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Since moving to Arizona from Minnesota, I forgot the system my sister and I were doing. The same system that helped me save for my move.
A no spend month doesn't mean you spend nothing, as obviously there are things you have to buy. What it entails is using up things you have in your pantry and not buying things that are on your want, not need, list.
I have canned goods that I've kept stocked up. After a lifetime of living in Minnesota, I developed a necessary habit of keeping my pantry stocked in preparation for winters. That's really not necessary in Arizona.
Today I remembered what my sister and I were doing and went through my freezer and my pantry and made a Spaghetti Bolognese sauce to use up things I had. I had shredded carrots, mushrooms that had to be used soon, and I always have onions and garlic. I also had frozen ground beef as well as cans of tomatoes and tomato paste.
So I put aside my grocery list and checked the internet for suggestions on what I could make with the ingredients I had.
Not saying I won't have to shop later, but it wasn't until I remembered what my sister and I were doing and how much I saved, that I looked to see what I had.
The sauce turned out wonderful, by the way. I would have missed that opportunity to become creative and think outside the box if I hadn't remembered no spend months.
I think I will write on my calendar, as I used to, that it's a no spend month and see how much I save.
Great idea. I need to do something like that. When I used to order from Zaycon Foods, I knew my freezer needed to be pretty empty by X date. Since they went out of business I haven't used up all the stuff in the freezer.
I've done this for a few weeks and it is nice not running to the store because there is something on sale that I use but already have lots of in the pantry. I try to stick to essentials, cream for coffee, TP, pet food/litter and not much more.
I like doing it this way. And it frees up time for other things.
I am the absolute WORST person to run out a buy more things from the grocery store. I see a recipe, I find what I need to make it and a I run out and buy it. This has resulted in spending more than $120/week, or more, for two people. All because I seen a recipe that I thought looked amazing and wanted to try it. Now I have implemented at least once or twice a month, a whole week on not spending money (except for essentials like gas on car, etc.).
Now I usually shop at the grocery store once or twice a week, more so on the weekends - Kroger has weekend sales; or the butcher has some weekly sales, too. This is way more of a challenge for cooking dinners through the week and weekends. I have always looked out for a challenge to cooking. I still go out and get the rare item, like heavy cream or some type of noodle, but with those weeks of not spending money, I have saved money and saved on food as well.
^^^
I would hardly consider $120/week for groceries for home cooked meals budget busting for most of us. The important thing is you seem to be eating mostly at home which is a far more economical budget choice for many of us.
This thread inspired me to go through my pantry and freezer. By pantry I mean the cupboards where I put all the canned goods I buy on sale and most of them sit until they expire. We have a weird amount of tuna. I'm committed to using up what we have before I go grocery shopping again.
I've never managed to be able to do this on a strict schedule, but I've certainly done it. Frozen and canned foods need to be periodically used and replaced. I'd plan meals around what I had. When I'd used everything that I needed to, I'd start buying again.
This sounds awesome, kind of like a fiscal fast. I watched a show about some guy that took it to such an extreme that he would ride his bike around and search for food and money (dont think he panhandled). I have gotten close but not that extreme.
My next project after getting another professional license will be to optimize paying down the mortgage and then refinancing and saving up a passive income fund so that I can pay the mortgage and have like $500 left without working a single hour of the month. If you pay TOO much mortgage off then you have too much tied up in the house and not enough that's liquid but if you try to pay the entire mortgage with passive income I will end up needed like 500k. Will be curious when I work it all out.
This thread inspired me to go through my pantry and freezer. By pantry I mean the cupboards where I put all the canned goods I buy on sale and most of them sit until they expire. We have a weird amount of tuna. I'm committed to using up what we have before I go grocery shopping again.
Speaking of expiration dates - I heard an interesting program on NPR about a shop somewhere (missed where) where they sell expired food. They have events where they cook meals with expired ingredients. They have happy hours when their stuff is deeply discounted and people line up for it. The point being that the food inside doesn't know it's time to expire, and if you just use your nose and your eyes, if you happen to get a can or package of something that just has lost it's flavor, etc., you just don't use that one.
I've ignored expiration dates like this forever. I'm still kickin'.
Speaking of expiration dates - I heard an interesting program on NPR about a shop somewhere (missed where) where they sell expired food. They have events where they cook meals with expired ingredients. They have happy hours when their stuff is deeply discounted and people line up for it. The point being that the food inside doesn't know it's time to expire, and if you just use your nose and your eyes, if you happen to get a can or package of something that just has lost it's flavor, etc., you just don't use that one.
I've ignored expiration dates like this forever. I'm still kickin'.
Thank you. I did not know that.
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