Spend Free Twenty Twenty Three!

x_raphael_xx

I am now thankfully in a position where I am able to overpay on our mortgage, and even better, the other half is also onboard!
We have just shy of a year before we have to remortgage (In Sept) so I want to be able to throw as much as we can on as overpayments between now and then. Hopefully we will be in a better position to shop around.

To that end I need to stop spending on all the little bits and pieces that add up, as well as the larger stuff.
I'm going to attempt to get through 2023 with as little spending on unnecessary things as possibile. So I need a diary to keep me accountable!

Things I am allowed to spend on:
Bills (Obviously) - I am contemplating cancelling Netflix, I may keep for Dec and cancel ready for the NY
Groceries - 'Staples' only, no treats/extras
Pets - Essentials only - Food, heating, substates/bedding etc.
Health - Dentist, Physio, Run coach. I am going to keep up with my run coach, expensive but it's helping me focus on getting healthy. I may review this later in the year.
Gifts - However I must stick within my Gift budget

Things I am NOT allowed to spend on:
Takeaways - Including my favourite iced choc fudge frappe mocha 
Treats - No choc etc on the food shop
New pets - I'm running out of space in my personal zoo anyway, so I must resist the lure of a new animal!

(I'll edit the list as I think of more!)

The rest of this month and December will be a dry run. So...here we go!

craftingmad

Good luck on your journey - you sound just like me (minus the running part). 
I will read your diary with interest x 

x_raphael_xx

What a difference a day makes
Within an hour of starting the thread I had a phonecall from one of my uncles. My granma had a welfare check (dementia has slowly been worsening) and the police found her naked on the bed with her front door open and she wasn't in a good way. As the only relative in the same city I of course rushed straight up to meet her at a&e where the police had taken her.
TL:DR version - I have spent the last two days in the hospital by her side. Crisis team are under agreement she needs 24 hr care and shes now been moved to a nursing home. She's confused (didn't know who I was, assumed I was a nurse) but safe.

So the start of my no spend dry run ended up with £15ish in teas and snacks at the hospital and £20ish in taxis to & from (I work for the taxi company so 1st driver gave me a discount & 3rd driver let me off the entire £10 fare home)
I did grab a snack and a drink to take to the hospital, but I didn't expect to be there for almost 11 hours the first day. And I just wanted to make sure she was comfortable, she doesn't eat well so when she fancied some toast I obliged with the closest thing I could find (cheese & ham toastie from the cafe)

Bf helped with my zoo while I was otherwise occupied, so grateful for him.

Today I have spent nothing, so that's something

powerspowers

Sorry to hear about your grandma, hope she gets more settled. hospital spends don’t count. 

Good luck with your no spend journey. Are you going to OP to mortgage or save until renewal? How can you track your progress in a way that motivates you? And have a think about free treats for when it feels like a slog

x_raphael_xx

powerspowers said:

Sorry to hear about your grandma, hope she gets more settled. hospital spends don’t count. 

Good luck with your no spend journey. Are you going to OP to mortgage or save until renewal? How can you track your progress in a way that motivates you? And have a think about free treats for when it feels like a slog

Nursing staff found her wondering last night, she was looking for the toilet. (She has a ensuite but obvoiusly hasn't got that mapped in her head yet). She did try to leave yesterday, but the staff are well trained and settled her down.

The current plan is to put the money aside in a seperate pot for the moment, and make an overpayment every couple of months. I don't have online access or anything for this mortgage, so I have to ring each time to make a payment. When we remortgage next year, I'm hoping the best deal will also come with easy access to our account.
I have to ring them to get a current balance etc, so its a pain.

I like the idea of treats for milestones.
I'm doing the 1% challenge, which works out about £1300 per %. The bite size chunks definately makes my goal seem more achiveable.
I'm on my 2nd 1%, maybe a treat every 10% would be good.

Today will be a spend day, I need to buy some chocs to go in my partners advent calendar, but that will come out the gift fund. I just have to avoid picking myself up an iced coffee or something.

x_raphael_xx

The trip to the corner shop was successful: £7.25 in advent chocs, box of chocs for the postie, and £3.70 in milk for work (which I'll recoop from the office tea-fund).

I spent this evening pairing a couple of my tarantulas, I think we had success, and the boy didn't get eaten, so very pleased.

powerspowers

I love the 1% treat idea! 

Although each to their own for your Sunday night plans 😝 

x_raphael_xx

Today was a NSD.

Coffee bought for work, but that will come out the office tea fund. I took my £3.70 owed for the milk, so will collect the £5.00 for the coffee tomorrow.

Bf has bought me an early birthday present, an expensive tarantula that's been on my wish list. Davus sp. panama - Lava tarantula. Deep red on black, beautiful! £70 for a 1cm baby. I was worried they'd all get bought up quickly as they are in high demand in the hobby, which is why I've been allowed it early (My birthday is January)

The rest of the day was fairly routine, Monday is always a busy day in work, but I like keeping busy so that's all good. Then I played some video games with my brother, great fun.

x_raphael_xx

NSD Achieved.

I realised a couple of hours into my shift that I had uploaded the accounts wrong in work yesterday. Took me all day to reverse 190 transactions, then process them correctly. At least it kept me busy I guess.

Didn't get a lot of sleep last night (was asked to come in 2 hours earlier than normal due to being short staffed today) so early night I think.

Usual animal chores done today, didn't realise I was out of big crickets and low on locusts so Claude the chameleon just got 3 big locusts. I'll need to pop to the pet shop tomorrow on my way home for more. So a spend day planned for tomorrow, but as long as I stick to just petfood it's all good.

RobM99

x_raphael_xx said:

I spent this evening pairing a couple of my tarantulas, I think we had success, and the boy didn't get eaten, so very pleased.

Not something you read every day!

x_raphael_xx

RobM99 said:

x_raphael_xx said:

I spent this evening pairing a couple of my tarantulas, I think we had success, and the boy didn't get eaten, so very pleased.

Not something you read every day!

Keeps life interesting
Planned spend day today. £16.00 on pet food. Crickets, locusts & mice.
Bf was paid today, so gave me his half of the bill money, budgets shuffled and updated.