Fiscal Fast – 7 days no spending (at all)

kittendothroar

I've not started my fiscal yet as realised didn't have enough fresh fruit n veg and there are only so many frozen peas one can eat ;-) so went to market today and got loads for less!

So, my theory is from tomorrow - Sunday - I will not be buying anything for the next 7 days! The purse is hidden! I am planning to put some bits on ebay as free listings this weekend but going to put on 7 days to stick to it!

calicocat

Welcome shoestring.

Go for it K.d.roar..........good luck.

NOT USING SUPERMARKETS ?...interesting,i havent got time at work to play on more than one thread and mobile i use at home is a pain (well reception is,the trials of living in hicksville)...............but am going to try and encorporate this where i can. This will deffo involve a bit more planning etc......more lists:rotfl:

I used to always get my eggs at local farm if not visiting my uncle but i noticed that there were no hens anywhere anymore,they used to be running around all over the place,and couldnt here them chatting somewhere nearby either so i wondered if he had got rid of hens and was buying cheep eggs wholesale (from battery hens) and selling them as if they were his hens producing them. i didnt ask as didnt want to look rude..or stupid...so just stopped going. And to be honest if i dont see a hen i aint buying the eggs.

Good luck to those still on it

Walk away from the purse:T

No snails eaten today !

calicocat

Just noticed my spelling of 'cheep eggs'......................cheep......................hens?...........god i need to go home and straight to bed,clearly have that 5am night shift worker idiot-brain settong in today.

trueblondeknot68

Had past 3 nights worrying about bills and not enough wges,:( so was reading this thread...inspired. Gonna give it a try if I could join you guys and join in the lurve..
Will be day 1 tomorrow tho as need to get a few key items e.g milk,eggs and cat litter for the month.
I am reducing my usual £150 food budget (for a month) to £50 in pot.Hoping to only use half of it tho if required fo emergency buys..
also I am making plans for cutting petrol,gas and electric down but have to get oh and dd on board.:cool:
My main prob is where I work...in a bargain shop(sim to home bargains) so when bargains are there I buy buy buy even if i don't need them...wolkers crisps 10p a bag... and such things:mad: decided to leave cards and purse at home.
First job this evening after work to make my cupboard stock lists.
I WILL SAVE MONEY....

lessonlearned

Welcome trublonde - try to not to lose too much sleep worrying about money - easier said than done I know. Joining this thread will definitely help.

Well I have done a final tally and so far this month have spent £225 - tbh I don't know how much it was last month :eek: - but I would guess well over £400, so a big improvement.

I really want to get it down to £200, so I think with a bit more effort I can do this.

Unfortunately my washing machine is making funny noises and now definitely needs replacing. It has been fixed and cobbled together again several times. However, it is at least 10 years old so I suppose I can't complain too much.

I've also managed to do quite well with petrol this month too, by planning my shopping trips for when I was out and about anyway, rather than just "nipping out to Sainsbury's".

Grey Queen - I know what you mean when you say that you are verging on a lifestyle change. I feel that too. I have been trying for some time to make changes but this fast has really opened my eyes and taught me such a lot. It has been quite radical but I think I really needed the shock tactics.

I really want to continue to reduce my overall food spending and am very keen to support local businesses and avoid the Big 4. I know it will still mean using Aldi, Home Bargains etc and they are of course part of chains but they are at least in the high streets rather than big out of town retail parks.

I just think it's about getting organised and into the swing of it.

Anyway today is Day 1 again, the cupboards and freezer are still nice and full so bring it on.:D

Good luck this week ladies (and any gents out there).

Stay away from the purse.

catznine

GreyQueen wrote: »

Afternoon all.

Is there an MSE thread for this avoiding the supermarkets challenge, catznine? I have been hither and yon this morning. Went into a Lidl and got a few bits, some for me and some for a friend who can't get out at the mo (her request). Went into an Iceland for one item, an indy greengrocer and an indy market butchers. Got some locally-made sausages. Winced a bit at the price (£6.25/ kilo) but told myself I was keeping money in the local economy and reducing foodmiles.

Still got plenty of food by me and not needing to buy much. I made a point of not even nipping into Tesco to buy the paper also requested by the same friend, but went into the corner newsagent. Am going to check out the Co-op in the next few days. Tesco is my local store and I have to walk past it twice a day so that was why I was using it but now I figure they can do without as much of my money as possible and I'll try to spread what's left as much as I can amongst the independant traders as a way of sticking it to the clone town mentality.

I feel as if I am on the verge of a lifestyle change which has been building for sometime but the lastest stripping of manned-tills from my Tesco was enough to get me off my aspidistra and into action........I'm seriously p'd off with the greedy bu88ers.

Stepping away from the purse............

I have "bumped" the relevant thread and will definately be doing this alongside the fiscal fast!

If it works this is the link for you:-

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/369405

forever_saving

I'm back in. Didn't do very well at all last week. I seemed to be going in the shops for things i didn't really need! However, i am pleased that i came in under budget on the GC. So i think that this thread has helped me so much. I last went shopping yesterday, so today is my first day.
Good luck to everyone else.
FS

firesidemaid

decided to buy some tins of value rice pudding this week to go with some fruit compote i'm making - thought it would be cheaper than buying yogs/rice pots.

i was pleasantly surprised to see that it only 13p a tin! so bought quite a few......each tin will do 3-4 portions!

having something on toast for tea and then freezer meals all week - LO portions n couscous, saus pasta, spag bol (will save more) and a surprise with veg + pots.

having nicked someone's idea on here to use tinned lentils in a salad, have bought some feta and will combine with homegrown pickled beetroot and some ends of toms + cucumber from the fridge for lunches.

GreyQueen

Afternoon all and hello Trueblonde.

Wasn't online this morning as I was doing some homebaking of bread and then visiting the local Co-op. It's only about 10 mins walk away but down a road where I have no other purpose to go down, so thus don't tend to go. But I have noticed some interesting indy traders nearby so may poke around in there when I am next back at the Co-op.

Well, ladies, I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised. It's a smallish city store, spotless, and very quiet on a Sunday. I found my way straight to the discount shelf and came away with a couple of yellow label bargains, which is very gratifying. I am also road-testing their £1 key-lime cheesecake, purely as an investigative measure, nothing to do with pigginess, y'unnerstand?

There milk is £1.18 for 4 pints, which is the same to the penny as every other supermarket in town bar Lidl and Iceland where it is £1. Forgot to look at bread as I am homebaking it at the mo. Wandered around and everything seemed very reasonable compared with T*sco and the added advantage of higher ethical standards. I have brought back the application leaflet to join my region's Co-Op society and am tickled pink to think of "divvy" instead of "ClubCard". Yayyy, sticking it to the big boys. I have finished Tescopoly the book and am sickened by them. I told the woman on the Co-op's till that I've a T*sco defector, too.:p

They seem to be very good, and I much prefer a small store to a big one. I'm still traumatised by visiting an A$DA last July. It was the size of an aircraft hanger and was packed with fraught families with harrassed women squabbling with their OHs and the children kicking off. I could almost feel my blood-pressure rising by the second. And there was nowhere outside to chain a pushbike, it was all very oriented to the family-sized shopper who was aiming to fill a car.

catznine, thank you for the linkie, I shall go explore that one now. I definately feel that I want to keep my smallish city alive and vital and do my bit against clone-stores so am shopping at the local hardware, the local-charity c.s. as opposed to the national-chain c.s and other little places which are funny and quirky and are owned and run by real people not corporations. It makes me happy.

Laters, GQ x

Gingerjar

I've been watching this thread since it started and it's been fascinating. I'd now like to join please. Got paid on Thurs and have been to stock up on food, cat food, laundry stuff etc. I need to give my daughter £3 for swimming tomorrow and buy some eggs off my friend for £2.20 but other than that, i don't need to spend any money for the next 7 days :T

So, count me in please. It's going to be interesting.........