Nifty November's No-Spend Days Challenge!

cathybird
cathybird Posts: 15,336 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 1 November 2023 at 9:10AM in Debt-free wannabe challenges
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 November 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.

November

Off to a start = image
5 days = image
10 days = image

15 days = image
20 days = image

Target reached = image
Target beaten = image 

«13456733

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,336 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    November targets

    AuntieL 15

    beanielou 19

    BlackCoffeeNoSugar 15

    cathybird 15

    Crazycatlady2 18

    Cuddlymarm 15

    Doris17 15

    GeorgianaCavendish 15

    jammy dodger 15

    KajiKita 15

    laura lau

    LittleMissDetermined 10

    Makingabobor2 15

    QueenJess 15

    Rupacomp 15

    Saver-upper 15

    short bird 18

    strandedinaber

    Newcomers welcome :)

  • Thankyou for thread Cathy bird 
  • Thanks for starting the new thread @cathybird, unfortunately not a good start for me as I'm just back from the opticians having ordered my new glasses.
    LMD x
    Life gets in the way...PADding is addictive...Saving's better than spending...
    2025 1p challenge #41 | Cash envelope challenge #01 | SPC #017
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  • I wouldn't include glasses in the challenge as they are needed and itx health related.

    I highly rate the glasses direct website. I got 2 pairs for £20 as my first order, normal reading ones with no special coats or anything. 
  • cuddlymarm
    cuddlymarm Posts: 2,145 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    First one of the month 😀

    April NSD 9/15
    April PAD £419
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,336 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 November 2023 at 8:59PM

    November

    Off to a start = image
    5 days = image
    10 days = image

    15 days = image
    20 days = image

    Target reached = image
    Target beaten = image 

    November targets

    AuntieL 15

    beanielou 19


    BlackCoffeeNoSugar 15


    cathybird 15


    Crazycatlady2 18


    Cuddlymarm 1/15 image


    Doris17 1/15 image


    GeorgianaCavendish 1/15 image


    jammy dodger 15


    KajiKita 1/15 image


    laura lau


    LittleMissDetermined 10


    Makingabobor2 15


    QueenJess 15


    Rupacomp 15


    Saver-upper 15


    short bird 1/18 image


    Newcomers welcome :)

  • Doris17
    Doris17 Posts: 863 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    NSD 1/15.
    Thank you @cathybird

    "Make Everyday Count"



  • short_bird
    short_bird Posts: 3,953 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Early call for day 1
    ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’ David Lynch.
    "It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.” David Lynch.
  • NSD #1 today please :) Loving the knitting emoji, I’ve just put a knitted beanie hat on my Christmas list 
  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 6,766 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    First one for me! 😊

    KK
    As at 15.04.25:
    - When bought house £315,995 mortgage debt and end date at start = October 2039 - now £236,911
    - OPs to mortgage = £11,338 Interest saved £5225 to date
    Fixed rate 3.85% ends January 2030

    Read 19 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 24th April
    Produce tracker: £41 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. 
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