• The Zero Spending Week Challenge

  Filed under Speinding
  Nov 19
  

  Get Your Budget Back On Track With A Zero Spending Week!

  

  Survive The Zero Spending Week Challenge!

  These zero spending weeks are best when planned for. Of course, you will probably need some fuel in the car and food in the pantry. Buy cutting out spending, I do not mean you can totally cut out consumption!

  But many families have found one key to a more frugal lifestyle in the long term is to spend one week challenging themselves to spend nothing!

  So I understand that a 0 spending week, day, or month, does not mean you will probably cut consumption. You may have to pay for transportation to get to school or work, eat food, and turn on the lights. So we are talking about not actually paying for anything. If you can plan ahead, you can come out ahead.

  Be Prepared For No Spending

  So you see, it is always good to be prepared for a time period where you can spend little or nothing. Did you just get hit by a big bill at the dentist, auto repair shop? Would you like to save up for a luxury like a vacation or new TV set? Why not handle it with the zero spending week challenge?

  • Immediate bills must be current. So we are assuming that your utility bills have been paid! Of course, very frugal people try to conserve as much fuel as they can all the time.
  • Your pantry and/or freezer must be stocked. Even when I think I am out of enough stuff to require a trip to the grocery store, I probably still have a lot of stuff around. Hopefully, you can find enough food to prepare meals, pack lunches, etc. This is a good time to do a pantry and freezer clean-up and organization. Most of the time, I find plenty of things, and end up sending a few things off to the local food bank.
  • You have transportation. Of course, you need to have your vehicle gassed up or (better!) alternate transportation lined up.

  Get Ready. Get Set. Go.

  So, go attend to these things. Get your priority bills current, gas up the car (or buy bus tickets), and make sure you can provide meals for a week.  When you plan these things, and attend to them, you are likely to spend less because you will avoid impulse purchases.

  • Find the gas station with the lowest price fuel and fill up. You will avoid making frequent gasoline stops, and the accompanying convenience store stops for candy bars and soda.
  • Shop at a discount grocery store, find good sales, or use your coupons. Make a plan for the meals you need to produce during your no spending week. Again, you can avoid that mid-week grocery store stop that usually leads to impulse spending.
  • A change and small bills jar can be a legal cheat. If you need money to pay the newspaperman, or for some small item you have forgotten, take the money out of there – and do not use plastic to pay for it.

  Can A No Spending Week Really Save Money?

  Many families report saving a couple hundred dollars because the exercise forced them to plan better, shop for cheaper deals, and avoid impulse purchases. The cold turkey week also helped them learn strategies to save more money in the future.

  
  Tagged as: zero spending
  
  2 Comments

2 Responses to “The Zero Spending Week Challenge”

1. Extreme Frugality And Early Retirement | Boom Baby! said on November 20th, 2011 at 2:47 pm

   [...] you shock yourself into a more frugal life with a zero spending week. This seems drastic, but has helped a lot of families get back on [...]

2. Frgual Family Budget Fixes - One Hour Challenge | ExtremeFrugality.com said on December 2nd, 2011 at 3:51 pm

   [...] Our zero spending week challenge was very popular. So we decided to set up a one hour family budget challenge too! [...]

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