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

[Sovalis]

On 7/30/2023 at 6:28 AM, Heidi said:

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!

Oh, but I get this, because it’s all in service to Ritual. We should talk about that sometime. 

[Jarric]

I was so determined to work on this challenge yesterday that I stayed up late to make myself a sandwich, so I wouldn't have to buy lunch at work today.

 

...I'm working from home today, there was no need to stay up late ?‍♂️

 

Still, first day of this challenge (for me) in the bag, and at least I'm conscious of it right now I guess?

[Sepherina]

On 7/30/2023 at 4:31 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.

We just got back from spending time in Paris and Rouen.  Beautiful city.  I wish we could go more often but...minions in college == very little vacation money.

[Sepherina]

RIP to my Series 2 Apple Watch.  It made it 6 years before it just refused to hold a charge for more than a few hours.  I had been babying it for at least 9 months.  I was hoping to just have it fixed but it was so old that even having Apple attempt the fix meant that it may not connect with anything.  In the end a new Series SE watch was bought instead. I don't buy new electronics all the time.  I tend to buy a quality item and then just use it until it dies.  I hope to get 6 years out of this new one. If so the cost would be $3.50/month, which isn't a bad investment when I consider how it has helped bring my attention to things like how much I sit/stand, move, exercise, breathe/meditate.

 

I am also eyeballing a Drinkmate Sparkling Water/ Soda maker.  We drink a lot of sparkling water and buying the 12 can packs are just outrageous. The cost of the Drinkmate (with one CO2 tank and two bottles) is $150. 

 

Spoiler

Fast math...we are drinking around 4-5 (32-50 cans depending on where I bought it) packs of this a week at around $4.30 per pack.  So average we are spending $17-21 per week. Lets low ball and  we say we get 30L of sparking water out of a 60L CO2 tank, that gives me around 85 cans for around $15 (not counting price of unit). I am thinking this will be worth the outlay..

 

I also have some Amazon gift card money to put towards this.....hmmm...

 

[Darciana]

I made it through the baseball weekend! A little poorer, but I only bought food and drinks (ouch was that pricey). Yesterday, the youngest requested to watch a movie. He NEVER asks to do that and prefers to hide in his room on video games. I went ahead and spent the $20 to buy it so we can watch tonight together since this is our last week before we don't see them until March. It's worth the price for the last little bit of quality time we can squeeze in. Plus, I got my OT pay sooner than expected (I thought we had already cycled over to next paycheck's time input) so that helps balance things out. Once these kiddos are gone, though, things are tightening.

 

Budget review -- since the kids want me to join them on the drop-off trip, I will not be doing any grocery shopping on Friday. Thankfully the man is on board with planning our weekly meals in advance to help with the cost of groceries and limit the mid-week trips (we live too far and fuel costs too much for all that needless driving). I'm going to spend the drive home planning meals and making my grocery list to shop Sunday. The dogs are in need of food and I'll have to replenish some household items so I'm going with a higher budget than I otherwise would for 4 people for a week. Difference between budget and actual bill will be put towards the grocery credit card balance. The cashback is pending so it should also be available to be put towards the balance by end of day today. Every little bit counts at this point!

 

I realized, conveniently, that the prices for grocery pickup are 10-70 cents more than the price listed on the shelves PLUS no pickup fees. Not only do I get a little extra movement by walking through the parking lot (I always park in the back) and through the store, but I save a few extra dollars every trip. Win-win as long as I stick to my list! Also, I love the list I makes automatically shows any coupons associated with those items and I can get them digitally on the app. Yippee for saving more money! It's also great motivation to get my butt out of the vehicle and not be a lazy bum. I know I have enough discipline to stick to my list, it's time to exercise my body AND my mind here.

 

I've set up my budget for August with all my bills accounted for (only groceries are not included as I'm still working on what is a reasonable budget for 4). I realized this should be the last month of a year long contract subscription I made last year, yay! It'll be nice to see a little extra money back to put towards debt payoff. No word on the Jeep cost yet, but it'll likely go on one of the cards and I'll be adding that to the list of debts I need to pay off. Ugh. I might be playing the role of the extra poor and frugal for longer than this challenge just for that. It'll be nice to get my Jeep back, though. I've missed it.

 

Alright, I've rambled enough. Hopefully my next check in will be short and to the point. Oh, and full of good news ?

 

 

[Darciana]

1 hour ago, Sepherina said:

RIP to my Series 2 Apple Watch.  It made it 6 years before it just refused to hold a charge for more than a few hours.  I had been babying it for at least 9 months.  I was hoping to just have it fixed but it was so old that even having Apple attempt the fix meant that it may not connect with anything.  In the end a new Series SE watch was bought instead. I don't buy new electronics all the time.  I tend to buy a quality item and then just use it until it dies.  I hope to get 6 years out of this new one. If so the cost would be $3.50/month, which isn't a bad investment when I consider how it has helped bring my attention to things like how much I sit/stand, move, exercise, breathe/meditate.

 

I am also eyeballing a Drinkmate Sparkling Water/ Soda maker.  We drink a lot of sparkling water and buying the 12 can packs are just outrageous. The cost of the Drinkmate (with one CO2 tank and two bottles) is $150. 

 

  Hide contents

Fast math...we are drinking around 4-5 (32-50 cans depending on where I bought it) packs of this a week at around $4.30 per pack.  So average we are spending $17-21 per week. Lets low ball and  we say we get 30L of sparking water out of a 60L CO2 tank, that gives me around 85 cans for around $15 (not counting price of unit). I am thinking this will be worth the outlay..

 

I also have some Amazon gift card money to put towards this.....hmmm...

 

I, too, typically stick to my one item until it totally dies. 6 years is quite a feat! I was very upset when my Fitbit died last October and I had to buy a new one. Only good thing was that the newest model was just released the same week (2 days after mine died) so I was able to get the most up-to-date. I only do that so the software updates last as long as possible for connectivity reasons. I made the mistake of getting an older one for a cheaper price and the updates stopped and I lost connectivity long before the watch itself died. Very frustrating.

 

I was looking into the sparkling water/soda maker. If you invest, please let me know what you think! I feel I'd drink more of it if I didn't have to go through the trouble of buying (as you mentioned, the price adds up) and storing all those cans.

[Jarric]

2 hours ago, Sepherina said:

We just got back from spending time in Paris and Rouen.  Beautiful city.  I wish we could go more often but...minions in college == very little vacation money.

 

Oh that's cool - any recommendations of things to see in Paris? I wanted to go this year for the rugby world cup but couldn't get tickets, but we're going next year for the Olympics.

[Heidi]

14 hours ago, Sovalis said:

Oh, but I get this, because it’s all in service to Ritual. We should talk about that sometime. 

we SHOULD absolutely talk about this sometime.  

[Sepherina]

1 hour ago, Jarric said:

 

Oh that's cool - any recommendations of things to see in Paris? I wanted to go this year for the rugby world cup but couldn't get tickets, but we're going next year for the Olympics.

We really enjoyed the catacombs. Tickets go on sale a week ahead and sell fast.  The Louvre was good, but a bit overwhelming. The provided map makes it look small but it is massive. If do decide to go, buy those tickets online in advance too.  That way you can skip the long lines.

[Heidi]

Ended up buying a ticket to a Broadway presentation of Hadestown, and while this is outside the "no-spend" mantra, it is absolutely a thoughtful purchase that I'm 100% okay with. I'm in ROW B, yall!

 

Also, transparency: Vivian and I purchased burgers yesterday and I'm okay with it. We talked about it first, and were not on autopilot for it.

Of course, the day-to-day spending will need to stay frozen for as long as possible.

❤️ 

[Darciana]

1 hour ago, Sepherina said:

We really enjoyed the catacombs. Tickets go on sale a week ahead and sell fast.  The Louvre was good, but a bit overwhelming. The provided map makes it look small but it is massive. If do decide to go, buy those tickets online in advance too.  That way you can skip the long lines.

I've been obsessed with the idea of going to see the catacombs for awhile now. This just solidifies the need to, one day, make that trip a reality.

[Darciana]

Hey. HEY. I'm jumping for joy and must channel this somewhere so here you go. I'm not at all sorry.

 

I got a call on my Jeep. It should be no more than $500 out of pocket after everything. This is SIGNIFICANTLY  less than I expected and I'm almost crying tears of joy because I won't end up being in debt for what feels like forever from this. Depending on when I have to go pay, whether its after my next paycheck or not determines method. If it's before my next paycheck, I may have to put it on credit but then pay it nearly immediately off so long as I can successfully stick to the no-spend challenge. I might even still, with careful planning, be able to pay off both credit cards before the end of the year.

 

I hope each and every one of you gets good financial news in the near future that helps you meet your goals ❤️ Unexpected blessings like this are best when shared with others

[Heidi]

Books for class were purchased.

I'm glad taht by doing the no-discretionary-spending thing that I had the money to do this without worry.

[Heidi]

[Sovalis]

How’d you get this picture of me????

[Darciana]

It is NO LIE

[Jarric]

Forgot I was going to see Barbie last night, so that's a fail on the spending front. Had a meal beforehand and cinema snacks during.

 

Today I realised I didn't have time or materials to make a sandwich for lunch, but I was extra determined not to buy lunch out so I've filled my lunch box with a load of random snacky stuff which I'm hoping will add up to a meal. 

 

Tonight is my 2nd planned spend, but I'll try and keep it a cheap night out!

[Sovalis]

Tomorrow is the big sale for TCMC which is my reward for making it through this no-spend. I set myself a budget of $150 before shipping and have been strategizing how best to allocate that money. There is a 20% discount code which will help a lot. I told Chantale yesterday that if I don’t succeed in the no-spend she is getting everything, so that part of the accountability is taken care of. 

 

Other than being excited for this sale I am feeling really good and at peace with my no-spend. It has been pretty easy to maintain so far, although I did almost get tripped up buying game snacks the other day. Need to keep a handle on those kinds of adjacent spending. I really want a set of small paper scissors to add to my pencil case and all of the school supplies are out at my local store so I see them every time I walk by. But I have other sets I can use (my kitchen scissors look hilarious cutting washi tape, but they do the job) until September 2nd. I’ve only added one thing to my magpie list this week, which is another positive sign. I think it helps that my local theatre is so terrible though, because I’d really like to see Barbie. But I will wait for that, too. 

 

Hope your are all doing okay with your goals!! 

[Darciana]

I have made it through the travel and grocery to the other side!

 

I paid off a bit over 1/2 of the grocery credit card with the balance leftover from this week's budget. A huuuuge win! Bad news is that another card is about to go up because our A/C went out again and we'll have to replace the motor which is approximately $800. Ugh. No word on the Jeep yet so as of right now, I have a $800-ish bill and a $500-ish bill pending for credit cards (in one case, cash advance from the credit card since the AC guy only takes cash or check) because life. Stupid Murphy, leave me alone!. At least I should have one card paid off by the end of the month and can start focusing on the other (final) two. Still hoping to pay off travel card before the end of the year and I'll have 2 cards down and only the one to go!

 

I realized I have one planned spend - the special edition of a book (in a series I really love) pre-order is being opened on the 11th and it's a first come, first serve that ALWAYS sells out on day 1 (based on book 2 and 3's events at least). I have the special edition of book 2 and 3 (I'm still searching for book 1 resale that isn't destroyed) so I really want it (I'm ordering the book no matter what). I've been planning this since she announced there will be a special edition as a pre-order a few months ago so I'm accepting that as a valid spend. I am, however, going to need some discipline. I read what was in the pre-order goodies box and I don't need any of it. It will simply sit there and collect dust in a useless manner (and make my desk seem even more crowded) so I'm going to go the cheaper route and JUST buy the book. It still comes with goodies (it's a special edition, of course) but it won't have all the extra (include the extra price!).

 

I just realized how much I splurge on wants and this challenge is keeping me accountable while I deal with this debt payoff. I've been through it before and succeeded. I can do it again and succeed. But wow do I buy a lot of little things that sure do add up to a fairly large sum of money. THAT is the key. It seems so small and inconsequential until I add all those "small and inconsequential" items up at the end of the month ? My loot list is growing longer and longer every week. I might have to move that into my Battle Log to keep track past this challenge as I'm not going to have earned all of that. I also need to find an order (priority of wants?) or to put them in order of/rank them by accomplishment (pricier items take more effort to unlock).

 

 

[Jarric]

So far so good on this challenge - I haven't spent anything on myself during challenge week 2. I know I'm going to break that tomorrow, because I'm meeting a friend for a cuppa, and I'm off to a work event in the day, but these things feel important and my average weekly spend is still way down.

 

I've also realised that this challenge has lead to my first time having more than a week off alocohol in as long as I can remember (assuming that I don't drink tonight that is). I'd often go 6-7 days, i.e. weekend to weekend, but this week will be 8 days which has to be good.

 

I'm currently in a weird situation where it's more cost-effective for me to sit in my overdraft and have a credit card balance than to move money out of my savings to clear debt. It's uncomfortable and I don't like it, but being in my overdraft does incentivise me to spend nothing at all.

[Sovalis]

That is an interesting position to be in for sure. But I get how it would prompt me to keep my spending down!

Our overdraft charges a flat fee of $5 for every transaction that takes you into the overdraft, even if the amount is less than a dollar. That keeps me very mindful of not accruing those additional penalties. 

 

Are you finding that the being of alcohol is changing anything other than pocketbook stuff for you? Better sleep or easier time sticking to your calorie plans?

[Heidi]

On 8/7/2023 at 1:39 PM, Darciana said:

I just realized how much I splurge on wants and this challenge is keeping me accountable while I deal with this debt payoff. I've been through it before and succeeded. I can do it again and succeed. But wow do I buy a lot of little things that sure do add up to a fairly large sum of money.

This is me.

Every time.

 

On 8/7/2023 at 1:39 PM, Darciana said:

I also need to find an order (priority of wants?) or to put them in order of/rank them by accomplishment (pricier items take more effort to unlock).

Maybe make a set dollar amount that you can spend on the Loot List every [time-interval]? That way it doesn't crash the budget and also gets to be responsive to the "wants of the moment" feeling? I dunno, just winging it here!   Very impressed by the debt management.

 

Transparency: Groceries for the week ($55); some books for Vivian, Rx ($45 total, because my insurance company is being a jerk about covering the particular dosing formula that the script is written, so I got irritated and filled the 90 day supply -- which they also usually do not cover -- on my own dime. This was a financial temper trantrum, I grant you, but also kind of felt like a superpower since this time two years ago $45 would have meant "no medicine, so sorry.")

[Heidi]

On 8/11/2023 at 1:54 PM, Sovalis said:

Are you finding that the being of alcohol is changing anything other than pocketbook stuff for you? Better sleep or easier time sticking to your calorie plans?

@Jarric, this is my question, too. I found that so many of the small irritations and inconsistencies that derailed my goals somehow were less present when I stopped drinking, which was confusing, but also wonderful.

[Heidi]

Final note for this week: One of the smaller credit card payments posted to my credit profile, so my credit score went up a notch. Go me.  Baby steps in the right direction!! ?

[Heidi]

Canceled a streaming service (Peacock) that I barely used.