NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

purpleshoes_2

greenbee wrote: »

purpleshoes - it's none of anyone's business why you don't drink, but you can always just tell them you're on medication at the moment and it doesn't agree with you. At least during January, you have dryathlon going on, so people will assume it's that. And there are usually one or two other non-drinking things going on. Maybe you can tell them you're doing a sponsored dry month/quarter/year and get them to donate to charity for you

I know, its just that the more I went out last year socially, the more people assumed everyone drinks. Like when people wanted to buy me a drink for organising events, they'd always assume I wanted an alcoholic one and it got to the stage where I felt better about not being around it, not that I cant go into a pub and have a soft drink or a becks blue, I can, its just harder with people I don't know so well socially as opposed to people I do and for ages my social life was more with acquaintances if that makes sense.

I don't think I'll go through life never ever having a drink again, just that for now, Im fine with having a drink a couple of times a year.

I actually do a bootcamp all year round 8 weeks on with two weeks off in between and we aren't supposed to drink, some people do, but you get better results if you don't so if I am out and about and people ask, I'll tell them why and it's actually true

Thats because alcohol slows down fat burning, your body has to get rid of it first before it starts to burn fat and I still have some weight to lose, so I had better crack on and get on with it.

Good luck to anyone doing dry January btw.

purpleshoes_2

Anyhow, in other news, I spent £2.97 in barnardos, 2 pairs of workout trousers and a Tshirt, if I see workout trousers in there then I buy them as they come in handy. Got cats their biscuits and litter. One bottle of alcohol free pear cider (pear juice, lets be honest), small bottle of sparkling water to take to my spin class and two packets of crisps, so not a no spend day but a low spend day and no food items purchased apart from the crisps as Im eating from what I already have in the cupboards and freezer. This is a major breakthrough for me as Im awful for spending on food, even if its healthy and will be eaten when I already have lots of food in the house.

I was also thinking about purchasing a back up sound system for my fitness classes, the one I have is absolutely fine but I dont teach in gyms so I need my own system. The one I saw was in poundland for 10 quid, however on going to the unit Im going to be renting to personal train people in, it already has a wee docking station which gives off not bad sound, so thats ten quid saved. Also means I dont need to cart mine down, its lightweight and the other classes I teach are literally a 3 min walk from my house, but this studio is around 3 miles away so thats great.

Oh and a trek bar from H and B as I was starving by the time I got to the next town and I couldnt have waited until I got home to eat.

Slowdown

Deleted_User wrote: »

She works in Leeds City Centre & when we first met she was in Primark on every lunch break guaranteed. She has a wardrobe full, chest of draws full, and has now moved into the shed with clothes that can't fit anywhere else. Cheap throw away fashion I am very much the opposite I pay more for clothes, but I have a much smaller range to choose from & the quality means that many of the T-Shirts I have purchased have seen five years and will see another five.

I am rather like you and tend to buy fewer more expensive items and I have the smallest wardrobe of anyone I know. However, I do intend to buy second hand this year as a recycling and saving effort. If I do NEED new shoes I will get them but will try to hold out all year.

On a similar note, and not a word of a lie, I work with someone who estimates her shoe collection is in excess of 450 pairs. They are majority primark level with some good quality stuff thrown in. She cannot store them all indoors so drives around with her boot crammed full, all in their boxes. I have seen them with mine own eyes!! Now, I see this as a problem myself, and as she is on a fairly low income this must be a habit worth breaking. I am not close enough to her to say anything but "My! That's alot of shoes!" and guess what her OH bought her for Christmas? Oh yes!!

I haven't spent much at all. £1 on a car park ticket, to be reimbursed by work and £1 on milk. I did what I have picked up from a post on here and didn't take my purse but just the amount needed. I picked up the milk, went to the empty self service till, rather than facing the shelves by the checkout, and left immediately. Walked as well! Ooh you are inspirational.

Keep it up shipmates, the waters run smooth so far!

Kind regards
Slowdown

camelot1001

Walked to town when I got in from work (quite unusual, would usually take the car!). Had to pass Boots who have a sale on and M&Co who also have 'massively reduced' items. I passed them by without looking!

A gold star me thinks!

oceandreamer

I've been writing all my spends down so I actually know what I have spent (previously adopted the head in sand strategy). This week I have spent less than £20 on food for four of us. This is the same amount that I regularly spent popping into the supermarket on the way home!! This amount included a sack of potatoes and one of carrots too which will last about 6 weeks. Its staggering how much money you can spend without thinking about it and how little you spend once you only buy what you need. Its a shame there is no way of knowing how much you haven't spent I am sure this would stop people feeling guilty when they do spend money.

natnat13

Feeling fed up.
1. I'm worried about my income, my employed job's hours have been cut and my business isn't making money yet, it will but has to build. I rent so am going to phone the local authority tomorrow to see if I'm eligible for any housing or council tax benefit.
2. My on / off bf messaged my today with pictures of a load of stuff he'd bought, nothing he actually needs. He's so frivolous. It's his money, he has no debt but we are talking about living together by the end of the year and it worries me that we have different lifestyles. I guess I'll have to discuss it with him, he may adapt. He'll probably run away before anyway, he usually does when I mention anything involving commitment!


Anyway, sorry to moan, just feeling a bit fed up. Spent £12 today on DS's breakfast clubs this week which they have to go to when they stay with daddy because he starts work at 8am. He pays me maintenance so its all covered in a roundabout way.

natnat13

And Slowdown, 450 pairs of shoes, I think your friend needs Shoe Addicts Anonymous!!

Murphy2011

Help!!! Crashed and burned in a major way in Sainsburys on Sunday and feeling bad, somebody give me absolution please?

Went in for some basic bits and then saw a nice dress for work at half price, well it's only £9 so that's ok surely? Then I saw a mini chopper for only £6.95, well my food processor is broken on my Kenwood and surely £6.95 is better than a new Kenwood isn't it? Then I saw a George Zforeman grill at half price and Im trying to improve my diet so that is ok because it's helping my health isn't it, and then finally a half price fitness gadget with the same stupid excuse......bang goes £50 just like that!

I've managed to justify it to myself enough to get me past the checkout although in the run up to Christmas I was actually quite Scroogish, spent a tiny amount on presents!

Does anyone else just go off the rails sometimes? I think it is all tied in with emotions and I'm sure it won't surprise you to hear Im also most definitely on the cuddly side size wise as well....any ideas? Am I going to be thrown overboard, marooned somewhere on a desert island?

Kim_13

Failed somewhat today. Went looking for reduced Christmas food (guilty pleasure) and ended up with a non-half price massive box of chicken. It was marked as party food so I guessed it would disappear shortly.

There was a jumper I was after on the Asda site before Christmas which was out of stock. Today I found they had a low stock of my size, so went for it. Tried to keep the cost down by using a gift voucher, but you can't use their gift vouchers online Typical that I've never found this particular jumper in the store.

Going out with a friend this week but I will hopefully be paying bus fare, pub meal and spending gift vouchers only if anything.

Roll on my TSB activation code arriving so I can split my money across accounts and hopefully keep to budgets better.

purpleshoes_2

natnat13 wrote: »

Feeling fed up.
1. I'm worried about my income, my employed job's hours have been cut and my business isn't making money yet, it will but has to build. I rent so am going to phone the local authority tomorrow to see if I'm eligible for any housing or council tax benefit.
2. My on / off bf messaged my today with pictures of a load of stuff he'd bought, nothing he actually needs. He's so frivolous. It's his money, he has no debt but we are talking about living together by the end of the year and it worries me that we have different lifestyles. I guess I'll have to discuss it with him, he may adapt. He'll probably run away before anyway, he usually does when I mention anything involving commitment!


Anyway, sorry to moan, just feeling a bit fed up. Spent £12 today on DS's breakfast clubs this week which they have to go to when they stay with daddy because he starts work at 8am. He pays me maintenance so its all covered in a roundabout way.

Im self employed and I've been awarded housing benefit in the past, Ive had to hand in bank statements, a copy of my accounts, was a bit of a faff to start with but that was only because someone clearly didn't know what they were doing as I expect less self employed people apply and its easier if you are on JSA, but once I was awarded all I had to do was give a yearly update and let them know if anything changed, my earnings can go up and down, there was no problem at all with me getting it, they just look at income, outgoings etc, same as they would if you were on JSA.