Most people already know they spend more than they intend to. What they do not know is exactly how much more—or where it goes.
Nearly half of Americans—47%—agree they often spend impulsively, even when they intend to save. Almost half—48%—agree that enjoying life now is more important than saving for the future. These are not opposing values. They are the same person making different decisions at different moments—one at the start of the month when intentions are set, one on a Tuesday evening when something catches their eye.
The no-spend challenge does not eliminate either impulse. What it does is create a defined period where the second impulse cannot win—and in doing so, reveals exactly how much money has been flowing out automatically, habitually, invisibly. Most people who complete their first no-spend challenge describe the same reaction: genuine surprise at how often they almost spent money on something they did not need or particularly want.
Table of Contents
What Is a No-Spend Challenge?
A no-spend challenge is a defined period—usually a weekend, week, or month—where you spend money only on essentials such as rent, groceries, and bills, and pause all non-essential purchases to reset spending habits and boost savings.
How to Do a No-Spend Challenge (Step-by-Step)
Here’s exactly how to run a successful no-spend challenge:
- Choose your duration — Weekend, week, or month depending on experience level
- Define essential vs non-essential spending — Write down what’s allowed before you start
- Write your personal rules — Decide grey areas in advance, not in the moment
- Remove spending triggers — Delete shopping apps, unsubscribe from promotional emails
- Track every avoided purchase — Keep a running list on your phone
- Transfer savings to a named goal — Move money to emergency fund or savings immediately
- Plan your re-entry — Decide what spending returns and at what level before challenge ends
For the complete framework on how no-spend challenges fit into your overall financial picture, see our ultimate guide to saving money.
No-Spend Challenge Savings Formula
Average Monthly Discretionary Spending × Challenge Length ÷ 30 = Estimated Savings
Example:
- $600 monthly discretionary spending
- 30-day challenge
- $600 × 30 ÷ 30 = $600 estimated savings
62% of 25–34 year olds would consider savings challenges including the no-spend challenge. Across social media, no-spend January, no-spend months, and no-buy challenges are among the fastest-growing personal finance trends. The format works—not because restriction is sustainable long-term, but because a temporary, structured pause creates permanent awareness that outlasts the challenge itself.
This guide tells you exactly how to run one. What the rules are. What you will realistically save. How to make the results last. And the one mistake that turns a useful reset into a rebound spending spree.
What a No-Spend Challenge Is—and What It Is Not
The no-spend challenge is highly customizable, but here’s the gist: you set tight restrictions on all the spending you do, limiting yourself to only basic necessities—housing, bills, and groceries. You cook at home, find free things to do, and challenge yourself to see just how frugal you are capable of being. Then you pocket the money you save and direct it toward building long-term financial stability.
The key word is non-essential. A no-spend challenge does not mean spending nothing. It means spending only on genuine needs—the bills, the groceries, the transport to work, the healthcare. Everything else stops for the duration of the challenge.
Things commonly forbidden during a no-spend challenge include dining out and takeaway, new clothing and accessories, entertainment and streaming subscriptions, beauty and personal care items beyond essentials, hobby purchases, and impulse online shopping.
What it is not: A punishment. A form of deprivation for its own sake. A permanent lifestyle. A substitute for a budget. An extreme measure that requires suffering. The best no-spend challenges are designed to be genuinely achievable—structured enough to reveal patterns, flexible enough to survive real life.
Why It Works — The Psychology Behind the Reset
The no-spend challenge could not only help you hit the pause button on spending—it can also help you to see where your money’s been going. No matter who you are or how much you earn, it could be easy to lose track.
Most spending is not deliberate. It is habitual—triggered by boredom, convenience, social environments, or the frictionless ease of one-tap purchasing. The evening delivery order that arrives because it is Tuesday and Tuesday became delivery night without any conscious decision. The checkout-aisle item that makes it into the basket because the basket is there. The subscription renewal that posts because cancelling requires a deliberate act and renewing happens automatically.
With the whip-fast convenience of services like same-day shipping, we have gotten accustomed to a short wait time between deciding we want something and getting it—contributing to a culture of immediate gratification with very little waiting.
The no-spend challenge interrupts every one of these automatic patterns simultaneously. When the answer to “should I buy this?” is “no—challenge” for every non-essential purchase, the decision becomes effortless. The rule does the work that willpower usually has to do. And because it is temporary and structured, it is sustainable in a way that open-ended “spend less” intentions almost never are.
81% of people agree that having financial goals makes it easier to say no to unnecessary spending. The no-spend challenge formalizes that goal into a specific, time-bounded commitment—which transforms a vague intention into an active, concrete decision.
For the complete psychology of spending triggers: How to Stop Overspending—The Psychology Behind It
How Much Can You Save With a No-Spend Challenge?
The amount saved depends on three variables: your current discretionary spending level, the length of your challenge, and how strictly you apply the rules. Here are realistic estimates across common formats:
One No-Spend Weekend (2 days)
| Spending Category Paused | Typical Weekend Cost | Saved |
|---|---|---|
| Dining out (2 meals) | $40–$90 | $40–$90 |
| Entertainment (cinema, events) | $30–$80 | $30–$80 |
| Impulse shopping (online/in-store) | $20–$60 | $20–$60 |
| Coffee shops | $10–$25 | $10–$25 |
| Total weekend saving | $100–$255 | $100–$255 |
One No-Spend Week (7 days)
| Category | Weekly Estimate | Saved |
|---|---|---|
| Dining out / food delivery | $80–$200 | $80–$200 |
| Entertainment | $40–$100 | $40–$100 |
| Clothing and personal shopping | $30–$120 | $30–$120 |
| Coffee shops | $25–$50 | $25–$50 |
| Miscellaneous impulse purchases | $20–$80 | $20–$80 |
| Total week saving | $195–$550 | $195–$550 |
One No-Spend Month (30 days)
The average American spends approximately $282 per month on impulse buys alone. A full no-spend month typically produces $400–$1,200 in savings for most households—with higher earners and heavier discretionary spenders at the upper end.
| Household Profile | Typical Monthly Discretionary Spend | No-Spend Month Saving |
|---|---|---|
| Single, modest lifestyle | $400–$700 | $300–$500 |
| Single, active social life | $700–$1,200 | $500–$900 |
| Couple, combined discretionary | $800–$1,500 | $600–$1,200 |
| Family of four | $1,000–$2,000 | $700–$1,500 |
One No-Spend Year (the “No Buy Year”)
A no buy or low buy period helps you pay down debt, build up savings, or give yourself more wiggle room in retirement planning and investments. Greatly reducing your spending makes those goals a lot more accessible.
A full no-buy year—eliminating all non-essential purchases across twelve months—can produce $5,000–$20,000 in savings depending on previous spending levels. This format is genuinely transformative but requires more planning, stronger community support, and a well-defined set of personal rules. It is not appropriate as a starting point for most people. Begin with a weekend. Build to a week. A month after that. Proceed only then to a full year if the shorter formats have proven sustainable.
No-Spend Challenge Rules (Customizable Template)
There is no single official ruleset for a no-spend challenge. The rules you set should reflect your life, your goals, and your honest assessment of what is genuinely essential versus what is habit or comfort.
The Non-Negotiable Essentials — Always Allowed
These never stop regardless of the challenge format:
- Rent or mortgage payments
- Utility bills (electricity, gas, water, internet)
- Groceries—food at home only, not dining out
- Essential transport (fuel for work commute, public transit)
- Health insurance and essential medications
- Minimum debt payments
- Childcare and school fees
- Personal hygiene essentials (toothpaste, soap, shampoo—not new products)
The Standard Forbidden List — Paused for the Challenge Duration
- All dining out and food delivery
- Coffee shops
- New clothing, shoes, or accessories
- Entertainment tickets, cinema, events
- Streaming subscriptions (pause or freeze, not cancel—unless unused)
- Beauty appointments and non-essential personal care
- Hobby supplies and equipment
- Books, games, apps (use library and what you own)
- Household décor and non-essential home items
- All impulse online purchases
The Grey Area — Decide Before You Start
The grey areas are where challenges succeed or fail. Decide on these before day one—not in the moment when temptation is present:
| Grey Area Item | Recommended Rule |
|---|---|
| Necessary clothing replacement (e.g. work shoes wore out) | Allowed—genuine need, not want |
| Pre-planned social event with ticket already purchased | Allowed—already committed |
| Child’s school supplies mid-challenge | Allowed—essential for dependents |
| Birthday gift for close family member | Set a low budget cap before start |
| Work-required expense (client lunch, professional tools) | Allowed—employment essential |
| Home repair that cannot wait | Allowed—use emergency fund if needed |
| A significant sale on something you genuinely need | Pause, apply 48-hour rule, buy only if still needed after |
It can be helpful to nix entire categories of items rather than making individual choices for each thing. You know yourself best—what categories will be most tempting that you should forbid altogether?
Write your personal rules down before the challenge starts. Show them to anyone participating with you. Rules decided in advance are followed. Rules remembered in the moment are rationalized.
No-Spend Challenge Ideas
Choose a format that matches your goals and experience level:
1. Pantry-Only Week
Use only what’s already in your pantry, fridge, and freezer. No grocery shopping except milk and bread if needed. Reveals food waste and underused pantry items.
2. No Eating Out Challenge
Allow groceries but eliminate all restaurants, takeaway, and delivery for the challenge period. Typically saves $200–$600 per month.
3. No Amazon Month
Delete the Amazon app and avoid all Amazon purchases. Forces intentionality about whether you actually need items or were just browsing.
4. No Clothing Buy
Pause all clothing, shoes, and accessory purchases. Exception: genuine replacement of worn-out essentials only. Most people discover their closet is already full.
5. Cash-Only Weekend
Withdraw your weekend budget in cash Friday morning. When it’s gone, spending stops. Restores the “pain of paying” that digital payments eliminate.
6. No Convenience Spending Week
Eliminate all convenience spending: no delivery, no drive-through, no convenience stores, no expedited shipping. Cook, plan ahead, wait.
7. 30-Day Digital Detox + No Spend
Delete shopping apps, unsubscribe from promotional emails, pause all non-essential online purchases. Reveals how much digital triggers drive spending.
8. No-Spend January
The most popular format—use January’s fresh-start motivation to reset spending habits for the year. Typically saves $400–$1,300 and creates lasting behavior changes.
How to Run a No-Spend Challenge — Complete Guide
Step 1 — Choose Your Format and Duration
To avoid burning out, consider starting small with a no-spend weekend. If you feel motivated, push yourself for a week. The grittiest of no-spend savers can try for a marathon no-spend month.
No-Spend Weekend: Ideal for first-timers. Reveals weekend spending patterns—typically the highest-impulse period for most households. Two days, low commitment, immediately demonstrates what is possible.
No-Spend Week: The most popular starting format. Long enough to break multiple habits, short enough to feel achievable. Most people complete their first full week easier than expected.
No-Spend Month (No Spend January or any month): The format that produces the most meaningful financial results and habit change. Requires more preparation but delivers proportionally greater savings and awareness.
No-Spend Year / No Buy Year: For people who have completed shorter challenges successfully and want a sustained lifestyle reset. Requires community, detailed personal rules, and strong underlying motivation.
Step 2 — Prepare Before Day One
Before you start, stock up on your necessities so you won’t have to go to the store and risk impulse purchases.
The week before the challenge begins:
Pantry and kitchen: Stock up on groceries so the challenge does not require a mid-week shop where impulse purchases are most likely to occur. Plan every meal for week one.
Entertainment alternatives: Identify at least five free activities you genuinely enjoy and will realistically use. Not “read more”—specific books you will read, specific trails you will walk, specific free events in your area.
Social commitments: Review the challenge period for social events. Any pre-paid or committed social events can proceed—money already spent is gone regardless. New social spending is paused. Let close friends or a partner know you are running the challenge if relevant—accountability significantly improves completion rates.
Temptation removal: Delete shopping apps from your phone for the challenge duration. Remove saved payment methods from retail sites. Unsubscribe from promotional emails the day before you start—the triggers disappear before the challenge begins.
Step 3 — Track Every Avoided Spend
Keep a running tally—even a simple note on your phone—of every purchase you did not make during the challenge. Not to judge yourself, but to make the saving visible.
“Avoided: $47 delivery order.”
“Avoided: $23 clothing impulse.”
“Avoided: $12 coffee shop.”
By the end of the challenge period, this list has two functions: it shows you the total monetary saving, and it reveals the specific patterns—when, where, what emotional state—that drive your spending. That pattern data is more valuable than the saving itself, because it is what you take beyond the challenge.
Step 4 — Use Free Alternatives Actively
During the challenge, look for free activities—walking in the park or borrowing books and movies from the library. This is your chance to get creative and prove that you don’t have to spend money to have fun.
The no-spend challenge consistently reveals that most of what people spend money on for entertainment and leisure has a free or near-free equivalent that produces similar or better satisfaction:
| Paid Habit | Free Alternative |
|---|---|
| Restaurant dinner | Cook a new recipe at home |
| Cinema | Library DVD / streaming already subscribed |
| Coffee shop | Home-brewed coffee, a park with a flask |
| Gym class | YouTube workout, running, bodyweight training |
| Shopping browse | Declutter instead—sell rather than buy |
| Books and audiobooks | Libby app—free with library card |
| Gaming / apps | Play what you own |
| Entertainment events | Community events, free local listings |
Most people discover during a no-spend challenge that the free alternatives produce similar or greater enjoyment—and that many paid habits were genuinely more about convenience and habit than preference.
Step 5 — Direct Every Saving to a Named Goal
Every avoided spend should go somewhere specific—immediately and automatically. A no-spend challenge is more effective when the money you save is earning a healthy return. High-yield savings accounts can deliver returns of over 5% while allowing you to quickly access your money.
Transfer the saved amount to your emergency fund, house deposit fund, or debt repayment—depending on your current priority. If you avoided $47 in delivery spending on Wednesday, transfer $47 to your savings account on Thursday. Make the connection between the avoided spend and the goal concrete and immediate.
This step transforms the no-spend challenge from a restriction exercise into active goal progress—which is the difference between completing a challenge and feeling better about money versus completing it and returning to the same patterns within a month.
Where to keep those savings: High-Yield Savings Accounts—What They Are and Why You Need One
For the emergency fund it is building: How to Build an Emergency Fund From Zero
Step 6 — Do the End-of-Challenge Review
On the last day of the challenge, sit with your avoided-spend list and your bank statements and answer four questions:
- How much did I save? Total all avoided spending and any transfers made to savings goals during the challenge.
- What did I miss? The things you genuinely missed tell you what spending is actually valuable to you. These go back into your budget deliberately, not automatically.
- What did I not miss? The things you expected to miss and did not—subscriptions you barely noticed were gone, habits that dissolved without effort—these are the candidates for permanent elimination.
- What patterns did I notice? Time of day, emotional state, specific triggers—the awareness from the tracking exercise that will change subsequent behavior more lastingly than the saving itself.
The One Mistake That Undoes Everything — Revenge Spending
“What I think is a big con is that it can cause revenge spending. Sometimes I see that people end up spending more afterward because they tried to cut out so much the week before.” Instead, use the no-spend trend as a chance to rethink longstanding money habits. “Instead of focusing on everything at once and cutting everything out, focus on those little changes. I find that people are more able to stick to that long-term.”
Revenge spending—the rebound of excessive spending immediately after a period of strict restriction—is the most common reason no-spend challenges produce no lasting financial change despite short-term savings. The mechanism is identical to yo-yo dieting: extreme restriction followed by extreme indulgence, with the financial equivalent of weight returning within weeks.
Three Practices That Prevent Revenge Spending:
1. Build a deliberate re-entry plan
On the final day of the challenge, decide specifically what spending returns and at what level—not everything, and not with no limits. Choose which avoided categories genuinely belong in your budget and at what specific amount. Everything else stays paused by default.
2. Transfer the savings immediately and visibly
When the money is already in a savings account working toward a named goal, spending it feels like a step backward rather than a reward. The visible progress protects the saving.
3. Keep one no-spend day per week as a permanent habit
Treating saving like a game often makes it easier to stay motivated and accountable. A single designated no-spend day per week—the same day every week—maintains the awareness and the discipline of the challenge in a sustainable, permanent format.
No-Spend Challenge Formats — Which One Suits You
| Format | Duration | Ideal For | Typical Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| No-Spend Weekend | 2 days | First-timers, testing the concept | $100–$255 |
| No-Spend Week | 7 days | People with one specific habit to break | $200–$550 |
| No-Spend Month | 30 days | Significant savings goal, full reset | $400–$1,200 |
| No-Spend January | 31 days | Fresh-start motivation, New Year | $400–$1,300 |
| Weekly No-Spend Day | 1 day/week | Permanent habit, ongoing awareness | $600–$2,400/year |
| No Buy Year | 365 days | Serious lifestyle reset, long-term goal | $5,000–$20,000 |
What to Do With the Money You Save
The challenge produces a saving. What you do with that saving determines whether it changes your financial trajectory or simply disappears into general spending.
Priority Order for No-Spend Challenge Savings:
1. Emergency fund—if not yet at $1,000
The foundational financial buffer. Every no-spend saving goes here first until you reach the starter milestone.
Complete guide: How to Build an Emergency Fund From Zero
2. High-interest debt repayment above minimums
If you carry credit card balances at 20–28% APR, no savings account return comes close to the guaranteed return of paying that interest off.
3. House deposit or specific savings goal
If your emergency fund is solid and high-interest debt is managed, no-spend savings accelerate your primary savings goal.
Complete guide: How to Save for a House Deposit on a Normal Salary
4. Into your HYSA earning 4–5% APY
All savings belong in a high-yield account regardless of their eventual destination.
Complete guide: High-Yield Savings Accounts—What They Are and Why You Need One
Real People — What the Challenge Actually Revealed
Priya, 28 — Graphic Designer, Chicago
Priya ran a no-spend month in January 2026 after consistently ending each month with less money than planned. She kept a daily avoided-spend note on her phone.
Final avoided-spend total: $847 across 31 days. The breakdown surprised her: $310 in food delivery she had not realized she was spending, $180 in clothing impulse purchases from promotional emails, $140 in coffee shops, $120 in entertainment, and $97 in small miscellaneous online purchases.
She transferred $847 to her emergency fund during the month. At the end-of-challenge review, she identified one genuine insight: she did not miss the clothing spending at all. She had been buying clothes she did not need because promotional emails kept arriving with sale banners she could not ignore.
She unsubscribed from every retail email. Six months later, monthly clothing spending was $35—down from $180. The no-spend month produced one permanent change that saved her $1,740 per year with zero ongoing effort.
“The month itself was fine—harder than a week but easier than I expected. The thing that actually mattered was the list. I could see exactly where the money was going. The delivery number in particular—$310 in one month—I would not have believed that without seeing it written down.”
Tom and Keiko, Both 31 — Both Teachers, Portland
They ran a no-spend weekend as a couple—their first experiment with the format. Rules agreed in advance: no dining out, no entertainment purchases, no online shopping, no impulse buys of any kind. Groceries and fuel allowed.
Total avoided over two days: $210 combined—primarily a cancelled Saturday restaurant booking ($85), two avoided online purchases ($65 and $40), and a Sunday brunch they would normally have gone out for ($20 each).
They cooked three meals together that weekend, hiked a local trail they had been meaning to try for two years, and watched films they already owned. Both described the weekend as genuinely enjoyable—not restricted.
Their takeaway: they booked the no-spend weekend approach for the first weekend of every month as a permanent practice. Monthly saving: $150–$250. Annual: $1,800–$3,000 directed straight to their house deposit fund.
“We thought it would feel like deprivation. It did not. We actually spent more time together doing things we liked than a normal weekend where we default to whatever is easiest to spend money on.”
How This Connects to Your Full Savings Picture
The no-spend challenge is a tool—specifically, the most effective tool available for surfacing invisible spending patterns and creating a savings injection that accelerates any goal. It works best when embedded in a broader savings system.
The Complete Framework:
- The full savings framework it feeds into: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money
- Building a budget that makes the challenge’s savings permanent: How to Build a Monthly Budget From Scratch
- The psychology of why you were spending in the first place: How to Stop Overspending—The Psychology Behind It
- Setting the savings goals the challenge funds: Savings Goals—How to Set and Actually Hit Them
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a no-spend challenge?
A no-spend challenge involves setting tight restrictions on all the spending you do, limiting yourself to only basic necessities—housing, bills, and groceries. You cook at home, find free things to do, and challenge yourself to see how frugal you are capable of being. Then you pocket the money you save and direct it toward building long-term financial stability. It is temporary and customizable—formats range from a single weekend to a full year. The goal is both the immediate saving and the lasting awareness of spending patterns it creates.
What counts as essential spending during a no-spend challenge?
Essential spending—always allowed—includes rent or mortgage, utility bills, groceries (food at home only), transport for work, health insurance, essential medications, minimum debt payments, and childcare. Everything else—dining out, clothing, entertainment, coffee shops, subscriptions, online shopping—pauses for the challenge duration. Grey areas should be decided before the challenge starts, not in the moment.
How much money can you realistically save in a no-spend month?
Most households save $400–$1,200 in a full no-spend month, with single people on modest lifestyles at the lower end and couples with active social lives at the higher end. The average American spends $282 per month on impulse purchases alone—a full no-spend month eliminates this category entirely while also pausing dining out, entertainment, and clothing. The number is typically larger than people expect, which is one of the challenge’s most powerful effects.
Does the no-spend challenge actually work long-term?
The challenge itself is temporary by design—its value is not sustainable permanent restriction but the awareness it creates. The lasting change comes from the end-of-challenge review: identifying which categories you did not miss (candidates for permanent elimination or budget reduction) and which you genuinely value (returned to the budget deliberately at a specific amount). Research on spending habit change consistently finds that temporary structured challenges produce more durable behavior change than open-ended willpower attempts—provided the savings are directed to a named goal and a deliberate re-entry plan prevents revenge spending.
What is the difference between a no-spend challenge and a no-buy year?
A no-spend challenge is typically a defined short period—a day, a weekend, a week, or a month—with a strict rule against non-essential spending. A no-buy year extends the same principle across twelve months and typically focuses on a specific category (no new clothing, no new books, no new home items) rather than all discretionary spending simultaneously. The no-buy year format is more sustainable than an all-category no-spend across twelve months, and more common among people who have completed shorter challenges successfully and want a sustained lifestyle reset.
How do I stop myself from revenge spending after the challenge ends?
Revenge spending happens when people try to cut out too much and then overspend to compensate. The solution is to use the challenge as a chance to rethink longstanding habits—focusing on targeted changes rather than blanket restriction. Practically: transfer all challenge savings to a named savings goal immediately so the money is no longer mentally available to spend. Build a deliberate re-entry plan that decides specifically which spending returns and at what level before the challenge ends. Keep one no-spend day per week as a permanent practice to maintain the awareness the challenge created.
What are good no-spend challenge ideas for beginners?
Beginners should start with a no-spend weekend or a one-week challenge focused on a single category. Popular beginner formats include: pantry-only week (use what you already have), no eating out challenge (groceries allowed, all restaurant/delivery spending paused), cash-only weekend (withdraw budget in cash Friday, when it’s gone spending stops), or no Amazon month (delete app, pause all Amazon purchases). These formats are achievable, reveal spending patterns quickly, and build confidence for longer challenges.
Can you do a no-spend challenge with kids?
Yes—with modifications. Essential spending always includes children’s genuine needs: school supplies, activities already paid for, necessary clothing replacements, and age-appropriate food. The challenge focuses on adult discretionary spending and family entertainment. Involve kids by: explaining you’re trying free activities this month, letting them help plan free fun (library, parks, home movie nights), teaching them about money through the challenge, and including them in meal planning. Many parents report that kids adapt easily and often prefer the increased quality time to paid activities.
Sources
All challenge formats, savings estimates, and strategies in this guide are sourced from the following verified sources:
- Wells Fargo / Ipsos Financial Resolutions Survey November 2025
- Nationwide 2026 Savings Trends Report December 2025
- CNBC Select No-Spend Challenge Guide
- Charles Schwab No-Spend Challenge January 2026
- Experian 10 Savings Challenges to Try in 2026 December 2025
- LunchMoney 5 Savings Challenges 2026
- Nourishing Minimalism No Buy Year 2026
- Capital One Shopping Impulse Buying Statistics 2024
- Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Consumer Price Data September 2025
About This Guide: This no-spend challenge guide was created by the Higherdot editorial team based on behavioral finance research and real user experiences. We update this content semi-annually to ensure strategies reflect current spending patterns and savings opportunities.
Editorial Standards: Our content is thoroughly researched and based on documented spending behavior patterns. We maintain strict editorial independence and provide practical, tested strategies that real people can implement successfully.
Ready to start your challenge? Begin with a no-spend weekend this coming weekend, track every avoided purchase on your phone, and transfer your total savings to your emergency fund or savings goal on Monday morning. For the complete framework on where those savings should go, see our ultimate guide to saving money.