May and June are now in the books. Which means we are now officially halfway through my 2018 No-Spend Challenge Year. It’s hard for me to believe that half of this year’s challenge is finished.
Don’t get me wrong, I can’t believe it in a good way. Because let’s face it, not spending can be as tough as overspending! With that said, let’s dig into my last sixty days of this challenge.
May:
Costs and expenses:
- During the month of May, there were several large-ticket purchases that had to be made for the month. From certification fees for my husband to several small car repairs, our family accrued nearly $700.00 in costs.
- We also needed to fix three small outdoor home repairs which cost approximately $200.00. While we used savings to pay these expenses, these funds are on the books to be refunded this season.
- And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $212.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries.
How I saved:
- $76.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
- Used earned Amazon gift cards to purchase $100.00 in household goods (Angel Eyes, stainless steel pot, handkerchiefs, shea butter, African black soap, and scrub brush).
- Groomed pets at home and saved $70.00.
- Sold unused household items on Facebook local groups and made $125.00.
- Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
- Donated unused household items (clothing, bathroom racks, and bookshelves) to charity for tax receipts in deductions totaling $175.00 in appraised value.
- Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $40.00.
- Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
- Sold used books on eBay. Earned $64.35 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.
Total saved: $683.34
Total Spent: $1,112.14
Around the house:
While I spend more than double of what I saved, all purchases were needed and necessary. Which I am at peace with spending.
Aside from spending in May, our family was able to get some much-needed gardening time in. Including adding thinned herbs from our backyard flower beds to our front flower beds. Afterall, why not use empty bed space for helpful, healthful perennials, bulbs, and herbs?
I was also able to source several ornamental panes of grass from my backyard to edge my unused front flower bed was also a major victory, in terms of my no-spend budget. As each grass retails for close to $5.00 per grass at our local garden nursery, and having sourced over 30 grass clumps, saved my family $150.00 in landscaping costs.
Funds that can be used to fund Fall ornamental gardening features next season.
May also saw new side hustle opportunities for my family from Fiverr and an upcoming secondary Etsy shop. Which will hopefully reap dividends this Fall!
All-in-all, May was a quiet, expensive little month. A month that helped me family dig deeper and truly reevaluate our finances, our gardening practices, and zero-waste methods at home. For which I am beyond grateful.
June:
Costs and Expenses:
- During the month of June, there were very few expenses accrued at home. We decided to take on several DIY building projects. We sourced free, heat-treated palette wood but did need to purchase wood screw, glue, and sanding materials which totaled $21.00.
- We also found a side-of-the-road gem, a 55″ plasma tv. While the tv works flawlessly, it came sans a remote and stand. I purchased both on Amazon for under $30.00.
- I also needed to purchase several pieces of new workout clothing (my previous shorts and tanks were too large, yay!) which totaled nearly $40.00.
- And in terms of groceries, I spent a total of $162.14 on groceries and zero-waste toiletries. The remaining $97.86 was used to pay for the above-mentioned expenses.
How I saved:
- We saved $54.00 on requesting interlibrary loan books.
- Sold unused small appliances on Facebook local groups and made $50.00.
- Utilized free Hulu with our family Spring plan and saved $7.99.
- Donated unused household items to charity and received tax receipts for those deductions totaling $60.00 in appraised value.
- Ate from our pantry and freezer for one week saving $25.00.
- Cut my husband’s hair at home. Saved $25.00.
- Sold used books on eBay. Earned $78.81 after seller and PayPal fees and shipping labels.
Total saved: $300.80
Total Spent: $253.12
June was a busy time at home. With time spent building furniture, filming YouTube videos for my minimalism and plant-based cooking channels, working on my podcast, shuttling my family to summer camp activities, and starting new side hustles at home.
I was particularly proud of my husband’s handiwork in constructing our new tv console table for under $3.00! Its beautiful, sturdy, and put me in mind to see if my husband is up for tackling other zero-waste projects at home! It was a busy, practical, low-spend month. And again, like in May, I am grateful for the experiences I was provided!
Speaking of zero-waste home projects, you can check out both the television and the DIY tv console in our how-to on YouTube below!
So, friends, I want to ask, did you participate in our no-spend, or your own frugal April, be sure to leave your comments about what you learned! If you didn’t participate, I’d still love to hear how and where you saved the most this month! Share your stories below!
