How to survive a spending freeze

Today was our FIRST day of the October Spending Freeze and I already got lots of messages about…what do I do?? how can I last for a whole week??? What now?? SOOO I thought I would quickly go through and answer a few of the FAQ about HOW TO SURVIVE A SPENDING FREEZE.

First things first: WHAT IS A SPENDING FREEZE?? And WHY??

A spending freeze or spending ban is simply choosing a period of time to go without spending money. You intentionally go without spending, then set the money that you WOULD have spent aside for savings, sinking funds, debt, etc. This is a great way to pay off debt faster. If you normally spend $600 per month on groceries, and you take a week off, you should have an extra $150 that month to put towards your debt (or savings, or sinking funds). Remember we talked ALL about how to find extra money in our budget over HERE, a spending freeze is just ONE factor. After deciding that a spending freeze is for you…what next???

Decide on a specific length for your spending freeze

It can be a week, two weeks, or a month depending on what level of commitment you are willing to make. In a shorter freeze you can commit to ZERO spending, while in a longer freeze you might ONLY spend money on minimal groceries. I find it hard to stick to a longer freeze because if I am opening my wallet to buy some groceries…I tend to buy ALLLL the things. But a month long freeze is a great way to discover HOW bad your spending has truly become. Like a cleanse when you start a diet…after eating nothing buy kale for a month, healthy food sounds pretty great. After spending NOTHING for a month, spending responsibly is MUCH easier too. But obviously you have to consider that in a month long spending ban, you WILL still be spending, but ONLY on necessary items like minimal groceries, medical expenses, bills, etc. But in a week long freeze, you can completely go without spending AT ALL. So I like to commit fully to a one week freeze out with NO spending. Although to be fair, I do still buy gas in that week because sadly I live far enough from work that I cannot go a week without filling up. I also pay my bills, send money to my kids’ school for expenses (field trips, lunch money, birthday parties, etc.) and continue my Amazon subscribe and save orders and any subscriptions that are already scheduled during that time.

COMMIT 100% to the spending freeze

The next step is to fully commit. If you go into the week thinking…let’s see how long I last….or I will TRY to make it a week…YOU WON’T. If you are not committed to COMPLETELY freeze out your spending, something will come up. You will get an email about a killer sale, or you will see a pair of jeans you like. BUT if you commit to yourself that ONE WEEK you will not spend money…then follow through. Sales come and new jeans can wait a week…or two even. I’m not gonna lie, for most of us, this is not easy. Especially the first time. As soon as you decide to stop spending, it will seem like A MILLION little things will pop up all at once as a temptation. Just take a breath…and remember WHY you are freezing your spending. Is it to pay off debt??? Are you saving for a vacation???? Starting a Christmas sinking fund?? Just think…if you saved an extra $150 each month for the next year, you would have $1,800 stashed away for something fun.

Make a plan

Plan out your week so that you know what expenses might pop up. For example, KNOW what events/activities your kids will have all week. There is nothing like an unexpected week night soccer game or school play to put a wrench in your plans. We have all been there. Kid one has practice at the school until 5 and kid 2 needs to be at the soccer field at 6. So you pick up kid 1, kill some time (and $100 bucks at Target), hang out at the soccer field watching kid 2 and spend $10 at the concession stand with kid 1, then hit up the drive-threw on the way home and drop another $40 bucks on dinner. With a little bit of planning and some will power, that is $150 that could have been saved by packing snacks from home, having dinner in the crock pot, and sticking to your NO SPEND game plan. Is it as much fun?? NO. Is it as easy?? NO. Will it save you money…You betcha!!

Make a meal plan

Decide what you will eat each day for dinner and stick to it!! Even if you don’t feel like cooking or get home late…STICK TO IT!!! Even if you are craving pizza and have to drive by the pizza place to get home…STICK TO IT!! It is only one week…7 days!! Check out how I use Emeals to make my meal planning MUCH easier!!

Also, get creative. Substitute when you are missing ONE ingredient. Use up that meat that is in the freezer. Have a random fridge clean out dinner one night. Make breakfast for dinner…or heck make pizza for breakfast….I will come over if you do:) If you run out of bread, use tortillas…or get all Martha and make some homemade bread. There are some GREAT ideas on how to cook using what you have here at shelfcooking.com.

I will be honest, the hardest part for me is NOT dinner, but school lunches. I swear I buy enough snacks for 10 kids and I only have 2. BUT where do they go??? Have a back up plan when things do not work out and your kids eat 47 granola bars in 2 days. When we run out of chips, I send pretzels, popcorn, apple chips etc. When we do not have bread, I will make quesadillas. The trick is to use what you have. My kids love leftover Alfredo or spaghetti in their thermos, or cereal for lunch ALWAYS makes them feel like they are getting away with something:) If you have committed to one week of no spending…STICK TO IT!!

Mark days off on the calendar

It might seem juvenile, but studies show that goals are more successful if you keep track of them. Seven days is NOT VERY LONG, but when you are in the middle, it seems like an eternity. Mark those days off. Then when you get tempted to break down and buy something…look at your calendar. It will help to see how many days you have left and how far you have come. By Thursday, you will only have 3 days left!!! When you see those 3 empty squares, it will help you to mentally stay on track.

Minimize temptations

Spending money is sooooo easy these days…everything can be purchased with ONE click and we LITERALLY do not have to get out of our cars to even buy groceries. The best way to save is to stay away from what triggers you to purchase. Is it the daily deal emails??? Delete them. Is it the coffee shop around the corner?? Drive a different route to work. Is it your favorite Instagram influencer??? Skip social media. Whatever it is that triggers YOU to spend…find something else to do. This might mean deleting a few apps for the week, canceling emails, putting your phone down more often, removing your cc information from your favorite sites. Whatever helps to make spending HARDER…DO IT!!

Another option is to leave your debit card or your cash envelopes home. Trust me…nobody wants to get to the check out stand and realize they have no money in their wallet. I have done the walk of shame…it is NOT FUN!! Just leave your money at home and you will NOT be tempted to grab a snack after lunch or buy a coffee for the ride home. I have known people who ACTUALLY freeze their credit cards to keep them from spending…like in the freezer. It is a drastic measure, but it works. By the time you thaw that baby out, the moment for spending may have already passed:)

Get back on the horse

If you mess up, DON’T STOP!! Just get right back in the game and keep going!! Once I was on a spending freeze and the “Tamale Lady” came into work. I instantly told her I wanted to buy tamales and THEN remembered that I was on a freeze. I was WAY too embarrassed to tell her never mind, so I just paid for my tamales and let it go. My FIRST instinct was to then run to the gas station for a soda and a sweet treat to eat with my tamale and then stop at Target on the way home for some retail therapy. It took a good mental shakedown to remind myself of WHY I was on a freeze (at the time I was saving for a fun getaway), and to keep me on track. I had messed up, but I had not RUINED my savings goal. I just had to get over those 8 lost dollars, eat my ill gotten tamales, and move on with my life. Progress over perfection!!!

If you have already started your spending freeze…YOU CAN DO IT!! If you have not started but want to…YOU CAN DO IT!!! You can do ANYTHING for 7 days…ANYTHING!! If you want some support and to find others who are freezing their spending, head over to Instagram, I will be talking ALL week in my IG stories and I will be freezing RIGHT along with you. Good luck…and remember…YOU CAN DO IT!!

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