I walked past the intoxicating aromas of cheeseburgers, tacos, barbecue ribs and pan-Asian fare with my arms folded and breath held.
I made it through No Spend November.
No, it wasn’t simple. But it was absolutely worth it.
How I Got Ready to Pause My Spending for November
You may remember my earlier piece explaining why I decided to freeze my finances for an entire month.
(Unhappily, the shiny new bicycle mentioned and shown in that post was stolen less than three weeks after I bought it, and I haven’t seen it since. Guess that’s the price of an impulse buy!)
Besides preparing myself mentally for a month of strict self-control, I also made some practical preparations.
I went on a big grocery run at the end of October, stocking up on pricier non-perishables like paper towels.
I replaced dwindling makeup basics (read: black eyeliner) beforehand and indulged in one final manicure.
I also got lucky (-ish?) in that my sneakers needed replacing before the No Spend period began: on a Halloween weekend hike in Georgia, my toes poked through the seam where the sole met the upper of my right shoe.
I ordered the same model from Amazon on sale, piled up my extra rolls of toilet paper and sized up the situation.
I was well-provisioned and ready.
What could possibly go wrong?
What I Actually Spent
Of course, No Spend doesn’t literally mean zero spending; I still needed to eat and keep a roof over my head.
As I noted in my first post, I also had to travel to Miami for a friend’s wedding, and I wasn’t about to be stingy in one of my favorite getaway cities.
Below is a rundown of everything I spent during No Spend November.
Regular Expenses: $1,331.31
- Rent: $760
- Car payment: $400 (Technically I only have to pay $305, but I round up toward principal to chip away at debt a bit faster)
- Google Fi: $64.84 (normally $30, but I used more data than usual while traveling)
- Internet: $35
- Netflix: $10.85 (Eventually this will be almost free since I mostly get it at no cost)
- Gym membership: $10.65
- Spotify: $9.99
- Dropbox: $9.99
- Microsoft 365: $6.99
- Dollar Shave Club: $11 (Typically $6 monthly — I had to replace a broken handle this time)
- Patreon contributions to creators: $10
- Monthly donation to Mother Jones: $2
Yes, I could have cancelled some subscriptions — in fact, a few commenters in the Savinly Readers Community on Facebook bravely gave up Netflix for the month. (Kudos!)
I also could have paused my contributions to artists and journalism, but at $12 total, I couldn’t justify cutting support for causes I care about.
I’m planning to switch Dropbox and Microsoft to annual plans instead of month-to-month for better value.
Other Necessities: $641.11
Groceries: $352.11
I’m thrilled with this total!
I’ve struggled to keep groceries under $100 per week, so beating that felt great…
…even if part of the reason is that I spent five days at home eating leftover Thanksgiving food that I didn’t buy.
(Also: I shamelessly swiped most of the leftovers from making Thanksgiving dinner for this experiment — which, to be clear, I didn’t pay for. I cooked the turkey, so it’s fine!)
Gas: $169
This number is a bit high, especially since I usually walk to work.
But it includes round-trip drives to Miami and St. Augustine, which amounted to $36.40 and $30.75 respectively, according to Gas Buddy’s trip calculator.
Dentist: $120
It stinks that my cleaning and exam were due this month, but I’m not risking dental health for a money experiment.
Exceptions: See details below
I had allowed myself to use any leftover dollars from a $400 grocery buffer for “fun” and miscellaneous costs, meaning up to $47.89 of this is entirely acceptable.
I also treated my Miami weekend as essentially pre-approved.
Creative writing submissions: $12.50
A contest I wanted to enter had a $10 reading fee and another journal charged $2.50 for submissions.
My creative work matters enough to make a sub-$20 exception.
Miami trip: $302.97 total
I’d paid for the Airbnb months earlier (about $250 for three nights) and included gas above.
- Splurge meal: $59.90 (try Uvaggio!)
- Cuban sandwiches (yes, plural) from Versailles: $37 after sides, drink and tip. Yes, I bought two types. For science!
- Other meals out: $57.15
- Miscellaneous (coffee, snacks, convenience buys, non-wedding bar drinks, parking, etc.): $92.92
- Dog sitter and small bag of food: $49
- Groupon for stand-up paddleboard (SUP) rental: $7
I could have cut back on alcohol and dining out, though the total is higher because some of those meals happened in my hometown right before I left (my fridge was empty so grocery shopping didn’t make sense).
Also: the SUP rental was originally $30 an hour — something I couldn’t justify during No Spend.
But then I put on my Savinly thinking cap and checked Groupon. Seven bucks? Yes please.
(Note: SUP is incredibly difficult, especially on a busy Miami bay on a sunny Saturday.)
Seeing “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” at the theater: $13.25
My Potter fandom runs deep, so I had to see it on the big screen.
The ticket was $8 and I indulged in popcorn for $5.25. #sorrynotsorry
Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales: $178.56
Here’s where I admit some slip-ups.
I hadn’t planned to take part in Thanksgiving weekend deals — avoiding them is one of the reasons for No Spend November.
But I made a few concessions during the Black Friday frenzy:
- Old Navy: $68.37
- Quest Bars: $110.19
Quest had a solid sale ($30 off orders of $95+), and I use their bars daily.
So technically that counts as groceries, right?
Old Navy… well, I didn’t need another two pairs of leggings or a cute dress or three.
But everything was 50% off, including clearance, so I got roughly $30 worth of clothes for closer to $5.
And since I shopped through a cash-back portal offering 10% back (up from 2%) and used my travel rewards card, I did pretty well overall. The pieces will get regular wear — I love Old Navy.
So I spent nearly $500 I didn’t have to (exactly $507.28).
However, I’d already approved the wedding expense ($302.97) and budgeted $47.89 into groceries.
So, I actually overspent by $156.42, most of which was due to finding solid deals on items I will use. Not terrible!
What I Avoided Spending
Here’s the fun question: What would I have spent if I hadn’t joined the challenge?
I’m not someone who eats out constantly, but by day three I was craving a latte. My records show I usually spend $25 to $30 monthly on coffee shop visits.
I also missed the chance to have a glass or two of wine out while reading. I skipped a couple of dinner-and-bar birthday celebrations — both birthday friends know I owe them one next month!
I typically spend about $100 to $150 monthly on drinks out.
Less than a week into the month I spotted an absurd airfare sale from Orlando to London. Big fare sales always pop up from Florida! I was bummed but not booking saved me $512, plus lodging, food, sightseeing and other costs — roughly $1,000.
Then there’s the small impulse buys: this nearly $30 sweatshirt I almost certainly would’ve bought; the seasonal Twisted Peppermint lotion and shower gel from Bath & Body Works (I love holiday scents).
I also almost purchased a $40 original rattlesnake drawing from a local artist at a market.
Walking away was hard… until Savinly photographer and visual editor Heather suggested commissioning the artist for a custom piece in December.
I’m already arranging that — one of the best outcomes of this experiment has been figuring out how I genuinely want to spend my money. High on that list: supporting the arts!
All told, I definitely saved at least $600 this month, and likely closer to $1,500.
Even better, I learned valuable lessons about impulse buys and saying “no,” lessons that will probably save me a lot more over time.
No Spend November Lessons
Now that November is behind me, what will I carry forward?
First, there’s a surprising amount of free fun to be found — just browse local Facebook events.
I discovered several free yoga classes, a free hoop dance session and even a free live opera in Tampa.
I also took plenty of long walks and watched many sunsets on the beach.
Plus, I learned that window shopping can sometimes satisfy my urge to buy — though that won’t work for everyone.
Another perk: I’m now ridiculously accurate at eyeballing about $100 worth of groceries in a cart.
The most important insight came five days in, as I trudged past the “Taco Night” display at the St. Pete Food and Wine Festival.
I was primed to feel sorry for myself, missing out on tasting all those incredible tacos, when a realization hit.
I hadn’t even known the festival was happening until that moment. I’d developed FOMO over something I didn’t even know about an hour earlier.
That’s what impulse purchases often attempt to fix: a fear of missing out on something advertised to you. Advertising’s power is convincing you that you suddenly require something you might not have been aware you wanted.
You truly onlyneeda handful of things, and the latest hot item probably isn’t one of them. That applies to experiences as much as possessions.
They’re just tacos. Just a drink. Just a zoo trip.
Yes, these are experiences — but most experiences fade quickly from memory.
If you cultivate the habit of saving rather than spending, you’ll have funds for the experiences and items you genuinely want — and the time to plan and determine what those are.
Your Turn: How did your No Spend November go? If you skipped it this year, would you try it next time?
Alex Mercer is a staff writer at Savinly. Her work has appeared at The Write Life, Word Riot, Nashville Review and elsewhere. Find @AlexMercer on Twitter to say hi.
