I’m literally going into survival mode now. For the past few years I’ve been living above my means while neglecting retirement and brokerage contributions, and now I’m reversing course while I still have a safety net and am young.
For the foreseeable future there will be zero money allocated towards non essential spending and I don’t know how long this will last- could be a year or more.
Does anyone else allocate nothing towards discretionary spending? My hobbies and leisure will all be low cost- hiking, walks. It’ll require a lot of self restraint but I can do it.
Does anyone here have zero discretionary spending?
byu/Beautiful-Swan4836 inFrugal
Posted by Beautiful-Swan4836
14 Comments
My hobbies are all online. They’re as cheap as the price of powering the laptop, which is about $1/50 hours
I don’t think zero will be sustainable and probably result in some kinda binge. Those hikes cost gas money to get to, getting bandaids when you run out cost money, buying thread to patch your pants cause you can’t afford any, getting spices or oils instead of just rice and beans, a friend wanting to hang out and having to get some snacks for hosting them or pay the $1 movie rental fee at the library.
Tbh I’ve always had better luck with an absolutely tiny amount, like $25-$50 a month. You still can’t buy anything, a single meal out or movie would blow that budget and you need it for things like medications, spices, or bus tickets to see a fee event. But your no longer sobbing over everything and struggling to even afford a pen when you run out.
But if you can’t afford discretionary spending like medications or cooking ingredients or bussing to the grocery store instead of walking, you just can’t.
Define. You say your hobbies are low cost. So I assume you are still spending money on them.
I’ve gone low spending on hobbies for months to a year before using up what I had but even that was not completely zero. I was still spending the gas to go to the library and that was not a negligible thing.
So define and I can tell you that even allocating enough for a little thing makes you feel more relaxed.
Yep. I made the decision to go back to school. The wife and I cut all unnecessary spending. It was different at first, but I learned to appreciate it. Learn to cook, learn to enjoy reading… books are free at the library, maybe invest in a video game that will keep you occupied. Wait for sales on things you can manage to wait for, and buy store brand everything. Its usually the exact same stuff as name brand items.
We have had to do this several times. It’s not that bad.
I do exactly this when I have a large bill.
Tree trimming is $1800? No spending anything on anything that isn’t critical to life.
Car repair $1200?
Back to buying the generic popsicles and canceling HULU…
You get the idea.
It gets easier to do in time, because I know that it’s only until my spending and emergency fund are replenished/back to normal.
Right now, I’m on strict financial lock down for a while-car needed work, and the house needed some work too 🙄😊
Anything is possible but if you were living beyond your means for the past few years, suddenly cutting out all discretionary spending won’t likely be sustainable for “how long this will last” time frame and sounds more like a yoyo diet which also does not work for the long term.
And define discretionary.
List your expenses and which are non discretionary vs discretionary.
If you’re not already- try to reduce your largest monthly expenses. Most likely its rent/house payment.
Second is transportation/car expenses.
The best is to reduce both but sometimes it works out better to pay a bit more to live closer to work/grocery stores/transit (so walk/bike/transit/embed exercise in daily life) vs further out w/longer commute.
Third- make your own meals, meal prep w/veggies/staples on sale (cut out animal protein or reduce severely), don’t buy bottled water/soda/coffee.
And lastly, give yourself a modest set amount for discretionary spending/treat yourself but once its spent, its finished until the next month!
it is possible!
just few idk ideas for you
[https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/15a5qlf/free_or_low_expense_activities/](https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/comments/15a5qlf/free_or_low_expense_activities/)
if needed
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/z8pbz2/just_few_low_no_waste_ideas_for_gifts/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/z8pbz2/just_few_low_no_waste_ideas_for_gifts/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Thrifty/comments/1lk6ghu/how_to_reduce_your_grocery_bill/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Thrifty/comments/1lk6ghu/how_to_reduce_your_grocery_bill/)
It depends on your definition of discretionary if this could be sustainable.
Personally, my extent is cutting back on food costs so that I have balanced cheaper meals, not eating out, not spending money on clothes, not driving long distances (gas), not having friend-dates, or participating in holiday events that cost money.
I would be spending time outdoors, reading rented library books, and having 1 subscription service at a time for TV. I would still pay for vet visits as needed, medications when I get sick (think allergy meds, advil/tylenol, cold/flu medicine), car repairs as needed/oil changes, eat more than rice/beans for every meal even if my meals are basic, and would allow myself the 1 subscription.
Right now, I may be going back to that lifestyle with medication cost increases recently, but at the same time, I don’t think it’s the most sustainable long term. I was bare bones for about a year and a half with what I listed above that I would do, and it saved a lot of money for an emergency fund, but also took a toll on friendships/relationships and my mental health to an extent. I’ve allowed myself fast food and a friend date budget (I give myself $200/month but realistically only use about $100 max) and that has helped immensely with small positives for mental health and maintaining friendships/relationships.
I don’t think I would skip on sewing/repairs for clothes or medications that support basic bodily functioning even if it’s not necessary unless you literally have no money. Even then, buy nothing groups and churches may offer some of that if you need it.
Edit: typo
I’m on zero discretionary, right now. I even changed my work direct deposit to only deposit to the online high yield savings, so I dont even see the money.
I’m only spending on essentials. It’s mainly just monthly bills, groceries, and gas. I’ve been like this since early 2025.
I’m hoping to make it like this through 2026 to meet a savings goal, but I’m sure something will eventually come up that I’ll have to pay for. I did leave a few hundred available, if necessary.
It helps to have free hobbies. You just need time, not money.
In a weird way, I’m starting to thrive on the minimalism. I feel free.. The less I spend, the less I want..
Been doing that since 2007
Sure. Literally years. Lots of stuff can be done for free.
Sounds like a satisfying endeavour after over spending. Good luck. Make it a challenge
Yes many people