Let me just start out by saying that the fact that I’m scared of these is probably not a good thing. A whole day spent conscientiously trying not to pull out any cash or plastic for coffee? To fill up on gas? What if I forget lunch? Or want to go out for a drink after work? It just sounds so…. Limiting. Restrictive, if I may. And being the Gemini that I am – I hate restrictions. Rules. Things dictating how I should live my life. Yuck.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not some crazy, out of control spendaholic… I just like to have the freedom to do what I want (when I want) with my money. Lately though, I’ll have to admit things have gotten a bit out of control. The holidays and last 2 months of 2009 had meeting dining out, happy hour hopping, and end of the year blow out partying all about town with friends and associates. My bank account definitely took a hit closing out ’09 and I’m convinced it’s finally time to make some slight changes to my lifestyle / spending pattern in order to reign in control of my finances.

So, no spend days… we meet alas. Being the (semi) nerdy PF blogger that I am, I’ve known about this trendy topic for a while now. People setting challenges / goals for themselves of how many days a week/month to not spend any $$, tracking their success online (as part of holding one’s self accountable), and putting it out there for the world to see in hopes of inspiring others to follow suit. For a while I thought this was crazy. Who needs to limit themselves that much where they have to label a specific day a “no spend day?” I have plenty of days (okay, not plenty – but enough) where I don’t spend any money, but I don’t consider it a success of sorts… or at least I didn’t, until now. After thinking these people were a bit crazy, I moved onto interest… where I silently became aware of the days when I hadn’t spent any funds and would give myself a little pat on the back. And after interest came my last 2 month spending spree and the fact that hey – this all makes sense. 

So here I am, jumping on the “No Spend Days” band wagon… except I’m really at a loss of where to start. Being a numbers girl, I automatically want to calculate a reasonable percentage of the month to allocate to not spending. Calculator in hand, I’ve worked out some numbers (okay, cross out the “semi” from the nerdy comment above). Again though, I have no clue what’s reasonable. So after thinking about it, I realized that this is for me and my individual situation, I have to do what I think would work in my life. So, I’ve decided to start with a loose leash. One day a week will be labeled a “No Spend Day.” Yes, I’m starting small in the minds of some, but the fact that I’m starting is already a success to me. I’m excited because I know it’s completely doable and that I’ll hold myself to it after posting about it here. Not sure how I’m going to track it… maybe blog about the no spend days?? … I can see it now… “Went to work. Made coffee. Ate packed lunch. Came home. Made mac n cheese. Watched TV. Bed.”.. Riveting stuff, I tell you. (Just kidding, it really will be much more exciting). I’m actually planning on dragging my roommate into this with me for support. (She just doesn’t know it yet). Our group can have tons of fun not spending any money, so I’m anxious to see what type of mischief we can get ourselves into while taking this challenge on.

Wish me luck! First no spend day to come next week!

Side note: Feel free to join in and give yourself a few no spend days too! Starting small (like me) is totally appropriate! Just try not to go on a shopping spree to celebrate your successes. (This may undo all your hard work).