No Spend Money Saving Challenge

Whoop, whoop. We love challenges - money challenges, walking challenges, workout challenges! We've shared a ton of challenges but this is our first no spend challenge and we are so excited to introduce you to this concept!

If you find yourself struggling to pay your bills or if you only have a tiny bit left over after paying your bills, you might want to take a look at your spending habits. Most people can identify the large purchases that destroy savings accounts but the small purchases that many people do not think about have the ability to do the same thing.

Believe it or not, there are things you can do in your free time that don't cost money. ;-) People always ask us how we afford to go on trips so often. We choose to place emphasis on experiences rather than things and we don't let small purchases take over.

For this challenge you choose the length. You can do the no spend challenge for one weekend, one week, one month, or even an entire year (yes, I've seen it done!).

There are some exceptions to the no spend challenge. You can buy/spend money on items that you need such as groceries, gas, and bills. This challenge is meant to completely cut out spending on things like clothes, shoes, eating out, buying coffee/tea, etc. 

After you complete a fitness challenge you shouldn't go out and eat everything in sight and not workout again. After this challenge you shouldn't go out and buy every single thing you wanted to buy. Write down what you did want to spend money on and be as specific as possible. Think about why you really wanted that item. After your spending challenge is over, I bet most of the items you wanted you are no longer interested in.

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Looking for a printable version of this challenge? We've got you covered! Join our newsletter and you will be taken to a black and white printable version right away! Grab the printable challenge here.

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No Spend Money Saving Challenge Ideas (to do instead of spend money!)

1. Volunteer: animal shelter, boys & girls club, local trash clean-up
2. Read a book: Here is a link to our favorite books
3. Go to the park
4. Watch a movie
5. Visit your local library: You can pick out a book to read or a movie to watch at your local library!
6. Play a board game or card game: Get your spouse or friends together to play games. You could even color or put together a puzzle!
7. Get creative: What did you like to do as a kid? Did you like to color, draw, paint, or write? You should start doing it again!
8. Get active: This is the perfect time for you to start a new hobby of working out! We have a TON of free workouts on the website and even offer complete workout plans. The main point is to just get up and move though!
9. Declutter/organize: Need help with this one? Use our list of 10 Things to Get Rid of for a Clutter-Free Home and our 30-Day Minimalism Challenge to get started!
10. Sell: Why not use this time to make some extra cash? Sell your unwanted or unused items! There are plenty of websites and apps that make this possible! You could use eBay or even a free resource like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.

$300 12-Week Christmas Money Saving Challenge

I know, I know...a lot of challenges all at once but that's just the mood I've been in. ;-) Our 30-Day Full Body Fitness Challenge starts on the first (or you can start now, if you want!). We haven't had a finance challenge in awhile so why not now?!

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I promise I am going to post more soon about our lifestyle, how we live below our means, and share more about how we save (you can read about some of it here and here). There's just a lot of different angles for me to go into and I get overwhelmed so that's why I haven't published it yet. ;-) BUT I did want to go ahead and publish this 12-Week Saving Challenge so that you have time to get started before the holidays. Read on though, there's more.

My family wasn't that crazy about birthdays, and by crazy, I mean we weren't over the top. Growing up, Christmas was always our big holiday. Just a side note, my family has been selling Christmas trees for over 30 years at our family farm. Christmas was when our entire family got together and it was truly a special day and time. We did also get a lot of presents for Christmas but nothing extreme, especially compared to some stuff I've seen lately. When Scott and I got married we did continue on with the what some would consider "over the top" Christmas. We didn't really spend a lot of money but still felt the need to exchange gifts even if it was something that we already knew about (which it always was).

Fast forward, now Scott and I don't give each other gifts. Instead we save our money for trips and other experiences. People always ask how we travel so much and it's because we don't give anniversary, birthday, Christmas gifts, or gifts for any other holiday or made up holiday in between. I'm not saying that this is the answer for everyone but it allows us to spend money on what truly matters to us, instead of spending money on things.

RELATED: Read about our travels.

Not only do we save the money we don't spend on traditional gifts to travel but we also try to donate our time and money to charities throughout the year and during the holidays. The way that we look at it is there are so many people in this world who have so much less than we do. Instead of buying each other something that's just going to sit around we would rather help other people. That's why I wanted to create this challenge. You can use this challenge to save money to buy gifts for your friends and/or family or you could use the challenge to save money to use for "random acts of kindness" throughout the holiday season - and even continue it into the new year! No judgement here - it's your challenge and you use the saved money as you see fit.

If you follow this money saving challenge you will end up saving $300 in 12 weeks. This amount of money can easily be saved each week if you cut back on your dining out, drinks out, and unnecessary and small purchases that you probably overlook right now. Things like buying coffee, soft drinks, appetizers, and desserts add up quickly! Skip those!

If you do plan on using this money for "random acts of kindness" some ideas are paying for a strangers gas, food, or even put together bags for the homeless or a local hospital! The possibilities are endless! You don't have to spend money to be kind to others though, you can volunteer with local organizations or visit nursing homes or hospitals. Hopefully what you receive in return will encourage you to continue this after the holidays.

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Interested in more money saving challenges? Try one of these:

Save $1,000 in 3 Months

3 Month Money Saving Challenge

Beginner 6 Month Money Saving Challenge

52-Week Money Saving Challenge

12 Month Money Challenge

$300 12-Week Christmas Money Saving Challenge

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Looking for a printable version of this challenge? We've got you covered! Join our newsletter and you will be taken to a black and white printable version right away! Grab the printable challenge here.

5 Money Quotes to Motivate You!

If you are new here you may not know that we are just as passionate about finance as we are about fitness (maybe even more!). Definitely check out some of our money/budgeting challenges and also our shopping tips! You can read more of our "finance story" here.

We're not perfect, but we strive to be as disciplined and responsible as possible by living within our means; it's simple - we focus on the things we need in our pursuit of happiness, not the things we want in the relentless chase for status.  

Just like with fitness, everyone will have their own journey but use these quotes to motivate you to live your own life and take control of your financial future.