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.

Another no spend day, which is good. Work have reduced my hours today which is NOT good Needless to say the money saving is going to have to step up a gear now.

Can I join too? Unfortunately it was annual vaccinations +6 months flea treatment for the cat (£86 [ouch]) today + £8 top up shop (milk/cream/potatoes/cheese) +£11 hedrin

Monday: £28. Fresh food/milk.

Tuesday: No spend Was going to get fish and chips but pushed through and cooked shepherds pie.

Wednesday, will probably be a £1 for parsnips, for soup tonight.

Thursday, well that will be spend as I have to pay the tutor.

But doing really well on the not going out to cafes, have not bought a paper or magazine for over two weeks.

Welcom @Derek.

@kaloobear....I dont meal plan per say but I have a cooking repatoire that does not really move. I also use lots of left overs. Especially with soup. My husband is also really great with food, he just eat whatever comes.

Sometime my kids eat my vegatable for three days running.

No spend today, and my credit card bill came through (paid off every month) and it was low!!!!!

Good news Derek!

£1 for parsnips is pretty abstemious-a practical no spend day ;)

No spend for me today, though it was nearly not. I took DD to the library to return two books and one of them fell out of the pram on the way there-I didn't realise until I got to the library! I felt like crying. The librarian was really nice and renewed it for me rather than charging me immediately, in case someone found it and handed it in over the next fortnight. Then, miraculously, on our way home I found it! Someone had obviously seen it and put in on a wall-still pristine :) So no charge, thank goodness, and I'll take it back tomorrow instead.

Well not too bad yesterday and today. £38 in Aldi for essentials including loads of veg to puree for DS who starts weaning next week.

MOT total repairs and test came to £195. It is a 14 year old car though so think I got off fairly lightly as I had budgeted £400. Got the advised repairs done as well as essential ones so (fingers crossed) car shouldn't cost me anything for a while.

Would it be against the spirit of no spend september if I treat myself to a Kindle Fire with the £200 I didn't spend on my MOT? Or should I be good and pay the balance of next years holiday off? :)

Englishgirl you know the answer to that questions (and I say this as someone who loves her kindle with a passion. Pay off the holiday!)

Spoilsport

Sorry

It's amazons fault - every time I go to the site there they are flashing the fancy new Kindles at me. I really don't need one, I've already got the touch :)

I want the kindle fire too

Go on derek - if you do too I'll feel better

I'm not going to... Unless I win the lottery/premium bonds

No Derek. Don't do it. Be content with your kindle.

I don't know about anyone else but I was brought up in a way that whenever anything bad happend you got a treat. Lots of bad things happened in our house so we would get treats, not expensive things, sweets or a day out, but it was directly related to sadness. As an adult if anything bad happens I want to get a treat, and treats these days are rather more expensive, I am trying to break the habit of spending when I feel down, or feel that I need to treat myself. I have started a stratergy over the last couple of weeks and I think I am breaking the habit.

EnglishGirl I'm blaming you and your talk of luxury goods for the new Chanel mascara that's suddenly appeared in my makeup bag...

I got it with Boots points though, so I don't feel remotely guilty

numbertaker that's a very good point. My dad used to bring presents whenever he visited and I associate treats with feeling loved I think-bit heavy, sorry! How did you break the habit-a ban?

kaloo I'm taking no responsibility for the chanel!

I am breaking the habit by focusing on why I am feeling the need to treat myself....and looking at that. Instead of spending I am doing something else to lift my mood like music or walking or excercise. I am also looking at the massive pile of washing that I have that shows I have too many clothes.

Hm, yes the giant pile of clothes in my bedroom is a bit shocking...

I spent £5.20 in Starbucks today I had a bottle of water, a cup of tea and a slice of chocolate cake. All totally unnecessary of course, but difficult not to spend because a) my NCT group were meeting there and I felt bad not buying something and b) I got hungry because we were there for over 2 hours. Moral: carry snacks at all times!

I then spent £15.68 in Boots, but that was all on necessaries.

You spend TWO hours in starbucks.

Yesterday I spend 10 on food at co-op, but I used all of the change that I had found round the house, when I counted it I had £14, that to me is free money

Today was fail a bill of £50, the bin cleaner man mugged me for £15. I just did a food shop that I hope will last me nearly a week, except for milk it came in at £59.

I have descended into the lower realms of saving, I ferreted around the reduced bread and found two loaves for 10p, so I put back the 2 for £2 that I had, a saving of £1.80.

EEk and we got fish and chips for £8 for four people. We sliced a fish three ways lol.

Kaloobear...you spend to much time in boots.

What makes you say I spend too much time in Boots?

And yes, I spent two hours in Starbucks with my friends-it was my afternoon off and we meet up once a week with our babies...is that ok?!

lol it was supposed to be 'tongue in cheek'.

£9 in asda on a card, and 4 pots of mustard! In my defence, my husband likes speciality mustards so £4 was spent on 2 pots for his Xmas present!