No Spend Challenge | I Messed Up

I think I just screwed up the No Spend Challenge. I did not think it was possible to royally screw it up until January 8, 2021. One thing I learned about myself is how easily I call it quits as soon as I make a mistake 🤦‍♀️ And just like that, on January 9, 2021, the No Spend Challenge went out the window. Like I said in my previous blog post, No Spend Challenge | January 2021, I have an All or Nothing personality which can really hinder progress and prevent me from implementing lasting habits. I know I can do better and I plan to pick up where I left off… today, anyways.

Below is the PDF sheet that I printed off and taped to my wall. Whenever I have a good day, I get a sticker. I know it sounds silly but it keeps me motivated since I like to keep the positive streak going. I am also keeping a tally at the bottom of the sheet which indicates the number of days that I cheated or unintentionally spent money:

This is how I am keeping track of No Spend January.

Hilary, How Could You?!

This No Spend Challenge was going well until I received a disturbing email on Friday, January 8, 2021. This company had no problem telling me that they charged my credit card for a another yearly subscription of $30.00 USD. In all honestly, I completely forgot that my subscription was about to expire and assumed that I already unsubscribed from this service. I know that this is my fault and nobody else’s, but I wish they had sent me an email alerting me that my subscription was about to expire. Personally, I think that auto-ship and subscription services are dangerous when forgotten about, and I honestly do not know how all of you manage to keep track of your subscriptions. I will not mention the name of this company out of all due respect. Don’t get me wrong – this subscription service is pretty good, except that I no longer need or use this service. *Sigh* I tell myself that I am more forgetful than usual due to my pregnancy brain. Update: Rebecca is getting a baby brother in May. We are Team Blue! 💙

Calling It Quits 🙅‍♀️

I felt guilty. I felt shame. I was angry at myself because I was the one to blame. I was upset because I broke the promise I made at the beginning of January 2021. So, what did Hilary do to make up for this screw-up? She dug a deeper hole on Saturday. SHE SPENT MORE MONEY! 💲💲💲

I ended up spending money on sour watermelon slices, sour neon gummy worms, and OMGs ($13), postage for the US and international stamps ($17 + $8.20). and a few other miscellaneous items that I certainly did not need ($15). Even though I continued to avoid Dollarama like the plague, as mentioned in my previous post, I ended up spending more money by avoiding Dollarama, so avoidance was clearly a dumb decision. At least I learned from these mistakes; however, I still messed up the No Spend Challenge, nonetheless. Like I tell my fellow blogging friends, I do not expect anyone to have a perfect month, and this includes myself. Like you, I am human and I make mistakes. Like you, I need to start practicing self-love and forgiveness. It is okay to mess up, and the important thing is that we pick up where we left off. 🙏💕

Thanks for stopping by!

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Published by Hilary Tan

I am currently in the process of finding my inner goddess as I search for inner peace, find mental clarity, develop mental toughness, and crush goals. Come join me on this journey so we can live our best lives!

70 thoughts on “No Spend Challenge | I Messed Up”

  2. Shelly DS says:

    You still have more than half a month left, don’t stop. Just get back on the train and start afresh. It really doesn’t make sense to give up because of a slip up. We can blame it on the baby boy for now 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Poor baby boy is getting the blame already😂 When I was pregnant with my daughter, I forgot my debit card at MCDs and left it in the card machine. A kind employee stopped me before I got to my car. Pregnancy makes me so forgetful LOL 🤭

      Like

  5. Toma Ruh says:

    Don’t be harsh on yourself! ❤️ It’s good that you recognize that your all or nothing tendencies prevent you from adapting new habits. I think most of us have a little bit of a fall back when we start something new and that’s okay! It’s good to be kind to yourself and continue even though some mistakes were made. Congrats on your baby! 💕

    Liked by 2 people

  7. 50shad3s0fjay says:

    You didn’t fail!! You are doing your best! ❤️❤️ congratulations on the baby boy 😍😍 so exciting! Also I totally agree with you actually, there should be a reminder about subscriptions and notifications when your free trial runs out!! I often get free trials to cancel before the free trial ends so I don’t get charged – and I’ve definitely been caught out before! A reminder is necessary! Xxx

    Liked by 3 people

  8. winteroseca says:

    First of all, congratulations!! How very exciting! 😍 Second of all, it’s an easy mistake to make to not realize you hadn’t cancelled something. Convenience culture definitely has its downsides and spending more money is one of them! Heck, I just gave up on using Instacart recently because it’s cheaper to go through the stores themselves if you need a grocery order!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Yeah, never will I ever use Instacart. Even if we are in the middle of a pandemic or we can’t leave our houses or we cannot drive or walk to the grocery stores, I still refuse to use Instacart because of the price hikes. Same reason I refuse to use Skip the Dishes. 😅😆

      Liked by 1 person

  10. susankgray says:

    Great post! I loved your self-affirming confession of my sort of spending, and the chart you made looks perfect with the stickers! Congratulations, mainly though, because baby boys are so cute! Many fine days ahead, and please stay blessed with your pleasant affect that will get you through, spending or no spending. 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Thank you, Susan. 🙂 I admit that I felt vulnerable writing this post, because I had to face these things straight-on. Being able to share this journey (the good, the bad, and the ugly) was necessary for personal growth, and I didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have on others. Thank you – the stickers came from Dollarama! I’ve had them for a while now, and figured that now is the perfect time to use them! ❤ Depending on how January goes, I might continue tracking my spending throughout the month of February.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      It takes a lot of mental energy to not spend money in the beginning, but it does get easier with time You would be surprised what already have laying around your house. It’s easy to forget about things that we already bought. For example, I forgot I had an entire, never-been-opened tube of toothpaste so I really have no need to buy more. Thank you for reading! 😄

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Thank you for your well wishes, Jenny! 😇 It’s crazy to think that we are already 1/3 of the way through January. Making mistakes has definitely made me more mindful and aware of my surroundings 🧘‍♀️🌱

      Like

  16. Minimalism In Singapore says:

    Yeah it’s an honest slip up! My partner was also charged EXTRA even though he MANUALLY stopped his subscription but they charged him an extra month – so sh*t happens. I’m sure you’re pretty frugal already so you’re well on the way to saving more $$! (:

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Thank you for your encouragement! 🤗 I still counted it as a slip-up and it’s made me more mindful of our other expenses. I’m what you would call a frugal Millennial, and once I start working I hope that this habit continues. Honestly, we wouldn’t have been so fortunate if we weren’t a frugal family. I’m super lucky to be living debt-free, 2 degrees later! ☺️💕

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how a print-out can be implemented in real life, so I figured I would share a photo ☺️ I’m a visual learner and find that it’s helpful taping print-outs and sticky notes to my wall. A game changer, really! 🙌

      Thank you for your well wishes, Amy! I’m currently 20 weeks and feeling massive right now. The candy cravings didn’t go away and I really want to buy more candy 🍉🍉

      Liked by 1 person

      • amymayj says:

        Bless you! Well, if that’s what baby’s craving I vote you should go with! 🙊 Sorry I’m a bad influence! 🤣
        But yes I am exactly the same, I find if I have a physical copy of something I tend to make better use of it and pay attention to it! xx

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Karalee says:

    Congratulations on your baby boy!

    Even though you forgot about unsubscribing from the subscription & you bought a few unnecessary things, it’s okay! You’ve been doing a great job so far & you can try your best for the rest of the month!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Thank you for your well wishes, Karalee! 😇 I’m probably going to end up buying more watermelon slices tomorrow or later this week. The candy didn’t last long in this house. As for the refund, the company offered to refund me 50% of what I paid and they let me keep the yearly subscription. Like my mom says, “Those who don’t ask, don’t get.”

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Yesterday and today I had bills to pay. I debated whether to include these expenses, because they are technically essential. However, these expenses are >$1200 so my bank account is taking a hit. It is hard deciding what to include and what not to include, especially when I have so many expenses this month.

      Thank you so much! I am currently 21 weeks 🙂 My 4-year old still hasn’t accepted the fact that she is getting a brother yet lol

      Liked by 1 person

      • bournemouthgirl says:

        Woah! That is a huge hit to your bank account. I definitely would class them as essential. As that’s what bills are for sure. Definitely just start again because you will still save more than if you were not doing this challenge.

        Congratulations! Such a lovely piece of news that is exciting and positive. Oh bless, plenty of time for them to get used to a brother ☺️

        Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      There are definitely advantages to having an All or Nothing Personality, such as being able to ruthlessly let go of things that are no longer serving us – thank you for bringing light to this! 😊 Tbh I often see the negative in everything before I see the positive, so this is something that I need to work on. 🙇‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Hi Miamii! Tbh I had no idea that this blog post would resonate with so many people. I plan to write more blog posts like this in the future! 😄

      Ah, I also used to be a shopaholic back in the day because I was lonely. I would collect things because stuff brought me comfort. I am sorry that you had to deal with depression. Depression sucks, and I totally understand how it can trigger someone to buy all the things. My nickname for a spending spree was “Shopping therapy.” Stay strong, my friend! 🙏💕

      Liked by 1 person

      • Miamii Mansour says:

        Hi Hilary! That’s awesome, I love it when that happens. It honestly makes you realise you’re not alone at all. I’d be very interested to read them. Thanks!

        Ah, I know the feeling all too well. Glad you were able to combat it. Yes! I can definitely relate to the comfort feeling. Yeah, depression does suck, but as bittersweet as it is, we can’t enjoy the fully happy times without it. Having said that, I definitely wouldn’t wish it on anyone,

        Going back to the shopaholic/spending thing, after doing research on it back then, I realised it was less about “checking out” with the item/s, but just having them in the basket. That was how I cured mine! 😂 💕✨

        Liked by 1 person

  22. PoojaG says:

    Omg congratulations- that’s so exciting!

    I don’t think it’s always possible to do these kind of challenges without messing up at least a couple of times. I think the point is to try your best and learn from your mistakes. It sucks that you ended up buying some stuff but now you can try harder.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      To date, I have messed up 4 times this month. Today, I almost went out again but figured that it would be better to stay home knowing that I am easily triggered by sales. It’s funny because humans often have good intentions, but it can be the smallest things that trip us up. Awareness is the first step to changing a bad habit! 🤭

      Liked by 1 person

    • Hilary Tan says:

      I completely agree with what you said, and you summarized it so perfectly! ❤ Yes, being aware is so important when it comes to making long-lasting changes. I believe that the first step to making a lasting change (in anything) is finding a system that works for you, whether that includes a PDF tracker, a notepad, or basic pen and paper.

      Liked by 1 person

  24. crystalsandcurls says:

    Congrats on having a baby boy – that’s so exciting!!! I love the idea of a no spend month (and desperately need one after christmas). I have to admit, though, I am quite similar to you – if I fail at something even slightly, my brain goes “oh well give it up now and we can retry next month and make it PERFECT” xx

    Liked by 2 people

  27. lisasteinmetz69 says:

    This was me with the 30 day squat challenge. I hurt my back and it took me about a week until my back wasn’t hurting so I did no squats for that week. The next week I was annoyed with myself so I just didn’t finish the challenge. I’ll be picking it back up on Feb 1st though and I’m determined to finish it all the way through.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hilary Tan says:

      Hi Lisa, thank you for stopping by! I get where you are coming from and can understand the frustrations of hitting a roadblock….and ouch! That sounds really painful 😥 Keep persevering; it is never too late to pick up where you left off. I think it’s great that you have decided to pick it back up in February. Good luck! 🙌

      P.S. I tried to find your blog but the link is broken. It says that your blog is not available.

      Like

  28. Pingback: No Spend Challenge | Monthly Wrap-Up – Sereneluna
  29. Kally says:

    Congratulations!!

    Don’t beat yourself up. Anyone could have missed the subscription charge. What I normally do is to have one credit card only for subscription so I can review all my subscriptions on a monthly/ 6-monthly basis to see what subscriptions are coming up that I need to renew.

    Liked by 1 person

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