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How this works

A no-spend day is a day you buy nothing beyond essentials like bills and food you already planned. The calculator takes what you’d normally spend on a typical day and multiplies it by the number of no-spend days each week.

A year is counted as 52 weeks and a month as a twelfth of a year. If you save what you don’t spend, it also shows what that money could grow to, added at the end of each month and earning interest at the AER you enter.

What it assumes

  • You save the money you don’t spend, rather than spending it the next day.
  • Prices stay at today’s level.
  • The interest rate stays the same.

Worked example

Two no-spend days a week

  1. On a normal day you spend about £20 on coffee, lunches, snacks and small buys.
  2. Two no-spend days a week keeps £40 a week, £173.33 a month and £2,080 a year.
  3. Saved for 5 years at 4%, that’s £10,400 put away, which grows to £11,471 with interest.

Worked out with the same maths as the calculator above.

What to do next

Common questions

What can I spend on a no-spend day?

Essentials only: bills, planned food shopping, getting to work and anything you’ve already committed to. The point is to skip the small, unplanned buys.

How do I make sure I actually save the money?

Move the amount you didn’t spend into savings that evening or at the end of the week. If it stays in your current account, it tends to get spent.

How many no-spend days should I start with?

One or two a week is realistic for most people. Pick days you’re usually at home, then add more once it feels normal.

Is a no-spend month better?

It can be a useful reset, but a few no-spend days every week often saves more over a year because it’s easier to keep up.

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