If you’re new around here, our goal this year is to completely pay off all of our non-mortgage debt. This goal is definitely a stretch goal, because I’m not sure if the numbers add up (in fact, actually, they don’t), but I have faith that we will make it with overtime, side hustles, and God’s blessings. Here’s a peek of what we did in May to reduce spending, increase income, and save money on our path to becoming completely debt free by year end.

How I Saved Money in May

1. Zero-Based Budget. This is something I do every month and it is an absolute necessity (if you ask me) to winning with money and getting out of debt. It seriously revolutionized my life! Read all about my zero-based budgets here. And take a peek at my actual, real life budgets in my saved stories on Instagram.

You can also check out my new budget sheets which help keep me on track, where budgeting is concerned.

2. Intentional about Fuel for the Car. I always fill up on gasoline at Costco, which is by far the cheapest gas around. You can always use an app like Gas Buddy, to find the cheapest gas near you!

3. Tracked My Spending. This month, I used a new printable to record all my spending. (You can take a look at how I spent every penny in May in my May Budget Review.) Tracking your spending is SUCH a good way to curb spending because you are forced to write down everything you spend money on—and that act alone can cause you to second-guess the purchase long enough to avoid it altogether. Plus, it helps you stay on budget! Check out my new expense trackers in the shop! There are sheets with categories already pre-printed and also blank sheets so you can customize these sheets to your spending preferences.

4. Seventeen No Spend Days. Each month, I aim to complete at least 15 days of no-spending (essentials excluded), so that by the end of the year, I can say I went six months without frivolous spending. This month, I managed to hit 17 days of no-spend!

To get all the details of my No Spend Challenge, plus a free printable to help you master the challenge, check out this post!

5. Sold a food processor on Facebook Marketplace. We’ve lived in our home for four years now (can’t believe it’s already been that long!) and have never once pulled out the food processor. It’s left over from our days when we were hardcore paleo and cooked a lot of things from scratch. (We used to make everything ourselves—even mayo and ketchup and the like). The sale brought in $40 that went straight to the debt snowball.

6. Unclaimed Property Search. I did a search on my state’s unclaimed property site and it revealed $35 for me and about $100 for my husband. We claimed it and got the payments in May. Again, straight to the debt snowball! Try searching your state’s unclaimed property website and see if you are owed any money. Most states use the state comptroller’s office for unclaimed property, so start there first!

7. Frugal Mother’s Day. This Mother’s Day I re-gifted a bottle of perfume I had been given that I didn’t really like, and I knew my Mom would love. It was still brand new, all wrapped in cellophane. She adored it! And I was able to give her something she really enjoys (Mom is a sucker for perfume, lotions, body washes—anything that smells great) and save money in the process. Score!

8. Frugal Memorial Day. This Memorial Day, we attended our Home Owner’s Association Annual Memorial Day Pool Party. This thing was so cool! They had a DJ, free ice cream and free Chick Fil A. They passed out a Chick Fil A gift card to everyone in attendance good for one ice cream cone, waffle fry, or drink. We got three since we had three people at the party. They stocked the pool full of gigantic beach balls (seriously, they had the diameter of hoola hoops!) and speaking of hula hoops, they had a hula hoop contest and limbo contest. And, they even had a free raffle, which I actually won! I won a $10 gift card to a local shaved ice place here in town. So, not only did we not spend a dime to have a fantastic time, we actually profited! :)

What about You?

Did you try anything new in May to save money? I’d love to hear down in the comments below!

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And, to access all my “How I Saved” articles, just click here.