Download - 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:
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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:
DAY 2 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 3 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 4 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 5 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 6 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 7 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 8 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 9 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 10 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 11 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 12 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 13 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 14 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 15 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 16 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 17 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 18 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 19 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 20 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 21 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 22 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 23 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 24 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 25 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 26 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 27 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 28 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 29 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
DAY 30 Money Saved: Stuff I didn’t buy:
Target amount:
(There are 55 sections total.)
More Money Challenge
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ynab.com/moremoneychallenge
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