Join us for a Jubilantly low-spending Jubilee June

[louiespence]

New thread for June....welcome all!!!

Phew I've done it it was a NSD. Now to try the same again tomorrow

Well done, ontheedge!

I have around £15 cash to see us through until Monday - got £100 9 days ago and determined that that will do for a fortnight. I don't need to buy anything, except some fruit and veg over the weekend, so it should be doable.

Still no interest in the car. I'm assuming that selling to a dealer will mean I'll get less than I should. Is that correct? But at least it would be something...

NSD?

No spend day, MDM.

I see. Great thread, will contribute once my thoughts are together!

Quite a high spend day for me today, spent £120 at the shops today on stuff for the holiday for me and the DC. Got flipflops and waterproof mascara for me (25% off the flipflops at Debenhams!), sunglasses and tops and socks for ds1, and a pair of trousers for ds2.

Still have various toiletries etc to buy, so it's going to be an expensive week! However I'm consoling myself with the thought that Once we are on holiday we won't spend as much as at home (we're all inclusive and it's all paid for now!).

So far this week ...

Sat: £42 in homebase on spades, trowel, and some strawb plants
Sun: NSD :)
Mon: £23 in garden centre on plug plant veggies, £15 on Amazon on 3 gardening sets for DS's, and Dnephew for birthday pressies (bargain as were £19.99 a set, down to £3.99 each)
Tues: £14 in poundland on various gardening bits for allotment, £38 in Morrisons (includes £4 Xmas saving stamps, and a further £8 on baby formula) £34 on petrol.
Today: NSD :)

Don't think I'm doing too bad, the gardening stuff will pay for itself and more when we have lovely homegrown veggies later in the season + the free exercise from working the allotment.
Tomorrow should be a NSD too, as DH and I are down the plot all day doing some heavy duty site clearance - tho I might have to pay out £8ish if I win an auction on ebay for some water butts :)

Today would have been a no spend day except that I decided to do a big shop as we were running out of food (and I've not done it for 3-4 weeks and kept going out for little bits and spending lots and it was adding up.). I ended up spending £65.57 in Aldi which wasn't that bad and did sort of need doing as we had virtually no fruit and veg, no yogurts, no pasta, no cleaning stuff, no cheese and a lot of other things had run out, also got a bottle of wine for some friends. Not too upset about this as I budget £80 a week for shopping but try to spend less where ever possible. I'll hopefully manage to stay out of food shops for about 10 days now except for sending DP for bread and milk now - he has will power not to pick up all the exciting offers we don't need.

Otherwise managed not to spend anything at all today which was hard with DD tugging my hand towards the ice cream van in the park - she was good about it when I said no though

Good start to the day, in that I think I have sold our old highchair. So that's £30 to go in the wallet.

Still no offers (even interest in) on the car, although I have cut loads off the price.

Well done re the ice-cream van Edge. I always find this a tough one (it's Princess mags in the supermarket with us). Any distraction tips welcome!

So much for a NSD here! Water butts on ebay ended at £10.51, and will collect next week, so a bargain. Also have to go and collect a baby walker that I got from a FB sell site for £13.50. Can now sell our jumperoo for £25, so a profit overall there. AND a swing seat that I've DS1 has noticed has come back into stock, so reserved that and another £20 is gone :(

Still - all 'good' spends, nothing frivolous. Baby walker will be re-sold at a later date, water butts will help on allotment, and swing seat will keep DS1 entertained, and will mean that DS2 can use the swing too :)

I've taken to shopping after 6pm, when I can boost my normal shop with cut-price stuff (salad, cold meat, bread) that makes a couple of cheap and tasty lunches for me in the week. The reduced Kingsmill Tasty Wholemeal thick sliced I bought last week was still fine 2 days after its self-by date, unlike most other breads, so I'll look out for that one on offer now and stick it in the freezer.

The soup-making is going well - best yet was last week when I basically emptied what was left in the veg drawer in the fridge into the blender with some veg stock, tom puree and Aldi tinned tomatoes (cheap but very nice; I always make sure I have some in).

Half-term means I've barely driven anywhere (bliss) - 50 miles so far this month, compared to normally 250+ miles a week. And no school transport fees, nursery fees etc to pay this month, because they're done at the start of term.

Phew.

Arghhhh!! Too much spending going on here. Been away overnight. Got a parking fine (appealing - was one of those pay by phone ones and paid for 5 minutes instead of 5 hours!! I am not normally so thick), DH snapped car aerial off in underground carpark, tea + drinks out, service station lunch, new shoes and some fab Star Wars wrapping paper that I had to have for DH's birthday but which came to a fiver for 2 sheets !! Going away is dangerous.

I am feeling slightly sick about bank balance but going to be brave and have a look so that I know where I stand, this is the point where I usually bury my head in the sand...

Hurrah! Prevented from logging onto the bank as site down temporarily! The relief! Does anyone else feel sick when logging on to their bank? Since one particularly bad month when i went o/d I now get palpitations every time I log on - even when I have recently been paid! Conditioning in action.

Re magazines/icecreams etc. I now feel totally happy to say no to magazines as they are full of claptrap and adverts (apart from Cbeebies mag which DS is not bothered about anymore). I would rather buy him a book. Icecreams - depends of the situation but I would usually indulge if I had some spare change but restrict to a cheaper option. We started giving him pocket money recently (god knows why, I have these moments of madness) and he is just spending it on junk as you can't buy much for a couple of quid to be fair so I am rethinking that one. I do have days when I let him nag me into buying something and I always kick myself after, especially when he loses interest in it after 10 minutes.

Yippee yesterday was another NSD. We had friends for lunch and DD was kept distracted playing with their DD. I made soup and we had it with part baked baguettes and cheese.

Going to try for the same again today and will hopefully start to make up for the rubbish spending at the start of the month. Weather horrid so not inclined to go anywhere except a quick walk round the block for some exercise and midwife appointment later so hoping to achieve another day

Doing alright here. £19 today on credit for my bus pass, don't often take the bus, but when I do it's cheaper to use the pass than to pay up front. Hopefully a NSD tomorrow, but the £100 I took out almost two weeks ago has only just petered out !

I've had to drastically reduce the price of my car. Either I paid way over the odds for it when I bought it, or used cars are going for far far less these days. I paid £2995 for it, but have just cut the asking price to £2150. I've had new tyres and done less than 10K since I bought it, so it's not as if it's in much worse condition. But looking at ads for similar cars, it seems that £2150 is the high end of what people are asking. It almost makes me cry.

Yes Greedygirl I have exactly the same feeling when logging onto my online banking, I hate it and am guilty of not checking my balance for weeks if I can get away with it!

Sorry you haven't had much luck with selling the car, Economy. Fingers crossed that reducing the price works and you get a sale soon. Did you list it on Autotrader in the end?

Had another couple of high spend days! All holiday shopping again, £65 at TKMaxx on Wednesday and £200 on some Euros today. On Thursday i went for a bikini wax and was horrified when the lady said it would cost £45!!!!! Apparently it is special Australian hot wax that doesn't hurt as much! It is about 4 years since i went for a wax but still, I couldn't believe it!!!! Well we eventually agreed on a price of £28, which I still thought was high, but I am pleased with myself for bartering instead of just paying, as I am usually crap at things like that!!

I will be spending more again tomorrow as DP needs some extra stuff too! Thankfully we fly on Sunday so I will finally stop spending so much on holiday shopping!!!!

Louiespence - glad I'm not the only done hiding from the horrible truth of my bank balance! I am very impressed with your bartering, a couple of paracetamol before you go is a lot cheaper!

Not too bad today, a fiver on a bottle of wine for book club, otherwise a NSD as been stuck in marking all day.

well so far- sun NSD, mon-swimming and lunch £20, wed-NSD, thurs-NSD,fri-dvd and popcorn £5, tomorrow will be shopping day but will stick to budget and sunday we are off to legoland for day so will cost quite a bit but i have already put that by from last months wages , going to take picnic stuff and avoid the shop.I also bought a book from amazon£5 and a few bits for ds birthday party £20. I am avoiding amazon and ebay as much as possible next week.

Seriously expensive start to the month, new car and pets OH bought two pedigree puppies. They are lovely, but we didn't actually need them at this point in time. At least I have a way around the expensive puppy food, doing a long term favour for a friend who wants to pay me, but accepting payment would cause problems so she is going to be getting me the odd gift instead.

I'll be back with numbers later, currently tying to get my head around them

I knew it couldn't last. I'm a rubbish spendaholic no wonder I never seem to have anything left at end of the month.

Yesterday was a nsd but today certainly hasn't been and its all been frivolous stuff except for new sandles for DD which were really needed.

Coffee with friend and her dd - "friend" announces AFTER we've drunk them she has no money so I have to pay for everyone - £8.50 (really miffed about this as only expected to pay for me and her dd had expensive milk shake and cake)
New sandles for DD £15
lunch out with dd - £10.50
beautiful silk velvet monsoon skirt in charity shop for dd £3 (very pleased with this)
bargain toy for DD's friends birthday £2 (reduced from £10)
necklace in charity shop for me 50p

THIRTY NINE POUNDS AND FIFTY PENCE and its only 3.15pm. I'm going to stay in for the rest of the decade day

My running total for the month is £266.17 and that's without taking into account direct debits Its frigtening writing it all down - this has to stop

Sorry you've had a bit of a spendy day edgey. It's like that sometimes ... think you are veyr good for covering the coffee and cake with friends spend - I hope she will give you her share back?????

How's the sale of the car going economy?

It's been a lovely day in London and I've managed to weed the entire front garden. Feel very tired now ... not so fit then .

For what it's worth, Ontheedge, I think you're doing really well and you seem to have got a lot out of your £39.50!!!

And generosity to friends is a lovely trait, I'm sure she will repay the favour soon, even if it feels like you have been taken advantage of at the moment!

Well done for the weeding roguepixie, that is a chore that I don't like!!!

Today for me, I have spent £5 at Starbucks (I know!), £10 topping up my old mobile, and £5 at M&S on some bread and other bits to see me through until tomorrow! I am off to Majorca for 2 weeks very imminently and this will be my last visit to this thread until I return home!! Have a great fortnight everyone!!! Xxx

Another spendy day here, lunch -£25, gift -£15, roads -£3, dinner out as DDs are otherwise occupied at a friend's, -£30 oh, and £5 in Starbucks mid shopping trip. Don't know how much OH spent on fencing panels for an indoor dog pen.

Did mean to say edgey that you do seem to have got a lot out of £40.00. There are days when I spend that much and have nothing but air in my hands !!!!

adora, am soooooo jealous of your new dogs. DS and I both want a dog (DH not so concerned) but am putting it off due to finances. What breeds are they? An indoor dog pen though?????? I have visions...not all of them good . Please tell me you don't have the doggy equivalent of Colditz in your living room????

Had take away spend last night - £45.00!!!! DS was/is feeling poorly (ear infection) and was wanting a GBK take away so off I went (probably with "muggins" tattooed across my forehead) and got it. Was a little bit at the total but too late then. Still, think that will be the last one of those for a while.

Need to pop out today to visit the Health shop so a spend coming there.

I hope we are al enjoying the bit of sunshine that has broken out across some of the country. Sadly, it has meant that I got the washing done and dried yesterday...now I have to iron it...