This is the fourteenth day of our 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero challenge. Start with Day One here.
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Can you believe it? We’ve already made it through two weeks of zero spending! I’m so proud of you! I know the last few weeks have been full of challenges and hard work, but hopefully they’ve also been just a little bit fun as well.
I finally organized my hobby closet so I can use it. It’s been on my list forever—whew! My husband also went through his closet. It’s been an amazing week. Thank you so much for the inspiration to stop spending and start using what we already have. —Steffanie
The first time we did this challenge, it was during a pretty stressful time in our personal life. I remember being so amazed at the outpouring of love and support I received from our friends and family, particularly the ones who understood why we had decided to embark on a month of no spending.
I’m not sure if it was the fact that I was more aware and appreciative of their gestures, since I was trying to get by on less, or if there was a correlation to their giving and what was going on, but suddenly on Week 2 I started to feel very, very blessed. I noticed friends picking up the tab for me when we went for coffee, or offering to take my kids when I had an engagement, or stopping by with a bottle of wine and a little dinner.
It was amazing!
Perhaps when I’m in “normal spending mode” rather than “zero spending mode” I just overlook these little gestures or quickly reciprocate with money and forget about it. When I was committed to actions rather than spending, I started to be aware of and more deliberate in my gratitude and in the way I chose to give back. It truly did make me more appreciative of others.
Every day is a blessing, I believe, even though sometimes I may not feel it or see it. I have truly been taking in each challenge and letting them teach and guide me into better living habits, not only for myself, but also for my family, and my kids. What great life lessons they’re learning by seeing me work hard at bettering myself and my home—our home. Thank you for this amazing journey you have created and shared with all of us! —Sylvia
Now is also a good time to reflect on what you’ve saved in the past two weeks. Compare your spending this month to last month and see if you can see a savings difference. I like to keep a little tally of how much I’m saving by comparing it to the previous month. It can be very motivating.
As you reflect this week on your zero-spending journey, what have you learned? What did you discover when you were cleaning out all those closets and drawers and examining the inner recesses of your home? Did you find any items you had completely forgotten you owned?
My house has gotten so much cleaner this week! It has been such an awakening as to how little it takes to keep my house clean if I just do a little at a time. The biggest blessing I experienced this week was when someone stopped by unexpectedly and I wasn’t embarrassed about the state of my house, nor did I have to apologize for its state like I usually do. I’m hoping by the end of this month we will have a very firm grasp on our finances and how fast we will be able to get out of credit card debt! I’m so excited for what’s to come! —Samantha
Take some time to write down these reflections and to give yourself a little credit for your effort!
Way to go!
What cleaning & organizing tasks were you able to accomplish this week? What blessings have you experienced this week? What has been the biggest struggle for you this week? Where were you tempted to ‘cheat’? What are your goals for next week?
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Doing this challenge has been the perfect thing for starting off my year on the right track. Thank you so much for writing it! The best thing that happened this week is that I finally unearthed all the necessary components for my "good" camera. I had been missing the battery and card since we moved 4 and a half years ago! I didn't want to replace it because I knew everything I needed was SOMEWHERE in the house. I was starting to worry because we are going be adding another child to our family next month and I really wanted to have my good camera to capture some memories with. It was such a blessing to find it!