Hello
I do this no spend challenge and freezer and pantry clean out every January, but it was really fun to do with other people this year!  It is such a great way to begin the new year with new habits and many of those habits stay throughout the year.  Being intentional about every single purchase is so good to be aware of.  I value time, flexibility and  freedom over consumerism and material items and  I love teaching you to live a simpler,  more natural and meaningful life so you can enjoy this incredible life God gave us.  I think excessive consumption keeps people from financial security and builds kingdoms of clutter in our houses, schedules, bank statements and environment.  I want you to buy less of what doesn’t matter so you can afford more of what does!  I love helping people escape the trap of overconsumption to find freedom in frugality!
 
What I hope you find is your own full life and it probably won’t look like mine, but you can start designing your own version of financial freedom and you may find you enjoy the pursuit of it! 
 
We had some great things happen in the group!  My favorite are more family time with homecooked meals and teaching kids the importance of spending less, trips to the library for the first time, fishing with family, family hiking, decluttering and just being aware of every single purchase and only buying essentials.  When we live more intentionally, our lives become more significant in so many ways!  When you live for treasure in heaven instead of treasures on earth, you have more time to enjoy the life you have and that is why I encourage people to simplify their lives to live better.
 
Money spent on groceries was very minimal and most members had to get a little creative when trying to use up pantry items and cleaning out the freezer.
 
When you do a shopping ban or challenge like this you need to figure out what you value. Vision what a values- aligned life looks like.  I talk about this in episode 2 of the Claiming Simplicity Podcast.  Value vs. Time Assessment.  What motivates you?  Does spending more time with family motivate you to spend less money?  Do you want to stop trading hours for dollars?  Do you want to be able to give insane amounts of money to people in need?  Do you want to travel whenever you want to and have time freedom and flexability to do it whenever you want to?  You have to have a reason that gets you excited to do this!
 
You also need to  know what your challenges and excuses are.  Most times these are just limiting mindsets.  Change your mindset and you will change your outlook.  You might think you are broke, but once you make a budget, you might find that you just overspend.  Whatever you think is keeping you from paying off your debt, there is someone else in a situation like yours that has accomplished the same goal because of their mindset.  There is alot of scientific studies to prove that mindset significantly implacts the way you make short and long term decisions, so here are some things you can do to improve your limiting mindset.  Surround yourself with abundance thinkers and practice gratitude.  You are capable of saving more than you can even imagine. Make a goal for yourself and plan to reach it!
 
You can do a challenge like this any month of the year and I encourage you to try it if you haven’t already. I am super proud of the members of our No spend challenge because most have never tried it before and for the ones that were active, they had success! 
Join our Community of Christian Moms ->
https://www.facebook.com/groups/claimingsimplicity/
Email -> monica@claimingsimplicity.com
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Enjoy your week and God Bless!
Monica