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.

Loving this thread!
hoping this will spur me on to have a savvy month. First 4 days completed! Zero pennies spent 👏🏻

NSD here today… is it still a NSD if DH bought us a pizza? 😂 It didn’t come from the joint account so I’m not counting it. Also he walked to pick it up to get the collection deal, probably saving £20ish! Which I wouldn’t have suggested without this thread so thank you!

Planning another NSD tomorrow, I’m out for dinner with friends but I’ve prepayed with a voucher and feel very smug about it.

It's definitely NSD if someone else paid !
I'm out tomorrow evening for a meal, but my sister is paying ( she owes me, she said ! Fine by me).
It was also my niece's birthday yesterday but I'd bought her card in December and put money in then, so all good. It's good to be organised.
I was going to be 'crafty' about granddaughter's coveted new craft table and send a link to my dh, but I decided that was cheating.
I still haven't spent anything this year and the £2 is still in my coat pocket. It's becoming a bit of a talisman.

04.01 was NSD for me.

It was a big day as it's the first time I've ever been able to have a sustained conversation about finances with DH.
Backstory: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/4969232-no-spend-2024?reply=131978474&

We're eating from the pantry and freezer. However, I am planning to buy some fresh cabbage over the weekend as I want to make freezer coleslaw to have an easy side dish on hand. I'll be using some dried vegetables in with this but I need a fresh cabbage.

I sorted my budget for the next 3 months. I'm allowed £200 for shopping/ toiletries.
I realised yesterday that the Jan £200 is spare, as I'm stocked up foodwise from December.
So, there's a bonus ! I'm not going to go mad 🤣.
It's a decent security blanket ( only dh and me to cater for).
I might even save some of that.

Day 5 of NS ( and no alcohol). 😇

@2024Hackathon that's great. Glad you were able to have the conversation.
We're eating from the pantry / freezer, too, but yes, I need fresh veg.
I think I'll splash out and use my £2 for some vegetables !

NSD yesterday.

Will spend £54 today Tesco delivery but that should get me through the whole week. Only me and cat to feed and I eat like a student despite being nearly 60!

Also, had incoming £10.80 delay repay money from Thameslink 😍

Only 2 full no spends so far but they have been mostly unavoidable spends

£78.50 - uniform
£10 - phone top up
£50 - trainers (to be put away for birthday, they are discontinued and they were the last pair i could find anywhere)
£49.25 Iceland, now we probably could have lived without this but i stocked the freezer with fakeaway bits so will hopefully avoid ordering in, we normally have at least one a week which cost around £100 each time. This shop should do us for 2 or 3 really tasty dinners and i also stocked up on packed lunch bits.
£19.30 - prescriptions
£19.47 - 5 packs of printer paper
£27.50 - more uniform!!

my husband also spent £11 on the new chubby cubs cook book but I didn't pay for it so its ok.

Well, I signally failed at both Dry January and No Spend January until yesterday (the kids only went back to school yesterday so that's my excuse!).

Back in the game now 😅 yesterday was a dry and NSD. Today will just be essential food shopping at Lidl.

Good work, everyone!

Also recently discovered this site https://makemoneywithoutajob.com/

I've already signed up for the Tide account through my business. There's a daily email with some money making ideas that might be useful?

@mickandrorty

Have you considered whether prepaying prescriptions would benefit you? I don’t want to pry, but if you regularly pay for prescriptions it works out much cheaper.

Just google NHS Prescription prepayment.

Thank you for the tip i did just have a look and it would cost me more as i only have 1 prescription but my husband has 2 so would save us money on his

Failed today as I bought a dress and some summer sandals from vinted. BNWT £30 for both. I was in credit, so it cost nothing 😉. Apart from that, it’s going really well.
I haven’t bought much food (£20 ish)as we’re still eating the Christmas food and from the freezer. No booze because of dry January.

I don’t want to tempt fate, but it’s looking like this months’ credit card statement will be pretty low, that is unless DH is spending - he hasn’t signed up for no-spend Jan.
I just need to keep this up although it’s really difficult when the weather is so miserable and there’s nothing fun to do. I hate winter!

First supermarket big shop since 20th December. £70 in Asda, so not too bad but not super frugal as I got a few treats for DH, beer and trifle, and stocked up on some soup I can't get anywhere else. But could've been worse. Its a weeks shopping, but I think I can stretch it to 10 days with a bit of planning.

NSD yesterday but £8 spent today as I had to buy some sliced bread as run out and I bought some fresh bread plus some sliced chicken and ham which I’ve used for todays lunch and there is enough left for tomorrows lunch plus a couple of protein yoghurts (use these to make overnight oats for breakfast) as I’d run out and my food delivery isn’t booked until tomorrow evening. These were pretty much essential items and pretty pleased that I avoided buying anything extra that wasn’t on my list

We’ve just spent £92.56 on the food shop which ideally would be £60 max but everything is just so expensive 😩

January will never be a no spend month for us though as both me and dp have our birthdays this month!!

NSD yesterday and should be today, too. Have the weekly shop ordered for tomorrow but tried to be really good about not including anything extra. Still eating bits from my Christmas food shop and other stuff from the freezer.

Technically a NSD as I haven't actually spent any actual money but my phone case has just fallen apart so I've ordered another one off Amazon. I have about £35 in my account from gift cards and some faulty led lights that I returned after Xmas, so I've used some of that. I'm cheating a bit, I know, but I'd rather spend £7 on a phone case than drop my phone and break it.

I'm going out tomorrow night. Our group of friends are meeting up for the first time in about 18 months and I absolutely cannot get out of it. I have budgeted for this but ultimately it is still money I'd rather not spend. I don't really want to drink but I know I'll probably cave in. I hope not. I'm a very extravagant drunk.

I managed the NSD yesterday, but spent £2 on a coffee at work today. It wasn't needed, but I'm doing pretty well overall with being frugal. So. Hey ho.

Phone case sounds like a needed expense (gift card or not). And good luck tomorrow for your night out, Swooping - perhaps you could fabricate a mysterious malady from alcohol, or a course of antibiotics? Or tell them that you're doing Dry January? I hope they're good enough friends that they wouldn't pressure you (but I understand about wanting to join in the fun).

£5.59 today on loo rolls and kitchen towel - so essential spending. I opted to go to the local shop because, although more expensive, there would be less temptation than in one of the big supermarkets. Still really difficult to get out without adding anything else to my basket though! I think I can get away without a food shop this week by raiding the freezer for bread and milk. There's a house full of food really so I'm going to channel my lockdown self and get creative in the kitchen.

I love being creative in the kitchen. Yesterday I made a frittata using tinned potatoes. The potatoes admittedly were a bit bland but I found garlic butter in the freezer and shoved some of that on. Really nice.
I spent my £2 😄
Kale - £1. Carrots - 45p. Pitta - 65p.
Went over slightly.

Better than my usual Friday night spend which could be anything from £20 to £30 on wine, beer and nibbles.

Started strongly today with an essentials only Lidl shop.

Then cracked this evening by ordering a book from Amazon. Admittedly it had been on my wish list for a long while and was £5.29 down from £15.99, but still... Bad form.

Then I threw caution to the winds and splashed a fiver on some Instant Win games on the lottery. Won £7 back. Ha 😁

NSD here today. The weekend will be too, am determined. Next Coop food shop will be delivered on Tuesday and I aim to have it £60 max (plus the £3.99 delivery, rats) each week this month which will be a real achievement for me, two older teens plus two primary and two pets.

£60 is great for that number of people @MrsShortbread I'm assuming you meal plan ?

I'm NS this weekend too. I may do a very small essential shop on Sunday ( I walk there and back to the shops - a good 45 mins each way), so exercise, too. It'll be no more than £20 and obviously taken out of my budget.
I'm quite enjoying myself 😆

@Amdone123 thats a nice amount of exercise to get, wish I could walk to a shop but nearest wee one is 4 miles away. Yes, I always meal plan. I have a large sack of spuds in the shed, which helps to keep costs down enormously. A few months ago I bought my also started buying a lot of fruit and veg frozen so freezer stocked up with that - as was fed up of how quickly it would go off. Makes me grumpy as I love fresh food but hey ho.

Today’s meals: Kefir yoghurt & stewed spiced apples, jacket potato & vegetable chilli, mushroom risotto & green beans. Oatcakes & berries for kids as snacks.