Nervous of my own challenge - reduce or stop spending!

[Deleted User]

Alot of people on here also post their achievements daily on their own diary thread - I'm sure that keeps people motivated.

Caterina

Only 7 days to Yes-Spend-Days again! But by then you might have completely weaned yourself from spending and will be on NSDs for as long as you choose!

Trinny

Hi there

And good luck for 2010 - sounds like there are a few challenges on the way. These are the things that are working for me.

1. Joining the grocery challenge, toiletry challenge and No Spend Days challenge ( over on DFW)
2. Doing a storecupboard and freezer inventory - and planning meals using what i have ( i am a recovering food/toiletries/cleaning products hoarder)
3. Write a list of what you need - and sticking to it - either by shopping online, or willpower of steel
4. Menu plan - work out what you are having the next day for food and get it defrosted ready - stopped me dialing the take away
5. Restaurant at home - this probably sounds cheesy - but OH and I decided to cook a Valentines meal - got some great suggestions here on OS. Dressed up, candles, etc - it was brilliant and saved us a fortune going out. Used a recipe book from the library, cooked something we hadnt tried before.
6. Join the library - can rent DVD's for a few quid, and borrow all the books you want ( works for me as i am a book worm)
7.. Make one change at a time - dont go mad and then "fall off the wagon" do things step by step, and the new habits are more likely to stick.

Most Important - stay in touch with the OS boards. At the start i was spending £200+ on food alone, and cramming it into overstocked cupboards and freezer - getting better but still cant resist a whoops label.

Best Wishes (and sorry for the long post)

Trinny

champys

lizzyshep - you already seem to be on the right road with your decision 'this spending has got to stop', and once you get into the no-spend mode, it can be quite addictive. My own attitude to spending money changed completely after reading this book, which I found totally life-changing. It was written in the '80s I think, or even before, and has not been easily available for some time, but I see it is back on Amazon - probably somewhat revised or refreshed, but the main principles should be still the same. I read it in the year 2000, I ditched my credit card at that point and have never felt the need to have one since. These days I work part-time out of choice, and my DH doesn't work at all - we feel we have all the things we need, and a good life, and one half-salary is all the money we need. It is all a matter of attitude.

ginnyknit

Sounds to me like you have the idea of what to do already and just need support to get going. We all come here to see how everyone else is pushing that penny further and quickly join in, and it is addictive. My 80 year old Mum is learning all over again how to pennypinch and I speak to her every night to talk over our little triumphs, she loves the whole process and is having fun. Its so easy to get set in your ways but if you see a litlle success it spurs you on to your new lifestyle. So start small and enjoy!

lizzyshep

Wow, what a wonderful lot of replies, thank you all so much. Forgive me if I don't reply to everyone personally but I'm at work at the moment. When I get home tonight I'll read through all the advice properly, but I can already see there are some great tips there.

We had a lovely day yesterday and didn't spend anything - lunch was homemade soup and bread, and dinner was pasta with sauces from the freezer and lots of cheese, mango crumble for dessert using a mango from the fridge that was about a month old but absolutely fine! OH commented that he hadn't spent anything yesterday which was unusual for him, so I think he has some learning to do as well.

I will keep you all posted :-)

meg72

started counselling last November and it’s costing me £320 a month – it’s worth it but obviously this has made a huge dent in my wages.

Thats an awful lot of money, not being nosey but if this counselling is only to help you not spend then I feel the advice and support you will get on here will be of far more use to you and money saved.

I have had counselling myself but did not find it as helpful as reading posts from others in the same position. People who have experienced the same problems, and solved them or people still struggling really do understand how you feel as they have been there themselves.

Good luck with your savings I think you have made a great start already
by posting on here.

Best wishes Meg

lizzyshep

meg72 wrote: »

started counselling last November and it’s costing me £320 a month – it’s worth it but obviously this has made a huge dent in my wages.

Thats an awful lot of money, not being nosey but if this counselling is only to help you not spend then I feel the advice and support you will get on here will be of far more use to you and money saved.

I have had counselling myself but did not find it as helpful as reading posts from others in the same position. People who have experienced the same problems, and solved them or people still struggling really do understand how you feel as they have been there themselves.

Good luck with your savings I think you have made a great start already
by posting on here.

Best wishes Meg

Thanks Meg, but no, the counselling isn't anything to do with money, and I now see it as an essential, it's really helping me sort things out. I agree with you though that it's very useful to come on here and see what others are doing about their finances

lizzyshep

I think I'll try to post regular updates on here, I hope it's in the right place. If there is another place on the forum that it should go, please let me know.

I'm feeling quite motivated at the moment. I like the idea of No Spend Days (thank you to the person who suggested that) - if I can manage several of these, it's bound to make a difference and I think it will be easier to do it day by day, rather than trying to stick to a monthly budget. I've looked at my diary and identified days where I should be able to not spend anything, there are about 20 of these in March, which allows for socialising (on the cheap!) and buying what groceries I need.

I've also got an old jam jar and I'm going to put in £1 for every NSD I manage, and at the end of the month I can spend this how I wish. It won't break the bank because there will never be more than £20-£25 in there, but it will be a good motivator. I've got £2 in there already because I managed NSD for the last 2 days :j

I don't think I need to join the toiletries challenge because I'm usually quite good with this (I have a huge stash, most of it from my mum) unless I go into Boots or Superdrug - my weakness is grocery shopping and not using up what I have. So I've decided that this month I will eat from my storecupboards/freezer, and only buy the following as needed:

Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Butter
Fresh vegetables

Not carrying cards or cash is really working so far, I would have popped into the newsagents on my way home from work yesterday but I couldn't, so I didn't!

tara747

lizzyshep wrote: »

Yes, this is exactly how I feel. I look around at all the things I have and think how much they cost, and that I could have spent that money on other things, or put it in the ISA. For example, I hardly ever go on holiday - I know this is a real luxury and something not everyone can afford, but I would love to see more of the world - and which will I remember more on my deathbed, a case full of books/DVDs/CDs, or the trip of a lifetime?

So, a tight grip is in order! Very hard to be disciplined, but I will do my best.

This is my philosophy exactly!!! I am so frugal with everything else - food, clothes, toiletries, books etc etc - but travel is the most important thing to me, so that's what I spend the most money on. And to me it is worth every penny. And I can afford to do so much of it *because* I cut back on other things.

flutterbyuk25 wrote: »

This is exactly why I save money - to do things I will enjoy and remember, rather than spending £15 on a DVD that I'll watch once then will gather dust.

Use library for dvd/books/cds etc. I sold around half my DVD/CD/books 2 years ago to fund me to do Camp America and go travelling, and I've not bought a single one since!

In the last 2 years I've travelled extensively - US, Canada, New Zealand, Dublin, and all round UK - whilst one of my friends has been away just once. She earns more than me, and has a husband who earns too (whereas I'm single). She says they cannot afford to go on holidays, but she shops daily in Tesco, with no list/menu plan, buys books/DVD's weekly, never homecooks, just makes ready meals etc.....

x

Same with some of my friends, I am always amused when they wonder how I can afford so many hols. They fail to see that they are spending far too much on other stuff! :rotfl: They also have no savings whereas I have over £30K saved and am aiming for £40K+ by the end of 2010. I have roped OH into this savings malarky too!

I bring lunch to work, never buy DVDs, only buy books in CS, buy clothes in sales/CS/on eBay where possible, am on the toiletries challenge, have started selling on eBay (£300+ earned so far!), use Quidco and TCB, cook from scratch, look out for whoopsies, make do and mend etc etc etc, and am basically always on the lookout for a bargain!!!

lizzyshep, I will follow your challenge with interest. You have made the first big step, you can do it. I think that the advice already given is great, I have nothing to add really except to second the recommendation that you have a major clearout and sell whatever you can on eBay/Amazon/ebid/wherever. Good luck!