Here we go again! Another year and another February Spending Freeze. I am excited and as always a little nervous for this challenge. I will admitt though I am feeling very determined to save like crazy this year!
My preparations for our spending freeze started a few weeks ago. I took an inventory of our pantry, freezers, and canning shelves. I then planned this ( February 2016 Meal Plan ) lovely monthly meal plan for us. It is complete with lunch, breakfast and several snack ideas included. I hope it helps you dream up some new meal ideas even if you are not doing the spending freeze with me.
If you are joining me in this wild idea to help save money, what are the plans that you have made for the money you save? We would love to say that it is for something fun but for us it is paying off some debt. That could either be a student loan or a little extra towards the house. For us, we really are trying to pay things off. Student loans have been dragging us down for to long and we are ready to send them on their way!
What are you planning to do with the extra funds you save? If you still are not sure, here are a few ideas that might help you decide.
- Pay off a debt- credit card, student loan, car, house, whatever.
- Do a repair or improvement to your home.
- Start an emergency fund-it is reccommended to have 6-9 months saved.
- Save for something fun-like that vacation!
- Purchase meat in bulk-did you know you can get great meat products from farmer or butchers at cheaper prices by buying a quarter or half an animal.
- Invest in something rewarding-a new tiller, greenhouse, canning jars or tools.
- Start a Christmas Club account at your bank! Start saving now.
Your options are endless!!!
I hope you will consider joining my family and me as we go on this spending freeze adventure. Be sure to follow along and use some of the information we provide, like that premade meal plan up above.
Happy homesteading everyone!