No-Spend Month Challenge {Free Printable Calendar}

How to have a no spend month plus how to get ahold of FREE no spend challenge trackers!

Do you feel like your spending has been out of control lately, or do you want to come up with extra money to pay off debt? Consider doing a no-spend challenge. Having a no-spend month can help you reach a financial goal quickly as well as develop healthy money habits.

What Is a No-Spend Month?

You might be thinking, what exactly is a “no spend month”? Don’t worry – it’s not a month in which you spend absolutely no money because that is impossible for people who have bills and mouths to feed!

A no-spend month is a savings challenge in which you cut out unnecessary spending for an entire month. That means you can still pay for bills, groceries, and anything essential, but you give up the things that you can live without.

A no-spend challenge requires sacrifice, but it can help you get back on track with your budget, practice discipline, and save extra money.

Maybe you’re on a debt free journey, but you’re living paycheck to paycheck. An occasional no-spend month can help you reach financial goals on a tight budget. Or maybe you make good money, but you want to reset and reassess your spending habits. An occasional no spend challenge can benefit everyone.

How to Have a No-Spend Month

There are different ways to do the challenge, but here are the general guidelines on how to have a no-spend month:

1. Look at your budget before the month begins. Write down your income and essential expenses for an entire month. The amount of income left over will be your savings goal for the month.
2. Explain the challenge to your friends and family. It may help if they know about your decision to participate in a no-spend month.
3. Establish your own rules (see No-Spend Month Rules below).
4. Prepare and brainstorm way to avoid things that may cause you to stumble (See No Spend Challenge Tips below).
5. Keep track of your progress. During the month, log each day of the challenge as a “spend” day or a “no-spend day” (Print my free no spend calendar found down below). If something comes up and you make an unnecessary purchase, log it as a “spend” day.
6. Take any opportunities to increase your income during the month.
7. Finally, celebrate at the end of the month! Just don’t blow all the money you saved…

No Spend Month Challenge Rules

Every budget and financial situation is different, so you will have to set up some ground rules for yourself before beginning the challenge. Write the no spend month challenge rules out, so you know exactly what the expectations are. Here are some ideas:

1. No eating out.
2. No hair or nail salon visits.
3. No car washes.
4. No online shopping.
5. No thrift shopping.
6. Make coffee from home.
7. Only free activities.
8. Do side gigs in the evenings and on the weekends.
9. Have a garage sale or list things on Facebook Marketplace.
10. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions.
11. Shop the pantry/freezer.
12. Stick to the grocery list if you need groceries.

No Spend Month Alternatives

While having a no-spend month is a popular challenge, some people find a shorter or a longer challenge more helpful. Other typical options include a no-spend weekend or a no-spend year.

You can really come up with any time frame that works best for you as long as it challenges you without setting yourself up for failure. You don’t want it to be too easy or too hard. It might be best to start with a shorter challenge and work your way up to a longer one.

Another alternative is to cut out just one or two budget categories instead of all unnecessary categories for a month. For example, sometimes my husband and I decide to cut out eating out for a period of time, but we keep paying for all of our subscriptions and other lifestyle expenses.

Many people like to commit to these types of challenges right before or after Christmas because of the excessive spending that usually occurs around the holiday season (No Spend November or No Spend January). You can start one whenever you want, whether you need to save money for a large expense or you just want to exercise self control and develop better money habits. It’s a really customizable challenge.

No Spend Challenge Tips

Here are my best tips to set yourself up for success on your no-spend challenge:

Brainstorm ways to avoid pitfalls.

If you usually run out of time in the mornings to pack a lunch, prepare it the night before.

Meal plan each Sunday, so you know what you’re making for dinner every night.

Start making dinner earlier in the day, so you don’t decide to eat out when you’re tired and stressed at the end of the day.

If you don’t know how to make a good coffee from home, look up yummy coffee recipes on YouTube.

Delete apps on your phone that create temptation, such as Amazon.

Identify other things that may cause you to mess up, and brainstorm ways to avoid them.

Make the challenge fun.

Change your mindset and attitude to think positively about it. Make it seem like a game and think of a reward to give yourself at the end (preferably something that doesn’t cost too much).

Get your spouse or a friend on board with the challenge, so you can do free activities together and hold each other accountable.

Unsubscribe from promotional emails.

This is a good time to go through your inbox and hit unsubscribe on the companies that you allow to keep spamming you with deals in case you happen to want to buy from them in the future. Having an empty inbox can help you avoid impulse spending!

Make do with what you have.

Challenging yourself to avoid spending on unnecessary items will force you to be more content with what you have or become more creative if you don’t have what you need.

Add to cart.

When you feel tempted to buy something, add it to your cart or make a list in your Notes app on your phone. Hold off on making the purchase right away. This gives you more time to think about the purchase, and it may even make you decide to not buy that item.

I used to add things to my Amazon cart all the time, but sometimes, I even delete shopping apps off my phone. This helps me to avoid scrolling for things I don’t need to buy.

Free No Spend Challenge Printable Trackers

Get a free 31-day no spend calendar and a coffee cup tracker sent to your inbox, so you can keep track of your progress during the no-spend month. Color or check off each day you successfully followed your no-spend rules.

If you are doing only 30 days, just cross out the last box/coffee cup!

Want to share your progress on Instagram stories? Screenshot the no-spend template below and use emojis to track your spend/no spend days.

No Spend Month FAQS

Can I use gift cards, rewards, etc.?

Yes! If you have a gift card or some way to purchase something without spending extra money, go for it! Just make sure you do not spend extra money on top it. I am big on using reward apps, so I like to save my rewards, such as to get a free coffee at Dunkin or use Casey’s Cash at the gas station, for no-spend months. 

What if I have a low income?

My family currently lives on a tight, single income. When I first heard about this concept, I thought it sounded cool, but unrealistic. Our “fun” money each month equaled about $200 or less, so I didn’t want to sacrifice the small pleasures we have to barely scratch the surface of our debt. 

However, if you are living paycheck to paycheck, there are still several ways to reduce your expenses.

For example, if there are any birthdays during this month, try giving homemade gifts instead of buying a gift. Look up different craft ideas or recipes, write a meaningful letter, or offer to do something for them that they have been really wanting done.

Another way to make a no-spend month effective is to use up all your free time to increase your income. Instead of going to a restaurant or movie on the weekend, you could babysit, do someone’s yard work, pick up a Door Dash shift, or sell your unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace.

What if I mess up?

I’m going to burst your bubble right now and say that you probably will mess up at some point. You probably won’t go a whole month without spending any unnecessary money or running into an unexpected expense. 

If you make it to day five and find yourself in the Starbucks drive thru, don’t quit the challenge. Think of a no-spend challenge like a diet; if you have 28 healthy-eating days out of 30, you can count yourself still successful. The important thing is to keep going even if you get off track for a moment. 

That’s why I recommend tracking the spending days. You can see how well you stuck to the challenge without expecting yourself to be perfect.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to have a no-spend month, set a start date soon and get control of your finances! You can start on the first of the month or start tomorrow and cut out unnecessary spending for the next 30 days. It’s SO easy to keep putting it off, but if you really want to do it, make it happen! Not only will you reach savings goals, but you will also strengthen self-control and improve your spending habits!

Have you ever done a no-spend challenge? Let me know in the comments below!

Pin for Later