How to Easily do a No-Spend Challenge
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One of my favorite challenges to do is a No-Spend month. This year I have challenged myself to do a No-Spend year on clothes and shoes for myself!
A No-Spend challenge is a great way to pause your spending and and get your budget back on track. I have done No-Spend challenges in the past and they were great ways to save money!
How to Prepare for Your No-Spend Challenge
- Identify how long you want to challenge yourself and why you want to do this challenge. I like to do No-Spend challenges because it helps me to identify my spending triggers.
- Make a list of your rules. An example of rules are to not spend money on anything but the necessities, budget $400/month for groceries, all meals and snacks will be prepped, and you will not spend any money on entertainment.
- Rally your support network! Have your family get excited about a No-Spend month by making a game of it. To get my family excited about eating only from the pantry, I created a pantry scavenger hunt for meal ideas.
- Look up free activities you can do during your challenge! Some fun things I like to do are to go on a hike, visit a park, hang out at the library, do crafts with my kids, read books, organize my house, have a garage sale, and learn new skills!
A great way to stay on track for your No-Spend challenge is to visualize the progress you have made. I do this with a habit tracker!
Preparing for my No-Spend Challenge
- First, I took an inventory of my closet and made a bag of items to sell
- Second, I sold everything on the Facebook Marketplace
- Third, I purchased a few items with the profits I knew I would need
- Fourth, I unsubscribed from all clothing brand emails
- Fifth, I identified my work clothes “uniform”. Everyday I wear a button down shirt, a pair of earrings, jeans, and work appropriate shoes. I made sure I had enough of these outfits to get me through the year. On my off time I wear shorts and a t-shirt or the typical mom outfit – yoga pants and a pull over.
Setting My Rules
- Can only get clothing by barter or through a Buy Nothing group
- Will set up a clothing swap with friends to inspire them to stop spending on clothes
My No-Spend challenge will be a great way to limit my spending and get more involved with the Buy Nothing groups in my area. It will be tough, but I know that by tracking my progress I will succeed!
Once you are done with your No-Spend Challenge, I recommend starting a budget to make your money work for you!
I hope you will join me for a No-Spend challenge of your own this year.
EDIT 12/31/2020:
This year I had challenged myself to not spend money on clothes and shoes for the whole year.
I can say that I was quite successful with my challenge! In years past, I would buy clothes as a reward for getting through the work month.
It was a habit that I was able to break! I only bought three things this year, a bra ($12), and a shirt and sweatshirt from a vintage shop that I want to help keep in business during the pandemic ($75).
I spent $87 on clothes/shoes this year, and I couldn’t be happier!
Let me know in the comments what challenge you plan on completing this upcoming year!
