That is a fantastic idea having a no spend week at the end of each month. It's good for various reasons. Saving money by not spending. Forcing one to use up what you already have and becoming more inventive, creative . Thus not being wasteful and getting rid of clutter to some extent . Giving yourself time to do the finances and reflect on them, needs Vs wants. You have the time because you aren't shopping. Teaching your kids good money habits. I love it! Gonna do it this month and save save save!!!!
I'm with Mattie C. Although I understood that you do "no spend" months, for some reason, I didn't understand until this video that you do a "no spend last week of every month." That is such a do-able idea. I am going to adopt this for my house; and I think that will be succesful, as it would be fairly pain free, and allow me to use my creativity without "suffering." LOL. I'm really into not suffering but still living a frugal life, so that what is needed can always be covered financially. This will really help! Thanks so much for sharing all of these useful ideas.
What a great idea is no spending the last week of the month. We also get all our money and pay all our bills by the 21st of the month. I am taking you advice and no spending after the 21st and balancing the budget to be ready for next month. Thank you.
You'll be proud of me, Jane! We were looking for some fire wood. A friend of my husband's said he had a bunch of bettle kill spruce. If my husband would come help him cut the trees down, we could have the wood. My husband went and got the first load on Friday. He told us we can can keep making trips until it's cleared out! So thankful for the blessing
I’m going to adopt your idea of a ”no spend week ” every month . It makes a lot of sense . We loved ”campings municipaux ” usually very quiet , with very clean showers, and extremely cheap .
I think that is the best advice that you have given on the food plan. Letting people know that they can change things around.. So many people don't really think about it and can't think outside the box. Hopefully it will help some get thinking another way.
Camping Municipal was our introduction to Huelgoat back in '89, it was so nice down by the river it was the autumn and we stayed there for a nominal fee of 1 franc per night..... great video guys
I like that box you made to cover the pipe and hole in the wall! Great idea to put a nice top on it. I’m sure it will come in handy for holding a plant, or candle or towels.
Hello Jane and Micheal we have never did a no spend month before so March 2022 is our first. We looked over our last number of years budget and we have over 2 weeks of each month with no spends exceptions when Murphy comes knocking but our Murphy fund covers that. Jane and Micheal thank you for sharing your life with us I only started watching you last August and I have been catching up on your channel it is so great to find like minded people including the people in the comments who give the best ideas which I love. We were always considered weird by others 🤔 lol the laugh was them we never had to run to get a loan for anything we saved and planned and had no money worries as there is enough stress in everyday life without any extras Anna.
Wow, I have just added this to the bucket list! Camping municipal en France. How wonderful, what a dream, thank you for sharing I never knew this way a thing.
Great idea if a no spend week each month. I closed out my budget today as I know I’m not shopping tomorrow. 2 out of 3 goals accomplished this month. I went over $19 on groceries but I did have an extra person for 8 days this month. I didn’t think I did that bad. Tightening up the budget in March. Another great video Jane and Mike.
Lovely memories of wonderful holidays with our motorhome in France seeing your local campsite. Some of the best ones we ever stayed on were the municipal ones and so affordable! Great video again Jane and love your little dogs x
I showed my son the way you dry your laundry, and he is trying to incorporate the idea. I have a drying rack etc. so I do mine this way already. Thanks for your videos.
Since finding your channel I have done 2 no spend months. I intended to try and do another one as well. For the beginning of December I have been doing a no spend week at the end of each month. This is allowing me to eat down the fridge freezer and things from the pantry that is nearing the end of its shelf life. The money saved from not shopping that week is split in half. One half goes into savings the other half is used to stock up on any bargains I find at the supermarket. Either things for the pantry or meat for the freezer.
I really enjoy watching and listening to what you've been doing during the week & I really love your drying rack, it's got so much more character than the newer ones 👍🙂
I just found you, and I love your “no spend weeks” concept. I’m going to try this for March. I just planned my meals for the week and “shopped” my refrigerator and freezer. It always amazes me how much food we have that we are not aware of until we take a good look. Looking forward to watching your videos!
Ooh In love with your freezer drawers.! Do you like them? I find our North American freezers to be cavernous places where things can get dumped in disarray if one is not careful 👍
We have communal bins here in Spain. I prefer it as you can get rid of your rubbish and recycle when you want to. You don't have to store it for ages and worry about which days the bins go out.
Such a good idea and possible. Watching the distressing scenes in Ukraine has made me even more aware of how lucky I am and how much I have. There are no real shortages for me; a no spend week is no hardship.
Love the little tour of the camping etc. I do my stock check & meal plan every Sunday morning, we get a veg box on a Tuesday so I check what I already have & look at the options & plan around that. It a bit more expensive that supermarket veg but keeps me out of the supermarket & we use every last bit ! Anything left get frozen for soup etc. I always try to look for offers.
Thanks for the no-spend-week explanation. I think that is a great strategy - as you said, it is then easy to close out the budget for the month very cleanly to see where you are! I am going to incorporate it into my budget plan!
I have an outdoor clothesline. Not readily available to purchase in Georgia. I had to have it custom made from a welding shop. They thought I was crazy.(all of the men kept asking me "do you not have a dryer"? I got the opportunity to tell them I save about $20-$30 a month in gas +electricity. During the rain and wet I use plastic hangers and hang shirts, pants, and undies in the doorway with the ceiling fan on. works very well and goes directly back in the closet. My grandson loves the smell and fluff of the outdoor refresh of his blankets. MB
Love the idea of the municipal camping place. i can see why it is busy when it's open. I agree, menus should have some flexibility built in. You don't always know what things that can come up and what you feel up to cooking. Flexibility prevents you from resorting to eating out or convenience foods.
The idea of a no spend week at the end of each month is such a good one. I needed to shop this weekend but the food will last well into next month, so it rather distorts the figures for the month. We used the French municipal campsites quite a lot when we travelled in 2012, but unfortunately since then most of our travelling has been over the winter months (when we are not working) so most of them are closed. They are as you say cheap and convenient and we found most were by either leisure facilities or a lake so beautiful scenery too.
Your menu has lots of yummy comfort food to get you through the cold weather, mmm, and I love tartiflette, have a reblochon in my fridge just waiting to go into one!
Thanks for showing us the local camping space. That looks really nice! Dolly is such a sweet little dog 🥰so glad she asked you to cover that hole! that box turned out great. That's great you got some free plants!!! I used to trade split plants with some of my neighbours when I lived in another city - that was fun and saved a lot of money.
Good advice. I buy my meats on offer and plan around that. And I eat in season vegetables if I can as they are a better price and taste better too. Cooking at home is cheaper, taste better an is better for you too. Looking forward to many more videos. You guys do a good job as usual.
Nice video. Lots of useful info. I think a great video would be telling us what prompted the move to France 🇫🇷. If video has been made, sorry didn’t see.
You’re welcome Bonnie and it’s a frequently asked question. We’ve visited Brittany for fifteen years and love it, w,e relocated to France for the quality of life.
Hi Wendy, we stick to our budget exactly. We might have 20€ supermarket budget spare, I usually buy some long term food or products like bathroom tissue with that.
I have been doing no spend February, it has made me look at my spending as although I budget and only give myself discretionary spending of £50pm generally I have been able to reduce my food & petrol budget. I will definitely be doing no spend May & September although I like the idea of 1 no spend week at the end of each month too.
Smart way to do it. I get my income on the 3rd week of the month, every month, for the same amount of money . I have kept a finance book for many years. It helps me to keep tabs on monthly expenses, bi yearly and yearly expenses. I like having a no spend week tfs 🥰🌷💐🌞🌛🍀✝💗
How do you work your no spend week? The last 7 days of the month or as in February, the week includes the first few days of March? And do you have set shopping days? I enjoy your videos! This one was especially interesting. I love your drying racks, the camping sites and garbage disposal info. Seeing how other people live is one of my favorite parts of travel.
Thank you God bless you I never thought of doing a no spend week at the last week of every month great wise tip encouraging as always love your Australian biggest fan xxx
@@FrugalQueeninFrance Would you please share what you consider the last week of the month? Feb 21-28 Feb 20-26 Feb 27-Mar 5 Or something else? I love your idea. I just wanted to see how you make it happen, as there are several ways to end a month in the budgeting community. I've struggled with deciding how to count the weeks of the month for budgeting. For me, the last week of February's budget is Feb 27 through March 6th because a February date lands on a Sunday and that's my beginning date for each week. I'm not convinced this is the best way to do it but I had to choose something. Thank you.
I love the camping spaces , who do you contact to book ? Or do you just turn up. Thanks for your videos. I'm inspired for the week to get organised with meal planning and batch cooking xx
Hi Jane, I was just wondering if you guys belong to an expat group at least in the beginning when you first moved to the area.... Do you now have local friends and are you comfortable with the language? The fight box came out beautiful it's a great shelf now!
Oh my gosh! Please step away from the bamboo!! We were given some starts about 20 years ago...for the last five years we have been digging, burning and poisoning trying to get rid of it. It was very beautiful for a while, then we saw it coming up around, under, and through our concrete patio and koi pond.
It would be good to put that bamboo into large pots as it will try to take over your world. There is an old saying “ beware of gardeners bearing gifts….”
I follow a team similar to you both they are smart and wonderful like you both. Frugal Money Saver on utube I wish you both would do a combo show sometime. Love your work I learn something every time! Best . David
That is a fantastic idea having a no spend week at the end of each month. It's good for various reasons.
Saving money by not spending.
Forcing one to use up what you already have and becoming more inventive, creative . Thus not being wasteful and getting rid of clutter to some extent .
Giving yourself time to do the finances and reflect on them, needs Vs wants. You have the time because you aren't shopping.
Teaching your kids good money habits.
I love it! Gonna do it this month and save save save!!!!
Thanks for the feedback
I'm with Mattie C. Although I understood that you do "no spend" months, for some reason, I didn't understand until this video that you do a "no spend last week of every month." That is such a do-able idea. I am going to adopt this for my house; and I think that will be succesful, as it would be fairly pain free, and allow me to use my creativity without "suffering." LOL. I'm really into not suffering but still living a frugal life, so that what is needed can always be covered financially. This will really help! Thanks so much for sharing all of these useful ideas.
What a great idea is no spending the last week of the month. We also get all our money and pay all our bills by the 21st of the month. I am taking you advice and no spending after the 21st and balancing the budget to be ready for next month. Thank you.
I hope it helps, it certainly works for us.
Your videos are extremely encouraging! Thank you, Mike and Jane.
Thanks very much
You'll be proud of me, Jane! We were looking for some fire wood. A friend of my husband's said he had a bunch of bettle kill spruce. If my husband would come help him cut the trees down, we could have the wood. My husband went and got the first load on Friday. He told us we can can keep making trips until it's cleared out! So thankful for the blessing
That’s fantastic and thanks for sharing.
I’m going to adopt your idea of a ”no spend week ” every month . It makes a lot of sense . We loved ”campings municipaux ” usually very quiet , with very clean showers, and extremely cheap .
I think that is the best advice that you have given on the food plan. Letting people know that they can change things around.. So many people don't really think about it and can't think outside the box. Hopefully it will help some get thinking another way.
That is so nice that towns in France have camping sites.
Camping Municipal was our introduction to Huelgoat back in '89, it was so nice down by the river it was the autumn and we stayed there for a nominal fee of 1 franc per night..... great video guys
I like that box you made to cover the pipe and hole in the wall! Great idea to put a nice top on it. I’m sure it will come in handy for holding a plant, or candle or towels.
Wow loved the little tour and sharing what you’ve been up to this week. 🤔 no spend week every month…. fab idea 👍🏴
Thanks for watching
Love the idea of a no spend week!!
Hello Jane and Micheal we have never did a no spend month before so March 2022 is our first. We looked over our last number of years budget and we have over 2 weeks of each month with no spends exceptions when Murphy comes knocking but our Murphy fund covers that. Jane and Micheal thank you for sharing your life with us I only started watching you last August and I have been catching up on your channel it is so great to find like minded people including the people in the comments who give the best ideas which I love. We were always considered weird by others 🤔 lol the laugh was them we never had to run to get a loan for anything we saved and planned and had no money worries as there is enough stress in everyday life without any extras Anna.
Thanks Anna. Those sinking funds mean Murphy is a pain in the neck but certainly not a crisis. Thanks for sharing
Wow, I have just added this to the bucket list! Camping municipal en France. How wonderful, what a dream, thank you for sharing I never knew this way a thing.
Very much liked this video . Thank you
Great idea if a no spend week each month. I closed out my budget today as I know I’m not shopping tomorrow. 2 out of 3 goals accomplished this month. I went over $19 on groceries but I did have an extra person for 8 days this month. I didn’t think I did that bad. Tightening up the budget in March. Another great video Jane and Mike.
So much fun to watch on a snowy Sunday! I had a mini white poodle as a young girl, he lived to be 16.
I really like the idea of a no-spend week at the end of the month -- it should help me with my budgeting!
Lovely memories of wonderful holidays with our motorhome in France seeing your local campsite. Some of the best ones we ever stayed on were the municipal ones and so affordable! Great video again Jane and love your little dogs x
I showed my son the way you dry your laundry, and he is trying to incorporate the idea. I have a drying rack etc. so I do mine this way already. Thanks for your videos.
Since finding your channel I have done 2 no spend months. I intended to try and do another one as well. For the beginning of December I have been doing a no spend week at the end of each month. This is allowing me to eat down the fridge freezer and things from the pantry that is nearing the end of its shelf life. The money saved from not shopping that week is split in half. One half goes into savings the other half is used to stock up on any bargains I find at the supermarket. Either things for the pantry or meat for the freezer.
I really enjoy watching and listening to what you've been doing during the week & I really love your drying rack, it's got so much more character than the newer ones 👍🙂
I just found you, and I love your “no spend weeks” concept. I’m going to try this for March. I just planned my meals for the week and “shopped” my refrigerator and freezer. It always amazes me how much food we have that we are not aware of until we take a good look. Looking forward to watching your videos!
Thanks for watching
Our electricity bill just went up £100 a month, how can they justify this.
It's nice to see Mike and the doggies
So peaceful watching you. And I love all your very helpful tips.
Thanks very much
Jane,
I love your flexible menu board. This idea will be used in my home in Oklahoma.
Blessings,
LeAnne
Ooh In love with your freezer drawers.! Do you like them? I find our North American freezers to be cavernous places where things can get dumped in disarray if one is not careful 👍
We have communal bins here in Spain. I prefer it as you can get rid of your rubbish and recycle when you want to. You don't have to store it for ages and worry about which days the bins go out.
@@jodieupton4000 we like our communal bins too
Always enjoy, am excited to see how the bamboo planting goes. Should make a lovely privacy screen.
Thanks very much
Such a good idea and possible. Watching the distressing scenes in Ukraine has made me even more aware of how lucky I am and how much I have. There are no real shortages for me; a no spend week is no hardship.
Absolutely, if we’re safe, we’re very very lucky.
Oh, I love those plants. What a great thing to be given.
I love your tip about keeping the last week of the month a no spend week. I might just start doing that myself. Thank you.
Love the little tour of the camping etc. I do my stock check & meal plan every Sunday morning, we get a veg box on a Tuesday so I check what I already have & look at the options & plan around that. It a bit more expensive that supermarket veg but keeps me out of the supermarket & we use every last bit ! Anything left get frozen for soup etc. I always try to look for offers.
Thanks for the no-spend-week explanation. I think that is a great strategy - as you said, it is then easy to close out the budget for the month very cleanly to see where you are! I am going to incorporate it into my budget plan!
Lovely like how they are separated by hedges
I have an outdoor clothesline. Not readily available to purchase in Georgia. I had to have it custom made from a welding shop. They thought I was crazy.(all of the men kept asking me "do you not have a dryer"? I got the opportunity to tell them I save about $20-$30 a month in gas +electricity. During the rain and wet I use plastic hangers and hang shirts, pants, and undies in the doorway with the ceiling fan on. works very well and goes directly back in the closet. My grandson loves the smell and fluff of the outdoor refresh of his blankets. MB
Love the idea of the municipal camping place. i can see why it is busy when it's open. I agree, menus should have some flexibility built in. You don't always know what things that can come up and what you feel up to cooking. Flexibility prevents you from resorting to eating out or convenience foods.
The idea of a no spend week at the end of each month is such a good one. I needed to shop this weekend but the food will last well into next month, so it rather distorts the figures for the month.
We used the French municipal campsites quite a lot when we travelled in 2012, but unfortunately since then most of our travelling has been over the winter months (when we are not working) so most of them are closed. They are as you say cheap and convenient and we found most were by either leisure facilities or a lake so beautiful scenery too.
Great video Jane and Mike. The bathroom looks fab 😍
Your menu has lots of yummy comfort food to get you through the cold weather, mmm, and I love tartiflette, have a reblochon in my fridge just waiting to go into one!
My version is a bit cheaper. I use emmenthal and white sauce and no wine
No spend last week of every month
Great idea I'm going to do that much easier and doable
Thanks Jane and Michael another great vlog xx
I'm getting a whiteboard cus then I can see my ideas and I love the no spend Week. More do able than a monthly no spend
Hello from BC Canada
Thanks for showing us the local camping space. That looks really nice! Dolly is such a sweet little dog 🥰so glad she asked you to cover that hole! that box turned out great. That's great you got some free plants!!! I used to trade split plants with some of my neighbours when I lived in another city - that was fun and saved a lot of money.
I especially enjoyed your content today and the campgrounds such a lovely area.
Good advice. I buy my meats on offer and plan around that. And I eat in season vegetables if I can as they are a better price and taste better too. Cooking at home is cheaper, taste better an is better for you too. Looking forward to many more videos. You guys do a good job as usual.
Thanks for watching
What a beautiful area you live in. Interesting to see the municipal campsite.
That’s how I meal plan also, I know what I have,and I can make various things
Love this plan. I'm definitely implementing this right away!!!!
Good luck
Nice video. Lots of useful info. I think a great video would be telling us what prompted the move to France 🇫🇷. If video has been made, sorry didn’t see.
You’re welcome Bonnie and it’s a frequently asked question. We’ve visited Brittany for fifteen years and love it, w,e relocated to France for the quality of life.
Love all your videos Jane!
Serving sizes are bit large for me but yummy food
Wow really going to do this, have always found closing out the budget really hard, thanks
Do you have a video explaining how you close out your budget and what you do with any funds not spent? Sorry if I cannot grasp that!
Hi Wendy, we stick to our budget exactly. We might have 20€ supermarket budget spare, I usually buy some long term food or products like bathroom tissue with that.
I have been doing no spend February, it has made me look at my spending as although I budget and only give myself discretionary spending of £50pm generally I have been able to reduce my food & petrol budget. I will definitely be doing no spend May & September although I like the idea of 1 no spend week at the end of each month too.
Smart way to do it. I get my income on the 3rd week of the month, every month, for the same amount of money . I have kept a finance book for many years. It helps me to keep tabs on monthly expenses, bi yearly and yearly expenses. I like having a no spend week tfs 🥰🌷💐🌞🌛🍀✝💗
How do you work your no spend week? The last 7 days of the month or as in February, the week includes the first few days of March? And do you have set shopping days? I enjoy your videos! This one was especially interesting. I love your drying racks, the camping sites and garbage disposal info. Seeing how other people live is one of my favorite parts of travel.
Thank you God bless you I never thought of doing a no spend week at the last week of every month great wise tip encouraging as always love your Australian biggest fan xxx
The last week of every month is a zero spend on anything. No set shopping days, just when we’ve no food left. Thanks for watching
@@FrugalQueeninFrance
Would you please share what you consider the last week of the month?
Feb 21-28
Feb 20-26
Feb 27-Mar 5
Or something else?
I love your idea. I just wanted to see how you make it happen, as there are several ways to end a month in the budgeting community. I've struggled with deciding how to count the weeks of the month for budgeting.
For me, the last week of February's budget is Feb 27 through March 6th because a February date lands on a Sunday and that's my beginning date for each week. I'm not convinced this is the best way to do it but I had to choose something. Thank you.
@@cindybroussard893 the last 7 days of any month. Never worry about how someone else does anything. You do you.
Love your videos ❤️👍
I live seeing those large boulders of white rock in your yard. What kind of stone is that?
It’s granite.
Where do you get your recipe inspirations from?
I love the camping spaces , who do you contact to book ? Or do you just turn up. Thanks for your videos. I'm inspired for the week to get organised with meal planning and batch cooking xx
Most camping municipales don’t require pre booking, just turn up. However, just use Google to find them in the area you wish to visit
👍👍👍
Hi Jane, I was just wondering if you guys belong to an expat group at least in the beginning when you first moved to the area.... Do you now have local friends and are you comfortable with the language? The fight box came out beautiful it's a great shelf now!
No to all three questions and thank you.
Oh my gosh! Please step away from the bamboo!! We were given some starts about 20 years ago...for the last five years we have been digging, burning and poisoning trying to get rid of it. It was very beautiful for a while, then we saw it coming up around, under, and through our concrete patio and koi pond.
Agreed. So hard to get rid of the stuff.
It’s no where near the building,
Agreed. It’s a full time job for us just to keep it from taking over our entire lawn.
💖
👍🌹
Jane, why does the kitchen background looked out of focus?
Frugal Mike here. That's camera trickery. It's called a short depth of field.
@@MikeBatt66 thanks 😊
It would be good to put that bamboo into large pots as it will try to take over your world. There is an old saying “ beware of gardeners bearing gifts….”
I follow a team similar to you both they are smart and wonderful like you both.
Frugal Money Saver on utube
I wish you both would do a combo show sometime.
Love your work I learn something every time!
Best . David