A No-Spending Month!

Back when - you know -  before, Man Wonderful and I shared with our friends some secrets to staying afloat.  Now I'll share some with you, if they will help in anyway.

We had started our life together with very little, but both being resourceful we lived differently so we could save money for things that were important to us.

One of the things we have ALWAYS done is have a no-spending month.

. We sit and look at everything financial in this month.  

. We check Direct Debits to make sure we don't have any unnecessary subscriptions.

. We look at our insurances and 'compare' companies to see if we can reduce any outgoings.

. We don't use laundry powder this month - it's one of the months we just use soap nuts.

. We don't use the car unless absolutely essential.

. This one goes without saying: No meals out - can't remember the last one anyway!

. No takeaways - the only one we ever have is Fish and Chips as I cook a pretty mean curry or stir-fry at home!

. We check through all our cupboards and everything that can go on eBay or local selling page does.

. We stock check the food cupboards and freezer and meal plan for the month, with a list of what we need to buy as opposed to what would be nice.

. We plan our 'off-time' for any little jobs that need doing - Man Wonderful will go around the wee house with his pot of paint and tart-up the windowsills, I'll do little repairs on things (that reminds me, the patchwork that lives downstairs needs a little repair..).

. We get really snuggly for the approaching winter, testing the heating and boiler and making sure any draughts are sealed.

. The garden is tidied and trimmed ready for the colder months.

. Everything in the freezer is listed and made into meals (yesterday we were 'gifted' four big SeaBass fillets, so they have been divided up into six hearty meal portions and five have gone into the freezer with 'fish' written five times on my meal-planning chart.  I will decide how to cook it the day before.  One portion is being cooked by MW this evening (yum!).

. We used to use these months to respond to all invitations to folk's house for dinner, but can't at the mo.  

. I continue to craft, we continue to read.

. I use Ziffit to sell any books we don't want anymore, and that GD isn't interested in.

. Any foods we have and won't eat ourselves are given to the foodbank  - tinned or packets.

What we will spend on:

Rent

Diesel for any absolutely essential journeys - nothing planned

Household bills - all by DIrect Debit, but these get checked for cheaper alternatives

Food*

* We have a weekly budget set amount and when it's gone, it's gone in these months.

We have a store cupboard with enough tinned and packet foods to accompany the fresh veg and fruit that is delivered weekly.

We only buy essentials to add to the food plans.

So.

that's how we do it.

Do you have no-spend months?

How successful have they been, and what could you not do without?

Tracey xx