Start your ‘Non-spending day’ to help save 15 grand a year

Have you ever thought of how to save money painlessly and efficiently?

A saving trend called ‘Non-spending day’ has gone viral in Japan recently. It is also a beginner-friendly saving method for those initially trying to save money. A Japanese woman saved 15 grand after a year of using this method. I challenge myself to follow this method for a month and see if I’ve saved money successfully. Let’s take a look if it works for you.

How does it work?

Firstly, schedule 10 days as a non-spending days each month. Then, set up a daily spending amount. For example, if you put £10 into your pocket daily, if that day is a non-spending day, the £10 should remain in your pocket.

My implementation and the result are shown below:

I used to withdraw a certain amount (say £300) of money to a spending account at the beginning of each month. As I mainly use contactless for most of my payments, I set up a standing order of £10 daily to my spending account for this challenge, instead of putting money into my wallet.

So here are my 10 non-spending day schedules:

I mainly chose weekdays as my non-spending days as I usually prepare my lunchbox during weekdays.

Day 1 & Day 2 result

First ‘Non-spending Day’ result

How much is left?

I used to leave a few pounds in my pocket at the end of the month. Surprisingly, I have £98 left this month! I failed not to spend a penny on one of the non-spending days, that’s why it’s not a total £100 balance. However, I’m still happy with the result.

Frankly, it is quite hard to follow at the beginning as it is a new way for me to spend money. However, once I am used to it, it is a painless method to save money. During the non-spending days, I either stay at home or go to work, the only possibility to spend money is to buy lunch and I prepare them in advance instead.

Also, seeing the amount increasing every day (instead of a total £300 being deducted and becoming £0 at the end of the month) is a beautiful moment and motivates me to work harder and only spend if I need to.

3 other money-saving tips

Stay at home during your non-spend day
It’s easier to keep away from the temptation by staying at home, or just going out for a walk on your non-spend day.

Have a calm period for online shopping

Something I’ve been following for the past years is every time I spot something I would like to purchase, I simply leave them on the shopping cart for a few days. If I want to buy it even after a few days, then I will purchase it. However, I often forget about the items in the cart and it’s surely a good way to minimize impulsive shopping.

Record how much you saved on a non-spending day

It does need determination as saving money is a long-term thing. Therefore, don’t be lazy to record your savings amount monthly. It also gives you satisfaction to keep going on with your saving plan. Slowly, you will be amazed by how little sums up to a decent amount at the end of the year!