We are working hard to save for a home, but after getting rid of SO MUCH when we left California, I have found myself over-spending to fill our home back up. I knew myself enough to suspect this would happen when we started renting a larger house than we are used to, but I didn’t resist the temptations well. Being married to a Marine and raising a quickly growing family for 15 years, money was often tight, and we always made do.
Now that he has retired and has a great job, I am learning that lifestyle creep is a real thing. I spend with less up-front guilt, but the savings being much lower than we would hope leads to about quadruple the guilt a random splurge would have caused 5 years ago. I will have to work hard to undo these new habits and build our savings faster by avoiding those little expenses that add up faster than we ever expect.
Why Lent?
I wanted to tie this challenge to Lent because it makes sense liturgically. In our faith, this is a season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, not one of further self-indulgence.
How Do You Start a No-Spend Lent?
- WHY? First, you need to figure out WHY this is what you want to do. If you don’t have a clear goal in mind, it can be tough to stay motivated when you *really* want to buy just that one coffee, or the cute basket at Walmart. My “why” is our desire to buy a home with a little land for our family. My dream life is on a homestead, and we are getting closer to making it happen if I don’t let my poor habits get in the way.
- WHERE ARE YOUR OBSTACLES? Each person is different, and your typical temptation points will be different from mine, but this is a great time to sit down and look at your spending habits. I started by sitting down with my husband and doing a look back over our last 3 months of banking transactions. I could easily pinpoint places where I could stand to trim a little (or a lot).
- MAKE A PLAN. After going through our budget, I wrote down a clear game plan. I know that we have some normal expenses in order to survive, a few pre-planned traditions, and I won’t make our kids skip their extracurriculars because Mommy can’t get her act together.
My plan looks something like this:
NO SPENDING AT ALL ON:
Coffee
Snacks
Gas Station Extras
Shopping at all without a detailed list
Things that aren’t on the grocery list
Non-necessary clothing (Seasonal and weight changes are currently a part of my life, and I am willing to accept that)
Non-school books (I have a slight Catholic books and ThriftBooks addiction)
Eating meals out
Target (I know this probably seems silly, but I really do struggle to get “just the thing I need” here, and Target is 5 minutes from our home).
Going to the grocery store next door for just one thing- find a substitute
SPENDING IS APPROVED ON
Easter Clothing (with a specific budget per kid)
Easter Basket fillers (with a specific budget per kid)
Necessary clothes- for as low cost for quality as possible. Maybe make clothing using fabric I already have.
Gas
Groceries (will not cut quality, but will be strict with the meal plan and list)
Required bills- we need to keep a roof over our heads with utilities.
Now What?
Over the next 40 days, I want to check in weekly to share obstacles I have encountered and how I overcame them. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments, I love to hear from you!
It can help to have an accountability partner. This can be either your spouse, other family member, or a friend who you trust to keep you honest and check in without judgment or criticism. My husband will be helping and encouraging me with this.
If you are an emotional spender, as I recently discovered I tend to be, this can be difficult. Go easy on yourself and consider a way to get to the root of this challenge. Maybe find someone to confide in, or even consider therapy if you are just too overwhelmed by this struggle.
Instead of spending right away on something I “just realized I need,” I plan to have a 48-hour waiting period. If after 48 hours, this is still going to fulfill the need, I feel pretty confident in the choice. Then, I will try to find it for the best price possible without skimping too much on quality.
I have already canceled most subscription services, but this is another place I have noticed we spend more money than ever. We were spending more in subscriptions than we used to pay for cable, which was crazy to me!
I have deleted apps that I typically use for quick purchases. No more Amazon, Target, restaurant, or Etsy apps on my phone. Having to go the website on my phone is inconvenient, and pulling out my laptop attracts the toddler who wants to sit in my lap and “help,” so this small step will help me a lot.
Unpopular opinion: Social media drives spending. The more time I spent on social media, the more I saw content creators pushing products to me. Suddenly I “needed” things I never previously saw a use for. If you can, ditch social media. You might be surprised by the relief you feel after the first week.
Keeping track of your progress will help you to keep motivation. When you see how many days have passed, you might feel that you can just keep going a little longer. Check out the link below to download a FREE No-Spend Lent Challenge Tracker.
What About Cheat Days?
Cheat days are an option in many challenges and many Catholics allow a reprieve from their Lenten disciplines on Sundays. I see this one differently because we really are trying to improve habits, which takes longer than 6 days. If you do well for 6 days, then go on a spending spree on the 7th, you haven’t helped yourself much in the long run.
What’s the Plan After the Challenge?
My hope for this challenge is to save enough money to afford a home, and to increase gratitude for what we have. I hope I can bring my creativity to a new level by avoiding that “buy now” button, or the oh-so-convenient same-day delivery. Ideally, the habits created during these 40 days will stick with me and I will be more conscious of the lifestyle creep that previously hurt our ability to save.
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