Saving Money Archives - Miss Everchanging

Categories: Life, Saving Money, Singledom

Benefits of a No-Spend January: My Journey

Although Dry January was a total fail, No-Spend January was a success!

Now that No-Spend January is over, I feel slightly accomplished. I discovered that I can give up my impulse spending, even if I can’t give up my nightly aperitif. At least there’s that, right? Having a no-spend month was planned as a step towards my bigger savings goal for 2026. It seems I overspent last year. Actually, to be honest, if overspending was a football game, I won the championship. This past year, I purchased a new car. (I found a once-in-a-lifetime deal on my dream car.) I also replaced a pool liner, all while on a single income. The extra payments hurt my ability to save. Surprisingly, it didn’t leave me in the strain I would have thought. God has provided me with extra sources of income. Now, I have to do my part to reach this year’s financial goal.

What Is a No-Spend Month?

A no-spend is a month in which you only spend on necessities. (For me, necessities were my bills, gas, and food. There was no beauty budget, no clothes budget, no house budget, and no extras.) At the end of the month, you bank all the extra money from your budget that you didn’t spend. This strategy would work well for meeting a financial goal, like increasing your savings or saving for something special.

Why Was a No-Spend Month Beneficial for Me?

First, completing a no-spend month taught me discipline. For me, it’s so easy to order from Amazon on a whim. Not making that easy-buy forced me to either do without or find another choice. During this time, I managed to tap into some of the long-lost items in my cabinets. And in my horror, I discovered that I’ve been a hoarder. I can easily survive on the products I already own. Don’t get me wrong. I still added the items to my Amazon cart where, hopefully, they will live there for a very long time. No-Spend January was the ultimate show of self control.

Second, it taught me the difference between want and need. I realized that I really need magnesium- there is no substitute for that. But I don’t need more eye cream. I also don’t need an acrylic table for my upstairs bedroom, or another novelty coffee cup. So many times, things I buy end up being given to Goodwill. This has made me more intentional about my purchases.

Third, I broke my habit of impulse spending on non-essential items. No longer will I click-and-buy on a whim. If there is something I want, I will wait. I will take a reasonable amount of time to see if I truly want it. I will wait to see if the wanted item will indeed make my life better or easier. Buying with intention is so important!

Last, having a no-spend month simplified my banking. I put everything on a credit card and pay it off at the end of the week to earn points. I found that I no longer needed to check my accounts daily, rewarding me with more time. When there are many purchases, there’s so much math involved with pending and completed purchases. It boggles my art teacher’s mind!

What Are the Possible Caveats of a No-Spend Month?

While this worked well for one month, I can see a few downsides. It would be very easy to binge-buy all the things you didn’t purchase earlier. This would happen once the no-spend month is over.

The thought of an entire no-spend month can seem overwhelming. It can feel so restricting that one gives up quickly and doesn’t try it again.

Unexpected purchases may also cause you to give up. During my month of no spending, I needed a couple of items for an upcoming trip. Had I not ordered them, they would not have been delivered on time. I had to make up for it by taking them out of February’s budget. So for me, I’ll still feel the no-spend month into February. Also, in January, I went out to eat with a group of girlfriends. Since that would have easily broken the bank, I opted to buy a glass of wine versus ordering dinner. I still had the girl time, but I chose to eat at home. The money for my drink came out of my grocery budget. Meeting goals takes dedication!

Alternatives to No-Spend Months

If a month of no-spending seems out of your reach, try for smaller goals. Perhaps a no-spend week would work better. In that case, you’d set aside a fourth of your budget to save. I will do this occasionally going ahead.

Another option is to cut out one area of the budget for a month at a time. For example, I could easily bank my beauty product budget or my clothes and shoes budget without feeling so deprived.

Would I Do a No-Spend Month Again?

I absolutely would do a no-spend month again! I not only met my goal, I developed a sense of accomplishment and control over my finances. A no-spend month helped me break my habit of impulse spending. It forced me to make my home life more enjoyable. I set the table and had nice dinners in my dining room. I shopped my freezer. I shopped my closet. I put together new outfits from things I already owned. I shopped my cabinets, using items I had forgotten while finding new favorites. I loved the challenges that a no-spend month created! I didn’t feel broke. I didn’t feel deprived. I even developed a new sense of luxury! In all of this, I became more mindful and appreciative of the things I already own.

No-Spend January made me THRIVE.

Would you consider a no-spend month? What would be the hardest thing for you to give up?

@kathiedwards72

Categories: Adventures, Day Trips, Saving Money, Singledom

A Duplin Winery Art Class

One of the reasons I blog is to document my adventures. In my old age, I want to remember the details of all the things I’ve enjoyed. I want to see how my life has changed and how those changes have inspired me to become the person I am.

When I was married, my life was full of adventure. Rarely did a weekend pass when there wasn’t some type of fun activity. My ex and I were in involved in many different clubs. After we separated, because of finances and other responsibilities, I had to let go of nearly all our memberships.

Once I was able to get my finances under control, I rejoined the Heritage Club at Duplin Winery. The club truly feels like family. I always feel welcome, even when I attend things by myself. A girl needs fun things in her life!

So, allow me to share my my Duplin Art Class adventure from this past weekend…and if you browse the link, make sure you check out all of Duplin’s events.

When I saw that Duplin Winery was offering a painting class, I jumped at the opportunity to attend with my mom and sister. A day spent sipping wine and painting is a day well spent. Otherwise, I’d just be at home, cleaning the house.

Yuck.

The painting class was held at the Chapel in Duplin’s Vineyard. I loved the rustic-elegant atmosphere. Nestled among the trees and vineyards, it would be the perfect venue for a wedding!

The chapel was situated by a pond. I can only imaging how pretty it must be during the springtime when all is fresh and green!

Ann, the art instructor, was amazing! She has the most infectious personality. She was so encouraging and positive. I loved that she stressed that art should be very individualistic. She reminded us that we all have our own style. That’s something I try to teach the elementary-aged kids in my art classes at school. Individuality is the most important thing when creating!

We had so much fun exploring our creativity and laughing with our table-mates as our paintings emerged. Nothing creates a bond like sipping wine and crafting. We all agreed that the wine definitely improved our painting skills!

Halfway through the class, lunch was served. Before the class began, we were allowed to chose from several lunch options. My sister chose the fried green tomato and pimento cheese sandwich. I opted for the chicken salad. I’m very picky about chicken salad. I won’t eat just anyone’s chicken salad. I like it to be “clean”. In other words, I’d die if I were to get a piece of fat or gristle in my mouth.

Every time I’ve visited the Bistro at Duplin, located at the winery, the food has been spectacular! Definitely put that on your list of places to visit. You won’t be disappointed!

Because the day spent with my mom and sister was so fantastic, I had to have a souvenir to commemorate the occasion. So, I added another wine glass to the family. Does it really matter that I already have 10,058 others at home? Absolutely not. I had to have it. I couldn’t have resisted the gold leopard print even if I hadn’t had an excuse.

Not only did we leave with our chicken paintings, we left with great memories of a day well spent. And we won’t tell anyone that we took the exit in the wrong direction and wound up in Wilmington! Oops!

On the way home, I was was thinking that the three of us should do more things together. Although we are all neighbors, we often pop in and out for a quick visit. However, we rarely spend more than those few minutes together. As I get older, I’m grateful to have my family live so close. I’m grateful for the rare days that we can coordinate our schedules to spend a block of time with one another. And one day, I’ll be grateful I took the time to write it all down. So, in my old age, I can remember all of the good times.

Categories: Saving Money, Singledom

Budgeting Tips from a Single Girl

Some days, as a single girl, I feel like I’m killin’ it. Other days, I’m convinced it’s killin’ me.

One of my biggest fears in dealing with my divorce was not being able to survive on a single income. When you suddenly go from two incomes to one, with all of the same bills, it’s scary business. I’d already been there and done that- after my first divorce- and it completely sucked. I lasted not even two years before giving up and returning home to my parents.

Now that I’m on my second year of singledom, I’m finding that juggling my finances is not as difficult as it was the first time.

So, what’s the difference?

The difference is that I learned how to budget my money. That’s all. No tricks… just a little math, a little trial and error, and a lot of determination.

Definitely, I’m no financial planner or mathematical whiz. (My sister got all of those genes in our family). But, I have learned a few things about budgeting in my ever-changing journey that have helped me tremendously. I wanted to share my budging tips because us girls have to help each other out. Right? Because honestly, we never know when we might need to be armed with a little budgeting knowledge. So, here we go……

I have two separate budgets- essentials and non-essentials.

Essentials

I should explain that I am paid once a month. So, if you get paid weekly, or bi-weekly, your budget may be a little different from mine. First, I made a list of all of my monthly bills and expenses. For me, that includes my house and car payments, insurance, gas, food, utilities, savings, and dental expenses. After subtracting those things from my monthly income, the money I have left over goes into my non-essential budget.

Non- Essentials

My non-essential budget is flexible. After my bills have been paid each month, I distribute the remaining money into different categories. Some of those categories include clothing, house projects, and vacations/fun money. Sometimes, on a good month, all of those categories get a little love. Other times, I have to choose which of the areas get money.

My Favorite Budgeting Tips

*I try my best to wait until the end of the month to purchase house or clothing items. I purposefully wait to shop until that time. That way, it’s not as easy to overspend. There’s nothing worse than spending your money at the beginning of the month and then finding there’s an item at the end of the month that you just can’t live without. That can get a girl into trouble!

*When I first separated- before I began spending money on non-essential items, I built up my emergency savings. Trust me when I tell you that we can all live without new clothes, house items, or fun money for a while! In my emergency savings, I keep two months of essential expenses at all times. This is only for BIG emergencies. If ever I need to withdraw from this account, it becomes a priority to replenish it.

*After I put money into my regular savings each month, I try to forget about it. Otherwise, it will never grow. If I go over in any areas of my budget, I try to compensate with money from my non-essential areas. Using my savings is a last resort. However, I’ll use money from my savings before I use my emergency fund.

*I keep an overage fund. Sometimes, the bills in my essential budget are below what I budgeted. Every time I have leftover money in my essential budget, I transfer it to my overages. Then, when I go over in any essential areas, I use the money in the overage fund to pay the difference. Because, really, those holiday months kill my utilities. And sometimes a girl might spend more money on groceries when throwing a fantastic dinner (or Stella & Dot) party!

*Once in a while, I put myself on a spending freeze for an entire month. That’s an easy way to save for something you want quickly. Actually, I’m sure I could probably go an entire year without buying another piece of clothing. And, I’ve found that I can survive without going out. If you get creative, there are bunches of things you can do for fun without spending money.

In conclusion, budgeting isn’t hard.

It takes patience. If you overspend one month, don’t give up! It definitely gets easier with time. I’m sure I’ve developed spending habits that will stick with me for a very long time. I’m so much more aware of my purchases now and it’s actually fun being able to anticipate and purchase something I’ve saved towards. Just yesterday, I bought myself a fantastic pair of shoes at a great price. I was so excited to have them, I put them on immediately. Before, I bought so many things that I became unappreciative. Being single has definitely changed the way that I view life. I wouldn’t trade having plenty of money for the satisfaction of being self-sufficient. I wouldn’t have said that two years ago!!

I’ve discovered that success isn’t necessarily measured by the money in a bank account (or the amount of shoes in a closet). Success is finding solutions to problems and being able to learn and grow from challenges.

Do you have any budgeting tips? I’d love for you to share!

Categories: Decorating, Healthy Living, Random Things, Saving Money, Singledom

7 Ways to Lower Your Utility Bill

When I was married, I obviously thought that money grew on trees. It wasn’t that I had much money; I just spent it carelessly. I took for granted that I’d always have extra money coming in if I were to ever get in a bind. In hind sight, I should have been much more money conscious. I nearly had a heart attack when my first round of monthly bills came in the mail. I knew immediately that the best strategy was to lower the largest bill…my utility bill.

After only a month of changes, I was able to cut my utility bill in half. On the energy report that my electric company sends out, I’m now almost at energy-efficient status. Yay, me! Why hadn’t I done this before?

Here are seven ways to lower your utility bill…

1. Install a Programmable Thermostat

One of my awesome friends gifted me with a programmable thermostat when I separated. Best gift ever! I am able to program my thermostat to a more energy efficient temperature before I wake in the mornings and when I’m gone. I’ve easily gotten used to a higher temperature in the summer and a lower temp in the winter. I think it’s really cool, too, that I can control the thermostat from my recliner with the use of an app on my phone.

2. Install Timers

Using timers is a very simple way to lower your utility bill. First, I installed a water heater timer. No longer do I have to run my water heater constantly. Now, it only runs for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours at night. To keep the water hot longer, I bought an inexpensive water heater blanket to insulate it. I was worried about cold showers, but I’ve had no problem at all…and I am the queen of long showers.

I also bought a couple of cheap timers for my lamps. If I get home after dark, I don’t have to fumble to turn on lights. Also, as a single girl, a few lights make me feel more secure. Not having to remember to turn them off is very convenient!

I’ve had a timer on my pool pump since the pool was installed, but I’ve never used it. This year, I put my timer to good use. I limited the amount of time my pool pump ran. I even ran the pump on low the entire summer. While this probably wouldn’t be recommended by a pool professional, it worked fine for me. We just kept an eye to make sure the chemicals were balanced.

3. Purchased Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

I’ve changed over all of the bulbs in my lamps and most of my overhead bulbs to LED lights. The LEDs are more energy efficient and they last for years, which is more convenient. The only bulbs I haven’t replaced are the ones in the chandeliers. Hopefully, they will make prettier bulbs soon. I just can’t bring myself do the half-white bulbs. At least, not yet.

4. Reduced Outside Lighting

I have outside accent lighting on the front of my home. It makes me feel secure when I’m home alone. Rather than having them on from dusk to dawn, I’ve set the timer so that they are on only for a few hours. For my other outside lighting, I use motion-activated lighting.

5. Limit Washing Machine Use

Instead of running several small loads, I only wash clothes when I have a full load. For myself, I usually wash one gigantic load a week. Unless I really need it, I usually wash in tap water, instead of hot. Warning….you may need to buy more underwear and towels. And, by the way, only wash clothes during the off-peak hours.

6. Limit Dishwasher Use

When I was married, I’d run my dishwasher nearly every day. Now, I place all my utensils, glasses, and greasy items in the dishwater. I wash my plates and bowls by hand, because they are quick and easy to wash. So far, I’ve been able to run my dishwasher only once or twice a week. I use the energy efficient setting on my dishwasher, as well as the air-dry feature. Don’t skimp on the quality of the detergent. A good detergent makes your glasses sparkle. I learned the hard way that not all detergent is the same. Once again, run your dishwasher during the off-peak hours.

7. Unplug Appliances On Standby

I’ve read that plugged-in appliances use more energy on standby than you’d think. I now unplug all chargers, my laptop, and my printer. I even unplug the upstairs television and speakers when I’m not actively using them. It’s not that much of a pain. It only takes a second to plug and unplug.

As a single girl, I’m still discovering that I have a lot to learn. There’s nothing like the feeling of accomplishment from lowering a bill! Making those seven changes brought out the thrifty diva side that I never knew existed. The more money I can save on utilities, the more I have to spend on clothes and shoes. Those are the fun things on which to spend money!

I’d love for you to share your tips for saving on your utility bill !