When I talk about doing a No Spend Challenge, people often dismiss the idea and tell me that I’ll just run out and buy a bunch if things when it’s over. I’ve been doing this every winter since 2018 and can honestly say that it has never worked that way for me.

I think that’s because I use this time to work on habit and mindset changing rather than just on not spending money.

January was pretty strict but February allowed for a some spending including for Valentine’s Day and my mother’s birthday. I had to eat out a couple of times and spent $25 on a congratulations present for myself after receiving good news at work. Otherwise, I bought groceries and paid bills as planned.

Last night I bought a pair of shoes for work that wasn’t budgeted for but was needed. There’s actually a story behind this.

I found myself at the office one day this week wearing a pair of dress boots that look fine but that are worn out. Foot health is important so I’m a firm believer in good shoes.

Yet, there I sat wearing painful shoes all day long.

I started thinking about how many times lately I’ve had sore feet and how I have a couple of other pairs of shoes that need to go. I am not a poor person and I can afford to buy what I need. So I went to the shoe store last night with a list. I was in the market for dress shoes, dress boots and walking shoes. I found one of the three and was glad for it.

The problem is that the selection in stores isn’t that great and what they have often isn’t made that well. I hate to keep buying shoes that will wear out in no time.

As I stood in a sea of shoes that I didn’t want, I thought about all those people who told me I was wasting my time because I would just overspend later. Even when I need l to spend and have an excuse to do so, I just can’t seem to pull it off.

I’m continuing the challenge into March with a budget line item for shoes. As part of this process, I’ll be decluttering the shoes in my closet.

I’m trying to think of anything else I might need to budget for this month and am coming up dry. I have a trip planned for late April so I’m hoping to carry the challenge through the end of March or perhaps mid April.

It seems to me that the habits I wanted to change are in good shape. I’m cooking most meals, solving food waste issues, cutting impulse buys, and changing how I look at the excessive amount of badly made stuff in stores.

That’s pretty darn good, if you ask me. Best of all, the money saved now will fund things I value later this year. Adventure season will be here before we know it!

Are you doing a No Spend or Low Spend Challenge? I would love to hear about it.