The "No Spending" Rules….and other resolutions.

So, a lot of people have been asking me what the “rules” are for our year without spending mission. People see us spending on one thing but not another. Luckily, once I found the original article and re-read it, I was able to get a better perspective as to how to execute this daunting task. We basically have taken the original author’s guidelines and tweaked them to fit our lifestyle. This has really helped, being that it feels a lot more structured and achievable now. So here are the Duncan “No Spending” Rules:

RULE 1: Tim and I won't be purchasing anything for one year. No clothing, shoes, CDs, DVDs, Etc. This also includes eating out and going to the movies. Charity giving is Ok.

RULE 2: Owen is somewhat except. He will get the clothes and stuff that he needs and the occasional learning toy but we just won’t be picking something new up every time we go out. There is only so much you can do when you have a baby.

RULE 3: All gifts will be in the form of books, gift cards, or homemade items.

RULE 4: Broken items will not be replaced unless absolutely necessary.

RULE 5: Any form of family entertainment is allowed. Basically, stuff that allows us to spend quality time together (the zoo, putt putt, etc.)

RULE 6: Previous commitments will be honored as we also don’t want to go back on our words.

RULE 7: Being that Owen is so young, family portraits and/or Owen pictures are allowed. He is only this age once. Purchases will just be limited.

I think the hardest part of this will be the not eating out. I just have to keep telling myself that this is a win/win situation being that I am also trying to lose weight, which brings me to my next topic.

While we are talking about New Year’s Resolutions, I thought I would throw the other ones I made, out there as well.

I have always wanted to read through the entire Bible in a year. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve read quite a bit but not all together and most definitely not the entire Bible. I just feel that it will add a lot more depth to my faith if I can finally achieve this goal in a year. I’ve tried several times but always fallen short.

My last resolution is to lose at least 10 lbs. This is less about public image and more about needing to fit into the clothes I have already. ;o) I am tired of trying to cram my post-baby belly into jeans that are probably about 1 size too small. This would have several benefits as it would go hand in hand with our no spending challenge and will increase my confidence. I guess you could call this one the “bringing sexy back” resolution. My realistic goal is 10lbs but I would like to ultimately lose 20. I just figure I will work hard to meet the first goal and if I’m doing well, I’ll keep going to attempt to meet the second. That, and, this way, technically I’m not “breaking” my resolution if I don’t meet the 20lb mark.

Ok, there it is. Probably the most challenging life plan I’ve ever taken on, laid out before you. I would like to take the time to stress, once again, that this all is not about the money. We are doing just fine as is. It’s just about hitting the reset button on our priorities in an effort to be the best parents we can for Owen.

Last weekend we didn’t make any plans (other then Church). We spent 2 days, being lazy around the house, watching movies and just enjoying each other. And you know what? It was the most relaxing and enjoyable weekend I’ve had in a long time.

Click here to read the original article that inspired us.