Written By: Leah Morris
So what's Frugal February, and why February? The idea behind Frugal February is simple try to adopt as many money saving ideas as you can during this month, such as spend-free days, not eating out, etc. Try to eliminate all non-essential spending and only spend money on necessities. Why February? Mainly because it's the shortest month and that gives you the best chance of success. Also, 'Frugal February' sounds a lot more fun than 'Frugal September'.
Experts say it takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle. So this February, let’s create some mindful habits that would lead us to create space for what matters most.
Since I am a professional home organizer and decluttering professional, I wanted to share some different ways you could use Frugal February to help you declutter your space and sustain it.
Below are Mindfully Minimized top 3 tips for leveraging Frugal February from a decluttering perspective this month.
1. Don’t Spend. Stop the bleeding and try having a no spend month - Obviously it’s impossible to spend nothing. We all have rent or mortgage payments, bills that can’t be cut out, surprises that will crop up, and, you know, you need to eat. So write down your recurring expenses. Look through some bank statements and see if there are any annual expenses that will crop up (for example, my Amazon Prime membership renewal, audible, old services still being paid for and longer being used, insurance being paid on jewelry you no longer have, Netflix, Disney Plus (maybe you can share with a family member?). You get the point. Every person will have different things that they just can’t or don’t want to do without. And that’s ok. Pause and take a look at these expense and just try to cut a least 1 out.
2. Use up what you have. Start with your food and beauty supplies. Declutter your storage and commit to using up everything in the fridge and pantry before buying anything else. Only purchase items that you run out of and would use. . When it comes to beauty products try not to buy any new ones for the next month and use up what you already have on hand before you’re “allowed” to buy another product. Take 15 minutes to clear out your make-up and skincare collection. If you are an avid reader, try not to buy new books or magazines instead start borrowing from friends. Unsubscribe from any e-commerce email lists that might be likely to tempt us with a sale. Let’s see what it’s like to live without it for a month.
3. Sell wanted stuff. If you have items in your home that you no longer love and are collecting dust – books, clothes, shoes, or old tech. Frugal February is a great time to sell items for cash or donate them. Not sure what options you have, check out this great blog post on how to sell your stuff
Frugal February looks different for everyone. For my family, it means using up what we have before we buy something new, decreasing our impulse purchases (yes, you $2 candy at the Target check-out) and getting our financial goals into clear focus for the year ahead. It is just really about being intentional with our spending and by doing so, we end up living with a lot less clutter.
Give Frugal February a try and see if it can help you say good-bye to any accumulated clutter in your home or if it prevents you from bringing any additional clutter in.
Founder & Chief Organizer @Mindfully Minimized
Mindfully Minimized is a holistic organizational solution company committed to helping people clear the clutter from their lives. Based in Minneapolis, Mindfully Minimized was founded by owner and chief organizer Leah Morris who works alongside her clients to help them with their challenging spaces to create a beautifully organized home focused around their intention. Leah is a professional organizer, decluttering expert, speaker & coach. She is committed to helping people declutter their lives to focus on what they love. With her passion for providing solutions to problems and serving others she is able to transform spaces to be more clam, purposeful, sustainable, and joyously livable. Check out her website or you can also follow her on Instagram or on facebook.