No Spend Here I Come

Tinkerbelle2000

Hi....Again

This will be my third diary and I really hope that this time I can stick with it and get my debt gone for good as I find it more motivational when I'm on here. I have seen a lot of articles recently about a no spend year and I think I am going to try my own version of it. I have noticed that people who follow this make exceptions and mine are going to be as follows:-

1. Food and everyday consumables like toilet roll and toothpaste etc are allowed, as are prescriptions and medicines, which will come out of my planned shopping budget.
2. Only buy what we need which means creating a meal plan and sticking to it.
3. Fix first, if not able to do I need to replace it at all?
4. No buying of books, use the library more.
5. Gifts for other people.
6. Main wage can not be touched, other income can be saved into pots for clothes etc.

I think I can be an emotional spender so I am also going to try and live more positively.

I live with my dd who is now 18 and earning her own money and we have just recently moved into a private rent terraced house. I know it was probably cheaper to stay with my mum but I really needed my own space again.

I have carried this debt with me for years, always paying chunks off but then it creeps up again. I am also one step away from opening my own Etsy shop, hopefully in the next couple of weeks, so that should bring me a little income in. Any money received from this will go back into buying products for the business.

I have deleted my card details from online shopping sites, set up a budget for the year and I started the penny challenge at the beginning of December. I will use any change left over from my planned shopping budget to keep topping this up. I also have a M0nzo bank account and have created savings pots on there to move money into from second income. I also plan to keep a spending diary.

I am joining SW tomorrow, for free thanks to a daily paper. This spend will come out of some extra work that I do.

I am a couple of years away from 50 so my goal is to go into my 50's debt free.

Happy New Year everyone.

Tink xx

MuffinTops

Yay Tink. Happy shiny new diary. That all sounds great with the no spending. It's too easy to just reach for the purse.


I've seen a few people looking at no spends too, just watched one on YouTube who also had her own exceptions.



Good luck. We'll be waving our poms poms on the sidelines for you.


Happy 2019.



MTx

beanielou

Happy shiny new diary

RosaBernicia

Hi Tink, happy new diary and happy new year


Rosa xx

Tinkerbelle2000

Thanks MT, Beanielou and Rosa.

Happy New Year:beer:

Yesterday I did have a spend day but that was because I joined Slimming World - £4.95 with free coupon so I also bought the shower head and hose I needed which only came to £16.00.

I also did some shopping for fresh fruit and veg but that came out of my shopping allowance.

I did save a lot of money though on New Year's Eve as I had planned to go out but wasn't very well. I did have a good evening though sorting my budget spreadsheet and journal, very rock n roll :rotfl:

I don't have anything that I need/want now so hopefully I will just be using my shopping money allocation from now on.

Tink xx

[Deleted User]

I've been thinking about this too - mostly by seeing all the toiletries I have in the bathroom cabinet, I think I can easily do a year without buying more shower gel or body lotion (some of them were gifts, but I've definitely bought a lot myself), and a good 3-4 months without buying shampoo or conditioner. Buying books has also been a weakness of mine, but I've been making better use of my library card for books and e-books, so thanks for the reminder there!

I've subscribed to see how you get on, and steal some inspiration for myself

doingitanyway

Happy New Year Tink.

Wishing you all the best with your plans

Tinkerbelle2000

[Deleted User] wrote:

I've been thinking about this too - mostly by seeing all the toiletries I have in the bathroom cabinet, I think I can easily do a year without buying more shower gel or body lotion (some of them were gifts, but I've definitely bought a lot myself), and a good 3-4 months without buying shampoo or conditioner. Buying books has also been a weakness of mine, but I've been making better use of my library card for books and e-books, so thanks for the reminder there!

I've subscribed to see how you get on, and steal some inspiration for myself

Thanks for subscribing. I have been totally the same with the shower gel, and did get some more as a present from DD's BF. Also I do spend quite a bit on different cleaning products so when these have all run out I will be buying a multi-purpose for kitchen and bathroom.

Good luck x

Tinkerbelle2000

So I have had four NSD's in a row. I could count yesterday as well but I had to pay for SW. I need to fit this is the budget somewhere now as it wasn't at the beginning of the year. That way I can count it as a NSD.

I've also made some inroads on my debts as well which is good for the beginning of the year.

I have a nice little amount in my penny challenge as I am not going in order and just picking an amount from what I have left over from my grocery budget. I did keep within my grocery budget even with SW as we have planned our meals out for the week.

I don't have much more news other than I think I need to find a new energy supplier. I've never paid as much for gas and electric as I do now and I'm only in a small terrace. Comparison sites have said that I am on the cheapest (smart meter prepaid due to private rent) but I was talking to a friend the other day and she has changed from the one I am using to a different one and is saving about £50/month. She also lives in the same sort of house too.

Tink xx

[Deleted User]

Nice to see you back Tink, happy new shiny diary xx

JohnJ76

Good luck on your debt free voyage.

Your debts are in nice amounts (if a debt can be nice!) for snowballing. And because you have quite a few seeing one after another drop off will be great motivation. All depends how you intend on tackling them of course.

I know what you mean about books, I used to be a !!!!!! for buying them but round by us we've converted the unused phone box into a library, people just deposit old books they have finished with and take one they fancy etc. Same as a library but it's 24hrs and you don't need to remember your card, and you get all sorts in there haha!