How to go on a Spending Detox After the Holidays

As we “deck the halls with balls of money,” or however the song goes, our bank accounts are bracing for impact. There’s no time better than now to prep for a major spending detox. With a little ingenuity, a lot of us would be shocked to find that we could easily go a month or two without spending on anything other than bills, groceries, and gas/transportation. Here are a few ways to make most of your holiday budget.

The remix to leftovers

Many people will be having much smaller gatherings this year, which means lots of miscalculations for portion needs in holiday dinners. Not to worry. There are tons of articles online dedicated to helping you give your very specific leftovers a whole new life. If you have lots of leftover veggies that you don’t want to throw out, there are lots of apps such as Epicurious and Allrecipes Dinner Spinner that give you a collection of recipes based on the ingredients in your fridge. Eat out for what?

Shop your home

Many of us have tons of products that we use for our weekly cleaning, hygiene routines, beautification and more. If you need a few “no spend” weeks, it may be a good time to begin reimagining the products you have to make them multipurpose. Vinegar can be used as an alternative for tons of purposes. Red lipsticks can be used as color correctors for dark spots and blushes in a pinch. Many oils can be used as makeup removers, bug repellant, the base for homemade shaving creams and shampoos. YouTube is a treasure trove of simple DIYs using common household products if you want to stay away from shopping.

Unplug from aspirational content

Social media can be a wonderland of inspiration, but it can also be a reminder of all the things you don’t have or haven’t quite accomplished yet. Though we’re all feeling the pressure to make these grand changes in our lives as we enter a new year, avoid making major purchases for these goals just yet. If you still have the urge to do this months later, it may be worth investing in after some careful planning.

For more holiday saving tips, check out this blog post. For a few fun, inexpensive cocktail recipes, head over to our Pinterest!