Whoop, whoop one month in to 2020 and one item ticked off. It was nearly two after I ran a really good parkrun just 3 seconds away from my PB, another goal for this year.

This was a good goal to start the year with, a no spend month. I didn’t find it as challenging as I though I would, although January is not known as a particularly expensive month. It might be more difficult in a different month. The month did show how I respond to ads on social media and email campaigns. A few clicks and you find yourself liking something that you didn’t know you needed! I also am lured in by special offers and discounts.

For clothes shopping I do try to shop mindfully and normally browse online to create a new seasonal look before purchasing. This means that I tend to buy more in one go so a no clothes month is not unusual for me. I probably only buy clothes a few times a year and top up the basics as needed. I bought no basics or clothes this month.

The biggest challenge was items for the home. The shops had lots of ideas for organising and sorting, just my sort of thing. I’m also very fond of home furnishings and with the house looking a little bare after Christmas it was so tempting to buy a few new cushions and nicnacs. However I resisted and at the end of the month I am not rushing back to a shop because I loved an item I couldn’t buy. Another challenge was to be very careful not to buy stationery, another of my guilty spending pleasures.

I liked that the month started in a more mindful way, whilst there was a financial boost, the biggest attraction was a simpler lifestyle.

So that’s one down, 19 to go …