Comments on: The 30-Day “No Spend” Challenge.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:51:14 +0000

I have had to live very frugally all of my single life. Divorced early with a baby to raise, it was very hard and money was always very short. At times there was not enough to pay bills and I had to do without to take care of the necessities. But we made it somehow. I appreciate every kindness, every gift, every person, that understood along the way. I went to used clothing stores but found nice things for my daughter and myself. I made use of the free entertainment, took my duaghter to the park, used coupons, made something special out of next to nothing…when I could not stand it any more we would go to a store and buy something small for each of us that was not on sale, stopped for a cheap fast food meal (that was out eating out) and go visit some ducks in the park feeding them crackers and called that a great day. Usually I always looked for the sales and clearence items and actually learned to be quite good at all of it. There is no shame to doing what you have to in a decent way to live and provide for yourself and family you have. When I would get my tax return I would put it in the bank ,so that there would be money for emergencies; fixing the car, a doctors visit, etc. Opened a Christmas account at the bank so that I would have money for holiday gifts. It was hard, it was sad, but I had to, so I did it. We came into better times with a better job, but we are back to having to watch things closely again due to this economy and we know how to. My daughter has learned with me to be carefeul with spending and respect what we have and do not have and why. NO, it is not easy but it builds charactrer and we don’t waste. We have learned to share where we can to those that are struggling too and to be proud of the will in us to succeed no matter what! One learns to appreciate the good in life and not take anything for granted. The world can be a harsh place, but there are many good people that reach out with love and that makes up for all of it!! Giving it back to others in need makes it better too!

By: marcela

marcela — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:59:16 +0000

What do you mean, don’t spend any money for thirty days. I am 68 years old and my husband and I have lived spending only on “essentials” like gas and food for the last couple of years. We had to cut back when a mega bank took our bank’s stock and paid us pennies on the dollar. So, now until our home is sold we watch our spending. We are thankful we do not have to be in this job market. My advice: if you have a good paying job, first work on saving for emergencies and then on paying off your most expensive debts first.

By: Sonicsuns

Sonicsuns — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:51:15 +0000

I know what you mean, but there are ways to have fun without spending money. Part of the point here is to see if maybe the non-money options are actually more interesting than your normal routine.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:49:35 +0000

Congrats on starting your own biz!!! That is awesome, I really admire that in people…. still trying to grow the balls to do it myself Def. let us know how the challenge goes! I bet you can do it for sure.

By: Jill Felska

Jill Felska — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:52:33 +0000

As someone who just quit my 9-5 a month ago to start my own business, I love this challenge! I have been cutting back in many different areas, but I have decided to really stick to “no spending” for the next 30 days – I’ll let you know how it goes!

By: J. Money

J. Money — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:15:12 +0000

yeah dawg, you really can’t go wrong giving it a shot. really opens your eyes on where your money is going – even if you go back to it once the month is over but at least then you’re consciously doing it!

By: Adam@RabbitFunds

Adam@RabbitFunds — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:51:55 +0000

I love this idea! My wife and I have spent a lot of time cleaning up our finances and will be in a much better financial position in about a month or so (finally!*?) To solidify our new habits, I love the idea of 30 days of no non-essential spending. Thanks J.

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:53:15 +0000

When I switched to working part time, my income became so low that I pretty much had no way to buy anything other than necessities without using a credit card, and so I got really used to just…not buying anything. In fact, I got so used to this, that my debit card actually expired in November and I didn’t even realize it until mid-February! My boyfriend and I have a card that goes to a joint account that we only use for necessary expenses (groceries, rent, etc), and I realized that I had literally not bought anything of my own since November. I didn’t miss it.

By: J. Money

J. Money — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:32:53 +0000

6 months is great man! No way I could pull that one off I’m impressed.