Frugally Sustainable

A Resource for All Things Frugal and Sustainable

23 Day Frugal Living Challenge: Join Us!

So, I have been hit with an idea! A New Year’s resolution of sorts!

How could my life, and the lives of others, change if we were to challenge ourselves to 23 days of frugal living?

I consider myself, my husband, and my children to be fairly frugal people, and sometimes I admit we take it too far; for example, our couch has a hole in it and we still refuse to buy a new one, I used my old running shoes until the soles were bare, and our truck has 140,000+ miles on it but he still runs like a charm.

In no way am I recommending this to others. Nor am I saying that you have to live with holes in your furniture! However, I will suggest that there are many other ways to scale back spending and live a more frugal lifestyle.
Join me in a 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge!

Why attempt a frugal living challenge?

  1. First, because living frugally allows for you to spend less than you earn. And the benefits from this are endless. You can use the difference to: get caught up on late payments, pay off debt, save, and potentially invest.
  2. Second, because the less you spend, the less is required for you to earn. The benefits of this one mean: you and/or your spouse have the potential to work less, you obtain freedom from a wage, you may have the opportunity to pursue your true passions, and you may be able to retire early.

Frugal living is not suppressive! Quite the opposite, it means breaking free of the chains that bind us to unfulfilled lives.

It means spending more time with the people that mean the most. It’s having conversations, reading for leisure, growing in knowledge, enjoying nature, doing things that you think are fun, exercising, being a slave to no one, and focusing on what truly is important. The good life is waiting!

So…together let’s see how many people we can get to commit to living frugally for 23 days!

We could change the tide of society! Or, at least encourage each other along the journey. Obviously, there is a broad array of things that could happen!

The Ground Rules:

You are not committing to the implementation of all 23 ideas for living frugally. I should admit that I do most, but not all, of the tips that will be recommended and discussed. My commitment to you is to be honest with you as we move along.

I ask no more from you that I ask of myself.

  • Simply commit to the process and to openness.
  • Subscribe to Frugally Sustainable by email so you are sure not to miss a single post during the Challenge.
  • Read how this will work and go join the forum!

Be willing to change, take baby steps, or jump on the path of frugality for the first time! Where ever you are on the journey, don’t be afraid to join in. We will challenge ourselves to:

  • Redefine “enough”
  • Learn how to use a 30-day list
  • Stop the impulse buys
  • Grow a garden
  • Cook ahead
  • And much more…

Let’s do this!

Make an early New Year’s resolution and commit yourself to the challenge of living frugally for 23 days starting Friday January 6, 2012 by signing your name below.

What an awesome way to start out a new year!

If the entire 23 days is too much of a commitment for you, that’s totally okay. Maybe you can commit for 4-5 days or only just one? Show your support by signing the pledge anyway!

Whatever your commitment level, even if it’s for only for a day please sign the pledge, and let’s discover together how living frugally can change us, our families, our communities, and our world.

Note: The Challenge pledge is now closed. We have completed all 23 days! If you’d like to read through the information shared, please see the collection of posts from the Challenge provided below.

Update: Due to the overwhelming response, this post is unable to maintain the entire list of people who have committed to the 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge. Instead, a total tally of pledge signers has been provided and updated!

This year…

2,089

…individuals made a commitment and participated in our first 23 Day Frugal Living Challenge! 

23 Day Frugal Living Challenge Posts

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I live in Arizona and was wondering what kind of vegetables people are planting this time of year. We have tried to do a garden but failed horribly. Any advice would be awesome.

  3. @Nancy I'll email you:) We are now growing tomatoes (started back in Sept), swiss chard, eggplant, strawberries, various greens, kale, sugar snap peas, green beans, celery, garlic, various herbs (parsley, cilantro, chives, oregano, etc).

  16. Love this challenge and your blog here! Looking forward to joinin in if I am not too late 🙂

  17. I found your blog though a lens on homesteading. Oh I wish I had found it in time to participate! I will be checking all the posts you did during the challenge, and I am now following you by email too.

    • Barb, you can grow all sorts of veggies in containers in your apt, esp if you have a small patio or deck!! You can do it!1

  19. Any possibilities of you doing this again in the next month or two? Was thinking it would be a great time of year since the holidays are approaching fast!