Starting a "No Spend Year"

You're probably wondering why I would embark on something so extreme. How can you not spend any money for a year? You have bills to pay, right? Yes, of course I do. That isn't what this is about. THIS is about tackling my spending habits head on. But I kind of have to go back a few years to actually get to the root cause as to WHY I'm taking on this challenge. Plus, I need to lay down some ground rules!

It goes back to when I started earning my own money. So, aged 14 Amber, working at The Brunch Bowl - a greasy spoon that no longer exists but paid cash in hand for weekends of washing up and serving All Day Breakfasts to regular customers who would pass over a £10 note, because at that point that's all it cost for a couple of breakfasts and cups of tea! I have always loved spending money. I have continued through life living to my means. When I say living to my means, basically I have never been able to save a penny. If I have the money in my account, I can afford the thing. Therefore, I will buy the thing.

However, two years ago I went self-employed with the dream of building a regular income through online coaching. Why online coaching? Because I fell in love with the journey when I had my own online coach. I lost 25kg and gained so much love for myself. So I quit my 9-5, gained some qualifications, had a baby and started a business. In hindsight, I probably did a bit too much at once. But I've never been one to do anything by halves. Fast forward two years and I have had to learn along the way how to live frugally. My fitness journey has also given me a lot of reason to explore further wellbeing aspects of life - I have spent time de-cluttering my home and selling items on Vinted or taking things to the charity shop that I no longer need. Since starting a business where I mainly work from home, I would get overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" around the flat (children = stuff) and I love the idea of creating a more minimal home.

Taking it further, I delved into "underconsumption core" on YouTube and found a whole host of people who want to go against the consumerism culture. I have listened to audio books about consuming less and this whole endeavour has been inspired by The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. Basically, my "why" is to learn how to live without being suckered in by consumerism culture, not just to save money so that I can start building actual savings and potentially take my family on holiday next year, but also for my own mental health.

I am so fed up with STUFF. The Internet wants me to buy everything. From the next drop of gym wear to the next kid friendly water bottle, from a new bedding set that would look oh so perfect on my bed to a new pair of hiking boots. I have gym clothes, I have a plethora of water bottles, I have about three too many sets of bedding and I have hiking boots. Yet fancy marketing has made it as though I need these new items because they are new, they are shiny, they will make me feel good when I buy them. That dopamine hit sending spasms of joy throughout my body - I am sick of it.

I have found so much joy in other things throughout my weight-loss-come-wellness journey. The dopamine hit from a speedy parkrun or the peace from a long hike in the Surrey Hills hits WAY better and lasts way longer than a single purchase. The more I listen to others discuss consumerism culture, the more I want to go against the grain. For more reasons than one.

Since this is my first blog post on the topic, I need to set myself some ground rules. Because basically, I still have bills and items I do need to buy. But with a clear set of ground rules, I will be able to take on this challenge.

So first things first, what CAN I buy in my no spend year?

1. I can pay the bills (obviously - but I will also endeavour to look into ways of reducing bills. Unnecessary subscriptions have already been cancelled)

2. I can buy groceries. This includes food, toiletries and cleaning products/home maintenance but will only shop within the budget I have set.

3. I can replace items that have broken and are beyond repair, but will always try to shop second hand first.

4. I can purchase items/subscriptions for my business.

5. I can buy gifts for birthdays/Christmas/special occasions for others.

6. Pre-planned meals out/takeaways for special occasions but must be within monthly budget.

Things I CAN'T buy:

1. Anything new/preloved UNLESS it's replacing an item that is damaged beyond repair/no longer fits.

2. Impromptu takeaways/meals out.

3. Takeaway coffees/coffee shop beverages

4. New/preloved books - use library/book swap facilities

If someone else were to take on this challenge, their CAN'T list may look different. But as a mother, there are things I still will need to buy for my children - the idea is to always shop preloved first in order to reduce my footprint on this world. I also don't drink, so I don't need to say I can't go to the pub and purchase wine because I don't do that anyway. I will also not say "I can't spend money on days out" because although I already do endeavour to do days out with the kids as cheaply as possible, it wouldn't be fair on them to refuse a trip to the soft play or zoo every now and again! However, I will definitely be exploring more free days out with the kids and ways to have fun days together on a budget.

This is mainly about STUFF and unnecessary spending. It's about taking better care of meal planning and organising and teaching my children how to live a more minimal and environmentally friendly life. There are further rules too that I have created and I will pop them here to simply hold myself accountable:

1. I will regularly clear out items to maximise space and create a more minimalist home - this includes selling items and donating items.

2. I will spend time unsubscribing from shop advertising emails and tests to reduce exposure to temptation.

3. I will blog about the experience so that I have a log of the journey and the feelings and emotional impact of the shopping ban.

4. I will regularly analyse bills and find ways to reduce outgoings. 

Already in the last couple of years, I have reduced the amount of items in our home. Due to having less to spend, I have already learned to love and appreciate the items I do have so much more and take better care of them. It has made me realise how over previous years I have been so nonchalant with my things, preferring to just "throw it out and buy again" if something is a little bit damaged or too dirty to contemplate trying to restore it to its original state. It makes me sad really, that I used to think this way. I definitely believe that a lot of these revelations have come from firstly taking steps towards having better health and fitness. It sounds so strange, but taking care oy myself has come in many different forms and this, to me, is another way of taking care of myself. 

I can't imagine this blog getting much traffic, but if anyone does have any money saving tips and tricks, please post them below! Any ways on how to reduce bills, find free days out or if you are also trying to tackle consumerism one Vinted purchase at a time, please make yourself known! 

This space is to hold me accountable and to talk about the process. I am especially excited about how I might tackle Christmas this year. Although gift giving is on the CAN list, I an excited to explore ways of gift giving such as hand-made and second hand items that still have so much more life left!