No Spend 2025

After going a bit nuts with spending money over recent years, this year I am trying a no spend challenge.

I have so much nail stuff I can’t possibly, realistically need anymore, despite any amazing offers on with my favourite brands, or Temu and Shein offering products at prices that just make sense to try and add to my house-filling collection.

I am on day 19 today, and so far, so good. I’m thinking about putting some money each month into a savings account say £10 or £20 and then I can go nuts in the Boxing day sale this year, or maybe Black Friday.

Obviously, this doesn’t apply to food, petrol and things the kids need. But ideally I’d like to be in a much better financial and mental position moving into 2026.

I definitely have a shopping addiction, and I can also see that it is very much linked to my emotional state. It is so, so lovely receiving parcels through the post. Lovely new shiny things, bright and glittery colours and chromes that prove to me that I’m worth it. I deserve nice shiny things. The thing is, they never fill the gap left by an emotionally absent parent or parents.

That message, that I don’t deserve it is ingrained into my very being. It isn’t even a conscious thought. I breathe, therefore I am not worthy. Not as worthy as anybody else. But then, when I’ve opened my shiny new things, the hunger to feel needed and loved hasn’t dissipated. It’s still there, like a little monster growling “feed me, feed me!”.

So maybe this year I’ll try and start to work on that missing piece – if it’s even possible to undo 42 years of hearing and seeing this message delivered to my subconscious by people who insisted I ought to listen to their messages and treat them with the reverence that they thought I should.

Who knows – this one could be the challenge of a lifetime.