How To Complete Your First No-Spend Challenge

Inside: Do you want to save money or be a more mindful consumer? A no-spend challenge or shopping ban is a great option to try! Download your free printable to rock your first no-spend challenge!

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During each month in 2018 I am focusing on a different simplicity challenge or mini goal.  So far I have practiced daily gratitude, meditated every day, and moved my body for at least 15 minutes every day.

By completing these challenges I have focused on my mind, my heart, and my body.  It has been so encouraging to work through these challenges each month and share my experiences on social media and in my newsletter. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop! Or sign up for my newsletter below!

-> Do you want to set your own mini SMART goals? Download your free guide here and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.

This month my Simplicity Challenge or mini goal focuses on my spending habits.  My husband and I recently started tracking our budget again and I realized I was spending a ton of money on little things that were adding up.  The $5 here, $0.99 there, don’t seem like much at the time, but when added up can be a significant amount of money.

To be more specific, I am attempting a month long no-spend challenge (aka shopping ban)!

You’re probably thinking, that’s crazy! But I am excited to give it a try! Keep reading to learn more about what a shopping ban actually is, why you would want to do a shopping ban, and how I plan to make this a successful month.

What is a no-spend challenge?

I had first heard of this idea of a shopping ban from the blogger Cait Flanders. In 2014 she made the pledge to complete a year long shopping ban.  A WHOLE YEAR PEOPLE!  That is incredible!

She completed the first year and figured she might as well complete another year.  Why not!?

I figure if Cait can do two whole years of a shopping ban, then I can do a little month.

Essentially a shopping ban is where you decide not to spend money for a certain amount of time. The great thing about a challenge like this is you can really make it your own. It can be a short period of time, a weekend for example, or a long period of time, a year or longer like Cait.

You also set your own rules. You can choose what items you’re allowed to spend money on or you could opt to not spend any money at all. More on the rules I set for myself below.

Why would you do a no-spend challenge?

There are several reasons to do a shopping ban. My main goal is to bring awareness to my own shopping habits and triggers to buy. I want to minimize these triggers and not jump to buying something without really thinking about it.  I want to be a more mindful consumer and be aware of what I already have.

Here are a few other benefits of completing a shopping ban:

• Mindfulness of spending habits and triggers.
• Deter knee jerk reaction to buy.
• Save some money!
• Use up what you already have before buying new (especially food, toiletries).
• Be content with what you already have.

This quote from Cait really sums up the ultimate purpose of a shopping ban and what makes a shopping ban successful:

“But the measure of whether or not a shopping ban is successful doesn’t actually have anything to do with whether or not you bought stuff during that time. It’s not about spending no money. It’s about learning how to only spend money on the things that add value to your life.” ~Cait Flanders

Are there other benefits not listed here that you have experienced from completing a no-spend challenge?

How do you actually complete a no-spend challenge?

To complete a shopping ban this month I answered these two questions:

1. How long will the no-spend challenge last?
2. What am I allowed to buy and what am I not allowed to buy?

Essentially, I set up my own set of rules so that when I get tempted to buy something (and I know I will!) I know what is off limits. So for me, this challenge will last the month of April. I am setting rules similar to Cait because they seem realistic and doable.

What I am allowed to buy:

• Groceries and basic kitchen items (dish soap, foil, etc)
• Baby items (diapers, wipes, cream – but only after I run out)
• Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, face lotion, deodorant, toilet paper – but only if I run out)
• Cleaning products
• Gifts for others (although I don’t anticipate needing to do this during the month)

What I am not allowed to buy:

• Books, ebooks, and magazines for me or my kids (this will be tough for me!!)
• Ecourses
• Makeup, especially chapstick/lipgloss!
• Toys for my kiddos
• Clothes/shoes for me or my kiddos
• Home decor items (candles, frames, vases)
• Electronics and appliances
• Expensive coffee (unless I am traveling and I cannot make my own)

Want to complete your own no-spend challenge?  I put together a two-page guide to help you set up your own rules and keep track of your success!  Click the image below and I’ll send it to your inbox!

Resources To Complete your first (or next) no spend challenge

Here are some of the books and articles that I think are helpful in setting up a successful no-spend challenge for yourself.

Books:

31 Days of Living Well and Spending Zero: Freeze Your Spending. Change Your Life.

This ebook is perfect if you want to give a ZERO spending challenge a try!  The ebook walks you through how to use up the food you already have in your pantry and lists tons of activities you can do for free including training, books to read and family activities.  There is also a section on decluttering and how to make some extra cash from the items you are getting rid of.  This is very comprehensive and worth a look if you are wanting to go all in!

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store

I snagged a copy of this ebook when it was on sale a few weeks ago and plan to read it this month.  I am hoping it gives me some more insight into the lessons Cait learned during her two year shopping ban.  The book also has a section on how to complete a shopping ban for beginners!

31 Days to Radically Reduce Your Expenses: Less Stress. More Savings.

I also plan to read this ebook during this month.  It has some fantastic ideas for finding money leaks and saving money each month on items such as mortgage, food, and hobbies.  This book will definitely help you reach your money goals!

Articles:

How to Successfully Complete a Shopping Ban – Cait wrote this article that contains 10 short slides and points to remember when completing your own challenge.

Shopping Bans Infographic – This is a really cool infographic that Cait put together with data she collected from her followers that also completed a shopping ban.  It’s very encouraging to see so many people participating!

Cait’s year 1 and year 2 results – I thought these two articles were particularly interesting in terms of seeing what items Cait purchased during the two years and the lessons that she learned along the way.  I hope to glean similar information about myself during my month long no-spend challenge.

Pinterest

Follow my “Money Saving Tips” board on Pinterest!

Printable Tracker

Grab your free printable no-spend challenge guide and daily tracker by completing the form below!

Other Posts in the Simplicity Challenge Series

January: Daily Gratitude

February: Meditation

March: 15 minutes of physical activity

April – you are here!

May: The Mins Game Decluttering Challenge

June: Declutter Your Digital Life

July: Project 333 Summer Capsule Wardrobe

Have you ever completed a no-spend challenge?

Let me know how it went in the comments below!