we get too far in to the No Spend Challenge, I thought today would be a great day to go over some ways we can set ourselves up for success. After all, it's one thing to tell ourselves we won't be spending money on all the things we normally do, and actually following through. Here are two steps to your No spend success:
Step 1: Write down your goal
It's time to get clear on what your goal is with the no-spend challenge. Is it to pay off debt? Save for a new home? A trip? (when we can travel again...) A more positive relationship with money? Great! Write down your goal on a piece of paper! Put that piece of paper somewhere where you will see it every day. It will help you stay motivated and keep you moving forward.
Step 2: Think about your obstacles
You will definitely want to consider the obstacles you will face throughout the No spend Challenge. For example, I anticipate the obstacles that I may encounter are my family members (kids) and meal time fatigue. (I just want to get takeout!)
In order to overcome these particular obstacles, I will have to have a conversation with my kids about what we are doing and why. Get them on board and remind them it's not forever. Also make sure they know necessities will still be allowed. As for my meal time fatigue, I could have a list of super easy meals that everyone likes on hand for those tired days. Or, I could perhaps, allow myself one night of take out and support a local business.
You may need to unsubscribe from store emails if you are tempted by sales. Or maybe you need to avoid certain places (the mall, craft stores, home dƩcor stores) in order to eliminate your obstacles.
Regardless, it's important that you know what your obstacles will be so you can be successful at reaching your goal.
What is your goal with the No Spend Challenge? What are some of your obstacles? Let us know in the comments below!
I will be posting each task in the Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram! Follow me on Instagram @simplyfrugal and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
Jan 6 | Frugal Living, Household Tips, Money Saving Tips, Organization
Are you ready to start theĀ No Spend Declutter Challenge? (Read all about the challenge here.)Ā I know I sure am! Have you started to prepare your mind for some changes? Do you have empty boxes set aside for all that stuff youāre going to get rid of? Even plastic bags will do! Let's get right to it!
Download and print the No Spend Declutter Checklist here. Check off your completed decluttering tasks and color in a square each time you successfully have a No Spend Day.
Day 1 Declutter Task:
The first task of the challenge is to do aĀ Whole House Quick Declutter. This is where you will run around the house and clear all the surfaces including the floors and counters. It meant to be done fast. Try to fill three bags or boxes with stuff that will leave your house. (Either donate or give to friends & family that will appreciate it.)
To help you out, I created a list of 38 things that you can quickly toss or donate. Youāll also love the Clutter Checklist I created to help you track your progress!
Now, I think this can go either way. It can be a quick task or a more time consuming task. My suggestion is to not think too hard about each object. If itās staying in your home put it away in itās place. If an item annoys you, consumes too much of your time or doesnāt get used, time to get it out of the house.
What do you think? Can you do it? Tell me about your results in the comments below!
Day 1 No Spend Task
Obviously, each day from now until January 31, the task or goal is to not spend money.
However, it's not so black and white as to just not spend money. So today, I thought I'd go over the rules for the No Spend portion of the challenge. For the January 2021 No Spend Challenge, I've got one rule:
No spending on anything that isn't absolutely essential.
Of course, the challenge is a No Spend Challenge, but it's impossible to cut out all your spending. Bills still need to be paid and mouths still have to be fed! But in January, we're going to be trying our hardest to live well, while using what we already have and being creative with our time and resources!
For our family, that means paying our regular bills, as well as purchasing some groceries and gas. These are essentials for us, but we will be more mindful when we do spend money on those things. For example, we have quite a few things in our pantry and freezer so we'll most likely get away with buying only fresh products like milk, eggs and fruit & vegetables for the month.
No spending on anything that isn't essential will look different to each family. Here are a few examples of expenses you can cut out for the month:
- Eating out (at restaurants)
- Coffee from coffee shops
- Clothing
- Entertainment
- Toys
- Cosmetics
- Hobbiesācrafts, sports, classes, etc.
- Alcohol and other vices
- Home dƩcor
- Apps for your electronic devices
What do you think is going to be the hardest thing to let go of?
I will be posting each task in the Simply Frugal No Spend Declutter Challenge Facebook Group. This is where most of the discussion will be happening.
I will also be posting random progress reports throughout the challenge over at Instagram! Follow me on Instagram @simplyfrugal and use the hashtag #nospenddeclutter to get updates and see what others are up to during the challenge!
If you do not use social media, I would love to read your comments on each task, right here, below each challenge post on SimplyFrugal.ca!
