Outstanding October's No-Spend Days Challenge!

Welcome to Outstanding October's No-Spend Days Challenge! 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 October and you are on your way!

Tips for the challenge:
1. It's totally up to you but 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.

October

Off to a start = image

5 days = image

10 days = image

15 days = image

20 days = image

Target reached = image

Target beaten = image 


To see the updated results for October at any point, click here :)
«13456741

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,349 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 October 2024 at 10:04AM
    October targets

    AuntieL 15

    beanielou 19

    BestnamesRgone 15

    Caeraugirl 18

    cathybird 15

    Crazycatlady2

    Doris17 12

    Geriatricmum 10

    Honeysucklelou2

    HotDog2020 10

    KajiKita 20

    laura lau 18

    laurenh 18

    leftatthetrafficlights 24

    LittleMissDetermined

    Makingabobor2 15

    QueenJess 10

    RisingPhoenix1 15

    RPD1953 10

    Rupacomp 15

    SecondStar

    short bird 18

    Worlds Worst Superhero

    x raphael xx 25




    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • Wow I love 5 days and 15 days...Thank you soo very much @cathybird
  • Hello,
    I'd like to join please.
    Apart from groceries & pet food (my allowed spends) I don't want to spend anything. I'll probably need to chip in for my round of work coffees at somepoint, and I'm away for a weekend, so I'd like to aim high with 25 NSDs
    Debt Free as of 17/01/2009 Turtle Power!!

    EF Challenger #3 £1543.72 / £5000
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    Mortgage at 04/10/23 £106,253.77 | Mortgage at 10/01/24 £105,324.57
    Mortgage at 01/04/24 £104,424.73 | Mortgage at 01/10/24 £103,594.98
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,349 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    hi x raphael xx image and welcome image to our lovely thread! I've added you to the list, best of luck with the challenge! image
  • Could you put me down for 12 please?

    Thanks @cathybird.

    "Make Everyday Count"



  • Can I please sign up for 15? :)
    Debt Total Sept 24 - £9532.26 - Current Total - £8992.89 - Percentage Paid 5.65%


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  • beanielou
    beanielou Posts: 94,614 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Academoney Grad Mortgage-free Glee!
    Not one today. 
    I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.

    Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
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    ***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb.
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    One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,349 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 October 2024 at 8:39PM
    October NSD challenge


    Off to a start = image

    5 days = image

    10 days = image

    15 days = image

    20 days = image

    Target reached = image

    Target beaten = image 


    October targets


    AuntieL 15 


    beanielou 19 


    BestnamesRgone 15 


    Caeraugirl 18 


    cathybird 15 


    Crazycatlady2  


    Doris17 12 


    Geriatricmum 10 


    Honeysucklelou2  


    HotDog2020 10 


    KajiKita 20 


    laura lau 18 


    laurenh 18 


    leftatthetrafficlights 1/24  image


    LittleMissDetermined  


    Makingabobor2 15 


    QueenJess 10 


    RisingPhoenix1 15


    RPD1953 10


    Rupacomp 15 


    SecondStar  


    short bird 18  


    Worlds Worst Superhero  


    x raphael xx 25 





    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,349 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    hi RisingPhoenix1 image and RPD1953 (who messaged me) image and welcome image to our lovely thread! I've added you both to the list, best of luck with the challenge! image
  • I'm declaring early as I'm going nowhere and doing nothing!! 😁  

    1/24
    DNF: £708.92/£1000
    JSF: £708.58/£1000

    Winter season grocery budget: £600.85/£900

    Weight loss challenge 2024: 11/24lbs
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    2nd quarter start:9st 9.2 lb
    3rd quarter start: 9st 6.8 lb
    4th quarter start: 9st 10.2 lb
    End weight: 8st 13lb

    'It's the small compromises you keep making over time that start to add up and get you to a place you don't want to be'

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