No spending for a year ???

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

Ooh and just adding a reminder in for myself !!


Christmas 2016 - I've set up a piggybank account for Christmas spends (yes I know it's only February!!) but yet to add anything in - must clear overdraft and any Eb@y money can be split between catalogue and a regular few pounds need to be being popped into the xmas fund.

asparagus1968

Hi, just caught up , busy week! you are doing so well:)
love the way you are thinking through the spends eg ,choosing a box over buying photo albums. It definitely is the mindset changing that gets us to our goals.
keep on keeping on

buzzyzoe

Just read your diary and wanted to wish you luck.

It might not be for you, but I have recently started extreme couponing and using shopping cashback apps and find that, more importantly even than the savings, it gives you the same buzz as shopping but without spending any/hardly any money.

I used to spend easily £200 per month on food/household shopping. Now I spend less than £70 and the feeling you get taking stuff home for free is such a great feeling. I also have built up enough of most household bits and bobs to last me at least 6 months (toothpaste, shampoo, washing powder etc)

Happy to give you some tips if you'd like?

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

Thanks asparagus, I'm definitely starting to think about things a little 'differently' when it comes to spending!


Buzzyzoe, thank you for popping in, I really am yearning for the buzz from spending and I am trying to flip that on it's head by getting it from saving rather than spending, so any tips would be great as I really wouldn't know where to start with extreme couponing, I've just joined quidco but have yet to read up on what I need to be doing with it!!


Thanks again both, Lou xx

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

So, not the best of days - car is poorly again and it really has been one expensive thing after another with it of late not having the funds to buy a new one restricts my options and the latest 'fix' could be anywhere between £100 -£600, really, really what I didn't want to be dealing with right now!
My main resolve is not to add even a penny back to the cc's so think I may need to borrow a few hundred from DM if it's at the upper end (which knowing my luck it probably will be!!) as our savings are at rock bottom at the mo (with little likelihood to get them built back up anytime soon)
It's at times like this I could kick myself as if we had a good few thousand in the savings which we should have at our time of life, we would be able to cut our losses and go buy something different - oh well.


As for other spends, well the £20 I had left covered my 'check up' at the dentist & I had to use £10 of next weeks allocated cash to cover DD1's hair cut along with the change I had left rattling around in my purse.


Think I might do an online shop from Morries as I'm not sure when the car will be back on the road & I need to make sure DM has her weekly shop (at this rate I'm going to have to get the shopping bag on wheels out of the attic, not the look I was going for this week!! and walk DM's shopping to her, only 2 miles away! ) as well as stocking up myself.


Should know more about cost of car tomorrow so until then I've just got to keep plodding on!!


Lou xx

buzzyzoe

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR wrote: »

Buzzyzoe, thank you for popping in, I really am yearning for the buzz from spending and I am trying to flip that on it's head by getting it from saving rather than spending, so any tips would be great as I really wouldn't know where to start with extreme couponing, I've just joined quidco but have yet to read up on what I need to be doing with it!!

There are a couple of Facebook Groups that I use to get links to all the latest coupons. One of them has a list of all the current available coupons:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/total-couponery/list-of-current-uk-coupons/653805644632750

You just print them off and use them in store. Even if you don't do it to the 'extreme' (ie having multiple computers to print extra coupons), you can still save on things that you would be buying anyway.

Then there are also cashback apps which you upload your store receipt to and they give you money back on certain items. The two main ones I use are Shopitize and CheckoutSmart - have a look at these. Shopitize offers cashback on everyday items like milk and bread, and Checkoutsmart often has freebies.

Anything else you want to know, just ask

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

Buzzyzoe - thank you so much for taking the time to fill me in on couponing culture, brilliant, I should have a little bit of time today to check the FB page and cashback apps too - so bring on the saving!!

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

Good morning lovely people ☺
I can barely believe it's Monday again, where are the weeks going?? it'll be Christmas soon, lol!!
So, fortunately the car news was far better than I could have expected, repaired, cleaned and back on the road for £80 - I could have cried as I was so relieved!! - I do still have this underlying worry about 'what if something else goes wrong' but what can you do, that's just life!
Opticians appointment was better than expected, DD's both had minor issues that needed correcting and with wearing specs for close work over the last couple of years this time they were both told they no longer need to wear them at all!
As for my good self, sight test voucher was provided by my company (due to working on a pc) & also have a £55 voucher to use towards new specs (again due to vdu work) - I'm hopeful I might be able to get my 'old' glasses re-glazed for under the £55 so that I don't need to pay anything more!
First time shopping online with Morries over the weekend and it worked really well, far better than other store deliveries I've had in the past - on time, well explained, well packaged and v pleasant delivery driver - no subs and even had an email and text detailing the one item they weren't able to provide a good few hours before delivery - will definitely be ordering online again!
Food shopping was on budget online, although I did have to fetch a couple of bits elsewhere that I'd forgotten to add to the online order which then took it slightly over, although spent less than usual on petrol, so all evened out.


Finally got around to using up the cornflakes on cornflake cakes at the weekend ( could've done with a bit more melted choc as had to chase the cornflakes around the bowl for quite a while trying to get them all coated!!) - finished one of the 3 jars of honey and condensed two open jars of choc spread into one.


Kitchen clear out is still continuing as need to have a couple of hours clear before I attempt any one cupboard as I'm being very thorough (no intention of doing it again anytime soon!!!!) - surprising how much 'lighter' my mood is when I'm in the kitchen already and that can only get better.
Hair cut and colour - essential or not? - pride in myself and the type of job that I do means this is most definitely an essential spend - I have delayed my colour for way longer than I ever would do, having not had it done since the end of the summer but have managed to wing it but I've an appointment at the end of the month that I need to put weekly money away to cover cost - I would never have thought about putting money away before to cover the cost I just would have paid for it whether there was money in the account or not!!


My serious underlying worry has reared it's head again at the weekend after I read something in the news - due to twists and turns in our road (mainly down to a big C diagnosis 15years ago) we live in a HA property - we've always worked (even through the health issues that presented themselves) and we've never claimed anything from the state - always self sufficient financially and never expecting - too much pride that had been instilled by our working families.
Now we find ourselves dealing with the very likely prospect that the rent will be raised to 'market value' in April of next year (an additional £300+ per month) which truly is a huge worry - the other option that may be available to us is to buy the property with the help of a 'right to buy' discount, this too is such a scary prospect at the ages we are, if we could get a mortgage it would take us up to retirement - oh blimey what a dilemma!!


Lou xx

NO-SPENDING-FOR-A-YEAR

Oh and on a positive note, I've managed to get a 12 wk free referral to SW via the chemist, so venturing back to group to take control of the ever increasing squidgy bits ☺

1974nicola

Gosh Lou! What a dilemma! Isn't it unfair how a change in regulation can have such massive effects on individuals. All seems unfair.

Have you seen the first time buyer ISAs? They seem like a good option. Might be worth considering buying. I have a mortgage and I treat it like rent. I might not be able to pay it off at the end of the term in 15 years but at least I'll have a home to sell and the equity will (hopefully) give me enough to buy something else smaller or provide me with rent money.

Def worth taking advice though. I hear what you are saying re mortgaged till retirement but if no mortgage then you'll be paying rent til .........

Tell you what though.... you've been through the mills....... all of these money worries are sortable. If you can deal with what you have, then you can deal with debts xxx

Take care Lou

Nicola x