pvp No-Spend Summer! (July 23 - September 2, 2023)

[Sovalis]

Hi All! 

 

Putting together a quick thread for a No-Spend Summer challenge that will run from today (or July 30 if you prefer to take Zero Week off) to September 2 to coincide with the current Five week challenge cycle. Tagging @Heidi and @Darciana to join me here, but really, anyone is welcome to pop in and celebrate their restraint and re-prioritization of goals! 

 

For myself, my parameters are no casual spending, no eating out if I'm alone, and no online shopping at all. Regular household purchases like groceries, gas, etc., will continue as normal. My exception/reward will be a sticker and stationery order to be placed during an annual sale that takes place August 6th that I will not get to open until the end of the challenge and that I commit to giving away should I fail to meet the parameters I have set for myself. 

 

Looking forward to cheering us on!

[Darciana]

I'm here! Thanks, Sov!

 

Goals are:

1. No spending mindlessly on wants - add them to my lists and save for them mindfully.

2. Any extra money each paycheck goes towards paying down debt and/or increasing my savings account NOT treating myself.

3. Plan grocery trips and coupon appropriately - reduce weekly grocery bill wherever/however possible ($300 a week is just too much).

4. Normal household bills/costs (food, gas, general bills, etc) continue as normal but with budget in mind.

 

My goal is to pay off 2 of my credit cards by the end of the year and I think this can get me most of the way there, if not completed!

 

I'm still working on how to keep accountable. I'm going to put a weekly goal into my Silk+Sonder journal for this. Maybe a weekly roundup of how I did? I think that will work. Week zero will be use to wind things down and set up proper budget/planning methods I think. We have one event for the last weekend with the kids next weekend (July 29th-31st). They then head back to their mom's out of state on the 5th with work in between. That's 2 less mouths to feed and less reason to go spend money on events and eating out (we spoil them the few weeks we get them out of the year).

[Heidi]

I’m ready for this and so is my wallet!

 

I still have some credit card balances that are putting a drag on my credit score (one for a balance transfer from 30% interest to 0%), and I signed up for an additional class this term, which means additional tuition. OUCH. And I’ve gotten too easy-handed with signing up for a streaming service, or just one-clicking a solution. 

Goals for this are:

1. Pay down the debt! I increased the monthly payments to significant levels so that this is management free, but that means discretionary spending is at a minimum. 
2. No one-click, mindless, sure why not solutions: I have pretty much everything I need for the coming six weeks. I’m even interested in asking Vivian to join me in being more mindful about what we choose to spend during our visits. It’s not a prohibition against spending so much as it’s a challenge to see how many days I can go without spending in addition to what has already been budgeted and booked.
3. Accountability weekly, most likely. Expect random moments when I drop in to confess how much yarn I want to buy or how difficult it was to talk myself out of subscribing to a channel, even though I’ve got tons of other new-to-me things to watch, tons of homework to do, and (let’s face it) I’m only asking myself to to wait 42 days.  

No specific reward in mind, but man, I am very much looking forward to getting my balances back to a place that feels more secure.

Very happy for the visibility and accountability!

[Heidi]

Already had my first But Wait!!! moment -- was feeling vaguely hungry and thinking about how yummy the watermelon and plums were over the weekend but are now, alas, gone. And I almost just added them to my grocery order and had it sent in today instead of Friday, which would have been fine, but wasn't really necessary. I put the order aside and went to the fridge, where I found some black lentils and shrimp, and added some steamed quinoa from the cabinet. It was a satifying lunch. I will stilladd plums and watermelon to the order, because they're wonderful, but I'm holding off on changing the delivery date, at least for now. 

[Heidi]

Accountability: $75 groceries

[Sepherina]

So on board with this too!  Our trip to Europe may have been a tad frivolous (but soo worth it).

 

Goals:

1. Eat out once per week at the most.  We meal plan so this should  be easy in theory....not so easy in practice.
2. Use stuff in the pantry/freezer/fridge/cupboards to plan meals before shopping for other stuff.
3. No Amazon.....this is hard lol.
4. Consider selling some random stuff we don't use to make some extra cash....

Doing this should allow us to:

1. Have enough money to pay for the first semester of college tuition and fees for both minion #1 and minion #2 without loans. (I think we are 90% funded on this goal).  We go halves on this with the kids.  They work during the summer and winter break to pay for half their remaining college balances.
2. Pay down the credit card that we racked up in Europe.

[Heidi]

3 hours ago, Sepherina said:

• Use stuff in the pantry/freezer/fridge/cupboards to plan meals before shopping for other stuff.
• No Amazon.....this is hard lol

Solidarity on both of these!

 

Also, there's a special edition washi tape that I am now aware of that I almost just up-and-bought. (facepalm)

No, Heidi. This is not The Way.

 

Transparency note: I just booked my hotel for a weeklong conference in New York and ouch. There isn't any charge yet, of course, but it's going to be a doozy, and on top of it I will be out of work that week, so I'll be missing a whole paycheck to boot.

[Heidi]

Success Note: One of my big goals is reducing my credit card percentage (balance/limit). I paid a big chunck and went from 41% to 30%. Would very much like to have this at <25% by the end of the challenge. 20% is the sweet spot for having a noticable affect on my credit rating.

 

It will take all challenge for this initial payment to post to my credit score, but success is success.  

[Sovalis]

Good to see you, Sepherina!

 

Oh Friends, Helen swatched more washi today and I am fawning over them quite a bit. They are from the June pre-order which means I missed out on them, but they might become available during an overstock sale. Cross your fingers that overstock sale happens after September 2nd!  I don’t normally deal with FOMO so this whole thing with her brand is just so strange. Otherwise I spent no money yesterday and anticipate spending none today. Dave wants to buy another air conditioning unit to put in our living room and vent it out the fireplace (none of our main floor windows open) and I am wondering about the practicality of that, but it’s not my decision to make. I have expressed my concerns about it, but he’s going to make up his own mind as he always does. 

 

I am so excited to be doing this with you all! 

[Heidi]

Y'all, please tell me that i don't need this. (specifically to wear to Oppenheimer and then to the conference in October)

Looks like @Sovalis isn't the only one fawning over stuff.

https://www.retro-stage.com/products/blue-1940s-pearl-buttons-darlene-dress?srsltid=ASuE1wTUFb3FLFAP2ApZ-Z4h6p7xQmOtx38YE05CN6tKOTnWombuExcjdGc&variant=39246024867889 

[Sovalis]

It’s very cute and I think you have excellent taste and I envy your ability to get clothes in regular sizes that are so affordable (plus sizes are so expensive). But I think you can wait on it for now? It should still be there for conference wearing after September 2. ❤️ You might have to wear something different to Oppenheimer though…

[Sepherina]

17 hours ago, Heidi said:

Y'all, please tell me that i don't need this. (specifically to wear to Oppenheimer and then to the conference in October)

Looks like @Sovalis isn't the only one fawning over stuff.

https://www.retro-stage.com/products/blue-1940s-pearl-buttons-darlene-dress?srsltid=ASuE1wTUFb3FLFAP2ApZ-Z4h6p7xQmOtx38YE05CN6tKOTnWombuExcjdGc&variant=39246024867889 

Oh that is really cute!  I wish fashion would step back and revisit these eras.

[Sepherina]

Trying hard to not beat myself up over ordering dinner out last night.  I got home from the gym and realized that the minions were not home (they had DnD) and I was tired of eating the leftovers (had them for lunch).  I didn’t cook because why cook so much for two. (I prepped enough for 5).

 

So I am going to try and cook dinner tonight before we head to a movie.  Saturday will be dinner out, but I may be able to save some money if a minion wants to share food with me.

[Darciana]

 IT IS SO PRETTY ?

 

Alright - There is talk of not taking our Thanksgiving trip. If our friends bail on us, the BnB we booked is through them but on my credit card. If they cancel the BnB, that will cancel one of my cards out I'm focused on paying off. We may still make a trip but book a smaller place, then? No clue. The man still wants to go but we can coordinate that as needed.

 

I just checked my bills for August. Ouch, $400 electricity bill. It has been hot and having 6 bodies in the house, 2 of us working from home all day, is really adding up. It significantly reduces my grocery/fun money availability. Grocery bill should drop after this week and the point of this challenge is to reduce "fun" that requires money. This weekend we have a trip to see a baseball game which was coordinated over a month ago and the man covered all the costs up to this point. Will be eating out Saturday night, all day Sunday, and likely Monday as I don't think we'll be home in time to thaw anything for dinner unless I can convince them to allow me to make pizza (no thawing required). Will have to be very cautious about my spending this weekend.

With that said, I'm giving myself a $300 budget for this week's grocery list as it is the last week with the youngest 2 kiddos. Anything I don't spend of that $300 will go towards the baseball trip.

 

Next week, once we return, I'll analyze where I stand money-wise and set my grocery budget accordingly. Starting next week, I'd like to set a budget for my groceries on my debit card (5% cash back for using it and it's instant transfer so I can move only what's needed) and any leftover money from that budget can go towards paying off the credit card (I currently have $26 in cash back pending which will hit my account on August 1st. I can use that cash back to help pay down my balance as well. Whoot!)

 

Ok. That's it for now as I adjust my budget further and have any significant updates worth bugging you all about.

 

 

 

 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

YES! I've been wanting a Money driven PVP on NF for a while now!

I wasn't going to push the "No Spend" part of the challenge, but... looking at my budget. My recent life changes hit me harder than I thought. I still have a buffer. I am getting used to expenses with a higher rent/larger apartment.

 

No Spending Goals; 

1. Follow YNAB Rules ("You Need a Budget App",) -- Give every dollar a job, check-in the budget before spending and Reconcile the Budget Daily. 

2. Follow Meal Plan (eat from home, with balanced plates, keep to 1 treat a week). (Instead of no eating out, if I eat out have it apart of the plan). 

 

Side Goals: 

-Find how much I need in a month for spending (July will be my first full month in my new apartment, making August indicator)

-Have my kittens' treatments done (spay/neuter, vaccines... anything else the vet sees as needed). (Making this a goal, because I do not want to go into further debt for these foreseen costs to have two cuddle ninjas). 

-Start a debt paydown plan for Student Loans and Go through "Rich Life" resources

-Start budgeting out Apartment needs (like a boxspring... and another cat tree). I can skip eating out for these rewards. 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

On 7/23/2023 at 2:09 PM, Heidi said:

Accountability weekly, most likely. Expect random moments when I drop in to confess how much yarn I want to buy or how difficult it was to talk myself out of subscribing to a channel, even though I’ve got tons of other new-to-me things to watch, tons of homework to do, and (let’s face it) I’m only asking myself to to wait 42 days.  

Yup, here for it. And same!

 

On 7/24/2023 at 1:03 PM, Heidi said:

And I almost just added them to my grocery order and had it sent in today instead of Friday, which would have been fine, but wasn't really necessary. I put the order aside and went to the fridge, where I found some black lentils and shrimp, and added some steamed quinoa from the cabinet. It was a satifying lunch. I will stilladd plums and watermelon to the order, because they're wonderful, but I'm holding off on changing the delivery date, at least for now.

This was beautiful to read! Glad you found a middle ground. 

 

On 7/25/2023 at 7:10 AM, Sepherina said:

So on board with this too!  Our trip to Europe may have been a tad frivolous (but soo worth it).

Sounds like a needed lifetime experience!

I cringed at my own spending in the last month but I had some life experiences that will hopefully help me in the future!

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

20% is the sweet spot for having a noticable affect on my credit rating.

 

It will take all challenge for this initial payment to post to my credit score, but success is success.

Here to cheer you on!

19 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Otherwise I spent no money yesterday and anticipate spending none today. Dave wants to buy another air conditioning unit to put in our living room and vent it out the fireplace (none of our main floor windows open) and I am wondering about the practicality of that, but it’s not my decision to make. I have expressed my concerns about it, but he’s going to make up his own mind as he always does. 

May you both find a solution that works for both of you! Along with continuing your own no spending goals!

 

17 hours ago, Heidi said:

Y'all, please tell me that i don't need this. (specifically to wear to Oppenheimer and then to the conference in October)

That is SOO pretty! For some reason my brain when to Dr. Who Halloween outfit, but I might be off on my dress up ideas. 

 

37 minutes ago, Sepherina said:

So I am going to try and cook dinner tonight before we head to a movie.  Saturday will be dinner out, but I may be able to save some money if a minion wants to share food with me.

Roll with the creativity to see what will work! Maybe have another at home food idea for when its only a couple of you to help with future spending? Or a fall back "this is what wee will order fall back?". 

 

27 minutes ago, Darciana said:

Next week, once we return, I'll analyze where I stand money-wise and set my grocery budget accordingly. Starting next week, I'd like to set a budget for my groceries on my debit card (5% cash back for using it and it's instant transfer so I can move only what's needed) and any leftover money from that budget can go towards paying off the credit card (I currently have $26 in cash back pending which will hit my account on August 1st. I can use that cash back to help pay down my balance as well. Whoot!)

 

Sounds like a great plan to see where you are at! I hope you enjoy the baseball game especially with being able to see where you all will be eating out. 

[Heidi]

Didn't buy the dress, and didn't spend anything at all yesterday.

I'll find a solution to Oppenheimer or I won't; I will still get to see the movie (which is its own planned discretionary spending).

[Heidi]

Since I've decided that all dresses are now just window-shopping and pipe-dreaming, let me drop this beauty on you.

It's in the running for Graduation Gown, which should be understood as wedding.

I'm not certain if I want the navy or the Regency. Ordinarily it would be navy all the way, but school colors are Royal Blue & White, similar to sapphires.

https://www.jjshouse.com/sheath-column-scoop-floor-length-lace-jersey-evening-dress-017167682-g167682?pos=similar_styles_6&filterColor=dark_navy 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

On 7/26/2023 at 10:47 AM, Heidi said:

Didn't buy the dress, and didn't spend anything at all yesterday.

I'll find a solution to Oppenheimer or I won't; I will still get to see the movie (which is its own planned discretionary spending).

Hope the movie is really enjoyable! I'm eyeing it but have spent money elsewhere this last month and will have to find free entertainment. 

 

On 7/26/2023 at 12:53 PM, Heidi said:

Since I've decided that all dresses are now just window-shopping and pipe-dreaming, let me drop this beauty on you.

It's in the running for Graduation Gown, which should be understood as wedding.

Wowza that is beautiful! I might need to save this just to use the pic in form post by post roleplay lol. It has so much fantay to it. 

[Loveable_Bouncer]

So sitting with my budget, I'm like "oofda". I was hoping to buy prime for the release of Good Omens, but I have a list of other priorities after bills. 

Sitting with my student loans this week has helped me notice I have some work to do on my thinking around my budget. Like a challenge it is a plan, in some ways a suggestion. However, if I follow the plan it means I can earn the rewards faster. 

 

---

I ended up having to buy a new cell phone charger and SIM card. They both died, I rather buy these things then a whole new phone (as the phone is still doing great). So saw the $30 total of expenses only slightly irritable.   (Tonight I find out if it all works out or complain to my cell phone provider). 

 

I also sent in a "complaint" on cat litter I bought two big bags to stock myself up and one ended up smelling like mold when I used it. First time buying something and going "well that's bad..." and then actually asking for a replacement. Saves me money so I can buy even more cat litter lol. 

 

I finished my side quest of sitting down with my student loans. I have a plan in my budget to appreciate the freeze and my deferment and work on being ready for the large payments. While at least working on some of the interest with automatic payments. I'm now moving to another chapter in one my resources to explore options on just my finances in total. 

[Heidi]

2 hours ago, Loveable_Bouncer said:

I'm now moving to another chapter in one my resources to explore options on just my finances in total.

I like this for you!!

 

Today I almost ordered lunch, which was just nerves talking -- I had great food right at hand and was nervous about the paper I was writing. I sat with that and then got up and made lunch right here and then wrote the paper and turned it in. All good!

 

A big honking payment just dropped on the credit card balance. Feeling really good about that.

[Sovalis]

@Heidi I love that dress for you. I think the lace will compliment your hair in such a lovely way. Thank you for sharing it with us! 

 

@Loveable_Bouncer so good to see you! Glad you joined us! 

 

I am holding strong withy no spend, but noticing that so far everything on my magpie wishlist has to do with creativity and play. All but one item is art supplies, and are mostly variations on things I have (different coloured markers, for example). I am clearly not playing enough. I can work on that. 

[Heidi]

13 hours ago, Sovalis said:

noticing that so far everything on my magpie wishlist has to do with creativity and play. All but one item is art supplies, and are mostly variations on things I have (different coloured markers, for example). I am clearly not playing enough. I can work on that. 

I like this insight! This feels Important.

I will probably change my mind a hundred times about what gown to get for graduation between now and then, so thank you for your feedback -- it always feels ridiculous to be looking at formal wear. I mean if ever there were A Thing I Don't Need!

[Jarric]

I wasn't planning on doing anything like this, but this challenge has come along at just the right time as I am skint after paying for an appartment in Paris for next year's holiday. Goals are no discretionary spending, specifically:

• Normal stuff like groceries is fine
• Exception for buying Baldur's Gate 3, which WW and I plan to spend a lot of time playing as soon as it comes out
• Exception for planned night out with a friend on Friday 4th August.
• Exception for going to visit a national trust place on Sunday 6th, as we have a voucher to make it cheap

The main things will be not buying food at work - which means making sandwiches if I don't have leftovers to take with me - and not buying beer to bring home or going out for unplanned beers.

[Sovalis]

On 7/30/2023 at 2:31 PM, Jarric said:

I wasn't planning on doing anything like this, but this challenge has come along at just the right time as I am skint after paying for an appartment in Paris for next year's holiday. Goals are no discretionary spending, specifically:

• Normal stuff like groceries is fine
• Exception for buying Baldur's Gate 3, which WW and I plan to spend a lot of time playing as soon as it comes out
• Exception for planned night out with a friend on Friday 4th August.
• Exception for going to visit a national trust place on Sunday 6th, as we have a voucher to make it cheap

The main things will be not buying food at work - which means making sandwiches if I don't have leftovers to take with me - and not buying beer to bring home or going out for unplanned beers.

Good stuff, Jarric! Glad to see you here! A holiday in Paris sounds like a great reason to be broke, but hopefully you can alleviate some of that pressure by following your plan!