It’s my nickname 🥰 and it brought tears to my eyes hearing you read my words!! Today, I (and my daughter) went into Target with my necessity list and walked out with just that! Actually, we both did!! Did we stop and smell our favorite brand of body scrubs ~ yes! My new favorite ones are on my wishlist 😊 and hers is on hers. We are going to move forward using the low spend model. Thank you!!

I planned on doing no spend February along with January. My hubby was a trooper. In January, 3 of my 4 cats got really sick and ended up in the vet hospital. Thankfully we had an emergency fund just for the cats. They are all better, but their fund is not. Hubby suggested going into March with the no spend since we still have quite a bit of food on hand, don't really need anything and we need to build the cat fund back up. My hubby who was not in favor of this challenge is actually keeping us both accountable! YAY......

No spend January help keep me out of the Goodwill or not buying when I did go! I love the feeling that I don't really need or want anything; satisfied & blessed as I am! I bought food for a couple on the sidewalk & a couple hitchhiking instead of buying non-necessities for self!

So many good ideas. Before no spend January I was treating myself to a meal out every Sunday. I haven't eaten out all month, which I plan to continue because it is helping with my 12 week goal of losing weight!!

I’m doing no spend months on the months that are going to be the easiest - February, April, May, June, August and October. These are the months with little to no extraneous things like birthdays, baby showers, graduations, etc. Plus it gives me a break in between to stock up on things I need for my no spend months, buy the gifts for the months where I need them, and allows me to use my no spend months to clean my basement, get other work done around the house, etc. that doesn’t require money.

No spend has been a great boost for 2024! I am going to do a pantry/freezer challenge for February, since my biggest money waster is food and eating out!

I am pretty much no spend all of the time. I had stockpiled my pantry and other than fresh food like milk and eggs I dont grocery shop. Using what I have. A long time ago I learned to only buy what i NEED. which is rent, utilities, and what is needed to sustain life. (groceries, meds, etc) I never buy things on a whim,,,,,,,,,,,execpt for the goodie aisle at Aldis! In a way, this is kinda frustrating because since I have already cut out most of the wants, I don;t have that extra cash bounce from not spending on the wants! I think I need to find an extra income stream. Well, actually I did. my 401k loan was just paid off so that is $500 extra per month "income"

After feeling ashamed for OVER expending in 2023, I made my budget for 2024 and I set up jars to put money that I know I will need throught 2024 (car maintenance, vet visit, taxes, school supplies, ect), I am not leaving that money in the bank, to avoid any risk of expending it. Also I save 15% of my income in a Tfsa, I made a whishlist with only one item a month and then, only at end if I have some money left, I go to my fav bakery for coffee and cookies. I feel so much better and accomplished, and will continue doing it for February, march, April and so on ..... Thank you Kate for the encourage.

My no spend crashed & burned when the guys at my work pulled a sick 8 week old kitten out from under the building. I think she was dumped, but $450 vet bill later.. we have a new fur friend

I have never used a budget until I started watching your videos. I am a senior who still works and I have spent so much money on things I didn’t need over the years! Wish I had started using a budget years ago! I am having fun doing this no spend January, finding new ways to put money into my retirement savings thanks to your videos and the great comments from other viewers. I plan to keep going for a no spend February!

No. It’s an AS NEEDED 2024. 👍🤗

I ended up on a No Spend 😂. I took my daughter skiing and surprise 🎉 the boots I had for her didn’t fit the skis I had for her so it was $50 more than I had budgeted. And then there was a surprise 🎉 field trip for two of my kids which, in combination with a new school pizza day, came out to $50. I am new to running on a real budget and working on my “budget buffer” and it is so clear now why I need one!

I did not eat out all this month! I'm super proud of myself!!!! My son name is Caiden also FYI lol. We get pizza usually once a week at the dinne. Good deal for 2 large pizzas for 25 bucks. We didn't even do that this month!

When my sister was visiting last weekend she helped me mix and match clothes I already have. I tend to wear the same tops with pants and she helped me think outside my little box. I feel like I have a new wardrobe! So close to paying off a second cc this month! I'm going to continue with low spend and pantry challenge in February (while restocking on loss leaders).

I'm going to do a no spend for February and March, and I'm working on low spend budget rest of year for spending on replacement items/food pantry and medical needs.

My biggest take away was finding satisfaction with reaching my savings goals. I saved $328. That's over and above my regular savings. It looks like I'll reach my goal in my emergency fund by the end of February. Which also means that most of my tax refund will go to filling my sinking funds. Then I'm off to extra on my mortgage.

It’s going so well, we are going to continue through February! 🎉

Sometimes just reflecting on all the places your money needs to go can help you not spend. Like… we have $227,000 left on our mortgage, 3 kids to help pay for college, 2 potential weddings to pay for, $90k of home maintenance/improvements on the back burner for now…. This keeps me loading up my crockpot every Sunday morning instead of going out to eat after church every Sunday.

I'm going to continue with a low spend February & March, January ended up being low spend, not No Spend, no take out food, and only two grocery shops this month. Will continue pantry challenge, tried a few new recipes, more of that coming as we transition to even more plant based eating! I've unsubscribed from all shopping emails. Library books, ebooks, audio books, are a great help. Have been doing more of my hobbies, and more de-cluttering! Thanks so much for the encouragement!!

Full disclosure. I probably won't be doing much spending at all. I have debt reduction goals. And for things to do instead of shopping, crafting with the stuff I purchased last year. Sometimes thrifting and Dollar Tree is dangerous.

I had a no spend December and January is going great.No trouble.🎉

This month of no-spend really broke a bad habit of Amazon shopping. I could really relate with that comment you read. I noticed that all our food is being eaten and none wasted with 'no grabbing food' this month. I have also done a pantry/freezer challenge and played The Minimalist Game this month. I want to try another month for all three challenges. I feel like I'm forming good habits and I'll be spending more mindfully after this. Thanks Kate! Oh, and I quit watching influencers who try to convince you to buy things! They are good at what they do!

I alternate every week: One week no spend, one week normal/low spend. That way I can have these no spend spurts that are fun and it helps me think a little ahead😅 it delays impulse in that when low spend arrives I often don't need that thing I thought I needed, but thinking I only have to wait a week, makes it feel less strict.

Low spend feb I have to book a hotel for a family celebration, cost are funded in a sinkingfund.

Attitude is everything. I am content in what I have. So buying new things are not a temptation to me. Before my divorce I would stress shop the fabric store. So now all I have to buy is thread. LOL. Going to retire in a year or so and I have my habit fully funded!!!!!!!!!!!

I did low spend all last year and will do again until I accomplish what I need to. I did no spend this month. I did buy some gifts for Christmas but did not go overboard

I am planning to continue to no spend…to be sure to budget and stay with the budget.

I’ve stayed with it so far as not needed purchases. I’ve gone over budget because I’ve taken advantage of some of the super sale prices on foods we normally use. But to answer your question, I definitely plan to stick with it. I received an extra $54, it was transferred immediately to my No Spend bank account.

I’ve been saving soo much freakin money since I started watching your vids in dec2023! Your KZfaq page is abundantly informative can’t thank you enough for the vids you create

NO! I actually started a no spend on October 1st. I messed up on October 5th but have had no problem since then. Plan on continuing the no spend for the rest of 2024.

31 December I Said I will go a year without spending money on takeouts but I didn’t know how hard It would turn out to be omg. I have allready broke that challenge 😂 so I will start No spend month and not focus In one year becouse It’s first time trying no spend year It’s better go step by step like focus on one month

No spend January has been easy for me. Of course had to spend a little but eating what I have on hand and spending very little on food. But I had an unexpected, necessary expense come up and had the money to take care of it with no sweat. What a blessing. 😊

We are doing a no spend three months to pay for our college freshman’s college cost so she doesn’t finish the year with a balance. Love your videos and I wouldn’t have thought to pay for school this way without your advice. We definitely don’t need more stuff and no vacations until June anyway and it’s not an expensive trip.

I am continuing my no spend into February. I have a list of 10 things I have an abundance of and do not need more of. I will be purchasing necessary consumables as needed.

I’m trying to stop spending on things that I don’t need. I have so much “stuff” that I bought because I thought I needed it and now it’s just sitting in a pile in my home. I have some repairs that need to be done on my house so that is going to be my focus this year. So I’m going to continue with no spend the rest of the year.

I did have set backs challenges my reflection on this no spend is remove yourself from triggers to spend and stress

We need a roof 😫

Ive done extra work, low spend jan and cleared our car payments completely. Next to the mortgage, 2 yrs 9 months and counting!

Omg that was the cutest intro! Loved it 😍🎶

Layoffs are happening at my large company right now and supposedly all year long. I believe my job is safe, but will continue this year as a low-spend year. I feel for those who have already been laid off, as this is not a good job market (as the powers that be would want you to believe).

My son's birthday is on February 2nd, too.go, Groundhogs 🎉

I have a couple of packages to get sent out and a couple of organizational items, but other than those things, I will be doing a low spend year. I want to really get focused on paying off my debt BEFORE 3 years (2027).

Don’t forget valentine day coming up for feb budgeting!

I bought a $16 wedding gift for a coworker & a $52 Giants collectible so I failed but not tremendously. Live edit: you're an Aquarius?! No wonder I was drawn to these vids.

Keeping the no spend months going to April 😊😊

Boy did I realize I’m an emotional shopper. I was so committed to a no spend. And then I bought two pairs of shoes because I was just so happy. Back on track for me. My strategy is still a no spend…. Oh, and no shoes. I have several :)

Good morning happy frugal Friday 😊

Going to keep doing no-spend until my vet bills are all paid, probably until April. But I'm finding that I don't miss spending money on things. 🤷

I’m going to create a wish list and put anything I want from Amazon in the basket and click on the save for later and wait. I’ve found this month that after time I don’t need that thing and am relieved I didn’t spend on it. PS can anyone tell me where do I find the community posts? I can’t see them on my mobile. Thank you x

Good morning from the UK everyone

I plan to use all the items that I already bought especially clothes bags and shoes and tied my hands on spending at all in 2024.

January was more of a low spend… we spent as little as possible on everything else… so that we could cash flow our flights and tickets to Disney. Goal met! February will be similar, minimal spend to save up for hotel and spending money while at Disney. 🥰

Kate, my birthday is the 1st!!! Yay for us February babies

I'm going to try again at no spend in march. January was not great with my health and so that's been stressful, so we need to cut ourselves some slack, also we're going on a holiday towards end of February, so trying again in February won't work. But I do want to do it again.

I have done the no spend January and loved it. I did choose to treat 2 meals to a friend, took food to her house. This felt like a blessing that I had margin in my spending to look after some one else. I too have started a list on things I might want to buy and I will see if they still are a value to me in the next few weeks. Love your show!

I will continue in February. I did overspend in December so no spending in January made it correct again but didn’t give me money to save. So February is going to be the month to start the saving. And I did set a goal for savings this year so I will have to keep the buying as low as possible.

January was quiet Oke but have to continue untill end of the year due to renovation. But upstairs is getting finished next week so it is worth it.

February is my stock up, for a year💕

This month has been extra spending but it wasnt on frivolous stuff. I bought insulated curtains for the doors (my house was built in the early 1800s so drafty). They were on sale for $27 from $50 and i am trying to get the electric bill down (it was $800 this month. 😳). Our mixer died and i needed a new one because we were committed to grind meat for rhe fire department. So while we spent more than we intended, we didnt spend on extra stuff. Otherwise, i think we are doing alright, but not as good as i hoped.

planning on a no spend Feb...Jan was a huge success so I am carrying on

No spend January and 12 Week year paused for me on January 13th when I had to take my son (wife was out of town for work) to emergency room. Two surgeries and 14 (and counting) days in hospital threw me into survival mode. Not giving up just paused.

We fudged a bit eating out because of scheduling but cut that amount in half so we are doing no spend on eating out for February. We did really good on boot buying items we didn’t need and started a wish list. On a very tight budget we did save a couple of hundred dollars and it feels great! ❤

I plan on creating a zero based budget BUT budgeting for the unplanned (separate from my emergency savings). My kiddo is very busy with extracurriculars (dance/baseball) and little things pop up all the time. I don’t want to feel guilty or worried about spending when the unexpected happens so if I have an “unplanned” line item the spending won’t be an issue. The money is already there.

This is the hard week for me!

I am literally addicted to Amazon shopping sooooo, in Jan I deleted the Amazon app from my phone. I have not ordered anything from Amazon since snd surprisingly have not missed it and I’m on budget for a change. So going forward I will continue to be mindful of my spending and fo a low spend Feb but I believe I will not reinstall the Amazon app on my phone in order to avoid temptation

Great video! You are the best cheerleader! I’m going to reflect and glean much from this month. Learning weaknesses will help to flip them to strengths! Thank you, Kate!

No I will try to continue

I'm not skinny but have lost 24lbs in the last 2 months. Probably the cancer because I can't eat. Goes with the territory. But I'm not spending on much anyway. I send money to an inmate in Texas. 50$ a month. He has no one, his people are all gone, his daughter is sick with MS and can't help. Without that 50 bucks he be much worst off than he already is. Life sentence unfortunately, but a life sentence isn't always forever in Texas. He's been in 27 years already but could be out in 3 perhaps. This is the only frivolous spending I'm doing. I'm not going to need it anyway 👍👍👍

I’m doing a no/low spend February.

I've decided to do a no spend lifestyle. If it's not a need,not in the budget, it's simply not happening. We don't have room for clutter,we can't afford to waste money on garbage,so no. It's being stopped at the source. As you know,my birthday is coming up,and I am not going to celebrate. We didn't do Christmas, either. As I said,not in the budget,not going to happen.

All month long, I've been ill with one thing after another. It's given me lots of time to reflect on our spending. It's meant supplies have been being run down. Hopefully I'm finally getting well again, and then it's bulk buying of stuff we actually use, so going into grocery stores less often, and that means less times of being tempted to deviate from the list.

I'll review what I did on my No Spend January...what worked and what didn't work. So far, I did very well, I did get a savings started, I got started on organizing, donating (no cost only time) and seeing what I have (my sewing and clothing) so I don't buy again/duplicate items because sometimes I can not find exactly what I am looking for and purchase it again. I did fall off the new spend wagon with 2 birthdays in January (not unexpected birthday but not planned for). Also, an unexpected email offer from the company I bought a "used" laptop computer in December, they company I bought it from (and trust) offered a 2 year extended warranty. For me, this brings me peace of mind for my computer for the next 2 years. I appreciate how well my No Spend January went! Thank you Kate!

My alternative to shopping this month was: 1. Terrible snow storm, no water, electricity, wifi, internet. 2. Even if I could get out, there is nothing to buy in this poverty stricken town 3. I'm not an internet shopper since I'm a baby bomber. So, there you go 😅😅😅 ps I am afraid what will happen when the weather clears up 😅😅

Just a thought: I volunteer at an animal shelter. They are always in need of fostering. The one I’m at supplies everything. Food, vet visits, ect…

No spend January went well! But today I came home from work to a broken water heater that has to be replaced. I have the cash for it, but an inconvenience!! So I’ll probably do no spend Feb also. Doing no spend Jan got me in the right mindset. I’m better in sprints also 😊

I will continue to budget as I did before No Spend January. However, I will stick to my budget more than I did before. If it's not in the budget, then it's not a need.

I also made a list of items that I divided up by needs, wants which really caused me to evaluate what was actually a need. My needs were even divided up by need, need-but not right now. That helped.

I was talking to my grandma last week about the no spend/low spend January. She was first worried that I was having money issues. I told her I redo my budget every so often and pay attention to where my money is going. That I have full freezers and pantry. So was working on using stuff up. I will be continuing in Feb, probably March. The money I saved, I applied to knocking down debt. She was a single mom. She took care of herself and her family on a waitress paycheck. She has always been frugal. We've talked about how I want to payoff my debt. Which is mostly my house and a car. After I get the car paid off I'm going to apply more to my retirement. (I have work matching up to 5% . Plus I have more going in.) Like you I started later in getting my retirement started. She's very supportive and always great to talk to about stuff like this.❤

I have been successful in no spend January so far, not even groceriesa as I'm a prepper and have a huge upright freezer full of fresh Veggies and fruits and meat,a huge pantry so I'm going to continue with no spend February for the most part as I have to replenish my fur babies supplies food, snacks, litter it's not been that hard for me also haven't driven in a month as my friends pick me up for church. Been great doing this

In Spain,January is still a difficult as far as spending, but I pulled my horses and I did my best.Thanks for your cheering Up!! Lots of love🥰

Hi Kate, hugs to Kaden. Great video! In spite of some hiccoughs, this month has gone well. So well in fact that I think I am going to continue my no spend, pantry challenge and no alcohol into February! It might have something to do with the 119 extra hours I have put in at work this month, (on top of my regular 40 a week), so I don't have time to spend money. I cancelled Prime, and took amazon off my computer. I will shop locally if i really need something. Not one restaurant meal this month and no takeout. Low low grocery bills. Yay, so far it's a WIN!

Would you do one on people like myself who lives in an apartment about budgeting? I’m good about budgeting. and I don’t have any intentions of buying a house , I’m retiring this year. and I’ve been preparing for this for a while, so I’m doing all I can do with my retirement, but I’m always willing to do more, learn more. Because some of us will never own a house, everyone of you are always talking about buying a house. what about us.

Just wanted to say thank you for all your encouragement on this no spend month my endeavor is to spend only for what is needed after the no spend January.

I’m like Angie - as long as I’m not spending, it’s easy to just keep not spending. I do have a list so that I can mindfully shop for specific needed things but not be in a rush about it. I have historically been pretty bad at sticking to my budget but no spend made my budget work!

Kate… I’m loving the nails 💅 ❤

I'm doing a no spend February and March as well, with exceptions. I'm helping my mom fix her house after renters destroyed it

My low spend was doing great until I helped a family member taking their pet to the vets. I don’t regret it but will have to get creative on how to pay the cc bill.

Pre Happy birthday. Whats your go to cake. My birthday cake is Carrot cake without the frosting

Thanks Kate always, #Ksquad !

I did no spend but ended up using most of my emergency fund to replace a falling down fence. I started this fund when I came to your channel and you were emphasizing it. Between having the money and knowing I wasn't throwing extra money away, my anxiety level has been practically nil. Now to rebuild the ER fund back up... Which I now know I can do. Thx Kate

Im not doing a no Soend year....I think i can do it....I want to save all my MOLLA!! Even for the rest of the year....😊😊😊

My daughter has a birthday coming up in February. With an adult daughter, I am going to make her a box of cleaning supplies that I know she will use and be thankful she doesn’t have to spend her money. I think it is a good idea to do, but we will see what she thinks. I will continue but do a low spend. If I don’t handle that well, I will go back to no spend come March.

Thursday, Jan 25th, is my day off. I felt like having tea instead of going to Tim's or Stars. I came home and made my own. I have not used my credit card all month even though I've been tempted. I decided not to buy a couch because I really never use it much anyway. I didn’t eat all month. I did a 10% put away from pay, but I also devised my plan with putting more away since last setptember, and it's been working. So, I also found a few meals to make. For a few days, while I worked, I typed out the recipe and made a grocery list at the end of it, and it's worked. Keep me on track.

No Spend January was successful beyond my expectations. I had enough to completely pay off a credit card balance for the month. So glad I passed up buying new sleepwear!! Easing off a January No Spend is a very good idea. I will try the list idea and a new budget.

Hello I am ending January by saving most of my last paycheck. .

Good morning and Happy Friday😊

I saved $1000 in January went straight into savings in February it's low spend but I buy coffee ball of wool peace cake or lunch with my adult daughter when she goes to rehab

So on Saturday 1.27.24 I totaled all of my shopping expenses. Groceries weren’t too bad and I only bought what was on my shopping list but since I haven’t really kept track of it before, I felt like I had overspent. My sweet husband thought I did amazing since I was only shopping one day a week. So he is all in for another month of No Spend February and we’re going to see if we can cut the grocery bill even further. We definitely saved money not buying online and in other areas too so it was a total Win Win. I actually journaled my grocery items every week so at the end of the month I knew exactly what I bought versus just what I spent. Love your channel and your sweet upbeat personality!!! Thank you!!! Kim

Great video Kate!! Sher.

I had a low spend january and I want to have a low spend february too Maybe in march I will buy some extra clothes for spring ✌️