Plan

Trim Healthy Mama Weekly Meal Plan For 12/29/19-1/4/20

January 5, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Find a Trim Healthy Mama weekly meal plan for 12/29/19-1/4/20 with pictures and type of fuel indicated.

Happy New Year! I know that getting healthy for 2020 is on the mind of so many of you as we start off the new year.

Whether you are getting back on the THM plan, starting out as brand new Trim Healthy Mama or just continuing to chug along on your THM journey, I want to encourage you! Yes starting a healthier lifestyle at the beginning of the year is a bit of a common goal, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

I personally think that setting goals at the beginning of the year is a great motivator. It is a new year. A fresh start.

If you are new to the Protecting Your Pennies blog, I focus a lot on easy and simple THM meals. Typically my meals are free of most special ingredients and will make it to your table in just a few minutes. I did start a new project to cook through the entire THM cookbook this year, so you may see a few more special ingredients than you are used to.

And if you are new, please be sure to follow on social media before you start the Trim Healthy Mama weekly meal plan for 12/29/19-1/4/20 so that you can keep up with new recipes and ideas!

Follow On Social!

Protecting Your THM Pennies Instagram

Protecting Your Pennies Facebook

Protecting Your Pennies Pinterest

You can also read my journey to losing 60 lbs postpartum after my 2nd child with THM here and it includes another 2 week free meal plan.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Trim Healthy Mama Weekly Meal Plan 12/29/19-1/4/20

You will see that I had more S Helpers and XO’s than I usually do on meal plans. I’m happy to report that I still lost a small amount of weight and enjoyed my meals this week. And even better, my husband asked me yesterday if I had lost weight! I always value someone noticing much more than a lb or two lost on the scale!

Sunday

Breakfast: 2% Cottage Cheese & Pear Bowl – THM E

This sounds kind of weird but with a fresh pear, it is so good! Try these other Cottage Cheese Bowl ideas for a super easy, no cook breakfast.

Lunch: Sprouted Sandwich Carrots and Cutie Orange – THM E

Dinner: Lentil Soup (THC, Pg 89) – THM E

A meal made in the Cooking through the THM cookbook in one year series! Be sure to follow along on this fun adventure.

Monday

Breakfast: Avocado Toast with Side of Cottage Cheese – S Helper

*Did you know you can have one slice of bread with your S meal and it is an S Helper not a XO (kind of an in between).

Lunch: Leftover Lentil Soup – THM S

Dinner: Cheeseburger Pie – THM S (Part of the Cooking Through THM Cookbook Series)

Tuesday

Breakfast: Sprouted toast, natural Peanut butter and 1/2 banana – THM XO

This is a XO because of fat in the PB and carbs in the banana and bread. Remember that XO’s are not bad and they are on plan! Just not as conducive to weight loss but I have found that one every now and then does not derail even my weight loss goals.

Lunch: Leftover Cheeseburger Pie and Green Beans – THM S

Dinner: Delivery Chicken Wings (Pizza for the Kids) – Personal Choice S

It was new years so my Dad/Stepmom ordered in while they were here. No picture because I forgot! I call the wings a personal choice because I’m not sure if they use anything off plan in the prep but I know they are better than eating 4 pieces of deep dish!

You could also scrape the toppings off a slice or 2 and eat it plain or on top of a salad. Or throw the toppings on a 1/2 piece of Lavash bread.

Wednesday (Happy New Year!)

Breakfast: Sausage, Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Yogurt with Berries – THM S

Look at this family platter of deliciousness.

Lunch: Snack Lunch – Prosciutto wrapped cheese, pepperoni and mixed nuts – THM S

Dinner: Black Bean Tacos (E)

Photo reused from a previous post since I forgot to take one. We seriously eat this recipe all the time. It is one of my go to “I didn’t plan dinner” meals because we always have the few ingredients it requires and it comes together in just a couple minutes.

Thursday

Breakfast: Lunch Meat, Light String Cheese, 2 % Cottage Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes – FP

Breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy!

Lunch: Tuna with Wasa – THM E

Picture reused from previous week. I was obviously horrible with pictures this week!

Spread some cheese on your cracker, top with salmon and then pickle slices.

Dinner: Cashew Chicken with Veggies and Cauli Rice – THM S (From Cooking Through The THM Cookbook Series)

*Don’t use as many or any of the mini corn cobs. My frozen blend had them.

Friday

Breakfast: Sprouted Toast (1 Slice), Scrambled eggs and Bacon – THM S Helper

Lunch: Leftover Cashew Chicken – THM S

Dinner: Lavash Lasagna Cupcakes – THM S

Saturday

Breakfast: I skipped Breakfast. Ahh, not good I know. But it was take down the Christmas tree and clean morning and I just missed it.

Lunch: Leftover Lasagna Cupcakes – THM S

Dinner: Grilled Pork Chop, small portion of black eyed peas and Halo Top Vanilla Ice Cream with Natural PB squeezed on top – THM S

Want more simple THM Meal Plans?

Meal Plan 1

Meal Plan 2

Meal Plan 3

Cooking Through Trim Healthy Mama Week 1

January 5, 2020 by Stacy Craft Leave a Comment

Week 1 of cooking through Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.

2020 has started off with quite a few changes for our family! They are all good and positive changes but changes none the less.

On January 1, I started a new a no spend January challenge. You don’t realize how often you pull out your debit card until you make a resolution not to! The other change has been recommitting to a Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. The Christmas cookies and parties derailed me a bit but I’m back on plan 100% this week.

And it feels good. Aside from just being back on plan, I have also started my quest to cook through the entire Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook.

This is cooking through Trim Healthy Mama Week 1. The first week of exactly what I made, what I thought, tips and tricks & costs!

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Cooking Through Trim Healthy Mama Week 1

Here is what I made on the first week:

Cashew Chicken Pg 65

Lentil Soup Pg 89

Cheeseburger Pie Pg 149

Winter Wonderland Sip Pg 405

Cranberry Wassail Pg 406

Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook Recipes

Cashew Chicken Pg 65

Overall Impression: Everyone in my family really liked this recipe. I thought it was nice to have an Asian sauce that I could make without resorting to a bottle of Teriyaki sauce that would surely be off plan.

Total Cost:

Chicken: $5.66

Sauce : $2.11

Veggies $2.33

Cauli Rice $1.87

Total: $11.97

Tips & Tricks:

The sisters use their blender WAY more than I am willing to. The sauce works just fine in the skillet. Just throw it all in the skillet that you cooked the chicken in and save yourself some dishes.

I also used a frozen asian stir fry blend of veggies to make it quicker (no washing/slicing veggies). The blend I used had the little mini corn cobs, so you would want to avoid most of those.

Subs:

I omitted the fish sauce because I didn’t have it. I also used Xantham gum in place of the Gluccie. I also used the same amount of gentle sweet as a sub for super sweet.

Lentil Soup Pg 89

Overall Impression: My husband and I were the only ones that ate this soup. I thought it was good although not overwhelmingly amazing.

Total Cost: <$4

This was incredibly inexpensive and made a ton! Like a literal ton. We have eaten about 8-9 bowls and have about 1/2 left! I will freeze the rest for some easy and cheap lunches later on.

Tips & Tricks:

I soaked the lentils in the crockpot for several hours and then cooked the soup in the slow cooker on low for several hours. Making for a cheap and easy meal.

I recommend adding a Light Laughing Cow wedge to your bowl to add a little extra flavor and creaminess. And Tabasco. Lots of hot sauce!

Subs:

I omitted the nutritional yeast and Just gelatin because I don’t keep it on hand.

Cheeseburger Pie Pg 149

Overall Impression: This was pretty good to me but the rest of my family really liked it so it changed it to a win for me.

Total Cost: 13.32

Tips & Tricks:

I topped it with ketchup, mustard and sliced jalapenos.

Subs:

I made this exactly according to the cookbook with the exception of using regular table salt in place of the mineral salt.

Winter Wonderland Sip Pg 405

Overall Impression: I have pretty much fallen in love with this. A head cold was making me feel pretty crummy this week and the peppermint really helped to give my sinuses some relief. And it tastes like winter in a cup.

Total Cost: .70 per batch (so several mugs full)

Tips & Tricks:

A mini crockpot is great for this sipper. I made it up in the morning and put the sipper in the crockpot on low. Then it was ready all day for a quick and easy cup.

I actually made this several times. The first time I resisted the strong urge to ignore the blender instructions and just stir but I went ahead and used the blender.

The second time, I skipped the blender (because I don’t have time for all that). It definitely did taste better when blended. I’m not sure why but trust me and get your blender out.

Subs:

The only sub that I made was using 2 year old Gentle Sweet in place of the Super Sweet. A few things – first, I didn’t die from old Gentle Sweet! So that was cool. Also, I used the same measurement as the Super Sweet and it was plenty sweet for me.

Cranberry Wassail Pg 406

Overall Impression: This was good and I liked it. I wish I had not made it the same week as the Winter Wonderland Sip because I loved that one so much.

Total Cost: Approximately $3.50 (I can’t remember how much I paid for the fresh cranberries exactly and they are now out of stock at the grocery)

Tips & Tricks:

Definitely don’t forget the filter to strain out the fruit. After I strained the liquid off, I took all the cooked fruit, spices and cinnamon sticks and put them in my mini crockpot with some additional water. I let it simmer and it made my house smell wonderful!

Subs:

You may not believe it but I didn’t sub one thing!

I didn’t make everything that I had hoped to make this week but overall I was happy with all of the recipes that I tried. Hope you will continue to follow along as I cook my way through the entire Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook!

Lavash Lasagna Cupcakes – THM S

January 4, 2020 by Stacy Craft 4 Comments

Joseph’s Lavash lasagna cupcakes combine all your favorite lasagna flavors into individual savory cupcakes that work for a Trim Healthy Mama S meal and they are gluten free!

Dragging my sweet husband onto all of my get healthy plans is something that he is pretty used to by now. We have been happily enjoying Trim Healthy Mama for the last few years but when we first got married I pulled him onto the Weight Watchers train. (Which he hated by the way because he was always hungry).

But the one thing he did like was the savory cupcakes that I made using wonton wrappers. I saw the idea on Emily’s Bites and created tons of different dinner cupcakes for us to enjoy.

Since we both loved those creations for dinner, I wanted to come up with a way to enjoy them on THM. Since wontons are sadly not on plan, I went with a Joseph’s Lavash bread as the base!

And let me tell you, these Lavash lasagna cupcakes are so good! Even my 6 year old that at first balked at the idea of a lasagna cupcake ended up eating two!

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

More Popular THM Meals:

30 Minute Queso Chicken With Cauli Rice – THM S

Inexpensive Black Bean Tacos – THM E

Turkey Ham And Beans – THM E

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops – THM S

Lavash Lasagna Cupcakes

Inside the Lavash lasagna cupcakes is the traditional lasagna filling that you would find in the regular pasta dish. But instead of noodles, the Lavash bread stands in to make these cute little cups of Italian goodness.

Ingredients:

Ricotta Cheese

Mozzarella Cheese

Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 Egg

2 Joseph’s Lavash Breads

Pizza Sauce/Marinara/Favorite Pasta Sauce

Ground Beef

Garlic Powder/Parsley/Pepper

Since I’m doing a No Spend January this month, it was nice to be able to create this meal with things that I typically keep in my fridge/freezer. I buy Joseph’s directly from their website and store in my freezer and I always have a jar of sauce in my pantry and tons of cheese. The only thing I don’t typically have on hand is the ricotta but I had some leftover from a recipe that we made at Christmas so it worked out great.

Easy Meal Prep Hack:

Whenever I buy ground beef at the store, I come home and brown it. Let it cool and separate it into 1 lb portions and store it in the freezer. It makes a weekday spaghetti, cheeseburger soup or pie super quick and easy to prepare. Just thaw and use in your recipes.

Preparing the Lavash Lasagna Cupcakes

Making the Lavash lasagna cupcakes is super easy. First, brown and drain the ground beef if you are not using the meal prep hack.

Next, you will mix up your ricotta cheese mixture (all the cheeses, an egg and seasoning).

Prepare your muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Cut your Lavash bread so that you get 12 squares from each bread. Mine are not perfect or even the same size so I wouldn’t worry about that.

*Update: these are really more like rectangles. Either way, just get 12 pieces from each Lavash and you will be fine.

Press one Lavash square into each muffing tin well (10). You will have a few extra pieces of Lavash left over.

Toast the bottom layer in the oven for 2 minutes. The bottom layer will actually be pretty soft after the baking but toasting it before prevents it from being soggy and falling apart.

Layer the Cups

Now you are ready to layer the Lavash lasagna cupcakes.

Separate your ricotta cheese in half. Using 1/2 of the mixture, place about a 1/2 of a tablespoon of filling on top of each Lavash cup.

Next, add about a tablespoon of ground beef to each cup.

Then add approximately a teaspoon of pasta sauce. I like to use a smooth sauce without any big chunks of tomato. Smooth it to mostly cover the beef but don’t use too much because it will get soggy.

Top with a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.

Add a second Lavash square to the top of each cup. Gently press it down to allow for the next layer of filling.

Repeat all the steps again, ending with shredded mozzarella on top.

Bake

Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Watch it towards the end of the baking time to make sure the uncovered portions of the Lavash don’t burn.

Allow the Lavash lasagna cupcakes to cool for a couple of minutes before using a butter knife to gently release them from the pan.

How Many Cupcakes Can I Eat in A THM S Setting?

If you cut your Lavash into 12 squares, you will be able to have 3 cupcakes in an S setting on Trim Healthy Mama.

Pair it with a big green salad to fill the rest of your plate.

These little guys are surprisingly satisfying. The edges on the top give you a couple of crunchy bites, while not traditional in regular lasagna, I find it very yummy. The rest of the Lavash bread becomes soft and makes for a tasty noodle substitute.

Lavash Lasagna Cupcakes

The recipe makes 10 Lavash Lasagna Cups.

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Ricotta Cheese (Part Skim Milk Variety)
1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese (Plus additional for sprinkling)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 Egg
2 Lavash Bread Rectangles
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup Pasta Sauce/Pizza Sauce

Servings

Ingredients

1 cup Ricotta Cheese (Part Skim Milk Variety)
1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese (Plus additional for sprinkling)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp parsley
1 Egg
2 Lavash Bread Rectangles
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup Pasta Sauce/Pizza Sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Brown ground beef and drain grease.
Cut each Lavash to result in 12 squares per Lavash (resulting in 24 total squares between the 2).
Spray a muffin pan and place one Lavash square into each well (10 total).
Toast the bottom layer of Lavash in the oven for two minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Ricotta mixture. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, garlic powder, parsley and pepper to taste. Mix well.
Once the bottom layer of Lavash is toasted, you are ready to layer the lasagna cups. Separate the ricotta mixture in half. Using 1/2 of the mixture, add about 1/2 of a tablespoon to each lavash cup.
Add about a tablespoon of ground beef to each cup.
Add approximately one teaspoon of pasta sauce to each cup. Gently spread the sauce to mostly cover the ground beef/ricotta in the cups. Don't add too much sauce or you will end up with soggy cups.
Top each cup with a couple of pinches of mozzarella cheese.
Add a second Lavash square to each cup. Gently press down to form a cup but don't push hard enough to make the filling spill out the sides.
Repeat the layers on top of this Lavash bread. Ricotta mixture, ground beef, sauce and ending with another generous sprinkle of mozzarella.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Start watching around 12 minutes to make sure the exposed edges of the Lavash don't burn. You want them slightly browned but they will burn quickly.
Allow the cups to sit for 3-5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin using a butter knife.

No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker

January 1, 2020 by Stacy Craft 4 Comments

Learn to implement a no envelope digital budget tracker to keep track of your finances right from your phone. Perfect for those that like to shop online or just don’t like carrying cash!

If you have been trying to budget for any time at all, it is likely that you have heard of Dave Ramsey. I remember first hearing of him while sitting at my Grandmother’s kitchen table and listening to my Mom and uncle discuss his books.

If you follow his simple “baby” steps, you can be debt free. Sounds great. But it is not easy.

While I haven’t read his book (I’m on the waiting list at the library), I have listened to his radio show many times. One thing that you pick up quickly is that there is no time for crying or whining about why you need XYZ. Dave is very clear in wants and needs. And you need to cut out the fluff.

That is one reason that I am doing this No Spend January Challenge. To cut out unnecessary spending and have extra money to save.

So according to the principles Dave sets forward, if you can’t afford it (meaning you can’t buy it with money that you have right now), you don’t purchase it. This is where his popular cash envelope system enters the picture. It is a simple concept yet so many of us don’t follow it. Only buying what you can afford will prevent debt.

My No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker accomplishes the same goal but in a different manner. I will explain how to use the digital budget tracker but we will dip into the Dave Ramsey envelope method first.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

What Is Dave Ramsey’s Envelope System

Keep in mind that this is just an overview and I’m sure that there are plenty of details that you can gain by reading the books and listening to the radio show.

First you would create your budget according to his guidelines.

Next, you separate each category out and create a cash envelope for the group. So for example, you might have an envelope for groceries, one for entertainment and one for clothing.

Each week you would fill your envelopes with the cash that you have budgeted for each category.

So if you had $100 in your grocery envelope, you take that up to Kroger. What you don’t take is a credit card. Since you only have $100 cash, you can only buy what you have the money for right there and then.

Basically it eliminates unnecessary purchases and overspending.

No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker

I like the envelope system because it is the ultimate in holding you accountable. If you don’t have that credit or debit card in your pocket, you are not going to overspend because you can’t.

But with a little self discipline, you can apply the same principles of following a budget but without the pesky cash envelope system to deal with.

3 Reasons I Don’t Use The Envelope System

But I also know that the envelope system is not something I felt would be doable for me. If Dave read this, he would probably say it is lazy and to be honest he would be right. Here is why I don’t use the envelope system.

I have direct deposit of my pay checks for a reason. I hate going to the bank and I don’t want to drag two kids to the bank to get cash.
Online shopping is my jam. (I’m guessing Dave wouldn’t like that either!) However, if I can stick to my planned budget, I don’t see anything wrong with online shopping and I buy lots of essentials online at better prices that I can get at the grocery or big box stores.
Safety. I live in what I would consider a very safe suburb but the major city that we live near is consistently ranked in the top 20 most dangerous in the US. So having a few hundred bucks cash on me is something I prefer not to have. If someone steals my purse, they will get a debit card that I can quickly cancel and a bunch of diapers, goldfish crackers and whatever other kid junk has settled to the bottom!

Alternative to The Envelopes

Even though I don’t want to carry around 10 envelopes filled with cash, I still see value in the overall concept of Dave’s plan.

As an alternative, I have created a no envelope Digital Budget Tracker that you can keep on your phone to track your expenses on the go! Use the template created and modify it to fit your specific family needs.

How To Use The No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker

Using the no envelope digital budget tracker is quick and easy.

Download the Google Sheets app to your phone (It is free!)
Open the No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker Template
Personalize the Budget to meet your needs!

There are several sheets contained in the file (look at the bottom to see the different tabs). All of them have built in formulas but you can manipulate the fields to reflect the dollar amount that you wish to spend per category. And you can even add or chnage categories to better reflect your monetary and savings goals.

Standard Monthly Expenses

The first sheet is your standard monthly expenses.

You will see at the top a section for the “total monthly budget.” You can change this number to whatever your total monthly income is at this time.

Next, you will see a variety of normally recurring bills that you may have. Fill in your expenses to reflect the amount that you owe.

Groceries & Household Consumables Sheet

The next tab that you see is for groceries and household consumables. Included in my consumables are things like toilet paper, shampoo, diapers and wipes.

I assumed one weekly trip to the grocery store but there are plenty of lines if you go more frequently.

You can set your budget at the top and then fill in your expenditures each time you spend money in this category (just like you would if you were using the cash envelope system).

The “total remaining budget” cell will automatically update as you enter expenses, giving you the exact amount of money that you have left for this category.

Remaining Category Sheets

There are a few other category sheets that I have already set up so that all you need to do is plug your budget and expenses.

Entertainment & Luxury Self Care (Movies, Travel, Makeup, Nails, Etc)
Gifts & Home Improvements (Birthdays, Save For Christmas, New Bathroom Towels, Home Decor)
Miscellaneous – I set this one up for your personal expenses (Hobby expenses, Debt repayment etc)

What are your budget goals this year?

No Spend January

January 1, 2020 by Stacy Craft 18 Comments

Learn how to have a no spend January and stay on budget for the New Year.

Starting off a new year (and a new decade) always feels like a good time to get right. Eat better, spend less, read more, waste less and spend more quality time with family and friends seem to always top my new year’s resolution list.

My eat better plan is already underway. You may have seen that I am planning to cook my way through the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook this year. Every single recipe! It seems a little daunting but that is the goal.

With eating healthy in 2020 covered, the budget is the next thing to tackle. A no spend January seemed like a good way to start off the year right and recover a bit from December expenses.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Check out this Free No Envelope Digital Budget Tracker!

A 2019 Budget Confession

When I started this blog, I wanted to share the frugal and money saving tips I learned over the years.

About 10 years ago, I moved across the US to Houston, TX. The expenses of a long distance move, quitting my job and some other life circumstances created a need to save money.

Through the help of a few blogs, I taught myself to coupon and save money and was able to be very frugal for a few years. It really saved us during that time. We sold a house that was too much for us and moved into something much more reasonable. I drove my car even when I wanted a new one.

Coupons and buying right got us things for pennies on the dollar. We cooked at home and took day trips to the beach instead of an expensive vacation (I miss being that close to the beach).

And slowly we climbed out of debt. We added to savings. I got a new job at an amazing company and we were settled. Not rich but comfortable.

Then the baby came. We moved across the US again, this time to Tennessee. We did act frugally in our initial move by living with my mom for a year to save money while we built our house.

And then another baby. Sometime during this period, I got tired. A new mom to two littles (with little sleep) and moving just took a toll on me.

So my spending just got out of control and my frugal habits took a backseat to the kids. Convenience took precedence over frugality.

Thankfully we have positioned ourselves to have room in our budget to allow for this occasionally but just because we don’t have to monitor every penny anymore, doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t monitor it.

So whether you have to monitor every cent right now or you are just trying to save more for retirement, a vacation, a down payment for a house… a stop on spending can help everyone regardless of your financial circumstance.

A Look At January 2019

So the confession continues. I am going to share what I spent last January as a benchmark for my no spend January 2020.

To say I was shocked at these totals is an understatement. I knew I was a little lax but when you actually total it all up, it is really hard to believe.

Clothes – $119.88

Fast Food – $191.10 (included a couple of Family Pizza Nights)

Amazon – $543.05 (there is just no justifying this! But it did include 3 Fire Sticks for our TVs because we cut cable and started streaming only and our tv’s were too old to support Hulu)

Gas – $77.09

Grocery – $619.78

Target – $55.42

Macy’s $76.81

Hobby Lobby $83.30

Grand Total : $1575.33

It is important to note that lots of my expenses were what I would consider necessities. Examples would be bar soap, detergent, mouthwash, toothpaste etc. This project will be a good test to see what is really a necessity and what we can use instead of buying new.

No Spend January 2020

As you can see, a no spend January in 2020 could save me a lot compared to January 2019. Are you wondering what a no spend January is?

Basically, you set rules on what you can spend (set bills etc) and cut out all or most other spending. So at the end of your no spend time period, you should be left with money that might have otherwise been spent to use for savings, debt payment, vacations, or education funds. Whatever your personal goal is.

No Spend January Rules

The cool thing about a no spend period is that you can make the rules that work for your family.

Here are the rules that I plan to follow for my no spend January:

Clothes: $0

My goal is to spend zero on clothing this month for my entire family. We all just got several new clothing items for Christmas and we should all be able to use the items that we have.

Fast Food/Eating Out: $0

No eating out for 1 month. It will be better for us and would be a $191.10 savings from last year. I can’t believe I spent almost $200 on fast food and pizza last year. Embarrasing.

We have gotten in a bad habit of grabbing takeout after my daughter’s dance class once a week. The crockpot is going to have to step in for the win on these late nights.

Amazon: $0

Truth? I really wanted to give myself a $100 allowance for emergencies. And then I thought what in the world. Is an Amazon emergency a real thing? No it is not. My love affair with Amazon is officially on hold until at least 2/1.

Groceries: $450

In 2020, I would like to get this down to closer to $400 for the month but since I have not been doing great on the grocery side of things, I want to be realistic and ease into things.

My grocery budget is a little finicky because we have our 2 kids that live with us and then we have 3 step daughters that are over various times though out the month. So some days I may have 4 at my table and other times it might be 7.

Target: $0

Sorry Target, if I have to break up Amazon, you are gone too.

Gifts: $100

We have 5 birthdays in January in our immediate family. I am budgeting $100 for gifts but I did pre purchase a couple in December during after Christmas clearance.

Other Rules of Spending

So here are the other rules that I will follow in my No Spend January month:

Pay all set bills (Mortgage, Childcare, Utilities, Internet, TV Streaming Service)
Gas
School Expenses (If you have kids in school, you know it is $5 here, $10 there for something every week it seems. I will only participate in needs during the month of January. I also promised my daughter that she could buy 4 lunches at school this month & that will come out of my grocery budget)

Plan & Update

I will be sharing a blog post and also social media updates throughout the month about how the no spend January is going.

Any tips/tricks or struggles that I come across will also be shared!

Join Me in January?

Will you join me on a no spend January to start this decade off right? What would you do with the money saved in your no spend month?