“The No Spend Challenge — A Quick Guide”

“When buying isn’t your focus in life, it changes the way you view your surroundings.”

Nearly a year ago I joined the minimalist movement. I was always attracted to this way of living, but until I became familiar with the term “minimalism” I hadn’t had a way to focus my intent. Still, I’m not there yet and I find that at times it can still be a struggle to stay engaged with the journey.

Jump ahead to June, my fiance and I were married and set off to the UK for our honeymoon. We quickly settled in after our return but between the showers, wedding, honeymoon, and making our home we were spending money like crazy. This prompted me to turn to a challenge I had seen floating around the edges of the internet for some time. The “No Spend Challenge”. What a better way to start a marriage than to become mindful with our expenses?

A quick summary for those who might be unfamiliar with it, the “No Spend Challenge” takes place over any period of time you’d like, usually ranging from a day, a week, or for those who are more ambitious, a month. The goal is to spend nothing or as little as possible over the course of the allotted time.

Today is the last day of our “No Spend Month — August” and I thought I’d share some of what I learned, and answer a few questions that have been posed to me about my experience.

What were your guidelines/rules?

1. No spending on things or entertainment… (no clothes, no online shopping, no books, no movies, no museums, only free things)
2. We didn’t do a stock up on groceries for the whole month because we like to contribute to the local farmers and we eat a lot of produce which goes bad. BUT we didn’t buy junk food (snacks, sweets, impulse buys, alcohol) and only went to the store with a list.
3. We paid for rent and bills and gas

What did we spend money on?

1. $450 on my car… this was SO annoying since it happened right when the month started, I felt so defeated but the car’s just getting to be the age where things start happening
2. $180 on groceries (this includes pet food for two dogs and a cat, kitty litter and lots of water — the hurricane that hit Texas was not factored into the month so things had to change a little)
3. $150 on dining out (This was our big splurge where we broke our rule. My husband and I both work full time and I am a full time student so sometimes cooking just doesn’t happen, also the grocery stores were cleaned out from before hurricane Harvey hit so it was the only way to eat at the end of the month… however we shared most meals and mostly only drank water)
4. $100 on a pre-prepped meal plan (pricey but again, this saves time and wasted food for two people who sometimes just don’t have the time)
5. Rent, Bills, and Gas
6. Hurricane relief for Houston, Texas (this was the last few days of the month and in my opinion was a necessary expense)

What did I learn?

1. I buy a lot more stuff then I realized.
2. We go out WAY more than we should.
3. It was actually very easy to cut out my spending on stuff, but it’s a lot harder to stop going out to eat when you have a busy schedule.
4. No spending is kinda addictive. Thinking about continuing it into September!
5. Don’t buy stuff in fear before the month starts. I did a little panic shopping before August started in preparation for the spending famine.
6. Don’t wrack up a huge list of stuff to buy when the month is over. That defeats the purpose and honestly if you didn’t need it then, you don’t need it now.
7. If an emergency presents itself, be willing to bend to accommodate without giving up on what you’ve already accomplished. We had a hurricane hit our city at the end of the month and we ended up donating a lot of what we saved to help with the relief effort. We also had the car issues that had to be addressed. These are unexpected things you have to deal with when they happen, but you shouldn’t let it discourage you from moving forward on your goals for saving. We didn’t start buying stuff just because we had to spend money on emergencies and we were still able to come out ahead on our savings!

Underwater in Houston, Texas.

The Result:

I saved nearly $800 even with my unforeseen car expense and the hurricane (we were so blessed to have come away unscathed, but so many were not so lucky). This allowed me to donate money I would not have had and some of our furniture to the victims of Harvey. Our timing for the challenge couldn’t have been better and although my donations won’t do a whole lot in the scheme of things, I know that every little bit helps those who are in desperate need. When buying isn’t your focus in life, it changes the way your view your surroundings. Now the money I didn’t spend on junk can be used for something that matters.

I am going to try it again! September 1st is tomorrow. Hopefully there will be no more car expenses or storms in the upcoming month. That means if we can do what we did this month without those emergencies, I could save an additional $500 that can then be put to more relief efforts in Texas. September, here I come!

I found that this challenge helped me refocus my priorities and re-establish mindfulness in my spending.

Words of advice for those who are interested but not sold on the challenge:

Some have mentioned that they don’t know how they would do this with children and I’ll be honest with you, we don’t have kids and I’m sure this makes it easier to go without. But this shouldn’t deter you from trying the challenge. Nothing is cookie-cutter and you can make anything work for you. I would do some research before your month/week starts to see what free activities are available in your area. If there are monthly lessons or sports your child participates in I would wrap this into you monthly bills. There is no reason to take experiences away from your child if you can afford it. But I would suggest that you, with the input of your child, prioritize which activities they wish to participate in to just a couple.

My opinion is that all these “challenges” have to work for you and yours. You can still participate even if it doesn’t 100% fit into your life style. A lot of people are WAY more extreme with these “no spend” challenges and honestly it just doesn’t work for us since my husband and I are so busy… these challenges take up a lot of time and prep to go 100% no spend and you still have bills to pay.

I did this to help me identify my problem areas and make some lifestyle changes based on my experience. My husband and I like to go out to eat and go to museums… kids like the zoo and participate in other activities that cost money. We make money to have experiences, so why punish yourself and your kids while trying to better your way of living?

This challenge can be made to fit any life style. Just be clear with what your goals are, how extreme you want to take it, and then stick to it. It’s not forever after all.

Good Luck!