~September No Spend Challenge~ Finishing Strong!

[CityChic]

September is almost here!! For some of us that means winter weather : is just around the corner and clothes shopping or holiday shopping or more indoor time (which can mean shopping). Get on board and let's save some $$ this winter season!

I would love to hear what people are planning to do to be frugal around the holidays!

For those of us that are planning ahead, let's get started! Join in any time!


This thread is a support thread to help you ~not spend your money~. Everyone is welcome to join (we would love to have you) and you are welcome to start at any time. It doesn't have to be September 1st

The plan is simple (although very tough to execute):

1. Vow not to spend any money on unnecessary purchases.

2. Come on here everyday and record your spending.

Good luck Ladies!! Keep that money in your wallet.


Our no-spend threads tend to get very long...you don't need to read the entire thread (unless you want to). Just read the first few entries and jump right in. Start recording your spending today!


*****

Crunchy *VT* Mom's Tips for doing a no-spend challenge...

*Some of us record every penny that we spend, others only record unnecessary purchases. Groceries, utilities, clothing, transportation...we expect you to spend money on that. The "no-spend" in our title refers to unnecessary spending...things you could do without.

*Record whatever will cause you to spend the least. If you feel guilty about coming on here and fessing up -- then this thread is working perfectly.

*Please don't get discouraged if you spend -- our goal is PROGRESS not PERFECTION. We all will spend this month...let's admit that up front...Our ideal is no-spend...but we'll be happy if you just spend less.

*If you have time to read everyone else's post and do personals, thank you! That helps our thread do its job...but if you don't have time, then just post your tallies. We have plenty of successful no-spenders who do only that.

*****

You clicked on our thread and are thinking about joining for a reason...those reasons are what are going to motivate you during the tough, tempted-to-spend times this month.

Please give yourself some time to think about these questions and answer them in a way that is meaningful for you. These questions are to help you clarify why you are here and why you are doing this.

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

[kmb9906]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

I'm Kim, and I am a SAHM with one DD who is nearly 4mo. I have decided to spend nothing because we have just started the purging process to move. I have realized that we have A LOT of "stuff" that we are just throwing away or donating. I am just visualizing $20 bills piling up in the garbage bags. Also, DH and I want to buy our first home next year. We will have to be very diligent about our spending and saving.


2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

My biggest plan involves looking at an item and deciding if that would be something I'd have to purge when we move into our own home next year (hopefully!). I also plan to do a lot of internalizing ... do I REALLY need what I'm about to buy? Is what I'm about to buy more important or necessary than an extra $$ in the bank, house fund, DD's college fund?

I am also going to meal plan out the WAZOO. I've already been visiting F&F and coupon sites to learn the art of coupon use.

We are also going to go without cable for awhile. This is huge for us. We love our cable TV.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

DH and I are VERY fortunate in that we have no debt. We worked VERY VERY hard to pay off our debt. Our main money goal right now is to save a 20% down payment for a house in an expensive part of the country.

[honeybee80]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

I'm Ellen, single WOHM to M (almost 5) and J (almost 3). I just started a new job last week, and I LOVE it, but I'm making significantly less money than my previous job. I really need to watch my spending from now on, because I really don't want to go into debt over the next year. I have a decent stash in savings, and I'm trying to limit dipping into that by really showing self-control when it comes to spending.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

For the month of September, I'm really going to focus on limiting my grocery budget. I need to make more rice and beans and use my crockpot more. I did really well in August on grocery spending and I'd like to cut that back even more. I also have my DS' birthday in September and I need to watch my spending for that. I do need to buy some yarn to make him a new warm hat, but other than that, I'm going to try to pick up a few other things at the dollar store for him. He's only turning 3, so he won't know the difference anyway I'm also going to try to limit my driving. My new job is WAY closer than my old one, so that's a huge help there. I need to watch how far I drive on weekends though, which is tough because some of my good friends live about 1/2 an hour away and I like to see them! Other than that, I'm going to try to sell some stuff on craigslist and ask other people to buy necessities for my kids for their birthdays so that I don't have to shell out a ton of money

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

My real goal for September is to NOT have to dip into savings. I didn't do as well in August as I would have liked as far as no spend days, but I'm going to up it a bit in September anyway and shoot for 18 no spend days. I think I can do it! No savings goal, as I'll be extremely lucky to break even

[Nora_SEA]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.I'm Nora. I live in Seattle and I am a WAHM (doing bookkeeping) as well as working outside our home on Mondays and Fridays as a lab tech. I joined this challenge during the last 2 weeks of August and it's been a valuable tool for me. We recently started to follow a budget and it's been tough. I knew I did alot of frivolous spending...but really had no idea how much. I was spending money,both necessarily and unnecessarily easily 6 out of 7 days of the week. And usually at the same time. Grocery store trips that should have only cost $10 often ended up costing $63.47.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?We have a budget in place and intend to follow it. During September I'm going to start the "cash in envelope" system for groceries. I'm aiming for $100.00 or less each week. And that will have to cover any eating out also. Which we will limit to 1 time. If the funds are there. I have purchased an apron pattern that I intend to use for some Christmas gifts and I want to start those this month.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

• I'm going to aim for 18/30 no spend days.
• $400.00 on food.
• 16/30 days to the gym=32 hours of exercise! Hopefully drop 10 pounds!
• $400.00 to savings.
• $2500.00+ to debt reduction (not inc. mortgage).

[CityChic]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

Rachael, WOH wife and mom to 1 DS. We are on a 45 day journey of being extremely frugal. We have decided to only spend on things we have already committed to. We have a few over 15 days left in the challenge. (http://www.45dayfinancialfast.blogspot.com/)

We are doing this for a lot of reasons but we are trying to cut out on spending so we can:

-Pay Down Debt to Zero by 2010
-Adjust to my new job (base + commission)

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

-For us it is about planning ahead, right now looking at the calendar I am giving us 5 days to spend on our pre-committed events.

-Cutting out the extras. Starbucks, snacks, etc. The city is full of easy grab and go things, we are trying to cut these out.


3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

-25/30 No Spend Days
-Less than $150 in "overspend" on committed acitivities

*****
Past Performance

August
Total Overspend: $154.44
No Spend Days: 25/25
30 minutes/day on business 2/15

July
Total Overspend: $170.05
No Spend Days: 18/20
Extra Debt Payment: $15/$400
30 minutes/day on business 9/20

June
Total Overspend: $549.61
No Spend Days - 11/20
Extra Debt Payment $200/$400

May
Total Overspend - $323.01
Total No Spend Days - 19/15
Pay and Extra $400 toward debt - $1,176.27 / $400

April
Total Overspending $700.00
Total no spend days - 13/30

March
Total overspending $478.33
Total no spend days - 20/31

February
Total overspending $666.45

[FeelingBlessed]

1. My name is Kim; our family includes DH, DD (12/03) + DS (9/06). I will be resigning from my PT WOH gig on Tuesday (with a flexible notice - hopefully not more than 4 weeks); I will dedicate my "working" time to my own businesses going forward (with the exception of a series of courses I agreed to teach this fall). DH works FT + is in nursing school FT, + kiddos are always with one of us, so life is pretty busy in every moment.

2. Refocus and commit to attacking the debt snowball.

3. Game plan:
* INCREASE income - develop businesses + freelance writing
* Furnish new home office/extra rooms on a SHOESTRING
* SELL rental house - tenant in place who plans to buy - push for sale by end of 2008
* Sell/donate unneeded items
* Work out a meal plan
* Pack snacks + water whenever we go out
* No more late library materials!
* ORGANIZE! Majority of overbudget/frivolous spending can be prevented with improved organization.
* Exercise: feeling good = decreased emotional spending

GOALS:
* Less than $50 in frivolous spending: month to date $0
* At least 25 days (no spend or spending w/in budget): 0/31
* Pack snacks/water for outings: 0/31
* NO library fines: month to date $0
* Stay within grocery/eating out budget: $0/$500
* ORGANIZE/declutter (lack of organization = spending): 0/25
* Exercise (feeling good = decreased emotional spending): 0/25
* Meal plan created: 0/4 weeks
* Sell rental house by 8/31...

Past Progress:
June '07: 20 days; $210.42 frivolous; $519.54 groceries; $117.55 eating out
July '07: 16 days; $325.62 frivolous; $825.40 groceries; $112.84 eating out
Aug. '07: 23 days; $144.47 frivolous; $593.09 groceries; $643.07 eating out
Sept. '07: 22 days; $128.37 frivolous; $598.19 groceries; $121.48 eating out
Oct. '07: 25 days; $139.55 frivolous; $472 groceries; $129.55 eating out
Nov. '07: 25 days; $192.50 frivolous; $608 groceries; $101 eating out
Dec. '07: 28 days; $55.20 frivolous; $503 groceries
Jan. '08: 27 days; $19.90 frivolous; $555.85 groceries/eating out
Feb. '08: 18 days; $131.80 frivolous; $668 groceries/eating out
March '08: 28 days; $19.40 frivolous; $500 groceries/eating out
April '08: 24 days; $39.16 frivolous; $768.65 groceries/eating out
May '08: 21 days; $53.41 frivolous; $920 groceries/eating out, 23 Organize/Declutter days, 26 Exercise days
June '08: 21 days; $137.20 frivolous; $621 groceries/eating out, 17 Organize/Declutter days, 23 Exercise days
July '08: 20 days; $88.44 frivolous; $892 groceries/eating out, 15 Organize/Declutter days, 20 Exercise days
Aug. '08: 21 days; $286.33 frivolous; $769.02 groceries/eating out, 27 Organize/Declutter days, 21 Exercise days

[lactivistmama]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

Hi this will be my first full month joining your challenge. I am a mama to 2 wonderful children and we are trying to save up some $$ and get out of debt (Dave Ramsey style ) I am in a BSN program that is costing alot of our extra income, and I like to shop.. so if I could just get my shopping under control, we might actually make some progress.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

• Be more aware of my spending, especially my online shopping
• Start packing lunches for myself. That alone would save a bunch of $.
• Come here and post!
• Try and have a garage sale! (probably won't happen, but I can wish)

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

My savings goal for the month is going to be $1200. I am going to attempt this by having 22 no spend days!

[MamaRabbit]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

We decided to start this month because DH got a raise and we have no more major expenses (like a new A/C last month).

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

We figured out what all of our necessary expenses were and decided on how much more than that we were willing to spend. We need one date a month but it's a cheap date.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

We live in 800 sq. ft. For 6 people who are getting bigger every day (well except for the adults ) Foreigners can't get loans to buy homes so we have to pay in full! We'd like to try to buy our next door neighbors apartment and combine them so we'd have 1200 sq ft and not have to move and only rent. We think if we're really careful we may be able to buy next summer.

[azedazobollis]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

Now is exactly the time that I need to commit to this. My husband left today for the rebuilding of Hurricane Gustav. While we pray that the people in Gustav's path are safe and out of harms way, these are the the opportunities for our financial gain. My husband builds power lines, storm damage is his job's money maker. This past year has been awful financially- like many other of us. We supported my mother the last two years while she lived in our home, awaited a liver transplant, had the transplant and recovered. The goal is to have her living on her own in March. Our credit card debt from heating the house and driving weekly to the hospital should be a zero balance. So, here I am.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

We will be caught up by the second week in Sept. with vehicle taxes and registration paid. Our mortgage will be paid on time and all bills and utilities. I will not buy anything for myself or the house. If Chris is gone for more that 2 weeks, I will start paying down credit cards as we planned. We will live like we have been the last month by not buying anything and only paying bills and basic needs.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

I will say 20/30 will be no spend days. Besides bill pay days and groceries, I'll take the kids out once a week for a meal. I have 4 kids and a mother- and an adoptive baby on the way, Im all alone while Chris is away at work. I need some down time and I'll have to pay for that. I'll put 25% of each paycheck after the 3rd week into savings. If he is away more than 3 weeks, I will put $2,000 into a holiday savings account. We have our credit cards listed highest to lowest APR, and I'll start paying those down as long as my husband is away working.

All this could change if he's home quickly.....

[meandk0610]

i'm sarah, sahm/wahm (paper route) to dd3. we are getting ready to move to lower our expenses. we were get money from my inlaws every month to get by but will not get any more. if we don't move by january i don't know how we'll pay the utilities.

plans are:
*look into moving somewhere cheaper
*eat out of freezer (since we couldn't move it anyway)
*try to only have tv on if someone is actually watching it
*place extra furmiture/household for sale or freecycle
*leave dryer and washer unplugged when not in use
*continue to hang/rack dry most laundry
*try to use a/c & heat : less (hopefully not at all this month)

(no spend) 20/31
(budgeted, unnecessary) 8/31
(budgeted, necessary) 4/31

[mommyto4grits]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of August.

I'm Vicki, and although my husband makes a great amount of money we are usually living paycheck to paycheck. My Mom is a shopaholic and it is part of what destroyed my parents marriage. I don't necesarily "like" to shop, but I do it either boredom (online, or I or my kids "think" we need something (in stores).
I really need to stick with this, so having some support is what I need.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?
I need to focus on school work with my girls, reading, crafts, organizing, instead of getting online to buy things.
I need to find free stuff for us to do. Also will edit this in a bit, have screaming kids....

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

This is my first full month doing this, and I HAVE to stick to it. We have a c/c we want paid off soon, and want to have extra money in savings. My husband makes a large amount of money, and it is ridiculous that we have hardly anything left over! I will edit this later for how many no spend days, I am trying to plan out my month.

[ladyinred]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.
I'm broke. I've been racking up my visa this summer because I was expecting to get EI over the summer and then didn't and haven't gotten a job yet.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

I have no money to spend. None. All I have right now is already allocated so basically my goal is not spend any money until I get some income coming in. I did I think four months last winter and then our financial situation got much better but then it got worse again. Df pays all our bills and for food right now and I normally help out a set amount each month.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

- No spending at all until there is some income
- Put minimum payment on visa
- Make sure to reinstate interest relief on student loan

[MonkeyPrincess]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.
I've posted an intro before, but never really kept up. My dh starts a new job tomorrow, and it will be a while before a real paycheck - I can't wait, its been over a year since we saw one of those! : I don't want to go crazy with the idea of a regular income and go spending it on things we don't really need, so I'm going to try this thread again.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?
Stores aren't my problem, so saying I won't go to Target or wherever is not going to make a difference. My weaknesses are MDC co-ops and online shopping. I signed up for paperbookswap.com so hopefully, that will help with my book buying habits. My other problem is Whole Foods, there is just so much yummy stuff there that tempts me. I am combatting that with changing my grocery shopping habits. Now that dh has a job with regular pay, I know how much money will be coming in, that in and of itself will be helpful with budgeting. I am going to buy in bulk, and mostly things that are on sale.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?
We have no consumer debt, just house and car payments. I'd love to start socking away a percentage of savings, starting with dh's first paycheck, so we just get used to it. I think this month I am going to come up with a budget and be super mindful of my spending, writing *everything* down. Then, once dh gets paychecks, I will be able to see if my budget is reasonable, and make adjustments accordingly.

I am involved with some co-ops already and am planning on getting my holiday shopping done early, so I'm allowing for that. Also, each and every one of us needs clothes, some more than others. I have money coming in this week specifically for that purpose, but I want to make sure I am super responsible with it.

So, maybe not "no spend" but more like "spend wisely" for me this month.

[kalisis]

Hi Ladies! I'm back. I was doing these challenges last year, but then I left my husband and all craziness broke loose!

I am now a single mom living with a roommate receiving no child support. I WOH full time and have to pay for child care and health insurance completely on my own.

As well, I have about $27,000 in CC debt that I have built up over the last year and a half covering expenses (and not being very smart about buying things sometimes). So, I'm working on paying those down too.

Right now, I get paid next Friday, but $500 is coming out of that first check for the childcare reimbursement plan I signed up for. I'll get it back after my next check (two weeks after that), but right now, it means crunch time.

As well, I owe my attorneys $2000 more for their retainer for the next part of the child custody battle. So, I'm kind of in a mess.

So, for the next few weeks, it's going to be tight. I've got our groceries down toaround $100/week for all 4 of us (including my roommate) and I think I can get away with $200 worth of gas for the next three weeks. I have that much in savings, but I cannot spend on ANYTHING else.

I have some things selling on ebay, but I left with nothing, so I've not got a lot to sell. But, two things are pretty good and should bring in at least $100.

So, that's my intro. I am getting so much better at budgeting and knowing where my money goes. I need help when the urge to spend hits tho - online shopping is my downfall.

So, here are my specifics.

1. $100/week on food. No more!
2. Make citicard pmts ON TIME this month.
3. No clothing for anyone this month.
4. No ebay/etsy purchases. ONLY selling.

[phathui5]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

My name's Liz. I'm a WAHM, homeschooling mom to four. I do part-time childcare from home. I need to spend nothing uneccessary because dh was laid off in July and we're living off of my income, unemployment and our savings.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

Keep going, "When dh gets a job..."

Stay home as much as possible.

Pack food when we go out on errands.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

My goal is to not take more from savings than we have to.

[becoming]

Hello!

Yes, it's me again, the frugal flunkie. I am going to try so hard this month. We have been spending money like CRAZY lately, and even my DH (Mr. Big Spender) has said that we need to curb our spending. We are trying to save for a down payment on land to build a house, and we're getting nowhere lately. Our savings is embarrassingly low, and while we're not paycheck to paycheck, we're definitely not doing as well as we were a couple of months ago.

So let's get started! Here are my goals:

1. AT LEAST $1000 left in checking on each payday - whatever is left over $1000 goes directly to savings
2. Child support checks directly to savings
3. $1500 in savings by September 30
4. $600 or less on groceries/household for the month
5. 20 eat-at-home days
6. 10 no-spend days
7. $100 or less on clothing purchases
8. NO online shopping

I think that's it. Thanks so much for this thread!

[Brisen]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

We moved into a house this summer; it needs major repairs, which was the only way we could afford it in the first place. I'm trying to minimize my spending so we can save up for renovations. Plus, my spending was getting out of hand anyway. We have had a few moves in the last few years, along with some health problems for me, and I was spending a lot on convenience items and things to keep the kids busy/happy. I'm trying to change my spending and home management habits to get back to being more frugal.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

I don't have a thorough plan at this point. I'm trying to minimize the number of trips I make -- one small trip a week for perishables, one large trip a month to stock up on necessities. I'm cutting back on convenience foods (crackers, cookies, granola bars, canned soup, frozen meals, etc.) and cooking from our pantry more. I'm going to challenge myself to see how many meals I can make only from things already on hand. Of course, we're all sick right now, so that is tricky for me, but I think I'm doing well so far.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

I haven't thought about it in that much detail; I think I won't until next month, this is going to be more of a transition month for me.

[miss_sonja]

OK, I've got to keep trying.

[Logan's Mom]

Well, I dropped out of the challenge last month and I participated for the first time in July. That really opened my eyes as to how much I spend that I really didn't think I did. So, I'm going to try and be consistant this month.

I work Monday - Friday so limiting my no drive days pertain to the weekend. I hope to do all chores on one day or during the week coming home from work. I will have to say if driving includes taking my son to the park, then so be it (we can't walk, its way too far.) as he really enjoys it and it helps us get out of the apartment as a family.

I will try to limit any out of pocket ice coffee/soda/drinks to 1 day a week.

I will try to limit any gift giving this month (unless a toy co-op comes up for xmas presents but will be very mindful of my spending.)

My goal is to save for a home. I am hoping to save $1000 towards that goal this month. We will also sell some of our old toys and declutter this month.

We will only eat out one time this month as a family and pack our lunches (unless someone wants to take out out to eat ).

I have tried to get DP to write down all his spending, but he hasn't done so yet. I will manage my income and spending as best as I can.

[ColoradoMama]

1. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you have decided to spend nothing (or spend significantly less) for the Month of September.

Hi all. I'm Misty - family manager to a family of 6! My husband makes decent money, and we need to take better care of it. We want to move, but we have a lot of repairs, etc. to do to the house before we can get it on the market. We're not out of control spenders, but if we're not careful, we seem to nickel and dime ourselves through a paycheck quickly.

2. No spending is hard work. You need a plan. Please tell us your game plan -- how do you plan to approach no spending for a month?

I read a book last year by Mary Hurt (Hart? Hunt? something like that), and we changed the way we looked at our paychecks. Unfortunately, over the past few months, we sort of let that slide. I lost my budget booklet, and never sat down and made out another one until last week. I've gotten us back on a very tight budget. Mary suggests having two checking accounts, and we've done that. The main one is the one that has the check deposited into it. We have our automatic payments coming out of that one. The other account I manage online by transferring money into it. In that account I keep an automobile account (all repairs, etc.), medical expense account, Christmas gift account, etc. The biggest change we've made this month is that we DO NOT USE OUR DEBIT CARD. The only thing the debit card is for is fuel and emergencies. I took out the money we had budgeted for us, and I have it in cash. Everything else is for bills, second checking account, fuel, etc. Oh, I also took out cash for groceries and household items (toilet paper, dish detergent, kitty litter, etc.). I'm not necessarily looking to cut out any unnecessary expenses, but it all has to come out of the cash that I have. I have a separate account for clothing/shoes, entertainment, kid's activities (one takes gymnastics, one takes dance, etc.) in the second account. The cash I have in my wallet is all I can spend and that's for snacks at dd's preschool, cat food, any incidentals, and if I want to take the little ones out for an ice cream cone - it has to come out of that. Wow, I'm kind of rambling. Sorry.

3. Be specific! What are your goals? How many no spend days is right for you? Do you have a savings goal? Debt repayment goal?

Our goals are to build up our "Freedom fund" (second checking account) again, and not use the debit card except for fuel. Also, I need to keep the birthday parties under control! I have two birthday parties to throw this month. I already have the money for them in the second account. When I buy the things for them, I am going to take the cash out and only spend that. Oh, also my goal is to check in here often to keep me on the "straight and narrow!"