A Month Without Spending: What I Gained When I Bought Nothing but Essentials

Being more intentional with my spending shifted my whole money mindset. Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET Five days into my no-buy month, my finger hovered over the "place order" button on my Grubhub app when something inside me shifted. The pad thai I'd been craving sounded delicious but I kept thinking about what I could do with that $20. That's when I knew my budgeting experiment was working. I'd seen the no-buy challenge across my social media feeds and decided to try it. As prices continue to be ridiculously high, my money hasn't been stretching as far as it used to. Plus, with a recession on the horizon, I wanted to get in the habit of spending (and saving) more intentionally. Before embarking on the challenge, I had my doubts. Financial trends on social media can be gimmicky. But what I ended up learning about my relationship with finances was eye-opening. Dropping cash for social connection and convenience had been restricting my creativity. Being more mindful about spending money mad ... Read full article.