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.

@pistachiosanscream that sounds a great idea for re-using!

Yesterday wasn’t a NSD. I spent a total of £30. £5 on a new dog bowl as puppy had outgrown his puppy bowl and a new mat for the back door because he’d chewed the other one 😳

£25 on items for DS who passed his test last week and just bought a new car so bought him a scraper, de icer, an air freshener and a thing to connect his phone so he can play music - probably not essential but wanted to buy him something to celebrate

today was a NSD

Thank you for the meal planning ideas everyone and @pistachiosanscream for the Google link! I'll definitely take a look at those

I had some therapy sessions last year for general anxiety, and mentioned my general hatred of meal planning... my therapist helped me work out that even though I find it stressful not knowing what to eat/ buying too much/ having to go food shopping often, avoiding the meal planning still gives me a little dopamine hit I guess because I dread it so much, if I don't do it (for whatever reason) then my brain thinks "Yippee!!" - until the next time, of course... I will definitely be reading that book @2024Hackathon !

PS no NSD here - £5.15 yesterday at the bakery and £3 today on a Too Good To Go bag!

@MrsShortbread it’s a great idea. Now if it gets executed is another thing! It’s currently too cold to spray paint even in the shed. But I’ll try and at least co through my supplies and see what I have already.

I asked my sister yesterday if she had put up a lampshade she bought when we were together and she said it’s a strange fit so maybe in a years time! That resonated as I’ve had this wallpaper and paste for over 2 years! If I don’t do something straightaway then it can fall onto the long list of important but not urgent

I have no choice!

I have to pay my self-employed taxes at the end of the month and I also work part time only alongside my freelance earning.

I am only spending on absolute essentials and watching every penny.

I also have a money pit house so this is going to be a no-spend year...

@pistachiosanscream I also have a list of 'important but not urgent' not helped by DP being the laziest man in the world at weekend and not wanting to help with anything...

Good luck with the money saving @Startingagainandagain... I had a very expensive car repair at the end of last year and it wiped out my savings, it's square one for me too!

Did have some fed up shopping for the sake of having to get out. Less than £10 and stuff will all use so not wasted. But was a stress reaction to go spend! Already looking forward to Feb so I can start my chart again and not have it trashed by constant spending.

@Akire could you do your new chart as an EBO one? Essential Buys Only. I got quite dispirited the first week of the year as was spending but each time I look at my month’s list of spends I realise again that those actually were necessary and it would be impossible to run a healthy and happy family life on nothing. I’ve not done badly at all.

@Akire don't beat yourself up about it - maybe think of it as low spend days - not quite NSDs which would be nice but often in the grand scheme of things can't be avoided.
I have managed 7/17 NSDs not quite what I was hoping for but that's life. Sometimes being aware of what we are spending is better than thinking where the heck did I spend £xyz? When you work out your weaknesses then it is easier to address them - so if Costa Coffee is your thing - invest in a machine like a Dulce Gusto and make your own at home. Still getting your coffee but cheaper or better value for your money and you won't feel too deprived.
Life is hard enough without the occasional splurge whether warranted or not!! 😊I rarely have a McDonalds but if I really wanted then - sod it I'd have it and enjoy it!! 😋

Thanks guys that’s helpful advice. I guess really it doesn’t matter if I spend £5 a day or £35 on a Friday. It’s about being aware of spending for the sake of it and why I do it.

i like the ESD and spread out instead of one day means little shopping hits without impact the purse.

Well I went way over budget on the big shop... planned to spend £80ish and it was £114 in total. 😬Looking at receipt there weren't many impulse buys but a lots of restocking basic items, did get some diet cokes and chocolate for DH.
I now have £9 in the pot to cover milk top ups etc til end of Jan.

I'm definitely going to start saying ESD (Essential spend day) as well, I've had barely any NSDs this month but haven't bought anything much non-essential at all! So ESD today and hoping for a NSD tomorrow although I do have a work event in the evening.

Now off to put this massive shop away...

First NSD in a while! May have to get few bits food tomorrow but we shall see. Feel really motivated to blast the last week to make up. How is everyone else doing?

planned to spend £80ish and it was £114 in total. 😬Looking at receipt there weren't many impulse buys but a lots of restocking basic items, did get some diet cokes and chocolate for DH.

Food inflation is still high. If you were any nearer, I could share some octopus. The family would positively encourage it. (I'm hoping they'll change this attitude and it's just the unfamiliarity that's influencing their perspective at present.)

NSD get paid 26th surprised how much I have left. Not a great sum but more than usual.

NSD here. This time last month I was overdrawn. Now I have a balance that will certainly get me through to pay day. But I need to be this controlled for a few more months, I suspect, to get to a comfortable cushion.

Yesterday I spent €50 on the wallpaper. I resisted buying new mirrors but am still considering spray paint and gold leaf.

today I spent €1 in work on milk for tea. Definitely a necessary spend as it avoids me buying tea in the cafe.

dinner was a mix of curry leftovers from the freezer. Not enough alone for a full meal but grouped together we got a bit of a buffet. Good to use up the more random bits from the freezer

NSD today and yesterday. The icy weather has put me off going out on my lunch!

NSD yesterday and today. I’m still overdrawn though. Payday not until next Friday. This month has been the longest year ever 🤣

Haha!! I’d love that, I’m loving your creations on the pantry challenge thread. DH I think wouldn’t mind either, he’s quite up for my more adventurous meals. It’s the jacket potatoes and freezer soups he moans about 😂

I am definitely feeling the food inflation. I think my £80 estimate was two years out of date. Also packet sizes are still shrinking- bought the 3 for £10 deal on frozen meat at Iceland which will only do us for 3 or 4 meals when I used to get 6 or more from it!! Still I’m fortunate that although the inflation is not great for my budget it’s not the difference between food and heat for instance. We are eating well and not wasting anything.

Spend day today. A very essential piece of storage furniture fell apart and instead of trying to repair it again I ordered a replacement. I am annoyed to spend money, but also weirdly counting this as a win - in a. normal month I would have no cashflow to order this much better quality replacement and just had to live with shoes everywhere driving me mad.

Also bought milk as despite my big shop yday DH ran out this morning. (I’m dairy free so don’t notice when it runs low.)

Out at a work thing but didn’t have a drink, which meant I could buy a chicken wrap on the way home and expense it within my limits. Overall a good day. Well done everyone on our collective success this month, whatever that looks like!

Feels like the month is dragging by so slowly! Think I might have to cook some comforting food today, it’s all being a bit sparse and bread-heavy (wholemeal sourdough but still!). I’m not even enjoying being in the kitchen. Maybe sausage casserole and dumplings, that would cook on top of the wood burner.

That sounds nice, Mrs. January definitely seems like a long month, even though our payroll is coming through early this month (next Friday). Seven more days to go, and £60 left in my budget - that's doable. I think!

DH was sick on Monday night 🤒 so I broke my no spend streak to buy Lemsip and coconut water for him. Thankfully nobody else caught it! Also spent £25 on groceries top up and £3.50 on snacks yesterday, which is silly since we had enough food and we could have managed a bit longer. At least it'll all be eaten. Hoping for a NSD today.

DH is now feeling better and going up to visit family for a flying visit this weekend, while ds and I stay home and chill. My work is super busy at the moment and I can't face that many hours in the car, followed by still being exhausted on Monday morning when I need to be ready for the week ahead. Ds and I are planning a free, at-home movie night with Popcorn tonight after his jiu-jitsu class and a library trip tomorrow.

Keep up the good work, everyone! We can do it!

Hi everyone, hope your no spend days are going to plan and you manage to avoid temptation today.

I've somewhat fallen off the bandwagon again, a £57 spend yesterday which was an impulse purchase, gifts, and I do have a budget for gifts but I'm spending ahead of my savings which I need to reign in. That's the problem with January sales, you can save so much shopping early but it's a bit of a hit straight after Christmas.

Anyway, I have totted up how much has been spent in total, and looked at how much I have set aside so far, and it will take me six weeks to replace that money in my gift fund. Today I'm starting afresh and for the next six weeks I'm going to really focus on NSD's. There is only so much I can buy ahead anyway, as the kids wont know what they want until later in the year, and I need to make some storage space for these purchases so that should keep me focused.

I managed to avoid the shops yesterday, I made a cake instead of buying one, my husband bought dinner, and luckily the birthday cards I ordered arrived yesterday so I didn't need to replace those thankfully.