January no spend thread

[ivykaty44]

Come and join us if you want a simple no spend month

The aim is to just spend on supermarket shop & fuel (Direct debits first bills)

No spending on anything else till February. The idea being it gives your purse & bank balance a rest after December & take stock of mindless spending

Happy with my efforts today, met a friend for a cuppa at Costa and I used the points on my card to pay. I've also meal planned for next week and placed my click & collect grocery order for the morning.

[smile]@Gingerkittykat just re-read the whole thread back and am really sorry to hear about your cat 💔
@savethecat it’s an easy mistake to make, try not to beat yourself up about it, Hopefully tomorrow will counteract it! (Maybe you’d have gone out for coffee if not for the mistake!)

Thanks for the good wishes gonewiththemadness.

Impulse buys so far this year have been in the Co-op where they reduced all their festive goodies, I mean who can say no to 20p cheese truckles and reduced price luxury crackers to go with it? The chocolates at £2.50 were definitely not needed though.

Amazon prime addiction is still going strong, I have a headband coming tomorrow and just ordered some posh cat food to arrive on Sunday but I got 40% off the cat food by setting up subscribe and save which I have already cancelled.

I have stayed away from other websites to look at the sales.

Tomorrow I need to do a food shop so will spend the day meal planning and making a list.

I spent £36 on birthday gifts for my mum. Which is actually more than I would normally but she got me such lovely birthday gifts I wanted to get something nice . But I could have spent less I guess. No other spends.

I will pop into boots today to grab some hair dye but I have a gift card I'll use also need to spend £5 on a club my child does.

I have to say I really thought I wouldn't need to spend much but so much keeps popping up! Hopefully tomorrow will be a no spend day.

This month isn't going well so far and I've committed myself to an expensive holiday so I now can't spend a penny unnecessarily!

Yesterday was my third no spend day

Today is also a tricky day for me. I've promised to take my ds and his mate to see jumanji. But I get discount tickets through work, and we need to go food shopping this morning, so will get a few sweets and popcorn at the supermarket instead of at the cinema

We've been out to the park and back again without spending anything, so today should be a no-spend day.

I’ve been good all day, helped I left my purse at home 😂

So I’m on day 4 and nothing spent

Making coconut and carrot Dahl for supper & have leftovers from last night for supper tomorrow.

Still need to visit super mart for lunches next week to take to work & fruit

Another no spend day for me other than my click & collect groceries and filling the car with petrol. Normally I pop in to McDonald's for a breakfast on the way to Asda but not today, had some toast before I left. Feeling pleased with my progress so far.

@Gingerkittykat I hope it’s as calm as peaceful as it can be for her and for you
I’ve had a no spend day today 🥳
I cooked a sausage casserole with sausages I froze at Christmas because I bought too many, the best roast potatoes cooked in the other half a jar of goose fat from Christmas Day, and home made Yorkshire’s 😋
And a fancy Christmas dessert (double chocolate cheesecake with some sort of gold stuff on top) that I bought in the reduced section on New Year’s Eve for a £1, sliced and froze 😋

Today went well considering I spent 2 hours in a shopping centre with my DCs whilst they spent their vouchers.

I spent £4.40 on butter and spring rolls in M&S (no wine though!)
£2.25 on a really nice new baby card for my cousin
£3 parking

That's all! The DCs bought 2 books each, some art supplies, hair accessories in Claires and a set of lego mini figures each but used their own money and vouchers.

⭐

Ooh I’ve also made £3 today on another gumtree sale!

@ivykaty44 that sounds yummy! Do you have a recipe?

No spend day 4 for me. Using food that we already have in the cupboards so haven’t even food shopped this year.

I need this thread in my life. I’ve failed today as I popped into the shop on my way back from work for a couple of ingredients needed for tea. However I decided not to pick up a basket in the supermarket so I couldn’t pick up anything other than the bits I needed, which worked, so a small success there.

Booked a holiday so need to save!!!

I've been super good since NYD and apart from the essentials from the supermarket, the only thing I have bought are some chocolates (sale ones) for an elderly lady I was visiting. Cost £2

So I'm in

Keep me warm it’s a slimming world recipe

www.slimmingworld.co.uk/recipes/carrot-and-coconut-dhal

It was delicious, made it at my dads and had a portion with some brown rice, yummy & very economical, it’s approximately 50p a portion

Igottastartthinkingbee

Neat trick for not overspending in the supermarket - like that a lots and am going to use that tip

The dhal looks amazing, dahl is one of our favourite budget meals so will get the ingredients for it.

No proper supermarket shop because I couldn't be bothered so another trip to the Co-Op. £4.50 spent on chicken and a pepper to make a stir fry with ingredients in the house, annoying because it's far cheaper elsewhere. I did eye the reduced Christmas chocolates up but managed no impulse buys.

We had to do a food shop for next week this afternoon and we're back to budgeting £40 a week. Spent just under £30, leaves us £10 for top ups when required. Tbh, some of the stuff will last longer than the week and won't need to be bought again next week like cheese, fizzy drinks, chicken to be frozen).

Prior to going, I wrote out our meal plan for the week and made a list of things we needed. We stuck to the list only buying the essentials (except for a few yellow sticker reductions for the freezer).

We've built up a good store of cupboard staples over the last few months. DH has also decided to go veggie two days a week so that should help too!

Tomorrow I'm going to poundstretcher for antihistamines as I've run out. They're much cheaper in there compared to the supermarket. Other than that and paying the credit cards (0% interest), tomorrow is looking good.

Ok so heading for 5 days in a row if no spending...

I’m out of coffee so really will need to do a supermarket shop today.

I’m thinking if I go on the bike I can’t purchase to much as my panniers will restrict getting it home, just like using a basket instead of a trolley, see what you’ve done @Igottastartthinkingbee You’ve been a great inspiration. Or I’ve got a blue pill along trolley so I could walk as Tesco is 10 minutes.

Of to the gym this morning, it’s all included in the price & if I do a class and have a swim I’m not spending 😅

Today is a NSD I hope. Going round to a friends for a picky bits lunch- and luckily picked up bits in Aldi yesterday to take with us.

This evening going to panto with a friend and his son. I may have to buy snacks at interval... but, bought a large haribo pickamix bag yesterday so am going to take that to ward off the children's pleas! Think I may have to get us drinks though, unless I can smuggle some in!!!

I’d take a couple of water bottles with swuash. At the interval everyone will be queing and you can sit in your seats and get out drinks and snacks - much quicker, easier and free

@ivykaty44 you're right! Need to change my mindset that that will come across as being a cheapskate! I'm never going to pay off my mortgage early if I'm spending £15 on a round of 4 soft drinks (or whatever it'll cost!)

I just hate queing for drinks! By the time you’ve got them, tried to carry them back to the seats it’s lights down and you’re in the dark trying to drink etc.

Pop to supermarket and get 4 cans for under £2