I have been sharing weekly minimal living tips with Instagram friends and thought I’d share my tips here for you too today.
What’s a zero spend budget? According to this blog…(they call it zero-based budgeting, but same concept essentialy):
Zero-based budgeting (ZBB) is a method of budgeting in which all expenses must be justified for each new period. The process of zero-based budgeting starts from a “zero base,” and every function within an organization is analyzed for its needs and costs. Budgets are then built around what is needed for the upcoming period, regardless of whether each budget is higher or lower than the previous one.
Want to try out a zero spend month too? Five tips to have a successful zero spend month:
1. Hold off on anything that is not immediate. Giving time to think about if you really need something
2. Buy second hand where possible
3. Trade if you can
4. Avoid “window shopping”
5. Cut back on extras (like that extra coffee when you could bring your awesome one from home, for instance)
And what’s been working really well for us lately is sticking to a - zero spend budget too. We keep it simple - it’s more of a mindset than a list of rules. Essentially, we don’t spend unless necessary, simplify, and streamline it all. We’ve ended up saving a lot of money faster this way too. Which is the goal, right? Little purchases used to add up so quickly for us, so this shift has been huge for us. We check in to our spending habits during a part of our monthly routine check in with our finances.
What does it look like on paper for us? Instead of setting aside certain amounts for spending areas (which in the past I’d want to spend if we didn’t dip into it), we just track every purchase and take a look at it throughout the month and at the end of the month going forward. Talking about it. Did we really need xyz? And to make new “rules” going forward. Mindful budgeting and saving.
Want to get started with the zero spend method we use? I have a simple spending tracker monthly worksheet for you that’ll help you clearly see what areas you need to work on very quickly. It’s been so helpful for us. Since we started doing zero spending mindset for our budgeting, we’ve finally made a significant dent in our savings for our basement reno. Feel free to email me at simplehomemom@gmail.com for that tracker for free!
Hi, I’m Kelly! I’m a mother of four children - three boys, one toddler girl - and our family lives on the beautiful east coast of Canada. I’m a past elementary teacher, turned stay at home, work at home mom eight years ago after I had my second child. I’ve found that the busier I’ve become and as my children age, that it’s become even more important to figure out what is most important to me and us as a family. Living a simpler lifestyle has helped us in so many ways in our home life - from better routines to faster tidying up times. It has been through my children that I have been inspired to learn how to effectively manage my time and to simplify in all areas of my home and life. I enjoy helping busy moms simplify home life by teaching flexible planning methods and skills. Enjoyed this blog and think it would be helpful to others? I'd love if you shared it. Thank you!