Do you need help with a no-spend challenge or considering starting one, but the thought of a year long no-spend seems too big to handle? If so, this blog post is for you.
I wanted to update you on my No-Spend Challenge from this year. I didn’t do my best, but I didn’t do my worst either. Did I buy things I didn’t really need? Yes, but I did buy things I needed. I wanted to review what worked well and what didn’t.
What Worked Well
What works well for each person is subjective, but I have included below the top three areas that worked well for me on my No-Spend Challenge.
The Money Planner
I bought the money planner from Passionate Penny Pincher earlier this year, and I enjoyed it.
I loved the planner’s goal-setting features, money-spending tracker, and a section on savings and debts! I love, love, love this planner.
I loved the planner so much that I bought a new one this coming year. As I write this post, I will work on my 2025 budgeting goals tonight.
Budgeting
I did budget before the challenge, but I now have a budget to refer to when I want to either purchase something or track my spending.
It’s a great tool to have when you want to know how much money you have spent or how much money you have allotted to a specific area in your budget.
Stopping The Ads
As painful as this was initially, I paused and limited some of my favorite social media influencers. I also stopped the emails and text message ads at times too.
I couldn’t see what my favorite influencers or stores were selling because I wasn’t seeing their stories, or I unsubscribed from their email list.
This little tip did help with the No-Spend Challenge.
What Didn’t Go Well
Here is the section that didn’t go well for me. Again, what didn’t go well for one person is very subjective. These are the areas of improvement I’ll be working on in 2025.
Emotional Spending
Allowing your feelings to dictate your spending is also known as emotional spending. I realized that I would fall back into this old pattern, but the difference now is I can see the pattern and try to stop it. I have gotten better, but not perfect.
Forgetting My Why
Your why behind something is so important, and when you’re in the middle of something or the months drag on, the why seems to be left in the field somewhere.
I sometimes forgot my why, which didn’t help during this process.
No Spend Tracker
I used a no-spend tracker during part of this journey, but I completely fell off the wagon. It’s an excellent idea, but with managing my budget and the planner, it just became a lot.
If you want to use a no-spend tracker, that’s perfectly fine, but it just felt like another task that quickly went to the back burner for me.
Conclusion
Whether you just want to get into a no-spend challenge or you are a seasoned no-spender, let me know below in the comments your thoughts on a no-spend challenge!
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Blessings,
Ashley Marie
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