30 days to save

M O R E M O N E Y CH A L L E N G E

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On average, people save $1,000 or more in one month!

30 Days to Save

presents the


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Ready, set, sprint!

More Money Challenge Rules:

You’re here! You signed up! You’re ready to reset your

financial health for the better. This is not only a money

challenge, but it’s a mental toughness challenge. It’s not

easy to move away from your current habits and “money

baggage,” but it will positively impact every aspect of

your life. And this short-term sprint is exactly what you

need to start fresh and prove to yourself that you can be

good at money.

Over the next 30 days, you’re going to cut back. It might

be painful, it will be challenging. But at the end, it’ll be

worth it. You’ll have a pile of money and you will be able

to do exactly what you want with it: zero shame or guilt.

The goal of this challenge is to show you that your current financial situation does not define your future. You don’t

need to change jobs or win the lottery to change your circumstances: you can learn a better way with what you

already have.

In this challenge, get ready to optimize your spending, save more than you thought was possible, and be in total

control of your money.

Are you ready? Even if you’re not, let’s go.

“Your current financial situation does not define

your future.”

1 2 3Track your spending, every dollar

(you’ll be shocked at the difference

this makes).

Only buy essentials

(it’s only one month, c’mon—you

can do it).

No dining out. No exceptions.

(Yeah, we got nothing here. This one

is just hard.)

Welcome to the More Money Challenge!


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In 30 days, what do you want?

Before you dive in headfirst, you need a specific goal.

Without a why, saving will be a whole lot harder. When

it gets hard, this is what will keep you going.

So, decide: what are you saving for? Maybe it’s

something responsible, maybe it’s not: we’re not here

to tell you how to spend your money—this is about your

priorities and what you need your money to do most.

What’s your why? We’re not going to tell you one thing

is “more right” than the other—this comes down to

sincerely asking yourself what it is you want your money

to do. Dig deep.

The average participant saves $1,000 in the More Money Challenge. But perhaps more importantly, you might walk away with a newfound

superpower of knowing what you want out of life and how to make your money get you there.

Will you pay off your credit card

hangover from the holidays?

Will you save money for that road trip

vacation you’ve been dreaming of?

Are you building a $1,000 emergency

fund that you’ve never had before?

Are you going to buy that fat tire bike that

will keep you active over a long winter?

Will you get a month ahead on your bills?

I am saving for:

Start date:

Target amount:

End date:

Lay the groundwork.


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Track your spending.

Maybe you’ve tracked your spending before, maybe you

haven’t. But do this and you can easily cut your spending

by 10-20% right off the top. It’s ridiculously simple, too.

When you keep track of what you spend money on, you

will spend less—guaranteed! You’re simply more mindful

of where your money goes.

This can be as simple as a piece of paper and a pencil

and writing down what you spend (check out the next

page for your own transaction register to use!). You can

also use a spreadsheet, notes on your phone, or if you

really want to kick savings into high gear, try YNAB free

for 34 days.

Date Description Amount

1/1/21 Rent $1100

1/3/21 Internet $40

1/3/21 Target $142

1/3/21 Verizon $90

1/4/21 Groceries $112

Total $1484

What gets measured gets done.

Decide how to track your spending.

Choose one:

Spreadsheet

Pencil and paper

Note on my phone

YNAB

Other:

https://www.youneedabudget.com/our-free-34-day-trial/

https://www.youneedabudget.com/our-free-34-day-trial/


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Transaction RegisterDate Description Amount


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Only buy essentials.

You might be shocked how much of your spending is

fluff. Trimming excess spending is a quick way to stash

more cash. It’s unrealistic to think we won’t spend any

money this month, so be clear and honest with yourself

about what you want that spending to look like. Here’s

an example of a couple people’s rules:

Slim and trim your spending to speed up your saving.

My No-Spend Rules

My Exceptions

Chrissy’s No-Spend Rules

No Amazon purchases.

No Instacart or delivery services.

Exceptions:

Buying presents for birthdays is fine.

Can use the Doordash gift card we have for A’s

birthday.

Ingi’s No-Spend Rules

No buying alcohol.

No buying new games, apps, iTunes movies, or toys.

Try reeeeeeally hard not to buy any outside coffee.

Exceptions: None!

Emily’s No-Spend Rules

Record the things I want in a note on my phone.

No purchases for my dog, Queen Louie. No toys!

Sell the things I’ve been putting off.

Exceptions:

Can dine out when friends are in town (2 meals).

One “stuff I forgot to make an exception for”

moment.


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No dining out. No exceptions.We know this one’s tough. But here’s the thing:

we’ve talked to thousands of people that have done

incredible things with their money: paid off huge

amounts of debt—and when asked how they did it,

the most common answer (totally unprompted!) is

they cut down on eating out.

We’re just completely chopping it off: which we know

can be inconvenient, hard, and require some extra

work and prep (but that’s why this is a sprint! It’s not

supposed to be easy!).

Ashley dresses up frozen ravioli.

“If I feel ‘fancy’ I’ll cook frozen ravioli, add in whatever

veggies I have, and toss it all with a jar of spaghetti

sauce and some heavy cream.”

Jason keeps pasta staples on hand.

“I pretty much buy noodles, parmesan, mushrooms, and

eggs every time I visit the grocery store and get pancetta

every other time. It’s all cheap, flexible, and keeps well.”

Kathleen goes for veggie burgers and fries.

“I try to always keep a box or two of veggie burgers, a bag of

french fries, and burger buns in the freezer. It’s fast and easy

to pull out some buns to thaw, put the fries in the oven, and

cook the burgers in a pan.”

Other popular go-to meals:

• Eggs (omelets, breakfast burritos, frittatas, etc.)

• Burrito bowls

• Frozen pizza

• Soup

• Fried rice

• Quesadillas

• Breakfast food

Elena makes a grilled cheese sandwich.

“Use whatever cheese is still sitting in the cheese drawer +

some pickled/acidic condiment. If your bread is slightly stale

or has been dying in the freezer, that’s okay because you’ll

cover it in butter while grilling!”

Here are a few tips we’ve found to help:

• Meal plan.

• Shop your pantry.

• Leave room for treats.

• Keep easy, quick go-to meals stocked for days when

you don’t feel like cooking.

That last point is really important! Write down some of

your go-to “easy” meals and be sure to stock up on those

at the store!

Here are a few ideas from the YNAB team to get you started:


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Pantry Inventory


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Pantry Inventory


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Fridge & Freezer Inventory


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Fridge & Freezer Inventory


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Weekly Meal Planner

Savings Tracker

DAY 1 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:






























Target amount:

(There are 55 sections total.)

More Money Challenge


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We’ve got a whole host of resources for you over at

ynab.com/moremoneychallenge

#moremoneychallenge #mmc

Tag us with your progress!

Let’s get social!@youneedabudget

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You Need A Budget

@youneedabudget

@ynab

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30 days to save

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