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Marvellous March's No-Spend Days Challenge!

Welcome to Marvellous March'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 March 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.

March

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 March, click here :)
«13456727

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,188 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 28 February at 9:08PM
    March targets

    AuntieL 18
    BadBookkeeper 15
    beanielou 19
    birdsfoottrefoil 10
    Caeraugirl 20
    Cassingtonbear 10
    cathybird TF
    Clarabelle73 15
    CrazyBee787 19
    cuddlymarm 15
    Dizzycap 20
    Doris17 15
    emmaj30
    ET22 10
    GeorgianaCavendish 8
    Honeysucklelou2 10
    InDebtEnby 15
    Jay1 2 12
    KajiKita 20
    laura lau 20
    laurenh 18
    LittleMissDetermined 16
    Louise600 10
    Makingabobor2 15
    Money Choices 10
    Optimistic Saver 22
    Pauper1 20
    Pinkpieuni 10
    QueenJess 15
    Saver-upper 15
    SecondStar 15
    short bird 18
    Thriftymissus 16
    Tjh1412 15


    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • Dizzycap
    Dizzycap Posts: 634 Forumite
    500 Posts Photogenic Debt-free and Proud! First Anniversary
    Fabulous cathybird - thank you <3
    Loving all those target gifs - day 20 and the branch flying emoji, just love it! :D:D
    I'm aiming for a full house on the emoji as I love them all <3:D:D
    Thank you cathybird xxxx
    ~ NSD 2025 - NSD March 16/20 💸🧘🏻🌞🐸
    # No.36 Make £2025 in 2025 £2999.93 / £2025 (133%) 💰🤑⭐️💯🥇 CGTT
    # No.27 Save 1p A Day 2025 £262.29 / £667.95 💰💰💰
    # No.12 Save £2 a Day 2025 2025: £347.50 / £730 💰💰💰
    # No.34 Save £12k in 2025 £7423.18 / £12,000 💰💰💰
    # No.19 52 Week Env Challenge £1045.23 / £1,378 💰💰💰
    ~ Save on Essential Household Expenses 2025: £3310.53 / £3000 💰💯🥇
    ~ Totally FREE Christmas 2025 - 🎁✉️🏷🎀💐🪪🗒🧺
    ~ Decluttering Awards 2025: ☕️☕️🏅🏅☕️☕️☕️⭐️☕️🤣
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,188 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    @Dizzycap, so glad you like the emojis xxx :):)
  • BadBookkeeper
    BadBookkeeper Posts: 726 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Posts Debt-free and Proud! Name Dropper
    Can I join please?  Target will 15 NSDs. 
    Lightbulb moment - 17/08/2017 £17,033.  Current CC debt £0.00 DFD 31/7/24 🥳. Member #8 of Fiver Friday Challenge £65/£260
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,188 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    hi BadBookkeeper image and welcome image to our lovely thread! I've added you to the list, best of luck with the challenge! image
  • Dizzycap
    Dizzycap Posts: 634 Forumite
    500 Posts Photogenic Debt-free and Proud! First Anniversary
    edited 1 March at 12:14AM
    @ BadBookkeeper - A very warm welcome :)
    Declaring a NSD Saturday 1st March 1/20 - And we're off! - Sounds like the Grand National :D
    Wishing everyone a Super NSD Saturday & Marvellous NSD March ;)<3
    ~ NSD 2025 - NSD March 16/20 💸🧘🏻🌞🐸
    # No.36 Make £2025 in 2025 £2999.93 / £2025 (133%) 💰🤑⭐️💯🥇 CGTT
    # No.27 Save 1p A Day 2025 £262.29 / £667.95 💰💰💰
    # No.12 Save £2 a Day 2025 2025: £347.50 / £730 💰💰💰
    # No.34 Save £12k in 2025 £7423.18 / £12,000 💰💰💰
    # No.19 52 Week Env Challenge £1045.23 / £1,378 💰💰💰
    ~ Save on Essential Household Expenses 2025: £3310.53 / £3000 💰💯🥇
    ~ Totally FREE Christmas 2025 - 🎁✉️🏷🎀💐🪪🗒🧺
    ~ Decluttering Awards 2025: ☕️☕️🏅🏅☕️☕️☕️⭐️☕️🤣
  • BuzzyBees101
    BuzzyBees101 Posts: 7 Forumite
    First Post Photogenic
    I’d like to join please 15 NSD 💪🏼🙌🏼
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,188 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 March at 1:41PM
    March 2025 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


    March targets


    AuntieL 18 


    BadBookkeeper 15 


    beanielou 19 


    birdsfoottrefoil 10 


    BuzzyBees101 15 


    Caeraugirl 20 


    Cassingtonbear 10 


    cathybird 1/TF  image


    Clarabelle73 15 


    Crazybee787 19 


    cuddlymarm 15 


    Dizzycap 1/20  image


    Doris17 1/15  image


    emmaj30 8 


    ET22 10 


    GeorgianaCavendish 8  


    Honeysucklelou2 10 


    InDebtEnby 15 


    Jay1 2 12 


    KajiKita 20 


    laura lau 20 


    laurenh1 18 


    LittleMissDetermined 16 


    Louise600 10 


    Makingabobor2 15 


    Money Choices 10 


    Optimistic Saver 22 


    Pauper1 20 


    Pinkpieuni 10 


    QueenJess 15 


    Saver-upper 15 


    SecondStar 15 


    short bird 18  


    Thriftymissus 16  


    Tjh1412 15 



    To see the updated results for March on phone or tablet, click here :)


    🌞 🌞  Newcomers welcome! 🌞 🌞
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,188 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 1 March at 11:52AM
    hi @BuzzyBees101 and welcome to our lovely thread! I've added you to the list, best of luck with the challenge! imageimage
  • Doris17
    Doris17 Posts: 863 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    One for me today please @cathybird.1/15

    "Make Everyday Count"



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