In 2019, I did a “no spend month” or [“NSM” for short] in November.

I decided to bring it back. I’ve wanted to take a better look at my spending now that it’s been a few months that my kiddos dad moved out post “quarantine.”

One of the key points I learned last NSM was “the more you make the more you tend to spend.” 

When my hours were cut last year, I learned how to budget with what I was making and I actually was still able to live comfortably. For this NSM, I want to focus on my grocery budget. It’s been a bit out of control since March, in my opinion.

Currently, our grocery budget is about $450-$500 for myself and my three kiddos. I do want to work on bringing it down to $400.I also signed up for the gym again and go to Starbucks a few nights a week “on my “off days.” These spends are obviously new and need to be budgeted.

Here’s a summary of what I want to focus on for my “NSM:”

• Gym Membership: $10 (fixed)
• Starbucks: $25 (no more than $30)
• Groceries: $400 (try to stay under $450)
• Babysitting: $70 ($100 max)
• Personal Spends: $50 (currently 80-$100)

I did book a tiny house a bit ago as a Christmas present to myself, so that was included in my December budget. My second focus is my personal spends; the goal here is not to buy a million extra candles, spend on dine outs when I can cook and so forth.I’m really excited to take on this challenge as any “personal development challenge” is fun to me. 😉

Anyone else here done a “no spend month?”