First, before you read this - if you are on Pinterest, I invite you to follow my No Spend January and my Frugal Living Page - always pinning great things to this page!
Okay, so we can all agree No Spending January is a challenge for us all. It's not a "do or die" situation and please don't beat yourself up IF something unexpected comes along and you HAVE to spend money (car repairs, emergency house repairs are good examples) then spend it.
However, what we can do is a little homework is prepare our hearts, homes and shelves for some anticipated items that we already know might cut into our No Spend Challenge.
Here is what I am talking about.
If you already know you have some birthdays, an anniversary, scheduled parties etc. on the calendar for January, prepare NOW while we still can hit the after Christmas sales!
If you are a big chocolate person and have to have your handful of M & M's every night after dinner, buy them when they are 1/2 off after Christmas and portion them out for your January!
If you are a person who has to buy 6 birthday presents for people in January - do it now while items are at a low cost. (BONUS: Make the cards - don't buy them!) Some no spend ideas: the coupon book you can create, a pretty frame from crafty items you might have around your house. Pinterest is a HUGE FREE resource for a lot of these!
It will take some planning and yes might be a little stressful for you now to add one more thing to your "To Do list", but it will be worth it in the end, trust me!
I already know for me, I have some girlfriends coming over the 1st weekend in January and I planning on serving some wine and water for drinks and a few appetizers and of course some sort of chocolate! So I will plan my menu now and buy at the grocery store while holiday eats are on a great sale!
So my point here is, emergencies will happen. Ask yourself when something does come up - can this wait? Does it really need to be purchased now? Make as much as you can as far as cards and gifts go. Get crafty!
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