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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 =
«13456730

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,595 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 31 August 2023 at 10:43PM
    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 :)
  • Makingabobor2
    Makingabobor2 Posts: 4,192 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    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 £28,744....its going down

     Mortgage Free December 9th 2024! 
    18mths ahead of schedule.  Since 2022 we paid over £15K in OPs.

    Challenges

    EF #68  £450/£3000
    .
    Fiver Friday '25 #10 £15

    Studies/surveys  July £72.46

    Decluttering items 750

    Books read    12
    Jigsaws done  8

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


  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 7,531 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    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 15.07.25:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £233,521
    - OPs to mortgage = £11,338 Interest saved £5225 to date
    Fixed rate 3.85% ends January 2030

    Read 37 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 23rd July
    Produce tracker: £223 of £300 in 2025

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
    Watch your words, they become your actions. 
    Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • 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 £28,744....its going down

     Mortgage Free December 9th 2024! 
    18mths ahead of schedule.  Since 2022 we paid over £15K in OPs.

    Challenges

    EF #68  £450/£3000
    .
    Fiver Friday '25 #10 £15

    Studies/surveys  July £72.46

    Decluttering items 750

    Books read    12
    Jigsaws done  8

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


  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,595 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 10 October 2023 at 11:38AM
    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 :)
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,595 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    One for me - had friends round for lunch at mine, had a lovely time but no need to spend at all today. :)
  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 7,531 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    One for me - only an essential fuel in the car spend. Aaaaand we’re off! 😊

    KK
    As at 15.07.25:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £233,521
    - OPs to mortgage = £11,338 Interest saved £5225 to date
    Fixed rate 3.85% ends January 2030

    Read 37 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 23rd July
    Produce tracker: £223 of £300 in 2025

    Watch your thoughts, they become your words.
    Watch your words, they become your actions. 
    Watch your actions, they become your reality. 
  • AuntieL
    AuntieL Posts: 369 Forumite
    100 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    #1 for me today   😁
    Debt-free journey started August 2023. DF 02/09/2024 🥳 (except mortgage)
    June 2025 NSD Challenge 1/18

    MFW 2025 #45
    Jan 2016 Mortgage = £149,895
    Current outstanding = £97,725
    2024 Overpayment = £675.66
    2025 Overpayment = £529/£700
  • 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: 15,595 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Well done Makingabobor2, KajiKita and AuntieL imageimageimage
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