No Spend September: Rules, Ideas and Free Printable
NO SPEND SEPTEMBER FREE PRINTABLES
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September always feels like a fresh start in our house. The holidays are over, school bags are back by the front door, the mornings feel a little cooler and the first cosy meals of autumn begin to appear on our meal plan. After the extra spending that summer often brings, September is the perfect opportunity to pause, reset and prepare for the months ahead.
Our family has been doing some version of a No Spend September for at least the last ten years. We like to tighten up any spending habits after the summer, while we turn our focus towards Christmas budget and planning preparation. By the end of the month, we usually feel far more organised. Our kitchen cupboards are tidier and we’ve got a head start on saving money without feeling deprived.
What is a No Spend September Challenge?
A No Spend September Challenge is a month-long commitment to stop unnecessary spending while continuing to pay for essentials. The aim is to focus on buying only what you and your family needs while avoiding impulse purchases. Every family will define their challenge slightly differently, but the goal remains the same, to spend more intentionally and to reset your before the Christmas season.
Why do a No Spend September?
September is one of the best months of the year to reset your finances. Summer holidays often mean extra meals out, day trips, and spontaneous spending which is lots of fun! Before long though, those little purchases begin to add up. Rather than carrying those habits into autumn, a no spend September challenge gives you the opportunity to draw a line under them and start fresh for the season ahead. I tend to use September to refresh my pantry and freezers and to do a bit of a declutter of the living areas in the house.
DOWNLOAD NO SPEND SEPTEMBER TRACKERS HERE
How do you prepare before September starts?
To be honest, it doesn’t take a lot of prep. I personally think that the determination to do the challenge along with a decent tracker are the main things. If this is totally new to you, you should try the following things to prepare. Take an hour or two during the last week of August to prepare. I would suggest that everyone who plans to do a no spend could benefit from doing the following:
- Start by writing your monthly budget so you know exactly what bills, essential shopping and family commitments are coming up.
- Make sure birthdays, school events or family celebrations are all in the calendar and planned for in advance. Include them in the budget now rather than letting them become unexpected expenses later on in the month.
- Next, get a meal plan notebook or a printable and get that ready for the month ahead. You could start strong by building the meal plan from what you already have at home.
- Finally, decide what you’re not going to spend money on. Making that decision now removes temptation later. You may need to bargain with your family on this a bit so give it a bit of time..
What are the rules for No Spend September?
While there isn’t an official set of rules, these are common rules and ones we have used over the years successfully.
- Decide your savings goal before the month begins. Whether you’re saving for Christmas, paying off debt or simply rebuilding your emergency fund, having a clear reason makes it much easier to stay motivated. Put a number on it too and write it down on your no spend September calendar.
- Choose your non-negotiables in advance. Birthdays, family celebrations and essential commitments should still be included in your budget. However, the weekly takeaway or the daily coffees out need to get the chop for no spend September to really work.
- Plan your meals before each week begins. This removes a lot of the temptation that can occur in the supermarket. Your favourite phrase in your no spend September will be ‘we have food at home’. I find this the most challenging aspect of a no spend month.
- Tell your family what you’re doing. When everyone understands the goal, they’re far more likely to support it.
- Choose a reward for completing the challenge. Decide this at the start. We always choose to eat out at the end of the challenge as a break from cooking every meal for a month from scratch.
Can you still buy things during a No Spend September?
Continue to pay your bills as normal and buy the groceries, household essentials and medication your family needs. Never sacrifice meeting basic needs for a budgeting challenge! If you’ve already budgeted for birthdays, school trips or other important occasions, those should still go ahead too. The challenge really is to hone in on unnecessary and unconscious spending or things you can reasonably do without to save money. If your washing machine breaks or your child suddenly needs new school shoes, buy them. But if your favourite coffee mug breaks it is likely you have another one you could use and this is where you’d apply your no spend September rules. We try to challenge ourselves to buy second hand if we do need to buy things throughout the month and that saves another bit too towards the end goal.
What should you avoid buying?
It’s the little purchases throughout the month that add up for most of us such as takeaway coffee or lunches while you’re out. Then while you are shopping for essentials like groceries you may find yourself impulse spending in the homewares section. At night while relaxing, online shopping can become a challenge. Highlight this type of spending on a spending tracker to help you to see where you need to avoid spending and where the triggers are for you. It is definitely coffee and little purchases online for me. I know without any effort at all I can save £100 in September if I stop the coffees and take the shopping apps off my phone.
No Spend September ideas
To avoid spending unnecessarily, fill your weekends with simple autumn activities instead of shopping. Visit the library, go for a walk, cook from the freezer, declutter a room or invite friends over for coffee instead of meeting in a café.
Why September is the perfect time to start planning for Christmas
One of the biggest benefits of a No Spend September is that it gives you a head start on Christmas. Any money you save this month can go straight towards gifts, food or festive activities.
If you haven’t already, download my free Christmas Budget Planner and start planning now. Your December self will thank you.
Download your free No Spend September printable
I’ve created a free printable pack to help you stay organised throughout the month, including a challenge tracker, calendar and savings tracker. Print it out, keep it somewhere visible and enjoy ticking off each successful day.
