This frugal challenge came to me after a fellow blogger friend and her husband shared that they participate in Frugal February each year. I thought the concept was GENIUS. It was perfect timing after all the holiday spending that comes with November, December, and (let’s face it) January too.
SO, I figured why not? I could do this too. But, I wanted to kick it up a notch. How about 2 months of frugal spending instead? Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s back up a bit. I like to think of myself as a smart shopper. I almost never buy something without a coupon or promo code. However, sometimes I find that when something is on sale for a good deal, it makes me want it more…simply because I felt like I was saving. After much thought, and talks with Garin, I felt I needed to take a step back, and start thinking about the things I was buying. Were they a need, or a want? Enter Frugal Fall.
The plan
I decided to have this go into effect September 1 – November 1. I knew this would be a hard time for me simply because of two words…FALL CLOTHING. Even more the reason for me to do it, right? Precisely.
So once I established the dates, I figured out what exactly this all would entail. First, definitely no shopping on my end, not for the house or myself. Second, no eating out. And third, putting every extra penny into savings. Garin and I like to think of ourselves as pretty money savvy people. We don’t have credit card debt, we have 401K’s and IRA’s, and even have investments. However, it’s easy to “forget” about your savings and emergency fund each month. Because honestly, no one likes putting their money away. But once you do it more often, and see the numbers rise, it actually feels really good.
Money-saving tips
- The first tip that comes to mind, and that I used most often during those 2 months was selling old items. I became a Poshmark millionaire during that time period. Haha, ok not a millionaire, but it sure felt like it! Not only did it feel so good to get rid of unwanted and unused items, but seeing them thrive in another home was pure bliss.
- Send all your online shopping emails to spam. This one was key for me! If I don’t see it, I’m less likely to click it. This allowed me to not be tempted by the cute items that would flood my inbox.
- Reduce your monthly bills. This tip just takes a few phones calls to your different providers to see if you can reduce the amount that you pay in insurance or for your utilities each month. Most of the time your paying fees you don’t know about, or paying extra for something you never use. Also, many companies are willing to negotiate. You just have to ask!! For example, I went to Verizon in October to talk about my phone plan, and walked out of the store with a $50 cheaper, monthly bill.
- Find fun, new recipes to try and cook at home. Because I primarily eat at home during the week, this one wasn’t as bad. The only thing we found difficult is that Garin and I like to go out for date night once a week. If not for dinner, then a couple drinks. It was hard to see that go, but instead of eating or drinking, we would do other activities together instead. We started listening to a couples podcast (Rachel & Dave Hollis “Rise Together”) and thoroughly enjoyed laying in bed reflecting together.
- Put together new looks in your closet. Mix and match different items that you have never paired together before. The trends are always changing, but it doesn’t mean you can’t play the part 🙂 While I was tempted to get something new for my birthday dinner, I dug through my closet and found a skirt I’ve had for 5 years and paired it with a leather jacket and t-shirt. A look I’d seen heavily in fashion recently!
Afterthoughts
Overall, I was super proud of how Frugal Fall went! I had a couple slip ups, but honestly it just made me more aware and intentional with how I spend our hard working money. True story: I was in Target one day, and found a top I loved. I had completely forgotten about my committment, and bought the top…oops! On the way home I realized what I had done, and legitimately turned around to go return it. I just hated to see myself fail when deep down, this was something I knew I could succeed at. I will definitely be doing this again, and hope that you’ll join me next time!!
xoxo,
Laura
Want to learn how to save money by living in the city? Read more about bag taxes here. Also, check out some of our great recipes to make at home to save you from eating out too.