Mindful Spending May (low buy/no buy)

[moimichme]

Rolling forward from previous months, please join us in attempting to stay on the straight and narrow with our May budgets and money goals.

All welcome!

April thread link here:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/cost_of_living/5042866-affordable-april

NSD yesterday
6/11
Going out this evening, though, so that's going to cost a bit.

Welcome @DreamCatchingSpiders - please do join us in trying to be more mindful with our spending and budgets.

I have had 5 NSDs so far this month, including this weekend. Not too much longer until this month is halfway finished. I'm hopeful that I won't have to touch any of the money I transferred into savings last payday.

Thunderstorm here now, but it was lovely earlier today. I have my lunch ready to take in tomorrow morning - soup and some nice bread.

Good luck for the coming week, everyone!

Thanks @moimichme for the welcome. I am definitely going to be more mindful. I've got changes in my budget when my oldest turns 18 in September. I need to get on track, and save some money!

Yesterday was a big spend day, went out with a friend, spent far too much, drank too.much, laughed a lot. It was worth it.

Today was a no spend, catch up with housework, do some cooking, kind of day.

Hoping for a few good no spend days this week.

And fingers crossed, I sell the tent.

6/12 nsd

Went to a lovely, small acoustic gig in the middle of nowhere yesterday, so it was well worth the 20 quid I spent on ticket and drinks.
NSD today, thanks to this thread for holding me to account.
7/13

Rare NSD for me on a non-working day. And actually I have sold a couple of things on Vinted so I'm in the plus!

NSD for me today too.

But it's going to be an expensive weekend- it's my birthday so planning dinner out with DP and DD on Friday plus afternoon tea with my family on Saturday! Expensive but yummy

Well done with all of the NSDs and on the fun money that was well spent, everybody! I did manage a NSD as I'd hoped to. 😊

And happy birthday later this week to you, @Cuwins. That's a lovely occasion to spend money on.

Yay another nsd for me 7/13

£19.10 to come from TopCashBack, Refund from B&Q for returned seat £16.99, and sold a few items on Vinted so that should be through by the end of the week £15.00
Spent £2.69 on sending a little gift for my grand-daughter at the post office. Sent a birthday card from a pre-bought stash and had stamps leftover from Christmas - so no spend there!! 😊

Nsd yesterday but bought a tray of eggs (£6 for 30) and 1kg of Strawberries (£4) today.
9/16

Tuesday was a NSD, had an online Sainsburys delivery yesterday but shopped sensibly. Monday and today low spend days on some fresh food bits.
Waiting for Vinted buyers to pick their items up so I get a few quid.

Well done everyone, you're all doing brilliantly this month.

15 NSDs for me so far, I had to buy £20.00 petrol today and I need to get some conditioner - I buy a years worth at a time to get the best price so that will be a little spendy at £67.00. I did remember to delay my Dermatica order by three months before the direct debit came out too, it usually catches me out. I need to order some contact lenses but annoyingly there is now a high minimum spend on most websites which is putting me off, but as it is a necessity, I think I will have to bite the bullet and just order more than I normally would.

Looking ahead, not much spend wise planned for the month, but we have half term coming up fast (are they ever in school lol!). I have a national trust voucher for a day out so will use that, maybe a picnic at the park and visit family to keep costs down.

June is looking spendy with car insurance, tax, village/school fayre, Fathers day which I have mostly sorted, just an extra few cards and buy some bits for a nice food hamper.

I keep starting and falling by the wayside! It's a rough patch at the moment but we're having a quite dramatic (and hopefully short term) drop in income over the summer so I need to get back on the horse. I'm buying the things I know we'll need over the summer in advance, so I'll start properly in June. I find it much easier to avoid spending altogether than to restrain myself once I've started! This gives me a fortnight to prepare and then a majorly frugal summer, with a token amount of 'pocket money' each month (to cover unforeseen expenses without spiralling because I've broken my rules).

Spent £9 on snacks for a friend but she'll pay me back
Got £99 credited back to my card for prescription sunglasses that just didn't work for me.
So I call that a nsd day😀
10/17
This thread is really keeping me on track, I'm being mindful of everything I spend, thank you all

Returned a bag to Amazon so £13.99 refund expected for that.

I did spend £14.44 on Lidl yesterday - we are spending frugally as off on holiday in a few days. The freezer is nearly empty, so we have some odd meals coming up as we finish up odds and ends from whatever is hovering in the fridge/freezer/cupboard. Ideas for Brussels Sprouts, carrots, Potato smileys, Chicken in breadcrumbs/Kiev thingies, fish cakes, veggie fingers, chips plus Mac and cheese will be welcomed!! 😆We can use Ice in alcoholic drinks to practice for the holidays - likewise lollies and Ice pops!! 🍹🍦😋

Well done everyone and good luck, @FoolShapeHeart - that seems like a good plan you have in mind, spending-wise.

Sounds like some fun and interesting meals before your holiday, Rainbow! Rice or pasta and frozen veg could round out some of the options, if you have any in the cupboards or freezer.

I managed 3 NSDs this week, which I'm pleased about. Spent £5 on coffee and lunch yesterday at work and about £40 on a few things we needed from Amazon (I try not to buy much from there, but the convenience is hard to beat sometimes).

According to my bank app, I've spent £700 less than this time last month, but that's mainly because of a £££ utility bill last month. I also received a work travel reimbursement yesterday which I'd expected at the end of this month, so I chucked most of it into savings so I don't spend it on nonsense.

Today planning for a run and then going to the beach at our nearest city. 🌞 Then tomorrow is a spa day with a friend to celebrate us finishing Couch to 5k. We already paid for it last month, so this will be a lovely treat! 😊

Made the final payment to a savings account limited to 1 year this month. This means it matures next month and we can add it to our joint savings to offset the budget.

I then get to set up another 1 year savings account and I just hope that the bank don't reduce the 7% interest in the next few weeks before it matures and I set up another one (they mustn't overlap in time).

Still eating up the 'inherited' pantry goods.

Spent £40 on getting someone in to help clear some overgrown areas of my back garden, well worth every penny.
I've also got a savings account maturing next month, so I'm looking around for decent interest rates for another one.
I've canceled two Amazon subscriptions (one for chocolate!), neither of them are very much but every little helps.
10/18

Went swimming £6
Had brunch but it was friends' turn to pay
10/19

Well done everybody.

We had pizza after our beach visit on Saturday, since we were very hungry and had got home a bit later than expected.

Yesterday was a NSD for the spa trip with my friend. She bought a couple of alcoholic drinks but I was driving, but she bought me a coffee. Feel so much more relaxed now. Heavenly.

Today is low spend but I've spent £10 on a coffee at work and snacks for ds for when I pick him up from after-school club tonight.

Back to work now. But pleased that my overall budget is on track this month. 😊

NSD!
I'll need fuel tomorrow, so that'll be an expense, but it's payday on Friday so 🤞I'll get there without dipping into the contingency fund.
11/20

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend.

Sounds like a lovely, relaxing spa break @moimichme and glad your budget is going well.

18 NSDs for me this month so far. Slight win, ended up saving £17.00 on my conditioner as it came back instock elsewhere at a cheaper price.

Just found out I'm going to be an auntie, very exciting but need to rework my budget for presents for the little one later in the year. Nice to have some good news.

My OH collected a like new exercise bike for free this morning too. I'm honestl quite surprised by some of the things people give away rather than sell. I had been meaning to start running but with the weather being so rubbish lately I've been putting it off so I am thrilled.

Aww that's lovely news @psuedocream3 to have a new baby in the family! 😊
And fantastic your husband got a free exercise bike.

Yesterday was a NSD and I saw the National Trust show with a work friend, The Motive and the Cue, which was very good indeed.

Today is likely to be medium speedy, with a snack at Costa with ds on the way to jiu-jitsu and groceries top up because we're out of fruit, veg and salad.

Right, must get ds ready for school now. Hope everyone has a good day!