When life gets expensive, my family of 7 plays the 'no-spend week' challenge. Here's the gist.

• When my family of seven runs into unexpected costs, we start no-spend weeks. • During those weeks, we limit spending, use everything in the pantry, and look for free activities. • I found that no-spend weeks help us stay connected and intentional.

When my partner and I just finished a massive laundry room remodel that stretched our budget a bit, the worst happened. The contractor was putting the finishing touches on the floorboard. He pulled up a piece of wood and found black mold near the fridge from a leak, and kept finding more and more, down through the floorboards to the basement.

We didn't know that our home remodel "part two" had just commenced, costing us thousands.

This scenario and others are just part of daily life in a family of 7: a pediatric dermatology bill, emergen