The No-Spend Month: Week 2

It feels surprisingly good not spending money.

Week two of my no-spend month is in the books, and I’d call it a success. I’m going to start by breaking down each day of the last week, which included a lot less spending than a typical week would (progress, friends, progress.)

February 7th

I did make a purchase on Monday, but it was my grocery order for the week, so it counts under the category of necessities. One tip I’ve heard from others online who have done a no-spend month is that grocery ordering is your friend, and I have to say I agree. It’s a lot less tempting to purchase unnecessary groceries or venture into the non-grocery aisles at your closest store when you’re not even stepping foot inside. I purchased everything I needed for the week online for delivery, and that was that.

February 8th

The first of many days this week where I didn’t spend a since cent.

February 9th

Another no-spend day in week two of my no-spend month. I was on a roll!

February 10th

And here’s where the rolling stopped. I will say that my purchase this day was justified, but that doesn’t mean it was necessarily the right call. I ended up coming down with a migraine Thursday night, so I ordered Doordash for dinner. Was it the best decision? Not necessarily, since I am trying to kick extra expenses to the curb. But was it a worthwhile decision? Yes — it got healthy food into my body when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball on the couch.

February 11th

I still had that fun migraine hangover all day, but I didn’t let that cloud my judgment on Friday. Even when I ended up snowed in for the evening, I opted to make pizza rather than order it out. So Friday was another no-spend day.

February 12th

Once again I didn’t spend any money on Saturday! I even met up with a friend but, instead of getting coffee or lunch, we chose to go for a walk in the snow.

February 13th

Pre-Valentine’s day got the best of me and I ordered some chocolates. When you don’t have a Valentine to get them for you, sometimes you’ve got to buy the candy yourself. I would like to say that those chocolate cremes were a necessity, but they definitely were not. Still, though, no huge purchases on Sunday, so my week ended on a fairly mediocre note.

Something I’ve noticed these past couple of weeks is how good it’s felt to be spending less and keeping better track of my expenses. I am the last person to tell you that you need to save all of your money for retirement and halt all fun purchases (because who wants to live like that?) but I also know how easy it is to go too far. When treating myself becomes the norm, rather than an actual treat, I know that my mindset has become a little skewed. That’s what’s been so nice about my no spend month so far — the mindset shift.

I haven’t been making impulsive purchases and feeling bad about wasting my money later on. I’ve been making conscious decisions when it comes to how I’m spending my money (like realizing that coffee from Dutch Bros doesn’t actually taste that much better than what I can make here at home), and it’s left me feeling much more at peace with myself and my bank account.

Regardless of whether or not I stick to these no-spend ways after February comes to a close, I know I won’t forget that feeling, and it’s one I hope sticks around for good.

So there it is — week two of no-spend February. A marked improvement from the first week, and a great way to make it through the mid-February blues.

Previously published on Medium