It sounds a little like Dry July meets Covid Lockdown. A month where you cut out all non-essential spending on things such as alcohol, haircuts and entertainment, with the aim of saving money and perhaps kickstarting better long-term budget habits.
The No Spend September challenge isn’t entirely new, but it’s taken off in the past couple of years thanks to thousands of advocates on TikTok and Instagram.
“If your bank account is screaming for a break from the damage done this summer, take this as a sign to join my frugal but still chic No Spend September,” says one American TikTokker before going on to outline his five “rules” that include a $100 dining-out budget for the month and spending “zero dollars” on ride-share services Uber and Lyft.
Australian influencer Lou Gibson – AKA “That Money Mum” – describes the challenge as “the ultimate dopamine reset”.
“The goal? To save money and also realise how much we already have,” says Gibson, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram.
This year Gibson is undertaking No Spend September for two weeks. Her self-imposed rules involve cancelling subscriptions, using cash for grocery shopping, tracking spending every day, and cutting all discretionary spending – including on coffees and takeaway food. She is also undertaking to “do something fun and free daily”.
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Most followers of the trend have similar goals, although a few get more specific. “No McDonald’s Diet Coke”, states one, while another pledges “no ‘window shopping’ on Amazon and other sites”.
Emma Edwards, host of The Broke Generation podcast and author of Good With Money, suggests that No Spend September and other #nospend trends can make people more aware of their spending and potentially change their habits.
“It’s really easy nowadays to get stuck in cycles of convenience spending, overwhelm spending, or doom/dopamine spending,” Edwards told the ABC.
The list of things that it is considered acceptable to spend money on while doing the challenge includes rent, power, groceries, medicine and – thankfully – toilet paper.
Speaking to American business news channel CNBC last September, financial planner Stacy Francis agreed that a no-spend period could increase “conscientiousness in spending”.
“For the vast majority of us, we fritter money away every single day, from a $6 latte to a $12 salad,” said Francis. “These are all things we can not do for a little bit of time.”
She suggests starting small, perhaps with a No Spend Week, and setting both short and long-term goals.
@francisshad.co 5 rules for my No Spend September! Frugal but still chic ✨💸 follow to keep up with the journey #NoSpendSeptember #FrugalLiving2025 #MoneyDiaries #budgeting #finance ♬ original sound – Francis Shad
Many No Spend September advocates also offer their own advice for sticking to your rules, such as downloading an app to help track your spending, avoiding temptation by leaving your credit card at home and turning off your digital wallet when you go out, and taking an inventory of your wardrobe and pantry as an alternative to buying new clothes and more food.
Ideas for free activities to fill the void range from the sensible – visit the library, declutter your home, go for a walk in a local park, take lunch to work – to the oddly specific: “Pick conkers, acorns and pinecones and use them in crafts and décor”.
Website The Penny Hoarder also advises letting family and friends know if you’re doing a No Spend challenge – which is probably a good idea if you don’t want them to think you’ve suddenly turned into a hermit or Ebenezer Scrooge
Francis says that one advantage of jumping on board the September trend is that the sense of community around it can be inspiring and motivating. But she also warns not to go too far:
“Depriving yourself for long periods of time can create a boomerang effect of spending.”
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