I read this story in a Magazine a Few yrs ago ,
I don't remember the details, but the Family was in Serious Money trouble, so they were advised to Do a Monthlong Money Freeze , or whatever , And they were not allowed to spend a DIME unless they had to.

Even with things like groceries , the woman had to Use up everything they could and only buy the necessities.
Even Going to walmart to buy these necessities , they Scrambled for Lost change and They took things back , like stockpiles of shampoos and toothpaste, so they could exchange them for things they needed.

Their kids also Needed things for school , But the Family called relatives and Friends first to see if they had stuff OR they went to A thrift shop for things.

I remember they saved alot of money that month.

No, never. BUT, it sure would help matters....would be cool to see how much money you realllly could save because of it. Might give it a shot soon. Lots of bills coming up.

Not a total money freeze. I could never do that. Heck, we have to have gas to get to work!!!

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~Happiness is a large family~

we did it and were amazed! We were in the process of adopting our youngest son internationally, and thought we had everything covered..surprise! We had to come up with an additional $5,000.00 and went on a 6 week spending freeze. We used up everything in the house, carpooled, turned off cable,and saved a TON. We know we can do it again if we need to. We were so excited about bringing our son home, that we didn't mind it a bit, and even made a game out of it!!

I'm going to try only buying what we need for the month of January no extra. I don't know that I can do a spending Halt. I think the only way you can really do that is when you are in dire straights, and you do not have any choices.

I'm not doing a full money freeze, but I'm cutting out all unneccesity. Things that I really don't need but buy as a convience. I have alot of debt I want to pay off this year, plus I'm having a breast reduction that I want to pay cash for. So for me it's just cutting out the unnecssity and using up all that I have in the house before I buy anything else. I'm really hoping to stretch the kids clothes until Sept. for school and I have been reselling their toys and clothes at Consignment and on Craigs list. I've made enough to be able to buy all their clothes for each season.

I'm not pre buying for the kids either this year. I did that this year and got really burned with Thomas, I bought 3T for the summer and he's still in 24Months and he'll be 3 in April. B-day parties for the kids will be small, just a few friends over with cake and games, I'm cutting out alot of the junky snacks and more water. I've cut back on milk too, my Milk bill last month was 119.00 , yes we go trhough 6 gallons a week, so I've cut that back to 2. My grocery budget is 80 a week but since my parents butchered a steer this year I have enough meat. Now it's just a matter of using up my pantry and cleaning stockpile.

I hope that helps a bit, but I have not other choice, so for me it's basically I spending cutback, majorly. Just not spending to spend!!!

I cannot imagine having the will power, but we do the cash envelope system (we have been for around 17 months and have saves THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS) and when I want something I don't have cash for often I'll try to halt spending in some areas (particularly entertainment and grocery and meals out) so I can afford to buy it. You really can cut a $400.00 per month grocery bill in half if needed.

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"It's one of the most beautiful compensations in life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I agree their are things we think we Need like gas for our cars and Stuff , I remember the family in the story , Did by some gas , Cause that was a definate need! BUT they asked around and found People who they worked with and Kids friends who lived nearby , and they carpooled as Much as they could!! They Cut their gas Bill into about 1/4 of what they spent before, Just by Asking around!

I also Agree this is easier if it HAS to be done.
This Family was serious about their Financial needs and the dad was facing a Layoff -
They had to Clean up fast, and Save some money.


Of course I could do it too if I had a Financial advisor and A Major Magazine rooting for me

I simply need to stay out of the stores - plain and Simple - I can not stick to a list , If I Do Only cash , i still have a Check out in my car for emergencies , I will go and get that I just always pick up this or that , I Buy ahead cause of great sales, I Can't stop nickle and diming myself to death

Over 3 years ago, my workplace had someone in charge who really shouldn't have been in charge (very stressful time for everyone), and as a result of mismanagement, our hours were cut. I had to eliminate any wasteful spending just for our family to survive during this time.

We're currently doing this.. not as extreme but cutting out all extras in preparation for our move. The only luxury we haven't cut is cable because that's how we access the internet. Other than that we're using everything we have, not buying anything new since we have a weight limit on how much the military pays for, and going through our belongings to find things to sell.