No-Spend-Tember

RunningLaura

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your very lovely support & kind words

I often find that willpower is easier when you remove the option of backing out entirely. No spending at all is easier than thinking about each purchase and whether it's really needed etc etc.

Yes I am paying interest, but I am not sure if my credit rating is good enough for me to get a 0% balance transfer - but I am going to look into that right now.

This week, I did my food shop at Lidl because we got a voucher in the post, usually I get it delivered by Tesco. I added up what the total would have been at Tesco and it was about £30 more, so despite the fact that I LOVE getting it delivered and food shopping with a toddler is chaotic (and that's putting it mildly), I am just going to have to find a way to do it.

We are having cola ham for dinner tonight, which I am going to pop in the slow cooker soon - once I have tidied up the kitchen!

Worked out that I am on track to hit £1,125 bonus in November - there is only one other account manager likely to hit at all, so I am feeling very chuffed. Plus I should be getting £500 for referring my friend for a job too!

I think that today I will spend my morning working, cleaning the kitchen and getting dinner ready. Picking child up from nursery at 12.30, she will then have a little sleep until 2.30-3ish, at which point it's time to get busy & wear her out haha. Might go blackberrying today, if I can get enough I can make some Christmas jam

Managed about 9km for my run yesterday, going to go again tomorrow as I have a 10k race on Sunday that I want to try and do in under 70 minutes.

Need to get my child some more winter clothes - usually I am a John Lewis kind of gal, but open to cheaper suggestions..?

Thanks
RL xx

efes_shareholder

I used to find H&M brilliant for my kids clothes , very affordable and a couple middle ground between the likes of John Lewis and M&S and Primark

that being said if primark exists when my kids were babies /toddlers , I am sure I would have done the lion share there considering the rate kids grow

[Deleted User]

I buy clothes mostly in H&M and Asda if buying new. I love Asda clothes but the designs are nicer in H&M. Asda is great for basics though - very cheap and much better quality than primark I find. Their winter coats are particularly good.

I also get bundles of used clothes for everyday use on eBay.

RunningLaura

Ahh, H&M it is!

RunningLaura

Goooood morning everyone!

Welcome to STOP(spending)TOBER!!

Here is where we are at currently;

Car needs to be paid on 16th October - we are borrowing £3745 from my dad (as the balloon payment was less than I expected!). I want to pay this back as quickly as possible.

The credit card is at £5676 - and thanks to the excellent advice above I just switched to a 0% interest deal. Very happy about that.

I've done a full budget on all our income and outgoings & organised how to pay back my dad as quickly as possible & keep some spare for contingencies.

So in October - we should have circa £500 left in our account to throw at my card (on top of the £150 going on there each month).

Due to bonuses, our income fluctuates monthly, but depending on unexpected costs we could be debt-free as early as April next year!

We will definitely be able to pay by dad back by February, and then move on to the card. But that assumes that we spend all of our contingency money - which I am hoping to avoid.

Once we are debt free, we will have a lovely surplus of £1,400 each month to put away, which is good because I want to have another baby next November, and we also want to extend the house at some point.

Feeling very happy & surprised at how freeing not spending money on crap is.

RL xx

RunningLaura

I made a mistake! Our surplus after is £850 on a non-bonus month. £1400 is a bonus month!!

Starmummy

Best of luck.
I'm on a spending ban too.

Like you I'm all or nothing and I'm not even tempted at the moment, I would be if there were things I was 'allowed'.
I'm hoping the ban will last until the end of November so I can get my finances back on the straight and narrow after keeping my eye off the ball over summer.

so we can be in this together

RunningLaura

Hi Starmummy - yes I am finding it so much mentally easier to consider anything non-essential off-limits, rather than have the internal rationale each time!
Looks like you are doing so well at paying yours down

We got this!
RL x