No spend month

[shadowcat5]

OK. I've wanted my downstairs bathroom wallpapered for a while. Well just the one wall tbh with it being a bathroom. I've seen some GORGEOUS designer wallpaper in local charity shop. It's up for £1 a roll. This is justified spending surely?

I think that's justified cause you'd be spending more money in the long run buying more expensive wallpaper?

I appreciate it's no spend but I'm personally not going to go without if I see a good deal or need something. I need new underwear badly, I've got a voucher so it is still no spend technically but I would spend the money and if I saw some clothes (summer holiday stuff) I needed on offer while I was there I would buy them. It's only going to end up with me spending more money closer to the time and ending up with clothes I don't really want but need. I think the key is to be sensible and ask if you really need it and not just buying it for the sake of it. I wouldn't call this an impulse buy if you're asking on tattle whether it's justified.

 

[Welshgal]

I'm in. Any there rules/a guide? I know I need a new hairdryer, is that allowed?
I might just start simply with a "no buying lunch at work" rule

Everyone can pretty much set their own rules and how strict they want to be. But I‘d say buying to replace something that‘s broken is totally fine! And I‘m sure if you stick to the no-lunch rule you will see a change and then that might motivate you to cut back on even more things

 

[GlassOfBeans]

Day 13 and I’ve crumbled. It was gym wear and on sale. I will now have to exercise so I can class it as a necessity

I think this definitely goes in to the Necessity Box! A good gym set that makes you feel confident is the best motivation so I think you’re good with this one

 

[Misssj80]

I'm definitely going to do this from the end of this month. I'm forever popping in the shop to buy a couple of bits and end up spending 20/30 pounds. Also going to stop the unnecessary purchases from Amazon etc. I really want to get my savings up!!

 

[MarthaFarkus]

Looking for a 3rd NSD of the month today, the urge to spend is strong but I really don’t need anything. I have so much else going on in my life at the moment that spending would definitely help, but of course it wouldn’t it would make it a lot worse. Stay strong Tattlers!

 

[JustmeKC]

Good on you, it’s hard to resist! I tend to just think of something or see something I want and go off to purchase it and it’s gotten worse since I’ve had Clearpay, yesterday for example I went to purchase a £40 camera (Kodak one you put film in and get them developed like the good old days) and then thought what are you doing you idiot just stop! It’s like an urgency of I NEED it when realistically I do not. I’ve been so broke this month I think the penny has dropped, I worked out all my spending through Clearpay and I spent £2500 last year on it - had I not have used it I probably wouldn’t have bought most of the stuff. I felt sick. I’ve taken a good hard look at everything I have and realised I defo don’t need anymore stuff and I need to look after money or I’ll be living like this when I’m 40. The funny thing is, I’m not stupid, I know how to budget and I know what I should do but I just go stupid whenever I get something in my head to buy. Having Clearpay helps to split all these purchases up which makes me rationalise unnecessary spending… No more!! I have £9k of debt (reduced from 21k in the last 18 months) so this is where I need to focus. I’ve been in these cycles since I was 18, I’ve gotten slightly better but I need to be stricter for sure.

Well done on reducing the debt so much, that’s a huge achievement!

I don’t think any of us are stupid, the marketing for most of the non essentials we buy is very cleverly designed to make us want it all, and want it now. The undertone is that we deserve it - L’Oréals line “because I’m worth it”, Nikes “just do it”; the design of the likes of beauty bay, cult beauty, the special offers, free delivery over a certain spend and then the introduction of clearpay as you point out, next day delivery - it’s all there to suck us in. I can’t fathom paying for a bottle of foundation (as an example) on Klarna for 3 months when it’s used up after 2

At one stage I had to throw out over £900 worth of non usable make up & skincare. Yes I calculated it, and yes I cried. I think it was a turning point for me in realising my spending was chaotic - and I also had the ever growing credit card to support it, as well as nowhere to put it!

 

[candyland_]

I’m not even trying at this point. I’ve needed to treat myself to pick my arse up

Sometimes I think it’s better to spend and have something to show for it because a lot of the time the money filters away on nothing anyway.

 

[candyland_]

I’m finding it impossible to do. There’s always something that needs bought.

 

[GlassOfBeans]

All right, let's do this:
Jan 15th, day 1: brunch with an ex, he paid! groceries (don't count) so
Day 2: resisted new boots on sale , gonna buy some bread for dinner that was home cooked yesterday, no take out for this girl! so check

COME on! who's with me!

I need to get my exes to pay for brunches… is that the secret to success? haha

 

[OnlyHereForTheLolz]

Bravo to you who can do no spend January. I’m using all the sales to bag bargains for gifts throughout the year

 

[Lucyxxxx]

Ffs failed at Asda. Well wouldn't say it was a 100% failure. I got myself some new bedding but I did need some, not urgently but there you go I did it anyways.

 

[StrawberryBanana90]

I've been going by 15.01-15.02 and it started off well but I caved and bought a couple of books online yesterday

BUT my main goal is to stop going out to buy lunches at work which I have achieved all this week so far it's the small victories!

 

[PeepholePringle]

I've been doing this for a few weeks now as I'm planning a house move so need to save money. I was really embarrassed having to hand over bank statements when applying for my mortgage. So much Starbucks, Costa etc! Ridiculous. I now make coffee at home if I'm driving somewhere and take it in a travel mug, saves me spending a fiver at a drive-through.
I need this thread to keep me on the straight and narrow!
What's working for me so far:
I've made myself be less fussy and just eat whatever I have in the house. Lots of forgotten tins of soup have suddenly seen the light of day.
Been going through my stash of beauty products and toiletries instead of buying more.
And shopping at Aldi/Lidl with a list, it makes it easier as there isn't much temptation with clothes and fancy homeware like there is at Sainsbury's.
Like other posters have unsubscribed from spammy emails, plus limiting my time on Instagram as this just gives me house/fashion envy and inspires me to shop online.
Amazed myself how much I was wasting on stuff I don't need and is just cluttering up the place.

 

[PartTimeNoseyWitch]

I relate to you so much. The best of intentions lead us down the worst of paths.

For me it's like I need a little bit of spending, as a fix, and the excitement of the delivery, just to keep me going.

I wish I could be strict! I feel like I just need to treat myself all the time and the only time I don’t is when I have no money left which is usually about 2 weeks before I get paid. It’s so stressful!

 

[LolitaBlah]

OMG I love the reaction of everyone!! the thread was dead! all right let's do this!!
So far this month:
- bought one dress (50 euros), new boots (20 euros) and we have sales coming up and I need a few more things, but.. do i?
- bought the vileda mop that I have been dreaming about for years (45 euros)
- Took an uber yesterday because I was too tired to take two metros (26 euros )
I have a problem and I should stop!!!

 

[Zulkraa]

Oh you've talked me in to it. My whole bathroom is plain white and just plain so need something to give it abit of life and colour.

The Vaspar sample paint pots I think I paid £4.99 for one of those in B&Q, so £1 for a roll of wallpaper that you love is justified and a bargain!

I like this but at £395 a roll it’s a no. (I know people will say it’s awful, but I’m a maximalist!)

 

[shadowcat5]

Following! She says while browsing Apple watches...

I had burger king for lunch... I have food in the fridge I could have eaten but I still got burger king for lunch. You are not alone

 

[JustmeKC]

There’s a lady on insta called Mrs Hawkins House and she’s doing a no spend year; she has some interesting posts up on what she considers essential spending and how to approach it, it might be helpful for those of you wanting to do no spend but struggling. I regularly toy with the idea of doing a no spend week but it never works out for me but I think that’s a complete lack of commitment on my part!

 

[shadowcat5]

I think it’s cutting out the little things that makes the biggest difference. I noticed I had spent £150 in one month just nipping into the corner shop for multipacks of Coke or popping in for kitchen roll and then spending £5/10 on crap.

Agree!!

I have an issue where I would not let myself have a thing but I'd substitute the thing but then end up buying the original thing anyway. For example, pepsi max is a bit of a vice for me. I'm not a chocolate or snack eater but pepsi max is like my version of chocolate or biscuits or wine etc. I am limited to one glass a day anyway but in order to save the £2 a week on a bottle, I bought £1 squash to drink instead. Well the squash didn't give me the same feeling so now I have £1 squash in the house but bought the pepsi anyway. I had the realisation that it's actually probably cheaper for me to go to food warehouse or b&m on payday, spend the money on cans out of my 'fun money' and just have done with it.

 

[Marcinabolan]

Following! She says while browsing Apple watches...

I got my Apple Watch second hand from Cex when I traded in some games and an old ds that I’d not bothered with in forever, and I ended up only putting £20 to it, so that could be an option but depends what exactly you’re after and if you have stuff worth trading in!