Is anyone else feeling the financial pinch of late?
Sometimes life can throw curves balls with surprising regularity, making it hard to stay standing, often sending us backwards if there is a tough run of bills.
Expenses and outgoings can seem overwhelming like we will never get ahead.
There is hope.
That hope comes in the form of being mindful with money. Mindful money is a powerful way to build healthy money habits into your lifestyle. You slowly but surely turn the tide on your finances, taking back control and steering your life in the direction you want, and deserve.
No Spend Days are one of the seven habits of mindful money. A simple but powerful toolbox that can save you thousands every year if wielded correctly.
No Spend Days have the power to ease the financial burden, help us take back control and feel confident that we are making our money work as hard as it can for us.
No Spend Days days supercharge the mental muscle you need to make healthy money habits an ingrained part of your life. They are one of the most effective ways to slow impulse spending and find money that you never knew you had. Impulse spending is responsible for many euros disappearing every month and year, accumulating a sizeable sum over a lifetime.
Understanding the importance of managing small spends well makes all the difference between successfully saving or diving further into debt.
We have all been fooled into thinking that taking care of small amounts of money won’t make a difference.
This is not true.
No-Spend Days are like magic; they compound lots of small, seemingly inconsequential spends and roll them into something worthwhile. Saving money is not always about income; what a person does with that income is just as important.
What Is A No-Spend Day?
A No-Spend Day is any day where no money is spent other than on essential bills and groceries. We all need to eat and keep a roof over our heads. In addition, we need electricity, a warm home, and a full belly. For this reason, essential bills like accommodation, electricity, broadband, and groceries are not considered when it comes to calculating a No-Spend Day.
No Spend Days are about abundance.
Cutting back excessively on essential items leads to deprivation and a loss of quality of life. That is against the nature of mindful spending and is unsustainable. Mindful spending is about abundance and the creation of happiness in life. Therefore, you should take care to avoid cutting essential spending back so far that these impact your quality of life. No-Spend Days are not designed to penalise or cause deprivation. Instead, they are intended to curb wasteful spending so that you have the money to live the life you deserve.
The rules
To class, a day as a No-Spend Day, essential bills and grocery shopping are where spending must stop. Any expenses outside these categories are classed as wants and not needs.
Money spent on anything other than necessities causes the day to be classed as a Spend Day. Spend Days are days when money is spent on things over and above the essential needs. Take-away coffee, restaurant lunches, clothes, shoes or other items would fall into this Spend Day category. That also includes things like food deliveries, makeup and gadgets, and sales where another white shirt is purchased even though there are six near-identical white shirts in the closet. Meals out, coffee mornings with cream buns,
cinema trips, magazines and subscriptions that don’t get used. The list of things to spend on is infinite, and there are many vested interests in helping us part with our hard-earned money.
No Spend Days help you differentiate between the ones that matter and the ones that don’t.
Spend Days are OK
Spending is a part of living. Hence, Spend Days are not a bad thing; they are a normal part of life and should be enjoyed. For example, clothes are needed, a trip to the zoo is called for, or the only place to meet a friend is in a cafe. There are also times when it is nice to check out a new restaurant or the latest blockbuster. These things add icing to the cake of life and should be enjoyed to the full. These are ideal fun money spends.
The trouble happens when the number of Spend Days and the amount of money spent on those days makes money tight. If eating out is normal and not a treat, the wardrobe is brimming with clothes that have hardly been worn, or you can’t remember how or when the money was spent, there is a problem.
Additionally, if these purchases were made because we’re tired, feeling lazy, impulsive or emotional, or if you are eyeing up the credit card to get you through until the end of the month, then Spend Days most likely need addressing.
If this is the case, you are doing yourself a massive disservice. Especially if you are not paying yourself first or the rainy day funds is not as healthy as they should be. If this is the case, this disservice is costing you dearly.
How to Start a No-Spend Day Habit
If it is your first time trying a No-Spend Day, it is important not to overthink it. Instead, make it into a game, a fun game. Watch your habits and try to identify what triggers spending. Of course, everyone is different, but if you can understand why you spend money, it can be easier to put a plan to slow this spending down.
Begin with just one No-Spend Day a week. Then, get a calendar and tick off the No-Spend Days as you have them. If that is successful, try two a week and keep it at that level for a while. Continue this way until you find what is optimal for you.
Summary
There is no right or wrong number of No-Spend Days to have. The important thing is to keep trying to have them. Plan ahead and find a balance between doing the things you love and enjoying them versus keeping that purse shut tight because you have better things to do with your money.
If you can build to 2 or 3 No Spend Days a week and continue that indefinitely, you are on track to save yourself thousands this year and every year for the rest of your life.
To learn more about the 7 Habits of Mindful Money and change how you think about and manage money forever check out Mindful Money, more money, more freedom, more happiness