Woman on 'no spend' year on track to save £6k by cutting out clothes shopping and expensive meals

SWNS

A woman who challenged herself to a 'no spend' year is on track on save nearly £6K by cutting out lavish clothes shopping and expensive meals out.  Chrissie Milan, 25, began to rethink what she deems as essential spending after a trip to Thailand.   On her trip, Chrissie was shocked to see the drastic difference in the cost of existing in Thailand compared with London.  So when she came back, she decided join the 'no spend year' trend .

Transcript

00:00 What if I spent nothing for the next 337 days? Would it change my life?

00:04 I challenge myself to a no spend year and the number one question I've been asked is

00:07 why on earth would I trade a life of convenience for this?

00:10 Good question.

00:12 Over the last few months something in me has been calling to a life of minimalism in some way.

00:16 I stopped going to the nail salon a few months ago, I cut down my hair appointments,

00:20 I've actively been trying to not fall into the trap of a lifestyle creep,

00:23 spending more as I earn more.

00:25 And it's only been a week but there's something really calming about not needing anything,

00:29 not impulsively buying the best or the latest and a newfound appreciation for things I already have.

00:34 As someone who could very easily spend a lot in a week,

00:38 there's been a sense of stillness in just not doing it.

00:41 Today's total spend? £1.95.

00:44 I challenge myself to a no spend year and a huge question has been well,

00:48 what about friends and birthdays and self-care?

00:50 The beauty of a no spend challenge though is you can decide what's essential to you and what's not.

00:54 For me, my Pilates classes are essential.

00:57 It's one of the things I look forward to the most in my day so I kept it as part of my essentials budget.

01:02 Birthdays, mine and my friends, are also a big deal to me so it's part of my essentials budget.

01:06 General social meetups do look different now though, I'm more creative with my plans so it's affordable

01:11 and it really helps you think outside the box of another dinner date.

01:16 A no spend challenge isn't about deprivation,

01:18 it's about getting your money priorities together and focusing on what really matters to you.

01:22 Today's total spend? £0.

01:25 I challenge myself to a no spend year and three weeks in, I noticed something major.

01:29 It taught me how to slow down.

01:31 As someone who always seemed to be in a rush and chose the fastest, usually the most expensive route,

01:36 now choosing to wait for the bus or take the long walk home isn't so bad.

01:40 I learned that there was nothing I was really rushing for, that it's okay to slow the pace down.

01:45 It's okay to spend an hour extra cooking a meal instead of waiting for an instant delivery.

01:49 It's okay to just leisurely walk home. You're not wasting time.

01:54 As a Londoner, you easily adopt the false sense of urgency around you,

01:58 but when you give yourself time to take it all in, you learn the beauty of unhurried moments.

02:03 There's been a layer of mindfulness unlocked during this challenge that I honestly did not see coming.

02:08 I was just here to save some extra coins, but frankly, I'm loving it.

02:12 Today's total spend? £0.

02:14 What if I spent nothing for the next 315 days? Would it change my life?

02:19 I challenged myself to a no spend year and week four?

02:23 It was a hot mess. After 4 lunches, 3 Ubers, 2 Amazon orders and 1 takeaway, I was so ready to give up.

02:30 It felt like one of those weeks where money just kept slipping through my fingers no matter how hard I tried.

02:35 I will say though, I'm proud of myself for not allowing the domino effect to happen,

02:39 spending more because I've already started.

02:41 I've made so many changes to my spending habits already that a few rocky days shouldn't matter

02:46 in comparison to how much I've learned.

02:48 I guess it was one of those weeks where I was reminded that sometimes life just happens.

02:52 This week's total spend £172.98.

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