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Fabulous February's No-Spend Days Challenge!

cathybird
cathybird Posts: 16,277 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
edited 1 February at 11:40AM in Debt-free wannabe challenges

Welcome to Fabulous February'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. Untitled Image

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 Untitled Image

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. Untitled Image

February emojis

Off to a start

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5 days

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10 days

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15 days

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20 days

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Target reached

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Target beaten

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To see the updated results for February on phone or tablet, click here 😊

Everyone welcome to join! 😊😊

«13456711

Comments

  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 16,277 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 31 January at 10:37PM

    February 2026 NSD targets 

    32b3in2013 18

    AuntieL 15

    beanielou 19

    cathybird TF

    Changeyourlife25 10

    crazybeautiful 20

    cuddlymarm 15

    Deb 4 15

    Dizzycap 20

    doingitanyway 12

    Doris17 20

    Honeysucklelou2 10

    Ilovetea 20

    InDebtEnby 13

    KajiKita 20

    laurenh1 18

    leftatthetrafficlights 15

    LittleMissDetermined 20

    loopylupin 10

    Mamma2004 10

    MissMoneyMishap 12

    NeverendingDMP 10

    Pinkpieuni 10

    Prodigal50 10

    RhiBi 14

    RollinginClover 15

    Rupacomp 10

    Sallyp2 14

    ShelivesintheShire 20

    snugglenush 10

    SovereigntyQueen 31

    Teamjarjar 5

    Tenar15 12

    Thriftymissus 20

    ThriftyPrincess40 20

    VickyA 2 15

    Wanna Bee Free 10

    yellowstickerfan 15

    🌞 🌞  Everyone welcome to join! 🌞 🌞

  • Rupacomp
    Rupacomp Posts: 310 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic

    I'm back after a long break! I'm going to aim for 10 this month!

    Savings goal by 31/12/24: £22000
    Dec 23: £6945.23
  • Dizzycap
    Dizzycap Posts: 1,562 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic Debt-free and Proud!

    @ Rupacomp - Welcome back! @ cathybird - I hope you had a lovely break & thank you for another inspirational emoji NSD month. I'm really not obessed, honest! 😅😆*I will get every emoji*

    ~ NSD 2026 Challenge February 6/20 (2)
    # No.12 Save £2 a Day 2026 £121.66 / £730 (2)
    # No.2 Save 1p A Day Challenge 2026 £118.34 / £667.95 (2)
    # No.19 52 Week Env Challenge 2026 £260 / £1378 (2)
    # No.4 Save £12k in 2026  £3635.93 / £12,000 (2)
    # No.4 £2 Savers Club 2026 - (25/12 - 24/10) £50 / £200 (2)
    No.8 Sealed Pot Challenge 19 - 2026 - 24/12 - 24/10 £50+ / £400 (2)
    # Make £2026 in 2026 £1033.98 / £2026 (2)
  • Sallyp2
    Sallyp2 Posts: 371 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper

    Rejoining thread after a few years off! I'm ambitiously going for 14 this month so 50%

    Feb 26 NSD 0/14
    Feb 26 Grocery challenge £0/£200
  • Honeysucklelou2
    Honeysucklelou2 Posts: 4,870 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper

    Thank you for running this @cathybird. The emojis are looking great in the table.

    paydbx2026 #19 £422/£6000 . Mortgage start £148k June 23 - now £135k.
    2026 savings challenge £0/£2000
    EF £140. Savings 2 £2.17
  • RhiBi
    RhiBi Posts: 806 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker

    please can I go for 14 this month? I’m going to try for half the month!

  • Thanks for the new thread @cathybird - I'm aiming for 20 :)

    Life gets in the way...PADding is addictive...Saving's better than spending...
    2026 1p challenge #7 | Cash envelope challenge #01 | SPC #017
    EF £1000/£1000 | Sabbatical £4220/£6000
  • beanielou
    beanielou Posts: 98,078 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Academoney Grad Mortgage-free Glee!

    Thanks @cathybird for our shiny new thread.

    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****
    "A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.

    ***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb.
    ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
    One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.
  • Deb4
    Deb4 Posts: 273 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker

    Can I join please and i will go for 15 this month 🙏


    Make £2026 in 2026 #19
  • cathybird
    cathybird Posts: 16,277 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic

    hiya there @Rupacomp @Sallyp2 and @Deb4, good to see you here. I've added you to the list :)

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