I found $217 in my couch cushions last month. Not because I was lucky. Because I’d been sitting on my money problems for too long. That’s the moment I realized my family needed a no spend year. But not the internet version. The realistic version.
See, the internet tells you to cut coffee. Stop going out. Basically live like a hermit. That’s not happening. I have two kids. A dog. A job. I can’t live like a monk.
So I made my own rules. We pay bills. We buy groceries. We spend on essentials. Everything else? That’s where the challenge lives.
Let me show you what actually happened.
January: The Setup Month
I didn’t do a no spend January. That would be crazy. Instead, I spent January setting up systems. I created a budget. I tracked every dollar. I wrote about finding budget leaks. That’s what January was for.
I found $217 in leaks. $40 in forgotten subscriptions. $30 in bank fees I didn’t know I was paying. $80 in convenience store runs for snacks. $67 in Amazon purchases I didn’t remember.
That alone was $217. Saved. Before the challenge even started.
February: The No Buy Month
February is the easiest month for a no spend challenge. You’re still recovering from Christmas. You’re tired of spending. So I went all in.
No clothes. No toys. No eating out. No Amazon. Nothing.
We spent exactly $1,200. That’s it. Our normal February is $2,400. We saved $1,200. In one month.
How? I meal planned like a boss. I used my no spend grocery method. I batch cooked. I used what we had.
I also got creative. My kid’s birthday was in February. I made his cake from scratch. I bought his present at the dollar store. It was a science kit. He loved it. It cost $5. The year before? I spent $80 on a Lego set he played with twice.
That’s the mindset shift. It’s not about deprivation. It’s about being intentional.
March: The Grocery Reset
March is when things get tricky. You’re tired of the challenge. You want to quit. That’s when I implemented the 5 meals a week method.
I meal plan for five dinners. That’s it. The other two nights? We eat leftovers, or sandwiches, or we have a “no cook” night. It saves me $60 a week. That’s $240 a month.
I also started shopping at Aldi. I know, I know. Everyone says this. But it’s true. I save $40 a week just by switching stores. Same brands. Cheaper prices.
April: The Subscription Audit
I went through every subscription. I wrote about the subscription audit script that I use. I canceled five things. I kept three.
Gone: FabFitFun, HelloFresh, Birchbox, a fitness app I never used, and a kids’ book club.
Kept: Netflix, Amazon Prime (for shipping), and my Audible subscription.
That’s $127 a month. $1,524 a year. Saved.
May: The No Spend Weekend
Every weekend in May, we did one no spend activity. I wrote about no spend weekend plans. We went to the library. We had picnics. We played board games.
We also started a family movie night. We already had Netflix. We already had popcorn. We just made it a thing. The kids loved it. It cost $0.
June: The Bill Calendar
I created a bill calendar. I wrote about the bills calendar system that stopped our late fees. We were paying $25 a month in late fees. Just because I forgot. Now I have a calendar. I get reminders. No more late fees.
That’s $300 a year. Saved.
July: The Amazon Fast
I stopped Amazon cold turkey. I know, I know. How do you live without Amazon? But here’s the thing: I was buying stuff I didn’t need. Um, like, a lot.
I wrote about the Amazon spending spiral that was costing me $200 a month. I used the 48-hour rule. If I wanted something, I waited 48 hours. Then I decided if I really needed it.
Most of the time? I didn’t.
I saved $200 a month. That’s $2,400 a year.
August: The Energy Bill Reset
I focused on our energy bill. I wrote about easy energy cuts that work. I unplugged stuff. I changed our HVAC filter. I turned down the thermostat.
Our bill dropped $30 a month. That’s $360 a year.
September: The Clothing Ban
No new clothes for anyone. Not even socks. We used what we had. We thrifted for things we actually needed. I found my son two pairs of jeans for $8. They look brand new.
I also sold clothes we didn’t wear. Made $120. That’s not savings, but it’s money in my pocket.
October: The Holiday Prep
This is when I started prepping for Christmas. I bought gifts in the clearance section. I made a list. I stuck to it.
I saved $400 on Christmas by shopping early. That’s $400 that stayed in my account.
November: The Gratitude Month
I know, sounds cheesy. But I started a gratitude journal. Every night, I wrote down three things we didn’t spend money on that we enjoyed. It shifted my mindset.
Instead of focusing on what I couldn’t buy, I focused on what we already had. That’s the real key to a no spend year. The mindset.
December: The Final Tally
So. How much did we save?
Let’s add it up.
January: $217
February: $1,200
March: $240
April: $1,524
May: $200 (estimated, from weekend activities)
June: $300
July: $2,400
August: $360
September: $0 (but I saved on clothes)
October: $400
November: $0 (mindset month)
December: $0 (Christmas was already paid for)
Total: $6,841
Wait. What? That’s more than $5,000. And that doesn’t include the money I made selling clothes. Or the money I saved on interest by paying off debt faster.
The thing is, it wasn’t hard. It wasn’t about sacrifice. It was about systems. It was about being intentional. It was about stopping the leaks.
And here’s my stance: you don’t need to do a “no spend year.” You need to do a “stop wasting money year.” That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
The internet wants you to think it’s about deprivation. It’s not. It’s about waking up and realizing you’re spending $200 a month on Amazon and you don’t even know what you’re buying.
So. Your action plan. Pick one month. Just one. Try a no spend weekend. Use the 48-hour rule for Amazon. Create a bill calendar.
Start small. That’s what I did. And it snowballed.
If you need more ideas, I wrote about the no buy month that saved $340. Same principles. Just a shorter timeframe.
I’m going to go check my Amazon cart. It’s been sitting there for three weeks. I don’t need any of it. I’m going to clear it.
That’s the no spend year. Not perfect. Not extreme. Just smart.
