Join me for a no/low spend run till end October?

[DiscombobulatedHedgehog]

I seriously need to save for a new (secondhand) car, everything is eye wateringly expensive these days! I’d like to really try to maximise what I save, and I hope doing a mindful month of reduced spending will help. Anyone else? I’ve not done this before.

Today I have avoided buying DD new pyjamas (came close to clicking “buy” but didn’t, we can make do), and didn’t buy myself a book I wanted…I can read my TBR pile some more. Small things but it will all add up. Tomorrow I’m at work all day and am determined to not take my purse, then won’t be able to buy chocolate on the way home 🫣.

Happy to join I have debt to clear

Good luck

Hi @Random8888 👋
Have you got any plans for doing it? Apart from sheer will power 😂. I found a pair of gorgeous cord dungarees last night down from £140 to £35 in my size last night and it was so hard not to get them but I’m really pleased I didn’t. It’s the trickle of spending I really want to control better.

For the last couple of months whenever I'm poised to click buy for an online purchase, I send the link to myself instead. Then once a month I look at the emails and buy the stuff I still "need".

The difference in my monthly CC bill (which all my spending goes through) has been enormous.

For the book can you see if your local library has it?

@Doubleknow that's a good idea.
@Dailychive sadly our local library recently closed down, it’s 35 miles to the nearest now! I’ve been restricting my world of books order to just once a month as secondhand books are definitely a vice of mine. I really miss the library.

Today I drove straight home so no stopping for buying-when-hungry junk.

Thursdays the children are with friends so I normally get them all a treat - but last week it ended up costing a fortune in cafe hot chocolate (£3.50 each!!). That’s not happening again, I’m going to take a packet of biscuits from home for them all to share.

The not-spending-online-in-the-evenings is going well. Today Netflix went out, but I’ve reduced that and it’s the only subscription we have so I’ll keep it at least for a while. Beano also came out, it’s £14.50pm but my ASD DD loves it and it gets her reading so I think it has to stay…unless eBay maybe sells bundles of old ones, I’ll look later as it’s money I could do without spending.

After an expensive couple of months of summer spending (holiday, days out, shopping for new bag etc) I'll join you.

I'd love to save up a buffer against winter bills increase!

Agree it's the trickle of spending. I love coconut water and realised I was buying it every week and it stopped becoming a treat and just another item on the shopping list so have stopped that, and will go back 'treating' myself to it once a month.

I'm impressed you resisted the bargain cord dungarees, I wouldn't be able to at that price!
well done.

Can I also say, I'm absolutely appalled at your nearest library being 35 miles away. I really dread my local ones closing as I've noticed how quiet they have become 😪

Why don’t you see if your LA has an e Library that you can borrow books from. My LA use the borrow box app

Hi @Scorchingmed 👋
I was the same with coconut water! I thought I was doing well getting it cheap in an Amazon subscription but I didn’t need that amount. Now it’s occasional.
I’m also appalled at our library closures. They have got very quiet over the years but that’s not the point. They are a safe, warm spot with help, education and escapism available no questions asked. They are the backbone of civilised society!

Have managed to cancel the Beano through the bank; bought a cheap pile of beanos for £4, and a cheap pack of A4 envelopes…I’m going to put one a week in the front porch with DD’s name on! That’s saved £170 for the year 😊

@Iwilldoitnowinaminutemam I had been using borrowbox but my children are still young enough I think they need to see me with physical books. They just see a device as a device, they don’t know if I’m playing games or reading, and I don’t want them to see me on a device for hours.

Avoided online shopping tonight. No debit card purchases at all since Monday. Feels very wrong 😂

Can you sell and buy things on vinted instead? Books are so much cheaper. I also think spending it habit-forming; the more you get used to spending less, the easier it becomes. We will all have to be doing that soon with the rising cost of living!

@Brentinger you’re right. I didn’t think I was too bad tbh, but can always do better.

I’d love to sell on Vinted but nearest post office is 19 miles away and I’m not sure I have anything of value!! I give my children’s clothes away to a local family who are struggling big time, and usually only buy secondhand myself or good quality that I then use until it disintegrates. Toys I give to that family too. I do have a second job, and that helps a lot..but it also makes me so tired I’m more likely to buy convenience stuff.

Have just discovered Jam Doughnut cashback app. Checked it’s legit and it seems a really good idea for me, for the supermarket shop. Bought a Tesco gift card for the groceries for the month and got £15 cashback. Using it before Oct 25th will also increase my club card vouchers for the Christmas Savers. It will also mean that I HAVE to go to the cheaper Tescos rather than the much more convenient but costly Coop.

Not the point of the thread but my local library closed and it took the best part of 4 years campaigning to get it reopened, and even now it's staffed by volunteers. I had to walk past it every day and see the shelves full of books all locked up, I could have cried.

I'm doing the power saving sessions on Octopus to get free weekend power, and might swap my bank account again if anywhere is offering a decent switch bonus.

Also Airtime cashback is super easy although not particularly generous and takes ages to come through, but I made about £40 last year.

@northernballer I’m glad it reopened, maybe more will with volunteers…though I think fewer people do that nowadays.

Would love to join, I get married in just under 5 months so really need to knuckle down and save!

@DiscombobulatedHedgehog Hi 👋

Well done on saving the £170, that was clever 👏

On libraries, yes they are an essential if we want a literate population who can hopefully think for themselves. important as a third space, load of students use it as a quiet to study in.

Wonder how we can get more people to visit libraries off the back of this thread 🤔
Have so many lovely memories of taking dc to the library when they were young.

@fairycakesandtea7 ooh, that’s very exciting!!

@Scorchingmed one thing that frustrated me with our local library was that it didn’t have an out-of-hours return letterbox, it’s not easy for many people to return them during working hours. Yet the library near my childhood home had had one forty years before!

Today I had to spend as DDs had a planned evening out for pizza but I tried to be as mindful as possible - we only ordered tap water to drink (it came iced and with lemon so v pleased with that) and didn’t have desserts…it was £25 for three of us and we brought some leftovers home in a box too. I’d have preferred not spending, but it could have been worse.

Haven’t done any online buying.

Had to do the food shop today, but did it mindfully and set a limit on £…the kids really enjoyed using the Scan and Shop and keeping an eye on the money - they told me when we had got to the limit, and were good at helping me find best-value versions of things.
Had a walk on the beach this afternoon and DDs went climbing in the woods. No online buying 😊.

This all sounds much better than anything money can buy! It sounds like you live somewhere delightful.

I've been buying snacks due to going to the gym straight from work. £3 here and there adds up so this week will make pasta stir fry and portion up for the week ahead.

Have also returned a skirt for refund which doesn't suit me. Considering returning a pair of trainers that I'm not too excited about for refund

Agree.
A beach walk is my idea of happiness @DiscombobulatedHedgehog

@Mintine we are blessed in living in the Highlands, absolutely stunning, but there are definite disadvantages money-wise. And weather 😂.

@Scorchingmed that sounds a good plan re food. I’m making myself packed lunches all this week.

Today the weather is atrocious, a day for reading and a fire. No spend.

Before work I bought a couple of things for Christmas, using the cashback site as it was 4% with them at The Entertainer, plus sale prices and free delivery. A spend yes, but definitely saving money in the long run.
Didn’t take my purse to work with me today, that helps!!

Please can I join! Today was payday and I bought bedding, PJ's for the kids and paid off a pay in 3. Am setting myself up for lots of no spend days - as many in Oct as I can manage outside of a couple of preplanned days out in half term. I'm currently mostly in bed with first trimester yuckiness so shouldn't be too hard!!