by Hope
Kicking off 2025 with a no spend month. This will be my first no spend month since being an empty nester. Evidently, I did a no spend January back in 2019. (See here: No Spend January – 2019 and Update on No Spend January – 2019.)
I’ve been fascinated by a slew of TikTok videos touting a no spend 2025…a year. It looks like a lot of people are struggling with finances and subsequently doing their best to button down and make better decisions. Most all have identified their own rules. And their own rewards for sticking to it. I love this on so many levels.
But I know better than to bite off more than I can chew. So I am sticking with my No Spend Month of January for now.
The Rules
Because of my “forecast” method, I know my required spend for the month.
| Utilities | $280 |
|---|---|
| Mortgage (February) | $1,015 |
| Cell Phone | $90 |
| Car Insurance | $480 |
| Credit Cards (min pymts) | $276 |
| Groceries (fresh veggies & fruits) | $40 |
| Total | $2,181 |
My goal is no deviation from this forecast for this month. No extra spending money, no eating out, and no entertainment.
Mortgage
My mortgage for January is already paid. I’ve been paying a month ahead and every month. So while I technically don’t have a mortgage payment due this month, I do want to maintain my 30 days ahead on this payment.
Groceries
I’ve given myself $10 per week for fresh veggies and fruits if needed. But I’m hoping I don’t need it. I have meal planned for the month. And don’t anticipate much activity that would require me to deviate from my plan. I also put an extra $40 for dog food should it be needed.
A Quiet but Exciting Month
Gymnast will visit Georgia this month. He will be spending a week here. And the #1 goal is to get the kids’ car titles (Gymnast and Princess) transferred to them. (This visit is only reason I anticipate needing gas; otherwise, I am not sure I would leave the house.) As I mentioned last month, he has paid off his car loan in its entirety. He now owns his car free and clear. I am so proud of him.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
