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!

11 Jan update:

£4 bus fate
£4.35 drink & snack.
Total: £8.35

I took DD to an after-school class today so spent money on the bus fare there and back, plus a drink and snack for me while I was waiting for her - it’s too far to go home then come back again, so I go and sit in a nearby pub for the hour, which is a treat in itself!

£4.25 for a drink and snack at the pub is a bargain!!

Part unplanned spend today - bought a harness for my sons puppy as he's grown out of his old one - but I'll be paid back for that (£23)

I also spent £4.49 on puppy treats from amazon but that's part of my allocated £20 this month.

Feeling productive: switched current accounts so will get £175, first time I’ve moved banks in decades! Have also opened an ISA and a long-term savings account with a much higher interest rate.

On the spending side - I’ve accepted a quote for February for works to the house that I finally admitted I can’t do myself any more with my worsening health. A lot of money, but what I save not-spending in January/February will cover it. Still, frustrating that it has to be spent.

todays expenses were basic groceries and a one month gym membership for dh and i. temps here at in the -20C range for the next 10 days SO fitness goals would be too challenging to achieve without access to indoor options.
both the food and gym purchases were under our daily budget and i was able to put another $10.70 on the mortgage/line of credit.

Less than £50 in Lidl yesterday for weekly shop. Could have been cheaper but bought a pair of thermal leggings for 4.99 and a bunch of tulips

No spend yesterday

It’s going to be a NSD here, there’s nothing nice in for the weekend but that won’t do us any harm. Frozen fruit & kefir for breakfast, oatcakes & cheese with h/m veg soup for lunch, fish & mash & veg for dinner. Youth Club tonight but that’s free.
Weekend plans are lots of dog-walking and enjoy the beach with the children. Take a thermos of hot soup and one of hot chocolate. Won’t spend.

NSD this week at all. I wasn't sure I could do it, but I seem to be doing OK this month.

I've got to do a supermarket shop today so won't be a NSD.

Tomorrow is a possibility though if I'm focused and ruthless.

Feeling a bit down about how much I've been spending- mainly home maintenance and holidays.

It's just eating away at my savings which doesn't feel good.

A win yesterday was finding 3 voucher cards in my purse. A book token, a next gift card, and a WHSmith card.

Don't specifically have anything to spend them on but good to know they're there if I need.

I paid my car insurance upfront last year - that's due for renewal again this month.

Also got night out in London which will be around £100 when I include train fare.

And centre Parcs which has been paid for but will need food at least. And considering the modi body swimsuit so o can go swimming and not miss out.

Oh also got leg wax and hair colour coming up too.

So quite a lot of biggies really.

To not beat myself up too much, I haven't actually bought anything non essential at all all month- and taken a packed lunch every day- so that's something at least.

I've bought bread and milk this morning but will be doing a shop later. I've bought an instant voucher through a work scheme so I get 5% off - handy as I need to get a lot of household stuff, not so much food.

Also a trip to the chemist this morning for a prescription and had to get paracetamol and ibuprofen while there (son v poorly with cold/flu) and it was so much more expensive than the supermarket! And I bought aveeno cream while there on the recommendation of the dermatologist. That was £12.

And I am having my hair cut later.

But these are all essential spends. Nothing frivolous so far!!

I'm on my third consecutive NSD which is satisfying. Curiously I am feeling it emotionally - with senses of being deprived/restricted. I'm going to use my cappuccino maker on the hob for a little dopamine hit. January is always a bleak month for me for many reasons including the excesses of Christmas. I'm giving myself a pat on the back for adulting through the month. I've a spreadsheet to help me get to grips with finances. I've paid off one loan, have cancelled sky to save money and get a better deal for broadband. I've also set up different pots in my starling account for bills/debts/sinking funds so I can see what is free for discretionary spending. Finally I've set up an online savings account which I've clawed £100 into as a result of my financial rigour and NSDs this month which is amazing considering I have no current savings. I'm determined to set up some savings so I have a buffer for emergencies. And the best thing I did was chase up my hmrc account which looks like I should get £300 back at the end of the month which will go straight to savings!

Low spend day today , I got some lovely christmas wrap in whsmith reduced to 99p from £4 a roll. I also did a small top up food shop but will deduct from monthly food budget .
Will be a very low spend weekend

I overspent big style yesterday on our second half-weekly grocery shop. £102 in Aldi for 4 days worth of food 😲. Thankfully we used DHs £80 voucher he got from work so it only cost us £22 in the end, we have stocked up on some bits that will last us most of next week so our next shop should be very low.

At the hairdressers at the moment so not a NSD today either but it is pre budgeted so haply with that.

Didnt have time to make lunch today before leaving for work (and was 2 mins late also!) so had to fork out £4 for a baguette. Then £9.61 in Waitrose for a ready meal for tonight and bar of chocolate for pud.

Various clubs for the kids tomorrow morning (already paid for) then weekly shop which shouldn’t be too bad. DH got a £10 voucher for a local butchers so we’re having a steak as already have peppercorn sauce in freezer and DH will make some chips from potatoes.

got to do a boots run tomorrow for kids vitamins, toothpaste, sanitary towels, shampoo etc plus go to toy shop to get a couple of gifts for parties DS1 has been invited to (he’s had 4 invites so far this year alone!)

and one of the cars needs petrol!

oh and we got a £550 bill this morning for the report the chap had prepared on the cause of damage to our house which is basically shit and doesn’t give any recommendations! Our builder is seething!!!

Spent money on school book for dd, prescription and wine 🙈…. Well it is Friday so I consider it essential 🍷🤔

Not many NSD this week but all spends were essential (well, maybe the wine wasn’t essential 😬) and spending was more mindful. So, I’m happy enough. Hope I can keep this up and even improve. 🙏

Ugh the purgatory that is the village Youth Club on a bleak January evening. Definitely deserve a hot chocolate now I’m home! Filled car with diesel today, essential spend, we won’t need any more this month.
Very pleased with my willpower at the minute…

12 Jan update: WFH today but treated myself to a coffee and pastry from a new coffee shop near is - £4.35. A treat for getting through the first week back at work!

I do think it’s important to be able to have a few treats during the month - part of me feels quite frustrated that at my age (40s), and stage of life, I’m having to be more mindful of spending despite having a reasonable income for our lifestyle (small house and no extravagant hobbies, only one child with limited childcare costs). It was fine in the past when we were saving for a house deposit, then doing up the house, then saving for maternity leave, then being on maternity leave, then a few years of paying nursery fees. I just feel that I shouldn’t have to watch the pennies as much now!

However, I must remind myself that we are better off than a lot of people at the moment, and having to cut down on coffees and be more mindful about spending is better than struggling to pay the bills and heat the house.

Just double-checked, there’s been only one day in January where I spent on inessential items (a YouTube subscription that I cancelled too late, £13) and compared to how I’d been for months that is brilliant!!!

some extra expense related to having guest for dinner, but on budget.

Not posted for a few days but not doing too badly here :)

Sending hugs to those that need them - really hope things start to pick up for everyone soon x

Wednesday - Was a low spend day I think - booked an exercise class for me and DD (£10) and that was it.

Thursday - Again not too bad, but could have been better. DD had a private maths lesson (£20) and I bought bits in work for lunches which worked out at £10 for 3 days, so still got something in the work freezer for Monday and that has worked really well and has saved me money as usually over a fiver for a toastie and a coffee!

We also went to the cinema and I bought coffee and a small popcorn, tickets were covered as we have passes that let us go as much as we want. As long as we go twice a month, the passes pay for themselves.

Friday - Ended up working really late. By the time I finished, I was done in, DH came and met me and took me for food but he paid so not too bad. I did give in for breakfast and grabbed something on my way to work (£5.00) but apart from bus fare, that was all the spending I did as was working and had no time to stop! On the plus side, it looks like my promotion will be announced next week and pay sorted for the next pay cycle :)

Today - Up early has having to go to work for a few hours as we are on a very busy week with few staff so offered to go in for a few hours just to try and help lift a little bit of the pressure :/ After that, we are just coming home and I'll catch up on housework, studying and other bits.

I have given in and booked a hobby day next Saturday but it is weather dependent and it's already not looking good. If that is the case, I'll still go over as I have some more exams to take for it, so will start looking at what is best to do next. Expensive times but I have come so far and I really am not going to give this up although my payrise will cover more of it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend xx

Just cancelled Apple subscriptions for four apps/ games that DD used to play, but hasn’t used for several months now (or longer). That’s £15 a month saved 😮I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, and every time I’ve seen the monthly charges I’ve told myself that this will be the last month, but never got round to it. It only took a couple of minutes on my phone in the end.

So, yesterday was a NSD but today is looking dubious. DH has literally pulled half my kitchen ceiling down and squared up the massive hole...there is dust everywhere, all over worktops/units, floor and table (although he's draped a dust sheet over my oven).

I was planning on making lasagne for tea but he's still cutting up plasterboard and waiting for DS2 to come home from work so that they can put it up and fix it. I have NO IDEA how to feed us all tonight, short of nipping to the Chinese takeaway, which I'm really reluctant to do.

It just feels like a lot of money to spend when I've got plenty of ingredients, just not really access to the kitchen to make it.

Not a great day today. Had brunch out, then made a mistake by having a mooch around Waitrose and spent £30 means food budget cut short for the week but I should be able to make it work. Today and tomorrow low spend days

Waiting for my bread dough to prove. It's cold enough that the dough is being slow, even in a proofer and some added humidity from boiling water. Proofers struggle when the ambient room temperature drops below 20C and we're a fair way below that.

Hatty65 - I have NO IDEA how to feed us all tonight, short of nipping to the Chinese takeaway, which I'm really reluctant to do.
Would none of your neighbours pop a supermarket pizza or ready-made meals in their oven for you? I know you've got ingredients for meals but this feels like a reasonable compromise between eating cold sandwiches or having a deli meal of cheese, crackers, pate etc. and the cost of a takeaway.