The Right Way To Do A No-Spend Month

A recent survey by marketing network Stagewell found that 52% of Gen Z is actively looking for ways to “opt out” of the economy by spending less overall — and with 62% of Gen Z saying they receive financial advice from social media, it’s no surprise that trends like no-spend months are increasing in popularity.

A no-spend month — also referred to as a no-buy month — is an individual financial challenge to stop spending money on non-essentials. Non-essentials include little treats like coffee, takeout, and clothes, but it can also be things like streaming subscriptions, books, or even activities. Meanwhile, costs like rent, utilities, gas, and transportation are all considered essential and do not apply to that month’s expenses.

“No-spend challenges are a good mental reset for putting a hard stop on overconsumption and [to] prove to yourself you can say ‘no,’” says Rebecca Sowden, 28, a digital creator based in Southern California who helps others to become more financially responsible. She took this challenge a step further, implementing a no-spend year in 2025 to eliminate unnecessary spending on things like clothing, shoes, and makeup.

Below, Sowden and other Gen Z influencers who’ve finished a no-spend month share their top tips for doing the challenge — including what to prepare beforehand and how to set yourself up for success.

Audit Your Finances

New York City lifestyle creator Chiara Lucia, 23, was inspired to share her no-spend challenge on TikTok in November 2025. She completed her first no-spend month one year ago and has done two more since, after seeing her credit card bill cut almost in half. She says the best way to set yourself up for a successful no-spend month is to audit your finances ahead of time.

“Take a good look at your credit card bill or your checking account and ask yourself what you’re repeatedly spending on. Crunching the numbers, at least for one month of expenses, is eye-opening. You can see where your money actually goes and, if you see a lot in one column like monthly subscriptions, you can consider cutting down in that area.” For Chiara, it was important to cut down on workday coffee runs, excessive dinners out, and online shopping.

Identify Your Goals

Tatyiana Gordon, 27, is a NYC-based lifestyle creator who shares her no-spend challenges online. Gordon has been doing no-spend months every January for four years now after getting the idea on social media. “[These no-spend challenges] have been a good reset going into a new year. Being really intentional about saving money helps me a lot with my goals.”

For Gordon, one of the best ways to ensure a successful no-buy challenge was to narrow down her goals. Whether it’s to pay down credit card debt or get ahead on student loans, identifying the reason for your spending cutbacks can help you maintain motivation when things get tough. She notes that the first week can be the hardest, but leaning on your goals can help motivate you as you make no spending a daily habit.

Be Realistic

In line with setting a personal goal, Gordon says being realistic is an important part of setting yourself up for no-spend success. “If you're going from someone who is frivolously spending all day, every day, it would be a complete change to not spend a single dime,” she says. “If making that jump is too much, set rules for yourself.”

For example, if you’re someone who buys five coffees a week when you go to work, Gordon suggests trying mini challenges like a no-spend day or week before trying to do a full month. Setting more realistic goals can help you get used to the idea of spending less without quitting cold turkey — plus, you’ll be able to see the immediate effects of scaling back and help ease yourself into the saving mindset.

Make Behavioral Changes

Sowden says her first attempts at a no-buy challenge failed until she added “behavioral rules.” These included mandatory changes to her everyday life that would allow her to successfully avoid unnecessary spending. A few of her behavioral rules include: no browsing online, no shopping without a list, no going to the mall for fun, unsubscribing from marketing emails, and deleting retailer apps on her phone. By implementing these changes, she allowed herself to avoid temptations like sales or new product drops.

“Focus on changing behavior, not just pausing it,” Sowden says. “While on your no-buy, find alternative hobbies or activities to solve the problem of boredom; that way, when your challenge is over, you are more equipped to not immediately backslide into old habits.”

To encourage herself to try new things and reinforce good behavior, Sowden would make herself “earn” her fun money by doing things like going to the gym for $10, decluttering an area for $5, or reading a chapter of a book for $5. She could put what she earned toward activities that cost money as a reward.

Track Your Spending

While auditing your finances is the first step toward better spending habits, Gordon recommends investing in a money notebook — or starting a spreadsheet — where you document each expense. “It gives you a different sense of [your money habits]; you can see every dollar you’re spending and compare it to every dollar you’re bringing in. I was able to save $2,000 after seeing my savings in small increments throughout the month,” she says. Not only are you able to see the immediate effects of your no-spend challenge, but it can also be a great motivator, especially if you’re someone who tends to spend without thinking.

Do Things At Home

One tip that each creator emphasized was doing things at home, whether it be cooking dinner, meal-prepping lunches, or even making your morning coffee. While these might be difficult habits to change, they will have the most impact when it comes to spending less money on unnecessary purchases.

“The hardest part of my no-spend month was limiting dinners out,” Lucia says. “I made a rule of one dinner out per week so I’d have to be more strategic. Coffee was pretty easy after I did the math on how much I’d save buying Nespresso pods versus a $10 latte.” She notes that planning — whether it’s meal prepping or identifying free things to do ahead of the weekend — helps make the challenge feel more reasonable.

Don’t Limit Your Fun

As someone who lives in a city, Lucia says she wanted to do a no-spend month without limiting her social life. In order to do that, she set specific rules that would allow her to have fun without breaking the bank. She implemented coffee purchases, but only if she was seeing friends, which helped eliminate unnecessary spending when she was by herself. She says she did the same thing with dinners. “Sometimes you have to meet friends at an establishment and spending money is not optional, but I did prioritize other hangouts that were free, like walks.”

Opt For Free Events

Speaking of fun, Lucia recommends leaning into free hangouts whenever possible — and finding friends who are on the same page as you financially. For her, looking up free events ahead of time helped her plan out affordable experiences during her no-spend months. “There are a lot of places that have so many options for free activities, you just have to take a little more time or effort to find them. Finding free things to do with your friends gets your brain outside of the overconsumption box a little bit, too.”

Take A Social Media Break

As a creator and consumer, Gordon says being on social media can make materialism feel like a necessity. Constantly seeing what other people bought or watching hauls made her feel like she was almost missing out by not participating. “It can get to a level where you’re so ingrained in social media culture that you almost feel like you have to emulate that lifestyle.” She recommends turning to creators like King Kev, who share low-cost ways of living. “Reframing your mindset and finding creators that motivate you to spend less can help. If the only thing you’re seeing all day is over-consumption, it’s hard to not want to repeat that pattern.” Taking a social media break and deleting retailer apps from your phone can help curb this temptation during your no-spend month.

Don’t Be Hard On Yourself

At the end of the day, both Lucia and Gordon emphasize the importance of kindness toward yourself during a no-spend month. “Life happens,” Lucia says. “Don’t give up after the first month, even if it didn’t go the way you wanted it or you didn’t see a lot of changes. This challenge is all about noticing unnecessary spending patterns.”

Gordon echoes Lucia’s sentiments, noting that during her no-spend January, she was in the middle of a move and had to purchase furniture for her apartment. Despite wanting to put it off until February to not break her no-buy rules, she ultimately bought the item and was happier for it. “In the moment, I felt like I failed, but it was a purchase that made our quality of life so much better,” she says. “If something like that comes around, or if you have a really crappy day and you think a coffee is going to make you feel better, don’t feel bad. Take it in stride and go to the next day and try again. Life is going to life at the most inconvenient times, so it’s OK if something comes up.”