What I did during my no spend month

January 29, 2016

Happy Friday!! I'm back today with a recap of all of the projects I completed this month without spending any dough. I do one no spend month each year and the past couple of years I've done it in January -- perfect after the holiday madness. 

Sometimes I use scrap wood to create stuff, sometimes I organize a lot, this time I was focused on getting projects knocked off the to do list. And that I did! Whoot! 

First up, I shared more of the same…my plan to finish what I've started this year and to at least begin a few more spaces, like the plan for our loft space:  
DIY craft table

I'm so stinking excited to get that room started. The first step will be the new floors which will also be the most expensive. I hope to defray the cost a little by pulling up the carpet ourselves. We'll see. 

I did get a little organization project completed in the mud room -- I've had this wire kit sitting around for years and got it installed: 
IKEA art wall with wire

Funny, but so far it's been the easiest and best "command center" I've used yet. It's so easy to see what's up there and so simple to change out art/notes. 

The main focus of this month has been to finish the painting in our master. I've put it off because of the tall ceilings in this room, but as with a lot of projects I delay, it wasn't as bad as I thought. You really have to see the before pics to see what a difference this new, lighter color has done for the room:
Whitestone Benjamin Moore

There are a few more projects to finish before I'm done with this space but I absolutely love how it's come together. I think my favorite spot is the TV wall, which is the one I put off the longest:
Whitestone paint, Benjamin Moore

Years ago I decided to change our rarely-used dining room into a library/lounge space that I knew we'd use more often. In the process I added a TON of storage with the DIY built in bookcases. I finally finished up the last details of this space this month and am calling it DONE
DIY built in bookcases with kitchen cabinets

I think one of the hardest parts of decorating is knowing what to do around the TV. So often it's just this black hole sitting on the wall by itself. I shared a bunch of ideas to incorporate it into the design of your home here
decorating around TV

I have been avoiding the temptation of shopping this month, but that doesn't mean I can't check out the goodies online. :) I shared my favorite Target lamps (both table and floor) in this post

Target floor lamps

Turns out I have quite a few of them in our home already. I was a little surprised at how many. I have a thing with lamps, what can I say. 

I get questions about my fiddle leaf plants often -- they are my favorite plants to grow (inside)! I shared my tricks to keep them happy and healthy
how to care for fiddle leaf
I also talked about where you can find these beauties for a great price. They are so full and lush, I absolutely love them. 

Last year I started making some much needed updates to our guest room, but I've been spending as little as possible because…guest room. I had been eyeing this bed for a year and got it for a great price last fall. It's finally installed in the room and I LOVE it. Now I kinda want to sleep it in every night:
Tilden bed Target

And finally, the last project of the month (so far, I hope to finish up some smaller things this weekend) was to make a small update in our master bathroom that I think made a big difference: 
picture frame molding on wall

Soon after we moved in nearly 12 years ago I made some changes to this room that made a big difference, but I won't be doing much else with it till we renovate it (which will be awhile). I'm content where it's at now! 

There you go! I think I accomplished more this year than ever before in this month. The projects this time were much grander in scale, at least they felt like it. :) I'm thrilled with what I accomplished. 

I love no spend months -- I spend way more time at home (I actually start to loathe running errands of any kind), use less gas, thoroughly enjoy my home and family and get a lot done. I highly recommend it! Have you tried this yet? 

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Comments

  1. I love the loft area and the library....so cute and cozy!

    I have been looking for a coffee table for our living room because I really want one but our living room is pretty small and we have an ottoman for our couch so it doesn't leave much room for a coffee table unless we want to close off the area, which I don't want to. So now I think I'm going to search for a really nice end table LOL

    -Ashlee Michelle
    www.makeupandmodifieds.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. where are the bamboo shades from??
    Erincyoung (at) yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. Home Depot -- I believe the Home Decorators brand (in the store)

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  3. Wow, you sure got a whole lot accomplished this month! I love the idea of a no spend month, but I feel like I would just overspend the month before or after to make up for it.

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  4. You know, I used to think the same! I do want to go shopping after but not spending on things for that time changes your needs a bit. I don't want to bring in as much stuff and I think a lot harder about what I spend on -- it's very interesting!

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THANKS so much for reading!