12 Ways To Say NO To Spending Money
Photo of person holding NO on notepaper by Image Hunter on Pexels
Updated 2024.12.02
Whether you have to tell someone you can’t go out because of money or you’re trying to tell yourself not to spend money, there are ways you can say no to spending money without it becoming a big deal.
When you need to cut back on spending money to stay within your budget, adapt to a change in earnings or direct spending towards a goal, you will have to get proficient at saying no to various opportunities to spend money.
If you’ve historically always said yes to spending money or you’ve put others' money requiring wishes in front of your own, learning to say no to spending will require some new found discipline on your part.
At first, it may not feel good to tell yourself or other people no. It may feel unnatural to withhold spending. Though, over time, you may come to enjoy saying no to spending money so much that it becomes second nature. Because in the long run, saying no to spending money can be great.
It can result in perks like becoming debt-free or having the ability to direct all that saved money toward something big that you really do want.
Why do you want to say no to spending money?
Knowing your reasons for saying no are important and you have to value them. Valuing your reasons for taking action in the arena of saying no to spending can save you headaches and increase your self confidence.
The more you honor your values with action (or inaction, in many cases), the more you respect yourself and that is plenty of motivation to get started in saying no to spending money when the situation calls for it.
12 Ways To Say NO To Spending Money
Photo person holding out stop hands by Alena Shekhovtcova on Pexels with text overlay 12 Ways To Say NO To Spending Money
1 - Sleep on it
An idea requiring money may sound really good in the evening, but not so good in the morning - even if it was your idea in the first place.
Before you say yes to spending any money, give yourself at least a night to sleep on it and see if you feel differently in the morning. You may.
2 - I can’t, because…
Give a reason why you can’t spend money. If you share the reason, others may more easily accept your decision, even coming to see it as a responsible choice.
If you’re a private person, keep in mind: you don’t have to go into nitty-gritty details in your “because” statement, you can be brief and to the point.
3 - Suggest a free alternative to spending money
Think about if there is a way you can achieve the goal without spending and if there is, offer it.
For example, rather than driving a long distance to see someone, spending money on gas, tools and car maintenance, offer to arrange a FaceTime or Zoom meeting instead.
4 - Delay spending
Simply defer the spending to another time in the future.
5 - Be honest with yourself
If the spending doesn’t work within the boundaries of your budget, accept it. You don’t have to immediately like that reality, but you can accept it, and in time, maybe even make peace with it.
As long as you stay honest with yourself, you are unlikely to be dishonest with others about what spending you can handle.
6 - Blame it on your budget
Is your budget in a deficit or operating at a surplus?
If you have a surplus and no large goals or debts, you may be able to adjust your budget to include ad-hoc spending. However, if your budget is in a deficit or you have committed to directing your surplus to another previously agreed upon goal, you probably can’t add new spending.
Refer to your budget when saying no, and then it isn’t you saying no - it’s your budget.
7 - Tell whoever is pressuring you to spend that you’ll think about it
Before saying yes, tell the person who wants you to spend, whether it is yourself or another, that you need to think about it or discuss it with someone else first. Then do that.
You may come up with a way to avoid the expenditure or find a different way to solve the problem while thinking or talking about it.
8 - Remove yourself from pro-buying spaces
Advertising platforms, like social media apps, can encourage you to spend. Certain community groups can also favor pro-spending money with pro-spending participants, posts and commentary.
If you want to get better at saying no to spending, you may need to decondition yourself towards the act of spending money. One way to do that is to stop being around other people, virtually or physically, who advocate spending money.
9 - Budget some fun and entertainment money
Whether it’s $10, $35, $100 a month, a percentage of your pay or annual income, add a budget line item for fun and entertainment.
Decide what is a safe number for you and direct this allotment of money towards “free spending.” This will allow you to say yes when you really want to, while continuing to say no when you don’t.
10 - Get comfortable with saying no
In general, start using the word NO more.
Identify what you don’t like or aren’t interested in, and freely make these disagreements known when the conversation goes that direction.
When you’re comfortable being in disagreement and declining mundane things, it is easier to decline, disagree and say no when it comes to something as valuable as your money.
11 - Target your NO at big ticket items
Little bits of money spent every day does add up.
However, if you’re new to saying no to spending, start by focusing on saying no to big things - vacations, large pieces of personal property and sizable recurring expenses.
12 - Make a pact that you’ll do always what’s right
In Suze Orman’s teachings, she suggests you make a pact with yourself regarding money. The pact goes something like this:
I, insert your name here, from this day forward, will always do what is right, over what is easy, when it comes to my money.
Write this pact down and look at it before you voice an impulsive yes, because a reminder of your pact to yourself may change your mind.
Photo of NO sign with megaphone on yellow background by cottonbro studio on Pexels
Whether you need to cancel plans because of money, or you just need to get your spending under control, one of the best ways to stay within your budget is getting comfortable with the art of saying no.
These are 12 ways how you can begin saying no to spending money.
Even if you are just saying no to yourself to break a pattern, build discipline or personal savings, you can get proficient when it comes to saying no.
The longer you practice saying no to spending money, the easier it gets because you start to see that other people will accept and love you even if financially you can’t say yes all the time.
Whatever your goals are, try saying no to one thing today even if it is hard and you don’t want to.
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