Creative Ways to Win The No Spend Challenge
We know how overwhelming it can be to live on a tight budget. We also know what a breath of fresh air it was to incorporate some of these money-saving strategies such as the No-Spend Challenge.
The purpose of the no-spend challenge is trying to not spend any money for whatever time frame that you decide. This works best for things like food, clothing, and impulse shopping.
There are different types of no spend challenges you can take, but it’s up to you which one to embark on. We’ve round up a few:
- No Spend Week Challenge: This challenge focuses on making small changes to your lifestyle habits.
- No Spend Weekend Challenge: The emphasis is placed on finding free activities with family or friends. Also, no eating out, clubbing, or movies.
- No Spend Month Challenge: Focuses on needs vs wants. It’s about stopping habits like impulse shopping and replacing them long term with other cheaper (or free) activities.
The 30 days no spend challenge guide will teach you how to improve your life by adjusting your spending habits and decluttering your life in an easy step-by-step process. Work at your own pace and embrace the change.
Here’s the best creative tips to win the no spend challenge:
Visualize your goals
If you have your plans, it will be easier to follow through. What do you want to accomplish with a no-spend challenge? Do you need to save money for something specific- emergency fund, vacation, or new car?
Make a vision board of what you are saving for and keep it where you can see it every day. We recommended checking out the Financial Freedom Vision Board for more tips.
Create a Meal Plan
Limit your grocery shopping for a week or two, and make a meal plan for all the items you already have in the freezer and pantry. This will help you stick to your plan and not spend money during the challenge. Check out the article on’ Ways to eat healthy on a small budget’ for more tips.
Find Free Events
There are always a TON of free activities going on. Just a quick scan through local Facebook events will probably show you quite a few options.
Even if you live in a smaller town that doesn’t have quite as many events going on, you can probably still find some free activities to check out.
Trade Your Night Out for a Night In
We love going out for dinner or drinks, but the cost definitely adds up.
Lately, we’ve started inviting friends for virtual dinner and game nights. It’s way cheaper, and everyone has a great time!
It’s a great way to have fun with your friends while sticking to a budget. Plus it’s more personal than heading to a noisy bar where you may not get to talk to each other much anyway.
Sell Your Stuff
“Look around. All that clutter used to be money.” The good news is that even though you already spent the money on all that stuff, it’s not too late to make some of it back.
Just last weekend we sold design shoes from our closet and a bag full of clothes and made over $200!
Stay Organized
Staying organized during the no spend challenge is important to increase productivity and achieve your goals. Learn to prioritize by using monthly and weekly priority sections to focus your energy on your most important goals.
We love both the budget and life planners. Using a planner will help you create a vision for your life, define and breakdown your short and long-term goals in each area of your life, and incorporate these goals into your monthly, weekly, and daily agenda.
Wait to spend on items
To spend no money for a week or month, you will need to have a budget. No budget is 100% effective, so we recommend waiting until the end of the no spending period to purchase any items, not planned. Chances are after you’ve made it through your no spend challenge, you won’t want it anymore. It’s a great way to stop those impulse purchases!
Quit Bad Habits
We all have some bad habits that can cost us a heck of a lot of money. If you’ve got one, you probably already know this is killing your budget!
Expensive habits could include excessive drinking, caffeine, stress eating, recreational shopping, gambling, and carrying excessive debt.
The first key is moderation. If you’re indulging too often, cutting back will save you money and protect your health too. If you try to cut back and find you can’t, that could be a sign that this habit is an addiction for you, and your best bet is to give it up entirely.
Become your best self by setting and achieving goals in all of the important areas of your life. Bring more healthy habits & positive daily rituals into your life, and stick to them by using these tips.
Incorporate gratitude and affirmation techniques for a more inspired and happier everyday life. We have to admit it is going to be difficult but anything is possible with dedication and discipline!
Did you find the strategies listed in this article helpful? Have you ever done a no-spend challenge? What are some of your ideas? How have they worked for you? Let us know in the comments.
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