Is anyone doing a no / low buy 2022?

[SarahJessicaParker1]

I'm going to try it.

Would love ideas of other people's rules!

I have done some decluttering and also unsubscribed from loads of emails. Very nearly bought a wetsuit in a sale and I so wanted to sign up for an online ‘change your life in 2022’ course but managed to stop myself. I have purchased a budget book so I can write everything down (rubbish with apps) but that’s it really.

Keep telling myself I am only allowed to change my life for free

Can I join? I've been spending money like water thee last few months!

I’m doing pretty well. So far I’ve only bought a birthday present for my niece, and lunch in the canteen at work.

I've got to day ten... Had wobble at weekend as local outlet mall has a hobbs and in the window was a perfect pair of grey tweedy culottes. I've looked for something just like them for years. But I reminded myself of all the lovely clothes I have already and carried on to the cinema and a large bag of popcorn. That's allowed, it's clothes shoes and stuff I'm not buying.

Well done jellybean 👏👏 I have been doing ok - not buying coffee and lunches - - but have still managed to fritter away money on stuff I don’t actually need. I’ve set up a cashback card now and have worked out a budget for next month so have made some progress. I have also realised that I need to change my job as feeling completely burnt out so money management is going to become even more key this year (unless I win lottery or land a much better job!)

I would guess I spent money pretty much every day of 2021. This year I've made pots on Monzo for specific spends (wardrobe reset postpartum, coffees, books, hair cuts) so that if I am tempted to spend it has to come from the pot!
Also doing proper meal plans and fortnightly big shop at Aldi which was half of what we normally spend - though we've done quite a lot of top up shopping for milk/bread/bananas so might need to plan a little better for our next one(!).
Have managed 8/11 no spend days so far! One I bought coffee and cake at a lovely cafe for DH and I when we were out for the day, and the two others were buying baby bits on Vinted that we still needed to get (bought from baby pot).
Have come close to making impulse purchases a few times but ticking off 'no spend day' in my bullet journal is good motivation... at the moment

@RonnieRadbush

Keep telling myself I am only allowed to change my life for free

I love this!! Definitely a mantra I need to adopt. Do not need to buy things for X new hobby, or X new style that will absolutely, definitely be life changing...

I’m in. Tragically 100 quid into my overdraft and it’s only the 11th! Mortgage/ electric bill ( which has doubled) came out yesterday. Had to pay this terms subs for sports clubs. January is a long month esp. as get paid pre Christmas. So no more clothes. Will use only the toiletries I have until all used up. Dc are tricky as seem to grow at an alarming rate but I think they have enough to get through to Easter at least.

I haven't bought myself any clothes, which is my goal, but have bought other things - two supermarket food shops, a few family toiletries, ordered local fruit and vegetables from the farm collective to collect on Saturday, 10kg of pork from a farm less than a km away which we always order meat to freeze from, and shoes for ds1 (he only had one pair not counting football and indoor sports hall shoes, he's growing really fast but its snowing/ sleeting/ below freezing here so I wanted him to have a second pair and not have to put wet shoes back on! Not too extravagant I don't think, although he probably won't fit them long... At least he has a little brother who if they're barely used will probably also get use out of size 44/ UK 10 shoes for a couple of months before he outgrows them age 14...)

The only frivolous thing I've bought is a Groot USB stick for DC3 He has to have his own USB stick for school and I ordered it so he'd know which one was his - and so he'd enjoy seeing it each time he uses it... admittedly I could have found a random ordinary one in a drawer somewhere if I'd looked hard enough though 😳

It being the new year and all that, I am doing some sums on the house accounts, tidying up and have a few annual bills. It is always nice to save a bit here and there when inertia could have won out but this week and it sort of gives you the same feeling as spending but it saves you money instead!

• put an old kids bike on eBay and have a first bid of 80 quid - I have another 2 to sell as well (although one will probably only fetch £20 or so)

• saved 350 on renewal of house insurance but still staying with well known reputable insurer

• paid my tax bill and realised I have probably been over-saving for it so can reallocate that cash to other purposes.

All slightly boring.

Now just need to face the gas and electricity bill and see if I can do anything about that!

How is everyone doing?
I have now managed 14 days of no unnecessary purchases.
I have bought birthday presents for my god daughter.. She is 21, and sent flowers to a friend. But that is not unnecessary.
But I have resisted all sales and have not had takeaway.
I'm also waiting for tax bill and hoping I've saved too much for it!

So far so good. The only one things I’ve spent money on are a birthday present for my niece, and lunches in the canteen at work. Both of which I consider acceptable spending.

hid the ads on my facebook

i did buy two mugs and was on the look out for a third but the shop had closed down

I browsed a clothes website sale yesterday and was so tempted but am glad I didn't buy anything. I always justify it in my mind with imaginary scenarios where I'll need that item, or because that top was just what I was looking for when I got dressed yesterday... (still managed to get dressed though didn't I!)

I lost a lot of weight from 2019-20 and have psychologically replaced over eating with over clothes shopping I'm fairly sure! Pretty messed up

I didn't buy anything but ate something that I didn't need to eat

Need to find something less damaging to over do instead... Have the day off today as I'm working on Sunday so I'm going to get on with some decluttering, have already had a bath, need to go for a long walk and have other chores to do... No shopping!

hmm

I'm in, for Q1 at least so I can replenish my savings after Christmas! My problem is spending way too much money on food/drink - there are only 2 of us but including a takeaway we spend at least £150 most weeks, and I read that the average for 2 people is about half that. We basically need to eat cheaper food, and not spend so much on snacks, treats and alcohol.

I also bulk buy if something is on offer, which in theory is sensible, but in practice means usually I'm inflating the amount of my weekly shop, and for some reason the benefit of that doesn't seem to come through in future shops - I just buy more of other things.

Weirdly I will then deny myself new knickers, shoes or something I want for the house because 'I can't afford it', although I've probably spent at least £600 on food that month!

So plan for me is significantly reduce food bill, put most of the money in savings / pay off my interest free credit card balance, and then use a little bit of the savings to 'thoughtfully purchase' myself something new as a reward - this month it's going to be a new dressing gown for £25. So far since 1 Jan I've spent about £100 at Tesco, and DH has done a couple of small top ups so we are doing well.

I've also unsubscribed from about 50 marketing lists since 1 Jan, and have more to do - I'm a sucker for '20% extra off sale!' and similar.

Great set of rules @SarahJessicaParker1

I've taken the liberty to edit yours, thank you. Really helpful to see them set out like this. I'll now RTFT in case there are any more to steal

1. This is the easy part for me, I already have plenty of clothes and operate a one in on out policy: buying anything new means I have to throw something else away. Full disclose I bought a new wool scarf yesterday to replace the one I was wearing which was getting shabby. Didn't want to carry the old one around so asked the lady who at the payment desk to dispose of it. She was happy to add it to their 'old clothes to go to charity shop'. Genius.

2. Toiletries: haven't worn make up since the pandemic hit. Have lots. And good supplies of lovely toiletries, so just need to 'just say no' to even looking for any

3. Books: Kindle all the way with an Exemption for mostly reference books not available online. Stretch target get to next birthday / Christmas with all kindle books read at least once

4. Work for a Media/Technology company so this is all included (hurrah but I mostly listen to R4/R4Extra. Have prime, stretch target consolidate DH's prime accounts into my own and cancel the one he has in a country he has not visited since the pandemic struck and is unlikely to go back to.

5. Household items: a bit like clothes, only if something essential gets worn out completely check

6. Hobbies: On the look out for swing dance shoes to wear on (!) carpet. These would be covered under one it one out.

7. takeaways and coffees: not tempted while WFT and at work food etc heavily subsidised so a bye in this one for me on work premises

8). New category: random subscriptions. Shall in January comb through my bank accounts to check that I really, really need everything I am signed up for.

Keeping: regular hair appointments, existing monthly 'spa' visits, eating out as these are all 'good value', it's about no valueless spending for me.

Thank you OP for starting this and everyone else for your contributions.

I think I need to join.

For me the hard part is I am very low spend in some areas - haven't had a takeaway in 5 years even on holiday. I can't socialise at pubs/ restaurants etc. I haven't been to an office for nearly 2 years (and have put so much weight one none of my clothes fit). I wear old charity/ second hand stuff all the time with new underwear but even that's all falling apart. I furnished my house nearly for free - my dad was throwing stuff out so used that and a local group to get free stuff for donations to charity.

However, I spend a fortune on 2 hobbies - one fitness based that can costs £1000s per year and I'm fond of the clothing etc and the other is a needlecraft - so patterns fabric etc.

As i have no social life etc - I do need to do something but I must use up what I have stash wise first and only buy new stuff when I making a present for someone else.
As for the fitness hobby - I do wear stuff out regularly and do it 6 days a week so I will need some low cost purchases. For anything higher cost - I will use birthday money/bonus etc for it.

Another bone of contention for me is that I haven't sent money on some essentials for ages - eg kitchen tablecloth has a huge rip in it. It bothers me a lot. And I'm in a rental - we have hideous lampshades on the ceiling - DD has asked for a new one. I promised but didn't buy last year etc. All my underwear is falling apart - so some cheap new ones will be bought.

It's always a dilemma of how far you can push it - can i wear that jumper with a hole in the cuff to work? Can I wear knickers with small holes on the side? Can I live with a chipped mug? etc

I’ve been trawling through the sales and will usually spend spend on skin care & jewellery. I LOVE Missoma which has amazing sales and Carrie Elizabeth! I did really well and resisted so far (two weeks in to the new year 😬) I will not buy:
Skin care
Make up
Jewellery
Shoes
Hand bags

I got sucked in by a recent dinosaur thread and hopelessly failed to resist a jumper (and a T shirt with colourful stars to get free delivery but which I like too much to return).
So from today No more clothes!

I failed on two occasions this week. I bought a jacket on eBay (paid for entirely by money I’ve made selling unwanted things on eBay, so not actually a net spend). But also a case of wine, which I can’t really justify - I already have plenty of wine. I got sucked in by the offers.