no-spend november Archives

George and I are taking our first overseas trip in December and we all know what December means… present-buying season. In years past I’ve done a handmade holiday challenge and a $100 holiday challenge. This year, before the holidays begin, I’m going to challenge myself to spend no money in the month of November. I’m calling it “No-Spend November.” Clever, eh? Of course, I can’t literally spend no money at all. I have bills to pay and food to eat, but I will be spending no money on non-essentials in November. We paid for our plane tickets and our hotel on our credit card, so the money that I save in November will go to paying that off. I also plan to buy Christmas presents when I am overseas, so I don’t have to plan holiday gifts far in advance this year. It’s win-win all around. Anyway… here’s the rules.

No Spend November Rules

The rules may vary from person-to-person depending on your life situation, but rule #1 is the same for everyone:

Only spend money on essentials! This is by far the most important rule. Throughout the month I’ll be asking myself: is this essential?
- Essentials include doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, gas for car, bills. Not much else!
Shop for groceries before the month begins.
- For items that expire quickly (milk, fresh produce, etc.) I am using CSA share that comes once a week and costs $25 per week.
Leave credit and debit cards at home. This will help me avoid temptation.
On November 1st I’ll pull $100 out of an ATM for gas money and gas money only.
Bring lunch to work every day.
No online shopping!
- Delete saved passwords and credit card info to make online shopping harder.