Take the free, self-guided budgeting game. Discover how many consecutive days you can go spending zero pounds on non-essentials to break your spending habits and see how much you can save in just a few days.
Now that you know all you have to do to start saving is stop spending, it’s time to see how disciplined you really are. I challenge you to take the Watch the Pennies No-Spend Challenge.
The Goal: See how many consecutive days you can go spending absolutely zero pounds on non-essentials.
The Allowed Basics: Your fixed house bills, commute fuel, and your weekly supermarket grocery shop are allowed. You’ll need to buy all your food and drinks at the supermarket in a weekly shop and make your meals from scratch.
The Exemptions: Birthday gifts for other people and social gatherings already arranged are excluded.
The Banned Spends: High-street coffee, lunchtime meal deals, online shopping clicks, convenience store runs, and takeaways are completely banned.
But what if my washing machine breaks down? Or the children need something for school?
Use your discretion! This is a fun exercise to encourage you to make packed lunches, make your own coffee, and think before buying something out of habit or boredom. If an absolute household emergency happens, don't panic. This isn't about deprivation; it's about breaking mindless habits and proving to yourself you can do it!.
How to Track Your Score
Grab a calendar or a notebook and put a big cross through every day you successfully keep your wallet / purse shut. Can you manage 3 days in a row? A full week?
Every single day you pass the challenge, you are actively saving your hard-earned cash, keeping it away from the banks and businesses, and proving that you are in total control of your budget. If you need further motivation, use the non-essential spending calculator to see what you're spending on average each day, this is money you will save instead of spend. Even if you go 3 days and save £8 a day... thats £24. Do the same thing each week for a month, and that's £96 kept inside your bank account.
Celebrate Your Wins: If you want to share your personal record, drop me an email at ladyfrugal@watchthepennies.co.uk to let me know how many days you lasted and how much cash you saved compared to your normal spending habits! I love reading all your success stories, and with your permission, I might feature your breakthrough tips anonymously in a future journal entry to inspire others.
Good Luck!
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