Moral of the story, I’ve always been bad at saving. Scratch that, I’m horrendous. It’s almost like the saving portion of my brain wasn’t created when I popped out three months early or something. I typically live paycheck to paycheck honestly, and it’s gotten to a point where my unnecessary/unjustifiable spending is taking a toll on my financials so what better way to reset than with a month of just the necessities!

Full disclosure: This may be a bit different than someone else’s experience as I do have two forms of income being my full-time position in beauty public relations and Kayleigh’s Kloset. My goal is to fully save about 2/3 of my paycheck per pay period and use my blog income to pay for the necessities for the month in order to track everything accordingly. I do have a few sponsored campaigns in July that have shorter payment terms, so this is something that seems very feasible for me.

I could definitely be missing things, but I’m rounding up the do’s/donts below that apply to me! If you think of any to add, definitely let me know!!

What you CAN spend your money on during the no-spend month:
-Rent, obviously. A portion is deducted directly from my paycheck every time it hits pay day so that’s always recurring.

-Groceries. I have to admit, I spend way more on groceries than my friends because I do try to eat healthier and impulse buy like crazy. For the month, I’m trying to account for two (potentially one small trip in between) grocery trips at about $75 – $100 per trip.

-Bills. I have a monthly recurring payment on my credit card to my WiFi and electric bill.

-Laundry. The absolute worst thing on the face of the planet, I typically drop off my laundry to save time and honestly money as it’s pretty pricey in the basement of my building.

-Barry’s. I’ll likely do a smaller membership for the month of July knowing how much I’m traveling but I’ll definitely still keep it up.

-Birthday/Occasion situations on a come-and-go basis.

What you CAN’T spend your money on during the no-spend month:
-Ubers/Transportation, GASP (*Note: this is when it’s unnecessary, not for things like airport travel or coming home at 4AM). I live pretty central in Manhattan, so I typically Uber (AKA take a Lyft or Juno) everywhere. These seriously add up!

-Eating Out/Seamless/Postmates/Wine Delivery. Alas, I am all about convenience and it shows when you search through my bank account. During the month of July I’m making a vow to not order out, eat at a restaurant, etc., where I’ll be fitting the bill. There ARE some work around’s here (i.e. I have a pretty stacked Venmo account and consider that “fake money” when it comes to paying people, other people paying – what a perfect time to try and date someone!!!! – or parents paying).

-Shopping. I’m such an online shopper. I check sites daily like Missguided (especially when they have great sales), Loft, Nordstrom, etc. This may be harder than having to eat at home honestly, especially when summer gets so hot. But I just have so many clothes so I need to see what happens when I start to wear what I have.

-Amazon! I don’t know about y’all, but I find myself finding new things on Amazon on the daily that are under $20 and I find myself ordering them immediately. It’s always little things that I never need, too! I’m placing one last Prime order tomorrow to cover grocery items, toilet paper/paper towels, cleaning supplies, etc.

The grey area for me during the no-spend month:
-Eyelashes. So here’a a tricky thing, I get my eyelashes filled about every two weeks and it’s anywhere from $60 – $95. I’ve been trying to go longer between fills to stretch it out, and every three visits I get a discount. I plan to get mine filled early next week, and try and wait until the last week of July to avoid going 3x that month.

-Nails. I do acrylic nails and I really want to keep them for the summer. A new nail salon opened up on my walk home from work and offers a dip/SNS powder fill on my acrylics for $35, and I have a $5 off coupon that I plan to use. I plan to get them shortened/filled Friday afternoon and see how they last for the month since SNS is so much stronger than normal acrylic.

-DRINKING WHEN OUT!!! I’m not quitting cold turkey here, but I am going to set a limit to the amount of drinks I buy when I go out at night (likely 3 pending on venue). I also always aim for what is affordable, but typically vodka/soda or a Bud Light is the answer there.

-The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. The sale starts mid-July and I am a Nordstrom credit card holder so it is a grey area for sure. I plan to set aside money before July starts specifically for the sale, and add it into the overall spent at the end of the month. I’ll likely deposit cash that I have hidden for emergencies, honestly.

-Hair. I’m going home in July for a weekend and will be getting my hair done as always. Full disclosure there, my mom owns a salon and medical spa so the cost has never come out of pocket for me (love ya mom + Jenn!)

-Photography for the blog. I’ve always had a camera ready to go to use for any occasion, and I used to be better about having friends snap photos of me when they could so that I could get content for the week. I love using a photographer that makes it so easy for you, but I’m at a point where I do need to try to use a self timer, my two different cameras, and enlist friends help for product to get some things done at a good quality while saving a bit. This could change mid-Month!

-Cleaning. It’s safe to say I’m not a great cleaner when it comes to my apartment and summer brings forth the bugs – especially with a balcony! I’m planning to pay for one deep cleaning from a trusted colleague’s reco that I’ll factor into the overall cost of week one. Lord knows my apartment needs it right now!

July travel plans to take into consideration:
-7/3 – 7/6: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I just bought my ticket to head to Nikki’s home for the Fourth (which honestly cost me my first-born so late), so this will be spent with a lot of her family on the lake! I’ll spend money on travel, going out, and certain things like that but Wisconsin is also very affordable compared to NYC! My flight won’t go against the budget for July.

-7/12 – 7/15: Home for the weekend. I have a potential partnership in the works and will use my time home to touch up my hair/botox, as well as meet with a rep for a new/up and coming non-invasive procedure for a potential paid partnership. Fun + work! No costs on this cause my mom and dad are awesome (and my mom will likely take me to Loft by their condo because she’s the best and that’s our Sunday walk tradition).

-7/19 – 7/20: Either Mom is coming to town or I’m going to New Jersey! TBD!!

-Last week of July I plan to spend in NYC as of now.

What does this mean for the blog?
Honestly, for the blog it’ll mean repeating a few items throughout the month, sharing more images of what I’m currently coveting on IG stories, and incorporating more lifestyle content here. I’ve received a lot of comments regarding my recipes I’ve been sharing on IG stories lately, so I think I’ll get around to posting more recipes here! Anything y’all want to see?

I also plan to finally get my video home tour up, and start sharing things to IGTV like easy makeup tutorials, some simple styling hauls for summer, and things like that that I can use items I already have as opposed to buying all new! So many other bloggers are able to maintain their site/following without having to buy a giant package every week, and I want to stress the aspect that I’m a 25 year old, New York working gal in PR and that sometimes it’s not always as glamorous as it seems financially!

Like I said earlier in the no going out to dinner portion, it could potentially be a great time to date in the city if I’m just really dying to try out a new restaurant haha. I could definitely bring more content like dating disasters in New York to the Kloset! I think my rationale is fairly strong here!!

What do y’all think?! Do you think I’ll be able to make it or do you think I’ll last two days!! If you’re interested in trying this with me, I would love to know! I’m trying to find the best way to get everyone together whether it’s Insta DM or something similar. I received an overwhelming response, so let’s do this!!

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

On that note, here are some random things I wish I could buy!!

Photos by the Laurel Creative Team (Kathleen).