Replacement Basis Only Challenge: Lessons learned

The 2026 ‘Replacement Basis Only’ Challenge recently finished after running for a full 12 weeks. It’s a ‘low spend’ challenge where you get to replace anything that runs out, wears out or breaks and can’t be repaired.

The biggest lessons of ‘replacement basis only’

Taking this challenge for 12 weeks brought up a lot of interesting themes and challenging events. There were plenty of lessons learned so let’s have a look at those.

First up, there was a noticeable effect on my finances.

I saved LOTS of money (more than expected)

We usually stick fairly well to a monthly budget in our house, without being too rigid about everything. However, I was still surprised at how much money I saved over the 12 weeks of the challenge.

There’s a slight tendency in our house to say ‘oh go on then’ occasionally, and extras do sometimes get added to baskets to get free postage or a change from the usual routine. Top-up shops are often bigger than they need to be too.

Not in the last few weeks though, we were pretty strict with ourselves although we still did have our usual Friday treat.

Most of this change came from a ‘needs versus wants’ perspective, where we were sticking to what was important. We didn’t replace every single thing we ran out of either, because not everything’s worth replacing, at least not right away.

Although it wasn’t specifically part of the challenge, we ended up using store credit and gift vouchers too, as well as sales and discounts. It brought the cost down even further, which is always helpful for the old finances in January and February.

If you don’t budget much, or at all, you would probably be able to save even more money by trying this challenge. That’s mostly the effect of going from no budget to any budget, of course, but the challenge itself would be a nice boost to your finances too.

It’s so much better to shop mindfully

Purchases were more considered, and better thought through. Fewer mistakes were made, and overall I think it’s got to be much better for the environment as well as your personal budget.

I kept a ‘replace this’ shopping list on my phone, so I wouldn’t forget anything important. It was strangely calming, probably something subconscious about being certain there would be enough of whatever was needed.

I also made a wish list to look at occasionally, whenever anything caught my eye. Interestingly, as the weeks went by, I found myself crossing more and more off the wish list as I changed my mind about various shiny objects. About two thirds of this list was deleted by the end of Week 12.

Most of us probably own far too much stuff, especially things that were impulse purchases or that we don’t really value or enjoy. It’s good to take a long breather from consumerism.

It saved quite a lot of time too

There was a general simplicity to shopping, and it made shopping lists easier and more streamlined. There’s more mental clutter around this sort of thing than I’d realised.

I’d go as far as to say that about eight out of the 12 weeks were more relaxing than usual. It certainly freed up some more leisure time for other things. You could also use it for side hustles, if you wanted to.

It can take unhealthy social pressure off you

The ‘replacement basis only’ challenge was definitely not about keeping up with the Jones’s, and it allowed me to shop at my own pace. I was also careful to stay far away from social media influencers who promote massive shopping hauls – it’s so excessive and it normalises dangerous levels of overspending.

You don’t need to upgrade your mobile phone every single year, and the same goes for cars, clothing and a whole lot else. You can still dress well, have nice living standards, have great hobbies and enjoy life though.

12 weeks is long enough to change a habit

Short term challenges are excellent for a temporary boost, but I definitely felt the benefit of carrying out a longer project like this one. It was easier to build positive behaviours and reduce negative behaviours, and keep at least some of those changes in place for longer.

It does depend on the individual, their personality and their life circumstances, but in general 12 weeks is long enough for most people to effect behaviour change.

It isn’t too extreme to stick to long term

I was worried that I would feel deprived, and there was the occasional wobble and moment of temptation, but most of the time things were absolutely fine. It’ s a low spend challenge, not a no spend, and it has a certain amount of flexibility. I thought that was quite useful, although not everyone will feel the same way.

You don’t have to replace exact like with like every time. You can allow for seasonal changes, or the need for more variety, for example. You can occasionally replace a cheaper item with a higher priced item too, if you think that’s the best option.

The other thing that became very clear is that not everything needs to be replaced. Especially true if you’re skint, or simply because something is no longer working for you.

Keeping spending records keeps you motivated

You might like to make a spending summary as you go along. Week by week totals, or just one running total, whatever works best for you. It’s interesting to see how it compares to your usual outgoings and shopping habits.

Making a note of all spending helped me to keep myself accountable, and after the first month it was very motivating to see some clear progress. Changing our spending behaviours slightly made quite a difference over time.

It was also interesting to see the times and events where we had to spend more. These were often random unexpected events, such as a fox crashing through the roof of our mini greenhouse.

This does bring home several other important points about managing your personal finances, such as having an emergency fund, insurance, or building minor regular household maintenance into your monthly budget.

Those are all possible topics for other challenges to try in the future, I’m sure.

Have you tried this challenge yet? If so, how did you find it?