This week, I’d like to introduce you to the idea of keeping your wallet closed one day each week. I call these No-Spend Days!
Pick any day you want. It doesn’t matter. The purpose of this exercise is for you to give your wallet a break! Slow down your spending – keep your money in your wallet just a wee bit longer than you normally do.
How is this useful, Blue Lobster?
It’s been my experience that no-spend days mean that I’ve been more organized in the days prior. I’ve managed to cook some food, so I’ve had lunches to take to work and something tasty waiting for me at home for dinner.
No-spend days also mean that I’ve ingested fewer empty calories. I’ve avoided buying snacks at work or getting coffee throughout the day. Some of you might not be able to live without your daily cup of java, or something to tide you over from one meal to the next. Fair enough! I’m not asking you to be hungry or thirsty. I’m just asking you to find ways to satisfy your hunger/thirst pangs without opening your wallet.
I’m not a monster. I do indulge in sinfully delicious treats every once in awhile. They just happen to come from my own oven. Homemade baking, anyone?
The third benefit of No-Spend days is that I keep my sweet, little ass at home. Between catching up with friends, reading for book club, tidying the house, doing laundry, cooking meals for the freezer, baking tasty things, and zoning out with a streaming service, I find that I can keep myself busy at home for hours on No-Spend Days. So many more of the daily chores of living get accomplished on my No-Spend days because I stay out of the stores.
If I leave my house, suddenly I’m at a store. Which one, you ask? Take your pick: the grocery store, the liquor store, the book store, the Things-I-Didn’t-Know-I-Needed-Until-I-Walked-Past-It-At-The-Mall store.
No-Spend Days force me to be organized. Like I said earlier if I know that I’m committed to not spending money on a particular day, then that means making some plans in advance.
- No morning coffee run? Bring my coffee in from home.
- No snacking during the day? Bring a bigger lunch, or bring some homemade treats. (I like cookies and muffins. You might like granola, or peanuts & raisins, or veggies with dip.)
- No spending after work? Plan to get caught up on laundry, household chores, finishing books, watching a movie, cleaning the flowerbeds. There are many, many, many, many tasks to be done in and around your home when you commit to not spending money.
- No online shopping? Go through your stuff and figure out what you can sell online to decrease your clutter while earning a few bucks.
It might take a few tries, but you should eventually be able to figure out how to give your wallet a break atleast one day each week.
An Unexpected Benefit
Committing to a No-Spend Day puts you in the same shoes as those shoe don’t have the choice about whether to spend money! If you’re fortunate enough to choose whether to spend money or not on a given day, then you have some disposable income kicking around. You’re not in the situation of having every dollar committed to the necessities of staying alive.
Depending on your disposition, committing to a No-Spend Day might make you more sympathetic towards those with less. It’s a privilege to have a choice about whether to spend money. Going without exercising that privilege will give you a taste of what life is like for those who aren’t as fortunate as you.