
5 Steps for a Successful No Spend Challenge
Many years ago I embarked on my very first no spend challenge. This is when I spent zero dollars for a whole 30 days. That’s right…zero spending for an entire month! (except for bills and a few groceries.)
When I embarked on my first no spend challenge, I just jumped right in without a plan. I will tell you that I was successful in completing the challenge, however, it could have been so much smoother if I had a plan in place!
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” quoted by Benjamin Franklin, is excellent advice to put in place when you are embarking on a challenge of not spending a dime for 30 days.
The thought of no spending for a month is downright daunting… but then to face the challenge without any plan in place?! We all know that we can pretty much expect defeat.
That is not what we want.
So, today, I’m going to outline several ways to plan for a successful no spend challenge.
But first…
Why do a No Spend Challenge?
Not spending any extra money for 30 days can sound crazy, I know. However, a No Spend Challenge is a great way to reset our spending habits.
The end goal for me personally, is not to deprive myself, but to reframe how I spend money.
Completing a No Spend Challenge helps me to make more intentional purchases that align more with my true financial goals.
Speaking of goals, a no spend challenge is also a great way to kickstart your financial goals.
Once you reset or reframe your spending habits to serve you, you will be well on your way to completing those goals you never thought possible!
Let’s plan shall we?

If you’re really looking for an in-depth system for a successful no spend challenge, I recommend my No Spend Challenge Planner! It’s 45 pages of instructions, no spend activity ideas, pantry meal ideas, before and after challenge questions, food inventory sheets, gratitude sheets and so much more! Take a look here!
Step 1: Determine the length
The first step is to determine the length that your no spend challenge will last. If this is your first no spend challenge, I suggest starting small. Maybe a weekend, a work week or 7 days. Starting small will pretty much ensure a successful no spend challenge.
As you start to see the fruits of your no spend challenge, you can increase the frequency of your weekend/work week/7 day challenges. Or you can jump into a 30 day challenge to see the greatest increase in your savings account.

Step 2: Look ahead to what’s coming
Grab your calendar and take note of any events, birthdays or vacations you have coming up. You can either pick a period of time that avoids those events, or work around them.
I personally like to work around any events, birthdays, anniversaries, or family vacations we already have planned. This is so we don’t become paralyzed waiting for a perfect month. After all, any month or day is a great day to save money!
I should note that it’s possible to use creativity with planned events. In the past, I have gone on a quick vacation to Vancouver during a no spend month (already planned) and used only gift cards that I had accumulated!
Step 3: Take Inventory
This is a crucial step to having a successful no spend challenge.
Before I embark on a no spend challenge, I take inventory of my fridge, pantry, freezer and anywhere I keep household supplies.
I mark down everything I find. I’m often surprised at what I do find. Lol. Sometimes I have no idea that there are two pork tenderloins frozen in the freezer, for example.
During a typical month, food can be a huge area of the budget. By taking inventory for a no spend challenge, you will greatly reduce the amount of money you need to spend on food because you can use what you already have on hand.
This is a great time to quickly jot down some meals that you can make with the ingredients that you find.
Step 4: Use creativity
One of the hardest parts of a no spend challenge can be figuring out how to use what you have or learning to go without. This is where a bit of creativity can really pay off!
Here are some ideas to get your creativity flowing:
- Trade your abundance with friends (have a lot of zucchini but need toiletries?).
- Take to Pinterest to be inspired with meal ideas or simple DIY projects to create things with stuff you already have.
- Save money by buying just one of something instead of 10.
- Shop only where you have gift cards.
- Order any groceries you need online so you aren’t tempted to impulse buy.
- Borrow a book, audiobook or video from your library.
- Take advantage of free community events .
- Carpool to work.
- Declutter and sell items to make some cash.
- Go on a walk with a friends instead of going for coffee.
- Earn Swagbucks to earn free gift cards so you can treat yourself to little things like coffee.
- Host a potluck at your house instead of dinner out.
Here are some other money saving tips to help get your creative juices flowing!
- 30 Things to Stop Buying and Start Making
- Creative uses for old magazines
- 52 things to learn for free
- Creative Ways to Use Ordinary Objects for Organizing
Step 5: Reassess your wants and needs
A no spend challenge can be a real eye opener on how you really spend your money on a normal basis.
During a challenge, this is a great time to assess where you really value spending money. On the other hand, you can also assess what you are wasting money on without even realizing it.
Instead of spending money all the time as a solution, a no spend challenge will help you to work with what you already have. So needs may become wants as you work through creative solutions.
I have no doubt that a successful no spend challenge will teach you lessons that will last a lifetime.
How to do life after your challenge
Immediately after a no spend challenge is an important period.
You don’t want to fall back into any bad spending habits or go on a shopping spree to make up for days without spending anything.
This is a good time to look at how much money you saved during your no spend period as well.
What do you plan to do with your savings? Are you going to transfer it to your savings account or use the extra money to pay some bills or debt?
After you decide what you’re going to do, take action immediately. Put the money to use right away, or you might be tempted to use it for the wrong thing.
One last thing. Remind yourself constantly of what you really want your money to do for you. Do you want to pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible? Do you want to spend a month traveling Europe? What ever your true financial goals are, write them down and keep them in a visible spot so you’re constantly reminded. Don’t shortchange yourself. You are worth it.