Have you ever heard of the no-spend chalenge? It’s a preferred idea amongst budget-minded and minimalist bloggers who encourage us to avoid wasting extra and declutter our lives. The concept is easy: cease spending on non-essentials for a set interval and see how a lot it can save you. The extra you save (and make investments), the earlier you may obtain monetary freedom.
For probably the most half, I haven’t wanted to attempt it. I don’t purchase a lot other than athletic gear that wears out each 6–12 months since I play a whole lot of tennis and pickleball. The final time I purchased a pair of denims was over a decade in the past, and I can’t even keep in mind the final time I purchased a gown shirt.
Since 1999, I’ve averaged a ~50% saving fee. Throughout my remaining yr of full-time work, I pushed it to 80% to arrange for my exit. So whereas I’ve at all times been frugal, I’ve by no means finished a proper no-spend problem.
But when there have been ever a time to attempt one, that point is now.
Let’s Give the No-Spend Problem a Go
Listed below are some compelling causes to participate:
- Inflation expectations are rising, that means items and companies will doubtless maintain getting costlier. Adjusting now helps you adapt.
- There’s a ~30% likelihood of recession or stagflation over the following 12 months as a result of ongoing commerce tensions and geopolitical uncertainty. Because of this, you can get laid off and wrestle to search out work for an prolonged time period.
- The inventory market is priced at ~22X ahead earnings, which makes it weak to a different correction. Holding extra cash provides you choices.
- You could have missed shopping for the dip. Saving now provides you an opportunity to be prepared for the following one.
- You’re underinvesting in your kids’s monetary future. A no-spend month can assist redirect funds to Roth IRAs, custodial accounts, or 529 plans.
- You are working to change into a rich Financial institution of Mother and Dad, giving your kids a stronger launchpad for the longer term.
- Your native housing market is slowing, with overbuilding and persistently excessive mortgage charges. Develop your down fee to reap the benefits of higher offers.
- You may be dwelling paycheck to paycheck as a result of latest way of life inflation or a big-ticket buy. A spending reset helps rebuild your liquidity.

Extra Causes to Attempt a No-Spend Problem
If the above sensible causes aren’t adequate that will help you curb spending, listed here are another causes value contemplating.
- Check your monetary resilience earlier than life forces you to.
- Strengthen your cash self-discipline. It’s a muscle. The extra you flex it, the stronger it will get.
- Reset your baseline for happiness. You could understand you don’t miss spending almost as a lot as you thought.
- Cut back resolution fatigue by eliminating what to purchase — and focus power elsewhere.
- See in the event you actually must earn as a lot as you do. Once I left work in 2012, I made ~80% much less for the primary two years (excluding my severance package deal, which I invested 100%). However as a result of I had been saving 70%–80% of my revenue for years, my way of life wasn’t impacted. Actually, it dramatically improved. I felt freer, much less pressured, and had time to mentally and bodily heal.
Problem Length: Minimal 3 Months
Anybody can do one thing troublesome for every week. However to essentially change habits, a problem must final at the least three months – lengthy sufficient to kind new habits and make significant progress.
Right here’s what I’m reducing out for at the least three months:
- Cheeseburgers, potato chips, French onion dip, sweet
- Tennis sneakers so I can lastly undergo my stock
- Haircuts (I’ll use clippers and do it myself)
- Flights nicer than Financial system
- Funds-busting trip leases
- Electronics (laptop computer, telephone, earbuds, video games)
- Family labor for major residence or leases (gardening, cleansing, and so forth.)
- In-game purchases, e.g. Pokémon Go cash
After all, I’ll nonetheless spend on requirements: shelter, insurance coverage (well being, life, property, auto, umbrella), grade faculty tuition, and primary meals. I may also spend what’s essential to make my mother or father’s ADU unit inhabitable once more, reminiscent of shopping for a brand new fridge and vary.
Nevertheless, the additional financial savings will go straight into shares, Treasury bonds, non-public actual property, and enterprise capital. My purpose is to scale back discretionary spending by at the least $1,500 a month, or $4,500 throughout this problem.
With AI innovation choosing up pace once more, I wish to make investments as a lot as attainable now. One of many best methods I’m doing that is by means of Fundrise Enterprise, which has publicity to top-tier AI firms like OpenAI, Anthropic, Databricks, Anduril, and extra.

If You’re Saving Much less Than 20% Of Your Earnings…
You’ve obtained an enormous alternative.
To construct monetary freedom quicker, intention to max out your tax-advantaged retirement accounts and save an further 20% or extra. Should you earn underneath $100,000 a yr, that may really feel tight, however attempt it. You could shock your self with how little you really want.
Should you’re already saving 20%, problem your self to bump it to 25%–30% throughout this no-spend interval. Saving that a lot means yearly you’re employed and save may purchase you 3–4 years of freedom sooner or later.
Financial savings Fee Chart For Monetary Freedom
To encourage you to avoid wasting extra, try this monetary freedom financial savings fee chart. Simply bumping up your financial savings fee by 5% can shave years off your working life.
Should you can push your saving fee to 50% or extra, you can retire inside 20 years of beginning your profession, and possibly even inside 10 years from at this time. My chart would not embody potential funding returns, which accelerates your path to monetary freedom.

Consider me, you’ll adapt rapidly to dwelling on much less. Don’t be afraid to spend much less now in alternate for freedom later. Reaching monetary independence requires robust selections, however when you make them and look again, they gained’t really feel so robust in spite of everything.
Once I look again at my web value development, I’m usually stunned by how a lot it’s grown after a number of years of sturdy funding returns. It would not appear actual, and I find yourself double checking the figures quite a bit. You may be simply as amazed by how powerfully your web value can compound over time.
If You Wish to Cheat on the No-Spend Problem
There’s a loophole, however provided that you earn it. Should you simply can’t resist spending on one thing non-essential, you’re allowed to cheat solely in the event you generate further revenue by means of a facet hustle or a wise new funding.
For instance, if I wish to splurge on first-class tickets to Honolulu, I’d must earn an additional $1,200 per individual, maybe by means of private finance consulting or educating tennis. By coupling the problem with incomes, I’ll at all times be conscious of whether or not the additional spending is really value it.
So, will you be a part of me? What are you prepared to chop again on?
Let’s tackle a no-spend problem and see the place it leads.
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