Trying to limit spend - to write down everything I buy

[NormaSmuff]

but why,
is there any point?
I have just done this for this week, I have had not had a No spend day this week.
Is it just to bring it home to me?

any other methods of limiting spend?

Norma do you meal plan? I do let food run down and have spent less money since doing so. I keep a loaf of bread in freezer, tins of baked beans, pasta and pasta sauce so I have some emergency meals in case I can't get to the shop or arrange a delivery for any reason.

I do online shop roughly every 9 days and top up with fresh food in between.

Hester I was also panning to do the free trial and set up my own spreadsheet afterwards too!

But actually the online tracking is useful and it's handy to go into the app and see exactly what I have available in each budget pot. I've got another month on the trial so I'll see how it goes.

If you get trial - try going to website from your phone first. I had one month trial offer when I went in via website, but two months by phone.

every 9 days sounds a good plan

When I get paid I transfer the correct amount to cover the bills, leave enough money in to cover dh's fuel and withdraw the rest. I give ds3 his pocket money for the month, put the money for his piano lessons in a tin and divide the rest into 4/5 envelopes. Then each week I use the money from an envelope and when it's gone it's gone. I keep ds's child benefit separately and that's used for clothes, shoes and other big purchases.

I go to ASDA or the local CO-OP when they are reducing items and write a meal plan around what I get. I then do a shop at Lidl for the rest of the food I need. On a good week I can get almost everything I need reduced to clear and extra for the freezer. Then other weeks there is very little.

I have a credit card that I'm trying to pay off so anything spare goes straight to that. Hopefully once I've paid that off I will be able to put spare money into savings. However there always seems to be something we need.

I also use envelopes and cash, have found it so much better than constantly checking the bank account and worrying about the balance, calculating how much we need in there for the rest of the month etc. I also plan the month at the start when we are paid and deduct any essential spends at the start so we can see how much 'spare' is left and decided what to do with it