Need not Want.

Skint_but_Optimistic

Ive not bought anything I wanted this week apart from a bottle of wine.

I would love some more yankee candle wax melts , will wait til the others lose all scent first.

3_kids_2_jobs_1_dog

We NEED to make a journey, pretty much to the other end of the country, to visit DS1.

Costed up the train £250 WITH a Family and Friends card and the timings were unsuitable! So have decided to drive.

Due to having to be there early in the morning I checked out Travel Lodge, £15 for the 4 of us for the night, bargain! We will NEED breakfast but didn't WANT to pay the £20+ they wanted for a continental style meal (no hot/buffet option available) So went to Mr Mossies today, bought 4 x instant porridge pots (add boiling water) for £2 and some chocolate brioche for £1.50, breakfast on a budget!!!

321 xxx

FireWyrm

Skint_but_Optimistic wrote: »

Ive not bought anything I wanted this week apart from a bottle of wine.

I would love some more yankee candle wax melts , will wait til the others lose all scent first.

You dont need Yankee candles. Research candle wax and scent on Ebay. You can buy enough wax for several full scale candles for the price of a yankee candle. Candle making is ridiculously easy and you can do it in jam jars or anything shaped like that. I have a kilo of candle wax in the cupboard right now.

See something like this : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1kg-Pelleted-Paraffin-Wax-Easy-Melt-Candle-Making-Applications-/280820560277?pt=UK_Carfts_Candle_SoapMaking_EH&hash=item416235b195

I've noticed on this thread that we're all busy saying what we havnt bought because we didnt 'need' it and that's fine, but one doesnt stop living simply because money is a little tighter than we're used to. Living as a scrimper doesnt mean living as a hermit, denying ourselves any pleasure at all. Perhaps a better mantra should be : we dont need it, but we would like it, so how can we achieve it for far less than we would normally have paid....Admittedly not as catchy, but you get the idea.

Yankee candles are a waste of money if you can buy a kilo of candle wax for £5 I think you'll agree, but that doesnt mean we have to forego candles all the time. Treats are as good as a feast and if you are too hard on yourselves, you'll end up failing or going bonkers, so it's counter productive ultimately.

Katzen

On that note Firewyrm, we are going to the theatre tonight and out for dinner on Sat. Neither are strictly needs but we now have plenty of money to do it and still fill the savings pot this month as we've been spending more sensibly in other areas. I've probably saved the price of tonight's tickets off our food shop this week alone just by planning carefully and switching to a cheaper shop

kerri_gt

minicooper272 wrote: »

3
I've technically spent no money yet this week - posted 2 flea bay items, and that's the only money I've shelled out so far! I'm wondering if I can make it to the end of the month on £40 plus my food budget now... Will have to think of free things to do when the OH comes to visit next weekend though, and he probably won't like that...

I can think of something free that OH would enjoy :rotfl:

365days wrote: »

Was also fiddling around with figures yesterday and realised that I was spending around £300 a month extra before tightening my belt. I thought WOW what a lot of money, but actually it's only £10 a day. When looked at like that it is easy to see where it went....coffee here, magazine there, sandwiches, extra petrol for extra (pointless) journeys, t shirt in with the food shop, etc etc.

Craziness.

Yep, its a lot of money in one lump but easy to see how it happens isn't it - makes you think

FireWyrm wrote: »

You said that you bought the Dyson the day before yesterday...that's well within any imposed limit that Ive ever seen. As long as you have the original packaging, the receipt etc, there is absolutely no reason why they wouldnt take it back - but it must be unused and in a re-saleable condition.

Thanks for the info about the returns - just thought I'd mention that it wasn't me who bought the Dyson - both my Hoovers still going strong (touch wood) - one of them was a B or A grade return from fleabay so prob a stock return where someone had changed their mind.

catshark88

FireWyrm wrote: »

I've noticed on this thread that we're all busy saying what we havnt bought because we didnt 'need' it and that's fine, but one doesnt stop living simply because money is a little tighter than we're used to. Living as a scrimper doesnt mean living as a hermit, denying ourselves any pleasure at all. Perhaps a better mantra should be : we dont need it, but we would like it, so how can we achieve it for far less than we would normally have paid....Admittedly not as catchy, but you get the idea.
.

Which gives me the courage to admit to spending £50 going to the pictures last night with DH (tickets and babysitter) and to lunch with a good friend today (my turn to pay).

Did take popcorn to flicks but DH incurred my eternal wrath by insisting on a £2.99 pack of Aero! :eek:

One tip though... Decant Mr T popcorn into something before you go. The T bag is the scrunchiest bag in the world!:rotfl:

fiftyeighter_2

Phew, it's taken me 2days to read this thread.....brilliant.
I have been in debt in the past but managed to painfully drag myself out of it. Although I am now retired and single with a dd at home aged 17, I feel better off now than when I was with my ex.
I don't have lots of spare cash don't get me wrong but by Being careful I can manage and even save a little.
However this thread has really inspired me, for a while now I felt I was spending money on lots of wants not needs, so I,m hoping you will let me join in, pretty please.
I would love to go on holiday this year, only a caravan holiday and in Dorset, so have started to save for this. I have to say though the last time my daughter and I had a holiday was 9 years ago. So I really do think its a need especially for my dd. this thread and all you wonderful people will help me on my way. So thanks to you all and good luck.

FireWyrm

fiftyeighter wrote: »

However this thread has really inspired me, for a while now I felt I was spending money on lots of wants not needs, so I,m hoping you will let me join in, pretty please.

I'm sure everyone would like to welcome you to this thread. It's grown quite a bit bigger than I ever thought it would, but it has certainly helped to inspire us all in one way or the other.

I've been a DFW for over a year (a pretty serious one too) but I am still not really any further forward than I was 6 months ago and I think this is down to just blindly buying 'wants' disguised as 'needs'. It really is shocking when you examine your life and spending habbits to realise just how much money you blindly hand over each month.

fiftyeighter wrote: »

I would love to go on holiday this year, only a caravan holiday and in Dorset, so have started to save for this. I have to say though the last time my daughter and I had a holiday was 9 years ago. So I really do think its a need especially for my dd. this thread and all you wonderful people will help me on my way. So thanks to you all and good luck.

We all need a rest now and again, otherwise, what the hell is life all about. Holidays like food are perfectly ok, in moderation. If you're spending thousands on two cruises a year, I'd say you had a problem, but a caravan in Dorset once in 9 years isnt something you need to be guilty about.

365days

fiftyeighter wrote: »

Phew, it's taken me 2days to read this thread.....brilliant.
I have been in debt in the past but managed to painfully drag myself out of it. Although I am now retired and single with a dd at home aged 17, I feel better off now than when I was with my ex.
I don't have lots of spare cash don't get me wrong but by Being careful I can manage and even save a little.
However this thread has really inspired me, for a while now I felt I was spending money on lots of wants not needs, so I,m hoping you will let me join in, pretty please.
I would love to go on holiday this year, only a caravan holiday and in Dorset, so have started to save for this. I have to say though the last time my daughter and I had a holiday was 9 years ago. So I really do think its a need especially for my dd. this thread and all you wonderful people will help me on my way. So thanks to you all and good luck.

Welcome aboard.

I spent yesterday looking at holidays. Have you looked at the price of cottages over caravans? I have found them to be cheaper. I suppose it depends on what you are after. We have had caravan holidays on camps, I suppose because that's what I had as a kid. However neither me or DS are really interested in the 'entertainment' offered, nor particularly bothered by a pool etc. We like going exploring, chilling, walking etc and I always thought cottages would be hideously expensive but they are on a par with a caravan on a site.

I think the whole Need not Want has been a turning point for me. Before I used to treat myself to little things - mainly because I felt a bit hard done by and thought I deserved it. But as I said before there is NOTHING I WANT more than to stop giving a days worth of earning to the cc companies every month in interest.

Oh maybe I want the flu to leave this household a little more.;)

fiftyeighter_2

I've been a DFW for over a year (a pretty serious one too) but I am still not really any further forward than I was 6 months ago and I think this is down to just blindly buying 'wants' disguised as 'needs'. It really is shocking when you examine your life and spending habbits to realise just how much money you blindly hand over each month.

Quote:

That's exactly what I did and was shocked to say the least.
I.e dog treats. £2.50
Top in sale. £3.00
Little pressure for dd. £5.49
Pr boots in sale. £10.39
Lunch out with friend. £7.30

None of them needed just wants and that all in 1 day. Good job I have to catch a bus to nearest town and it takes half an hour. That's nearly £30. I could have put that by for holiday.
Good luck with your Debt. I no it's hard, very hard but I,m sure you,ll get there and thanks so much for your reply. You made me feel better.