A woman has revealed how she saved over £1,500 in November after doing a ‘no spend challenge’ – and has shared how she managed it.
Matilda Relefors, 28, from Gloucester, was inspired to test herself after watching videos of other people on TikTok doing the same, and due to feeling “overwhelmed” by the cost of living crisis.
The rules include only doing one food shop, with a budget of £100 for the entire month, no going out or socialising, no spending on fashion or beauty products, no money spent on transport, and no ‘top up’ shops.
Matilda managed to stick to it for November and says she saved an incredible £1,550.
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“I was inspired to do this challenge by similar videos I’ve seen on TikTok and the rising cost of living which feels overwhelming sometimes,” Matilda, a social media manager and content creator, told Whats The Jam.
“I realised I had large amounts of food sitting in my cupboards and freezer and yet I was still buying new food continuously.
“I thought surely I can just eat this food and stay in for a month without socialising and I could save so much money.”
Matilda’s pre-tax income being self-employed totalled £2,000 for the month.
Her outgoings included £310 on bills, £20 for a meal – which went against the rules, so she “punished” herself by donating to a charity for Palestine the same amount – and the £100 food shop.
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Her rent is pre-paid and she works from home, so as a result, she was left with a saving of £1,550 – much of which she’d have ordinarily spent.
Her pro tip to get through the budget-friendly month was planning– but she still found the month difficult to get through.
Matilda, who documented her journey on TikTok (@brunchingblondie ) said: “The hardest part has been that I only did one food shop at the start of the month that had to last me for the whole month.
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“I had to be thrifty and figure out what I needed to eat first and what I could save for later on in the month, utilising my freezer a lot.
“People seem shocked that produce like apples, oranges, potatoes, onion, garlic, and ginger lasted me the full month.
“I think people throw away food way too much and food waste is my nemesis.
“My best tip is to plan your meals ahead so you make sure to use up whatever is expiring soon.
“A lot of things last a lot longer than the use-by date – like weeks.
“Obviously things like fresh meat, fresh berries, and dairy are some of the shortest-lasting food.
“But alternative milks, cupboard staples, frozen fruit and veggies, potatoes onion garlic ginger apples citrus fruits pineapple, and kiwis will last for ages.”
In a TikTok summarising her results, Matilda said: “The challenge has proved how long I can actually go without buying anything, and it’s caused me to be very mindful about what I spend.
“This is something I will take with me in the future, and I’m going to keep doing these monthly shops and stick to my budget.
“And I’ll never impulse buy anything again!”
She also documented her £100 food shop, which included fruit, bread rolls, soft cheese, vegetables, pasta, ham, stock cubes, sausages, eggs, houmous, coconut milk, toiletries, seasonings, chicken, yoghurt, and cheese.
Her meals included apple crumble baked oats, Basque cheesecake, butter sage chicken pasta, and sausage carbonara.
To keep a healthy diet throughout, Matilda made sure to prep many of her meals – something she was already used to doing.
She said: “Every month I make a huge batch of Bolognese sauce and divide it up into freezer bags.
“Whenever I want some Bolognese, I can make new pasta and just defrost and heat up the bag of sauce.
“I’ve also been doing smoothies every morning using oat milk and frozen berries and frozen spinach.
“Other than that, I’ve been doing curries, sandwiches, pasta dishes and stir-fries.”
