So I think we’ve all heard of people who do a no spend month, where you only spend money on actual essentials. That being said, I didn’t do an official no spend month hence why the title is in quotations lol but I did really cut out of a lot of non-essential spending for 3 months straight. Yes, we still went out to dinner and things like that but I personally did a “no spend” in that I didn’t do any (clothes) shopping or target runs to put things into perspective (and that is saying a lot for me)!

I kind of fell into doing this accidentally. Basically with Parry launching and those expenses coming up, I just wanted to be more conservative with my spending. I will say that I never have felt like I’ve been irresponsible with my money, and in 2021 we did get a lot more organized with our finances but I would still find my way to Abercrombie’s website pretty frequently hehe. So anyway, as November approached and Parry was going to be launching the following month, I decided to really be more strict with myself.

At first I thought I would just do it for a month or so but then the trend just kind of continued. Even now as I’m writing this post, really the only thing I’ve bought recently is a bridesmaid dress (which could be argued as an essential item anyway). And I will say (just to be transparent!) on Black Friday I did buy 3 items but it was from a brand that never has sales (like, literally never) and so I had to take advantage. However, I think limiting myself to 3 items is still pretty good lol.

All that to say, I feel like it was good for me to do this the last few months. Yes, I initially did it because of everything coming up with Parry but the longer I did it, I realized that I really didn’t need 90% of the items I was ordering. It really made me realize how much I was just kind of spending here and there, and just because something is in the budget and I’m able to buy it, doesn’t mean that I need to. Everything you do buy really does add up ($20 here, $10 there, $50 there, etc) and even if you can spend a certain amount, doesn’t mean you need too. It made me a lot more mindful of what I was spending my money on and whether it’s a smart purchase.

So I clearly didn’t go super hard core with this and cut out all non-essentials but if you’re like, okay how did you resist the urge to go on target runs and online shopping for 3 months?! Honestly, I changed my daily habits. I rarely went to Target, I didn’t even browse online stores, and I stopped closely following people on IG that are super heavy into fashion or who constantly link a ton of items. Surrounding yourself with any of those three just makes you feel like you “need” whatever it is that you’re seeing. And maybe you’re like well I know, I don’t need it, but I want it! Lol, that’s fair. I mean, I feel the exact same way whenever I’m constantly on Abercrombie’s website, or looking at cute outfits that someone has posted and linked on IG. So basically I just cut all of that out. When you aren’t seeing it constantly, you kind of forget that it’s there. We’ve all heard the phrase that “you are who you surround yourself with” or something to that extent. It’s the same thing here. When everyday you’re exposing yourself to certain websites, habits, people etc. (even if it’s all online), their behavior and influence rubs off on you! Not saying that you should never follow a fashion blogger or go online shopping (obviously lol), but it’s just about being more mindful about how you’re spending your time especially if you have a goal in mind. So when I decided to really limit my spending in this sense, the target trips, browsing online stores, and fashion bloggers really got eliminated haha.

Now that the three months is up, it’s definitely something in general I’m going to continue practicing. I have recently realized though that since I don’t want to wear jeans when I WFH that I rotate between 1 pair of joggers, 2 pairs of leggings, and 2 pairs of sweatpants. Sooo I’m thinking I need to update my wardrobe a little bit with a few more comfy but cute WFH items. Last week when I was wearing sweatpants for several days and Stephen and I were working on something for Parry together and he was like “Okay, after this you need to go get dressed.” And I was like “But I am dressed…” Haha. And nothing wrong with wearing sweats during the week but I do feel a more productive when I’m feeling a little more “dressed for the day.” That said, it wouldn’t hurt to add a couple more WFH items that I can get a lot of use out of and not look like I just rolled out of bed lol.

Have any of you done a “no spend” month or something similar? Would love to hear! xx