I Tried a No Spend Month: 7 Life-Changing Lessons I Learned About Myself

I figured out how to be cautious with money and save a lot. I took it to the extreme. In November, I chose not to spend any money for the entire month. I figured it was a really interesting experience worth sharing with the world!

Things I Learned from a No-Spend Month

Here are the things that I learned when doing a no-spend month. I didn’t spend any money aside from grocery money and monthly costs like insurance, rent, and my phone plan. My goal was also to spend half the grocery money I normally spend.

1. It Is Hard To Complete The Full Month

It’s so very hard, don’t underestimate this! I did have plans for one night out this month, and I made it out alive.

Apart from that, I didn’t buy any food at work. This was the hardest thing actually since sometimes I didn’t have enough food for the day (mentally, of course, my body is fine), and I really had to stop myself from buying something.

What was hard was spending half of my grocery budget. I ate more fresh vegetables, and I planned my meals more. In addition, I ate a lot of things that were sitting in my pantry.

2. Control Your Impulses

You have to actively control your impulses when you are going somewhere and seeing something you like. Whether it’s food or material things, it doesn’t really matter.

The hardest thing is to control impulses when you’re hungry, trust me on this.

3. Little Things Add Up

The no-spend month was really good for my self-control. Before, things are adding up without noticing it. I kept track of my general spending with categories, but not tracking where every single penny went.

I noticed that little expenses add up over time, and can make a dent in your budget.

4. It Saves SO Much Time

Now I want to save money on my groceries, I only go grocery shopping once per week.

I just freed up literally 5 hours of my time weekly, minimum. Walking to the supermarket, thinking about what I want to eat, walking back, cooking the food, and eating. Every. Single. Day.

My routine now looks like this once per week. Plus, I batch-cook about two or three times per week so that I have enough food throughout.

5. You Don’t Live Paycheck To Paycheck

Currently, I’m at a place in my life where I don’t live paycheck-to-paycheck. If you’re not there yet, no worries!

If you’re having a no-spend month, I can guarantee you that you will be one step closer to breaking the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.

6. You Have To Get Creative

When you’re having a no-spend month, you have to get creative. You will go through your freezer and pantry in order to make meals with what you have. You still budget for food, but you have to do with less than you normally would.

Apart from that, you always have unexpected challenges that you would have to solve now without spending any money. If it’s something significant like your car broke down, of course, you’re gonna get it fixed, but if you want to have a date night with your partner, you have to get creative!

7. It’s All About The Habit

As always, it’s all about the habit. When you break the habit of spending money every day, your savings automatically go up by A LOT!

It’s not like I’ve been born with the habit of saving 60% or more of my income. It’s all about the habits that I build around money. Try a no-spend month and learn about your habits, you might uncover something you were not aware of!

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Choosing a secondhand car is more critical than ever. Reliability is key in keeping expenses and maintenance down, especially if you’re purchasing an older model that is no longer covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.

To help you choose the best older cars, we listed the top 10 most reliable car models that will never leave you stranded anywhere.

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