How To Do A No-Spend Month In College, According to TikTok
Growing up is tough, especially when you first leave the nest and are responsible for all of your own finances. Now you have to watch how much you spend on food, clothes and fun nights out with your best friends. College brings its own new set of academic and social challenges, but it’s a great place to learn how to manage your life and money before heading out into the real world after graduation. Sometimes you might overspend on late-night food deliveries or overspend to pay for those irresistible concert tickets, but it’s not the end of the world. If you want to learn how to practice careful budgeting and start a fresh financial start, here’s how to spend a month in college with no expenses using TikTok tips from students who’ve tried it.
If your savings account needs a pick-me-up before the end of the year, or you just want to organize your cash flow, setting a fixed period of time to regulate your usual spending can help you develop disciplined habits that will help you in the future. Tuition fees are expensive, not to mention board and lodging fees, expensive textbooks and sorority fees if you live Greek life. So it’s a good idea to create a money plan and learn to be wise with discounts and freebies around campus. Here’s how to start a month without spending, according to college students and money coaches on TikTok.
What is the No Spend Month Challenge?
A month without spending doesn’t mean you don’t pay for a whole month, because that’s not a realistic goal. It just means you cut unnecessary spending habits and find cheaper or free alternatives for recreational or impulse spending. For example, instead of stopping by Starbucks every morning for an expensive gourmet latte, which can add up very quickly, you can make a goal of making your coffee at home. It’s about swapping costly routines for intentional spending decisions and leveraging tools you already have. “I think it’s good at identifying bad spending habits and it’s a good detox as well,” TikToker @polishedplanning posted in a video, comparing her no-spending experience to a food detox that leaves a clean slate for healthier ones creates decisions. At the end of the month, you can reflect on the challenges you’ve encountered, decide what healthy habits you want to adopt long-term, and end up proud of the money you’ve saved.
No spending month rules
It’s your hard-earned money, so make your own rules about where it goes. But you can draw on the shared experiences of others to set your guidelines for the month. On TikTok, Money Coach @thesavvysagittarius shared in a video that she doesn’t count bills, gas, groceries and essential living expenses in her no-spend month tracker. After all, you shouldn’t be prepared for struggle or failure here. She also makes exceptions for well-known expenses like upcoming holidays, meaning you can still buy your bestie a present for her upcoming birthday. It also allows for spending that goes towards your education or business, as these are investments that will pay off in the future.
TikTok user @madsashlee tackled her self-confessed “spending problem” this summer, also making exceptions for monthly subscriptions (but be sure to cancel any unused ones), medical expenses, and allowing one social event per week to have a friend over lunch or meet at the cinema. In her rules, she recognizes her weaknesses, like social shopping or pre-emptively replacing products that are running out, and makes it her mission to stop doing so. You can also locate your own counterproductive purchases and add them to your “not allowed” list.
Templates for months with no expenses
You can start by simply making a list of your allowable payments and taboo expenses before the start of the month. The key to this challenge is to compare your needs with your wants. There are also no spend month templates that you can find online to help organize where you want to spend your money. @thesavvysagittarius swears by a template no-spend calendar for tracking daily spend and outlining goals, no-spend exceptions, new habits to incorporate, and one final treat to look forward to. If you want to see all your numbers, create your own spreadsheet like @debbbag for a super comprehensive view of your budgeting. Their method uses a google form to easily log your payments with all your financial details to reflect on the go. You can also just opt for a bulleted list in your notes app like @caggiebaby to keep your spending history handy.
When you sit down to set your rules for the month, you can also write down anything you want to buy but know it’s not urgent or important, as @mrsjohnson1632 shows in a TikTok. The point is to give yourself the opportunity to decide if an item on the wish list is really worth the money, or to find it later on sale or second hand.
You should also be prepared to spare yourself if you actually have a lot of money to spend on mandatory payments. Graduate student @emilysdailydiaries on TikTok decided to challenge herself to a no-spend to see if she could cut down on her expenses and understand how much she can really shell out in a month, although she doesn’t consider herself a big spender. She finally paid her car and phone bills as well as parking fees on her first day and an indulgent $7 coffee that made her over $300. But on day two, she balances those payments by spending a total of $0.
Tips to increase your spending
No-Spend Month Groceries & Necessities
Even if you have a meal plan on campus, it probably doesn’t cover every single meal you eat in a day. They can also be expensive, and preparing food at home can save you a lot of dough. Student creator @sophlaws0n saves money on essential groceries by choosing the cheapest grocery store in her college town and signing up for a loyalty rewards card so she doesn’t miss a deal. She says your grocery list should also be limited to essentials, and avoid extra drinks and snacks that don’t nourish your body. If you end up buying more groceries than you can realistically use in a week, e.g. B. Products that spoil quickly, throw as much as possible in the freezer to eat when you’re ready.
@nataleemiaa, a college commuter, documented a full month of daily limited spending on her TikTok page. In her day one video, she shared her goals of cutting back on extra spending on food and clothing. With busy college days, she has made sure to have breakfast at home and pack her lunches with groceries from her kitchen. She also grabbed free snacks at her college’s student center and then made dinner at home. Natalee didn’t have to jeopardize her weekly Starbucks date with her friend because instead of paying full price for her Venti drink, she used her rewards points to buy it for free. During the month, she also used accumulated DoorDash credits to cover the entire cost of a takeout meal.
During the challenge, Natalee told her followers, “Ultimately, you shouldn’t feel drained when it comes to this type of non-spending because it’s meant to do you more good than harm.” Completing a no-spending challenge can also draw attention Direct triggers for spending. In a TikTok video, she said she often turns to retail therapy to help cope with bad moods or seasonal depression. But with that awareness, she was able to take it easy during the month and find other mood lifts, like hanging out with her friends.
Shopping, leisure and transportation
A tight budget shouldn’t stop you from having fun, and it will actually help you feel less guilty knowing you can afford a treat like a more expensive pair of shoes or a weekend getaway with your friends. These costs should be incurred after All your necessities are paid for, and you should still look for smart offers to stay on top of your financial plans.
If you and your friends love going to the movies, you can sign up for a theater membership, which offers discounted nights throughout the week, like AMC Stubs, which drops admission to just $5 on Tuesdays. If you and your friend want to enjoy a fine dining treat, choose a restaurant that serves large portions so you can split a dish and cut the bill in half. Also, public transportation is always a lot cheaper than ordering an Uber or even paying for gas. So look at the transit system in your college town or city and find your preferred routes. There’s also endless creative fun you can have on campus for free. You can host a movie marathon or a potluck dinner party in your dorm room, or bring your speaker to throw a dance party on the quad bike. If you’re craving new clothes, consider setting up a clothes swap on campus to swap with other students.
It’s important to curb temptations that you know aren’t aligned with your goals, such as Instead of making impulse purchases online, she instead only orders items with the curbside pickup option, which is less convenient and therefore less enticing. She recommends unsubscribing from branded emails that tempt you with new releases or special offers, and found that when she cancels monthly subscriptions, she often offers her a lower price instead.
Now that you have all the tools and tips to get you started, decide when to start your spending-free month. You might want to devote the fall to saving before the holiday season approaches, or you could try the challenge for a week or weekend and see how far you can last afterward. Eventually, you will discover your spending impulses and better understand your money personality type. Most importantly, you probably have a large savings pot to use for a targeted and indulgent reward.