Magnificent May's No-Spend Days Challenge!

Worlds_Worst_Superhero

AuntieL said:

Worlds_Worst_Superhero said:

AuntieL said:

Happy to report this has not been an NSD for me today. I invested £10 in an enterprise group in my school - a group of fantastic teenagers who plan to bake and sell cakes to raise money for our school breakfast club.🧁 

Perhaps you could you log this as a charitable donation, rather than a spend?

Thanks for the suggestion @Worlds_Worst_Superhero. I’m never 100% sure what to count and not to count as an NSD so I tend to count everything other than monthly bills, groceries and petrol as spends 🤷‍♀️

I categorise my spends as following:

ESSENTIAL- utility bills, food, basic hygiene and cleaning products, medical expenses, home and contents insurance.
Repair or replacement of basic clothing items.
Repair or replacement of essential household items- plumbing emergencies, boiler and electric checks, bedding, items for cooking etc.
These are things that HAVE to be paid for as an absolute necessity.
I try to find the best deals on these, use various loyalty vouchers, codes and cashback offers.

The essentials tend to be the more or less the same for everyone.

NECESSARY- These are non-essential, but without them life would be miserable.
If times were really tough, I could give them up but it would be difficult.
For me, this me includes bus and train travel, cycle maintenance, mobile phone contract with decent data allowance, putting money aside for savings, decent coffee, family holidays, occasional trips to the theatre or art exhibitions.

The necessary category will be different for everyone. May include pet care, car costs, after-school clubs, gym membership, driving lessons etc.

NON-ESSENTIAL includes things that, for me, are random, unplanned purchases. Careful planning means I can (usually!) avoid buying all of these: take-aways, grabbing food and drink on the go, restaurant meals, "date nights" out, new books, magazine and TV subscriptions, new clothes or items not purchased to replace current ones that are beyond repair, anything not on the "ESSENTIAL" or "NECESSARY" list.

I'm naturally a bit of a penny-pincher. I've always been pretty frugal but after my partner became seriously ill (he's fine now!) not long after we'd just had our daughter, it was a real struggle to get by.
But we managed, and kind of enjoyed our "Make Do and Mend" frugal lifestyle!
Since then, our financial situation has improved significantly but we still embrace the "Not Buying It" eco-aware, minimalist, anti-consumer lifestyle.
Admittedly, we could probably blow it all (plus a massive overdraft/ loan!) on a bigger house, flashy cars, designer handbags, this year's must-have gadgets and latest fashions but I doubt they'd improve my life. In fact, knowing how much they cost- and the reasons I felt the need to buy in order to conform- would probably make me quite miserable.

Worlds_Worst_Superhero

Delighted to report NSD 10 yesterday 😊

Books have always been my Achilles Heel when it comes to Unnecessary Spending, so a trip to a book fair was certain to be a bit risky!

As it was, I didn't spend anything 🥳 I had taken a tote bag of books I had finished with, planning to drop them off either at the fair or at a charity shop until I noticed they had a Book Swap stall.
As most of my old books were the latest best-sellers or preview copies from my job, they were soon snapped up.
In return I came home with 5 new-to-me books: a couple of crime fictions, a vegan cookie recipe book, a rather lovely Bulletin diary (I used these as reading diaries) and a huge but bashed book of modern art prints I plan to cut up and frame for presents or for donating to charity.

I did put a small donation for a spider plant in the charity pot on one stall, but I count this as a Charity Donation rather purchase as it's a tiny, run-on-a-shoestring local group that do a lot of good work.

laurenh1

Hello moneysavers:)

A spending day yesterday. I stopped at Aldi to get pizza bases for making pizzas today (I got given a pizza oven last year and I love it). I could count it as groceries but then I bought a battery operated light for my sons bunk bed, because I'm sick to death of him falling asleep while reading and him leaving  his lamp on. As this light will be closer to him I'm hoping he will be more inclined to switch it off.

£35 added to my jar for my holiday deposit 😁  and then I made my cinnamon buns, which I've been threatening to make all week,using up my bread flour and other bits 

Hub and I sat up late last night  watching the beautiful northern lights in our garden and today I'm sat in the sun with my 50p cider and a book. I don't plan on moving so NSD number 8 it is 😆 

I hope you are all enjoying the sunshine today 💛 

short_bird

An unexpected day 7. Nothing that can't wait. 

KajiKita

Oh I missed yesterday….? 🤔
NSD yesterday but not today. Had lunch in a garden centre with a good friend and bought both plants and hardware ….

KK

cathybird

May NSD challenge

Off to a start =

5 days =

10 days =

15 days =

20 days =

Target reached =

Target beaten =  

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May targets

AuntieL 4/15  

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bamboo socks 2/20  

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beanielou 9/19   

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blubella 5/12   

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Caeraugirl 5/20    

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cathybird 9/15   

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Crazycatlady2 5/18   

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Daywon 7/TF    

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Doris17 2/15  

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Flying By 6/14      

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Geriatricmum 3/15 

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HotDog2020 3/15  

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ilovetea 7/20    

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KajiKita 8/18   

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keggie 1/20 

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laura lau 1/17 

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laurenh 8/20   

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leftatthetrafficlights 9/24    

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LittleMissDetermined 8/18    

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madlyn 12  

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Makingabobor2 3/15 

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Money Choices  

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Mrs Cautious 10/23      

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Rupacomp 7/15   

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Saver-upper 2/15  

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SecondStar 18

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short bird 7/16    

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Tiangfeng2022 4/10    

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Worlds Worst Superhero 10/25      

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🌞 🌞  Newcomers welcome! 🌞 🌞

cathybird

May results updated here

beanielou

One today. 

HotDog2020

I have spent a little today, slightly overbudget, a lovelly garden and lovely cafe a lovely cake and drink and socks and second cake for later (polenta cake - I am sure it is healthier!) so no NS day for me...I thought at the beggining of the day I would stay in budget...not to be, But gained some pleasure.

MrsCautious

NSD number 10 for me today x