Does anyone do "No Spend Days" (NSD)??

[pixie-gem]

Hiya guys

I seem to spend most of my time flitting between here and the MSE forum, so i thought maybe we could start our own little NSD thread

I'm trying super hard to save for a weeks All Inclusive break to Hurghada for me and hubby in Feb for our wedding anniversary as it was where we took our first holiday together, all those moons ago.
So i need to save £900 (have booked the annual leave and will prob book it last minute and try and save some pennies that way too) whilst still dealing with essentials like bills, rent, essentials, christmas and our holiday to Cali next Sept (oh god it sounds alot written down )
We don't have kids so generally it is easier for us (except when it comes to Christmas, and we have lots of nieces & nephews, family etc)

Anyhoo, i'm waffling.
The idea is to set yourself a goal, or just go day by day, and try not to spend money.
This DOESN'T include the above that i mentioned, so housing, bills, kids, vets, medical, work travel etc don't count.
This is purely for those little things that maybe you just don't need.
Packing a lunch instead of going to the bakery, using up what's in the cupboard instead of going shopping, do you REALLY want that mag/paper/chocolate/pub/nails etc

I find a good starting point to be, well say you had £50 (just an example, can be any amount) a week, for whatever you wanted, all those little things, after all major stuff is paid (we have a budget so we have "pocket money" as it were personally) then you could put that in a box or a jar or whatever, and take out £10 of it. That £10 sits in your purse/wallet, until you spend it(always get a receipt). You then put the receipt back in the box/pot and take another £10 out.
When the money is all gone (and you don't get extra until next "pocket money" day) you look at all your receipts and see where it went. And then next week, try and make that £10 last a bit longer.

It does help open your eyes.
I found i spend a lot of money on CRAP!

Anyways, sorry for the babble, i hope this made sense and i hope it helps some of us out.

NSD today, as i only have a fiver and weigh in moro costs £4.95 so i'm staying home, and trying to figure out a plan of action for this £900 i have to save xx

 

[Shirleen]

I once kept all my receipts and discovered I spent over £60 a month on lunches!!!

 

[pixie-gem]

I once kept all my receipts and discovered I spent over £60 a month on lunches!!!

It's ridiculous isn't it, how it's always the little things that add up!

 

[Shirleen]

It's ridiculous isn't it, how it's always the little things that add up!

Yep! Using pay at pump for petrol also avoids ad hoc purchases.

 

[pixie-gem]

I started ssomething like this on Monday.

I do a main shop at weekends but always seem to end up in Tesco every day during the week.Not going in for anything in perticular just going in to see whats on offer.And yes you guessed it always come out with a bag full of things.

So Monday I decided that if I don't need anything then I won't go in the store and if I only need some fruit when I pass the veg shop will just pick up what I need.

I like your idea I'm going to start having £10 a week and see if I can get that to last a week.
I have already cut back on getting Costa every day at £1.75 for a cup of tea.So already this week I have saved £5.25. I live 3/4 miles from Costa so I have no real reason to have one.

Every little bit helps i'm lucky in the sense that i don't like coffee but hubby can easily spend a tenner a week on costa on his way to work, shocking for just a little cup of coffee really!

Also i find magazines are so expensive as well, there are a few that i read, but now instead of paying up to a fiver a month per mag, i started asking for subscriptions to them for birthdays and christmas (you can usually get 6 issues for around £20) so saving a fortune that way too.

i have no issue spending money, i just hate wasting it and would rather spend it on something we'll enjoy
After having an IVA with monthly payments that exceed some peoples wages, i'm pretty nifty at juggling now lol, and i refuse credit, unless it's 0% and only for "big" things like car, bathroom, kitchen etc.
i do have a credit card but its only for extra insurances on big items again and it gets paid off in full every month. I hate paying interest, the greedy *******!

Also any extra i have will be going in the Hurghada pot, for example our BT comes every quarter and varies between £120-150 so if it comes in at £120, then that's an extra £30 for the pot. Or shopping, usually allow £150 (yes i said that lol but there's only two of us) and this month because i didn't need cleaning stuff, washing powder, loo roll etc, that was another £30 for the pot, that would've otherwise just gone on absolutely nothing.

 

[FatGurlSlim]

This sounds brilliant! I waste soooooo much money on magazines and coffee. Today will be a NSD. I also find that if I carry cash in my wallet, and can't use my debit card, then I spend less - when I see the actually money leaving my wallet, I am way more sensible with it.

 

[kingleds]

I do this every week day & have done since I gave up smoking. I make it a bit of a challenge to see how long I can keep the same £40 in my purse. I managed an entire week once

I do my food shop online. I plan all my meals for the week after weigh in I Saturday. Get the shopping delivered on sunday. I don't tend to buy too much more in the week except occasionally some fruit.

The only things I sped money on in the week are diesel for the car, pet food & cat litter (twice a month) & other travel expenses for work. My golden rule is if I can't expense it, I don't spend it.

The exception to this is today, where I will need to buy chewing gum before I go to my meeting as I have garlic breath!

I take my lunch with me to work most days. I work in a not very nice part of Slough so its not like there is a nice pub to go to for lunch on a daily basis.

Even today, I've taken leftovers in a food flask to eat on the train into London. Much nicer than a pret sandwich, though a bit more annoying to other passengers I imagine.

I should point out I have no kids, and a job which keeps me busy from 6am to 8pm daily when I take into account travelling so I don't really have a great deal of time to spend money in the week, or anyone who asks me to spend it on them so I expect I've got it much easier than most in this respect!

 

[pixie-gem]

I do this every week day & have done since I gave up smoking. I make it a bit of a challenge to see how long I can keep the same £40 in my purse. I managed an entire week once

I do my food shop online. I plan all my meals for the week after weigh in I Saturday. Get the shopping delivered on sunday. I don't tend to buy too much more in the week except occasionally some fruit.

The only things I sped money on in the week are diesel for the car, pet food & cat litter (twice a month) & other travel expenses for work. My golden rule is if I can't expense it, I don't spend it.

The exception to this is today, where I will need to buy chewing gum before I go to my meeting as I have garlic breath!

I take my lunch with me to work most days. I work in a not very nice part of Slough so its not like there is a nice pub to go to for lunch on a daily basis.

Even today, I've taken leftovers in a food flask to eat on the train into London. Much nicer than a pret sandwich, though a bit more annoying to other passengers I imagine.

I should point out I have no kids, and a job which keeps me busy from 6am to 8pm daily when I take into account travelling so I don't really have a great deal of time to spend money in the week, or anyone who asks me to spend it on them so I expect I've got it much easier than most in this respect!

I think i could learn from you

 

[FatGurlSlim]

I do this every week day & have done since I gave up smoking.

Once I stopped smoking for a week because I wanted some expensive face cream, and couldn't justify buying it. This was when a pack of 20 cost about a fiver. After saving £35 that week, I just couldn't justify smoking again! I can't imagine how much I've saved by quitting (not to mention the health benefits...)

 

[kingleds]

Once I stopped smoking for a week because I wanted some expensive face cream, and couldn't justify buying it. This was when a pack of 20 cost about a fiver. After saving £35 that week, I just couldn't justify smoking again! I can't imagine how much I've saved by quitting (not to mention the health benefits...)

I know - its amazing that I'm still the only one in my circle of friend who has successfully given up. I've not idea how anyone affords it anymore!

 

[Wannabe skinnymini]

I need to do this. I've never been good with money and I'm married to an accountant! My problem is I live a 10 second walk to Asda and I spend money when I'm bored. Need to find a hobby I think! Will be getting tips from this thread

 

[kingleds]

I should have added that I am completely capable of spending all my wages in 1 weekend if I see the right stuff when out shopping. Its why I shop online for food now as I used to spend £120 a week in waitrose for 2 of us! Crazyness.

 

[Noddynoobs]

i do this! i hav a spreadsheet that i keep at work with all my shifts and tasks that need doing on certain days. about a month ago, i added an extra column and note down how much i spend on "extras" and what the item was. its good to see a nice long line of 0's!
this month i am very short due to my MOT bill. on payday i had £17 in my purse, so this was my "extras" budget for the month. i have bunged it in my pants drawer and not touched it since. I am going to the pub for tea with my friend 2moro and i am allowing myself a budget of £7, leaving £10 til my next pay day on the 25th. i reckon i can do it!
ive stopped going to asda at lunch time, and instead sit in my car being unsocialable reading my kindle (free books that ive downloaded!). i always take a packed lunch so never had any reason to go to asda anyway, but used to walk down there as an hour is too long for lunch and i live to far away to pop home. i always used to buy things just beacuse they were a bargain! not any more! i am determined to save money, as i have litterally no savings for an emergency!

 

[londongirl88]

You've made me think now, I spend about £160 a month on food at work!! I think I need to start packing a lunch...

 

[rubyq]

I need to do this. I've never been good with money and I'm married to an accountant! My problem is I live a 10 second walk to Asda and I spend money when I'm bored. Need to find a hobby I think! Will be getting tips from this thread

Hi that sounds so like me!!!!I browse tescos wit 2 yr old child in buggy cos shes happier wen we are out of house!I buy so much rubbish (and food thats ruining my diet)Definatly need a hobbie....let me know if you have an inspiration!!!rubyqxXx

 

[pixie-gem]

Brilliant guys, see we can all pick up tips
It is shocking how much we spend on "nothing" isn't it!

I had £60 on Friday and i have a fiver left, i have not taken my own advice this week as i can't figure out where it's gone...oh 6 boxes of rocky road hi-fi's is prob one of them oops which is way more than i need, but my silly brain decided that they were the last 6 and she wasn't getting anymore, oh and this and that and it's all codswallop! I wanted em, so i bought them, and now i'm skint til Friday and serves me bloody right too!

 

[*Emsie*]

I do have lots of days where I don't spend as take lunch and drinks to work etc but also have too many days where I spend too much!
Hubby could definitely do with doing this he doesn't realise how much money he fritters on coffee's and beers etc

 

[littlemissslimming]

I do! I am new to these forumns but spend a lot of time on the money-saving-expert ones try to have a lot of NSDs! It can be hard when you have to follow a specific meal plan with fresh fruit & veg but I try to be savvy with offers and shopping at ALDI. Would be nice to combine moneysaving and weight loss!

 

[nettie]

This is a great thread! Both me and my partner spend money unnecessarily every day.
There is a little community cafe at my work which is run by volunteers so the food is really cheap... until you start going everyday! I would say I easily spend £3 a day, maybe more. (scrambled egg and toast for breakfast is £1, a bottle of water is 50p and lunch is usually home made soup at £1 and a bowl of chicken/ham salad which is £1.30, thats a typical day) If we have forgotten to take meat out of the freezer we will stop off at Asda and buy some more, then the kids want a magazine or something and then a browse round George is a must.... my list goes on!
I have had a variety of hobbies over the years but last week I started a craft project, I make mixed media canvas pictures... I spent about £50 in 3 days on craft resources but I will be selling them so I should make the money back to buy more stuff x

 

[Texty_F]

There are 3 of us at home and I couldn't get out of the habit of cooking for 4 when my daughter left home, so now I put out 4 plates out when I cook the evening meal and the meal on the 4th plate is my lunch for the next day at work. This also reduces waste as Ive lost count in a month of the food Ive thrown out as id cooked too much. I work close to a shopping centre and it was so easy to pop to Asda at lunch time and buy those little packets of pre packed snack size fruit. Now when I do my shopping I buy my fruit in bulk ie melon, strawberries, grapes, I put enough for lunch into a plastic storage box and take this for afters at lunchtime. I drink lots of diet coke too and its 75p a can at work in the machines, so i go to home bargains and get a six pack of pepsi max for £1 39 and a saving of £2.36 a week.
When things were getting a little tight before my daughters wedding, I decided we couldnt afford the full SKY package we had and something had to give, so hubby rang and said sorry we cant afford this you will have to take the box out, they didnt want to lose custom so gave us our package for half price for 6 months a saving of £252 this all went toward the wedding fund Every little helps