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.

I did spend some money today as I have next week off and planning some home improvements so I bought paint for kitchen and downstairs cloakroom - it was on offer so worked out only £17 per tin. I also bought 2 new hand towels (in the sale only £3 each) plus a light shade for the cloakroom as we’ve only had a bulb in the fitting since we moved a year ago and as it’s an odd fitting a lot
of the lampshades don’t fit so I’ve been looking for something suitable for ages. Found the perfect one just £15

i know it’s been a spendy day but all came from funds we had in our joint account and all will make the house look better on a budget

Couple of spend days here. Yesterday I bought lunch for mum and myself as it was my turn. And i bought some snacks for work. So €24 then.

today DH wants a curry, I was working today and don’t have any currynin the freezer so no options for a fakeaway so was happy to get it. €42

tomorrow we are going to try and get boots in line with the physio recommendations for the little one so will be spending then.

however I’ve been very inspired by @2024Hackathon pantry thread and have made a list of meals that can be made from freezer and pantry ingredients thus avoiding the big shop for another week. This would mean me pushing it out by 2 weeks past when I normally do it. U
its a big saving for me as when I’m doing a supermarket shop I’m always in stock it up mode and in reality probably buying more than we need. Hoping to stick to a €20 top up shop next week.

Well done, everybody! It's inspiring to see all your careful planning and considered spending. With food costs having risen so much recently, I think it does help to take stock properly and plan meals around the pantry/freezer stores + buying only the ingredients needed rather than just whatever we fancy. Albeit with some flexibility, too!

Today will be spendy, since we're going to meet a friend and her son, first for lunch and then ten pin bowling. We also need some fruit and veg for the coming week. We might also walk along the beach for a bit, if it's not raining. Happy Sunday. 😊

@moimichme that sounds lovely. Have a great day. I love the term 'considered spending ' - that's the term I've been looking for !
You're right about the need to plan and to shop better regarding food prices. I don't think they're going to go down - so it's a long term approach for me.
NS yesterday as I stayed in. Dh wants to go out for Street Food. He said he'll pay so all good ! I've set myself a budget of £20 - but I don't need to spend that really.

I am wishing myself luck for feb cos jan has been a disaster.

Me too. February will easier to be frugal - we had 3 family birthdays in January, and as I got paid early in December (22nd) I used some of this months wages for Christmas stuff. Good news is I’ve gone through our bank statements and can see where we can save almost £1k this month if no non-essentials spending.

NSD here today but I spent around £15 yesterday on swimming for DS and I, McDonald's flatbread and a coffee and some apples from Asda.

Back to work for me tomorrow after a very lazy week off. Hope everyone is having a great weekend 😊

NSD today, did lamb shanks for Sunday dinner. Frozen ones from Aldi, they are very good value. I cooked them as instructions, then stripped the meat off and discarded the fat, and put the meat and gravy into a pie dish and warmed it up when the roast spuds were nearly cooked. I presented it as braised lamb because DH thinks he doesn't like lamb shanks. What he doesn't like is having to pull the meat off a bone. Anyway, a lovely dinner, loads of meat for two, in fact there might be enough left for a lamb and chickpea curry, certainly enough for lamb slices. Followed with a plum crumble and custard. We are both stuffed so I think tea will be just some crumpets or toast.

Two NSDs this weekend, rusteled up dinners with what we had in instead of heading to the shops. Had my deliveries arrive this week and until I sort out the cupboard, I have no space for anymore orders so good news, I wont be buying anything else in the sales.

I think i will focus my spare time in February at sorting out the house, clearing out the kids rooms as they have toys that they have long outgrown and have forgotten about and sort through the wardrobe and see what can be listed on ebay and Vinted to boost funds.

I need to do a food stock take and start meal planning as cooking is really starting to feel like a chore having to figure out what to cook each day.

Small spend today. Planned to do
marimated chicken tikka wraps with salad, poppodoms and rice but DS1 asked if his girlfriend could come and spend the day with us and I realised I needed a bigger pack of chicken than was in the freezer so picked up some chicken, extra wraps, poppdums, tikka marinade (forgot I had used up what o had in the fridge) and I bought us some dessert too - just a value cheesecake with some ice cream

@Psychoticbreak January has not been great for me either. However your thread has been so helpful. February is a fresh start!

@Nellieinthebarn Your DH sounds like mine. God forbid he has to cut meat off the bone! I might need to try those aldi lamb shanks. Meat is so expensive these days. Can’t tell DH it’s frozen though either.

I have had a disastrous time since Wednesday. Two takeaways, £40 at the pub yesterday. Small top up shop, bought meat for a barbecue which we burnt to a crisp (hence the second takeaway). I also used a voucher for some bras and knickers which were really needed. Not an essential buy but an inevitable one so I’m happy to have saved the money (and can’t tell you how nice it is to have a bra that fits!)

That being said, today was a NSD. I postponed my veg delivery this week and am planning to really strip the cupboards and freezer to avoid going to the shop.

Sounds like we're all needing to do a stock take !
I'm going to see what I've got and plan meals this week. I'm not spending anything til Saturday.
Yesterday I spent £20.80 on sparkling wine and nibbles which dh and I consumed in bed watching a film ( to end an already perfect day ) ❤️

Stock take done ( didn't take long!)

Monday - lasagne ( using left over bolognese), chips, salad.
Tuesday - gammon, eggs, chips
Wednesday - chicken, rice
Thursday - a breakfast
Friday - pizza, chips, salad.

I had a few nsd last week (toddler and i were both really unwell so we just stayed home) and then friday I made the decision to quit uni for a while as I have been struggling with keeping on top of the housework and time/attention that my toddler requires is increasing due to suspected autism, and uni was taking me away from those things, plus I also work 20 hours a week, so when I quit I celebrated the decision by treating myself to 5 new books from the works (£12) and then we bought pizzas in asda for dinner last night! But I get paid tomorrow night so I can be back on the budgeting and make sure that all I'm really spending on unnecessary purchases (books) is my allocated £50 a month and have also been putting money aside for my toddler's birthday at the end of Feb. Really really trying to save money but man I am tempted so easily and all sense goes out of my head, I swear!

biostudent - Really really trying to save money but man I am tempted so easily and all sense goes out of my head, I swear! I've written about this on another thread. I don't know if it resonates with you at all about the way we spend?

I've been reading bits of Dopamine Nation. I've not read through the evidence yet but I find this a fairly persuasive narrative for some aspects of non-mindful spending etc. and my own feelings about food insecurity.

Lembke says that her patients who are struggling with substance abuse often believe their addictions are fueled by depression, anxiety and insomnia. But she maintains that the reverse is often true: Addictions can become the cause of pain — not the relief from it. That's because the behavior triggers, among other things, an initial response of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which floods the brain with pleasure. But once the dopamine wears off, a person is often left feeling worse than before.
"They start out using the drug in order to feel good or in order to experience less pain," Lembke says. "Over time, with repeated exposure, that drug works less and less well. But they find themselves unable to stop, because when they're not using, then they're in a state of a dopamine deficit."
…
If you look at all of these different risk factors for addiction, [they] include poverty, unemployment, multigenerational trauma. So those are a priori risk factors for addiction. And then you superimpose on top of that easy access to cheap rewards that are themselves reinforcing [and] what you find is that, in the United States, the people who are most vulnerable to addiction are people who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, because not only are they living in poverty, but they also have access to cheap feel-good drugs.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/08/25/1030930259/in-dopamine-nation-overabundance-keeps-u-s-craving-more

@2024Hackathon i would definitely classify much of my spending as emotional. Lack of sleep is a big one for me. If i'm tired i am much more likely to want to scroll and internet shop.

I also have a stock up mentality. I've never had true food insecurity, but i was well aware my parents had very tight finances growing up and it was something my Dad talked about so i have always seen a stocked pantry as a form of savings. Knowing when times are tight that we can still feed ourselves well. But that is definitely linked to anxiety about money overall. As ive mentioned up thread i'm not a good saver and this awareness gives me some anxiety so i have tried to funnel my spending into "Good Spending" like groceries. However in order for it to be good it needs to be used. I am also no longer in a tight position financially, we are both in secure well paid jobs. So my overall attitude to money needs to change a bit.

Yesterday was a spend day. New boots bought for the child and a pair of wellies that fit was €60, and a dozen donuts for a housewarming party was €24. Only the donuts were unnecessary but my mum has just downsized and it needed to be celebrated.

Today will be No/Low spend. I'm working the evening shift and have lunch, dinner and snacks with me.

It’s a new week and I’m feeling motivated again. Spent £3 at aldi, the last £3 in the Groceries pot! Done a stocktake of fridge and freezer and made a meal plan. No spends planned for the rest of the month.

Technically not a NSD here as food shop ordered for tomorrow but I’ve budgeted carefully and done meal plans £75 which isn’t bad for too adults and 2 older teens

Had a NSD time planned but then had get washing powder so essential. Just setting up budget for Feb. All things considered I have definitely shopped far less. Stuff I have got I’ve needed mostly even if wasn’t needed that very second. If I hold off last 2 days of Jan then I would have done 50/50 NSD which is still massive leap from 0/100! So progress

@Akire well done, that's really good. I've also spent far, far less. In fact, the majority of my wages tomorrow can go into savings. I'm more proud that I've resisted buying any clothes. I've packed my suitcase for April holiday and I need nothing.
I'm doing a budget for February too. Aim is no buying clothes or make up, grocery shopping only when really low and even then, a very low spend.

Been good the last few days, yesterday was low spend, 55p on a pack of 5 socks, and today was a NSD.

Yesterday I avoided the shops, took the frozen leftover pastas and rehashed them into a pasta bake the kids enjoyed, and found a decent egg free recipe for cupcakes as we had the rest of the ingredients in. Haven't meal planned for the week, felt ill today so I'm thinking that's my job for tomorrow.

I made a list of all the unnecessary spends this month and I'm really pleased overall compared to how I spend usually.

I spent about £100 in total on a new bag, some make up and nailpolish, and a storage box. They are all very useful so no regrets there. I spent another £100 or so on 2 x take aways and 5 or 6 sandwich lunches. I could definitely improve on this and plan better. On the other hand I've cancelled my Pret drinks subscription and started bringing my own thermos travel cup of tea and that has made me stop spending on snacks and pastries and things.

Hoping to continue these good habits into next month.

@caramond that's great to look at your pattern of spending and see how you can make further changes.
I've spent very little in January and just looking at my account, I thought I'd saved about £400, but it's closer to £600 !
I had to double check as how is that possible but when I think about it, especially with supermarkets being so expensive ( last year, I was popping into tesco and spending £60, £80, etc) every time and not coming out with much, it really is possible.
Add to that the purchases I make online for clothes I do not need, it's entirely possible.
February I'm carrying on - my grocery anxiety has stopped. We haven't starved, nor will we !

Top up shop today, topped up the car with diesel. Now we sit back and see if I can control myself for February.

Frugal February! | Mumsnet