A FISCAL FAST is a period in which you spend as little money as possible. You don’t buy anything “extra,” you just pay your bills (cutting and lowering any that can be cut or lowered) and buy your groceries (as little as humanly possible) for a set amount of time.
Challenge periods: Here at FISCAL FASTERS we have regular challenges ranging from one day to a week to a month of no spending.
Typically, for the 1-day challenges, we try to spend absolutely zero dollars that day. Doing this once is easy, so we suggest having one fiscal fast day per week to get the best results.
For the week-long challenges, we try to only a) pay bills that must be paid during this time, and b) put gas in the car if absolutely necessary. For a 1-week challenge, we try to avoid grocery shopping AT ALL. Just live off what you already have.
For the month-long challenges, we have a list of rules mandating what we CAN spend money on, and what we CAN NOT spend money on. During a 30-day challenge you will probably need to gas up your car or buy a few groceries, and that’s ok. The goal is to set a firm budget ahead of time (say, $40 for groceries for the week), then plan your shopping to hit that goal.
Fiscal Fasters was originally created as a space for my family and friends to share our experiences during these challenges, report our spending, hold each other accountable, and share any tips and tricks throughout the month. Once I started getting requests to join in from people out in the real world, I decided to open it up to anyone who wants to join in!
The only rules are: be nice, and be supportive.
CHECK OUT THESE LINKS:
- THE RULES: YES – what you can spend money on
- THE RULES: NO – what you can’t spend money on
- Use-it-Up Challenge – waste less, get more for your $
- Cheapo Recipes – to get you through the lean days
Share your tips and tricks or ask your questions in the comments section!
Fiscal Fasters 