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Definitely 💚. It was for a party, a replacement of the older costumes, and you had promised you would get new costumes, so it can also be counted as an obligation. 🙂
💚 I vote green - these items come under 'replacing worn out items' because your boys had grown out of their old costumes and you had already promised new ones, you just forget that the replacement was needed. AND I think it also comes under the 'unexpected party invite' category, since they needed the costumes for an event you hadn't realised fell within your no-spend period.
💚Minimalisim living shouldn’t be painful. By living frugally you have saved enough to cover the holiday mix up and I bet be more prepared for next year. Don’t let it eat at you. 🦖 Thank you for making realistic videos and sharing your lifestyle with us! 💚
Living this way made me prepared to pay off the $3,100 property tax short fall bill I received this week from my bank. If I didn't have the money ready to go, my monthly bill would have dabbled. This has encouraged me to be more mindful about my spending and live with less this year.
💚 Yeah, you had already planned for the costumes, it just slipped your mind that it was this month. I'm doing a no spend challenge for this year on yarn. I'm an avid knitter who has built up a large stash. I'm doing my best to only knit from the yarns I already have.
Green: You had already planned to buy new costumes. 😊 I have been doing no/low spend since the beginning of the year. For my chart, I have 3 colors: green for nothing spent, yellow for necessary exceptions, and red for a purchase that was not on the plan (not a necessity, and could have been delayed or walked away from).
We had an almost no spend vacation last summer. We went RVing a whole lot even abroads. We only bought gas and food and payed some nights for a camping lot. A week in Norway cost our family of 5, about 300€. Including overnight campgrounds, gas and some food. Mostly I packed food from home. We had the best time ever 😊 We went swimming outdoors, found a free carneval in Finland.
This is great to show that is is possible, but sometimes it can also be good to spend while you are on holiday as a tourist supporting the local economy. For example, to cut down on our costs, we will rent somewhere with a full kitchen for a week, buy groceries locally and then just have one special dinner out, maybe a pastry from local cafe/bakery and an evening of tasting flights at local brewery as treats to get the vacation experience for less.
Shippy365 this is true. We happen to own an old Rv which gets used a lot, we cook there. We packed food mainly cause I have celiac so don´t want to accidentally eat gluten. And also everything costs more in Norway compared to Finland. Tamra I consider it pretty good that extra spending for about a month (45nights total from june till october) of vacation costs around 1000€`s in for a family of five. This includes extra spending that we would not have had if we would have stayed home such as: Insurance and taxes for the RV during the summer, gas, some campgrounds and what we ate out during that month. One night in a hotel for example would cost our family around 300€ plus eating out.
💛 I would put it as a green spend, except that forgetting and then getting price gouged at the last minute is an important financial lesson about planning ahead and remembering stuff like that. You're chances of forgetting it again in future are much lower now that it has happened once, so it has been a useful loss of money.
💚 I lived in Germany and I know Karneval is huge! You probably could have improvised something with stuff in your home, but since you declutter so much that's probably not an option. Having the kids feeling left out of the fun wasn't an option either
I don't have children but one thing I thought about was how my future children would react to my minimalistic life and beliefs. Seeing your kids and your family help me see that a minimalist family is possible and kids can still be happy :)
💚 but not because of the party (because you probably could’ve DIY’d or borrowed) but because you’d made a prior commitment, like a pledge you had to honor
💚 I think school things and activities should be an exception because they can be unexpected or relayed to us at the last minute. Y’all did awesome on your no spend! 🥳 Very inspiring and I love their costume choices! 💙💙
For these unexpected things I create an annual budget which is more like a pool of money that I expect I'll need to pull from eventually. That pool model works better for things like gifts, random school expenses, medical appointments, etc. Monthly budgeting is better for recurring fixed bills.
💚 I am so impressed that you are so intentional with your future purchases. You kept the promise that you made with the kids a year ago. They had reworn costumes for several years. Great decision to get the new ones! My daughter’s family has been living in Berlin for 2 1/2 years. They have a 6-year-old son and we got adorable pictures of him in his red ninja costume for Karnival!
💚 and- do you monitor what you would have bought otherwise? and : how do you decide whether it would not have been just a thought, but a real intention to buy it? and: do you find yourself spending more in the month after the no- spend-challenge? how often does it happen, that you actually just "postpone" the spending? ( asking for a friend 😅)
❤The same thing happened to me this year, I forgot the carnival and, to continue my no-spend month, I had to improvise a costume with what I had at home. That way I didn't spend any money and I developed my creativity. In my opinion, you should have looked for a way to find a costume for your children without spending money or, at least, second hand, to save as much as possible.
💚 I would not beat myself up over a purchase that I forgot to include in planning the rules (not used to, e.g., different traditions). Category: celebration that came up ... emergency (me not considering ALL upcoming events) ... can do double duty for another purpose ... If I 'punish' myself for an oversight, i might be more hesitant to repeat such a challenge in the future because I would be afraid I'd mess up again. Treat yourself with kindness and grace. All is well. 💚💚✌️
This year for Christmas, we are giving acts of kindness (babysitting, housekeeping, dinner hosted by us, etc.). We also plan to gift experiences for the children.
💚 for both the party exception and since you were technically replacing costumes that were no longer functional for your boys since they were growing out of them
💚I feel parents must keep reasonable promises to children, even if it wasn't on the exceptions list. However I would say it was on the exceptions list given your guideline. Good Job - it is hard to do a no spend challenge. I didn't do it this time, but I've done it before and it takes planning and mindfulness.
💚 For sure! I think that you follow your own rules and exceptions very well and there’s no reason to get tripped up on something that (although could’ve possibly been avoided) was really something that was promised in advance to be purchased. 💚 I also like what someone else said- minimalism and frugal living should not be painful. It can be hard, yes, but it should not necessarily be painful to think about and participate in on the daily. 💚
I vote 💚 However, I would also put into my google calendar a reminder to check the kids' costumes in January so that I gave myself time to prepare and possibly cheaper alternatives.
💚for sure! I decided one summer to not buy any more clothes for the rest of the year as I felt I had enough (we were relocating/moving multiple times this year, and I was super motivated to have less and definitely not more), so I guess this is also a way to do it: choose only one category.
💚 ... I personally feel like the point of a no buy is for extra things you weren't planning/obligated to buy. This was something that you had mentioned knowing they would have an "obligation" for that if you had remembered, you would have done anyways.
Green: social school requirement. This year, at a new school, we are getting slammed with like "needs," usually on very short notice because everyone (except new families) know. But, socially kids are ostracized if not participating in the correct way--like with costumes. As far as gifting: a low cost, but high value, gift is a well-considered, thoughtful handwritten letter. Or even an extended inscription in a beloved book from your own library. As a retired teacher, I was surprised with a FB message from a former student (10 years later) who sent me a photo of one such inscription to prove she still had it. Wonderful person then and she's a great mother now. A note can be lifetime investment.
Green! Party exception and you replaced costumes that were worn out or too small. The challenge is a great idea, but life happens. Do talk to your kids about how not keeping up on the holiday did cause a higher expense than if you had planned ahead 😉
I recall a comment on Earth Day (April 22) last year, to turn off all “unnecessary” lighting for an hour, to save power, etc. This sounds like reduce “unnecessary” spending for a month. Shouldn’t we be shutting off all unnecessary lighting always, and reducing unnecessary spending always? The first “R” of reduce, recycle, reuse is REDUCE. Buy less, buy used. 😊
I'm now 11 days into a NSC. I'm going to keep going until i get paid in a few days. Never have I ever had this much left in my account before payday. I feel quite sick at the crap I have been spending on.
💚 I think in the broader understanding you could also say the costumes were kind of a necessitiy because it was for a school party so it was kind of for their education (I mean of course it is not obligatory but your children would probably feel left out and of course you could have find a cheaper and maybe free way but I think you did the right thing under these circumstances.).
💚 for sure I have been living a "no spend" life since I started my decluttering journey (like 5-8 years ago?), which I don't find it difficult at all. It's just became part of my life. One year I needed to use one of my gift cards to pay for groceries because it was reaching its expiry date and I just did not have any non-essential thing to spend on (that was when gift cards had 1 year expiry date, and now, gift cards have 4 years expiry date 👍) Because of my declutter practice, I find myself in a non appreciative position of not accepting my husband's eldest sister's gifts cheerfully. As no matter how I explained myself, she still buys unnecessary stuffs as gifts to us. My husband has more than 5 expensive coats/jackets that he seldom got chances to wear, but he would not tell her nor donate them, because they're from his siblings. What a waste! She would buy me items that don't fit my style or not the colours I like. I would put them aside in the closet for at least a couple of years and then donate them, so my husband wouldn't say that I am not appreciative of his siblings' gifts.
💚 We have to be gentle with ourselves! As mom's we expect ourselves to remember every date and party in advance. You forgot but had promised them these costumes. I definitely think that this counts as a green because it wad something you were planning on doing for a while.
Definitely a 💚. School function things should be considered a yes. I don't think depriving the kids of participating could in any way be helpful or productive to their mental health. So for that reason it's a definite yes.
Green. I am going to do a no spend on any fast food. I looked at all my receipts and noticed that I spend so much on drive thru. Meal planning is my challenge
💚💚💚💚 Maybe you could use them for Hallowe'en as well. You could class this as a 'school item' since you likely wouldn't have purchased them if it hadn't been for the school event.
Thank you for your informative videos. I've been doing no-spend challenges since last year August. But I go hard core. Any money spent makes the day "red". So I have planned "red" days for the essentials and bills. The challenge is to see how many green days I can get too within a month. So far my record to break is 16 days. This has made me very creative with what I do have when it comes to food prep and even school supplies. The problem comes in when my mind is set to get the day green and then something is needed, for example my iron broke! I think I've become inflexible when it comes to my planning. Not really realistic... But still working on it. Challenge now is to not freak out about red days. Life also happens.
Your rules would do me in, as I am not that organised! I wouldn't be able to work out when i had to spend, ahead of time. But you do you, and good luck!
No-spend challenges are so good, especially for those who have never done them before, as it helps them learn about their own spending better! I went quite a few years only buying what I needed (food, bills, etc). Right now, I have a baby due in three months so I might have to buy bamboo diapers soon. I have a baby shower I am going to in a few weeks (before my own) and am making a quilt for her baby. I guess therefore I might have to buy some fabric (unless I have enough scrap fabric available). Anyway, I am really strict about what I buy and people think I am very disciplined, but it is just out of habit these days. I am sure you go through that too. I love how you have this so organized with print-outs and everything. Really awesome how you do your tracking. My husband and I have a spreadsheet online that we use together.
Such a lovely video. Thank you for sharing. Re the costumes, I'd go ❤️, but I would have done exactly the same as you and bought the new costumes. It's OK to have a red day though. It's what makes life fun and it's part of living it. You were absolutely bang on for 96% of the month and that's a massive success!
Green💚 but for a different reason. I think since you had promised your kids and mentally "spent" the money a year prior, it was more or less a planned or budgeted expense.
💚 I would say you are replacing costumes for your boys that were worn out. A school party definitely falls under the exception of birthdays. Also, as others have commented, school projects & activities should be an exception because they often happen unexpectedly. Great job on your February no-spend challenge! Thanks for this video review of your month.
💚 I wouldn't even call it a party exception, but rather a necessity because something (in this case the costumes) were outgrown and needed to be replaced. The alternative would be that the children didn't have any costume, or wouldn't go to the party. It was a necessity to buy it. :)
I would say that if it was something that you’ve been planning to buy for quite a while, then it’s fine. If it was something that popped up out of the blue and sounded good in the moment, then it would be a red.
I would say 💚 to the costumes. First off, the old ones are worn out and this was a party. You had already said you'd buy new ones, so it's most definitely not an exception.
💚 because you promised it to them. And you should keep promises, otherwise it's unfair to break them and breaking them can leave a dent in your relationship with them.
❤ loved the video. Thank you for sharing the details. I think we will have to try a no spend week. I do think it is red day as I grew up in Germany... and we make the kids costumes at home for free basically every year or we ask to burrow friends costume. Just an idea for the future :) Pinterest is great for inspiration.
I hate shopping (even on-line), and I don't live in a city, so it is easy for me to go for three weeks or more at a time without spending money. Keeping track of finances is essential; it all goes on to a daily calendar. I always know exactly what I have and what is coming in. Habitual frugality means that unexpected events like kid holidays, or broken teeth can be covered without stress.
💚 Because you had made them a promise, I believe you would have made the costumes an exception ahead of time had you remembered the holiday celebration. Plus, I believe it was also a necessity as your children need to trust that you will follow through on your word.
I think a no spend challenge would provide a good impetus to actually use some gift cards or vouchers rather than letting them expire (this is what usually happens at our house). Also I loved Fasching when I lived in Germany. Our city was traditionally protestant so there was no parade but I used to xc ski in the Black Forest a lot and there were so many cool costumes and parades! I think the costumes are ok (they are essential!) But it's also ok to slip up and have a "red" day. Perfectionism shouldn't overshadow what you and your family accomplished.
💚 Honestly I think the same applies to the celebrating carnival as birthdays/holidays, I think we should never miss out/make ourselves feel left out on what they call “core memories”. Sure If it was preplanned you could have saved some money, and that nice to know for next year (or to include in the exceptions next time), but to make it red seems almost like it would have been better to not buy them new costumes… which of course would not be true. So I wouldn’t count it as a true red, but I think it’s wonderful to reflect on the purchase as I think it allows us to make a better distinction to what we value in life and what ways we want to enjoy life. Thank you for this wonderful video!
I’m doing the whole of lent until Easter Sunday. Only food and petrol. I live on my own so if I eat out ( no drive throughs) I’ve to do it with someone else. Socialising. That’s probably only once a week. Obviously all my bills are paid. But I did need wallpaper brush and paste. But used a voucher- I sent someone else to the store. 1 present for my grandchild. But that was a challenge. I saw loads of things that were tempting. 😮😅
💚 for me on the costumes. a) the outgoing had been agreed last year; the money leaving your account just happened to fall within your no spend month. b) I don’t think that a lifestyle choice should impact on your children’s happiness. And it’s clear that it doesn’t - your boys don’t have an abundance of toys but they have what they need and are happy. I feel like not allowing them costumes because you have chosen a no spend month would have been unfair and I think they would have felt very left out. (Of course it’s very different if you’re having an enforced no spend month so you can make your bills. Then sad compromises have to be made).
Green. I did do a no spend/low spend challenge in February. I am going to extend it into March. Hopefully, I'll be able to save even more. Thanks for sharing your journey.
💚 fasching is most definitely a party that allows an exception! Especially if they had the same costume for a while! I had different costumes every year and sometimes even on different days of one year, if there was a themed party for example!
Hi Marissa, can you make a video about what you do like to spend money on? Like save no expenses. For example vacation? Sorry if my request sounds weird, English is not my first language. xoxo
💚💚I think you did a great job! I appreciate that you kept track of the exceptions you made during the month. I can see why you did the costume as a "red" day at first. As I was watching I thought about how you had planned on it and forgot and that it could be considered a "birthday"-type thing. Then, you shared your mindset shift about it. I think the main thing is to keep yourself accountable during a no-spend time. 💚Success!💚
I'm a little late to comment this time but your red day should not have been so, in my opinion. This is one of those expenses that should have been pre-approved before the no-spend challenge, since you promised last year. It wasn't an impulse purchase. You just forgot to preapprove it. (Also, I grew up celebrating Fasching and it's like Mardi Gras, just a little more family-friendly lol!). 💚💚💚
💚 In my opinion buying the costumes is totally fine. These challenges are about saving money and you would have spent the money on costumes any ways, even if you would have bought them in advance. Love your channel BTW, greetings from Berlin 😉
I would count the party costumes as an exception because you already promised you would buy them a year earlier. I also want to add that a slip up is okay. I am doing no-spend now and there are lots of times I forgot about some recurring subscription (ugh) or just had a horrible day and needed to pick up take-out for dinner. The important thing is that if you slip-up once, do NOT give up on your no-spend! If you are too rigid, you will feel like "oh well, I messed up this month, so I might as well spend more now and then start over next month." It is better to have a couple "oopsies" during the month than to completely give up on your plans! Commit to your project, even if it doesn't come out perfectly, and even if you have to make some compromises along the way.
Awesome video! Now that my vacation is over, I will do a no spend challenge in March. My bank account will be delighted. Thanks for mentioning my comment.
I would like to share with you the golden rule that I have at home and that helps me save a lot of money per month. On the wall at home we have a sort of picture that I made that says "If I need something... 1. I will get it for free 2. I will make it myself 3. I will buy it second hand 4. I will buy it first hand". These are the steps I think of when I need something. For example, if my pan has broken and I need a new one, I first ask my family and friends if they can give me one of theirs that they no longer use. Then I check if I can do it myself (in this case it doesn't apply). Then, if I still haven't got it, I go to second-hand apps and look for the best deal. And, as a last resort, I buy it first hand with coupons or discounts. I hope this helps you!!
Love your videos! They have such a well thought out and sincere vibe. I would count your kids’ costumes as green because 1) you had already made that spending decision outside of the no spend period and 2) technically you were replacing something that was worn out or broken (the costumes). Even if it were a red day, I’d prefer that to going back on a promise to my kids and not having them enjoy the school party. Would have done the same!
💚 Definitely ok on the costumes - it’s something that needed to be replaced and honoring your commitment to the boys is so important! I assume it’s like Mardi Gras/Carnival so I think it’s a necessary item! We call it Fasnacht Day where I live in Pennsylvania (heavy Amish/Mennonite/German influence) where they make donuts (fasnachts) from the remaining lard before Ash Wednesday and Lent, so I can see the connection to Fasching! PS - Revlon Colorstay is my all-time favorite pressed/setting powder too!
💚 it's for your kids' parties. Acceptable. I'm trying a no extras spending for 6 months. I used an Excel spreadsheet to process how much I could save in particular areas. I like the challenge!
💚 I already tried this challenge and it's so worth it... 👏👏👏👏. 1st of all you find out how many things and stuff excualy you don't need, 2nd you save so much money and the 3rd one is the best you make yourself so much easier to deal with any upcoming decisions regarding money wise.
♥️💚You can count the portion of the costume expense that was being up-charged because of buying last minute as breaking the rules is fine, but you can’t count the costumes themselves because you promised earlier (so it was an expense you had planned to make). So it is a little of both.👍🏻
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Of course it was a 💚 Also it was a replacement for an older item.
Definitely 💚. It was for a party, a replacement of the older costumes, and you had promised you would get new costumes, so it can also be counted as an obligation. 🙂
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💚 I vote green - these items come under 'replacing worn out items' because your boys had grown out of their old costumes and you had already promised new ones, you just forget that the replacement was needed. AND I think it also comes under the 'unexpected party invite' category, since they needed the costumes for an event you hadn't realised fell within your no-spend period.
Agreed with this
💚Minimalisim living shouldn’t be painful. By living frugally you have saved enough to cover the holiday mix up and I bet be more prepared for next year. Don’t let it eat at you. 🦖 Thank you for making realistic videos and sharing your lifestyle with us! 💚
Living this way made me prepared to pay off the $3,100 property tax short fall bill I received this week from my bank. If I didn't have the money ready to go, my monthly bill would have dabbled. This has encouraged me to be more mindful about my spending and live with less this year.
💚 Yeah, you had already planned for the costumes, it just slipped your mind that it was this month. I'm doing a no spend challenge for this year on yarn. I'm an avid knitter who has built up a large stash. I'm doing my best to only knit from the yarns I already have.
Green: You had already planned to buy new costumes. 😊 I have been doing no/low spend since the beginning of the year. For my chart, I have 3 colors: green for nothing spent, yellow for necessary exceptions, and red for a purchase that was not on the plan (not a necessity, and could have been delayed or walked away from).
We had an almost no spend vacation last summer. We went RVing a whole lot even abroads. We only bought gas and food and payed some nights for a camping lot. A week in Norway cost our family of 5, about 300€. Including overnight campgrounds, gas and some food. Mostly I packed food from home. We had the best time ever 😊 We went swimming outdoors, found a free carneval in Finland.
This is great to show that is is possible, but sometimes it can also be good to spend while you are on holiday as a tourist supporting the local economy. For example, to cut down on our costs, we will rent somewhere with a full kitchen for a week, buy groceries locally and then just have one special dinner out, maybe a pastry from local cafe/bakery and an evening of tasting flights at local brewery as treats to get the vacation experience for less.
B's. Almost no spend? I'd like to know your total cost for your summer. I bet it was way more than I make in a year.
Shippy365 this is true. We happen to own an old Rv which gets used a lot, we cook there. We packed food mainly cause I have celiac so don´t want to accidentally eat gluten. And also everything costs more in Norway compared to Finland. Tamra I consider it pretty good that extra spending for about a month (45nights total from june till october) of vacation costs around 1000€`s in for a family of five. This includes extra spending that we would not have had if we would have stayed home such as: Insurance and taxes for the RV during the summer, gas, some campgrounds and what we ate out during that month. One night in a hotel for example would cost our family around 300€ plus eating out.
💚 You told your boys you would buy them new costumes. I believe you did the right thing by keeping your word.
💛 I would put it as a green spend, except that forgetting and then getting price gouged at the last minute is an important financial lesson about planning ahead and remembering stuff like that. You're chances of forgetting it again in future are much lower now that it has happened once, so it has been a useful loss of money.
💚 I lived in Germany and I know Karneval is huge! You probably could have improvised something with stuff in your home, but since you declutter so much that's probably not an option. Having the kids feeling left out of the fun wasn't an option either
I don't have children but one thing I thought about was how my future children would react to my minimalistic life and beliefs. Seeing your kids and your family help me see that a minimalist family is possible and kids can still be happy :)
Yep..... minimum living is very popular amongst the poor people in the world.
💚 I think it should be green because you were replacing something they had been wearing for years.
💚 but not because of the party (because you probably could’ve DIY’d or borrowed) but because you’d made a prior commitment, like a pledge you had to honor
💚 I think school things and activities should be an exception because they can be unexpected or relayed to us at the last minute. Y’all did awesome on your no spend! 🥳 Very inspiring and I love their costume choices! 💙💙
For these unexpected things I create an annual budget which is more like a pool of money that I expect I'll need to pull from eventually. That pool model works better for things like gifts, random school expenses, medical appointments, etc. Monthly budgeting is better for recurring fixed bills.
💚 I'm sure your kids had a great time dressing up, and that's more important than money.
💚 I am so impressed that you are so intentional with your future purchases. You kept the promise that you made with the kids a year ago. They had reworn costumes for several years. Great decision to get the new ones!
My daughter’s family has been living in Berlin for 2 1/2 years. They have a 6-year-old son and we got adorable pictures of him in his red ninja costume for Karnival!
I vote green. It also falls under replacing something that wore out. Maybe give it a yellow for not planning ahead.
💚 and- do you monitor what you would have bought otherwise? and : how do you decide whether it would not have been just a thought, but a real intention to buy it?
and:
do you find yourself spending more in the month after the no- spend-challenge? how often does it happen, that you actually just "postpone" the spending? ( asking for a friend 😅)
❤The same thing happened to me this year, I forgot the carnival and, to continue my no-spend month, I had to improvise a costume with what I had at home. That way I didn't spend any money and I developed my creativity. In my opinion, you should have looked for a way to find a costume for your children without spending money or, at least, second hand, to save as much as possible.
💚 I would not beat myself up over a purchase that I forgot to include in planning the rules (not used to, e.g., different traditions). Category: celebration that came up ... emergency (me not considering ALL upcoming events) ... can do double duty for another purpose ... If I 'punish' myself for an oversight, i might be more hesitant to repeat such a challenge in the future because I would be afraid I'd mess up again. Treat yourself with kindness and grace. All is well. 💚💚✌️
This year for Christmas, we are giving acts of kindness (babysitting, housekeeping, dinner hosted by us, etc.). We also plan to gift experiences for the children.
💚 for both the party exception and since you were technically replacing costumes that were no longer functional for your boys since they were growing out of them
💚I feel parents must keep reasonable promises to children, even if it wasn't on the exceptions list. However I would say it was on the exceptions list given your guideline. Good Job - it is hard to do a no spend challenge. I didn't do it this time, but I've done it before and it takes planning and mindfulness.
💚 For sure! I think that you follow your own rules and exceptions very well and there’s no reason to get tripped up on something that (although could’ve possibly been avoided) was really something that was promised in advance to be purchased. 💚 I also like what someone else said- minimalism and frugal living should not be painful. It can be hard, yes, but it should not necessarily be painful to think about and participate in on the daily. 💚
I admire your spirit of discipline, especially as a teachable oppty for your sons; however...I say 100% green!💚
I vote 💚 However, I would also put into my google calendar a reminder to check the kids' costumes in January so that I gave myself time to prepare and possibly cheaper alternatives.
💚💚 it facilitated an experience and was their gift to the party to get dressed up
💚for sure!
I decided one summer to not buy any more clothes for the rest of the year as I felt I had enough (we were relocating/moving multiple times this year, and I was super motivated to have less and definitely not more), so I guess this is also a way to do it: choose only one category.
Definitely green for the Fasching costumes for the kids 😊
💚 ... I personally feel like the point of a no buy is for extra things you weren't planning/obligated to buy. This was something that you had mentioned knowing they would have an "obligation" for that if you had remembered, you would have done anyways.
Green: social school requirement. This year, at a new school, we are getting slammed with like "needs," usually on very short notice because everyone (except new families) know. But, socially kids are ostracized if not participating in the correct way--like with costumes.
As far as gifting: a low cost, but high value, gift is a well-considered, thoughtful handwritten letter. Or even an extended inscription in a beloved book from your own library. As a retired teacher, I was surprised with a FB message from a former student (10 years later) who sent me a photo of one such inscription to prove she still had it. Wonderful person then and she's a great mother now. A note can be lifetime investment.
💚💚 ti guardo dall'Italia! Sei fortissima! Assolutamente cuore verde!
💚💚💚 As always, great job with the video. I appreciate all the effort you put into them!
Thank you so much ☺️
💚
You did the right thing by buying your boys costumes as you promised them. Love the Link costume! And We do love a ninja minimalist 🥷
Green! Party exception and you replaced costumes that were worn out or too small. The challenge is a great idea, but life happens. Do talk to your kids about how not keeping up on the holiday did cause a higher expense than if you had planned ahead 😉
💚💚💚The boys only get one childhood!
I recall a comment on Earth Day (April 22) last year, to turn off all “unnecessary” lighting for an hour, to save power, etc. This sounds like reduce “unnecessary” spending for a month. Shouldn’t we be shutting off all unnecessary lighting always, and reducing unnecessary spending always? The first “R” of reduce, recycle, reuse is REDUCE. Buy less, buy used. 😊
I'm now 11 days into a NSC. I'm going to keep going until i get paid in a few days.
Never have I ever had this much left in my account before payday.
I feel quite sick at the crap I have been spending on.
💚 I think in the broader understanding you could also say the costumes were kind of a necessitiy because it was for a school party so it was kind of for their education (I mean of course it is not obligatory but your children would probably feel left out and of course you could have find a cheaper and maybe free way but I think you did the right thing under these circumstances.).
💚 for sure
I have been living a "no spend" life since I started my decluttering journey (like 5-8 years ago?), which I don't find it difficult at all. It's just became part of my life. One year I needed to use one of my gift cards to pay for groceries because it was reaching its expiry date and I just did not have any non-essential thing to spend on (that was when gift cards had 1 year expiry date, and now, gift cards have 4 years expiry date 👍)
Because of my declutter practice, I find myself in a non appreciative position of not accepting my husband's eldest sister's gifts cheerfully. As no matter how I explained myself, she still buys unnecessary stuffs as gifts to us. My husband has more than 5 expensive coats/jackets that he seldom got chances to wear, but he would not tell her nor donate them, because they're from his siblings. What a waste!
She would buy me items that don't fit my style or not the colours I like. I would put them aside in the closet for at least a couple of years and then donate them, so my husband wouldn't say that I am not appreciative of his siblings' gifts.
I agree
💚 We have to be gentle with ourselves! As mom's we expect ourselves to remember every date and party in advance. You forgot but had promised them these costumes. I definitely think that this counts as a green because it wad something you were planning on doing for a while.
Definitely a 💚. School function things should be considered a yes. I don't think depriving the kids of participating could in any way be helpful or productive to their mental health. So for that reason it's a definite yes.
Green. I am going to do a no spend on any fast food. I looked at all my receipts and noticed that I spend so much on drive thru. Meal planning is my challenge
Thanks, Marcella! You somehow voted on this video before it was live - that was amazing! :) Cheering you on!
Green: you had promised your children last year and you can't break that promise. Plus, they were invited to the party.
💚💚💚💚 Maybe you could use them for Hallowe'en as well. You could class this as a 'school item' since you likely wouldn't have purchased them if it hadn't been for the school event.
Yes absolutely we will! Thanks for watching ☺️
💚 It was for school, I think it should be okay.
Oh my! 🙀 I noticed your fairy card on your bulletin board! I have that same one. Bought it decades ago. I framed it. 😺
💚 it was also a replacement. The kids had outgrown and worn their old outfits
Thank you for your informative videos. I've been doing no-spend challenges since last year August. But I go hard core. Any money spent makes the day "red". So I have planned "red" days for the essentials and bills. The challenge is to see how many green days I can get too within a month. So far my record to break is 16 days. This has made me very creative with what I do have when it comes to food prep and even school supplies. The problem comes in when my mind is set to get the day green and then something is needed, for example my iron broke! I think I've become inflexible when it comes to my planning. Not really realistic... But still working on it. Challenge now is to not freak out about red days. Life also happens.
Your rules would do me in, as I am not that organised! I wouldn't be able to work out when i had to spend, ahead of time. But you do you, and good luck!
💚 As a German I can assure you that everything related to Karneval/Fasching is a necessity!
💚You were replacing their costumes, so I think that was ok to spend money on. Thank you!
No-spend challenges are so good, especially for those who have never done them before, as it helps them learn about their own spending better! I went quite a few years only buying what I needed (food, bills, etc). Right now, I have a baby due in three months so I might have to buy bamboo diapers soon. I have a baby shower I am going to in a few weeks (before my own) and am making a quilt for her baby. I guess therefore I might have to buy some fabric (unless I have enough scrap fabric available). Anyway, I am really strict about what I buy and people think I am very disciplined, but it is just out of habit these days. I am sure you go through that too.
I love how you have this so organized with print-outs and everything. Really awesome how you do your tracking. My husband and I have a spreadsheet online that we use together.
Thank you so much, and good luck with the quilt. That’s a really special and thoughtful gift 🌸
Such a lovely video. Thank you for sharing.
Re the costumes, I'd go ❤️, but I would have done exactly the same as you and bought the new costumes. It's OK to have a red day though. It's what makes life fun and it's part of living it.
You were absolutely bang on for 96% of the month and that's a massive success!
Well done on saving €730 for the month. That definitely should have been a 💚💚💚💚💚 day. ☺️
I would add a category: supplies for school projects, both things would end up in the category
I think the costumes were definitely a green exception, because you promised them before you started the no spend challenge
Green💚 but for a different reason. I think since you had promised your kids and mentally "spent" the money a year prior, it was more or less a planned or budgeted expense.
💚 I would say you are replacing costumes for your boys that were worn out. A school party definitely falls under the exception of birthdays.
Also, as others have commented, school projects & activities should be an exception because they often happen unexpectedly. Great job on your February no-spend challenge!
Thanks for this video review of your month.
💚kids are always the exception. Love your channel!
💚I love all of your great advice. U have been so helpful. Thank u so much!💚
💚 I wouldn't even call it a party exception, but rather a necessity because something (in this case the costumes) were outgrown and needed to be replaced. The alternative would be that the children didn't have any costume, or wouldn't go to the party. It was a necessity to buy it. :)
Oh my goodness! You nearly have 200,000 subscribers! 😲 Well done!
I would say that if it was something that you’ve been planning to buy for quite a while, then it’s fine. If it was something that popped up out of the blue and sounded good in the moment, then it would be a red.
I would say 💚 to the costumes. First off, the old ones are worn out and this was a party. You had already said you'd buy new ones, so it's most definitely not an exception.
💚 because you promised it to them. And you should keep promises, otherwise it's unfair to break them and breaking them can leave a dent in your relationship with them.
💚 kid’s costume for a party is totally 👍
Your videos have helped me so far. I minimized my wardrobe and have about 32 pieces of clothes. And I've still noticed I wear some more than others.
❤ loved the video. Thank you for sharing the details. I think we will have to try a no spend week.
I do think it is red day as I grew up in Germany... and we make the kids costumes at home for free basically every year or we ask to burrow friends costume. Just an idea for the future :) Pinterest is great for inspiration.
I hate shopping (even on-line), and I don't live in a city, so it is easy for me to go for three weeks or more at a time without spending money. Keeping track of finances is essential; it all goes on to a daily calendar. I always know exactly what I have and what is coming in.
Habitual frugality means that unexpected events like kid holidays, or broken teeth can be covered without stress.
Green 💚 But it falls under the exception of "repair/replace" because the costumes were outgrown and worn out.
💚 Because you had made them a promise, I believe you would have made the costumes an exception ahead of time had you remembered the holiday celebration. Plus, I believe it was also a necessity as your children need to trust that you will follow through on your word.
Definitely 💚 for the boys' costumes!
💚 Totally acceptable. A promise is a promise after all.
I think a no spend challenge would provide a good impetus to actually use some gift cards or vouchers rather than letting them expire (this is what usually happens at our house). Also I loved Fasching when I lived in Germany. Our city was traditionally protestant so there was no parade but I used to xc ski in the Black Forest a lot and there were so many cool costumes and parades! I think the costumes are ok (they are essential!) But it's also ok to slip up and have a "red" day. Perfectionism shouldn't overshadow what you and your family accomplished.
💚 Honestly I think the same applies to the celebrating carnival as birthdays/holidays, I think we should never miss out/make ourselves feel left out on what they call “core memories”. Sure If it was preplanned you could have saved some money, and that nice to know for next year (or to include in the exceptions next time), but to make it red seems almost like it would have been better to not buy them new costumes… which of course would not be true. So I wouldn’t count it as a true red, but I think it’s wonderful to reflect on the purchase as I think it allows us to make a better distinction to what we value in life and what ways we want to enjoy life. Thank you for this wonderful video!
Green. You were replacing old worn out costumes! ✅
Green for sure
I’m doing the whole of lent until Easter Sunday. Only food and petrol.
I live on my own so if I eat out ( no drive throughs) I’ve to do it with someone else. Socialising. That’s probably only once a week.
Obviously all my bills are paid. But I did need wallpaper brush and paste. But used a voucher- I sent someone else to the store.
1 present for my grandchild. But that was a challenge. I saw loads of things that were tempting. 😮😅
💚 for me on the costumes. a) the outgoing had been agreed last year; the money leaving your account just happened to fall within your no spend month. b) I don’t think that a lifestyle choice should impact on your children’s happiness. And it’s clear that it doesn’t - your boys don’t have an abundance of toys but they have what they need and are happy. I feel like not allowing them costumes because you have chosen a no spend month would have been unfair and I think they would have felt very left out. (Of course it’s very different if you’re having an enforced no spend month so you can make your bills. Then sad compromises have to be made).
Green. I did do a no spend/low spend challenge in February. I am going to extend it into March. Hopefully, I'll be able to save even more. Thanks for sharing your journey.
For me it is a Green 💚
💚💚 Green for sure! It wasn’t frivolous and will be used for the next few years probably. 😊
💚 fasching is most definitely a party that allows an exception! Especially if they had the same costume for a while! I had different costumes every year and sometimes even on different days of one year, if there was a themed party for example!
Hi Marissa, can you make a video about what you do like to spend money on? Like save no expenses. For example vacation? Sorry if my request sounds weird, English is not my first language. xoxo
Your English is excellent! I have a video here like that: ua-cam.com/video/JI5YOQ2GzhA/v-deo.html 🤗
@A to Zen Life Thank you so much! You're one of my fav UA-camrs and you've definitely changed my life. Much love from Amsterdam! 🌻
💚💚I think you did a great job! I appreciate that you kept track of the exceptions you made during the month. I can see why you did the costume as a "red" day at first. As I was watching I thought about how you had planned on it and forgot and that it could be considered a "birthday"-type thing. Then, you shared your mindset shift about it. I think the main thing is to keep yourself accountable during a no-spend time. 💚Success!💚
I'm a little late to comment this time but your red day should not have been so, in my opinion. This is one of those expenses that should have been pre-approved before the no-spend challenge, since you promised last year. It wasn't an impulse purchase. You just forgot to preapprove it. (Also, I grew up celebrating Fasching and it's like Mardi Gras, just a little more family-friendly lol!). 💚💚💚
💚 In my opinion buying the costumes is totally fine. These challenges are about saving money and you would have spent the money on costumes any ways, even if you would have bought them in advance. Love your channel BTW, greetings from Berlin 😉
💚 it was promised the year before even though you totally forgot about it! So it was sort of planned? I think it's an exception 😊
💚Green. Not only was it a party it was a replacement of costumes you previously had but was grown out of. Double green. 💚💚
Green, It is a green in my book. 💚
I would count the party costumes as an exception because you already promised you would buy them a year earlier.
I also want to add that a slip up is okay. I am doing no-spend now and there are lots of times I forgot about some recurring subscription (ugh) or just had a horrible day and needed to pick up take-out for dinner. The important thing is that if you slip-up once, do NOT give up on your no-spend! If you are too rigid, you will feel like "oh well, I messed up this month, so I might as well spend more now and then start over next month." It is better to have a couple "oopsies" during the month than to completely give up on your plans! Commit to your project, even if it doesn't come out perfectly, and even if you have to make some compromises along the way.
Awesome video! Now that my vacation is over, I will do a no spend challenge in March. My bank account will be delighted. Thanks for mentioning my comment.
Sure thing, Marie 🙏 Hope you had a GREAT vacation 😁
I would like to share with you the golden rule that I have at home and that helps me save a lot of money per month. On the wall at home we have a sort of picture that I made that says "If I need something...
1. I will get it for free
2. I will make it myself
3. I will buy it second hand
4. I will buy it first hand".
These are the steps I think of when I need something. For example, if my pan has broken and I need a new one, I first ask my family and friends if they can give me one of theirs that they no longer use. Then I check if I can do it myself (in this case it doesn't apply). Then, if I still haven't got it, I go to second-hand apps and look for the best deal. And, as a last resort, I buy it first hand with coupons or discounts.
I hope this helps you!!
Love your videos! They have such a well thought out and sincere vibe. I would count your kids’ costumes as green because 1) you had already made that spending decision outside of the no spend period and 2) technically you were replacing something that was worn out or broken (the costumes).
Even if it were a red day, I’d prefer that to going back on a promise to my kids and not having them enjoy the school party. Would have done the same!
💚 Definitely ok on the costumes - it’s something that needed to be replaced and honoring your commitment to the boys is so important! I assume it’s like Mardi Gras/Carnival so I think it’s a necessary item! We call it Fasnacht Day where I live in Pennsylvania (heavy Amish/Mennonite/German influence) where they make donuts (fasnachts) from the remaining lard before Ash Wednesday and Lent, so I can see the connection to Fasching! PS - Revlon Colorstay is my all-time favorite pressed/setting powder too!
💚 it's for your kids' parties. Acceptable. I'm trying a no extras spending for 6 months. I used an Excel spreadsheet to process how much I could save in particular areas. I like the challenge!
💚 I already tried this challenge and it's so worth it... 👏👏👏👏. 1st of all you find out how many things and stuff excualy you don't need, 2nd you save so much money and the 3rd one is the best you make yourself so much easier to deal with any upcoming decisions regarding money wise.
💚 because a Faschingskostüm csn be considered essential 😄
💚💚💚 Totally! It was an exception you made last year when you promised them new costumes. Totally ok!!
Definitely green on 17th.
♥️💚You can count the portion of the costume expense that was being up-charged because of buying last minute as breaking the rules is fine, but you can’t count the costumes themselves because you promised earlier (so it was an expense you had planned to make). So it is a little of both.👍🏻