Happy Fri-YAY! Who's excited? I know I am. I'm ready for some family time. Luke has been in London working, so it's just been G and I at home. We do pretty well together but we both definitely miss Daddy when he's gone. I'd like to say that I got a ton done while he was gone but that's just not the case. Whoops! I had good intentions, but it just didn't happen. After I got Greyson to bed every night, I poured a glass of wine and turned on Netflix. Real productive, right? Although, I did come up with today's post while he was gone. So, there's that.
It's real-talk time over here. June was crazy in regards to spending moolah with our trip, some rug buying craziness (I'll show those to you soon), house maintenance stuff, etc. I don't do well with putting myself on a budget. It's just not my thing. I'm not an over-spender but I don't like to have to pay attention to exactly what I'm spending. Does that make sense? It makes sense to me, but I am able to justify things to myself rather easily. 😉
So, instead of finding some middle ground... it's just all or nothing. This month, I'm determined to have it be nothing. I'm determined to have a No Spend July with regards to home decor, home purchases, and clothing. Have you ever done anything like this? Sometimes, I feel like it's so easy to get caught up with doing more and more projects that I feel like I'm constantly buying things here and there.
Instead of spending this month, I want to focus this month on finishing things that need to be finished. We have the caulk for these shelves... we just need to finish it.
We have some attic insulation that we need to add (and it's already bought), we just need to finish it.
There are probably five things that we haven't finished yet, that we have the supplies for. So, that's the focus for me.
How do you budget for things or do you budget? Am I crazy to just say no to any kind of shopping instead of just giving myself a budget? You won't hurt my feelings - be honest!
Have a great weekend! I'll be taking off of the 4th but will be back on Wednesday, the 6th. Be safe!
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Ashley
Love this idea!! I'm definitely all or nothing, too, and I need to move toward nothing soon! We just bought our first house (!!) so I'm in compulsive-nesting mode, but would love to hear others' thoughts on how they budget in the long term.
Ashley Mayes
I'm glad I'm not the only one! Yay for house buying. So exciting, congrats!! I know quite a few people who use YNASB but I just couldn't get into it. The thing that has worked best for us is to set up a house savings account. We allot so much each month to house purchases. I usually don't take money out for decor pieces, but things like new lights, rugs, tile, flooring, etc... all get pulled from it. That has worked the best for us.
Charlotte W
I am kind of the same way, I don't have a set budget - I just try to be frugal. But I have heard from A LOT of people that setting a specific budget is a game changer. I keep thinking I should try it, but I never just sit down to do it. I did a no spend on ANYTHING (no groceries, no lunch, nothing except bills that were due) for a week while reading the 7 experiment. It was a good discipline project!
Ashley Mayes
I tried the YNASB and just couldn't do it. I had to think about money and savings all the time... I found it annoying. I do have a good friend though that loves it and has saved tons (and paid off lots of credit cards). We have a house savings account that we put money into each month. That money pays for tile, wood flooring, cabinets, etc. That works for us most months (until I find a really good sale on something and I just buy it). =)
cassie @ primitive & proper
i need to do this but i always end up making excises for myself. 😉
Ashley Mayes
I'm usually right there with you. I'm congratulating myself right now though because I'm 3 days in and am doing well. It doesn't help when I get all the 4th of July sales to my inbox. SO annoying!
Leilani
Well, you know me and my lack of impulse control. But you also know what happened when I said I wasn't going to do any online shopping during tax season earlier this year. My bank balance showed just how out of control I had gotten, and it was shocking, remember? But it was a great learning experience for me. Now, I'm not gonna get all crazy and put myself on a budget - I mean, I could, and your dad would be over-the-moon thrilled, but....no. But I am much more selective when I do spend money now. So, I say go for it. And then in August, we'll go shopping.
Ashley Mayes
bahaha, yes! 3 days in and going strong.
Kati
Great idea! I have so many supplies bought for projects that I have never finished. I need to put myself on a non-spend month and force myself to use the stuff I already have. But first I have to get the master bathroom vanity done so we can use the space 🙂
Ashley Mayes
I think there are quite a few people that feel the same way! Yes, get that vanity done!!
Rebecca
I am shooting for a no spend July as well! Well, sort of...Both of our daughter's have their birthday this month but I am trying not to buy clothes or house stuff like you are. We moved into a home that was previously a rental in the fall so this spring our big goal was to get the yards fixed. We planned for it but I still always feel a bit shocked when I shell out that much money!
Ashley Mayes
It always shocks me as well when I have to shell out quite a bit of money. Keep your head up!
Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods
Oh my goodness! I totally need a No Spend Month in the near future. Wonder when that could be..... 🙂
Ashley Mayes
I'm counting the days till the end of the month! This has been kinda hard. =)
Jenna
Thank you for this! I started when you posted this and have already gotten so much done! I had so many projects that were 95% done and I just needed to finish. 🙂
Ashley Mayes
Yay, go you! We haven't gotten as much done as I would have liked but we haven't spent anything so I'd call that a win!