I first announced that I would be participating in a spending freeze back in May. I’ve learned a lot about my spending trends since then. I spend when I’m emotional, for something, and I’m actually happier when fewer things come to our house. (You can read more of the lessons I’ve learned in this Instagram caption.)
It’s time for me to move on to the next phase of my spending shift, this time with a softer approach. Today, I will share how the spending freeze works and the lessons I will learn from here on.
The goals I had for this spending freeze
First, let me share a little summary of my original intentions for the spending freeze. As I have determined it for myself, this does not mean a complete freeze on all of spending. At its core, I want it to help me be more intentional about where I’m spending my money and pause before making a purchase. I hope to learn to be less reactive and stop rushing to spend money to solve problems in my work and personal life. In my daily life, I want to:
- Pause any large family projects to work. The cycle of spending to do more projects quickly starts to feel really overwhelming. I know something has to change.
- Pause buying new clothes, for the most part.
- Plan our family meals more purposefully and order less takeout.
This is how the spending freeze really works
Family project
The pause on home projects means I won’t be embarking on any major redesigns. It also means that I won’t hire people to do projects around the house, which can get expensive pretty quickly. This is the biggest area that I cut. That way, I have a more peaceful feeling in my home, make fewer decisions, and feel so much lighter. life here a little bit.
Clothes
While I still buy clothes from time to time during the spending freeze, I’ve been spending significantly less than I would have liked. I avoided sites that I knew would tempt me, and I have had a better relationship with my own consumption and a relationship with fast fashion.
I realize that, for me, the excitement of buying clothes is often really about finding those items rather than wearing them when they arrive. The sense of urgency that motivated many previous purchases has been replaced by a greater degree of intentionality. A few items I buy have silhouettes that I know I love on my body and are specific items I’ve had on my wish list for a while.
Meal
I cooked Lunch at home more often than I’ve had in a while. This helped bring a little creativity into the kitchen. I would say we didn’t cut our takeout and eat out as much as we could. This is partly because socializing during the warm summer months is quite special when you live in a place like Minnesota!
I find that the small changes I make on a daily basis are what really make the most difference. Going forward, I want to change my approach to spending so that it’s more sustainable in the long run — not to extremes.
My changed approach to future spending
One thing I know about myself is this: I tend to go to extremes when I’m trying a new habit. I do really well for a short time in all-or-nothing situations and then I tend to go the other way. Over time, I’ve found that the small changes I make on a daily basis are what really make the most difference. Going forward, I want to change my approach to spending so that it’s more sustainable in the long run — not to extremes.
The key to this changed approach will be to slow down before making a purchase. I want to put progress Finding a certain item is more at the forefront of my buying habits than the act of buying itself. When I pause before buying, I tend to make more intentional purchases that I will love for years, rather than impulsive purchases that only temporarily fill the void. (For more information on this topic, read this post all about three helpful questions I now ask myself before spending.)
This idea of a pause is not new to me, but its importance has been clearly illuminated over the course of the past few months. Ultimately, it’s about realizing that sometimes it takes a while to figure out the “right” thing and learn to be okay with it.
Kate is currently learning to play the ukulele, leaving her husband, children and dogs desperate. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.
