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Joyful July's No-Spend Days Challenge!

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Welcome to Joyful July'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 this month 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.

July

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 July on phone or tablet, click here :)
«13456731

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,607 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 30 June at 10:07PM
    July targets

    AuntieL 18
    BridgetTheCat 8
    BadBookkeeper 15
    beanielou 19
    BridgetTheCat 8
    Caeraugirl 10
    cathybird 15
    Changeyourlife25 10
    CrazyBee787 19
    Crazycatlady2 15
    cuddlymarm 15
    CynicalPinnacle 10
    Dizzycap 20
    Doris17 15
    InDebtEnby 12
    IRunFar 10
    Jay1 2 14
    KajiKita 15
    library0602 10
    LittleMissDetermined 15
    Money Choices 12
    Optimistic Saver 18
    Pinkpieuni 10
    QueenJess 15
    short bird 18
    thepurplepixie 15
    Thriftymissus TF
    VickyA 2 10


    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • CrazyBee787
    CrazyBee787 Posts: 883 Forumite
    500 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks @cathybird I am looking forward to doing a better job on this month. I really appreciate the effort gone into creating the thread. Thank you so much for everything you do. Wishing you a splendid end to June and a fabulous JulyXX
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,607 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    @CrazyBee787 thank you xxx :)
  • BridgetTheCat
    BridgetTheCat Posts: 139 Forumite
    100 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Hi @cathybird can I join please? It’s my first attempt and I have a 10-day holiday this month so can I start with 8 days for July (thinking 2ish days a week 😀)?
  • KajiKita
    KajiKita Posts: 7,565 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Fourth Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Not today.

    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 39 books of target 52 in 2025, as @ 27th July
    Produce tracker: £227 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. 
  • Quantaqa
    Quantaqa Posts: 134 Forumite
    100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Hi @cathybird, I am away on holiday most of July so not going to take part in July. I'll be back in August 🙂. 

    Have a great NSD month everyone.
    Frugal Living challenge 2025
    Grocery Challenge June /£200
    Save £12k in 2025 Challenge - Goal £30k
    June NSD Challenge - 2/12NSDs 
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 15,607 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    hi @BridgetTheCat image and welcome image to our lovely thread! I've added you to the list, hope you enjoy the challenge! Two NSDs a week sounds good image

    @Quantaqa hope you have a great time away in July and see you again in August xxx :)
  • Dizzycap
    Dizzycap Posts: 1,083 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Debt-free and Proud!
    edited 30 June at 1:28AM
    cathybird - Thank you for another wonderful NSD Month full of wonderful updates & emoji  <3
    BridgetTheCat - Welcome aboard the NSD Fast Train! 2 NSD a week sounds like a great NSD start <3
    Quantaqa - Enjoy your holiday  ;):)<3
    See you all again tomorrow for the beginning of the July NSD Challenge - As always, I do not include monthly DD's or SO's but hold myself accountable for any other purchases / payments <3:D
    ~ NSD 2025 - NSD July 25/20 (x💯)
    # Spectos/Royal Mail Monitoring and Posting Panel - Ongoing
    ~ Totally FREE Christmas 2025 - 🎁✉️🏷🎀💐🪪🗒🧺
    ⭐️Completed Challenges 2025:
    # No.36 Make £2025 in 2025 £1634.34 / £2025 (58%) (3) 💯💯+
    # No.12 Save £2 a Day 2025 2025: £730/ £730 💯
    # No.27 Save 1p A Day 2025 £667.95 / £667.95 💯
    # No.19 52 Week Env Challenge £1378 / £1378 💯 
    # No.34 Save £12k in 2025 £13,429.74 / £12,000 💯 - Continuing
  • Changeyourlife25
    Changeyourlife25 Posts: 35 Forumite
    10 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    May I join?!

    My first attempt and I’m going for 10! 
    Excluding planned budgets (GC for example) and bills :):smile:

    looking forward to it 
    GC July 🌽🥑 £580.04/£600

    PAD July (Debt) 💷 - £186.36
    NSD July 🚫 - 11/10

    DS1 18th savings 🥳 2025 - £160
    Christmas savings 🎄2025 -
    Legoland savings 🧱 2026 -  
  • IRunFar
    IRunFar Posts: 16 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    I’m in … 10 days hopefully 🤞 
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