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Joyous January's No-Spend Days Challenge!

cathybird
cathybird Posts: 16,069 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 28 December at 4:55PM in Debt-free wannabe challenges
Welcome to Joyous January'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.

January

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 January on phone or tablet, click here :)
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Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 16,069 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 30 December at 10:30PM
    January targets

    32b3in2013 18
    AuntieL 15
    beanielou 19
    cathybird 15
    CrazyBee787 15
    cuddlymarm 15
    Dizzycap 20
    doingitanyway 12
    Doris17 15
    Honeysucklelou2 10
    InDebtEnby 13
    KajiKita 20
    laurenh1 18
    leftatthetrafficlights 15
    LittleMissDetermined 20
    MissMoneyMishap 12
    Pinkpieuni 10
    QueenJess 15
    short bird 18
    SovereigntyQueen 31
    ThriftyPrincess40 20
    VickyA 2 15
    Wanna Bee Free 10


    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • cuddlymarm
    cuddlymarm Posts: 2,258 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Hi guys
    Can I join please. I’m aiming for 15.

    Pay off by Xmas 2026 £70/£2324.67
    January NSDs 0/15
    January PADs
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 16,069 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    hi @cuddlymarm image, good to see you here image
  • CrazyBee787
    CrazyBee787 Posts: 1,418 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thank you @cathybird for this helpful and fun to have a go at thread, and wishing you the best Happy New Year 2026 celebrations and year ahead. And for everyone to have their best ever year ahead yet, CrazyXX
    Goal 1: Get a permenant job that sticks.
    Goal 2: Aim 15 No spend days in January or above actual so far - 0
    Goal 3: Get a lodger
    Goal 4: Once goal 1 & 3 complete add 1K to the EF
    Goal 5: Once goal 4 complete save for my own car as I do need one.
  • Dizzycap
    Dizzycap Posts: 1,417 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Debt-free and Proud!
    Pop, pop, pop - A brand New Year & brand new challenges on all levels not just MSE <3
    cuddlymarm - A very warm welcome to you & Enjoy!
    CrazyBee787 - Welcome back! It's great to see you again  <3 New year and fresh NSD start xxxx
    ~ NSD 2026 - NSD January 0/20 (1)
    # No.36 Make £2026 in 2026 £313.03 / £2026 (1)
    # No.12 Save £2 a Day 2026 £60.83 / £730 (1)
    # No.2 Save 1p A Day 2026 £59.17 / £667.95 (1)
    # No.19 52 Week Env Challenge 2026 £130 / £1378 (1)
    # No.4 Save £12k in 2026 £0 / £12,000 (1)
    # No.4 £2 Savers Club 2026 - 25/12 - 24/10 £20 / £200 (1)
    # No.8 Sealed Pot Challenge 19 - 2026 - 24/12 - 24/10 £50+ / £400 (1)
  • CrazyBee787
    CrazyBee787 Posts: 1,418 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thanks @Dizzycap it is good to be back, Thank you.XX
    Goal 1: Get a permenant job that sticks.
    Goal 2: Aim 15 No spend days in January or above actual so far - 0
    Goal 3: Get a lodger
    Goal 4: Once goal 1 & 3 complete add 1K to the EF
    Goal 5: Once goal 4 complete save for my own car as I do need one.
  • Honeysucklelou2
    Honeysucklelou2 Posts: 4,841 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Please can I join in …aiming for 10 NSDs.
    paydbx2025 #26 £890/£5000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £138k.
    2025 savings challenge £0/£2000
    EF £140. Savings 2 £30.00. 17
  • Thanks for the new thread! Can I aim for 20 this month please? Going to try extra hard
    Life gets in the way...PADding is addictive...Saving's better than spending...
    2025 1p challenge #7 | Cash envelope challenge #01 | SPC #017
    EF £1000/£1000 | Sabbatical £4055/£6000
  • My plan for 2026 is to do alternate months of no-spend. So I'll be aiming for all 31 days for January. For me, apart from 1 trip to a different town that is already planned and will enable me to get 1 bag of 5kg of red split lentils, I won't even be buying food shopping (I have plenty in including batch cooked meals in the freezer)
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 16,069 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
     


    hi there @Honeysucklelou2 image and @SovereigntyQueen image and welcome to our lovely thread! I've added you to the list image
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