No Buy Year

Christianne1957

Following this thread with interest. I'm newly retired so looking for inspiration to cut costs without feeling deprived 
I live out of town so shopping trips are once a week with a list of needs. Sadly due to the decline in the Steel industry, the local town - that was busy & vibrant - has got very run down over the last 30 years, all the big shops have long gone & small independent boutiques have closed down so there is little temptation to splurge wildly, browse or window shop. I do have a tendency to stockpile stuff against lean times which I need to curb & a stash of clothes, shoes & inherited "stuff" accumulated over the last 40 years that I need to reuse, recycle, sell, donate or bin before buying anything new

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

I have bought new winter boots, needed and budgeted for.  They are proper leather and should last a long time but have given me blisters!  Need to persevere.  I have also bought dumbells from Li@l that I have wanted for ages, £35 from my Christmas money given to me by MIL.  I used to have a £45 a month gym membership so all in all that's not bad value. 

Otherwise I am being sensible and quite pleased with how it's going. 

Slowdown

Might be a strange question but do the January sales still exist? When I was younger 1960s/70s it was a really big deal with queues and camp outs in the streets.  I haven’t heard a single thing about people at the sales this year. Has the Black Friday stuff taken over or am I just completely out of touch? I’m not a sales buyer as I worry I’d just go mad and think I’m getting a bargain when I didn’t need it in the first place!
I’ve had a very frugal start to the year with far fewer spends than normal so quite pleased about that. 

Happy penny pinching everyone. 😊

RHemmings

I can't imagine a no-spend year. But, I think I should have some no-spend days. Yesterday I only bought a chocolate bar and a bottle of squash for work. Today I want to have lunch at a small independent store that I wish to support, so there will be spending today. On Thursday and Friday I'm very busy at work, and hence NSDs are possible then. No idea what I'm doing for the weekend. 

kaths99

It’s more achievable to think of this as a ‘no new stuff’ year. There will always be emergency repairs and replacements- broken cooker, only pair of trainers collapsing- and if you don’t have a budget for these and see it as falling off the wagon, it’s too easy to see the idea as a failure and give up. Also it’s much easier to have a ‘no new clothes’ year if you have a full wardrobe to start with! 

Watty1

Slowdown said:

Might be a strange question but do the January sales still exist? When I was younger 1960s/70s it was a really big deal with queues and camp outs in the streets.  I haven’t heard a single thing about people at the sales this year. Has the Black Friday stuff taken over or am I just completely out of touch? I’m not a sales buyer as I worry I’d just go mad and think I’m getting a bargain when I didn’t need it in the first place!
I’ve had a very frugal start to the year with far fewer spends than normal so quite pleased about that. 

Happy penny pinching everyone. 😊

I remember those times in the 70s and early 80s.   In the 80s used to work with a woman who used to take the first day of the Harrods sale off too to go to the china department.   I don't think the sales do exist like that anymore, rather they seem to randomly start around November.  A few years ago I can remember going with the ex to "Boxing Day" sales with a list but it wasn't as good as the past memories..

I_Love_comps

I cannot do a 'no spend year.'  I would like to do a' cut down on what spend year'.   I had to pay £15 for grocery shopping.   Also had to buy some insoles for my heels, as my plantar fasciitis is playing up-bought from amazon were £4.99, I had £2.50 gift card for amazon earnt from do amazon surveys ,so that brought the cost down to 1/2 the price..

Florafauna

Feeling good as I've had four NSDs, another 2 planned then will need to put fuel in the car for my trip up north for daughter's birthday. Card and gift already bought and paid for. Was gifted prosecco at Xmas which I'll take up with me😁

weenancyinAmerica

Might have to start with a no spend week and work your way up.

RHemmings

weenancyinAmerica said:

Might have to start with a no spend week and work your way up.

A week still sounds very long to me.