For some people, February is the month to get back into good health habits with things like Feb Fast but it’s also a great time to sit back and give your bank balance a break by reviewing your spending habits and giving yourself a challenge. Could you go a month without shopping?

We don’t actually mean ‘spend nothing’. Rather cut back to only the essentials, such as food, bills, transport and rent/mortgage, and avoid spending on non-essentials. It means no take-away, no eating out and no online shopping for clothes and shoes.

Taking a shopping hiatus is all about being more mindful with your spending. Too often we create expensive habits without thinking; from daily take-away coffees, drinks after work to take-away each week. By challenging yourself to not spend on non-essential items, you may realise how much you can cut back on. The best part is being able to divert these into your savings.

Think you can’t go a whole 30 days without spending? Spare a thought for Lottie from Sydney*  who set herself the goal of not buying any new clothes. Two years later she’s still at it, and has saved a whopping $7,000! According to her, no one even noticed she was wearing the same clothes until she told them.

How the heck do you resist temptation for so long? Because there’s always something on sale, always something new in the shop window, or in your browser! 

Once you’ve let your inner circle of friends and family in on the challenge, (so they understand why you aren’t shouting coffee this week), here are a few tips to help you get through the a month of no shopping challenge (and beyond):

Get rid of the shiny temptations

Unsubscribe to all of the marketing emails from clothing companies and online websites. You’d be surprised at just how many of these you can get in a single day. All it takes is one click and you risk falling off the bandwagon. Simply unsubscribing from these emails could also save you hours of online browsing without you even realising. Remember: just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean it needs buying!

Consider clothing swaps with friends and family

When we’re in our teens, we always sharing our clothes with our friends. Why not do it again now? Why did we ever stop doing this? Try to get some friends or family members to jump on the no spend bandwagon and do a clothes swap. This is the kind of shopping trip we can all get into.

Plan your meals ahead of time

Meal prepping isn’t just for gym junkies and fitness influencers. It’s a good way to cut back on extra spending at the supermarket, because you come with a shopping list, your meals are planned and you only buy things you need for that week. Knowing what you’re going to cook beforehand keeps you from adding extra things into your trolley that may not be used.

Shop from your wardrobe

Did you know that we only wear around 40% of our wardrobe? And yet we’ve always got ‘nothing to wear’! That’s a lot of a) clothes we’re buying and not wearing and b) wasted cupboard space. Give yourself a challenge of wearing one new item out of your wardrobe each day. Another idea is to turn all of your hangers around so they’re facing the opposite way. Every time you wear an item, you turn the hanger back around when you put the item away. At the end of the month, you’ll be able to see just which clothes aren’t being worn. You can decide to start wearing them, or declutter and sell them for a bit of extra cash. While you’re at it you may want to check out your local Buy, Swap and Sell Facebook page, to get rid of any wardrobe clutter you aren’t wearing, or swap something you no longer need.

Find low- or no-cost alternatives

Now that we’re all allowed outside again for socialising, it’s a good time to look around for any situations that can rack up some big bucks, and try to find low or no-cost alternatives. Whilst the rules may keep changing on how we can socialise, take advantage of the warmer weather and instead of eating out you can pack a picnic from the pantry and meet up with friends in the park. 

Think you could take on this challenge? It’s only 4 weeks and hopefully some of your no-spending habits can be carried on into the future. 

We dare you! 

Need help with money management?

Want some extra help with your budgeting? A financial adviser at TelstraSuper Financial Planning can offer expert guidance on a range of topics to help secure your financial future. You can speak to a financial adviser from TelstraSuper Financial Planning by calling 1300 033 166 or fill in our online contact form. There's no additional cost for phone based advice about your TelstraSuper account as this is included in your membership.