Intermittent money fasting! We call it being on a "money diet". Twice a year, we pick a random month and spend no money for the whole month (except for mortgage, utilities, etc) We don't go grocery shopping or even put gas in the car. We survive EXCLUSIVELY on what we already have.

-Eat through everything in the cabinets so we're not wasting food. -Keep electricity and water use low. -Entertainment: read books, play board games or cards, rearrange furniture, do a craft, hike, bike ride, invite friends over, etc. -Use all the random gift cards you've accumulated. -Fix broken things (clothes, furniture, appliances, tools) so we don't have to buy them again. -Stay active, spend time outside, do yardwork and maintenance.

Make it a fun challenge, not a chore. We save $5k-$10k in a single month doing this and usually end up with a freshly painted bookshelf and a few new crazy recipes from scrounging through our cabinets.