I She Started With a 10 Bob Savings Challenge, I Just Bought My First Plot

You have probably seen those saving challenges circulating on WhatsApp groups or TikTok. The kind where people claim they started saving small amounts like Ksh10 a day and somehow ended the year with tens of thousands of shillings.

The first time I saw one, I laughed.

Ten bob? That was the amount I would casually spend on airtime bundles or add to a matatu fare without even thinking about it. It felt too small to matter.

But three years later, that small amount is the reason I am now calling myself a land owner, and it all started because I decided to try something that seemed almost too simple to work.

Also Read: 2026 Money254 Savings Challenge: The 10 Bob Challenge

My Money Was Always Disappearing

Five years ago, I had just settled into my first proper job in Nairobi. I was 24, earning around Ksh60,000 a month. At the time, I believed I was doing relatively well compared to many of my friends who were still job hunting.

But there was one problem I couldn’t ignore. I never seemed to have money.

My salary would come in, and within two weeks, I would start calculating how to survive until the next payday. Rent, transport, lunch at work, occasional shopping, and weekend plans had a way of quietly draining my account.

I kept promising myself I would start saving seriously. Every January, I would say, “This year I will be disciplined.” But the months kept passing, and nothing changed.

One evening three years ago, while scrolling through a WhatsApp group, someone shared something called the 10 bob savings challenge.

I almost ignored it, but curiosity got the better of me.

Also read: Daily vs Monthly Savings: Which One Should You Pick?

The Challenge That Looked Too Simple

The idea behind the challenge was surprisingly simple.

On January 1st, you save Ksh10.
On January 2nd, you save Ksh20.
On January 3rd, you save Ksh30.

Each day, you increase the amount by Ksh10 until the end of the month. Then the following month begins slightly higher. For example, February starts with Ksh20, March starts with Ksh30, and so on until December.

The concept sounded almost like a game.

At first, the amounts felt so small that I barely noticed them. Sending Ksh10 or Ksh20 to a savings account felt harmless.

But as the days passed, something interesting started happening. Saving became part of my daily routine.

Instead of wondering where my money had gone at the end of the month, I started paying attention to my spending because I needed to make sure I had money to complete the day’s challenge.

The First Year Changed My Mind About Saving

By the middle of the year, the daily amounts had started to grow.

Some days, I was saving Ksh200 or more. It was not always comfortable, especially toward the end of the month when the amounts were higher. But by then, I had already built a rhythm and did not want to break the streak.

When December came, and I finally added everything together, I was shocked. The 10 bob challenge had helped me save Ksh77,550 in one year. That translates to roughly Ksh6,400 per month, which was far more than I had ever managed to save consistently before.

But the most important decision I made that year had nothing to do with the challenge itself. It was where I decided to keep the money.

Instead of leaving the savings in my bank account, where I could easily withdraw them, I moved everything into a Money Market Fund (MMF) that was earning about 8% annually.

By the end of that year, my savings had grown slightly to about Ksh79,600 because of the compounding interest.

It wasn’t a huge increase, but it introduced me to a powerful idea. My money could actually grow on its own.

Also Read: 6 Money Habits to Leave Behind in 2025

The Year I Decided to Push Harder

Seeing my savings close to Ksh80,000 gave me motivation I had never felt before. For the first time, saving felt real.

So the following year, I decided to challenge myself even more by switching to the 20 bob savings challenge.

The rules remained the same, but the daily increments doubled.

On January 1st, I saved Ksh20.
On January 2nd, Ksh40.
On January 3rd, Ksh60.

Every day increased by Ksh20, and each new month started Ksh20 higher than the previous one. This meant the amounts grew much faster.

By the end of that second year, I had saved Ksh155,100 from the challenge alone. At this point, I was saving Ksh12,900 every month.

Combined with my previous savings and the interest from the MMF, my total savings had grown to roughly Ksh246,800.

Crossing the quarter-million mark changed how I saw money completely. I realised that wealth does not always come from sudden big opportunities. Sometimes it grows quietly through small, consistent habits.

Also Read: How to Choose a Savings Challenge That Does Not Strain Your Budget

When Saving Becomes a Lifestyle

After that second year, I decided not to stop. I continued doing the 20 bob challenge for the third year.

At this point, the challenge was no longer about discipline. It had become part of my routine. Just like paying rent or buying groceries. For the three years, I deposited my challenge savings into the same MMF account and left the money untouched.

As time went by, something powerful happened: the interest compounded. Instead of earning returns only on the money I deposited, I was now earning returns on the interest that had already accumulated.

The growth became faster and faster.

By the end of the third year, my total savings plus interest had grown to more than Ksh450,000. That is when I started seriously looking for a parcel of land.

A few months later, I found a 50 by 100 plot in Nanyuki going for Ksh450,000. The savings from the challenge made it possible for me to buy it, and today I hold the title. My goal is to develop the land in the future, or even build a home for my family. Who knows. 

The Lesson I Learned From Saving Ten Shillings

Looking back, the most powerful lesson from this journey was not really about saving challenges. It was about consistency.

Many people delay saving because they believe the amount they can afford is too small to matter. But the truth is that saving is less about the amount and more about the habit.

Small amounts, saved consistently and allowed to grow over time, can produce results that feel almost unbelievable at the beginning.

Compound interest also played a huge role in my journey. What started as Ksh77,000 eventually multiplied because I allowed the money to remain invested for several years.

Most importantly, I learned that financial progress rarely happens overnight. It happens slowly, quietly, and often in ways that feel insignificant in the moment.

After all, when I started saving Ksh10, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a millionaire. I was just trying to prove to myself that I could save.

And sometimes, that is exactly where wealth begins.