Hi friend, A big change is coming, and I wanted you to be the first to know. First, I want to thank you for being part of the no-buy challenge community earlier this year. I started it on a whim because I wanted to support as many women as I could in doing a shopping pause. It began as a simple email challenge, but once the messages started arriving to my inbox – your wins, your whys, your hard days – I realized how much power there was in having a community around you and seeing how others were doing. So, this little Skool community was born. Watching you share wins, ask for advice, and cheer each other on has been one of my favorite things. It also made me realize I wanted to do more. Becoming an intentional shopper is a huge piece of the puzzle – but it's not the whole picture. Because even when we stop buying, most of us are still living in homes that feel chaotic and overwhelming. And a lot of us are still avoiding looking at our bank accounts. Those things are all connected, and I wanted to build something that addresses all of them. So, for the past four months, I've been building the Happy Home Community. It's a membership here with three schools: Decluttering School, Shopping School, and Money School. These short video lessons are actually doable. Plus, four hours per week of live group coaching and co-working sessions where we can declutter together, get your unique systems set up, talk through shopping and budgeting questions – basically a private virtual session with me, at a fraction of the cost. You can read more about the Happy Home Community here. The regular price is $29/month or $209/year. Founding Members are getting in at $19/month or $137/year. But because you showed up for the no-buy challenge, I want to offer you something even lower than that: $10/month or $72/year. That's 66% off the regular price. This price is only available to you for the next 36 hours. If you've been wanting support with your home, your shopping habits, and your money – all in one place, with a community of women who get it – I really hope you'll join us.

We finally got started on our budgeting with Monarch. It’s been about 3 years since we’ve been consistent with a detailed monthly budget, and some of the numbers were eye opening. I am still getting used to the platform but I spent a good amount of time on it yesterday. I’m feeling pretty optimistic about reducing our spending with groceries and eating out, but with 2 full time working parents I know it won’t be easy. If you’ve been on this journey, what are some other categories you have reduced spending in your budget? What was easiest and what was hardest?

Hi, I’m Mandy. I live in St. Louis with my husband and 3-year old daughter. I’m a teacher taking a break from working in the classroom to stay home for a season (to be determined how long that season is). I have been interested in minimalism since 2014 when I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I am pretty good about letting things go that are no longer serving our family. Where I’d like to improve, and why this group will be so helpful, is not initially buying so much and trying to buy more second hand. We all keep capsule wardrobes, and I am a sticker for 1-in, 1-out when it comes to toys but it still seems every week there is some odd or end that we “need.” Especially as I am not working outside the house, I really need to prioritize our budget in accordance with our values and spend the time to research or wait for things that are not necessities. I’m excited to “meet” and learn from you all!

Hello! I'm from California and have 2 girls. They are 2yo and 6yo. This past year was a rough one and it made me realize I was over consuming. It was stressing me out and giving me anxiety. Since last June I was only purchasing second hand items. So far it has been pretty going well. I want to commit to a no buy this month and start saving our family money for experiences rather than goods.

One of my biggest challenges is feeling like I need something new for every event I go to whether it’s a night out with friends where I feel like I need a new top or a 50th birthday party that I feel like I need a new dress for. I have so many things within my closet that fit the need for all of these different things. For example, my sister-in-law is throwing a 50th birthday party for herself and I was thinking that if I stuck to my no-buy January, then I would make a planned purchase for this event. In my head, I’m thinking well this is different because it’s planned and it is thoughtful. So I was looking at all these dresses and they were really cute and I would certainly like them, but then I thought I have two sequin dresses in my closet that I bought for no particular reason, other than I liked them and I thought I want them for this life that I don’t really live (there aren’t many opportunities as a mom of two, to wear sequin dresses to). So, I tried on the two dresses and I am going to pick one of those to wear and not buy anything new. A lot of this is mental work for me. I grew up very heavy and clothes did not fit the way that they fit other girls my age. Shopping for a prom dress was literally a nightmare, and I would just cry. Since I’ve lost weight, I’ve been able to dress the way I always wanted to and I get lots and lots of compliments on it. So I think that I feel this pressure to always have something cute and new, because it is sort of a reputation that I have and I love it. But, the benefit of having so much in my closet is that I can put things together in different ways that feel like they are still me but also new. So that is what I am working on. If you’ve read this far, thank you! This was more of a diary/stream of consciousness to help me get this out.