My 2026 No Spend Challenge actually began on December 30 so I’m a little over a week in. Things are going mostly as planned so far.
I filled up the car’s gas tank yesterday and had to order a $7 part for a toilet. The part will be here tomorrow.
This is a perfect example of how life happens and sometimes you have to buy without guilt – even during a challenge. Note that a month ago, I would have added a book or some random thing to my Amazon order since it was so little money.
I didn’t do that this time because rules are rules.
Tomorrow I will make a list of any grocery items that I need this week but it shouldn’t amount to much and I’ll make a point of sticking to the list better than I normally do.
While this week has been sort of busy, I am focusing on healthful meals that use up some things in the freezer and on restful sleep. I still need to form a plan for all that darn frozen spinach!
The first real temptation arrived last night when I realized that a favorite author has a new book out this month. I will want to own this book but it will have to wait. Books and groceries are probably my biggest weaknesses so this is a great exercise to curb overspending. I can have it but not this minute and waiting never hurt anyone!
Are you doing a challenge this month? I would love to hear about it!
Here we go again. It’s January and that means I’m in the midst of a No Spend Challenge. This tradition began back in 2018 and it has gradually transformed from something that was endured to something I enjoy.
The last couple of years have also reminded me of how privileged I am that this is something I do for a a month or two a year rather than a forced and permanent lifestyle.
So many people are truly struggling. I don’t know how people are feeding and keeping shoes on their kids. Many elderly folks are choosing between food and medicine for themselves and care for beloved pets. So I know that my rules, lessons and reminders sound downright tone deaf in a society where so many struggle.
Don’t think that’s lost on me.
Here are the basic rules I set for myself.
Pay bills.
Buy gas and pay for vehicle maintenance. This is how I get to work and a non-negotiable.
Buy groceries when needed. This means I use what I have first and buy what may be needed to complete a recipe or pull together a meal.
Buy what is needed and pay for necessary repairs. If my hot water heater dies, I replace it. If I realize my snow boots are worn out, that could pose harm to my body. They need replaced but I don’t get to go shopping for other shoes for fun.
There are sometimes pre-approved non-essential expenses. One of those is coming up this week when I interview a small business for work. I never like to leave one of these interviews empty handed and will give myself a budget to buy something.
Eat out when there’s really no choice. This means packing lunch and carrying a water bottle and snacks when I leave home. Sometimes I find myself in work situations that require eating lunch out but I can’t pick up pizza just because I’m too lazy to cook.
What’s the point of all this?
Well, it’s nice to save some money. It also teaches me something about myself and helps me reset habits, ultimately leading to some long term benefits.
When I can’t stop for a Diet Coke, I drink the water that’s in the cup holder next to me. That saves a couple of bucks but, more importantly, it’s better for my health. I’m not stopping at the Dollar General down the road just to see what they have or to get one $5 thing that quickly adds up to $30 worth of impulse buys.
These things sound small but 24 ounces of water instead of a fake sweetened drink is a lot. Thirty dollars here and there add up.
We are, after all, a sum of our habits.
When I’m not spending, that means I’m not running around so much. I’m staying home more. I’m using what I have to prepare delicious meals and experimenting with baked goods. This weekend I discovered a woman in Kentucky named Mamaw Gail who gifted the world her biscuit recipe via a Facebook video. They are delicious, simple and easy.
I’m taking care of what I have, cleaning my home, decluttering what I no longer need, and getting more rest.
This time I have some more refined goals.
One is health related. Water, sleep, relaxation, nutrition and movement are all part of this attempt to calm my nervous system. Less stress and more relaxation. Less sitting and more doing. More play. More of what makes me happy.
Another is to focus on using up the odds and ends in the refrigerator freezer. I have a chest freezer for longer term storage but the refrigerator is where I keep things that need used up. Half a bag of frozen broccoli, two veggie burgers, and tomato soup I froze last month languish next to a bag of cauliflower rice I’ve been meaning to use. I accidentally bought frozen spinach which I do not like. I need to find a recipe that uses it up. My goal is for that freezer to be half full instead of stuffed to the gills by the end of this month.
I also intend to read a lot. Plus, there’s a writing project gnawing at my brain and a craft room with so much potential. I’m getting closer to making it nice enough use!
What won’t I be doing?
I won’t be shopping for entertainment. I won’t be seeking out new products to try just because they exist. I won’t be clicking on ads. I won’t be accumulating lists of things to run out and buy at the end of the challenge. I won’t be counting down the days until it’s over. I won’t be looking for loopholes or pouting because I can’t buy something.
If there’s an impulse to buy something, I can look through what I own and see if there’s a good alternative already in my possession. What can I use or do instead of running out and buying something?
You know, it wasn’t that long ago that people didn’t go to the store or eat out all the time. They couldn’t order from Amazon the random things they think they need the minute they think of them. The Great Depression forced people to live with the mantra “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.” I’m not advocating that anyone do without but there’s something to be said for using fully the thing you already own.
A No Spend Challenge is meant to be personalized to your own lifestyle but it isn’t for everyone. I know people with spouses or children who would simply refuse to participate. Others among us just aren’t interested or have an incompatible lifestyle.
For me, it’s a lifestyle reset and a chance to gain insight into my own habits and preferences. I always learn something about myself and one of those things is that I often curate bad habits during the holidays. There’s way too much shopping, eating out, and overall abundance that can easily become longterm habits.
I’m not saying that anyone should do this. I’m saying this is what I do and it has served me well. That first year or two were hard but it now almost feels like a game. After the gluttony and overconsumption of the holidays, this is a timely reminder that my value in this world is more than just a consumer.
I have written on this topic in the past if you want to search for previous challenges. I’ll write more this month too!
If reincarnation is real, I was once a Depression era housewife. This is never more clear than during a No Spend Challenge when more time at home allows me to consciously use what I have. I was thinking about this last night while making dinner.
I’m good on a regular day but am more conscious and stricter during a challenge.
Today is January 12 and every meal I have eaten so far this month has been home cooked. I don’t eat out much but this is still good for me because it’s so easy to order lunch when I don’t feel like packing.
Last night I found a couple of random things from the freezer that I turned into a good meal. While that was cooking, I decided to face the music and do something with three sad overripe bananas that had been staring at me. I ultimately turned them into some delicious muffins to freeze for future enjoyment.
I have a basic banana muffin recipe but don’t especially like banana flavored stuff so I doctor them up. Every batch is an experiment. Adam likes them so at least one other person finds them enjoyable! Last night’s batch included peanut butter, blueberries and dark chocolate chunks. Best of all, I know exactly what goes in them – flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, butter, salt, and egg – a far cry from the ingredients list on store bought muffins and certainly better than a box mix.
There are lots of things I do that I take for granted but others seem to think odd. For example, I try to use up what I have. Things that others throw away without thought always get some attention from me.
For example, I use the heal of a loaf of bread. If it’s for a sandwich, I turn the end part to the inside of the sandwich to address the texture issue some have. Sometimes I will toast it and put it on a plate with an egg over easy on top. Odds and ends of excess bread might get turned into a french toast casserole.
When nearing the end of a jar of peanut butter or spaghetti sauce, I’ll use a silicone scraper to use up as much as possible. If you cut off the end of the toothpaste tube, you’ll find several more brushes worth of toothpaste that you just can’t squeeze out. Just hold onto the piece you cut off to slip over the end of the tube.The same goes for things like lotion, face wash and shampoo.
I lean into leftovers because they are great for lunches, easily frozen for later, and often delicious when turned into something else. For example, leftover mashed potatoes are great potato cakes and random vegetables are perfect for stir fry or quiche.
I also use the freezer liberally. It’s impossible to make a small pot of soup so I lean into the excess, freezing one or two servings per package for later. I like peppers, onions and mushrooms in omelettes and on pizza. Extras of these items get added to a bag in the freezer for future use. I do the same with carrots and celery for soups. I rarely have at risk fruits but, when I do, they go in baked goods like last night’s muffins or they get frozen.
Odds and ends can often be stretched into multiple delicious meals.
What’s left, the actual waste, either gets composted or just tossed into the edge of the woods for opossums and other hungry creatures to find.
Food and product waste is truly disturbing to me. After all, some farmer expended much energy and money to grow the produce. Some factory did the same to make the toothpaste or a jar of spaghetti sauce. Some trucker drove miles across the country to get these things to the store for me to take the time to drive to the store, find and drag home. That’s a lot of money, time and energy. Throwing away what can still be used is nothing less than wasteful.
My No Spend Months are often tidier times in my world. I suddenly stop leaving dishes in the sink overnight. My living room is nice and tidy. Even my home office is neater. Every day feels easier to declutter. Taking care of what I own feels more important than acquiring more.
For the last ten days, I have been in a constant state of preparation for a power outage. When you live in the hills where there are more trees than you could ever count and the winter wind and a foot of snow put you at risk of downed power lines, you learn to be ready. We have been lucky though and I’m grateful. Still, I have my indoor tent ready to go if there’s no heat. Plus, there’s plenty of water ready for drinking, flushing and cleaning – important when you need electric to operate your well. I have also been prepared with food that is good eaten cold or that will cook quickly on the grill.
I’m not a prepper per se but I am always prepared within reason for whatever comes my way. In other words, I keep myself in a place that I never have to go to the store if I don’t want to and that a winter storm won’t be catastrophic.
None of this is outlandish to me but people act like I’m odd because I don’t like waste and see value in things others consider trash. This world is just too disposable for my taste.
I have these tendencies anyway but the skills and attention are sharpened during a challenge. Today, I will inventory the fridge and come up with a game plan for food that needs used up this week. I’m hibernating today. There will be no shopping or spending today. I’ll entertain myself with things I already own. I’m excited to have this quiet day to relax and enjoy. I’ll read, do a load of laundry and perhaps take a nap.
My No Spend Challenge – January edition comes to a close today. In all, it has been pretty easy even though I have spent more than planned and shopped more than anticipated. You can read my last update here.
Meanwhile, here are some things to note:
Eating out was heavily curbed this month. I did end up eating out more than I liked because it was either that or go hungry for hours. In one instance, the power went out while I was working from home. There was nothing to pack for lunch when I had to dash into the office to work that day. Unless I wanted to take a can of green beans or something random – I guess that would have worked! That said, food on the go amounted to under $50 for the month.
Supporting small businesses that I like is an act of service in my mind. That’s why I ended up buying two books at Wheatberry in Chillicothe and spent about $17 at Peddlar’s Junction, a vendor mall in Athens. That was for an adorable hand carved wooden owl, a great old hammer for my fella, and a set of vintage salt and pepper shakers representing the Washington Monument and US Capitol Building. I had admired them before and they were on clearance for $1. Like I could turn down such a deal when I really wanted them.
Car vs. Deer in early January caused almost $8,000 worth of damage to the Nerdmobile. I was perfectly happy to shell out my $100 deductible to liberate my car from the garage and get me back on the road in my own wheels.
Groceries. Man, can we talk about this for a minute? I needed a lot of stuff at the grocery store last week and wanted a few more things that I simply refused to buy because sticker shock wouldn’t allow it. Six dollars for some sad, wrinkly strawberries is not a deal. I’m looking at you Kroger. Produce in general has been overpriced, even by winter standards, and it’s not in good condition when it hits the shelves because it IS winter and it is shipped so far to get here. When I started doing this no spend month challenge back in 2018, I could get by with under $20 for groceries every couple of weeks. That always included some produce, eggs, and whatever random thing I needed to cook with the random things I already owned. Now, it’s more like $100 and that doesn’t include a lot of extra fun stuff. Tell me, how do people afford to buy potato chips and frozen junk foods? Yikes! Anyway, no spend month or not, I don’t compromise my health and bought plenty of nutritious foods to fill in the gaps with what I have in the freezer and pantry.
A Valentine’s gift for my fella. It’s our first Valentine’s Day together and I hope he likes what I picked out.
My Book of the Month membership charged me for a credit to get a book this month but I didn’t redeem it. So I did pay but didn’t shop for a book. That credit will be waiting for me when I’m ready to shop with it.
That’s about it.
In past years, January was much more austere and I followed the rules much more closely. I would never have stepped foot in Wheatberry or bought the carved wooden owl. I would have perhaps planned better by keeping an apple and a granola bar in my bag so I wouldn’t have to stop for fast food. I bought one bottle of water while out this month. That wouldn’t have passed muster even three years ago. In all fairness, it was the day I hit the deer and my reusable bottle was left in the car. I needed hydration so this was more of a health issue than anything else.
I have also been out to eat and to the movies a couple of times on my fella’s dime. I typically drive because I enjoy it and he always wants to pay for whatever we do. This has been a hard thing for me to accept but it seems to bring him joy. Five years ago, I would have said no to these gifts as it goes against the grain of what I am trying to accomplish but these outings have felt like special occasions and they haven’t tempted me to go out and do more stuff. In other words, I’m swallowing my independence and enjoying the fun with someone I never expected to find in this lifetime.
All told, I’m pleased with the month and I’m pleased to carry on in February with some planned exceptions.
I will continue to focus on being home, feathering my nest, decluttering and doing things I enjoy. Life is so good when you like your home and have time to stay there and enjoy the quiet, restful period we call winter.
Even after all these years of doing an annual No Spend Challenge, I have to occasionally remind myself why I do what I do. It requires checking in with my habits and employing my 2024 word of the year. In other words, I REJUVINATE the why and the commitment behind my temporary no spending habits.
If you’re not familiar with my No Spend Challenge, you can click here to read a recent story and here’s the story about my word of the year.
The fact something is important to us doesn’t mean we can take our commitment for granted. We all sometimes need a boost to keep us on the right path. So far, this month has gone pretty well.
All bills are paid.
Groceries have been purchased.
Things that are important to me are taken care of.
No shopping for entertainment.
Eating out has been avoided as much as possible.
In case you’re struggling with your challenge and think I’m bragging about being perfect, let’s take a deep dive into what I’m saying here.
Groceries – I keep my pantry and freezer stocked well enough that I never have to go to the store. This week, I needed specific ingredients for a special meal and I stopped at the store to grab a few needs that were accompanied by some frozen food deals outside my regular grocery shopping. I didn’t need them right now but stashing them away for cheap now means I don’t have to buy them for full price later. Why is that important? Those dollars saved will mean gas in the tank for a daytrip this summer!
Things that are important are taken care of – This is vague, isn’t it? When I went to pick up a rental car last week because mine lost the contest against the deer, they required a cash deposit. This was a need and it was important. I’m gathering items to donate to a thrift store with a cause I support and plan to give them some cash while I’m there. This isn’t necessary but it’s important to me.
Entertainment shopping – This one is the hardest for me because I truly enjoy shopping even when I’m not buying. Antique malls, thrift shops and TJ Maxx all call my name. I don’t think I’ve bought a single thing in a store other than groceries since late December with one exception. I was in downtown Chillicothe Friday night. I long ago made a pact with myself that anytime I’m close to Wheatberry Books I will stop and make a purchase. Even if it’s small, I want to support having a bookseller nearby. This probably aligns more closely with taking care of important things. I gave myself a budget for one book but panicked when I got inside and bought two. Imperfect but that’s ok. Supporting a small business I like is important to me.
Eating out – This one is tricky. Technically, I have paid for one fast food meal. That was the day I picked up the rental car at lunch and really didn’t want to wait to eat at home. Nine bucks on a fish sandwich, fries and drink. However, I have actually eaten in restaurants two other times when other people were buying. One was a work lunch and it was a fluke that I didn’t have to pay. Also, I went into this challenge planning to buy a meal out with a friend. However, my handsome fella went with me to meet my friend and insisted on buying. He’s such a gentleman. Otherwise, my tally would ordinarily be much higher. Also, I bought a bottle of water one day because my water bottle was in my banged up car.
There are things not reflected in the bottom line. For example, I spent a lot of Sunday fighting off the temptation to go antiquing because I was just “in the mood” to go see what was out there. So I spent a lot of that day cleaning in my craft room. This is the place where all my extra home decor, craft supplies and every other random thing gets shuffled around like deck chairs on the Titanic. Truly, the room is awful and is tangible, undeniable proof of bad decisions made over the years. Nothing makes you want to not shop like facing a pile of stuff you have bought.
I gathered up about 80 things from this room to give away. There’s a large stack of boxes to recycle and a bag of trash to go out. This went a long way toward scratching that itch to treasure hunt outside my home.
The point of all this is to say that, even after all these years, I still need gentle reminders that I do this challenge for a reason and that the reason is controlling bad habits and cultivating better ones that will serve me. It seems I would have learned the lesson after all these years of repetition. You know something? That’s ok. I am only human after all and sometimes humans need reminding that what’s easy or what we want right now may not be the thing we need or want for the long distance.
A little rejuvenation goes a long way!
Who’s doing a No Spend Challenge? Comment and tell me all about it!
This is day six of my No Spend Challenge. So far, things have mostly gone as planned. There was an unplanned doctor visit and some OTC medicine and I stopped at the store for some produce to get me through this coming week. Every dollar spent was well within bounds of my rules and nothing was spent on anything unnecessary – not even a book!
This was my first week back to work after the holidays and I was a bit sluggish so evenings were quiet. I decluttered a few things and tidied my laundry room. I enter the house through this room. It’s where shoes are kicked off and where a tall open shelving unit serves as a pantry. It also tends to be messy so it was a relief to clean up this space because it was starting to cause anxiety.
There remains a long list of things that need done and things I want to do that will keep me entertained through the winter.
The No Spend Challenge is most successful when I focus on my own thoughts and actions. Nothing makes me appreciate not shopping like decluttering and nothing makes me appreciate staying home like feathering my nest and being cozy inside. While cleaning last night, I discovered no fewer than a half dozen bottles of shampoo of different brands languishing in the cupboard. There’s clearly no need to buy more until this supply is exhausted. It makes me wonder how much more excess lurks in the corners of my home.
THIS is part of the purpose behind a no spend challenge. It isn’t about deprivation or about being miserable. It’s about taking a hard look at how you live, the excess that fills your home and the choices you make. It’s about being happy with what you have.
One day next week, I’ll have to buy lunch while out with colleagues. Eating out right now is problematic because of nutritional changes I have made but, as far as the challenge goes, this is fine. Dining out because there’s no choice is acceptable but it’s not ok if I’m just doing it because cooking is hard. So far, every morsel of food I have eaten since January 1 has been prepared by my own hands – nothing processed and nothing from a restaurant – and I’m much happier.
Are you doing a No Spend Challenge? How’s it going? This is my sixth year and I look forward to it each time. I’m always curious to hear other people’s stories!
