September has arrived, and I’m committing to a shopping ban for the entire month! I began what I call “No Spend September” last year, because I think it’s a great way refocus on what really matters in life, like spending time with loved ones and helping other people, so I’ve decided to bring it back!

No Spend September also coincides with my theme for this month, which is money. This means that I will be talking about ways to spend and save money in ethical and sustainable ways all month long. If you have no idea what I’m talking about in terms of monthly themes, be sure to check out this post.

For No Spend September, I’m going to follow the same basic rules as last year, which are as follows:

• I cannot buy clothes or accessories.
• I can buy food.
• I can buy consumables like deodorant and toothpaste, but only if I run out of what I have.
• I can buy tickets for events or activities and eat out in restaurants (I think it’s important to spend money on experiences, rather than material things).
• I can buy gifts for other people, but I will try to select experiential gifts rather than material ones.

You may have noticed that I do actually plan to spend money this month, but I will avoid shopping (“No Spend September” just has a better ring to it than “No Shop September,” don’t you think?). This also includes browsing for things to buy, whether online or at retail stores, because this is a huge time-suck for me, and I really don’t need the temptation.

Instead of posting weekly updates like I did last year, I plan to post a single recap of the entire month at the end of September or early October. I do plan to share other money-related posts throughout the month though! And as always, you can follow my journey on Instagram.

If you’d like to join me this month, let me know in the comments, or use the hashtag #NoSpendSeptember on social media. We’ve got this!