This feels like cheating to use something previously written, but I stumbled across a blog that I started to set up on Google sometime around 2018 called Zero Dollar Days. I liked the look of it better than this site to be honest.

Anyway, this is the only thing I had written there:

“It’s been a year or so since I came to the realization that I want to be financially independent, and preferably sooner than later.

It wasn’t until this week that I realized we need to get serious about curbing our spending. We are fortunate to be in a decent life position thanks to two good paying jobs, non-lavish taste, and basic financial acuity. While we haven’t timed the real estate market perfectly, have cycled through a few vehicles (and a jet ski), and wasted a good chunk of time and money with a financial adviser, we are still in a relatively good position.

Previously, my budgeting tactics consisted of looking at the credit card and bank statement at the end of the month and just saying, “Wow, we spent a lot of money again.” Nowhere near the point of spending more than we made, but just an excessive amount of money on eating out, alcohol, and getting coffee.  

After frequent discussions with my wife about our current work lives, we unanimously agree that we do not consider work to be “enjoyable.” The best rating we could concede was perhaps that our work is “tolerable at best,” but really only because it pays well.”

Unfortunately, we sort of reverted back to the “we spent a lot” spending review strategy. Luckily, we have done a good job of spending roughly the same amount every year for the past few years.

Zero Dollar Days was the idea that having more days of spending zero dollars would help expedite the path to FI. Zero Dollar Days has a nice little ring to it and could be a fun way to game your days of spending less money. Is a good goal 10 Zero Dollar Days per month? Nobody knows because the idea was abandoned. If the market tanks and panic ensues, perhaps we will revisit this concept.