No spend September

[Kaloobear]

Right, I'm going to nick a little bit of space on this board to do a money diary like on MSE. Just for me really but if anyone fancies reading and throwing the odd encouraging comment my way that'd be lovely Likewise anyone who wants to join me is very welcome!

So, here are my rules:

Money spent on bills, insurance and pre-planned food shops is fine.
Everything else is not.

NO...
Coffees (especially not as an excuse to sit down somewhere in town)
Sandwiches
Magazines
Books (even on kindle, I have at least 10 on there I haven't read yet)
Music
Kitbag peanut butter chunkies (sob)
Meals out
Takeaways
Spontaneous 'presents' for DD (11mo) who is far too young to even realise or care, including clothes-she has plenty!
Clothes (even tights, which I have a weird compulsion to buy every time I see them )
Shoes
Unnecessary household goods-we have enough loo roll and bleach to last until 2020
Toiletries-I MUST use up the lovely things I've already got and stop buying more
Make up, under any circumstances
Alcohol (we don't drink much though so that's pretty easy)
Putting anything on the credit card except groceries (always pay it off and like to use it so we get the air miles-the problem is using it for little things, forgetting and then being surprised by the bill!)

YES...
Packed lunches for work
Walking or cycling to work-if I drive that's fine but I'm not allowed any more petrol so the half tank in there has got to last till October!
Reminding myself that we are lucky, we live well, and we do not need any more STUFF
Reminding myself that having bought a house we need to SAVE because our emergency pot is gone

Today and yesterday don't count because I only thought of doing this this afternoon, but for full disclosure...

Saturday 1st September
Cheese, crackers, beer and wine for friends having a BBQ, Tesco, about £15

Sunday 2nd September
2 snickers, 2 diet cokes, magazine , stupidly expensive corner shop, £4.86
Diary for work, Waterstones, £12.99
Big food shop, Waitrose, £86.94

Tomorrow I'm back at work for the first time in a year (sob, bye bye maternity leave) so the upside is that I shouldn't need to spend any money, and the same on Tuesday. On Wednesday I'm meeting my NCT group so I need to remember to take a packed lunch for DD and resist eating lunch in a cafe myself-I can wait till I get home! (I'd take a packed lunch for me but I don't think Starbucks would like it.) On Thursday I'm at work in the morning and then off in the afternoon, so think DD and I will go to the library and make sure we eat at home. Friday is a very long work day with lunch provided. Saturday I'm going to the theatre and do have to buy train tickets to get there, so I'm going to do that in advance and hopefully get them a bit cheaper. The theatre tickets were bought ages ago. Sunday we shall go to church and the park if it's nice weather, we will not go and spend money needlessly.

Fingers crossed.

Kaloobear...hope first day back was good.

Thanks numbertaker :)

Work was ok, or as ok as it was going to be. At least I can't shop while I'm working! V weird being apart from DD but I'm hoping we'll get used to it. It was nice being off today and spending the day with her :)

Well done on a low-spend day!

I bought a packet of crisps yesterday as I was rushing to DD's hospital appt and skipped breakfast

So about 60p.

I am taking him out for lunch today and will be near a number of retail outlets so I don't think today will be a good day. But I DO need to buy him joggers.

I will be back with my spend of shame later.

Just been to Sainsburys, now in shock! Food bill £89, about £19 more than usual. I did need to stock up on cleaning stuff but still.

So definitely zero spend for the rest of the day and will be taking own lunch to work tomorrow.

And next week all the school bills come in, lunch, clubs, music lessons........

It's so hard when you have unexpected things to buy isn't it, or things that cost more than you expected. I have found out today that my school is no longer providing files, so I need to buy some for my lesson plans and resources etc. I understand why the school's not providing them and it would be fine if I could store everything electronically, but fundamentally I need paper copies of some things. So now I have to go to Smiths and buy some files to put everything in. Yey.

zero spend day

Well done numbertaker!

Well, my day went from good to rubbish. I spent £17.96 in WHSmiths on 5 lever arch files and some plastic pockets (ALL of which were in the sale, but I'm still annoyed), then £18.04 in Boots on nappies, wipes and a bottle of conditioner for me because I ran out this morning.

Those aren't so bad as they are necessary, but I'm not very proud of £3.66 on emergency diet cokes and kitkats... I hadn't had a coke since Sunday people, SUNDAY! I'm coming off a 4 can a day habit...

And then, because bad choices lead to bad choices, I've just ordered Dominos for DH and I, rather than cook the food in the fridge which I'd planned to cook. Because I'm tiiiiiired...

OK. Tomorrow is another day. I should have known this wouldn't be easy!

Oh, the Dominos was only £13.84 for two pizzas (yes, we eat a medium each, because as well as lazy and feckless with money we're also greedy pigs) because we used FEEDME50 to get 50% off each of them.

And I cooked the meat in the fridge for spag bol when I had a really bad day, lol. Naughty.

diet coke is pure poisin, the aspatame they use fries the brains of lab rats. Did you know the high fructose corn syrup the also use in some cokes actually turns of the 'full' button in your brain, so you never feel full. EVIL

I know. That's what makes it even worse-I know!!

Wilkos do really cheap lever files, I use them for work and there fine. I use the poundshop for plastic files.

No so good today, had to buy a bike helmet as my old one is dangerously broken. Got a cheap one from Tesco, and had to get some top up stuff. came to £54.00.

But no non-essentials bought.

I've given myself a fresh start - starting my month on the 6th which is payday, instead of the first.

Not-included-in-budget this month - £12.50 for DD friend birthday present. Could have found something cheaper in next town, but extra petrol and hassle.

Bit of a failure today-I FORGOT about my no spend vow and bought £5 worth of postcards and resources for my classroom while on a school trip. Oops. Got on the bus and thought, what the hell did I do that for?! Oops...

Other than that though it's been a good day. Good tip about Wilkos, will head there next time!

Can I join? Only just found this thread but I could really do with cutting out the spending on nonsense. Only prearranged big expenses this month are MOT next week, and I'm going to a village show tomorrow but shouldn't spend much. I've already cut out (most) coffee shop trips so I need to work out what else I can cut out :)

Welcome Englishgirl. Kaloobear, I have to confess I forgot that I spent 1.97 on a stupid plastic toy for DS2

Hi Englishgirl :)

Numbertaker if it makes you feel better I've just sent DH out for a kitkat. I neeeeed one...

So, yesterday I spent £5 at Starbucks before the theatre as I didn't take a packed dinner, and then spent £8 on a taxi back from the station. I could have walked but I felt the taxi was justified as a 45 minute through the city after midnight on a Saturday didn't seem sensible.

Today I did my weekly shop in Morrisons and it came in at £45!! Quite a difference to last week's in Waitrose...

Good weekend for me!
Saturday £1 entry to village show, £2.20 on ice creams.
Sunday - no spend.
Hope I can keep it up :)

Saturday No spend. Sunday: 1.72 on a block of ice-cream.

Sunday: £4.50 as a family drink and crisps out at local place, only cafe treat in two weeks.

I had a mega overdraft shock, we normally never go over, but after holiday and paying for the car tax we went £500 and its only the middle of the month, we had to use loads of savings to clear it and top it up, so the next two weeks will be a drastic no spending at all.

Well done English Girl.

numbertaker do you meal plan already? I've found that really helpful in getting grocery bills down as otherwise I tend to just wander round aimlessly, picking up things that look nice...if you don't already do it I'd definitely recommend it for your next couple of weeks

Don't feel bad about your overdraft though-you're lucky and sensible enough to have immediately paid it off with savings so you're in a much better position than many people would be!

Another no spend day today. Trying to be very careful because my MOT is tomorrow and my car is 14 years old. Gulp.

Fingers crossed for your MOT Englishgirl...ours failed last year for the first time and I was gutted! Hope yours sails through.

No spend day today for me, woohoo

Well done kaloo!