We Bought NOTHING for 30 Days

Welcome to the final video in this no-spend challenge series - how did you do? Was it hard to stop spending money? How much money did you save? Today I am sharing our no-buy month results, how well we stuck to the no-buy rules, and any challenges we faced as we tried to stop spending money for one month. When it comes to saving money, money challenges like this are a great way to detox bad money habits and reset your financial goals. Don't forget to comment below to share YOUR money-saving experience or, if you are joining us later, check out the links to the full frugal living playlist for Frugal February and try it yourself now!

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👉 ABOUT A TO ZEN LIFE
Along my journey to let go of 30 years of clutter, I accidentally became a minimalist and it was life-changing.

Before, I was an emotional hoarder with nothing but the clutter from lost loved ones — and $25,000 of debt — to my name. Now I have a beautiful home in Europe, a happy family, live debt-free, and — best of all — wake up to a life that I’m EXCITED to live every day.

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[veghead]

I failed the no spend, but Covid came and found our household 🙄 I'm going to give myself some grace and try again next month!

[AussieOzzies]

This video came out at the perfect time. We are starting our no spend month today.

[kristinakalas]

I really enjoyed this video, but not for the reason you may think. Of course, there was great info on ways to spend less. But I really liked it because it showed us what life is like for your family over a month's time. There were clips from Chinese New Year at the start of the month & then you concluded with your son's injury to his muscle. There was a sweet clip of you & your husband on a walk. The family eating strawberries post workout, when your husband made me LOL with his quick muscle flex. All of it felt authentic & highly relatable. Thank you for continuing to give us a glimpse into your wonderful life. I look forward to checking out the new blog design!

[isabelgorting]

To be honest... I'm quite proud of myself :-) Instead of just doing a 'No Buy Month' (well except for groceries and necessities), I've even earned some money by selling a bunch of books and clothes. The fact that me and my husband were granted a 'Corona Bonus' this month (we're both teachers in different federal german states) comes in handy, too :-) It was a really mindshifting and kind of 'fun' month. I used to spend A LOT of money by buying stuff online - mostly, because it is so easy and convinient! By the end of the month, when the creditcard check came, I sometimes was in disbelief... 700 to 800 Euros for... yeah, for what?!? THIS month was different though! By asking myself EVERY SINGLE TIME "Do I really need this right now?" I've saved a whole lot of money and I think I will continue in March... and April... and May... :-) Dear Marissa, thank you very very much for your inspiration! Lots of love from northern Germany!

[carrietyler]

I didn’t know the USDA had a food budget that is so helpful. We have often wondered if we overspend or underspend compared to others

[MarielaMerino]

With the rise of inflation /gas prices here in the U.S I think I need to do more no spend challenges lol. The meals you shared look so delicious!

[beverlyness]

I enjoyed doing this challenge. I live alone. I only spent $150 on groceries and was happily surprised. I have quite a bit of food left to last through March as well. I plan to continue the challenge through March and maybe longer. The thing that really surprised me is I set a goal to go to Norway when I'm 70 years old (next year). When my family heard, they all contributed (for my birthday) and at this time I have $635 in a special bank account for this purpose. Also this month is traditionally my worst month for having enough money for the entire month. Usually I'm still covering costs from Christmas or something has happened that cost extra. This year because of my mindfulness for the last few months, I actually had over $800 left. In the past my budget never included groceries and extras. I'd know how much money I have and my fixed (or slightly flexible) expenses. Anything money above those expenses was up for grabs. If I had the money I'd buy and at times I would charge it. Then the next month I'd feel a little strapped. It sort of became a feast or famine situation. Because of my goal to go to Norway, and because I'm on a retirement income that's fixed, I have to watch every dollar if I want to succeed. I have plans to sell a few items to support this goal as well. I have a small community resale store that gives a commission on the items I bring them to sell. Starting in January all the money I make there will go to my Norway goal. These are all new ways of doing things for me. Today I'm pulling all the information together to see what I actually spent on groceries (which I did) and extras last month. I forgot twice and actually bought some things, however one of those times I had credits and gift cards to pay for the items fully. All of this mindfulness has really helped. Thanks for all your help.💖🇳🇴

[leoren]

I had actually planned to do this for February - but didn't focus so much on it other than to be "mindful" and I did pretty well until yesterday when I bought a book and also some new bedding because it was the last clearance sale and it was almost sold out. So overall it was about $130. I also cut back on groceries some by building my delivery list and then taking out some extra items to bring it down $20 or $40 from what was my usual before. I didn't miss the extra items at all really. I will maybe try doing it more diligently for March.

[AmySmith-hhyn]

Lol the Angela Merkel artwork is hilarious 😂 My daughters (both grown) have done their own version of the no spend month before but they allow for one meal out each week. I find that it helps so that they don’t feel too restricted but are still enjoying a treat here and there. I think that doing an entire month is beneficial because some people (like myself) can get over stimulated or get decision fatigue when shopping. Even simplifying a grocery list helps both the budget and the mind. When I organize someone’s space for them you can see the stress lifted off their shoulders, lifting financial burdens also help most people. We are a retired military family and we eliminated our bills and have lived debt free (aside from our mortgage and a recent car purchase when our newer vehicle unexpectedly broke down). There is such a wonderful feeling of peace of mind when everything is simplified. Glad to see another one of your great videos. 👍 👏 I enjoy getting the notification bell when you and Dawn from the Minimal Mom post new videos.

[christinegagne]

I tried for boss mode.
Gas prices shot up so that was a bummer but I only used the car to go to work and a few times around town.
Went for groceries once in store and a second time to pick up online purchases. I also made good use of leftovers from work and turned it into new recipes. Did not eat out.
Forgot I had a dental appointment, that was unfortunate but necessary.
Lastly I ruined my good leather belt but instead of buying a new one I used an old belt and replaced the buckle for 5$. Can't wait for more sun here in Canada. I had planned to sell stuff on marketplace but I was to tired to hassle with it, no incoming money there.
The nice surprise came in the form of a retro adjustment on our wages from 2021. I was able to pay both my credit cards off and absorb all monthly costs.
BOSS MODE UNLOCKED!

[heidiwhite]

My family and I did no spend February and did pretty good we saved around 2k. We cut all unnecessary spending and only slipped up once, spending an unplanned $110. It turned out to be a fun and rewarding challenge!!

[Hookstohugs]

I love your videos Marissa. I wondered how you got over the barrier of selling the items you had decluttered? I’ve done the clothing decluttering and have a dozen items I’d like to sell but for some reason I’m coming up with a block and the items are still in my room taunting me for not selling them. Would love to get your tips x

[kevinspeiss]

We do this all the time. Don't eat out anymore. Don't buy any clothes anymore just use what we have. We already cut groceries down.

[natashatheresa]

Those strawberries look amazing! Great job with your no buy challenge!!!

[MJ-czgx]

Saved $475! As well as other items, I was able to cut right back on food shopping as the freight line that supplies my state got washed away and we had no food coming in for weeks and people started panic buying. A month later the shelves are still pretty bare!

[poizonali]

Surprisingly, I did better than expected. Basically, I wanted to stop buying stuff I didn‘t really need and have no food deliveries from Lieferando & Co. But I was very inspired and actually managed to declutter, sell and donate some clothes, cook on a regular basis and find the joy in the things I already own.
I feel like this month has been more fun because I wasn‘t buying anything new and thus had the time to appreciate everything else.
But I have had two slip ups: one was a palm tree on sale for our living room and the other a PC game I now play with my friends. Both things were worth it in every aspect and I only spend around 25€ for both of them. In comparison, I saved 25x more, so I‘m really proud of myself 🤗 I will continue to be very intentional when shopping and wait for 30days to see if I really need the object or if it‘s just an impulse need

[afulny]

Multi-culture family is always fun. What a lovely family😊

[almutimkerbell]

Wow, you did great, Marisa! I am proud of you and your family! I did spend some money in February, but I've done better than other months, and I am planning to apply what I've learnt and improved into every month. Thanks for another great video♡

[annali]

I did it! I didn't spend any except on groceries. I also cancelled my amazon prime subscription because I only used it for shopping. I had an urge to buy a steam mop towards the end of the challenge, but my husband helped me conquer it. lololol.

[sarahthatcher]

Watching this a year later…looking for inspiration for this year.