My No Spend Challenge begins today, so I’m putting away my wallet – for the year. With the exception of a regular trip to the grocery store, I won’t be needing it. Our official rules for the No Spend Challenge were posted earlier; they outline the essential expenses we will be paying as well as several items in our regular budget that we are cutting out.

As our year of no spending kicks off, I am feeling the excitement and anticipation of a new opportunity. I see this as an opportunity to grow as an individual, a couple, and a family. Hopefully we will learn new lessons about living more simply and using our resources in more creative ways. We are blessed in so many ways, but I am convinced we can become better stewards of our material resources. The No Spend Challenge creates the classroom for us to learn these new lessons.

Although I am eager to get started, I am feeling a bit nervous about how we will handle the first hurdles. For instance, we will need to make a trip to the grocery store in the next day or two. According to our rules, we must make a list before shopping for food. This way we can stay on track and avoid emotional or spontaneous purchases. In order to make a useful list, we will need to plan ahead for our menu and take stock of what we already have on hand. While these are habits I used to have, when life got crazy, they faded from the routine. Putting them back into the routine will require time and thought – two things in short supply around here.

The No Spend Challenge is about more than stopping our spending, it is about creating new habits and being more intentional about the way we employ our resources. This goal has many practical implications that will change our lives. Instead of setting several New Year’s resolutions, we are sticking with this one challenge with the knowledge that it will impact every area of our lives.

~ Alyse

© Alyse Scicluna Lehrke. All rights reserved. Image credit: lusi on photo exchange