No spend January?

[Psychoticbreak]

There used to be no spend threads every month on here although I appreciate Dec is a hard one. For me I am going to try not to overspend this month and clear off the credit card in full again as it was zero balance up till xmas.

Anyone else with me?
Stilly possibly to class Christmas day as a no spend but that was my day one and I spent nothing yesterday either.

Well done, everybody. You're all inspiring me to keep going - and to remember that even if I mess up now and again, all is not lost, and tomorrow is another day.

Yesterday spent £35 at friend's birthday dinner (we all made a contribution to friend's meal). It was a lot of fun, delicious food, and good to catch up with people. And I had already bought her gift pre-Christmas, which was helpful given this month's tight budget! Not looking at websites like Amazon etc. is helping me avoid temptation.

Hoping for a wee NSD streak this week! Not much planned today apart from a trip to recycling centre and possibly cycling at the park if the rain stays off this afternoon.🤞

NSD yesterday and I have created a list of possible impulse buys. These are all things I can justify but don’t really need. Some of these would work if I got them as gifts for DH so having a list of them means I can hit 2 birds with one stone for Father’s Day, birthday etc.

I’m really seeing how impulsive some of my shopping is and this month so far I’ve really cut down on it so hoping that continues.

today may be a NSD. Possible push for a takeaway tonight fromDH but I’ve enough in the freezer to provide a fakeaway so 🤞

I do need to buy paint as the ceiling paint I thought inhad is almost finished and I’ve a decorator coming on Tuesday. Dunno if we will get to the shop for that today but will need to go tomorrow otherwise.

NS day today, and did an inventory of the fridge, freezer and pantry prior to tomorrows shopping trip. I made last weeks shopping last 10 days and could make it last another couple of days with some careful planning, and to be honest, quite a boring menu.

I won't though because I have to go on a trip on Wednesday and want to take a picnic instead of buying food, and need supplies for that, and not having a decent amount of food in makes me anxious. I am going to do a proper meal plan and list, price it and stick to it though.

No spend day yesterday and I picked up an overtime shift at work which will help reduce the overdraft that I’d built over Christmas.

todays spends £27.15, £25 on petrol which was essential and £2.15 on a hot drink after my gym session as I was freezing and wasn’t going straight home

Need to do an online food shop but class that as necessary expenses

£4 yesterday on parking and £3.79 on a coffee out on a walk today. Not no spend, but fairly close! Hoping to go back to zero spends tomorrow as I'm working from home.

Ended up some medicine for £6 so not so bad. I’m still 10/14 NSD days so far so trying look on it as a learning curve. Next week should be better.

Managed to resist the cafe today at work. Colleague hates me!

NSD apart from weekly online shop that's coming later. Still have loads of freezer stuff so just fruit, veg, meat and essentials for the week. £42. Not bad considering there are 6 of us.

Everybody is doing so well! Bring on week 3!

Swooping - Managed to resist the cafe today at work. Colleague hates me!

But we admire you and your resolve!

nellie - not having a decent amount of food in makes me anxious.

I have a vast amount of food in and I'm now on edge about being able to make good use of it. I grew up with food insecurity and I think it wouldn't matter how much food I have (and, as you know, I have what feel like vast stores), I'd still not be entirely comfortable around it. (I've no idea how often a month the family will accept octopus. I've a feeling once, I'd be pushing it at 2 on occasion.) Choice is such a luxury but there's a sense in which I am now offering everyone an unfamiliar menu.

NSD here today but only because (a) I spent a lot of it at home cleaning and (b) DP paid for the DC to go to soft play...

I have lots of food here but no meal planning ability I saw a lovely meal planner online to buy and then realised it was probably defeating the object of me trying to save money this month

There's a pantry challenge thread where people might have some ideas for you. (I got some good suggestions here and there for octopus…)

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/4974829-pantry-challenge-2024?

Morning, folks and here we are on week 3.
I have spent very little the past 2 weeks - not used credit cards either to buy much coveted items in the sales !
I've been reading the posts and it occurred to me that I rarely do an inventory of what's in the cupboards, etc. And I write a list of lists regularly.
So I'm going to do that today.
My Grocery Anxiety has decreased massively. It's fine if we're eating what's in.
I don't need to keep running to tesco.

@ElizaBalfour 🤣
You could just use an A4 piece of paper, and some colourful felt tips.
I enjoy doing this ( ex teacher).

@ElizaBalfour there are some really good free menu planning templates online that you could print off. There are also some google sheet templates if you prefer a digital version https://spreadsheetdaddy.com/templates/meal-plan

However i find what works best for me was a table in the notes app of my phone. I'm all apple products so have this on my phone, ipad and work computer so can access as and when i need. i have a chalkboard type thing on the fridge where i can put meals into days but to be honest its the note that i work off as i often forget to populate the chalkboard. thats ok in my situation but if you want others to know whats for dinner than its handy to have it on the fridge.

I also don't assign days to meals, i just do a list of what can be made with whats on hand and if there are any key ingredients missing i put thato n the shopping list. then i pick whtat to have based upon preference

Yesterday was an NSD. DH did suggest McDonalds for dinner but was quite happy when i said id cook burgers as he didn't fancy having to drive to get them. We live too far away from any takeaways for delivery.

today will be a spend day. Paint for ceiling has been bought and i also bought 2 pairs of elastic laces for €2.50 to convert little one's spare runners from tie up laces to slip ons. Her main runners are very beat up but she still has loads of room in them. I have the next size up fin velcro for her already but her feet are not growing on my schedule. This will prevent me having to buy a new pair for her.

I also have the next size up in tie laces so hopefully these will work out and fill that gap until her feet grow a bit more. Note to self do not buy lace up shoes until she can tie her own laces.

i'm considering this a success. The decorator has been planned for some time so this is planed spending and i actually looked at new runners for little one and they would only have been €10 but then the spare ones she has would not get worn which is a waste. its definitely worth trying to get these converted.

Bring on week three!! We’re halfway there. NSD for me today but I’m resisting serious urges to do some online ordering. I’ve started a wishlist of things to buy next month lol.

I’ve done a meal plan etc for the (very busy!) week ahead and have planned spends of £80 on a big shop on Wednesday, up to £20 on a night out on Friday, and £5 on a small gift for a housewarming on Saturday (I’ll get something bigger next month, when I've seen the colour palette etc of the place). I’m gonna bake something too which will up the cost of the shop. But hopefully that shop will last us through the month.

I've had 4 NSDs in a row now. Get paid next Friday. I do have the dentist this Friday though so will def have to spend some money soon!

Saved from the temptation of a bacon sarnie this morn by them being sold out!! On track for another NSD.

For those of us who are noticing the lack of dopamine hits, this is an interesting sounding book to borrow from the library: Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence

Imagine our brains contain a balance – a scale with a fulcrum in the center. When nothing is on the balance, it’s level with the ground. When we experience pleasure, dopamine is released in our reward pathway and the balance tips to the side of pleasure. The more our balance tips, and the faster it tips, the more pleasure we feel.
“Dopamine Nation: Finding balance in the age of indulgence” is published by Headline (United Kingdom) and Penguin Random House (United States)But here’s the important thing about the balance: it wants to remain level, that is, in equilibrium. It does not want to be tipped for very long to one side or another. Hence, every time the balance tips toward pleasure, powerful self-regulating mechanisms kick into action to bring it level again. These self-regulating mechanisms do not require conscious thought or an act of will. They just happen, like a reflex.
Once the balance is level, it keeps going, tipping an equal and opposite amount to the side of pain.
In the 1970s, social scientists Richard Solomon and John Corbit called this reciprocal relationship between pleasure and pain the opponent-process theory: “Any prolonged or repeated departures from hedonic or affective neutrality…have a cost”. That cost is an “after-reaction” that is opposite in value to the stimulus. Or as the old saying goes, ‘What goes up must come down’

https://www.addiction-ssa.org/dopamine-and-the-pleasure-pain-balance/

Had to buy some stamps so that’s 6 spending days in a row! Feeling bad hoping can get through next week or so. Did move some money I had not spent to a savings account. So I have £100 left for the month so beyond essentials I can’t really go to much over board.

hadn’t factored in few Amazon subscribe and saves which do save money compared to high street but are still stuff at the end of the day.

My biggest spendy day to date 😱
£10 on McDonald’s - thought I’d treat the kids and they didn’t even eat it so, wonderful 🙄 lesson learnt there!

£7 in lidl on a few bits to get me through to the weekend. Hopefully make it through to Friday/Saturday before I need to do a full shop again.

determined to do the next 2 days as NSD.
I’ve got 10 days until payday so I need to stay focused. 💪

Weekend spends ended up £38.00, gifts and cards so they were needed, but the gifts weren't urgent, just cheaper now. The cards may not arrive in time so may need another spend on cards tomorrow, I do have a clubcard voucher to use so hopfully not a big spend.

NSD yesterday and should be NSD today too.

Spent on sorting DD19 her provisional license and some school books for youngest two but I count all as essential as educational/we live so remotely…other than that another NSD. Still didn’t buy chocolate for myself, but DP turned up with a bar for me unexpectedly bless him.

NSD today and yesterday. My days off and DH is off sick with a pulled back, so I've been staying home and looking after him. I'm back to work tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to it 😂

Monday and Tuesday both NSDs for me. Tomorrow won't be - delayed Xmas lunch at work but should come in within £20 I hope.

Yesterday was nearly a no spend day however I ended up booking flights for a trip to visit my niece with other family so €105 there.

Spent €2.20 today on tissues for my office. Definitely a necessary and I didn’t go for coffee which is very unusual and brought breakfast, lunch and snacks.

i probably will need to spend tomorrow. I’ve a decorator in putting up wallpaper and it looks like I’m slightly short. I’m not buying it til he’s sure though.

however I am pleased at myself resisting a number of impulse buys. I looked into nee bathroom hardware to match the wallpaper before deciding to use my spray paint on the current fixtures. 🤞that works.

also itching for new lights/shades for rooms that have been done up. But the current ones are grand. While I didn’t pick them and probably wouldn’t have they are fine and a bit of spray paint might sort them a bit too. Think I also have gold leaf paper that could help give them a revamp. This would be a very productive use of my time that’s not spending money.