No Spend September

A few years ago, shortly after I started this blog, I did a monthly challenge called “No Spend September“. I surprised myself and was pretty successful at it. I decided my spending habits needed a break and I would tackle “No Spend September” again this year!

There is only 1 rule and it is pretty simple. NO FRIVOLOUS SPENDING. Easy. Right?

Well….Depends how you define frivolous. Here are my general guidelines:

Do I NEED this item for survival? ie Food, bills, gas, etc.
Haircut & color is NOT frivolous. These are essential to my self esteem and therefore not frivolous.
No beauty products including ColorStreet nails, makeup, etc. (Obviously shampoo & soap are approved!)
Current monthly subscriptions are okay but NO new subscriptions!
No home decor purchases.
No clothing purchases for any member of the family. Not even with my Poshmark credits.
No extra toys for Q. His allowance must cover his toys this month.
Eating out is approved (Listen, I don’t really like cooking so whatever. Food is essential to life anyways.)
No gift buying (I buy wayyyy in advanced so I won’t need a gift this month but this rule helps me keep from buying toys and sh*t and storing it away for future needs.)
Football party spending is limited to food and beverages. No party decor (I have that sh*t tucked away already.)

Now, you may define frivolous differently. For example, you may need to buy a birthday gift this month or maybe eating out is frivolous to you. Whatever it is, these are just MY guidelines. Feel free to define your own guidelines.

Besides the obvious money savings, I really want this month to remind me that I have ENOUGH. I have all that I need. I am a big believer in retail therapy. I need this refresh to remind myself that I can’t purchase happiness. I am also an impulsive shopper so I am hoping this month can help me get in the habit of REALLY thinking a purchase over before buying.

So, who is with me? Who is ready to take on the No Spend September challenge? How do you define frivolous?