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This December Save Money with No Spend Days

November 11, 2019 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

While the holiday season often means seeing family and taking time off work, it is also typically a time of high expenses.  In fact, you may spend more in December than you do any other month of the year.  All of this spending can lead to a holiday hangover in January as you look at your empty bank account and credit card balance.  But it doesn’t have to be this way.  This December save money with no spend days.  You’ll be so glad you did when January rolls around.

This December Save Money with No Spend Days

How to Implement No Spend Days

No spend days can be a great way to save money.  December is a challenging financial month, so it’s best to start having one or two no spend days a week in November.  By December, you’ll have accrued extra money to use in the most expensive month of the year.

What Is a No Spend Day

Save Money by Not Spending
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

On a no spend day, you don’t buy anything.  No morning coffee at the local shop; no online purchases, no matter how great the sale; no lunch out with coworkers; no stopping by the grocery store for a few items—you simply do not spend money on that day.  If you want to stretch yourself, try it for two or three days in a row.

Why Have No Spend Days in December

There are several reasons to have a few no spend days in December.

Learn to Rein in Your Spending Impulses

Money gets away from us easily in December.  We feel bad that we may not have spent as much on presents as we perceive others have spent, so we add on a few gifts.  We may want to give the hostess of a party a nice bottle of wine.  We may want to tip the hairdresser more generously.  On and on throughout the month of December, there are little and not so little expenses that chip away at our money.

A no spend day or two allows you a chance to take a break from spending.  When you take a break from spending, you reset your mind.  After a no spend day or two, it’s a little bit easier to not spend as much money.  It’s a little bit easier to ask yourself, “Do I really have to (or want to) buy this, or can I do without or wait?”  You may find waiting leads to never buying it.  When you check your buying impulse, it’s not so strong, and you can experience more self-control.  If you do still want to buy the item, you may be more inclined to look for ways to buy it for less.

Start the New Year without A Holiday Debt Hangover

Wouldn’t it be great if, come January, you open your credit card bill and are not faced with charges you can’t pay off?  Wouldn’t it be great if your bank account balance was still healthy come January?  Wouldn’t it be great if you bought gifts in a disciplined, conscious way so when the holidays are over, you just feel good about the holiday season rather than suffering from a holiday hangover?

It is possible to have a controlled spending holiday season.  One way to jump start this process is this December save money with no spend days.  Try to have one or two per week this month.

How do you keep your budget in check during the holiday season?  What strategies do you implement?  Do you have no spend days throughout the month?

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: frugal, Holiday

Restrain Holiday Eating and Spending for a Happier New Year

November 23, 2015 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

Have you been in this situation before?

You want to start a diet and shed a few pounds, but you decide, since it’s November already, you should just wait until after the holidays.  You tell yourself you’ll have a fresh start January 1st.  New year, new life, all that.

This plan may sound good to you, but since you keep thinking about the diet you’re going to start in January, you indulge more than you normally would over the holidays and gain 10 pounds.  Now, you have an even bigger job ahead of you come January 1st.

Restrain Holiday spending and eatingIf you had instead started your new eating plan at the beginning of the holiday season, you would have had better control over your eating.  You likely wouldn’t have gained weight.  If you were doing great and were motivated, you may have even lost weight, but let’s be honest—even remaining the same weight during the holidays is an accomplishment.

We’re in November, which is when most people are at risk of two negatives—eating too much and spending too much.

Just like the decision to lose weight, many people may decide to start focusing on managing their money better after the holidays.  After all, there are so many presents to buy and parties to host.  Getting on a budget isn’t possible during the holidays, they think.  And then, because they’re not keeping an eye on their finances, they spend lavishly and find themselves facing an exorbitant credit card bill that they can’t pay in full.

Sound familiar?

Why not make this year different?

Yes, the holidays are right around the corner, but it’s not too late to keep your finances in check.  Here are some simple strategies:

Don’t give gifts to everyone.  If you don’t have a lot of money saved up for gifts, don’t go into debt to buy them.  Think about it.  Do you remember what gifts you received for Christmas last year?  Do you remember who gave them to you?

Yeah, I thought so.

I remember only one gift from last Christmas, even though I got several.

Give a gift that you can pay for later.  I love this strategy!  If you don’t have a lot of money for holiday gifts but still want to give something, consider offering a gift at a later date.  For instance, you could offer a close friend a present of dinner and a movie at a time of her choosing.  Maybe she decides in March that she’d like to take you up on the offer.  You’ve had three months to save the money for that gift.

Don’t give in to peer pressure.  There is an enormous amount of peer pressure during the holiday season to go to parties, bring food, buy gifts for everyone. . .It’s okay to step off this spendthrift merry-go-round and simply say no.  You don’t have to go to every party.  You don’t have to buy a present for everyone you have contact with in your life.

Just say no.

The next four to six weeks can have a significant impact on the first few months of 2016.

Are you going to indulge occasionally in sweet treats but mostly eat healthy, or are you going to let loose and gain 10 pounds?

Are you going to be financially responsible and only give gifts that you have the means to give, or are you going to charge everything and create a hole that will take you three or four months to dig out of, if not more?

Haven’t you had enough of overindulgent holidays?  Wouldn’t you like to start 2016 with a truly fresh start and no extra weight or bills?

 

 

 

 

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, credit cards, Saving, ShareMe Tagged With: diet, gifts, Holiday, holiday eating, holiday spending

5 Tips to Make Black Friday Shopping Work for You

November 20, 2014 By MelissaB 1 Comment

I’m not a big shopper.  Never have been, never will be.

However, I do love scoring a great bargain, which is why I do some shopping on Black Friday.  However, I always remind myself that even the best deal isn’t a deal if I’m buying something I don’t need.

If you want to snag some great Black Friday deals, but you want to be mindful of your money (and your spending), trying using these strategies.

Make Black Friday shopping Work For YouMake a List of What You Need

Notice I didn’t say, make a list of what you “want.”  There are lots of things you might want looking through the Black Friday ads.  You might want the electric blanket that will keep you toasty all night long, but do you really need it?  Your son might want the latest gizmo toy, but does he already have so many toys that he doesn’t have room to put them all away?  Move on.

Make a list of things that you truly need.  Last year, my  husband and I noticed that our kitchen pots and pans were getting scraped up at the bottom and the non-stick coating was coming off.  We bought a set from Kohl’s on Black Friday, and after the sale and rebate, we got the pans for less than 50% of the retail price.  I was also tempted by the deal on a Kitchen Aid mixer, but I didn’t need the Kitchen Aid mixer, I just wanted it, so I passed that deal up.

Think Beyond Toys and Electronics

Many people think of toys and electronics when they think of Black Friday deals, but expand your horizons.  If you need new towels because yours are ragged, Black Friday is the perfect time to look.  Look around your house at anything you think you may need to replace in the next year and consider taking advantage of the Black Friday sales.

 

 

Shop Online

Thanks to the Internet, there’s no need to go shopping on Thanksgiving to score the deals or to fight with the hordes of people flocking to the store.  Most of the time, the stores only stock a limited supply of an item that will likely be sold out before you get to the right aisle.

Shop online from the comfort of your home, and you’ll find almost  everything you want in stock.  Better yet, many retailers offer free shipping, so it can be delivered right to your door.

Capture Additional Savings

If you’re shopping online, make sure to take advantage of additional savings.  Use a site like Ebates to get cash back for some of your purchases.  You can also shop online codes to get free shipping if the store doesn’t already offer it.

Learn When the Sale Starts

Now that Black Friday sales are so popular, retails are trying to extend the Black Friday shopping season.  First, they began opening their stores late on Thanksgiving night.  Last year, many retailers offered their Black Friday sales online during the entire week of Thanksgiving.  I think we scored our pots and pan deal on Monday, four days before Black Friday.

Find a deal blogger to follow, if you don’t already, to get the latest scoop on when the sales will start.

Use these tips to score the best Black Friday deals, keep your budget intact, and enjoy your time with family on Thanksgiving.

Do you shop on Black Friday?  What other tips would you add to this list?

 

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Frugality, Saving, ShareMe Tagged With: black friday, black friday shopping, Holiday, online shopping, shopping

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