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.

I spent nothing yesterday at all. Mind you I did not leave the house at all and had the 'front of house' closed off by 5pm. Basically when I do this it lets the teens know me and dad are not bringing you anywhere nor collecting you from anywhere so they can wander around the house, eat what they want, play on devices at will etc. We leave the back doors open for air but basically close the rest of teh world out. Started doing it during covid and now it is a 'thing' here. It just means we can all chill and do our own thing but if it is not already in the house it cannot be eaten nor drank which works well.

Today will be different cos I am up early for work. I have breakfast and lunch ready to go and dinner is to be advised upon coming home but possibly something quick like pasta that one of the kids can put together. Trying to not spend today but we shall see.

Hi all! Welcome to the newcomers.

I'm doing a low spend July to try and pay off a 0% interest debt by the end of August. Originally this plan was because my job was at risk, but now with a reprieve until next spring, I just want the debt gone for peace of mind. Especially with the cost of living increases recently and our rent likely to go up soon. I've transferred a chunk of the necessary funds at the debt using July's pay, so feeling good about that. Also managed to put a tiny bit into short term savings in case I need it later this month.

So far, spent a bit more this month than I would have liked. £22 on groceries top up (mostly fruit and veg, humous) and £40 on takeaway with some old friends. But we aren't likely to see them for the rest of the summer, so I think it was worth it.

I really wanted to get a gold clutch bag for a hen do and wedding in August and September, and have been browsing online, but this weekend I managed to find a cheap one second-hand that'll do the trick and I won't feel bad about re-donating it later (I'm more of a silver person rather than gold). It was only £1.50!

I also really want to buy a navy blue shirt dress that I'll get a lot of use out of (I've donated and recycled quite a bit of old clothing recently). I have a code for 15% off, but so far haven't pulled the trigger. Want to see how the start of this month goes first. If it sells out in my size before I make a decision to buy, then it wasn't meant to be. And to be fair, I don't need it.

Hoping for a NSD today. Good luck everyone!

I have £250 to last the next 3 weeks. That’s for bills/food/fuel so I need to be very careful. I have teens so the food bill is extremely high as it is and they keep insisting on nipping to the shop for crap so that needs to stop too.

not going out today so should be a NSD
tomorrow will be different as we will be travelling up to see mum, so will need fuel and prob lunch out.

So far the start of the month has been a mixed bag for me
01/07- £100 on replacement door lock and keys
02/07- £32.58 on xmas gifts, this was budgeted for as we are trying to do £50 a month to spread the cost but meant not a NSD
03/07- managed a NSD, also posted off some vinted sales so will get £22 back from that once they arrive
Was hoping for NSD today but DH has woken up with raging toothache so think will need to spend on painkillers for him and possibly emergency dentist if he can get an appointment

Have decided I'm going to try and get more stuff listed on vinted, Ebay etc so next months Christmas spends can be covered that way. Need to do our big monthly stock up shop, debating between raiding lidl/aldi and an online shop which I have a £15 off code for for that currently

I missed your friend's Xmas expectations @thereallybigsteelcorporation but am frankly that anyone could be disappointed with what you gave her... I'd love a L'Occitane gift, never mind anything else as well!!

Good news about your work @moimichme, hopefully you'll be able to clear the debt soon! Have you already found the dress you'd like in a shop/ online? I buy most stuff via Vinted now, or pick up something from Asda when I'm buying endless bloody amounts of clean polo shirts for the DC's school uniform etc.

Today I have to buy a couple of birthday presents and contribute to teacher end of term gifts - I don't begrudge any of the spends but will feel skint afterwards and it's only the 4th, plenty of month to go till payday

This week I need to pay for an exam (138stg) and a plumbers report (90euro) and I think that is it although something else usually rears its head.

she got me some posh perfume, one of my favs, which was lovely but only around 30ml and the bottle was a lot bigger than the amount of perfume it actually contained ! plus a few other bits, but cannot remember what they were. I think she saw the L'Occitane gift as an easy gift ie (in her mind) I know my friend likes that brand so I just brought her a gift set. It was quite expensive. She seemed to just push it to one side, seemingly disappointed over the lack of thought. Or that is how she came across. Her DD had also brought her the same brand and my friend seemed over the moon with it, For my gift, she said something along the lines of 'I've already got so many products from L'Occitane''

I'm working in a different office location today to my usual office/town so i have no lunch. I'm debating if i should treat myself to a shop brought lunch, but I really wanted today to be another NSD, like yesterday. I have no other food with me.

Went into Aldi yesterday to buy butter and grapes which I had forgotten on Sunday and somehow spent another £19.74.

Had to buy dd some course books £10.79
Hoover bags £8.49

Groceries: £47.10
Other: £27.77

Apologies for the dump and run posts, trying to keep on top of posting the spends and will try to actually communicate with you all later when I have more time. Last month I kept not posting because I was short on time and lost track of spends a bit so trying to avoid the same but am aware I’m being rude!

4.50 in the chemist today so far.

£10.50 in Boots for something essential BUT for the first time ever I ordered via Boots online, for delivery to my local store. I ordered a No7 product and they had an online-only offer on for 50% off. I paid £1.50 delivery fee but it was still cheaper than then store and easier for my to get to my local store. Ordinarily, I would have gone to the store and just brought this and paid the full price.
#feelingquitechuffed

I hoped for a nsd today but we have run out of bread and butter.

Now I just have to try to make them the only things I buy in the shop!

@thereallybigsteelcorporation that seems a bit selfish of your friend, your gift sounds lovely! Might it be an idea to set a budget this year so she knows you've spent the same as her and more importantly it stops you from feeling bad?

One of the kids mentioned kfc for lunch so that was a 20euro spend.

I've been craving KFC! I have some leftovers (which I never ate at work in the end) which I'm sure will be fine, but I could eat a bargain bucket single handedly ATM 🤣

Better go an eat before I get tempted by deliveroo...

Planning to spend £30ish on petrol today. Nothing else though

Well my tax rebate came through today which is a positive - so have paid some towards debts but hanging on to some for emergency savings as I hate being without some back up funds hidden somewhere.
But will have to buy petrol today or tomorrow as I have a funeral to attend tomorrow afternoon but we would have been doing that at some point anyway.
I have been really positive and on the ball with paying money to debts from things which used to be paid for - e.g. our phones were purchased on a credit deal two years ago and now they are paid for that's £40 a month towards debts. Christmas savings are now finished so £40 for a few months to throw at something. The RAC offered us 15 months for the price of 12 so for three months we have an extra £12 to throw at something. All I need now is for the Credit card companies to stop upping the interest rates and I might feel like we are getting somewhere.

@thereallybigsteelcorporation well done on the Boots online shopping! Did you go via TopCashback too, it's worth doing? As for your friend being ungrateful for an expensive and thoughtful gift, words fail me... as @msssm suggests, it's probably worth setting a budget for this year's gifts!

@Rainbow1901 could you find a more cost effective breakdown company than the RAC when your deal finishes? We use Rescuemycar.com which is about £40 per year, plus you can go through TCB for the payment, even better! They've been good on the couple of occasions I've needed to call them out, although thankfully that hasn't been for a while <touches wood madly>

Thank you for that - will take a look.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but never ate KFC 😯I'm in Burger King phase now though.

My spendings:
£5 for collection at work for colleague who's leaving
£16.5 feliway refill, we have noticed our cat licked his legs, while we were on holoiday, so intense that he's actually bit bald 😮We are trying to calm him down a bit, because baby arrives in few weeks and it's another big change. Poor thing

Got B&Q refund for £33.

I went to growth scan today,we were bit late, so my husband dropped me off at the door and had to park our car and missed it. Was bit gutted, because he always looks forward to scans, but the most important is that everything is fine. Can't wait to see our son in 4D now haha. I hope I won't go overdue 😬

Good work everyone and best of luck with the baby arriving on time, @xogossipgirlxo- wishing you all the best for it.

Not managed a NSD in the end. £4 for two coffees with a lovely work mate (it was my turn) and £3 for lunch (it's partly subsidised by my work). Hopefully tomorrow I can rein things in.

This is the dress I want, @MissVeronicaSpeedwell - very simple really, but I wear a lot of dresses at work and I know it would get good use. I'm trying to buy 'better' quality, but less clothing, and aiming for mostly second-hand options to reduce negative effects on the environment:
www.crewclothing.co.uk/womens/clothing-and-accessories/womens-dresses-and-skirts/natasha-dress-blue-wsj097/?sessionid=d6e3e95b0a3031950bf2c437e20fc61065e6e459

But I fully realise that this dress is a want and not a need! So that's why I have it in mind, but am not purchasing yet. We'll see how other expenses go this month, first.

Good luck all!

Hope you don't go overdue too @xogossipgirlxo! I was ages over with dc1 but not dc2

Nearly did a no spend day today but badly needed hay-fever meds. The pollen is awful just now! My nose is on fire!

Good luck @xogossipgirlxo i think I remember you from one of the other frugal threads a few months back when I fell off the wagon spectacularly hence the need to rein it in now. Hope all goes well for you!

Huge spending today as predicted

fuel £80
lunch £58
cinema £44
top up shop £12

🤦‍♀️

I didn't spend anything in the end yesterday. I collect and distribute for olio and one of the items last eve was a carton of milk so that went in my fridge!
Still didn't buy the butter as I woke this morning to £6 in my bank account 😱.
Have loads of food so we won't starve but urgh I need to get my finances in order.

I think I managed a NSD today! (Assuming DH hasn’t gone rogue and bought some random shit without me knowing)

2nd NSD for me this week. I am just sick of giving so much money over to Tesco all the time, I refuse to keep doing it. I'm keeping a spreadsheet of every thing I spend this month. Nothing is really allowable, except essential food & petrol

Oooh that's nice @moimichme - I can see why you're tempted!

Spends in the last couple of days:

£4 chip shop - 1 portion of chips for me and the DTs to share - no fish/ sausage etc)
£8.05 Tesco - like @thereallybigsteelcorporation, I seem to be there more or less constantly
£5.06 bakery - for the DC's packed lunches for a school trip