The 1-2-3 Challenge: July 2021

July in Texas. “Mid” summer. The kids are home. Cookouts. Swimming. Vacation. Staycation.  Still a few months before the holidays.

And it’s hot, y’all.

As we’re sweating away the pounds, now can also be a good time to trim excess spending from the budget.

So we’re starting a challenge. Here are the rules:

 Challenge 1: During one week in July, do not buy groceries.

Personal experience here: I tested this with my household recently. For ten days, we did not buy groceries. It was a little strange, but we enjoyed tapping into some creativity as we pieced together meals from what we had on hand. And we definitely had enough to eat! A great app that can help you is Supercook. You list the ingredients you have on hand, and Supercook will give you several recipes to try!

Challenge 2: During two weeks in July, do not go out to eat.

I know, I know…easy to write but hard to do. But if you look at how much you spend on dining out in any given week, how much could you save by denying yourself during those two weeks? Multiply that by 26, and that’s how much you could put into a savings account over a year’s time!

Challenge 3: During three weeks in July, do not order from Amazon

This one. Have you totaled up your Amazon purchases? How many of those are spur of the moment buys? So here’s the deal: during the no-spend-on-Amazon weeks, you can absolutely put items into your cart on Amazon. But you can only buy those items AFTER the three weeks. Review the cart before you purchase. I bet you’ll find that you don’t want half the things.

Bonus: During the whole month of July, take advantage of only free activities.

From concerts and Bollywood at Miller Outdoor Theater to bingo and movies at Market Square Park to the Houston Arboretum, and many other free events….you’re sure to stay entertained! Did you know that on Thursdays certain museums in Houston are free? And some museums are always free!

What do you think?  Let us know in the comments if you will join us in a no-spend July!