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!

NSD for me. Just mooched around with the pups and made dinner at home.

Tomorrow I am back to work after being off for 2.5 weeks (2 dogs had ops - feel your pain @RM2013 ) and have made a packed lunch to take instead of the usual buying of a sandwich from the van. I've done the same for DH, although he always takes packed lunch because he does not want to spend £5 per day either. He's also going back with a 4% pay rise.

hoping for a nsp.
invited out to someone's home for dinner tonight and the necessary purchases were made yesterday.
three major end of month bills still not "showing up" due to the multiple statutory holidays.
i need to hold tight till the end of the week i presume.

NSD here too.
got our regular online shop due tomorrow but I keep going in and editing stuff out of it, got it down to half the usual amount. Yay

NSD here 😍

NSD for me.

Looking up ways of using up some of the more unusual ingredients that I inherited. I'm determined that I'll make food that we enjoy and not just tolerate. I've found some more unusual ingredients since posting this list (e.g., 11kg of linseed/flax and around 8kg of lupin flour).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/4974829-pantry-challenge-2024?reply=131877013&

Actually really invigorated to start this. It’s day 1 for me, I’ve ordered my weekly grocery shop today but sorted out the freezer so that we use everything in there first before just adding to it so and I’m going to try and cook as much as I can from scratch to keep the bill down.

I’ve resisted the Penhaligon’s sale (even though I’d love one of their perfumes) but needs must if I want to get to my goal next year.

Hello!

I hope its ok if I join in here. I was a very regular poster on the No Spend 2023 thread (link to follow below - I use the MN app and seem to be unable to c&p a link) and managed to pay off £5,800 + interest during 2023 to get my personal debt total down to £3,200 from just under £9,000 total on 31/12/2022. £9,000 is an estimate - its tricky to work out exactly due to also using the card for family food/clothes shopping but £9,000 debt at 31/12/2022 is my best guess and tallys up with earlier posts at the start of the linked thread. So £5,800 paid off (+ some interest) in 12 months. I was hoping for £2,400 to be left at this stage but £3,200 isn't miles off my target and I'm really proud of myself, especially given the extra pressures from the cost of living rising so sharply, a career change & big holiday all during 2023 all making debt repayments trickier.

The remaining debt balance of £3,200 is all interest free. I'm aiming to pay £500+ per month with everything finally paid off by 30/6/24 (£9,000 in 18 months). I'm not entirely sure how to raise this £500 each month, I don't have the same ability to earn extra money as I did, due to restraints of my new job role, but I will try and find a way and post my progress here.

Spending wise I don't count food shopping or clothes shopping or any shopping that comes from the family pot. I have a small amount of spending money for 'me' each month and I only count my personal spends from this pot. These are my rules for me, I understand we'll all count differently. After an expensive Christmas, I now need to knuckle down, focus have some NSDs and be creative re. earning money. I have a relatively quiet January and all birthday presents and cards bought so that really helps.

Good luck everyone!

Link to No Spend 2023 thread - https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/4708792-no-spend-23?reply=129788493

I'm not in, three birthdays in January.

But the sweeping the change to a savings account, really works.

I first started it with my credit card debt. Over 2 years, every single time I looked at my account, I transferred small amounts of money to my debt. I used to round down.
Say I had 47.55 in my account. I needed to keep 38 for a bill, I used 7.55 towards the debt. Leaving me 40, so when the bill went out I wasn't overdrawn.

After that (that ended 2015) I still do the same but to an easy access isa. It's for the first time in my life given me savings, of 10.5k

Ok to loads of you this sounds like peanuts, but I'm part time, mortgage paid. So all I need savings for is holidays and replacing white goods, repairing fences, whatever.

Tl/dr
Dont discount sweeping change every day.

Sorry for spamming, but by god, it's amazing how inspiring this thread is.

Straight after I posted, I paid the annoying £200 off my c/c, leaving a balance of £3,000 to clear by 30/6/24. I just have to hope this payment isn't going to leave me short for the rest of the month!

And...I dabble in matched betting when offers pop up and did a NY offer on B365 on the Liverpool/Newcastle match this eve - place £10 bet pre-match (laid at the exchange - £0.80 loss) and get a £5 free bet per goal scored up to a max. of 5 goals (minimum £5 free bet if 0-0 so wasn't going to be out of pocket). There's been 6 goals (so far) so once I've used my £25 free bets and taken off £0.80 and exchange commission, I should make around £20 or just under. Yay, good start to 2024!

I'm definitely not perfect however I don't use Amazon, apart from the odd 99p Kindle book. Can you try a detox. if you are a frequent Amazon shopper? Put thing on a (old school - paper) list? I also find it really motivating to keep a weekly/monthly tally of my daily spends and NSDs on here, stops me spending!

NSD here.

we are aiming for a no spend month in our house. we are pretty good as our money is mostly accounted for but we need to use what we have in the kitchen.

I’m a later joiner if that’s ok?

Much needed break from consumerism for Jan and the rest of 2024.

I have a few things to purchase for this month:
2 x birthday gifts for the end of the month
1 x Dress and accessories for a reunion in Feb - and yes, I do have a couple of things I could wear but on this occasion I am choosing to buy
1 x overnight stay in Feb for said reunion so I need to have money from Jan pay allocated

Changes to our habits of eating out and take outs are going to be my main focus for January.

In 2022 and 2021 I logged all spends on everything, a brilliant means of monitoring and controlling the urge to spend. For some reason it didn’t happen in 2023 so it’s time to get back to it for 2024.

1 Jan update: NSD.

Plans for the week ahead:

• Tues: Take DD to library & will probably include a trip to the cafe.
• Wed: Meet up with friends for drinks, but it will only be for a couple of hours, not a full night out.
• Wed-Fri: not at work but planning to get stuff done round the house (mainly decluttering)
• Weekend: no plans yet.

So I’d estimate £20 -25 personal spends for the week.

NSD here today and day 1. actually had a productive day and sorted out my wardrobe and popped a few things on vinted (and didn’t buy anything whilst on the app!!)
I’ve got this week off work and tomorrow we are visiting MIL who now lives in a care home plus taking down tree and decs, Weds meeting a friend for a dog walk which will cost zero.

I do need to go to the DIY store as need to so some repairs to our velux window but will just get what I need for the job rather than browsing other things which is what I normally do 🤦‍♀️

I have got a lunch with a friend planned for next week which will cost me but I’m having to miss her 50th birthday party which is a black tie do as DH having an op so lunch is because I will miss her birthday

oh and our oven broke the day before NYE so will either need to be repaired or replaced unfortunately

@Winnading i do the same thing with rounding my bank balance each day and applying the dollars/pennies to either debt or savings.
my savings earns me about $40 of interest a month and i aim to save 100 so i add tiny bits to make up the difference.
then the same to my cc debt, occasionally by payday i own near nothing despite some modest purchases (often replacement clothing or shoes).

NSD for me. I’ll probably order my supplements tomorrow, about £80 but my weight and health are a huge focus for me this year.
I’m thinking of trying to budget for a monthly shop and keeping money in the pot for top up bits of fresh stuff but out of the months budget. Really fed up of spending on food just because no one fancies what we have in or if I am too tired to cook (work full time and travel a lot for work) DH or DS20 get take out instead of cooking.
i have a round up on my Current account. Multiplies the pennies by ten and then goes into my savings. It’s a lot of money (If I spend 10p, it takes £9!) but I can easily transfer the money back if I need it but I try to think out of sight out of mind.

1/1/24 NSD, easy as it was a pyjama day at home but nothing spent online either.

We're off to my folks' for steak pie tomorrow and taking fizzy drinks from home as our contribution (all they want us to bring). Fingers crossed for another NSD.

We had a roast ham for tea so I saved a full meal of that plus some extra slices of ham for meals to take to work at the weekend.

I've been looking into the First Direct switch account £175 offer & I will progress this over the next few days - I'm gutted I missed out on Nationwide's £200 offer! I also hope to stick a couple of things on Vinted.

Added to making £20 matched betting this evening, a very good first day!

I've started my 'no spend' 🤔 2024 by ordering a Shark cordless vacuum and a small stack of silicone air-fryer pan things. I do need them and the vacuum was reduced, but it's knocked my balance right back down to 'desperate'.

I have other essential household things to buy this year - so need to save for them. Thought joining this thread would help keep me on the straight and (very) narrow!

Can I join too please? I have so much stuff, clothes, cosmetics, full freezer and full pantry. Ridiculous and there are only the two of us, plus a dog.

My aim is too stop buying stuff I don't need for a year and see how much stuff has disappeared by the end of 2024.

NS yesterday and spent £14 at the supermarket today on bread, fruit, cheese and chick peas.😀

I'm in! NSD yesterday. We'll be eating from stores for quite a while!

I've got some Christmas and birthday cash to spend on a few things I'd like (will try to make this last). Other than that, it will be necessities only - vet, car bills, health etc. - whilst trying to live frugally and spend wisely. I need to lose the weight I've put on so that I won't need new clothes!

Looking forward to this. Spreadsheets ready to go!

I've set myself some no spend rules as I'm sorting my shit out with finances this year. My goal is to pay off some debts and build an emergency fund so if my washing machine breaks I'm not in crisis mode.
I have enough clothes and shoes to not buy more for as long as I can. I am losing weight so if I need anything I will use Vinted and buy second hand.
My freezer is full so I will eat from my stores and only buy essentials.
I am not going to buy lunches on my office days and will plan ahead to make sure I have food with me.
I am also going to open an online savings account and transfer all money that is not going on bills into that at the start of the month leaving myself with just a buffer.
My bank account is with Starling so I am skimming off the pennies part of my balance each day into a separate pot as savings.
Importantly I am going to write down any impulse ideas for Amazon purchases on a post it in my diary throughout the month. I've put this post-it on the last week of the month and then on the 30th I will look at the list and see how much money I have left to see if I want/need to buy any of it.
I've already cancelled my Sky subscription and shopped around for a good fibre optic deal which has slashed my bills.

I'm going to have to spend £18 at the vets later to put a claim in with my insurers but I am due £301, so can I claim that as a NSD?

Nsd yesterday, and hopefully today.
I have transferred some cc debt from one card to another to 0% interest. Should help to pay it faster.
I have for first time planned the whole January food. (Dinners) here hoping to stick to it as much as I can.
Freezer needs a bit of clear up and I can do with the savings.
We are hoping to clear a loan this year. 8k so when remortgage arrives should be easier to manage whatever increase there is

nsp yesterday, and now I’m waiting on two bills; both unknown quantities.

NSD yesterday. DD had wanted to go out but the weather is awful so we stayed in. Kept busy sorting washing and getting Christmas decs down. I’ve also requested a receipt for my contact lenses so I can claim them back from the scheme I’m in so technically I’ve made money 😂