Grow Your Fund is a daily post that gives you a chance to win prizes by checking in on all the various challenges you are participating in. You can choose to participate in one, two or even all of the challenges giving you even more opportunities to Grow Your Fund!
The Challenges
No Dining Out: The concept is simple, lower your family’s dining out bill and add the money you save to your fund.
Minniemizing for the Mouse: Get in shape for your trip to Disney by walking at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The average person walks 8 or more miles a day at Disney World. Your feet will thank you!
Not going to Disney? Don’t worry. You can participate too. Just commit to working out at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week!
Budget Challenge: Can your family stay on budget this month for groceries, entertainment, dining, etc? Do you think you could even challenge yourself not to spend a dime 5 days this month? Be sure to report on your spending vs your budget every day. The goal is to be able to add the extra money saved at the end of the month to your fund!
*If you haven’t set a budget yet, you might want to check out this post.
Decluttering Challenge: Is your stuff starting to overtake your house? Do you feel like your kids room is full of too much junk and not enough fun? If so, I challenge you to find a new home for just 25 items a day for the next 30 days. This could be 25 articles of clothing, 25 books you no longer read, 25 toys your kids ignore. Have a box for items to donations, a box for items to sell and throw the rest away! At the end of the challenge, have a yard sale and add the earnings to your fund!
The prizes
At the end of each month, I will pick FOUR winners who will each receive $25 to add to their fund. Look for the winners to be announced on the 3rd of each month.
How to enter
Leave a comment with the title of the challenges it is for. You can participate in one, two, three or even all four challenges. There will be one winner per challenge, and winners can win multiple times! It’s all done by using Random.org, so if your number comes up and you are eligible, you win! In order to be eligible to win, you must actively participate in the challenge for at least FIVE calendar days.
Click below for even more details on each challenge…
No Dining
- Take a look at your current dining out budget. How much did you spend last month going out to eat? That is money that could have gone into your fund instead! Try cutting your out to eat costs this month and adding the difference to your fund.
- Set a weekly dining out budget, if you resist going out to eat, add that amount to your fund instead.
- If you were seriously about to go out to eat (like had your coat on and was going out the door or pulled into the drive thru and then pulled back out), add the amount you would have spent to your fund.
- Going out to eat and using a coupon or paying with a gift card? You could add that amount to your fund too. For example… if you had a $25 gift card to Cracker Barrel and you used it, you could take $25 cash out of your budget and add it to the fund. Or if you used a $10 coupon, you could take $10 cash out of the budget and add it to the fund.
- You must challenge yourself. Try to spend less than you spend now. If you don’t go out to eat at all, challenge yourself to try new meals this month. As long as you are challenging yourself when it comes to your family’s eating habits, you can participate!
- You are allowed 1 freebie meal that you don’t have to count or report back to us about. Please report on everything else though so we can encourage and support one another!
- Free meals do not count against you. This is a challenge to spend less money going out to eat than you usually spend. If someone else is paying for the meal or you have a coupon to make it free, great!
- At the end of the month, you will need to comment on the very last post to be entered to win. I will choose the winner from that post and verify that you have commented on at least 5 days worth of posts. The comments must of occurred on 5 DIFFERENT days. Meaning if on the 30th, you commented on that post and then went back and commented on 4 days worth of posts, you would be disqualified. You must comment on 5 different posts on 5 different days.
Minniemizing for the Mouse
- I need to get fit for the mouse. My feet hurt so bad from all that walking and for once I’d love to experience Disney without being in pain. We are going in November, so I am hoping to make a big lifestyle change between now and then. I can’t do it alone and so I need the help from all of you!
- Check in each day and report on your progress. The goal is to exercise for at least 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. For those of us going to Disney, walking for those 20 minutes is a great way to not only get in shape, but prepare our feet.
- It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you are moving!
- At the end of the month, you will need to comment on the very last post to be entered to win. I will choose the winner from that post and verify that you have commented on at least 5 days worth of posts. The comments must of occurred on 5 DIFFERENT days. Meaning if on the 30th, you commented on that post and then went back and commented on 4 days worth of posts, you would be disqualified. You must comment on 5 different posts on 5 different days.
Budget Challenge
- Everyone needs a budget. Budgets will help you to be in control of your money without your money being in control of you. You dictate where your money goes and how it is spent.
- Don’t have a budget? I’ve written a few articles that should help you set one… How to Set a Budget and How to Set a Grocery Budget. You’ll find even more helpful advice under Getting Started Couponing and Your Fund.
- Each day, check in and let us know how much you spent the day before and if you stayed under budget or not. We aren’t here to critique your budget (unless you ask!), but we are here to support you in staying on track!
- Also feel free to include bargain brags. Did you find a great deal or do something creative to save money, be sure to share it with all of us!
- At the end of the month, you will need to comment on the very last post to be entered to win. I will choose the winner from that post and verify that you have commented on at least 5 days worth of posts. The comments must of occurred on 5 DIFFERENT days. Meaning if on the 30th, you commented on that post and then went back and commented on 4 days worth of posts, you would be disqualified. You must comment on 5 different posts on 5 different days.
Decluttering Challenge
- It doesn’t take long for the stuff to start taking over your home. The kids rooms start overflowing with broken, neglected and just plain weird no idea where they came from toys. Your stockpile starts to spread from the kitchen, to the hall, to your bathtub. You start finding that the home for more and more items is the middle of your living room floor. Etc!
- It can be overwhelming to take on the task of decluttering your home, but the end rewards are so worth the effort. To make the process easy, I challenge you to find just 25 items every day to find a new home for. Get a box labeled donations, one labeled to sell, and one for trash. Go through 25 items a day and either put it in one of the 3 boxes or find a new permanent place for it.
- At the end of 30 days, you will have an organized home and you can have a yard sale to add more money to your fund!
- Be sure to post every day that you have gone through your 25 items and found a new home for them. Don’t just put them back where they don’t belong.
- At the end of the month, you will need to comment on the very last post to be entered to win. I will choose the winner from that post and verify that you have commented on at least 5 days worth of posts. The comments must of occurred on 5 DIFFERENT days. Meaning if on the 30th, you commented on that post and then went back and commented on 4 days worth of posts, you would be disqualified. You must comment on 5 different posts on 5 different days.
Good luck!
Jessica McMasters says
Just realized I posted Day 25-Day 27 on Day 25, but all on individual days. Hope they still count.
lorena says
Minniemizing: Walked for 45 minutes. Just gotta keep it going.
Renee says
NDO…ate out last night for my birthday. Took my son and his girlfriend so we went over budget, but as Suse Orman says “People first, then money, then things”. The time we spent together last night was priceless!
budget…blown for the month in all categories. I prob have us on too tight of a budget for holiday time…may have to readjust for the next couple of months.
minnie…need desperately to do this before thanksgiving!
decluttering…threw out a large trash bag full of old art work, bills, junk mail yesterday! Man that felt good! Also sent 2 large boxes of old video games home with my son! You would have thought it was Christmas. He was so excited and I was soooo excited to see it go!
Kaeli says
No Dining Out: all meals at home today
Minniemizing for the Mouse: extra little bits today, 10 sit ups here, 10 leg raises there…
Budget: reassessing budget for next month, a little fine tuning
Declutter: 25 items out of the laundry room (and none of it laundry, whew)!
Sara says
No Dining Out: Nothing so far this week! :)
Budget: Our car broke down. :( There goes $200. But at least I had it in savings from all of the budgeting I’ve been doing due to this challenge!
Minniemizing: Dieted the last four days rather than working out due to an ear infection–I have no balance.
Heather H says
No dining out for us, this stomach flu is no fun!!
neenah says
No Dining Out – On a little vacation. Free continental breakfast, brought sandwiches for lunch…only eating out one meal a day.
Decluttering Challenge – On break from housework :)
Denise says
No Dining Out – Ate breakfast & lunch at home. My sister is making us dinner! Yay for not cooking!!!
Minniemize – Ran 30 minutes.
Budget – Need to go to Costco and get baby wipes, milk & dog food.
Declutter – Cleaned up the pile of mail & papers on the counter.
Beth says
No dining out- Even though we had a super busy night, we still managed to have dinner together at home!
Declutttering- just got rid of a ton of school papers. I don’t know how much progress I am making since I forsee a ton coming home today. (sigh)
Sarah says
no dining out – ate in again last night, going to eat leftovers tonight.
minniemizing – took a walk this morning
declutter – nothing new to report. – need to clean off the table again, ugh!
budget – signed final papers for refinancing the mortgage – over 2.5% lower on interest rate, 15 year instead of 30 year, and lower monthly payments! Yay for lower rates!
Margaret says
No Dining Out – Dinner out last night was postponed
Minniemizing for the Mouse – Walking during break
Budget – Have made it almost all week without making another trip to the store !!!
Declutter – More bags to consignment!
Lois says
No Dining Out: The kids had swim lessons and hubby was home (I had jury duty in the morning, but got sent home when the defendant didn’t show). He wanted to go out and get fried chicken, but I said no, so we came home and had tater tot casserole. I cave so easily when he suggests going out (because I’m not a great cook ,and it is such a chore for me, and one I don’t particularly enjoy). I’m very proud to say we didn’t go out yesterday.
Minniemize: I swam for 25 minutes while the kids had their swim lessons. Man I love to swim, it’s my favorite workout of all!!
Budget: It’s a close one this week, but I think we’ll stay a few dollars under budget…as long as nothing comes up today.
Angela N says
Declutter – I’m home today and very motivated to clean out the clutter. Also, have to go get my clutter from my Mom’s house:(
NDO – Will eat at home until we travel.
Budget – Need to get back on top of this.
Natalie says
No dining out: Dined out for lunch yesterday, but my boss paid for it sooo yeay!
Budget: I’ve done really good this month, and I’m really excited about it! So excited that we added another day onto our Disney trip in January!!!
Minniemizing: Doing really good on my diet and exercising! Really excited!
Declutteringa: Have to clean out my spare bedroom today since my sister is coming to stay this weekend. :)
Aly says
DINING: Didn’t eat out, which is always SOOOOOO good for the budget!! I made a yummy egg and cheese sandwich for breakfast and had leftovers for lunch.
MINNIEMIZE: Got 30 min done on the stairmaster at the gym.
No time to declutter during the week due to work schedule.
BUDGET: Still doing good for this month even though I overspent at the grocery store today (ugh).
jennifer says
NDO: doing super on this! its harder then i expected, but im getting by! today im eating out, but its free (birthday month freebie!!!)
Minnemizing: riding bike and enjoying this weather running around with my 2 year old!!!! and, now that im back at work, i climb stairs allll day long!
Decluttering: getting our spare bedroom cleaned out, getting ready to turn it into a playroom, so thats wayyyy more than 25 items!!!
Candice says
No Dining Out: Had a friend over for dinner and made nachos.
Budget: Still way under budget on food for the month. I’m trying to roll forward $80.
Declutter: Have been using a “pick-up” basket and have really liked how it’s simplified the picking up process.
Tammie Whitaker says
no dining out-doing great this last few day. No dining out for us
minniemize-did level 3 30 day shred wow what a workout and really seeing results thanks for the post about the deal I really love this workout system
budget-no spending planned for today
declutter-hoping to get up the attic I will post update later
Jamie says
Ndo – all meals at home
Decluttering – kept house picked up
minniemizing – gym one hour
budget – only money sent was on groceries. Budget in good shape
ClareC says
NDO: Nothing yesterday, had a quick pasta and veggie dinner
Minniemize: hubby and I took the dog on a double lap around the block
Budget: spent nothing yesterday
Decluttering: have to completely clean the kitchen and family room today, hubby is installing new flooring this weekend and he says the instructions state that the area needs to be as empty and dust-free as possible, I’m sure I’ll find lots to get rid of :)
MM says
NDO- nothing yesterday
Budget- spent 0.00
MtM- lots of walking up and down steps with items for next year’s garage sale
Declutter- completely went through and cleaned out hubby and i’s closet and finally finished the office! :)