Hello Dear Reader,
Every year, I make July a no-spend month. I don’t buy anything to wear, any make up, anything for the house and just make do with what I have. I also have ‘Stoptober’, where some people give up smoking, but that’s another no-spend month. I also have lots of no-spend days. For example, I make a point of not spending any money until ten days after pay day. That means I’m already a third through a fiscal month and I still have everything I was paid, minus the direct debit payments that go out for household bills.
I also make a point of using up everything I have. I try my very best to use up all my fabric. To be honest, I would love to slice and cut up some different fabric from my stash but I’m determined to use up all the bits, bobs and small pieces I have to finish a quilt top.
I’m eating down the freezer and the store cupboard, reading books I already have, we’re watching our way through films we’ve stored on the free-sat box and we spend time walking in the evenings.
It’s amazing the difference that saving a month’s money can make. It means we can just save that money for the rest of the year or just put it towards the mortgage. We have a day out here and there but we’ll take a flask and packed lunch and enjoy ourselves without the need to spend any money.
I hope you are enjoying our lovely warm light evenings as much as I am. I made another section of my scrappy quilt and will get some more done over the weekend.
Over to you Dear Reader, who else has no-spend days, or weeks or even ‘Just make do with what I have July’ or joins in with ‘Stoptober’?
I’ll be back tomorrow and will see you then.
Love Froogs xxxx
I found your blog a few weeks ago and you have really inspired me to get a grip on our spending. I love all your tips and recipes. Thank you so much! Sarah
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Not sure if you received the first part of my comment, it suddenly vanished from the screen.
A few years ago I trialled buying all of my work stationery, toiletries,cosmetics etc.. at the start of the year. Whilst the initial outlay is great, it means there's no need for shopping in between, and in itself this saves you money. When I was making the move from city to country, I purchased enough washing powder, toilet paper, grains,beans etc… for three months, and again this was wonderful as there was no need to spend any money while I was setting up business in a new place.
Madeleine.x
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I need to manage more no spend days. There is seems to be something that the children need every second day. These days I withdraw a certain amount of cash and stretch the life out of it. But it never lasts the seven days I want it too.
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You are so right. It only takes a few changes to reap huge rewards. It is also a great learning tool to remind us how much we don't need.
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I love seeing all your fabric scraps being put to use. Your scrap quilt is going to be lovely. We have a hot week coming up and I will probably just stay home and water the garden and read. And of course a bit of housework. I will stay out of the stores except for food. It's going to be a beautiful week!
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I am loving watching your scrappy quilt take shape! We are going through a warm spell in the 90's (36 or so C I think) and we have no air conditioning, we walk by the window units and then remind each other it is only for a month at most, it cools down at night and we really hate the idea of paying the extra on the electric bill, and once again we resist buying something that would be nice but not necessary! We get up early and do the outside things and then sit in front of fans in the afternoons and work on projects. People survived for years without and we will as well! It is nice to have this whole community of people who are like minded and trying do do the same thing, I think it helps. Thanks.
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I try to make do food wise with what we have for at least 2 weeks per month. We take packed lunches to work and I try to make extra dinners to take to work or stash in the freezer. I hard,y ever buy clothes or makeup either. We do walking on our days off or mooch in the garden. I couldn't spend my weeks shopping budget on a take away it would worry me that it was a waste. All our food is home cooked which makes such a difference. X
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It's lovely to hear from you Sarah and let me know how you get on xxx
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I often bulk buy especially household products such as soap and laundry liquid. It means I can buy at the best price as they fluctuate throughout the year.
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Children throw up surprises. Ready for September, try and get the school calendar of trips fundraising, book week and so on and then you can start to budget for the expenses. such as, when they want money for the bus to go swimming or raffle ticket money.
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lovely to hear from you, let me know how you get on xxx
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thanks lovvie xx
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oh you poor thing, that's such a heatwave xx
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too true, cooking homemade saves us so much
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Froogs, I love your blog; it encourages without preaching or pointing fingers. We go into “No-spend summer” when the youngsters we look after have their Teacher-Moms home for their enforced summer break. Our income drops precipitously and we have to spend accordingly or go into debt borrowing against life insurance. Hate paying that seven percent while at the same time so glad to have that “ace in the hole” if we truly need it. We, like most, have food for weeks if we'd just thaw it; perhaps it isn't exactly what we Want in that instant but it's good, nourishing and healthily homemade.
Happy July; here's to a spend-free month and a big grin at the end of it !~! Thanks for all you do to keep us entertained and informed.
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Hi Lynda. thankfully, as a British teacher, I'm paid for 40 weeks work a year but paid in 12 monthly installments. Some people think that I have 12 weeks paid holiday a year but that really isn't the case. Lovely to hear from you and keep in touch xx
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Hi Froogs, I would like to endorse the comments about your blog. It's the only one I follow at the moment, as you keep it simple but you faithfully post something every day. It's such a pleasure to read it at the end of a day. I'm not as organised with my spending as you, and actually for me July is one month when I might spend more, because traditionally it's one of the big sale months in this country, along with January. Therefore I can buy a lot of clothes and other household stuff for myself and my family in July. But I like your idea of reading the books you have and watching the movies you already have. I could certainly take a leaf out of your book there, as I love buying all kinds of books from Amazon and second hand bookshops and then piling them up and never reading them! And we certainly have dvds we've never watched too. I have tried but failed in the past to not spend money on groceries for a week. I just find it impossible. But I have considerably cut down on my weekly spend since I changed my shopping habits a few months ago, and that has enabled me to save more so I'm happy with that. 🙂
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Hi Jane (All the best people are called Jane) You are doing well to cut down your food bills when food prices keep going up so well done you. Initially, I encourage people to have a no spend day a week. If that works then build it up. You will get there even if you take tiny steps.
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What a colorful, fun quilt top! It's going to make a very cheerful quilt. 😉
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Hi, love your blog. I've worked up to 5 no spend days a week. It took me a while to get organised enough to plan in advance spends needed for the week ahead but it's saved me loads of money and time! Meal planning at the moment as I run a holiday club for the first 15 days of the school holidays which is exhausting! Will be planning and preparing as much beforehand for 15 meals cos I know getting home tired is danger time as it's been too easy in the past to get a takeaway when I'm too tired to cook and as I'm on track to be debt free on 30th sept this year, don't want to jeopardise all the hard work when I'm so close. Thanks for keeping me motivated and love the quilt, :-)) xx
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Thanks, I'm sewing all day today whilst watching the tour…should finish the top today. Thanks for the encouragement xxx
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Amazing and keep in touch…..you will get debt free real soon and I will be cheering xxxx
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Hi Froogs
Have found you menu planning ideas particularly helpful this month. We are getting married in September and every last penny of a small budget is going on that ,with me making as much as I can cake included. It always surprises me each meal I plan how much more in the pantry I have then I thought when I started out.
Such a relief I can tell you.
Love the quilt and its colourful randomness
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Thanks Rachel and so happy to hear you are stretching the pennies to pay for the wedding instead of borrowing for it xx
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I have a complex where I feel guilty for staying in and quilting/knitting when it is hot outside - I almost long for long cold nights where I have nothing else to do in the allotment/garden or no obligation to be outside in the sunshine and am left alone to quilt! Silly isn't it. At least us quilters are all dodging the UV rays and wrinkles!
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I have a money saving tip for your quilt making. Don't throw or give away thread that does not work with your sewing machine. Instead of spending money on the spray glue to hold your quilt together - baste it together with your left over threads. Much cheaper, and healthier than spraying those toxins around. I make all my quilts that way . It is very enjoyable spending an evening basting, while chatting or watching saved sat movies. FYI - Cheery bye for now. Lauren from northern Canada
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I am just getting into quilting -I live in France and we have a wonderful charity warehouse here called EMMAUS - One of the things I pick up for 50 centimes (about 37 pence) are old bolster pillow covers - not many people use them now in France - they are like long sausage shaped pillows that go across the bed - you get about 2 metres by 50 cms for each one, and there are loads of lovely patterns - there are other wonderful things that can be reclaimed too.
To fund my quilting, I buy fabric on Ebay, and re sell “quilting packs” of various squares, which means all my fabric is free! I love matching up all the packs and sending them out, and my hubby works in London, takes them back in his hand luggage - I send them as a second class large letter (I think! that's what its called) so the postage is super cheap too.!!!
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