Giving up Money for Lent

brassiclint

how about budgeting for that unneccessary spend i.e. night out, at the beginning of each month (or whenever it is that you do your budgeting).

For example, I know that in May I have a friend's 30th birthday night out, my sister will have her baby and I have a wedding to go to, so when i get paid at the end of April, I'll have to work out how much I'm willing to spend on each of these and not go over that amount (best to decide this amount whilst before the event and whilst still sober!!)

Another example, I've run out of concealer and due to this challenge I haven't yet replaced it. But I will replace it once this challenge is over and will of course budget for it.

So if you haven't budgeted for it, then you can't get it unless it's an essential (the meaning of which I think we're all clear on!!).

Is there too many loop holes in this do you think?

brassiclint

ps. we've definitely gotta keep the :money: Martin Says No:money: slogan .. i've grown quite attached.

cheletastic

Hi everyone

I've been following this thread with interest, I think it's great what you're all doing.:T

Unfortunately I came to the thread too late to give up spending for lent but it has certainly inspired me!

I get paid on Thursday this week and am going to start my own not spending month from then. When you're lent challenge has finished I will definately be posting on the "Unnecessary Challenge".

Well done CAFCgirl for starting this challenge and to everyone else for sticking to it:T :j

Look forward to joining you soon and good luck for the rest of the challenge:D

postingalwaysposting

Hi all not been here for a while due to my crissis but its all over now...

cafc girl... love the look of the new challenge hopefully you can count me in

yesterday my charity auctions ended so i started wrapping all the items... but i have ran out of recylced stuff (all this not buying on ebay is no good :rotfl:) so today i had to go and get bubble wrap and jiffy bags... so i spent £0.49 :rotfl: and i got 4 lots of bubble wrap and 6 jiffy bags and one extra large one... the reason why it was only 49p was i won on my scratch card £5 :T so thats a bonus I do however have to send these said items (again out of my own pocket) the first load are going now and the second will go in a few days... i am hoping no more than £15... But these arnt unnseacery (dunno the spelling) spends... as these need to be sent as deno get lots of pennys

I have also just sold my old mobile for £26.60 so that means i now have £105.80 in my paypal account :T :T :T but i am leaving it there for a few more days as i am getting a refund from one seller...

so a good day all around :T keep up the good work guys

winkle1

i like turnaround sue's idea of having a pass day, as i have 2 birthdays that i have already committed to (one is a night out and one is my sisters 30th and me and my other sister are putting £50 each into getting a really nice pressie for our sister), but i agree with others that just because you have a day off the challenge, doesnt mean that you can go mad and spend £100's in one day!

Maybe you could set a limit for the pass days? i.e. i can say i will spend no more than £50 for each occassion?

the_optimist

brassiclint wrote: »

how about budgeting for that unneccessary spend i.e. night out, at the beginning of each month (or whenever it is that you do your budgeting).

Yeah! I can give myself pocket money :T
I already do the monthly grocery challenge, but the money budgeted for that usually includes things like the odd take away or chocolate or going out drink. So in April I might give myself 2 budgets, one for grocery etc and one for completely unecessary items, that I really want. That budget will be VERY small....

winkle1

or you could pledge that you will have x amount for shopping budget and x amount for birthdays and pledge to not spend any money on clothes/shoes/coffees/takeaways/unnecessaries!

CAFCGirl

if we have budgets are we actually going to be cutting down and actually acknowledging that a lot of what we buy we simply want, we dont necessarily need....?

Plus one persons budget will be much larger than anothers....

Maybe we should do it on no spend days?
Pass days kinda scares me. I fear some people (me included) could give ourselves a few too many pass days, and how do you know how much you would need for a pass days?
Plus do all pass days have sufficient notice?

I'm not sure about rules now, well more to the point I'm not sure the consensus rules are really going to work for me, mainly because I never go out LOL so I dont really need pass days!

But I'm quite happy for someone to post the Unneccesary Challenge, and lord over it! As long as I get an honorary mention in the 1st page.....

slowlyfading

I'd join in as well I didn't join this one as I have a million and one things going on at the moment, but I'd love to join in the next one
Nicola x

pippo

Oh dear, I thought it would be so simple just to carry on giving up money but it's not is it?

What is necessary to me is probably being reckless to others! I know that I can't keep to total no spends, but I do want to stop the unnecessary spending that got me into debt in the first place.

Like barassiclint I'm looking forward to Easter so that I have an excuse to buy make up - for me it is foundation - but this challenge has at least meant that I am using up the old gungy tubes in my drawer!!

Like you Cafcgirl I am having to think about pass - days. The me of old could spend a month's money in one day (and justify the spend!!)

I guess for me to carry on will really mean being honest about the necessity of any purchase - is it a need or a want?

But even then it gets difficult - I don't need to buy DGD an easter present but I really really do want to!!

Well I'm off to use up more store cupboard ingredients and may even open a bottle of wine - (bought on the planned trip to France) whilst I contemplate this issue.