NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

mynellie

Good morning shipmates it is a good day up north here
Lillian I have subscribed to your blog look forward to reading it

BB I hope that your home is back to normal soon and the tinsel round the hole is a great idea if it hasn't dried out enough

GQ I am the same round peg square hole but have always taught my son be true to yourself and don't be a sheep and he seems to have lived that way he is pretty frugal for his age but he does have a weakness for dvd's which he bought back to ours last night when he and his dad started moving his bits back home ready for him moving back in at the weekend there was 2 binbags full of dvd's :eek::eek: I nearly fell over and he says he thinks we will need to hit music magpie when he moves back in to get a lot of them shifted and fingers crossed he will think twice before he buys anymore especially now that he has netflixs on his computer so he just watches films on that thankfully as i don't know where we were going to store them all
I think today I will be doing the dirty washing that appeared with him last night and getting it ironed and hung up aren't I lucky

Slowdown that has really shocked me and I will show it to my son as his girlfriend eats McD's quite often although afte reading this I think she might think again

Right better go and get washing sorted and then post the comps out of the dog mag and then get ironing

Hope you all have a great day

Nellie xxx

fevertotell

WOW, An impressive concept and one i am desperate to commit to! Having got married this year, i cannot believe the amount of money we have spent.

I am also sick of having 'you must have this' 'what you don't have' comments i'm sick of feeling i have to keep up with the jones's so to speak.

I vow to save save save and only buy things that are needed...i worry i'm a shopaholic really...it's sad.

Good luck to all and i'm hoping this thread can keep us all supported and motivated.

Minimalist

Just back from a long weekend at the coast - I love the seaside in winter! It was a pretty OS trip - lots of long walks, cooking and catching up with friends. So I’ve not really done anything constructive, although I have done quite a lot of thinking about my plan for 2015. Here’s a rough draft of where I've got to - not exactly a no-shop manifesto, but my hope is that writing it down will help keep me on track....

Things to do:

• Spend time doing things, rather than buying things
• Menu planning & food shopping list approach - no impulse buys, unless genuine bargains i.e. items we buy anyway & can be stored conveniently)
• Continue spending diary, review & reflect on spending pattern, look for further improvements
• ENOUGH - rain check on consumption also extends to food and drink (get BMI back to healthy range)
• Only buy necessary items - second hand where practical / time-efficient
• Simplify and declutter - send to charity shops, gift or recycle
• Reuse or repurpose
• Conscious purchasing where necessary - researching & evaluating first
• Quality & good design to make sure purchases last / are good value
• Repair things to get more use / wear (get boots soled & heeled)
• Maintain things well (car service, central heating service, occasional dry cleaning)
• Some home improvements allowed when budget available - geared towards improving storage (bookshelves), insulation (external doors) and guest facilities (sofabed/futon)
• Indie shopping - buy from independent shops / market, not supermarkets / chains wherever possible. (Needs to be balanced by budget, keep spending low, and limited access, e.g. no local greengrocer.) Try the market delivery service.
• Indie leisure - if we eat out or go for drinks, go to indie places not chains. (We do this already, but plan is to reduce the frequency - reinstate “treat status”)
• Spending time outdoors in nature & enjoying public spaces in town (e.g. public art galleries)
• Improve cultural diet with minimal spending:
  - Compile a reading list, including books to encourage non-spending habits
  - Compile list of documentaries on YouTube etc that we want to watch
  - Compile a list of movies we’ve missed, to look out for on TV or second hand DVDs
  - Review ITunes and subscribe to more interesting Podcasts
• Make lists to keep things on track (and consult them!)

Things not to do:

• Avoid going into shops except when doing weekly food shop
• Don't “browse” online shops
• Unsubscribe from email newsletters
• Don’t buy newspapers (I don’t buy magazines anyway) - read them online
• No unplanned, impulse purchases
• No mid-week food shopping because we don’t fancy what is planned - create something from what is in the fridge / cupboards
• No clothes / shoe shopping until at least April (recent wardrobe audit on Project 333 lines Project 333 has shown there is no need for further winter clothes!)

I'll keep adding and refining as more ideas wash up - thanks for all the inspiration fellow shipmates!

:beer:

Lina_T

lilian1977 wrote: »

Don't forget to post the link to your blog here when you're ready - I've done the same! https://afrugalmonth.wordpress.com/ - thanks to everyone that's already subscribed and commented!

It's here Lilian: https://thatfrugallife.wordpress.com/ I've added your blog to my "useful links" section so you have to keep it up now or I'll be onto you thank you for the free smoothie and shampoo sample links.


Minimalist, I love your list and I hope you don't mind me stealing lots of your goals

lilian1977

Followed! I'm in Manchester too - well I work here, I actually live in High Peak x

Lina_T

lilian1977 wrote: »

Followed! I'm in Manchester too - well I work here, I actually live in High Peak x

What a coincidence, I've just moved from Padfield, was there for 6 years!

lilian1977

Aww - I'm in Glossop!

chella

Count me in! Am going to go back and read from the beginning.


At the endof 2015 I really hope to have some savings in the bank. I waste a shocking amount of money, and also a lot of food goes in the bin. Really going to give 100%

Crochet_Teapot

I'm looking forward to 2015 and cutting down further on unnecessary spending. I suffer from depression and anxiety and things like keeping track of what I spend can go out of the window. I also want to completely declutter the house as 'stuff' also makes my anxiety and depression worse.

I shall follow this thread and contribute when I can.

girlinayellowdress

Crochet_Teapot wrote: »

I'm looking forward to 2015 and cutting down further on unnecessary spending. I suffer from depression and anxiety and things like keeping track of what I spend can go out of the window. I also want to completely declutter the house as 'stuff' also makes my anxiety and depression worse.

I shall follow this thread and contribute when I can.

Ditto with your post, DM if you ever need someone to chat to x