2023 NO-SPEND FEBRUARY CHALLENGE GUIDELINES

It’s that time of year again! The fourth annual No-Spend February challenge starts in a few days! When I started this challenge back in 2020, I had some pretty ambitious goals for our family’s budget. And we met them! In fact, we were able to increase our monthly savings going forward.

We were pretty stoked and that pretty much guaranteed our little household experiment became an annual thing on the blog. In this post, I’m outlining the guidelines for the 2023 No-Spend February challenge as well as our savings goal. Because you need a goal to keep you motivated.

2023 NO-SPEND FEBRUARY CHALLENGE GOAL & GUIDELINES

First up is the goal. The goal for this year is to save an additional $200 for our auto maintenance sinking fund. We have some anticipated upcoming auto expenses that the account is not currently prepared to handle. Now for the guidelines. They’re pretty simple again this year.

WHAT WE’RE NOT SPENDING MONEY ON:

LIMITED DINING OUT

For the month of February, we will only dine out twice, and both times will be on the weekend. That’s typically when we’ll take the kids out to eat for breakfast or lunch anyway. This month I’m just making it official.

REDUCED GROCERY BUDGET & GROCERY SHOPPING TRIPS ONLY

Sometimes I can’t get everything on the list, and other times I didn’t include something on the list. And occasionally I will make a second trip for those missed items. When that happens it’s rare that I only walk out with those few items missed the previous trip.

Those few missed items, gas, and time spent making the extra trips all add up. So, for the month of February, I will make my list and go grocery shopping on a weekly basis as usual, but will NOT make any additional trips to the store.

We’ll get what we need the first time or alter the meal plan if we don’t. And speaking of what’s on the list, there are several items that won’t be on the grocery list; prices are going up so a no-spend challenge seems like the perfect time to buckle down on the grocery budget.

I’ve gotten a bit lax with my grocery list, and it stops in February! I will not be purchasing any of the following items:

• store deli-prepared meals or sides
• processed snacks for school and after-school snacks (no Oreos, goldfish, etc)
• individually wrapped convenience foods, even if they’re “healthy”
• salad kits or bagged or boxed single-meal side items (microwavable rice, boxed potatoes, etc)
• soda

This should not only save us money but encourage us to eat healthier as well. Looks like the kids will get fresh fruit for most of their snacks. Or we can bake our own treats. That’s half the fun for them anyway.

NO CLOTHES OR OTHER SHOPPING

For this year’s no-spend challenge, there won’t be any shopping for clothes or other nonessential items. If it isn’t broken, it’s not getting fixed or replaced. I won’t even visit thrift stores. Fingers crossed our daughter doesn’t lose another coat.

I’ve recently discovered I’m not very minimalistic when it comes to tote bags and books. It should make for an interesting Minimalism in March.

I love going to thrift stores and perusing through cookbooks, self-improvement books, and memoirs. It’s always thrilling to find a book that’s been on your library wishlist for a while – especially at the bargain price of $1.99, $2.99 if it’s a hardback.

But in a month where decreasing spending wherever possible, thrifting isn’t gonna happen for me. I never know if I’ll walk out empty-handed, with $50 of like-new clothing for the family, or, like last week, a bagful of new (to me) books. So I’ll just avoid the temptation altogether and catch up on my to-be-read stacks at home while I wait for my library holds to become available.

NO-SPEND EXCEPTIONS:

Now that I’ve laid out exactly what we’re not spending on, I’m going to admit to a few exceptions.

• sports gear – both kids start practice in March and will likely need the next size up in something compared to last season
• Valentine’s Day traditions

TIME TO SAVE SOME MONEY!

All in all, the guidelines are pretty similar to previous years. I am excited to see how much money we’re able to save! Let me know if you’re participating.

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