No Spend January

It’s February 1^st!  I swear, January has 100 days.  It was one of the longest months ever.  BUT…I attempted a no spend January for the entire month!

I love to shop.  Like I LOVE it!  And Alexis loves to shop.  So, we often found ourselves wandering the aisles of any given store on the weekends.  Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Target…they speak my language.  They get me.  

But it was getting out of hand.  I never actually spent a ton of money (I love the Dollar Store and a good bargain), but I needed to rein it in, especially after the Christmas season.  So, with the new year, I decided to test myself.

The Rules:

• No unnecessary spending
• Birthday gifts were ok (we have so many January/February birthdays in our family)

That was it.  

Could I really do this?  I didn't really tell anyone because, to be honest, I didn't know if I was going to succeed.  And at first, it was hard. I have a bit of a YouTube addiction and watch a ton of shop with me and haul videos.  I learned that those were definitely a trigger. 

I needed to change the way I thought about shopping and not treat it like a favorite hobby.  I needed to find other things to do besides retail therapy.

The easiest thing to do was just to avoid going into stores.  This was fine during the week, but harder on the weekends.  This was especially hard when Dan was working on Saturdays and Alexis and I were home.  Normally, we'd run errands and pop into Target.  So we had to find other things to do.  We spent more time at home.  She rediscovered toys she had forgotten about.  I got a lot of projects done.  We watched more movies (that we got free from the library).  And it was fun.

Later in the month, I did have to go into some stores for birthday gifts.  I was nervous that I would be tempted to buy something else, but I ended up looking around, getting what I needed, and leaving.  That was huge for me.

So, in the end, did I do it?  The answer is YES! 

I have not been into a Target in 2019.  Are they going to file for bankruptcy now?  I didn’t even shop using the gift cards I got for Christmas.  Normally, those babies are gone by January 1^st.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, my only purchase (and I had this pre-approved by Dan) was for some Project Life supplies, so I could catch up on Lex’s books while we spent those Saturdays at home.  Since it was something I needed, did I really have to wait until February to buy it just so I could say I did a no spend January? The answer was no. 

In the end, here’s what I learned:

• I don’t NEED to run out to the store just because I see something online.  I still watched YouTube videos, but saw them in a different light.  If I saw something I liked, usually after a few days, I kind of forgot about it
• I can find new ways to use things I already have and don't have to go buy something new
• Buying those birthday gifts for others was just as, if not more, fun than buying things for myself
• I had a LOT more time now and found better uses for it
• I de-cluttered and even made a few bucks at the consignment store and on Facebook (that I did NOT spend)
• If there was something I still really wanted, I put it on my birthday list

There were definitely a few times when I wanted to call friends and grab dinner or plan a girls shopping day, but remembered I was on a spending freeze, so I didn’t.  This made me realize, though, that I would much rather spend money on experiences and time with friends than all the stuff.  Going forward, I am going to focus on that.

So will I do this again?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  I actually don’t feel like I need to, though.  The past 31 days has absolutely taught me new habits.  The way I approach shopping and spending money has changed.  There isn’t a lot I really NEED.

But I do really miss the Target Dollar spot.

Be well,