NO SPEND 23

[LaurieFairyCake]

I'm going HARD CORE. There's already a no spend January - I want to go ALL THE FUCKING WAY as far as possible

And I want to take YOU down with me

I confess it's easier for me as I am literally drowning in stuff even now. I've lost 6 stone in weight and I've got rid of 15 black full bags of clothes in last six months so I'm on a roll.

I also work all the fucking time so I have about 50 books to read and all the tv I want to watch. And I can't be arsed doing anything to my house so that's out.

I also want to do this for the environment - I already buy second hand as much as possible as I'm obsessed with EBay - but I could still do with buying much less

I've no idea what the rules could be, let's decide that if I get anyone on board.

My own thoughts are to get as FAR as possible.

I have bought a jumper in the sales already I don't need 🤦‍♀️ which is what kicked this off in my mind today - yadda yadda half price blah blah but I have 20 jumpers! And I had drunk half a bottle of port last night when I purchased it online...

So given my flawed premise anyone want to join me???

Resisted the urge to go out at lunch (which always means a coffee at least) and sat and read instead.

Only spend today was a gtg bag at £3.50 which has a bacon roll for breakfast and a sandwich each for me and dh for lunch plus a couple of cakes.

Dinner is baked potatoes as we overbought for Christmas

Day 3 NSD

Did a huge food shop today, stuck to the list and it cost £160 😮 We are a 4 adult household though and I bought a lot of staples to last the month.

I’ve been selling on Vinted for a while now and have decided to build up the balance on there rather than withdraw it to my bank account. Vinted is really easy to use btw.

Today was a NSD. Tomorrow likely will be too. I had my Boxing Day Zara delivery come today and will be returning some of it. I have surgery on Thursday so will be stuck at home for a bit. I’ve got some good tv series to keep my occupied and trying to keep off my phone away from online shopping!

NSD here!

Discretionary monthly spends running total £1.89 (does not include household food/fuel/travel/essential clothes - for me/my rules, this only includes my 'own' money, not family/household money)

Few NSDs. I have purchased a new bookmark from Etsy - £9.99 but I've lost all mine, I'm an avid reader and it's based on my favourite book.

Today will include some new bits of uniform for DD as she's outgrown hers and top up of food such as milk. Shouldn't be too bad though. Will report back later .
Have a good day everyone 🙂

Failed miserably today as I ordered £250 of tiles that I want for the kitchen. I have no timescales for the work but they were in the sale. I know I'll need them at some point in the next 6 months. I am eating all my leftovers though and suggested a walk with a friend rather than dinner.

NSD minus £15 spent on lunch for myself and my mum. It was my turn to buy even though she offered. Not really counting food spends though although definitely trying to have less takeaways (even if OH pays!)

I bought something from a charity shop today which we needed and I had planned to buy new this year. So, £15 spent but I was budgeting about £70 so I am very happy with that.

Otherwise, just under £4 on vegetables and milk.

I have done no spend in the past but am on low spend this year ( i'm allowed one thing for me per month my personal allowance and DH's is £80 but this includes coffee with friends clothes make up magazines books etc but not essential toiletries that is in supermarket budget)

When I do no spend the rules are you pay your bills, housing food ( including toiletries and laundry and cleaning products) optician dentist etc and transport it also includes clothes for DD as growing

for us no new clothes, etc unless something either wears out or breaks and we don't have a replacement ( ie DH would need new steel capped boots if soles went or I only have one truly waterproof coat so if damaged it would need replaced but a jumper wouldn't as I have others) also we need enough underwear socks tights for 7-10 days
same with house paying for essential maintenace
we always had a limited allowance for fun ie days out; take aways and trips to see family even if no proper holiday
we try and stick to £25 each for a limited number of family for presents

Nothing spent here today. Just looked through the freezer and there is enough food for about 10 meals for 4 ppl. Will just need to buy potatoes, rice, pasta, vegetables etc. Spent £40 on petrol yesterday but that's an essential

Oooh what was it? I love charity shopping!

NSD#3 today, discretionary monthly spends running total still £1.89.

Family money spent on food shopping and my dental hygenist visit cancelled (by them) saving family money of £50.

I have a close relatives grave to visit (on what would have been their birthday) on Saturday. I would normally take flowers. Its a woodland burial so can't leave candles, mementos etc. It doesn't feel right to go with nothing 😕. I will keep thinking what I can take instead. I don't mean to sound callous. It's a shame the £1 daffodil bunches aren't out yet.

@bridgewateremma do you have any woods nearby, you could pick some holly/ferns/seed heads etc and make a winter bouquet? Gorse is blooming here. I leave dried hydrangea flowers at my parents’ graves in the winter, dried honesty too.

4 x NSD in a row here, proud of myself actually. We were going to have our weekly date (walk and fish & chips) tomorrow which I was going to change to walk & sandwiches, but I have to work instead.

Spent £35 on petrol but need that for work.

Took ds2 back to uni and bought him £30 of groceries.

Paid postage on an eBay item but I’ve got that back obvs.

Otherwise not bad. Resisted urge to get a Costa after the post office trip 👏👏

You're all doing brilliantly !

I've bought nothing yet this year - longest streak yet for me

I do have a coat and 3 jumpers to put on EBay - might try and do that tomorrow

Also have a full black bin bag of clothes for the Oxfam bin as not really good enough for charity shop

I do this every year! I’m now debt free, overpaying my mortgage buy £300 A month and have 4 envelopes I pay into monthly for holidays/events.

the strict rule is YOU DO NOT NEED IT! You could not buy another thing this entire year and guess what you would survive and also be up about 4k!! Last year I brought myself 1 dress for a wedding and I wore that dress to a hen party night out and my works Xmas party.

my kids clothes I buy twice a year. I buy out of season all the summer stuff I buy in winter and vice Versa It’s all in the next sale and I looked at my account just now and spent £80 on each child for the year.

things I don’t include in no spend are.

*school uniform/school trips

*birthday and social events as these bring me joy and happiness so it’s worth the money to me.

*fuel

I have not had a takeaway for 2 years and don’t miss them, we get McDonald’s once a month witch is about £20 still £240 a year is pretty stupid but the kids love it so I do it.

I have a dobbies card it’s £12 a year but I get 2 free coffees a month so I take my daughter to soft play in their witch is £2.40 (reduced price with dobbies card)

i have national trust and English heritage cards, we go every Sunday for a family day out (pack lunches of corse) so it’s 100% worth having cards as some can be very pricey on entry.

when I really started thinking about my money I started to save a fortune!!

my biggest tip is online food shop I haven’t stepped foot in my local Tesco in over a year because I’m now organised!!! 😂

I think once you start thinking, do I need it, can I afford it - will I use it - is it worth it.. then things start to fall into place.

I wanted to have some decent savings more than I wanted a lot of the crap I'd been buying.

Still went on holidays, went out with friends - but stopped the mindless spending.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/money-mantras/

Gosh @organisedmother, I think I love you! What a brilliant, inspiring post!

it can help to think do I want that £40 jacket more than I want £40 in my savings or emergency fund, sometimes the answer will be yes I need to be dry more most of the time it will be no as you have another coat or jacket that will do the job

other questions can follow a line of questioning, do I really need it, do I have something I could use instead, do I have a spare somewhere that i need to find, will buying this item actually make my life easier better or happier?

We did this last year and saved over £20k
It was pretty hardcore and really helped change my mindset.

I have ADHD so spending has been very impulsive in the past.

Biggest things were menu planning, weekly food shop delivery and moving that delivery back by a few days each time so 4 deliveries in 5 weeks.

This year we are spending mindfully on quality things to enhance our life and de cluttering/selling, must look at Vinted for clothes but I understand EBay so a little wedded to that.

@bridgewateremma thank you, honestly no spends, not getting controlled by consumerism and minimalism changed my life…… also another tip do not restrict yourself about shopping in the sales because getting a bargain brings people joy!

a future coat/shoes for yourself or the kids at 75/90% off is sensible because it something you will need and if you don’t buy in the sale you will probably buy full price.

but some random haul rubbish from shein is a no.

seasonal shopping 4x

christmas shopping - January
winter shopping- april
spring/summer shopping in September
autumn/Halloween November

always shop a year ahead saves ££££££.

Reading everyone’s posts are fab, great tips on here!!

I love this! Going to read the thread and have a think about my own spending!

@organisedmother I agree about the English Heritage membership. We joined last year and it paid for itself after a couple of visits!
I'm most annoyed today I've had to buy a new phone case😅

I'm really inspired flyby this thread - I can feel myself literally craving spending money (what's that all about), but I've just been ignoring it. I don't need more stuff; I need less, so I've been de-cluttering and selling things on eBay.

NSD. Paid for kids PGL holiday. Experiences are better than stuff.

I don't really remember any stuff from my childhood. But I do remember the parties, holidays and games.

All power to you ladies!