Prepare for a spending quarantine this weekend
Today, take things a step further and prepare for a no spend weekend, especially if you have little to no savings ... If you spent $50 on food delivery and $35 on Amazon last weekend and this weekend you spend nothing, send the "extra" $85 to your savings account ... Ask yourself, "what relationship currently exists with money, and does that fit within the values desired for [my] life?" This spending quarantine can help you think more clearly about what you actually need and want to spend money
CNBC Make It is posting a new financial task to tackle each day for a month. These are all meant to be simple, time-sensitive activities to take your mind off of the news for a moment and, hopefully, put you on sturdier financial footing. This is day 24 of 30.
Over the last few days, CNBC Make It has focused on savings, including the need to boost your emergency fund right now and different strategies for doing so. Today, take things a step further and prepare for a no spend weekend, especially if you have little to no savings.
"Most people make purchase decisions one at a time — an appliance breaks, no one wants to cook on a Friday, a charity that I support sent an email asking for help," Sean Pearson, a Pennsylvania-based certified financial planner, tells CNBC Make It. But a spending freeze forces you to reevaluate those impulsive decisions. It's a form of money mindfulness that can help you save.
No Spend challenges are popular online, and culminate in "No Spend November," in which participants attempt to not spend money on non-essentials for the entire month. If you've never tried a similar challenge, though, a weekend is a good place to start. Two days is short enough that it's easy to stick to the challenge, but long enough to make a potential difference and get the savings ball rolling.
That so many people are self-isolating at home should make it easier than under normal circumstances to succeed, assuming you have food and everything else you will need for two days. Plus, taking the easy win of saving a little bit of money can help ease some anxiety right now by letting you focus on what you can control.
There's no shortage of things to do at home now to pass the time other than shopping online or renting movies. You can take a free online course, try meditating or take a virtual trip to a museum. If you have a library card, you can access books, movies and music electronically for free online.
At the end of the weekend, compare what you spent to what you typically spend in a weekend. If you spent $50 on food delivery and $35 on Amazon last weekend and this weekend you spend nothing, send the "extra" $85 to your savings account.
Finally, while you're at home, reflect on your current mindset about your spending habits, suggests John Renner, a New Jersey-based CFP. Ask yourself, "what relationship currently exists with money, and does that fit within the values desired for [my] life?" This spending quarantine can help you think more clearly about what you actually need and want to spend money on in the coming weeks.
Don't miss the past five days:
- Day 19: Take one thing off of your to-do list for the coming week
- Day 20: Join a money community for financial support
- Day 21: Prepare for a recession by prioritizing your emergency fund
- Day 22: Turning saving into a game can help you stash away more money
- Day 23: Create a money mindfulness practice
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