The Mental Debt Struggle...

PennysIntoPounds

MSE challenges are there to inspire and motivate you for what works for you. If that challenge is no longer working for you then you haven't failed, you've made a brilliant amount and intelligently reassessed what is useful to you at this time.
If you need a new phone then you need a new phone, and if that brings feeling like you'd rather order your finances differently then that's normal and fine. You haven't let yourself down, you're putting your money in a different place.
Channel retro Eastenders at penny challenge and be like 'you're not my mum!' 😁

Sarahwithlove

I agree if the challenge is causing you stress then I would ditch it. 

beanielou

I would ditch the penny challenge. It no longer serves your needs. 

Makingabobor2

Definitely ditch the challenge. I tried it one year & never completed it, so just gave up. I now know the best way to save for us is just savings pots attached to bank account, for different things & I change the amount going into them, or create new ones as needed.

weenancyinAmerica

You don't fail; you change your priorities. The Challenges are there to help not get in your way. You can let it go with a clear conscious. 

KajiKita

I agree with all the other comments. It’s not a fail to not complete the Penny Challenge - it just means it didn’t resonate with you as a motivator (it didn’t work for me either - all those fiddly, messy decimals did my swede in! 😂). 

Move on, forget about it and be your usual magnificent self 😊❤️

KK

Baileys_Babe

The penny challenge looks like a good idea but it doesn't work with the way I budget. It looks like this is now the case for you as well, no need to feel guilt you are reassessing how best to budget for your household.

AntoMac

Carrying on with the unanimous viewpoint so far Keedie you have NOT failed at the penny challenge. If it brings you no joy or motivation then the right thing to do is ditch it and swap to a way of saving that is simpler and suits you better. Surely the money you saved by sticking with it as long you did is money that you otherwise wouldn’t have saved. 

Keedie

Wow everyone, I'm absolutely blown away by all your nice comments and advice! You guys truly are the best. I think I'm very hard on myself, and you're all right, it isn't a 'failure'. I've just accepted that the challenge isn't for me. If I was completing it in whatever order I wanted to, then it might have worked, but the reality is that it takes a long time and it's stressful. And savings shouldn't be stressful.

So I ended the penny challenge this morning, and took your Easters advice @PennysIntoPounds... 😂. That was peak Eastenders time.

I've withdrawn the £250 today from the cashpoint and stuck it in my 50 Envelope Challenge. I hadn't realised that I also had £35 in there that I was squirreling away to make up another £50 so I added £15 and I was able to put £300 towards the challenge. This feels much more exciting, so you're all right, definitely not a failing. I do feel better now, thank you. It means today that I was able to cross of 12 envelopes on the challenge, and that has put the biggest smile on my face 🤗. So it's £575/£1,275. So £700 to go. 

I've 28 more envelopes to fill and that feels much more achievable now. I've got a £5 Friday savings challenge that is fortnightly and will give me £130 by the end of December 2025, and that will knock off a few more envelopes. And from July I will be putting £5 a week into the envelope challenge until I accumulate another £50 and I can cross off two more envelopes. I'll complete a few smaller challenges and then feed them into the 50 Envelope Challenge. 

PennysIntoPounds

Good for you. £575 is brilliant!