Here it is, the official results of our Frugal Living Challenge. We committed to spending as little as possible for three weeks, with the goal of finding $800 extra above our regular monthly savings.
We put off purchases, we discussed every bit of money spent, and we ate from our pantry and freezer.
We found $1000. Extra money.
Now, for some points of clarification. We don't normally spend $1000/month on random junk, and we don't have this money sitting around and we just didn't know it. This is money we budget for certain expenses, like household items, clothing, food, etc. After keeping ourselves fed, we put every dollar possible towards this challenge and went without coffee with friends, dinner out, and impulse purchases.
We have a few items we truly need to buy, and they will come out of February's budget. We probably could not sustain that amount of frugalness every month, but we are so inspired by our success that we plan to implement this challenge again in a few months.
I know not everyone has this money available, and I know many people are barely able to pay the bills.
But what if you could find just $50 in a month, or grow your own vegetables and knock $10 off your grocery bill? What if you emptied the change out of your pockets at the end of every day, and counted it at the end of the year?
What if?
Wow...that is awesome! Congrats on finishing the challenge and the great results.
ReplyDeleteHi and great job! We did the challenge too and came up with $750 to put toward debt. I admit that once I moved the calendar to February today, I went out to Walgreen's to get some needed supplies. But I agree with you that we should try it again in a few months. Congrats to your success.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Justine
Well, thanks ladies. @Justine - I did the same thing! It comes out of February's budget, though, so probably the end of this month will be tight too. But hey! We did it! Congratulations.
ReplyDelete