No more random spending for 3 months...........any takers?

[Collision]

Starting from 1 September DH and I have decided that the only things on the cc bill will be

food

petrol

car insurance (due 7 Sept)

We are no longer randomly spending on ANY clothes at all. The boys have their uniform and I have new NEXT-sale boots and a warm waterproof coat and we do not need ANY MORE CLOTHES.

Proper meal planning and shopping at ALDI and Sainsburys.

No more Costa lotta coffees.

No more takeaways or cheapy McDonalds/KFC for the kids.

We will use the library for books so no need to buy any.

Packed lunches

Coffee in a flask if I take the children out along with snacks and drinks bought from supermarket and not random cafes.

The boys are pretty much ECO anyway and brilliant at turning off lights and water etc and they only have showers and not baths.

We want to cut down on spending to see how much we can save over time. DH has a great job and I work at school FT so it will be interesting to see what we can do.

GULP!




Anyone want to help join me??

[Carrotsandcelery]

Happy Anniversary Abgirl and I think, given the circumstances, you will be forgiven. I will let you off anyway

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

I need to put DH on some kind of leash so that he can't go to the supermarket! He goes for one thing and comes back having spent £10-15. Nightmare.

Pretty good weekend though, no random takeaways and we've been busy at home. Did have to spend £90 on a new battery for DH's car but that can't be helped.

[JKSLtd]

Abgirl - are you saying you have Christmas presents sorted?!

I have started but only as I saw some suitable bits in TKMaxx the other day for DS1.
Actually now we have 3 DC i'm thinking of seriously cutting back on stuff as we already have a houseful...

well I don't know how much DH spent, and one of the things he was going for (a ready roasted chicken) he couldn't get so we went out for a Chinese instead
was a test for the boys and they did pretty well so we will def be able to go again, but it was £40
made us realise when they're older & actually eat properly it will be much more expensive to feed them!

School tomorrow, yey :)

[Collision]

We have told our boys that we are on an eco drive and they are well up for it!

We make it fun rather than a chore and they do go along with it.

I have also been buying cheaper biscuits in ALDI and putting them in a tin and they have not noticed at all.

29p for a pack of rich tea. Bargain.

[Doyouthinktheysaurus]

No spending this weekend as I was working Friday and Saturday nights but a bit of vague food shopping today. I went in for one item and came out with 10

I am back at work the next 2 nights though and the ds's are back at school so hopefully should be a cheap week.

[Carrotsandcelery]

I have already spent £4 as I had to buy bread, milk and eggs. Hopefully that is it for today though.

[JKSLtd]

In theory I don't have to spend any money today, DH at work (who knows what he spends on lunch, etc), boys at sch, just me & DD at home. Nothing planned for after school either.

I will try and plan swimming once a week for me & DD, think that's a fair expense, plus DS1 starts his swimming lessons tomorrow (must remember chequebook). I am on the lookout for something for DS2, but hopefully nothing too pricey.

[Fatshionista]

I'm in. I'm broke but still manage to find the money for a magazine or an energy drink .

The only expenditures this month will be on essentials: food, bus fare to and from work & college, rent, the money saved for my best friend's wedding, utility bills etc.

No more energy drinks, magazines, snacks, bought drinks etc. If it's not in the house then we don't eat it. Simple. .

I am terrible with money. I make sure everything is paid for but the small amount of expendable income I have I always make sure it goes but I just don't know where. It doesn't help that I am on a very low income and have high outgoings.

[boringnamechange]

Well a not bad weekend - only spent money on food on Saturday £47 from Lidl and with my meal planner I think I will only have to get fruit and veg, milk and bread as top ups and when I looked in my freezer/cupboards had quite a bit anyway! Have budgeted £200 for food and for once I might actually keep in the budget! Oh still have a couple of meats to buy but that shouldnt be much I hope!

Yesterday went out on a day trip with my mum which was her treat and only managed to spend £10 on icecream and tea/coffee as mum brought a picnic for us on boat. My DD1 (4) often asked for toys and things but just keep telling her I have no pennies and so far its working lol

Did have to buy batteries for my camera but managed to get 8 for £2.50 instead of 4 for £5 on the boat so little bargain too!

Wont spend anything today I dont think as lazy day walking to take DD1 to nursery and then home to sort out paperwork.

[poppyandsneeze]

Yes, I would love to join this thread. Seems like I am always needing to cut down on spending. I have to somehow spend as little as possible now for the rest of the month.

I will have to find extra money this month for sons rugby fees, daughters music sessions and sons music sessions at school and nursery fees for this half term - which will all come in at £150. Which we haven't got and will have to be paid using the overdraft.

I am doing a clear out of my wardrobe as I have clothing in there that hasn't been worn for 2 years. I don't have an ebay account as we got rid of the creditcard - 6months ago. Where else can I sell good quality second hand clothing (some new with tags on). Has anyone every purchased of preloved or another online site I can use ? Thanks

[Carrotsandcelery]

poppy do you get sales called "MerryGoRound" sales in your area?

They are run regularly here. You take the clothes you want to sell along with the number you have been given pinned onto them and the price you want for them pinned onto them.

The charity running the sale takes a cut of what you make (eg 25%) and you get the rest.

They are usually queued out the door here and sellers make a lot of money from them.

Keep an eye out for adverts in your local paper.

[poppyandsneeze]

Never heard of MerryGoRound. Will look out for it. Thanks for the tip.

[Carrotsandcelery]

You could always start one up yourself poppy - are you on any committees or involved in any charitable fundraising? People would probably keen to sell and buy in the run up to Christmas.

[Carrotsandcelery]

The other, easier option, would be a car boot sale.

[Abgirl]

carrots thanks for the forgiveness, today is a new day and am aiming for £0 spend on random rubbish - am going to buy DSs main xmas present today as I want to get them a trampoline and saw a good deal at Tesco last week. JKS I always start sorting out presents now, to spread the costs a bit. I have two more pay days before October half term and my intention is to get all my christmas present and card shopping done before the end of that week - I just can't stand the shops when they get too busy and I like spending the weekends before christmas baking and having some family time rather than trawling round the shopping centre!

Have brought my lunch in today and some snacks - going to do some more baking at the weekends so we have stuff to bring in rather than going near the horrible vending machines!

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

Everyone is doing very well!

JKS - that is a good point about growing boys needing feeding. DS1 has started to eat much more, and I can no longer get away with him just having a bit from what I would make for DH and I. He ate a whole chicken breast at dinner the other night - he is only just 3!

Some spending today, but all planned. This term's fees for DS1's music group, £70, and then a haircut for DS1, £6, and £2 parking in town.
This afternoon I need to get him some new shoes, and buy a birthday present for one of his friends, so it is going to be a £100+ day.

I avoided any random spending in town - no Starbucks or Costa, and no cute but unnecessary clothes for either boy :)

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

Oh I forgot - I have just ordered myself some clothes. £92 I did mean to buy them last week and forgot, so they are really from before I started this. I realise how lame that sounds.

[Abgirl]

Ali not lame at all, I keep thinking of more things to spend money on and then justifying that it's not really randon. Hopefully will have some money left at the end of the month for a change though...

[MugglesandLuna]

Can I join in (bit late to the party I know) :)

I have so much to pay out for between now and Christmas that I cant afford any random spending. Hoping this thread will keep me motivated.

No spending today which is a good start.

[virgiltracey]

zero spend today!
Yesterday we weakened and took the DSs to the cinema. It was kids club though and so the whole family went for a fiver. Took our own drinks and snacks!
I also bought a hair dye for £2.79 from homebargains and cancelled my £90 hair appointment. It took poor DH an hour to do my hair last night when he wanted to be sitting down watching the rugby

[Popbiscuit]

No spending today as it's Labour Day and all the stores are closed!
Our kids don't go back to school until tomorrow so I'm making cookies for their lunchboxes and muffins for the freezer. I have been buying in bulk at Costco and was very pleased to discover that you can freeze sliced turkey and ham and sliced cheese with great success so that will eliminate those top-up shopping trips for lunchbox supplies that always seem to turn into $40 spent. Also going to make some soup and chilli and things to freeze so that we always have something quick to make on busy nights (I've got three children in activities now so something on pretty much every night).
We advertised my youngest's outgrown bicycle as well as our double jogging stroller and another pushchair and they all sold over the weekend, so that generated a few hundred dollars which has gone straight into the bank account.
We're trying to plan out everything for the next year so that we can save and allocate as we go along. I find that for me it really helps to have a mental list of financial goals to stop me from doing things like going to Starbucks etc. Did I mention that we have a Starbucks directly across from our children's school? This is in a residential neighbourhood (not in a shopping area) so clearly planned to tempt mothers doing the school run (and teachers on their break, so I'm told)

[jugglingwiththreeshoes]

Just been to the park, bumped into an old friend, and didn't go to the cafe.

[virgiltracey]

And a client bought me an enormous lunch today and so I don't need dinner!

[Alibabaandthe80nappies]

Sigh. Just been to get DS1 some new shoes. £66 down.

[boringnamechange]

Had to get petrol for the hire car as its going back tomorrow and tried to only put £5 in to top it over the line and it didnt work :( will have to put more in tomorrow morning but only a couple of £.
DH just 'had' to have a drink even though we would be home in ten minutes so my random spend is down to him
Although good news the car insurance is paying out for the car seats and paying more than I thought so thats a little extra in the bank :)