July, July, the month of no buy! No spend/low spend/frugal July

[IWonderWhereThatDishDidGo]

Hello all

Following on from last month's no/low spend month, I am planning to carry on being more frugal 😇 and trying to do a no buy and low spend month.

All welcome.

Thanks for the new thread. Pay day today & time to pay non-direct debits, book nails in for special event next month (have to pay deposit when I book, which is why I've been waiting). Food shop coming this weekend & I've added minimal food for me for the week. No booze. We can switch back to using the debit card (been living off credit card for a week as funds ran out in account), xfer funds to DC account (borrowed to cover a few expenses & avoid going over the over draft limit).

Thank you @IWonderWhereThatDishDidGo
I'm back too although I've been shopping today and spent £115.03 in Home Bargains, Lidl and Iceland. I had a voucher for Iceland for a fiver plus some of their specials saving £9.50 and also saved £1.36 on specials in Lidl. DH came shopping with me today and he had no idea that stuff had shot up so much. He was looking at stuff and putting it back!!
I need to update my list of stuff in the freezer for meal planning so hopefully can avoid food shopping for the first week or so of July. Much as I love my grandkids it would last longer if we didn't feed them!! But on the plus side - school holidays are coming up so we won't need to feed them as Mum and Dad are off 😂
I've been snowballing credit card debts (which was my reason for joining in) and because interest rates have gone up yet again even the amount we are snowballing has gone down - it's like running on the spot and going nowhere fast!! 😡
Hey ho!! Roll on July!! Got three birthdays this month so they'll need sorting - will wait for Prime Day and see if there are any deals to be had there before I hit the shops!! Plus a couple of social functions to attend!!
Arghh!! Is it just the mere fact that we say we need to be frugal or save that all these things come up?? 😧

@Rainbow1901 couple of social functions to attend!!

Arghh!! Is it just the mere fact that we say we need to be frugal or save that all these things come up??

I get you ! I've got a friends birthday and 2 nights out with clients to pay for. Plus a presentation night for DC sport, that's in a pub

I've taken a second job on, doing various work in the eves. Don't want to do it, but needs must and all that

*doing bar work in the eves

Schools just broke of for summer her so wouldn't be viable for me to do no spend

I am not doing zero spend either. I know I will spend on days out over school holidays. But I am definitely going to try no buy and low rather than no spend.

I went into Tesco earlier, just for a few bits for the weekend and some meals for next week - came out £80 poorer 🤯. Didn't even buy that much (I didn't think)!

I really want an electric toothbrush ATM but dh says I can share his (obviously we will change the heads)! So that's money saved anyway.

No guests this weekend so should be fairly cheap (aside from that shocking grocery bill).

It's friday night and my first bar shift starts at 5pm tonight. How f*cking miserable. I am desperate for the money though.

Aw! That's harsh!! On the plus side you'll be earning money instead of spending it......................... and you might get tips!! 🍹

Can I join? Recently been declared bankrupt. Really need to get my spending habit under control.
I need to do some sort of budget plan so I can see what I have going out and coming in and when, so I can set aside a safe amount for spending and hopefully save some too.
I've 2 big birthdays of my kids coming up in the next 2 months so that will take all of my budget I'd imagine.
I need to stay out of shops!

Yes, welcome @msssm

Good luck with the shift @thereallybigsteelcorporation! Hard doing those hours but it'll be worth it

Welcome😊 May I ask what consequences declaring bankrupt mean? 🤔

logging my spending
6 quid freezer bags in ikea (for hospital bag and batch cooking)
17 quid on ikea food (husband wanted big bag of meatballs and I wanted some sweets😂). He also had to take a look at desks as he needs new one (paid through business expenses though so won’t affect our budgeting). We need tv cabinet as my husband is taking my desk to work downstairs on less busy days), but we will get one from marketplace for 20-30 quid. I won’t pay more than this! Tomorrow trip to b&q for white undercoat and roller blinds for bedroom and bathroom as both broke, so we have broken one in bathroom and none in bedroom which is horrible with current early sunsets🫣

@Rainbow1901 I know! There’s always something. Sometimes I think I would be rich if I didn’t have to pay for social events. I find weddings the worst, luckily there’s none in sight for us this year

Sorry not sunsets… sunrises😂

No weddings for us this year either which is helping my bank account.

No birthdays this month, but will have to send a friend a present next month.

I have waxing appointments this month - this is my only beauty indulgence I'm allowing myself! I don't even get my hair cut or coloured anymore (I have wild woman hair which I just stick in a plait and occasionally stick a box dye on 😅). But i do allow myself leg and bikini waxing.

Also, we need a plumber 😩. Bath is leaking and shower packed in years ago, so we need to do it unfortunately. So that's going to be £££ this month I imagine.

Planning a trip to visit family and are just going to call that our holiday this year. That might happen at the end of July.

Trying for a NSD today if I can

Thanks the new thread. Aim to post more on this one because it does help keep me accountable

Thank you for the new thread @IWonderWhereThatDishDidGo! I'm getting my hair cut today but instead of the usual £65 for a cut & treatment, I'm going for a cheap (well, relatively!) wash & cut for £25, no blow dry. The cut & treatment was actually good value for what it was, I just can't justify it every 3 months or so, and my hair does need regular trimming

@Rainbow1901 I have two family birthdays this month and teacher presents to contribute to, probably the best part of £100 for everything. Aaarrgghhh! And then the expense of summer holidays - DP & I are working most of it so that means paying for holiday clubs. Don't get me wrong, they are still cheaper than days out etc, but it would be handy to have grandparents who'd do the occasional day of childcare for us... PIL live round the corner but don't want to commit to regular days, which is fine and their right (they are retired and have already looked after older grandkids!), but I don't think they fully appreciate how much childcare costs nowadays.

Hope the bar shift went ok @thereallybigsteelcorporation - I used to enjoy my occasional bar work but of course it does depend where you're working!

@msssm there's some great advice on budget building at CAP Money - they often run free courses (online or in person) on budgeting too, and are generally very helpful, do give them a try

I am in. This month we do have a wedding on so that is cash in a card and a hotel to pay for although all food and booze is paid for so that is our one biggie this month. Aside from that I need to seriously look at how often I nip to the shops for 'bits'. Yesterday I went to the local shop which in itself is stupid as it is twice the price of tesco say but went for the convenience. Anyway it was 50euro over the counter there and then. Madness for what I got. Anyway today is another day and another month and I need to kick myself up the arse.

I’ve spent already 🤦🏻‍♀️
£8.49 on dymo tape refills

I had a £50 voucher for tesco that was given to me from work. Using it for my top up shops in the week this month.
I don't want to spend a penny this mouth other than what I have to

Can I please join? £100 today on replacing the front door lock and keys as it decided to break yesterday evening, and with being on maternity leave could do with cutting back on spending anyhow

£36 in B&Q, but we didn't buy any window blinds yet, it'll be another £80, I presume? We've got two buckets of paint to return, so at least will get some money back.

Car insurance is due renewal in October, I think this year to save some money we will pay everything upfront instead of paying monthly. I forgot how much you normally save, I think it's around 15%. We've got some cash put aside, as opposite to last year. Even if it's going to save me £100, it's still something.

@Sunshineandlollipop welcome!

I would like to join again too. Did a big food shop for 4 for 155 on Friday at aldis but determined that will last us at least a week. Put bread in freezer and got soya milk so don't want any top ups. Also got laundry powder etc that should last longer than the week. Ordered school uniform basics for next year and will put away. Will get shoes as close as possible to schools going back. Spent a Saturday afternoon at home. Being good as weather isn't great here and would normally go to garden centre or charity shops.

Spent £30 in the Garden Centre!! Not planned for but never mind!!

NSD today which I'm happy about. Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow but hoping for another NSD. I've got bits in for next week already so shouldn't need groceries for a few days 🤞

Friend unexpectedly was in the same county as me yesterday and popped by so I treated us to chinese and wine. Frugal July is not getting off to a great start...

Anyway I will go through the freezer etc today and see what I can come up with meal plan wise and try keep my arse OUT Of the supermarket this week.