No Spend January

I feel so guilty after reading 👆- I’ve just bought a lovely new leather handbag for daily use. I’ve been using the current bag for well over 2 years, day-in and day-out. So ‘Twas time for a change.

Haven’t just paid last months Amazon bill. I am definitely cutting down on that. 🤦‍♀️

Shinamae

Haven’t just paid last months Amazon bill. I am definitely cutting down on that. 🤦‍♀️

As long as you haven’t paid your Amazon bill, then that’s ok 😉

It’s an admirable challenge, but I couldn’t do it, two birthdays in January and a freezer costs less to run the fuller it is.
Good luck.

I can’t go for a month without spending money and am amazed that anyone can.
I don’t have huge cupboards or freezers stuffed with food but need to buy regularly.
What I can and will do tho is to not buy anything that I don’t need, so no money spent on clothes, make up, perfume, alcohol.Jan and Feb will be leaner months.

Sorry, but I would say it’s totally impossible to spend not a penny in January. Fresh produce, milk, etc needs to be bought at least weekly, bills need to be paid.
Trying to use up what you have is admirable, and perhaps that’s what you mean? However, to not spend anything at all, not a penny, for the 31 days of January is, I would suggest, virtually impossible for just about everybody. Bus fares anyone? Petrol for the car? Fuel & utility bills?

P.S, hope you don’t need to visit the dentist or optician this month.

TBH, aren’t we too old for scrimping and saving ? Unless you wish to leave your children a large inheritance…

With birthdays, other unexpected happenings, not possible I would have thought.

Mell967 It seems to me you either shopped up before 1 Jan or are a wasteful shopper. Do the majority of pet owners hold a month or more of pet food inntheir home, unless stocking up before a period of not shopping for it or have you accidentally ended up with more pet food than nornmal.

M0nica

Mell967 It seems to me you either shopped up before 1 Jan or are a wasteful shopper. Do the majority of pet owners hold a month or more of pet food inntheir home, unless stocking up before a period of not shopping for it or have you accidentally ended up with more pet food than nornmal.

I buy a 15kg bag of dog food, once a month and no I never have any more dog food than I need

crazyH

TBH, aren’t we too old for scrimping and saving ? Unless you wish to leave your children a large inheritance…

My son certainly will not have any inheritance

Mel1967

M0nica

Mell967 It seems to me you either shopped up before 1 Jan or are a wasteful shopper. Do the majority of pet owners hold a month or more of pet food inntheir home, unless stocking up before a period of not shopping for it or have you accidentally ended up with more pet food than nornmal.

I buy a 15kg bag of dog food, once a month and no I never have any more dog food than I need

Sorry forgot to add I am not a wasteful shopper.
What makes you think that??

No spend January
Can anyone tell me how I could persuade my husband ?
Not to elaborate due to health issues I was not driving for about 18 months so unable to shop Not my favourite occupation at best of times
Husband has become a compulsive shopper
We live in a small town with two not very large supermarkets
The problem is the Lidl card. Spend over a certain amount in a month and you get a 10% voucher plus you get various offers
Get my picture I have had 8 packets of dishwasher tablets of type I don’t really like. 5 butternut squash. 3 1/2 pounds of butter 12 bars of chocolate. Enough cheese to make fondue for an army I could go on. One doesn’t exist in his vocabulary
I have two freezers full the second he bought in a panic at beginning of Covid.
Oh I nearly forgot. Yellow stickers just call out put me in your trolly I sware sometimes he doesn’t look to see what they are
Please no one tell me to tell him not to, son and I have tried all to no avail. I just felt like a good moan
Now Amazon. …………….. the story could go on

M0nica

Mell967 It seems to me you either shopped up before 1 Jan or are a wasteful shopper. Do the majority of pet owners hold a month or more of pet food inntheir home, unless stocking up before a period of not shopping for it or have you accidentally ended up with more pet food than nornmal.

It's not wasteful if it is going to be eaten/used.

Mel1967

Shinamae

Haven’t just paid last months Amazon bill. I am definitely cutting down on that. 🤦‍♀️

As long as you haven’t paid your Amazon bill, then that’s ok 😉

It should’ve said having!😁

Good luck to you, Mell. I enjoy a challenge myself and think it does me good to step out of my comfort zone.

I won’t be joining you in this one though. DH and I both have birthdays this month, for starters. In any case it’s a bit extreme for my liking.

Well you will achieve a number of things if your challenge is successful

Recoup some cash from the pre-Christmas binge.
Use up old stock and start the new year afresh
Get satisfaction from a challenge well met
And a chance to ignore the lemon suckers 😄

Too late for me, I've just bought a Sydney-London return ticket!!

It's good to have goals Mel1967 and good luck with this.

Obviously everyone does not live thd same sort of life style. We always get some on these threads who think their's is the way others must live or want to live - I would ignore them.

I think it should be possible for a month. I freeze extra meals quite often and every now and then have blitz using up what is in the freezer. This seems like an extention of that and January a good time to do it, especially if you are the one who entertained others.

Going by another thread you are on, I think you are genuine.

I did sort of half heartedly try it once.
I soon came a cropper with family birthdays.
I have also read of others who give it a go, and are ok unless car troubles.

But it is definitely possible to do it to some degree. It helps with cashflow.

I have no intention of not spending on my weekly fresh organic veg, fruit, milk and eggs. That alone is costly

I have a lot of wholefoods stashed in my garage, larder and freezer so I will not be buying any more for quite some time. Just as well as my big bills arrive all at once during february/march

I am reining in my endorphic spending on patterns and fabrics, I already have a `lot` of both. The way I am getting around the impulsiveness is by using the wishlists eg today I put a bag pattern in there. If I still want it in a few weeks, then I will get it

We have booked a steam train journey and a two night stay in Edinburgh in the summer.
If we had waited until next month, the trip would be sold out and hotel prices more expensive.

We eat a lot of fruit and veg and frozen fruit doesn't always freeze well.
Fresh bread, milk and veg are a necessity for us.

However, I have decided not to read seductive emails, offering 20% off. That should stop me visiting websites and buying things I actually don't need. 😉

I hope you achieve your goal, Mel.

The OP asked a question people responded. I didn't realise we had to nod in agreement.

The first firm I ever worked for paid salaries on the last Friday of the month. Except at Christmas when they paid out a week early. Very handy with the expense of Christmas but it meant that the wait for the January payday was six weeks. It taught me to watch the pennies and meant that January was as near to no spend as possible and the habit has stuck. (I was still always overdrawn.)

So, No Spend January isn't such a bad idea if it makes you use up left over food, look at your finances and think about what you have, but many are already doing it out of necessity.