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Check in Monday - #NoSpendChallenge

Hello Monday and hello followers!  It's the second Monday in January today which means it's time for updates on the No Spend Challenge and how our family is doing.

#NoSpendChallenge

If you missed last Monday's post on Boredom Busters I invite you to click on over and catch up on it. There are some great ideas for you and your family for the month. 

OUR FAMILY UPDATE:  I have been able to stick to the zero spending for myself and kids. Hubby had to buy some rock salt due to some snow and ice we unexpectedly received but he used a $ 5 off coupon, so for that I was proud of him. 

The children seem to be unaffected for the most part. Asking for delivery pizza a few times (that's when mom breaks out the DiGiorno pizza that I bought on sale a few weeks ago) but for the most part, they have been great about not asking for anything.  Still on a Christmas high from the Minecraft LEGO sets and new DS games, which helps. 

This week I wanted to challenge you a little more..pushing the budget envelope, so to speak.   (not like I have not already...but you can handle it)

Pantry Challenge

IF you are up for it, and I know some of you are, I want to challenge you to cut your grocery bill in half for a week and eat out!  Say What?  What do you mean eat out....we are not spending this month....

I mean, eat out of your pantry, freezer and refrigerator for a week.  For us, that means only buying milk, fresh produce and eggs.  The rest will be coming from our own home.  I normally spend $ 150 of groceries for a week (homeschooling family of 5) so cutting it down to $ 75 or better.  

IF you are up for this additional challenge here are some steps to take to prepare for this:

  • Organize your pantry, freezer and refrigerator
  • Take inventory of what you have on hand already
  • Dust off those cook books and find some recipes that you have ingredients for already 
  • Check out Pinterest for some new recipes  (Crockpot is my best friend!) 
  • Make sure you check the grocery store ads and plan your 1/2 spending around what is on sale coupled with what you have already. 

BONUS: Get the children involved  - bake something with them. Teach them how to cook something that they love. Have the little ones measure ingredients. Getting the family involved can be a lot of fun!

I would love to hear from you, support you and pray for you.

Let me and others know how you are doing. 

How are you and your family doing on the No Spend Challenge for January?  

Have you found you have had some obstacles or stumbling blocks?  

How could you have improved? 

Comments

Jen said…
This is the 2nd post I've read this week already that's challenging me on my pantry. Maybe it's a sign I need to get busy on it. I'll tackle that today I think :) Thanks for the inspiration!!
Anonymous said…
good job!! You are doing great! We got sick (yes all of us now).. so I spent some money on tylenol and motrin for Sammy.. not sure if that counts.. if it does I am doing the best I can.. he had 104.4 fever so I wanted to make him more comfortable and we ran out of our pain med supply!

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