No spend month: Day 1 Getting started (it’s all about that pantry)

No Spend Month Challenge twelveOeightblog.com #nospend #savemoney #howtomakeabudget #howtosavemoney #cutbackspending #thriftyliving #twelveOeightblog

 

Welcome to our very first No Spend Challenge!

I am so excited to be doing this, and if you are reading this for the first time, let me tell you what this will not be.

This is not a 31 day exercise in making you feel like a financial failure, because you are not!
This is not a way for me to make money, it’s a fun challenge we can do together to purge, save & use what we have.
This challenge is not designed to make you feel deprived but liberated by changing a few simple things that will make
a big impact.

I know we are probably not going to pay off all of our debt, set aside our retirement and win a Nobel Peace Prize
in the next month.

But we can make some positive changes, that are small and attainable, that we all have time for.
One thing a day, added together makes an impact.

If I learn how to make a few more recipes from scratch or bust out my slow cooker another night or two per week,
I may not save $500 that month.  But I might in a year, and that is a lot!

So if Rome was not built in a day, and our home didn’t get disorganized overnight, it’s not going to change in one
day, but slowly over time, little changes and small things add up to big things.
And the best part, it’s fun to see results!
So, if you don’t want to have fun, then please read no further, because I want for us to share some awesome ideas
this month and have a good time doing so.

Life is too short to take ourselves too seriously or feel guilty about buying your favorite coffee.  

Buy your coffee, enjoy it, and maybe do it every other day.

Boom, you just cut your coffee budget in half.  I know, it blows my mind too 🙂

Ok, the first rule is there are no specific rules because we all spend differently. So here is what I am doing,
and you can tailor it to your own budget and lifestyle.

1. I am going to take a good look at my pantry and freezer, and create as many meals as possible around what I
already have.  I am not trying to spend zero on groceries, but just use up some of my surplus and try some new
recipes while I am at it.  This will be a recurring theme as I share recipes, homemade mixes and thrifty kitchen inspiration.

2. I will share projects, printables, tips and DIY’s that will help us both
create a pattern of staying on top of our tasks, and more in control of our time and day.

3. We will make pretty things with what many of us probably already have on hand, or can easily re-purpose or upcycle.
You gotta love getting crafty for free!

Sound easy? 

Ok, our first project is to take good stock of the food we already have on hand.  I made this free printable to go along,
but if you have another method that you like, by all means use it!

Pantry and Freezer Inventory Printable #twelveOeightblog #pantryprintable #organize #mealplan #freezermeals #pantrymeals #howtocookonabudget

 

I am posting this a day early to give us all some time to take a quick inventory of our pantry or food storage area,
maybe tidy up a bit, and come up with our first week’s meal plan based around what we find.  Fun right?

I am so excited!
I have so much surplus dried goods, they really are going to get put to good use this month.
Don’t forget to Pin and print your free Pantry & Freezer Inventory Printable, and when we meet again
I will share what I came up with and we will also start on our next no spend idea!

Until next time-

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10 Responses

  1. Hi Tanya, I am so excited to know what’s next. I am a newlyweds and sometimes I am confused what to cook for us. This post makes me excited.

  2. Hi Tanya,

    Found this blog very interesting. I have read a lot about no spend challenges and decided to try it out in February 2015 🙂 will be interesting to read your other blogs and updates to see what progress you made.

    I already started this journey back in November 2014 though when I cut takeaway coffee and started to bring my own lunch to work everyday without fail. Additionally we have budget that we usually stick to, but our food bills are fairly high compared. So we will be spending February just fixing that in a way and ensuring that we don’t spend anything on entertainment, eating out and other “wants” 🙂 I am looking forwards further updates 🙂

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hi there !!

Welcome to twelveOeight! I’m Tanya and I am so glad you are here. If you are ready to start loving the home you have now, then join me on my mission. One thrifty project at a time we can make our today homes our dream homes.

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