No spend January?

[corinewmoon]

After he festive blowout and considering ive got some big bills in January, (MOT, car tax, insurance) I have decided to try a no frivlous spending month. There is nothing i really need to buy, (apart from new school jumper and coat for DS) .
So I will be taking my lunch to work every day,
I will avoid costas,
and i will limit my self to one bottle of wine per week
I will aim to spend £200.00 on food shop for the month
I will not go for leisurely stroll to the shops during my lunch break.

Any one else want to join in. ?

They are 18 and 16 now and to be honest it took them about 30 mn to rationalise it. They thought I was making a complete fuss even by the time they got home. Having called me from the corner shop to tell me what had happened, I was beside myself with worry but unable to get to them before they'd taken the bus anyway. The other two kids, who are also brother and sister, were a lot more shaken up and wouldn't take the bus for weeks afterwards. I think a lot depends on the individual child.

My friend's son's school in London specifically bans its pupils from having mobiles so they don't get mugged. I think it's now fairly widely known in the mugging community that the boys from that school have neither phones nor money on them (cashless lunch) and they don't bother. I think that's very sensible.

roguepixie sorry to hear about your DS. Poor lad. What he went through was bad enough, he didn't need the threats aswell :( hope he's okay.

Morning rogue I hope you all got some sleep & that mini-rogue is not too shaky this morning ?

Another money-saving tip: you know those charity bags that are always put through the door (but only give half the proceeds to charity)? Well, they make great bin bags. Not that bin bags are the most expensive thing to buy, but it all helps.

So sorry about your son, rogue. My oldest boy was mugged at about the same age, and , as you say, it is so awful that they have their innocence taken away by some little scumbag who wants something for nothing.

My son had similar threats - we know where you live and we know where you go to school - but he was fine in a couple of days and had a good story to tell his friends.

DH and I were beside ourselves though. I hope things feel a little better Chez Rogue this morning.

rouge that is shocking, hope you are all ok and they find the scumbag who did it

Spew - we recycle those charity bags too. They come through at least once a month and no one ever fills them!

Dh tried to buy a bottle of wine last night but i managed to dissuade him :)

Will be spending £2.20 later taking ds2 to his gym/exercise activity but that should be all for today.

I went into the local shop a few days ago to get some chicken on offer and walked past so many things that would've tempted me before, cakes, crisps,sweets etc. It made me realise just how much we spent/waste on treat stuff/stuff we don't really need.

Oh, yes, I forgot - I spent £1.something on some Hi Juice squash yesterday and ten pounds on petrol and a Mars Bar

So about £12 but the fuel will last a couple of weeks as it's only a little car and I just potter about in it during the week (we use DH's at the weekend and he gets almost all his fuel free as a perk)

My John Lewis order came today. The cushions are wonderful and are feather filled so should stay plump a long time. The diary I got is great too. It's better than the one I had which only lasts until June.

Are you all doing the asda reciept price check? I always do mine and pick up any I see lying around in trolleys .

Sometimes it's only 17p (which is still a free bottle of fizzy water, sp of course) but other times it's £2.

It all adds up doesnt it?

Am I taking the piss if I join this late in the thread? I've been lurking for ages, and I've found this thread very helpful. Like everyone else, we're feeling the pinch, especially after Christmas. We're on one salary, and though it 'should' be enough (DH is academic staff), it's just not. His take-home wage has been cut in real terms and obviously everything else has gone up. And though I know I'm really lucky - we have a house, a smallish mortgage, clothes, food - we're really going to miss Child Benefit when it's withdrawn next year. To that end, I'm trying desperately to start up an etsy shop selling things I make - small potatoes, but if I sold a necklace or two a week, I'd almost make up the shortfall. I'm a SAHM and have two boys currently both at home. I have no career to return to (burnt my boats in academia) but know I'll need to work once DS2 is in school (3 years' time!). Am clueless at what, though.

Anyway, our local supermarkets offer a choice between the hugely over-priced Coop in the village and Waitrose in the small local town. I'm going to start using Aldi as my main supermarket shop - schlepped over there last saturday and spent ... £112. (£14 was on stuff like socks and stationery. Won't do that again.) BUT - after I'd done a pretend like-for-like shop online with Sainsbury, I realised that I'd have spent £141 at Sainsboro! Am topping up milk at Coop and trying not to be tempted by reduced food there unless I really need it. Friday market for top-up veg. The Aldi shop shuld tide us over for three weeks for pasta, tomatoes/tins, gnocci, potatoes, onions, lunchbox sundries, etc. Got meat for freezer too.

Am now wondering how creative I can get with a birthday present for a three yo girl I don't even konw - DS1's first preschool party. Can we get away with a DIY card? Yes we can! Am thinking I'll put together a beading/necklace kit from children's beads I already have in craft stash.

Oops, typos.

I should point out that I don't make necklaces out of small potatoes. That would be wierd.

how horrible rogue; like everyone else hope you are all feeling a little better this morning and that DS bounces back well.

good luck with the etsy shop reshape; it sounds like a great idea. I've bought a few things with etsy now and all been good. It's a nice site to use. do you know how you will get people to find your shop? I used to blog a lot and followed a few blogs of people that ended up setting up shops (jewellery/photography/art) which seemed a good way of getting word about if you have the time to get into it.

Spent 5minutes in pret this morning thinking about buying a latte/mozzarella and tomato croissant, then turned and walked out without spending anything. v good!

Have bought a knitting needle and some yarn, but figure this is alright as 1. only £5 and 2. it is for next year's christmas presents, which I am feeling quite smug about starting now, although no doubt it will go wrong and get abandoned and I'll be still knitting it come December (only a hat - trying not to be too ambitious!).

secondcoming - I read this on MSE yesterday: www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/home-insurance re choosing insurance and getting cashback. seems pretty comprehensive, although quite a lot of work! I haven't started looking at mine yet...

really want apple crumble now... my all-time favourite pudding. mmmmmmmmm

The Second Coming - do you still need info on Cashback sites, I use them quite alot ?

LOL Duchesse! I could have gone all mental and said, "No, it's mine actually, I have been sitting here all day" and freaked them out

Rogue, that is awful. Would it be worth sending him to karate to help him get some sense of confidence and control back?

Hello All, thank you so much for your wonderful words and thoughts. Fortunately mini-rogue slept through the night but I think it is that adrenaline drop that drops you where you stand - the shock must have taken it out of him. He went to school today, said he felt a bit nervous going on the train. I am awaiting a call to let me know he is leaving school so I can meet him when he gets off the train this end and I will travel home with him. DGrandparents/aunt are incensed and have signed up for collection when I can't do it. Don't want to over-wrap him in cotton wool but need for him to feel safe. He can guide me as to when he is happy to strike out on his own again. Feel exhausted, tbh. Again, thank you so much for your kindness.

spew - good idea to use the collection bags as bin bags. I just got one the other day so will be using that.

mackrel - knitting gifts is an excellent idea. Knitted cushion covers with big chunky buttons make good presents and are very easy to make.

Didn't spend at all yesterday and nothing so far today (excepting the money given to DS to replace that which the scumbag stole and I'm not counting that!!). Will spend on oyster on bus to collect DS and come back but that will total about £2-3.00. Will need to buy new wallet at weekend as well.

reshape - cards are the best ever when the DC make them...certainly when young the DIY cards are the best and don't cost beyond the craft basket. It took me a while to catch on but DS made most of the cards we gave out when he was younger. Am going to look silly now...but what is 'etsy'? Have I just shown myself up to being an old hag who has no street-smarts???

boffin - he is a blue belt in kickboxing!!!! . Yes, I know, what was he thinking? The problem is, I think, he was so shocked and terrified that he just froze. He truly believed that the lad would stab him so just tried to do as he was told. I have told him that he has skills and is strong and quick and needs to make that work for him if there is ever a next time. I would rather get a call saying he has decked some little scrote than see him in bits because he has been robbed. Although he has the dojo experience, he has never been in a real-life situation and, tbh he is a young 11.6 year old...he always thinks the best of people, doesn't really think anyone is actually horrible...huge lesson yesterday...yes, there are really really horrible people out there and they will take what you have just because they can.

I tell my lads that the SAS are brilliant at staying out of fights and melting away when there is trouble. I would be inclined to think a bit of role play and a sacrifical wallet/phone might be the way forward here, then if it happens again, he can make a conscious decision to fool them, having rehearsed it in his mind.

11 is a bit young to go all Mission Impossible at a mugger, tbh.

wot do you all do about friends that ask you to go on holiday with them? When their budget is much bigger than yours?

like persistently, I mean. So you're having to say more than half a dozen times per year, sorry but no thanks.

Dh and I went into town and spent £2.20 on a comic, £3 car park and got £5 deposit back somewhere so total spend... 20p :)

But the stuff I needed (clothes for DC) wasn't in stock so had to order online £37

I feel rubbish after walking around the shops. I had a lot of anxiety attacks lately and I had one in town. DH has banned me from going shopping, hooray!

Rogue, etsy.com is an amazing marketplace-type site, where crafters and artists and others of that ilk sell the things they make themselves. It's paradise for anyone who's looking for something 'different' or unique, and the price range starts vv low and goes up to 4 figures (not that I think things that expensive often get bought). You can start a shop up much the same way you'd set up an ebay shop, but you have a set price for things - no auctions.

It's very, very easy to spend money there, btw, so don't go! I must keep away from the shopping side if I'm to make any money at all.

How is DS? Is he back yet? I think a sacrifical wallet/phone is a good idea, too.

We had friends email us and announce that because of school fees they weren't going to be able to afford to share a villa for the foreseeable and would be going to the ILs cottage for holidays instead.

Fine, we though.

Then after a couple of summers they came back and said that the ILs cottage was actually rather grim and they were reconsidering.