No Spend 2024....

[meemawww]

Or at least the first couple of months to make a dent in my credit card debt!
I feel like I need a thread to encourage me and hopefully get some tips anybody like to join? I earn an alright wage but my god am i frivolous with money since my earnings went up!

I’m loving this thread!! I’m consciously thinking so much about how much money I have and what I am willing to spend it on. I’ve always been so frivolous and this is making me so much more accountable! Thank you all so much!!

My DGD wanted to cook so we made Brownies for her to take home with her and I already had all the ingredients so a win for me. Firewood and kindling bought but that was planned and covered in the budget.

@Hatty65, if you are going to the effort of making the cushion, then buying a small item that lets you do it properly actually sounds like a really good idea. Otherwise every time you look at it you would regret not doing so!

I had a miserable couple of days (family issues) and ended up spending £51 in the online sale at the Natural History Museum. In fairness it is all gifts for throughout the year for a dinosaur fan offspring and their friends, but am still feeling disappointed with myself, as the reason I did it was actually to cheer myself up. Aaaagh! Trying to tell myself that one step back today doesn’t mean I can’t make two steps forward this week. Or something like that!

@AllTheChaos I know! I bought the material from a sale bin after Christmas - the chairs were a gift from a relative but are covered in faded 1970s material so I wanted to re-cover them.

Console yourself with the thought that these things were necessary - and will save you money in the future! You bought them in the sale - so even if the Dinosaur Fan's birthday isn't til May, eg then you have still bought them a present that has cost you less than it will closer to the time.

My spend today? (Or DHs, actually) £12 on plasterboard because part of my hall ceiling fell in! 😟Obviously necessary, but unexpected and a bit annoying! I suspect once DH has pulled all loose bits down and shoved a new bit of plasterboard up there then we will need plaster and paint as well!

It's a Victorian house that is gradually falling down around us...

I made gluten free shortbread and old style school tray bake cake today, way cheaper and yummier than gluten free offerings in the supermarket .

I've spent £5 on bread and something for my nephews lunch as he was dog sitting for us this morning. This afternoon £5.95 on SlimmingWorld.

This morning before work I logged on to cancel my Now entertainment subscription (was £6/month) and because I kept clicking 'yes definitely cancel' it got to £3.99/month for 6 months so I said yes 😊

Have also told my pension adviser I'm looking to move my SIPP to a provider with much lower fees (just need to do my research now). And have sold another item on Vinted!

Just having a beer while I sort out my home office which has suddenly become very cluttered!! Maybe I'll find more stuff to sell.....

€9.95 on bread/ milk for remainder of week. Thrilled I walked out of shop with no
extras whatsoever! Proud moment😉

I've been as good as I can with my spending and determined to keep going. But......this is going to be a looooong month. I do not have a lot of money in my bank and payday is still well over 3 weeks away!!!!!

If you drive to work and back and spend nothing all day is it still a NSD or not as I've used petrol?

Define it however works best for you as an individual. Personally, I’d consider it No-spend if there was no alternative method of feasible transport, but that’s me personally. Even just being more mindful of speed to reduce petrol costs is achieving something positive. Or maybe, if I’d already filled the tank previously then I’d consider it no-spend even though I did use something. It’s up to you.

@MrsShortbread thanks. Was just thinking about it. I will count as a NSD. I am mindful of my usage. I live very remote so my only option to get into work.

@rainpleasestop I'd even consider buying petrol as a NSD as it is an essential spend to your life. If you'd picked up a chocolate bar in the petrol station, I would consider that a spend day unless you were diabetic and it was as life and death situation.
Wow, my own rules for this are really complicated 😁.

my daily cash allowance was spent on dog food.
so no left over money to divert anywhere today, tomorrow i hope to top up the gas tank on the truck (although deisel) so not expecting any nsd for a few days.
but 100% still on budget.

8 Jan update: NSD - I was back at work, but walked there and took a packed lunch, so didn’t need to buy anything.

I never see "tray bake" without thinking about this delightful thread where so many people had realisations that made sense about their families. And I learned that Australians call these "slices".

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mumsnet_classics/3527870-Which-is-the-tastiest-Protestant-traybake?page=1

I'm eyeing up a number of these recipes to use up my stores over time (work past the first few pages, the recipes come but the stories and memories are charming). Dessicated coconut is the many pantry items I've 'inherited' and I can't bear it but lots of the recipes in that thread use it: I have about 3kgs.

I would consider going to work essential as if you don't go you'll have no money at all. I don't count essential spending as a spending day, just like I don't count the day my council tax is paid as a spend day. Personally I don't count groceries within weekly fixed budget either.

2x NSDs. I'm doing better than I'd expected! Going to be spendy today, although I'm going to use Christmas vouchers so doesn't really count. In my view, essential spending doesn't count (bills, club fees, petrol, replacement school uniform). So I count a NSD as any day where spending was optional... but I kept my wallet closed.

@Goldmember how funny I am actually a type 1 diabetic. 🤣

I went out for dinner last night but drove and didn’t drink or have a starter so only £25 spent.

I may have accidentally bought some Claudia in Traitors inspired clothing in the sales but will report back on that as I might not keep everything. A bit cross with myself.

That is an interesting thread , have never heard of half the stuff on there 🤣 I am from England and we used to have traybake cakes with jam and coconut topping on , vanilla sponge with icing and sprinkles and chocolate sponge with chocolate custard , at school. This was early 90s

PeachiceT we used to have traybake cakes

In that delightful thread, and its follow-up, you'll see that there's some controversy over whether a proper traybake ever sees the inside of an oven. If it's not based on melting butter, sugar and stirring other items together, is it a traybake? Discuss.

I learned a lot about scones and that they, and scones in England, seem very distantly related. Ones in NI appear to be available in an astonishing range of flavours and huge. There are scone and traybake tours proposed with helpful hints as to where cardiac units are placed along the way.

The thread is very deservedly in Classics!

08.01 NSD

Today won't be. I have to make cultivate L.Reuteri yoghurt for my MiL's DP and the tablets are £22. You only get 30 and you need 10 to seed the first batch. L.Reuteri yoghurt has a high failure rate to get establish so if the first few lots fail, I'll need more tablets. (It's not really yoghurt, it's fermented dairy.)

He really wants to try it because his GI system has been horrible after several courses of antibiotics. So I should stop havering and just do it. If I'm successful with the 'yoghurt' it will save him a fortune probiotics etc. which would be his next step but cost him >£100 a month.

I think so. Petrol and food are my essential s.

Yesterday was close to being a NSD as didn't set foot in a shop. However transferred money online for colleague's birthday collection, national trust membership came out, and dc joined the gym so I paid joining fee.

My definition on a NSD is no money at all coming out my account- I have so many different payments flying out at all times, that if I can get to a day when nothing comes out, and I don't spend, then that is a huge win.

Yesterday wasn't ideal as actually needed cat food- now cat's doing without until I get back tonight.

Also need bathroom sealant.

But have made packed lunches for me and DC, so should survive apart from those items.

NSD yesterday. I count this if I didn't buy something unnecessary. And actually nothing did go out the bank, but I think the council tax goes out tomorrow and I won't be counting that. I have to pay it, and therefore can't do anything about that.

Today we need bits and pieces - dog food, milk, bread etc but I'll post later about how much it came to and hopefully I can keep it to a minimum.