I just wrapped up No-Spend January.

I’ve always spent less in January. Mostly as an antidote to my holiday spending hangover, and also because January is my company’s slowest month.

But this time, I wanted to take it further and see if I could spend nothing.

Of course, I still bought necessities like groceries and gas, but everything else? Off-limits.

Here were my rules:

1. I could buy groceries, gas and any other necessities.
2. Supermarket sushi did not count as “groceries” or “a necessity.” (ha!)
3. For necessities – find them on sale if possible.
4. For necessities – swap expensive for less-expensive.
5. Use less.
6. Make things last longer.
7. Make do with what I had.

Here’s how the month shook out:

Only buy necessities: The Amazon truck showed up exactly once—to deliver printer paper (I work from home).

Buy for less: I stocked up on chicken breasts when they went on sale and cooked them throughout the month.

Swap expensive for cheaper: Refried beans took the place of meat in tacos.

Use less: Instead of my usual dime-sized dollop of shampoo, I used a pea-sized one. My hair? Looked exactly the same.

Make it last longer: Sewed up a hole in my pajamas so I wasn’t flashing anyone. Thanks to the intricate fabric pattern my questionable sewing skills were hidden.

Make do: When I was hankering for take out and felt too tired to cook, I shopped my freezer for some Trader Joe’s frozen foods, and heated those up instead.

There was one time when I almost had to break my no-spend chain:

On a business trip, I forgot my deodorant. Normally, I’d just grab a new one at the hotel convenience store (next to the $4 packets containing exactly 2 Advil).

Instead, I asked the front desk and, voila, they had extras behind the counter.

Crisis averted.

When I was younger, saving money wasn’t a choice, it was a necessity. And I remember, turning it into a game.

Back then, I tracked how little I spent each week in a tiny spiral notebook. I was pumped when, at the end of a week, I had beat a previous low.

No spend January brought me right back to those days.

It actually made me feel young again.

Younger than Botox or any anti-aging cream (not that I could buy those anyway).

In the end, I saved about $700.

Not bad (for my wallet, the planet and my peace of mind).

And not that hard either.