Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

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SandiSAHM
Posts: 2263
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by SandiSAHM »

Starting in the ditch, 0 for 2 days of January. Just returned from a spendy vacation at a conference. The only things we spent on were hotels, van rental, conference attendance & meals, and we made some contributions to individual charities while there. Kenneled the wild animal. Ate out on the road THREE times :shock: . Had 3 kids with us besides our own, subsidized their meals as all 3 are working students and no way are we taking money from them. Their company was a blessing.

Now our kids and I are sick and DH, who has the day off, is doing a very basic restock of things the kids will actually eat while they have fevers and coughs. VERY basic, along with Delsym because these coughs are painful! But that means I'll have to do a larger restock as soon as I can stand up and not get dizzy.

However, NO - none, zero, zilch - unnecessary spending will be done. Right now if we can't eat it or it doesn't warm us, clean our clothes or dishes (or us :lol: ), help us recover or allow the cars to run, it's not getting purchased.

Happy New Year! Onward!
2dogs+someCats
Posts: 845
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2017 7:46 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by 2dogs+someCats »

Janet, want to thank you for taking this concept and running with it. Floridacat, thank you for the links to those blogs.

I am off to a good start - no money spent all year, LOL.

I am thinking of alternatives to buying some things that I think I need. For example,

1. I think I need winter sweaters for work. Well, in the past, my mom has offered to let me have a look in her closet and take what I want. Now when I refer to "Mom's Closet", you must understand that we are talking about HUNDREDS of items of clothing, JAMMED into a big 'ol closet, 99.99% of it never worn or even seen by anyone. I am willing to have a look. If I come out (alive, lol) with just a few things, it will be worth it.

2. Things to craft with - no, no, and NO, I will not purchase anymore this year. I don't have a very big stash - it all fits into a couple of shoe boxes and I am going to make that work. I can also scrounge through my recycling bin, garage, cellar, even nature - to come up with things to make into other things if I feel the need to do so. There are websites and youtube videos for inspiration if I need it.

3. Meals out. Now I am not one who goes out for meals all that much but I still feel it is too much, main reason being I don't get the enjoyment out of it that is worth the price! I have a friend who likes to get together and go out for coffee and dessert and I am going to start suggesting we have coffee and dessert at my house - or at her place if she wants. I think I have mentioned here before I have a "thing" about liking to know where my food came from and who made it and how - so I just don't enjoy going out for food all that much. I want to see if I can eliminate that for a whole year!!

4. Books. I own right around 40 or so books. I have NOT read them all. I will not buy any additional books this year. Granted I normally "buy" them used and with amazon gift cards - but I can do better things with those hard earned gift cards. need to read the books I already own, maybe even list a couple for sale - and use the library.

There are others but I can't think what they are right now. There are things I will spend on because I need or want to - I am working on working out what those will be. I am thinking one thing will be a good pair of New Balance sneakers. I am going to need them come spring and New Balance is my favorite brand. My last pair lasted me 6 years!

Anyway, I am most excited about this challenge!
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7262
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by MackerelCat »

I am also on a book moratorium. It would take me five years to read all the real books and e-books that are languishing unread. And there's plenty of fabric and yarn for the little bit of hand-made stuff I do.

Today was not a no-spend day, although everything was necessary: I bought tea, laundry detergent and shampoo. I brought my breakfast, lunch, snacks and tea to work from home today and will do so tomorrow and on and on. My co-worker and I had a string of bad lunches from nearby restaurants, and I have returned to the frugality of brown bagging it.

I did invest $100 in a Kickstarter for the excellent vegan restaurant next door to our office because I'll get a punch card good for 10 lunch entrees in return for the investment. Won't get the card until March, but that will give me something to look forward to. One of their entrees makes two meals for me.
Mackie
Momof2
Posts: 74
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:42 pm

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by Momof2 »

Today ended up being an unplanned, but budgeted spend day. I picked up some items for my car- coolant/anti-freeze solution, oil (I keep an extra on hand since my car is older), and radiator flushing solution. RM and I are planning on changing out the fluid in the radiator (the maintenance guide states to do this every couple of years), checking the air pressure in my tires, and checking a few other things just to make sure everything looks good. Since RM and I went to Wal-Mart for those items, we also grabbed 4 containers of frozen apple juice and a package of peas and carrots blend- two items I cannot find at either Aldi’s or Publix, so $4.88 out for that. It is okay, I budgeted $5.00 for grocery items this week.
For breakfast I used some of the Irish Oatmeal from the pantry stash, added some Agave, cinnamon, and blueberry-flavored craisins- all from the pantry stash. I added a little milk to each bowl once it was done- I have milk that needs using and I like to eat my oatmeal with a little milk over it. I also used 4 cups of the milk (I had about 1/3 gallon that needs using soon) and some yogurt to make homemade yogurt.

For lunch, I had some of the left-over squash casserole. RM had chips and dip.
I warmed up the rest of the squash casserole for dinner. I also used the left-over beans in the fridge along with a partial onion, some garlic, chili powder, cumin, and a little oil to make re-fried beans. I used those to make bean and cheese burritos, using up a tomato that needed used, a little red onion, the left-over homemade tortillas and part of the opened cheddar cheese. I also used up the little bit of sour cream and onion dip that was left in the fridge. RM and I still have three burritos in the fridge for later in the week. I used up the rest of the beans on some of the rice that we had left-over from New Year’s Eve dinner, as a side dish to the burritos and casserole.

Tomorrow morning, I am going to use the rest of the milk to make a white gravy to have with breakfast sausage and scrambled eggs. I plan on using the left-over duck (also from New Year’s Eve dinner) to make a Duck and Wild Rice Soup along with some homemade bread. I planned on making a Waldorf salad to go along with dinner tonight, but had too much to use, so may make that for tomorrow’s dinner too.

I do not plan on leaving the house tomorrow, so it should be a no-spend day.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I am already challenged by the no spend challenge..lol. My dishwasher is not working. I know a lot of people do theirs by hand but I have a neurological disease and when I stand in one spot too long, ie to do dishes, I loose my balance. The problem may be something like needing a pump but I will not call a repairman.. I have to laugh because I was getting low on dishwasher detergent and thought bummer I will have to buy some by the end of the month. On the up side I have bought, on sale, enough dish-washing detergent to most likely get me through until spring or later. Plus I have been wanting to lower my water bill.. So all things considered maybe this is a blessing in disguise. I do have an aide that comes in 4 days a week and she will just have to do the dishes by hand like she does at her other client's homes. I can do dishes but in short shifts and then walk around and come back to it or do something else and come back to it. I remember back when I was a little girl and we had to hand pump the water outside in a pail, bring it in and Mom would heat it on the stove before we could do dishes. Even in Minnesota before we had running water I had to go to a spring several's times a day to get water to do dishes so this should be easy.

I am glad that others are looking forward to our No Spend Challenge.. It is good to see how others are doing their challenge and give each other ideas and support.

Janet Alliesmama
Janet Alliesmama
snowangel729
Posts: 348
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 9:19 am

Re: Starting our 2018 No Spend Challenge

Post by snowangel729 »

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Snowangel good to hear from you.. Janet Alliesmama
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Hi! Yeah, I am here! I lurk daily checking up with you all, I dont always get the time to post because I switched to first shift at my job and DS keeps me busy lol, boys are full of energy and rambunctious haha. Someone should have told me haha.
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