Many of you have asked how we go about only shopping every six months and where the inspiration came from. Here is the where and the how. I hope you are inspired to give it a try as well. If you would like a shopping list like I use to accomplish this goal, it is included in the cookbook I compiled, "Dinner's Ready 1-2-3" which you can purchase here.

A Year Without Spending (adapted from an article by Mary Hunt)

Eric and Donna Reed shop for groceries and household products only once a year. How on earth? I know. That was my reaction, too.

The Reed’s got the idea after reading a column in USA Today, wherein the writer confessed to his weakness when it comes to buying clothes. So driven to buy new sweaters, slacks or shoes every time he stepped inside a clothing store, publicly he announced he was giving up buying anything for one full year.

Eric and Donna wondered if they could do the same. Their minds went to the grocery and discount stores, the mall and Amazon.com. And what about restaurants, home improvement stores, they pondered. And how would they handle gifts and seasonal items every household needs through the course of a year?

The Reed’s, like most of us, don’t simply stop into the store to pick up milk, or eggs. No, they get what they walked in to get, but a basket of other stuff, too. It’s expensive to be a frequent-buying consumer. Could they plan ahead well enough to make it through a whole year without spending? They decided to see if they were up to it by trying it for one month. One month with no exceptions. Not even gifts. Could they do it? They bought supplies for the month and then gritted their teeth.

They report that the first two weeks they sailed by. It was exciting to approach life like pioneers. They were self-sufficient and resourceful. But by week three they were drinking powdered milk and making creative salads as the lettuce was gone. In week four Donna ruined her last pair of pantyhose and opted to wear pants for work attire to finish out the month. Just when they were ready to give up on this crazy notion, they tallied the results. They’d spent less than half of what they normally spent in a month’s time.

Wow. Imagine that: They cut their expenses overall in half! Could they expand this way of life to three months? They could—they would. But not without some strategic planning. They calculated how much toilet tissue, cleaning supplies, dry goods, meat and other food staples they would need for three months based on past usage. And then they contemplated what you’ve been wondering: What about milk and produce? Gasoline? And what if they really wanted a meal out or a drive-thru experience? Their compromise: gift certificates. They bought a strategically planned number of $10 gift cards for their favorite drive-thru, gas station and supermarket and put the cards in a safe place.

Making it for three months was not nearly as difficult as they worried it would be—even with Thanksgiving landing in the middle of that time period. They’d planned ahead with a turkey in the freezer.

By the time the three months were about to end, they were asking “Can we make it a year? Soon they were plotting a big, one-time-only buying spree for the week after Christmas when lots of things are on sale.

The Reeds did complete a full year without spending and the fringe benefits are astounding. They did put the initial purchase on a credit card, but paid it off within three months. Over the next nine months, with the money they were not spending they were able to pay off all of their unsecured debts. They finished the year with only their mortgage.

All because they went a year without buying anything.

We adapted our own version of this strategy for six month periods:

1) We write down every penny we spend. Accountability makes you think before you spend.

2) We use cash or debit card only, unless we have a plan for paying off a credit purchase before we pay interest. We have successfully used our AMEX and Discover Card to earn points that can be used to pay off purchases and we earned a free car rental with some of our points. This takes major discipline.

3) We plan a major shopping trip every six months using the “bonus” of the extra payday that rolls

around twice a year because of the way paydays fall on the calendar. We purchase everything we need for the next six months including groceries, toiletries, cleaning products, birthday gifts, new underware, etc. The more we cover in this trip the less likely it is we will need to pick anything else up and be tempted. We also only shop at two stores to cover all of our needs. Running around to a lot of different stores does not save you money in the long run and it is exhausting. Part of the goal of this practice is to save time, as well as money. You might save a few dollars more going to several stores, but for me it just isn’t worth it. I have found where the best overall prices are in our town and stick to those two stores.

4) You will need to plan a basic “menu” for the time frame you are choosing to shop for. My menu consists of knowing I use chicken breasts, ground turkey, all kinds of seafood, certain canned items and frozen items consistently for our style of cooking. Practice will make perfect. After six years I only use my grocery list to tell me what I still have on hand so I don’t over buy product. I inventory all of my supplies before shopping and then I know what I need to bring everything back up to the six month level. If I decide to try a recipe that needs a special ingredient that falls into the next step.

5) We go to the grocery store or Farmer’s Market once a week on Saturday to pick up the few fresh or special items we need for the next week. This is done with cash in hand so we are not tempted by the “specials.” We do not buy anything else because the pantry is stocked for six months.

6) When we first started shopping this way 6 years ago we did not go to any other stores for the entire six months. Window shopping leads to impulse buying. Now we have become so addicted to the benefits this lifestyle that we can window shop without being tempted. We know the benefits of not making impulse purchases and plan ahead if we see something we really want. Usually by the time the next shopping period arrives we have forgotten or have decided we really don’t need it.

7) We have committed to live debt free and whenever we are tempted we remind each other of the commitment and the benefits we have lived.

8) We started a cash fund for emergencies separate from our savings in the bank. In case of a disaster we have access to at least some of our funds. We have a set amount for the cash fund to remain at. When we started out six years ago the amount we saved each month over these emergency funds and our regular savings was applied directly to our debt pay off. We no longer have the debt to pay off, so it all goes into savings now.

9) We set a goal to eat out once per payday. This makes it something to really look forward to instead of being just routine. There are always exceptions when the schedule gets crazy, but we don’t have to worry about how to pay for it, or put it on a credit card, because we now have the funds to pay cash. We do not go through drive-thrus just because it is convenient. We plan our time out running errands to eat before we leave the house or when we return home. Keep some granola bars, peanuts, or other snack in the car along with bottled water and it helps stop the drive-thru habit.

10) Plan your activities for each payday as well. If you like to go to the movie theater, choose carefully one movie a month and the rest of the time rent movies. Or plan 2 matinees in the month and save a bundle.

11) When we began six years ago we tried this plan for one month. When we came out $400 ahead of the previous month that was enough to convince us to shoot for a three month goal and it was easy to take the next step to six months. We have chosen not to use a one-year plan simply because we do not want that much meat in the freezer in case of a power outage and we simply don’t have the storage space. If you live in a small house or apartment a one month plan will still save you lots of money.

12) Determine needs vs. wants and pray about how God would have you apply these principles.

Good stewardship is the real “prosperity doctrine.”