Splendid September's No-Spend Days Challenge!

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This challenge is all about helping people to save money by setting aside days every month where you deliberately don't spend unnecessary cash. Over the short term, it can help you have a more frugal month. Over the long term, if you stick with it, it can help change your mindset because you get out of the habit of frittering money away and start automatically holding off from spending instead. It also helps you delay purchases, which in turn means you lose interest in a lot of things you might otherwise impulse buy.

Another good thing with this challenge is we're all in it together, and people will help you on bad days and cheer you on on good days, and the support and accountability can really help make it easier to keep going with it. And if all else fails, there's always next month

To join, just post the number of no-spend days (NSDs) you're aiming for in September and you are on your way!

Tips for the challenge:
1. If you've never done the challenge before, it's probably simpler to start with a goal of 10 or (at most) 15.

2. It is fine to exclude necessary expenses eg petrol, groceries, pet food, etc, when it comes to deciding what is and isn't an NSD. It is also completely fine to exclude automated or recurring payments such as bills, mortgage or direct debits.

3. It does help to post every time you notch up an NSD, or at least every two or three days ... it's easy to lose track! If you want to keep track of your NSDs in your MSE signature, that can be really motivating too

4. It also helps to bookmark the thread, it's much easier to find.

5. NSDs are trickier than they seem and easily derailed. It can work better if you notch up as many days as you can in the first half of the month, or think of the month in thirds so if you're aiming for 10 NSDs, try to do 4 days in the first 10, 3 in the second and 3 in the third. And if you feel that you're falling behind, there's no shame in changing your target! Sometimes life just gets in the way, and the challenge should be fun, not a grind.

September

Off to a start =
5 days =

10 days =

15 days =

20 days = Target reached = Target beaten =
In April I am taking a break from buying: Books
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Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 13,340 Forumite
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    edited 31 August 2023 at 10:43PM
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    September targets
    AuntieL 12
    beanielou 19 BlackCoffeeNoSugar 15 cathybird 15 Crazycatlady2 18 Ef79 GeorgianaCavendish 18 IndiJonesi jammy dodger KajiKita 15 lianne1984 10 LemonadeBudget LittleMissDetermined 19 Makingabobor2 15 MrsCautious QueenJess 17 Rupacomp Saver-upper short bird 18 stay at home mum Newcomers welcome :)
    In April I am taking a break from buying: Books
  • Makingabobor2
    Makingabobor2 Posts: 2,906 Forumite
    First Anniversary Photogenic First Post Name Dropper
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    I'm in again. I'm going for 15 again. But this month I will do it  
    Making the debt go down and savings go up

    LBM 2015 - debt £57K / Now £33,676

    Mortgage 04/24  £17,400 Officially ends June '26 but plan to be MF sooner
    Total OPs 2022 - £240   2023 - £1766
    OPs so far in 2024 £581.00


    Challenges

    EF #68  £175/£1000
    1p a Day '24 #12  £76/£667.  SPC '24 #41 £13.75
    Christmas '24 £14. 
     
    Make £5 a day - Apr £105.17£150            
    NSDs April 11/15

    My debt free diary...https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6396218/we-will-get-this-debt-down-the-savings-up


  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 3,730 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
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    I'm in again. I'm going for 15 again. But this month I will do it  
    Good luck! 😊
    Do you know what it is that stops you reaching the target you want?

    KK 
    As at 17.03.24:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 <gulp>, now £255,571, end date brought closer by 2 months  
    - OPs to mortgage = £5,965, Interest saved £2,124, to date
    - LTV 51% @ccord, 51% Yopa
    Fixed rate 2.17% ends October 2024

    Read 13 books of target 52 in 2024 (as @ 9th April)
    Produce tracker: £22.24 of £300

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • Makingabobor2
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    Early call for day 1. Too busy stripping wallpaper to spend any money.

    @KajiKita, basically there have just been a few things we had to spend on this last couple of months. But I think I've sorted things out now and should be ok.  I don't count grocery shopping or petrol or DH's prescriptions or dentist check-up ( which we have due this month), as they are essential and are all budgeted for.  So hopefully this month will be an improvement
    Making the debt go down and savings go up

    LBM 2015 - debt £57K / Now £33,676

    Mortgage 04/24  £17,400 Officially ends June '26 but plan to be MF sooner
    Total OPs 2022 - £240   2023 - £1766
    OPs so far in 2024 £581.00


    Challenges

    EF #68  £175/£1000
    1p a Day '24 #12  £76/£667.  SPC '24 #41 £13.75
    Christmas '24 £14. 
     
    Make £5 a day - Apr £105.17£150            
    NSDs April 11/15

    My debt free diary...https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6396218/we-will-get-this-debt-down-the-savings-up


  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 13,340 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary Photogenic
    edited 10 October 2023 at 11:38AM
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    September

    Off to a start =
    5 days =

    10 days =

    15 days =
    20 days = Target reached = Target beaten =
    September targets
    AuntieL 1/12
    beanielou 19 BlackCoffeeNoSugar 15 cathybird 1/15 Crazycatlady2 18 Ef79 GeorgianaCavendish 18 IndiJonesi jammy dodger KajiKita 1/15 lianne1984 10 LemonadeBudget LittleMissDetermined 19 Makingabobor2 15 MrsCautious QueenJess 17 Rupacomp Saver-upper short bird 18 stay at home mum Newcomers welcome :)
    In April I am taking a break from buying: Books
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 13,340 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary Photogenic
    Options
    One for me - had friends round for lunch at mine, had a lovely time but no need to spend at all today. :)
    In April I am taking a break from buying: Books
  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 3,730 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
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    One for me - only an essential fuel in the car spend. Aaaaand we’re off! 😊

    KK
    As at 17.03.24:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 <gulp>, now £255,571, end date brought closer by 2 months  
    - OPs to mortgage = £5,965, Interest saved £2,124, to date
    - LTV 51% @ccord, 51% Yopa
    Fixed rate 2.17% ends October 2024

    Read 13 books of target 52 in 2024 (as @ 9th April)
    Produce tracker: £22.24 of £300

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • AuntieL
    AuntieL Posts: 145 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper Photogenic
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    #1 for me today   😁
    Debt-free journey started August 2023
    April 2024 update:
    NSD Challenge 11/15
    Debt £4737.45 £688.56
    Savings £3946.27 £2338.91
    Books read 5
  • lianne1984
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    Good Luck everyone  o:)
    February NSDs: 0 / 10
    February PADs:  2 / 29
    February Groceries Challenge: £59 / £250
    February Make £5 a Day: £255 / £145
    Current Debt: £3159  | CC £1490 | N £571 | C £725 | E £373
    Weight Loss Challenge 2024: 0 lbs

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 13,340 Forumite
    First Post Name Dropper First Anniversary Photogenic
    Options
    Well done Makingabobor2, KajiKita and AuntieL imageimageimage
    In April I am taking a break from buying: Books
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