Thursday, August 25, 2011

The September Spending Freeze

Sept Spending Freeze

Next Thursday, I am thrilled to be starting a new adventure here on Smart and Sassy with Sprinkles.  An adventure that I'm nervous about, slightly dreading, but also pretty excited for.  Next Thursday, I'm starting The September Spending Freeze, a month long freeze on everything but non-neccessity items.  The freeze will likely be a bit painful, but its beyond necessary, and now that I've made up my mind to take on the challenge, I'm ready for it!

So why start The September Spending Freeze?  It's a combination of reasons really.  The first is that Matt and I really have to get serious about saving.  We're starting to focus on the future more, wanting to save for a house, and build up a healthy "in case of emergency fund."  And lets not forget, we didn't get these Ph.D's for free.  So thats one reason.  The other reason is that we're failing miserably at sticking to our budget.  Last month, after careful planning and serious promises, we blew past our budget.  And not by a little bit, by a lotta bit.  (Too lotta bit to even share.)  And almost every penny that we blew past fell in one of three catagories: clothes, eating out, or entertainment.  While I like to pretend that I don't shop often, the people at Amex don't lie.  I saw that paper and couldn't find a place to hide fast enough.

So rather than endure another month of "I'll cut back, I'll do better, I promise," I'm finally fed up enough to go all extreme.  No spending on non-necessity items. At all.  Not ten dollars a week, not a latte here and there, zip, zilch, nada.  A total freeze on buying nonesstentials.

I threw this idea out on my Facebook page earlier this week, and several of you had something to say.  A few said no way, some sent prayers (Melissa, you know me too well), and surprisingly, several of you said you'd be game to join in, woo hoo!

Now let me be clear, The September Spending Freeze is a personal choice.  And with that, comes personal options.  While I'm choosing to apply the freeze to all non-essential items, maybe that's not  quite for you.  Maybe you want to focus on freezing your clothes spending, your eating out, or your beauty buys.  Maybe you just want to kick your habit of Starbucks.  Whatever and however you choose to do, it is totally up to you.  I've already had several questions about whether or not a few "cheats" can be allowed.  And to that I remind you, this is about making your own rules.  If you're still on the hunt for the perfect fall boots, write that in your rules.  If you've got a weekend getaway planned, and you want that weekend to be off-limits, go for it.  This is your September Spending Freeze, you can play it however you like.

So I encourage you to give it a thought.  Whether you're purposely trying to cut back, saving for a special vacation, or just trying to become more aware of your spending, The September Spending Freeze is a great way to get started.  And please, for no other reason, think about joining, so I'm not suffering, err, I mean discovering alone :)

The Freeze starts next Thursday, September 1, and if you want to join me, in any capacity by your rules or mine, shoot me an email.  I'm going to create a master list of Freeze participants.  (Even if that list is me, myself, and I.)  Every Thursday, I'll have a September Spending Freeze themed post, and I'll post the topic ahead of time, so you can join in.  But again, this challenge is about your own rules, so if you don't want to join in on the Thursday posts, no sweat.

Next Thursday's post will be titled "The September Spending Freeze: My Rules, My Way." This is your chance to dictate the rules for your challenge.  What's off limits, what are your cheats (if you have any), and what are the specifics of your freeze.

So that's the challenge if you choose to accept it.  A spending freeze for the entire month of September.  Who's with me? :)

PS: a MAJOR thanks and shout out to my friend Kendall Stoy for creating the fabulous September Spending Freeze logo featured above!

14 comments:

Makenna Van Liew said...

Oh my goodness this post could not have come to me at a better time! As a freshman in college on my way to being broke, I could really use an organized system like this. So now I'm off to shop for the rest of August so I can get my fill :)

Neon Blonde Runner said...

This is a fabulous idea!!

Lindsay said...

So taking part in this! I'm starting school next month which means only part-time work and wayyyy less income. A spending freeze is exactly what I need! Emailing you!

Heather said...

I'm in with the exception of one clothes shopping trip. I've got a really good coupon and I need new clothes with the new job. We did a no eating out freeze in March. One thing that helped alot was having a menu planned out so that we were not trying to figure out what to eat when we got home. Good luck!

Kenda said...

I think this is a great idea! Shooting you an email now :) Good luck!

Deviled Megs said...

I'm in -- this comes at the perfect time for me, I need to buckle down and not be as free wheeling with my spending.

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! Best of luck to you; I know how hard that would be for me!

Jamie LaFuze said...

I am truly inspired by this!!! My husband and I have been in the same situation, and I always think "I'll do better, I'll cut back", but the same things happens! I'm ready to join in on the month and can't wait to sit down and develop my own rules. Can't wait to see others do the same!

Kindra said...

im with you! i just emailed you my information! i am your newest follower :)

keepingupwithkindra.blogspot.com

MrsFlewlling said...

I am definitely in! I think it's a fabulous idea and with the economy the way it is, those interest rates just never stop growing! Can't wait for this to begin!

Glitterista said...

Okay, I'm in. I've been really thinking how to better spend wisely and a month of reflection would do wonders for that. Please add my email to your list! :)

Shelby said...

Okay okay .. I've been debating doing this for a while after following Anna on andthenshesaves.com and I think I can brave it for September! :) Thanks for the kick start motivation!

Anonymous said...

I'M IN!

me2weest2011.blogspot.com

Lydia said...

Hi friend! I am late jumping on, but I am all IN! I am always up for a good challenge! :-)