We are all aware that it’s not easy to earn money. We constantly have to work, spending the whole day at the office, and some of us sometimes even have side hustles just to provide for ourselves and for our families.
Bills after bills, plus the groceries, and of course a little bit of money that goes to our savings. Budgeting is not easy, especially when you are still new to it. At the beginning of my adulthood, budgeting is one of the things that I struggled with the most. I didn’t know how I would divide my money accordingly especially when I started paying the bills on my own. However, as time goes by, I’ve learned how to do it little by little. Still not the expert though, but at least, way better than before.
Recently, I have come across this “no-spend” challenge. And as someone who really likes to save money, this challenge really caught my attention. I did a bit of research as to how to do this challenge since that was the first time that I heard it.
What is a “no-spend” challenge?
This “no-spend” challenge is basically not spending on things that you don’t really need. It is because sometimes, we often spend on things that we only want to the point that we are already taking for granted the things that we really need.
Especially if you are one of those people who really enjoys shopping. It can be really tempting when we see something that we really want to buy. This is more crucial now that online shopping has also risen in popularity. More often than not, we would just scroll through our mobile phones and just buy whatever we want, especially when we’re bored. This is mostly referred to as “impulsive buying.”
However, with this challenge, we will be able to take control of our spending habits. It is because we will become more aware of the money that we are spending, and we will become more motivated to finished the challenge successfully. There are several number of days that you can try, but I opted for 90-days. It was hard not to spend money on the things that I want for almost three months, but believe me, the result is really worth it.
Benefits of the no-spend challenge
Not spending a lot of money is obviously very beneficial for us. This is because of so many reasons like:
- It can help you save more money
- It can break your bad spending habits
- It can teach you discipline
- You will become wiser in budgeting
- You will know how to prioritize things
How to do the challenge?
Start it off by separating your wants from your needs. The essentials — food, medicine, savings, and bills like eclectic, internet, and water bills are the most important factors in your budgeting routine. Make sure that these are still taken into consideration.
Make a set of rules for yourself
Before starting the challenge, create a list of rules that you can follow. By doing this, the challenge will feel more real and will become easier.
An example is that you will only buy groceries and eat home-cooked meals, and never buy any takeouts on any fast-food chains or restaurant.
Create a plan
Draw up your plan. I personally like to have a planner all the time so that I can be organized with my schedule. The same goes with doing a challenge like this, I like to plan ahead of time. Marking the day that I will start the challenge and the day that it will end.
Included here is your goal, I know that you will do this challenge to save money, but you have to know right before you start the challenge where the money that you will be saving will go. Is it for educational funds? Or is it for paying debts? Write it down on your planner.
Be motivated
You can have a reward for yourself at the end of the challenge. A reward does not necessarily mean that you will spend lots of money to make yourself feel happy, because if that’s what you’re going to do, then the challenge will not make any sense.
There are different ways to reward yourself without spending so much. You can make yourself a great cup of coffee, or cook yourself a meal. Anything that you can use as your motivation to continue the challenge. Be resourceful and be creative.
However, the biggest reward that you can get after this challenge is the money that you will save after months of doing the no-spend challenge. In the end, you will feel the fulfillment, and you will become really proud of yourself.
