26+ Ways to Save Your Money & Not Spend it for a Month | Get Rich (2024)

Discover how to save your money and not spend it for a month. And, take part in the 30-Day money saving challenge.

We could all do with some extra money, right? And, sometimes, saving money for a short amount of time can result is life change results.

If you want to save money, all you have to is stop spending unnecessary money. Sounds so simple, but this can be way harder than it seems.

That’s why in this post, I will share 26 golden tips on how to save your money and not spend it for a month.

How to Save Your Money & Not Spend It For a Month

In order to save your money and not spend it, you need to take control of your finances. You will also need enough income left over, once you have paid any mandatory bills and commitments. You will also need to be committed to not spending.

Here are 26 tips on how to save your money and not spend it for a month:

1. Be aware of your money flow

The first thing you want to do is be aware of where your money is coming in and going out.

Most people do not have a clear idea of what they spend their money on. If you don’t know where your money is being spent, saving money will seem impossible.

2. Make a list of your spending

To help you gain a better understanding of your spending, make a list of everything you spend during a month.

The easiest way to do this is to use your debit card for everything instead of paying cash.

You can then check your bank account for an exact list of everything you spent during the last 30 days.

3. Pick out your unnecessary expenditure

With a list of everything you spend during a month, you will be surprised by how much of your spending is unnecessary.

That’s money spent on takeouts and restaurants, clothes you don’t need needless expensive cosmetics, Starbucks coffee, and so on.

These purchases may not seem a lot individually; however, when you add it together, you’ll see it amounts to a lot of money each month.

4. Total up your potential monthly savings

Add up all of the most unnecessary buying you do each month and see how much you could be saving.

Once you realize how much you could save by spending, you will be motivated to start saving and stop spending.

You’ll also have an idea of how much money you can potentially save each month

5. Change your spending habits

Just a few small changes to your lifestyle can save you hundreds per year.
But, don’t worry, you can still have an above-average social life without spending a lot of money.

For example, meals in restaurants can improve your social life, but you can invite friends over instead.

6. Only Carry Cash With You

With cash, you are very aware of how much money you are spending on little things.

With cards, you can quickly lose track of how much you are spending and end up spending twice as much as you would if you carried cash around.

Leave your credit cards and debit cards at home.

7. Think Before You Spend

If you suddenly think that buying a new piece of clothing is a good idea, think about it for only a few minutes.

A few minutes is often enough to decide against it. Shopping is not quite an addiction, but it is a habit. Thinking about what you are doing can help break bad habits.

8. Don’t Shop When You Are Hungry

This is a good trick I discovered a long time ago.

If you are hungry and shopping for food, you will want to buy everything, including things that aren’t worth the money. Eat before you shop, and you will save money.

9. Shop at Second-Hand Clothes

Don’t be proud and try to buy all new clothes for your kids. Most people cannot afford to live without getting clothes from friends and relatives whose kids have outgrown them.

Most relatives and friends will be happy to help you out with clothes that would have been thrown away otherwise.

10. Take Your Own Lunch to Work

One of the most significant ways to waste money is to eat out while at work.

You can save a great deal of money per week, month, or year if you simply take your own lunch to work.

11. Have Fun Without Spending Money

You can cut back on spending without having less fun. Spend time at friends’ houses or invite friends over instead of going out at night. And, do things during the day instead of at night.

When you do have an occasional night out, bring cash rather than cards with you to keep how much you are spending in mind.

12. Be Cautious of Using Credit Cards

Every time you buy something on a credit card without paying it off immediately, it costs you extra money.

Delay spending until your next paycheck arrives.

Think of everything you buy on a credit card as costing extra, especially if you are in credit card debt already.

13. Start New Hobbies That Cost Nothing

A lot of people spend money just because they are bored.

Running outside is fun and free. And, there are a thousand other things you could do if you put some thought into it.

The more free or cheap hobbies you have, the less likely you are to spend money on expensive hobbies.

14. Tell People About Your Goals

If you tell other people that you are trying to save money, you will increase your incentive to save.

You will not want to look silly in front of your friends by failing to stick to your goals.

Also, a little bit of support from others can help you succeed.

15. Save Money With a Friend

If you have talked about cutting back on spending with your friends before, two or more of you might try to do a no-spend month at the same time.

The social support will help both of you succeed. You can also share advice on how to cut costs and compare how much you have saved.

16. Make Shopping Lists

You can save money on food without cutting back on food quality.

Food can be a waste of money just as much as anything else.

If you have a shopping list with you, you will be impressed by how long what you buy lasts, instead of disappointed by how quickly it’s gone.

17. Shop For Food Online

While shopping for groceries online isn’t necessarily cheaper than buying groceries in stores, it can still save you money.

Grocery stores are full of tempting food and are designed to make you want to buy everything.

If you shop online, it is not so tempting, and you will spend less money this way.

18. Don’t Spend Anything for Two Days

You can’t live without money, but you can often not spend a dime for a day or two.

Spending nothing whatsoever for 24 hours or more on occasion can save you money.

It will get you in the habit of spending less and thinking before you spend.

19. Choose a Reasonable Level of Difficulty

Don’t make your no-spend month too easy or too hard. If you make it too easy, you will have achieved nothing. However, there is no need to make it punishingly tricky.

Only make it as hard as is necessary to make a significant financial difference.

20. Don’t Waste What You Have

Run out of food and cosmetics before you buy any more.

Don’t buy anything until your fridge is nearly empty, and your canned goods are almost gone.

You will have to buy more food eventually, but using up your food, cosmetics, and other necessities before buying more will help you learn to spend less money.

21. Time Your Cut Back Wiseley

Don’t pick a month which is full of holidays or full of social obligations.

Choose a month when you have relatively few plans.

You might have to turn down an invitation or two if you are being invited to do something way too expensive.

22. Get Rid of Subscriptions

Do you subscribe to any streaming services that you don’t watch or any magazines that you don’t read?

Cancel any subscription that is not important to you. You might even be able to give up cable.

23. Think About The Price

When you are about to buy something, think of how many hours you will have to work to replace the money, you spent.

Not so cheap now, is it?

If you think in terms of hours rather than dollars, you will make better spending decisions.

24. Have More Than One Account

Multiple accounts can be a great way to manage your money.

Have one account that you only spend on very necessary things and another account that you can be much less cautious with.

When you get paid, divide the money between the two accounts.

25. Do Stuff Yourself

Mow your own lawn, rake your own leaves, clean your own house.

Don’t pay others to do chores.

It takes time, but it can save you a fair bit of money in the long run as well.

If you have kids, don’t be afraid to get them to help out.

26. Think Positively About Your Finances

Don’t keep your mind on your debts.

Being pessimistic and worried won’t help you. You are putting a plan into action.

Don’t think about debt, think ahead to a debt-free life in the future.

Why Do You Need to Save Your Money?

The truth is, everyone’s financial situation is different. And, therefore our reason for saving money will differ.

It’s Important to be clear on your goals and why you want to save money before you start saving.

Here are a few common reasons people want to save money:

The 30-Day Money Saving Challenge

The good news is, it only takes a month or so to drastically improve your spending habits.

Its take between 21-67 days to form a new habit. After 30 days most habit start to become routinely.

Over the next 30 days, set yourself a challenge to better your financial situation forever.

Don’t worry; I will walk you through each week, and show you how to not spend money for a month.

How to Not Spend Money For a Month

Once you have a list of things you are going to stop spending money on, it just takes a little will power and present mindedness to succeed.

Briefly forgetting about what you are trying to avoid spending money on can hinder your progress.

So, make a list of all the things you are going to avoid spending money on and keep the list in mind.

Try to notice when you are about to buy something you should not and resist temptation.

Now that you’ve accepted the 30-day money saving challenge, and you have figured out how much money you can potentially save, let’s break down each week.

Week 1: What to expect

The first week is the most important and may decide how well your plan will succeed. You should be strict about your rules for the first week.

If your goals are no eating out, no going out for coffee, no new electronics, and no new clothing, stick to this plan for the whole month.

If you plan to do this for 30 days, the first step is to be able to do this for seven days.

Week 2: Are you on track?

By, you should have a good idea of whether you’re on track to hit your monthly saving.

The first time I stuck to a cost-cutting strategy for a month, I was impressed with myself at the end of the first week.

For the first time, I was earning more than I was spending each month. This was the motivation I needed to help me tackle week two!

At this stage, it’s too early to notice any significant impact on your finances or habits, but you should be able to have an idea of where you’re heading.

Was week one too easy or too difficult to manage? At this point, you can make any adjustments to your plan.

Week 3: A habit starts to form

During the third week, you should look at how much money you have in the bank and notice that you are saving more than you were before.

You should also begin to feel free of the habit of buying unnecessary things you purchased previously.

Week 4: Withdrawal symptoms, but success is near

During the fourth week, you might feel tempted to break some of your rules prematurely.

Breaking your rules too early is not the right way to go.

Sticking it out until the end of the month will give you a feeling of accomplishment.

If you intend to avoid going out for coffee even a single time for a month, stick to the plan – this will give you control over your spending.

Extra Ideas to Help You Cut Back on Spending

Lifestyle

If you are very serious about saving money, giving up luxuries, such as your car, might be the right way to go.

You might be able to rely on public transportation and occasional taxis to get you everywhere you need to go. Making significant changes is sometimes necessary.

Note: not everyone can do this. If your car is vital to your day to day living, you will need to find something else.

Health and Beauty

You might not need to have a gym membership. You can exercise at home or outdoors instead.

The gym is something to do, but if you want to go out for a bit, you can run in a park instead.

More expensive clothes do not always make you look better than less expensive clothes.

Figure out how to look good within a budget.

Entertainment

You may still be able to go out and do things at night while reducing your entertainment budget.

Events and drinks can be expensive.

If you cut back on alcohol, you can improve your health and save money as well.

Doing the same things you normally do while drinking a lot less can save you a great deal of money.

Shopping and Groceries

Shopping for many days worth of food and then eating almost all of it before you buy any more might be the right way to go.

If you frequently enter grocery stores and buy only a bit of food, you will spend compulsively.

Food, including healthy food, can be cheap. Avoid buying food products that are a waste of money.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is saving money as effective as earning more money?

Earning a lot more money can make much more of a difference than saving.

However, many people who earn more than you are still broke. Saving can teach you how to handle money.

If you learn how to handle money, you will benefit more from a pay raise than someone who will just waste their extra pay.

Won’t not buying clothes for a month merely delay these purchases and not save you any money?

If you don’t buy clothes for a month (or do anything along the lines of that), you will learn to think before you spend.

The point of not spending anything for a month is to learn how to avoid compulsive spending.

You will have to buy new clothes eventually, but your spending habits will be different.

Should one drastically cut expenses by finding a much cheaper place to live?

Yes, but only if it is necessary to do this. You may not need to do anything so drastic any time soon.

Cutting unnecessary everyday expenses may be enough to save your finances.

Cutting back on spending can improve your life.

It feels terrible to live on more than you earn and to be gradually falling farther and farther into debt.

You cannot be content if you have an unsustainable lifestyle. If you learn to save money rather than borrow it, your mental health and happiness will increase overnight.

Your stress levels will go down, and your worries will go away. You will not have to have less fun or eat worse food on a budget.

You will only have to eat at home rather than eat out and find new ways to have fun that do not cost a lot of money.