Last year, Lou Gibson — known as That Money Mum on Instagram — saved more than she expected by taking part in No Spend September.
She joined the social media challenge, sharing her experience with her followers and is aiming to give it another go this year.
"It's mainly to stop unconscious, habitual spending and to focus on all of the wonderful things in my life that are completely free," she explains.
Lou is part of a growing trend of people ditching takeaway coffees and winding back their spending for a few weeks in September.
What is No Spend September?
No Spend September has been growing as a trend on social media over the past few years, encouraging followers to cut discretionary spending — that is, unnecessary or avoidable expenses, as a kind of hard reset on finances.
Participants are encouraged to break down their spending and eliminate anything that isn't essential — including coffees, streaming subscriptions, online purchases and takeaway food for the month, while still allocating budget for rent, groceries and necessary expenses.
Ms Gibson says she was pleasantly surprised with last year's experience.
"More family time, park plays, long walks, and board games meant we didn't feel deprived," she says.
"It really made me question where all that money [we saved] normally goes and whether spending it unconsciously is really adding enough to our lives to justify it."
This year she and her partner, who are both teachers at public schools, want to challenge themselves further by eliminating takeaway for the month.
"Cooking every night feels a bit foreign now, but I remember when we were kids we definitely didn't have takeaway once a week."
Financial literacy advocate and accountant Ketvi Roopnarain says people love a challenge, and when it's limited to 30 days, it feels more achievable.
"We know there's an end in sight, and you're giving yourself space to try something. It's about pressing pause, versus stop, which makes us feel more comfortable with cutting something. If you just have to press pause for 30 days, suddenly you realise you can do another 10, and maybe another 10."
Why do No Spend September?
Financial behaviour expert and author of Good With Money, Emma Edwards says challenges can be a useful way to recalibrate and change your habits.
"It's really easy nowadays to get stuck in cycles of convenience spending, overwhelm spending, or doom/dopamine spending.
"When we say we're not going to spend on certain things for a month, we allow our impulses, our triggers and our unmet needs to rise to the surface, and that awareness can be very powerful."
Ms Roopnarian agrees, adding that it's an ideal time of year for a reset.
"Spring time is when you're taking a step back and spring cleaning, decluttering wardrobes."
She says No Spend September is a good time to set measurable, realistic savings goals, which could jump-start your Christmas budgeting.
"Christmas is only four months away, September could be the time where you sit down and and decide you need $300 for Christmas gifts."
No Spend may not be for everyone
For some, No Spend September may be a reality already, with the cost-of-living crisis squeezing people.
"For people who have already been really mindful of their spending this might not be the right thing. But perhaps there's another challenge there, like 'how do I bring more money in?'" Ms Roopnarain says.
She recommends looking around the house to see if there are unused belongings that can be sold, in a different approach to the challenge.
"It might not be the right time for a no-spend challenge, but then perhaps there's a different challenge they might want to do, which might be how to bring in $300 over 30 days, or get rid of 30 things in 30 days."
She also recommends looking at essentials like utility bills and telephone bills and seeing if there are savings to be made.
"You might say 'you know what, I'm going to call my energy provider and try and get a better deal," Ms Roopnarain says, "Because that money saved could go towards the Christmas fund."
Ms Roopnarain also says you can book a 30-minute call with your superannuation fund and speak with your bank about best available rates on loans.
Ms Edwards also cautions against taking spending challenges to the extreme.
They aren’t sustainable longer-term — and, as she points out, they’re not meant to be.
"You're not going to do a no spend challenge forever, it's meant to be a short term sprint, a concentrated period of focus."
Being overly restrictive for longer periods can backfire down the line if you feel frustrated.
"Being overly restrictive can, for some people, actually create a rebellion cycle where we then spend more aggressively either during or after the challenge in order to reclaim a sense of control or buck the rules that are stifling us."
Where to begin
Ms Roopnarain recommends starting with why you want to take on the challenge then setting some goals around how much you're aiming to save.
"The next steps are looking at what's essential and what's discretionary," she says.
Tracking your expenses will give you visibility and help celebrate wins.
For those curious about the challenge, Ms Edwards suggests trying rotating categories each week to start.
"Mix it up and rotate categories each week so you're focusing on just one area of spending at a time."
And remember, aim for progress, not perfection.
"The key with these kinds of things is not aiming for perfection, but treating it as a learning experience instead," Ms Edwards says.
"If you do No Spend September and you slip up and spend $50 one day, you're still better off than if you hadn't tried at all."
This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.
