No Spend 19 - join us!

[NoSpend19]

Hi all

So yet another name change for the No Spend 19 thread some of us have been discussing (not a TAAT - juts a spin off)

The aim is to reduce the unnecessary spending on "stuff". We're almost at the end of the year and so 2019 is a good time to start.

It would be great if as many people as possible thought it was feasible for them so there are no hard and fast rules but to give you an idea my rules are as follows:

Food and drink purchases are permitted (although personally I will also be trying to grow as much as possible myself, reduce air miles and reduce single use plastics in the food we buy. In addition I will be avoiding being tempted to pay extra for brands. Meals out and takeaways are also on our no spend list)

Essential household products and toiletries are permitted. So it is ok to buy washing powder but personally I will be avoiding buying six different types of stain remover, fabric conditioner, ironing water and all the other stuff we are told we need to do to clean a load of washing . Likewise we will be buying soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo as essentials but will not be buying hair masks, face masks, make up, face cream, serums, body sprays, nail varnish, showergels, body scrubs etc. Perfectly acceptable to use up everything you have though.

essential clothing etc is permitted. DH and I won't be buying anything unless absolutely unavoidable but DC are growing and will need shoes, trousers etc. We will aim to keep this to a minimum though.

Fuel and other travel costs are permitted

Normal household bills are permitted of course

stuff is not permitted. So toys, books (library is fine), magazines, CDs, DVDs, random household items like cushions, candles, stationery etc are all on the aim not to buy list. This Christmas will be prior to the experiment starting but we are already asking for experience presents for the DC eg cinema tickets.

We are just feeling a bit like consumerism has gone mad and so we think we can probably do this. In our household it is me, DH DS1 (13) and DS2 (11, nearly 12). Anyone up for joining? We start at the beginning of 2019

Disclaimer: before we decided to do this we had already booked and paid for our holiday for next year. It is a bit of a cheat but I don't want to delay this just because we'd already done that.

I may need significant to get me through

I can't commit to a full 'buy nothing' as have a growing baby and a changing body, but my New Year resolution was to only buy things-especially clothes-that I'm willing to repair.

Can I join in?
Most days for me are No Spending Days because I have no money but I do have a habit of buying little things here & there. I don't want to give up buying everything altogether though so what do I do?

We give & take hand-me-downs for the dc rather than buying new clothes wherever possible. We didn't have to buy the dc new school shoes and trainers the other day though as theirs had worn out. I haven't had new clothes or shoes for years apart from some work T-shirts as my old ones had holes in.

I don't wear makeup or have a facial routine so rarely buy cosmetics apart from shampoo, shower gel and toothpaste. We only get those when the old ones have run out. The other week I cut open the nearly empty tube to get the last remnants of toothpaste out before opening the new one.

We can only use one type of laundry liquid because of allergies. We don't/can't use fabric softener and we don't iron so ironing water is pointless!

My phone contract is up soon but, since it costs me £40 a month and my current phone still works, I'm not going to upgrade and will switch to a rolling monthly thing for about a tenner.

We do buy magazines for myself and the dc. Not weekly or even monthly, just here & there. I could stop that.

Since we're skint we only have meals out or takeaways every few months - is that still allowed?

I'm trying my best to avoid palm oil so have already cut out most junk foods. My waistline, bank balance and the planet would probably like me to stop eating chocolate completely though.

What else am I missing?

2 NSDs for me. 🏅🏅
I am however heading into town soon to sort out new bank accounts for me and DD. Need to switch up to the best interest rates and cashback as our accounts are not as good as they once were. Having DD with me will stop the browsing as shopping is soooo booooooring.

Can I join?
I'm contemplating buying a new blazer as my civil partnership ceremony is coming up in 6 weeks and we will be buying rings.
And sandwiches after, possibly.

Other than that I would really like to ensure I don't spend much at all.
I just cancelled amazon prime and I'm going to try and claim a 6 month free student membership.
I haven't spent anything yet this year and I'm hoping to live off food that's in the house for as long as possible.

My dad just gave me an old desk though so I'm possibly going to look for a second hand chair today

I'm in please.
though im going to do something slightly different.
My out of work spending isnt that bad - my weakness is at work where I can easily burn into £6 on food and drink. so my pledge to myself is I am going to bring my food to work every day which adds up to £130 a month (fuck just worked that out!) i could potentially save £90-£100 a month on this one effort

sometimes my blood sugar seems to drop and I need a little pick me up this will be allowed on a very rare occasion.

another weakness is costa Starbucks neros etc - 2 a month will be allowed. down from approx 15 a month (more sometimes!) that could save me £50 a month.

also i am going to have more of a mindset of - can I do without? can I make do? And to try my hardest to use my car slightly less.

I aim for £150 a month of cut backs.

Another NSD. I also cancelled my subscription to the Sat/Sun Times as I didn't always read them and when I did I felt that they no longer interested me.

Cancelled my subscription to Virgin Wines as well - I have over 60 bottles and drink 1 a week at most.

Most proud of the fact that I automatically clicked on the Hush sale and looked through the reductions but didn't buy anything

Ah brilliant, can I join?

I really need to cut back- DP is amazing with money and not frittering his personal spending, but I'm not- and I earn quite a bit more than him which means I end up putting stuff on my card instead out of some sort of misplaced guilt. We have 1 in nursery still, high childcare, and the house needs loads of stuff doing to it so I want to concentrate on that.

I am going to be freelancing for a few months as well this year which will mean slightly erratic cashflow for a bit.

Plus we have booked a couple of trips this year that I don't want to regret. So my rules:

• No clothes all year except tights and underwear if strictly necessary. I can replace something if it breaks. Have cheated a bit by ordering a couple of work blouses in the sale for new job starting later in the year before the 31st December. If I do actually lose the weight I am planning I may buy a bikini for holidays.

• No booze in the week at all (and none at all in January)

-No more craft stuff for DD until she's used up all the old stuff, and then only stuff that recycles or biodegrades.

• Kids will get stuff as actually needed but DD2 shouldn't need anything (maybe shoes mid year but have sale purchase of next size put by) as has a very full complement of hand me downs. DD1 likely to need uniform and some summer stuff, later in the year.

• I am allowed 2 take out coffees a week if I have my travel mug AND if it is from somewhere with super-fancy hipster coffee (not Costa etc). I LOVE coffee and this is my indulgence.

-I don't spend much on cosmetics or skincare- I will replace stuff as it's used up but spend hardly anything anyway and got stuff for xmas that will see me through 3 months or so.

• No new books. I have an enormous backlog and a good library and library app.

• I usually take lunch anyway but will make sure I do so daily. No purchasing of snacks on the way home- I will pick up some (free!) fruit from work instead.

• I am allowed to spend on my allotment but am setting a £150 budget for the year, with more focused planting and raising of stuff.

-Go for a run instead of expensive bootcamp class. Pilates and yoga at home.

Definitely no random trips to ikea or Decathlon where I drop £100. We are in London and have travelcards so have endless free entertainments.

Here's to accountability! Am having a good declutter as well.

Oh and I'm still going to socialise! Most of my friends have young children as well though so no one goes out that much at all- a couple of lunches and maybe a dinner and something like the cinema or a gallery one a month.

Ooh - I'm in, I'd love a stuff free life.
coffee and drinks out - I've started taking a flask or reusable drink bottle with me plus a cereal bar so I don't feel the need to waste money in coffee shops.
I definitley don;t need any new clothes - i'm thinking of converting some of my clothes (ie dresses into tops, trousers into shorts, dresses into skirts etc)
Books - a hard one for me - I can't resist a kindle bargain. I do use the library a lot, I rarely buy actual books - when I do they are always second hand and I always pass on to others or return to charity shop after I've read them. Need to cut down on the kindle 'stuff' though.

Going to buy all my fruit and veg from market stall to reduce plastic. I already always use own bags, and I've invested in a wheelbasket which lets me do bigger food shops without having to take the car.

The car is a bit of a tricky one for me - I hardly use it (and can't use it at the moment in fact for medical reasons) when I need it, I need it. But my use is so low I wonder if I can justify keeping it - need to ponder that one.

I've avoided the sales this year (usually end up buying stuff I don't need or really want because it is cheap)

Going to look for the sceptic tank friendly toilet cleaner and try to cut down on noxious chemicals.
Also freezing all left over meals even if it only one portion - they can still be eaten up for a lunch or whatever - so I'm not throwing good food out.And going to make left over odd veggies into soup and freeze.

My main indulgance is my garden - I love plants, seeds etc. But I have gradually built up a netwrok of plant and seed swappers in my friends and family - so am growingon cuttings from other peoples shrubs and we all save seed from summer flowers and swap - it's fun seeing what will come up (as lots of folk shove seed into an envelope and forget to label it ) Am also dividing up a lot of plants that grew well last year so I can fill gaps in my borders/do swaps.

I'd like to join if I may - I am trying to spend absolutely minimally this year. I belong to a kindle book group on Facebook, where free downloads are shared on a daily basis. A lot are rubbish but every so often, a good author is found, and as an avid reader, this is fab.

I am intending to get my bike out of the garage and cycle to work - transport costs saved and fitness levels increased.

I am also going to make sure I always have a refillable water bottle, cereal bar and fruit in my bag when out and about, so no fast-food snacking/impromptu lunches.

I have more than enough clothes _ I work in healthcare so scrubs for work. I might customise a few items, jeans, dresses, t-shirts - I enjoy sewing so I'm going to get creative.

My guilty pleasure is browsing charity shops, junk shops and carboot sales and buying tat because it looks nice/is a bargain. I don't need anything! I plenty of have pictures, candles, cushions etc This has to stop. My New Year's resolution is to stop spending on stuff I don't actually need.

I’m in, plan not to buy any kids clothes for a year. Think I’ll save best part of a grand. Madness I know

Also planning not to buy any clothes for me unless truly necessary

Well done everyone!!
I don't seem to be doing all that well
I'm a childminder and will have spent approx £100 over three days work this week The children are off on Monday too but we'll be having a very low spend day that day.
I am very proud of myself though for not buying a single thing in the sales. I normally restock my Christmas cards/wrapping paper and get a stash of gifts for the following Christmas but will be doing things very differently next Christmas.
One of my rules was to stop eating lunch out when I'm working and I completely forgot yesterday but going to come up with a plan for carrying petty cash with me instead of using my debit card all the time. I hope that will help to remind me I'm not meant to be spending unnecessarily!!

Oh the cash idea is a good one Clutterfree - I'm nicking that. Contactless has made me even more inclined to feel I am not spending real money because it is so easy !!

Low spend day- £2.41 at Lidl for fruit and cotton wool that I forgot in the shop yesterday!
Think having cash instead of cards might be a good idea to see exactly what I’m spending. I resisted take away coffee twice today!

Another low spend day for me - two teas at work then a few bits of shopping in Aldi.
Also unsubscribed from a load of emails to hopefully remove temptation. Haven't bought anything in the sales and have no inclination to go but I know I'll be tempted when shops start getting in the new seasons ranges.

I spent more than expected in town.
£26 in boots for some medication I needed.
£25 in H&M for 5 jumpers for DD in the sale.
£30 in Primark for some underwear and bras and an extra £3 on a wallet for DD for her new debit card for when that arrives.

I'd have spent twice that or more if I was mindlessly spending so quite pleased really. I felt in control and put down plenty of stuff I didn't need.

I took the children to spend their Christmas money. I picked up a new yoga mat but put it back. Go me!

8 pounds spent on essential foodstuffs and cat food,wasn’t tempted by half price Xmas stock.will need all the money I can get as DH has probably broken his toe so may be off work for a bit (awaiting phone call from A and E)🤦‍♀️

Have also stopped searching through hot uk deals as it’s just a time and money waste at the moment.

Only spend today: my eyebrow threading appt. Seeing as it is the only beauty treatment I ever do (no hair dyeing, manicures, pedicures, fake tans, massages etc. Hair cut only twice a year) I am keeping it going for 2019.

£4.95
Cash from food budget on cheese,carrots and grapes.

£73 weekly food shop
£4 coffee at work

Spent £24 on travel for the month for DD but as that's essential it doesn't count.

So, another NSD for me...4th in a row. Leaving my purse at home is having a huge impact.

Lots of good ideas and suggestions coming up on this thread. Really enjoyed reading through it.

Today I spent £22.74.
I bought some hummus to dip my veggies in at work.
I bought MIL a birthday card and a bunch of flowers as she babysat for me today and it was her birthday on Monday.
I bought myself dinner and a glass of wine in the pub this evening and paid £1 to enter the pub quiz. I thought these were justified spends as today is my birthday!!!!

Happy birthday Hound
It's tough having an early Jan Bday, mine's next week. Everyone is drinking, eating and spending less this time of year and you want to celebrate. hope you have a good day.