No Shopping Challenge Day 7 - Hello Savings!

Today is the end of the first week of the challenge for me, so it's a good time to look at my bank account and work out how much I'm saving.

We're definitely up a few hundred dollars - which is both exciting and a bit frightening. Was I really spending that much? I realise now just how much I was spending on multiple small trips to the supermarket and at the food co-op mid week. It's so easy (in my mind) to justify buying more ingredients when they're really healthy for you. Junk food I can easily say no to. We are being more conservative with using petrol too at the moment, and of course there have been no trips to the mall or to cafes for lunch.

Today I had to hand over my debit card for the first time in a week. I bought some bananas, washing up liquid, popcorn kernels, and milk - total $13. Then I bought some vitamins for $10. I see them as household expenses even if I have already spent my grocery budget for the week. Next week I'd like to get through without having to do a little top up shop though so now I know what I need to buy more of.

It felt a little odd spending money today I have to admit. I felt a bit annoyed with myself, like I was cheating or letting myself down. It's silly really because it's not like I bought shoes or takeaways for dinner. I just would have liked to get through to next pay day without spending anything at all.

One unexpected result of the past week has been that I've been consciously thinking about how we deal with money as a family. At the moment neither child has pocket money, but they both have savings accounts. In the past when they've wanted something big like a new toy they've either worked for it by doing odd jobs for us, or they've sold something they no longer wanted on eBay. I would like them to have a better understanding of spending and saving when it comes to the every day things so I think once this is over we'll have a Family Kitty set up with some cash in it. The kids can ask if they can have something (usually for them it's an ice cream after dinner or a DVD from the shop) and we can count the money in the Kitty and see if it's a good idea to use it or not. J and I will use it too of course.

Do your kids get pocket money?
How do you handle your family's miscellaneous spending?

No Shopping Challenge Day 6 - Trigger Happy

What are your spending triggers?

Like most mums I have trouble saying no when it comes to buying for the kids. They are a big trigger for sure. Books are a another one for me. I am a self confessed book depository addict. Craft items - that piece of elastic I pop in to buy inevitably turns into a $30 or $40 bag of fabric and bits.

In order to complete this challenge, and be kind to ourselves in the process, it's going to be important to identify our triggers. What are the things that make you reach for your credit card? The things that give you a rush adrenalin when you buy them?

If you impulse buy in shopping malls stay well away from them while you're not shopping. It's just plain mean to tempt yourself like that until you've really broken the habit. If you buy craft supplies commit to using up what you already have. If you love to buy books commit to using the library instead. If you buy toys for your kids make yourself really look at all of the things they already have - do they honestly need anything else right now?

To make it easier for me I'm not looking on book depository at all over the next two months. I'm not entering a Spotlight or a Lincraft. I've promised myself to use some of the many craft items I already own.

Here's your homework for next week:

1. Write down your spending triggers.
2. Talk to your family about the challenge, get them all on board. It might be wise to tell your kids what you can spend money on. When I told my 8 year old about it (after she asked me for a T-box movie for the 5th time) she looked horrified and said "what about FOOD?"

No Shopping Challenge Day 5 - A No Spend Saturday

The key to No Spend Saturday success is all in the planning. I don't want to wake up and mope about thinking about the things we can't do because we're not spending any money. I don't want to feel deprived or like I'm missing out on all the fun.

So over the last few days I've been checking out the free things to do in our area.  I knew today was going to be hot (currently 34 degrees and climbing) so I wanted our freebie activity to be somewhere with shade and preferably near the water. As it turns out we have a river about 25 minutes drive away in the Hawkesbury region.

I packed morning tea and lunch for a picnic and we spent a few hours there hanging out and eating. The kids had a splash in the river which they loved and we realised that freshwater swimming is way less hassle than beach swimming! Now we're inspired to look for more rivers and swimming holes.

Overall it was a pleasant morning, I didn't miss spending at all but it definitely required more time and organising to get the food ready to go.

If you're participating in the challenge I hope you managed to have a stress free No Spend day today. Let me know how you got on.

Bec

No Shopping Challenge Day 4 - Eliminating the noise

We went camping over Christmas. The campsite was deep in a National Park on the South Coast of NSW and it was around an hour (on an extremely uncomfortable dirt road) drive to the nearest town. For the first time in years we had no cell phone coverage at all, no 3G.. nothing. We couldn't even send a text message. It was lovely.

After 7 days in the bush we packed up and drove home and on the way I checked the phone to see if the signal was back. It was. And along with entering a 3G area came 277 emails. Two hundred and seventy seven.

When I got home I went through them and was shocked to find that just four of them were from real people. The other 273 were marketing emails telling me to buy things. And most of them I had signed up for myself not wanting to miss out on a good deal.

Is it any wonder that this generation finds it hard not to buy stuff? Everywhere we go we see advertising. The technology we have allows it to infiltrate our living rooms and our bedrooms, it comes along with us in our handbags and cars.

So my goal through this challenge is to eliminate the marketing noise as much as I can. When I get those advertising emails I'm unsubscribing myself from each one. I never read those emails, ever. From today I'm reclaiming the minute or two a day I spend deleting them all.

Wouldn't it be nice to open your inbox and see only emails from family and friends?

No Shopping Challenge Day 3 - I deserve it

I deserve that. I've had a really crappy week. I didn't get much for my birthday so this is a late birthday present. It's so cheap, it would be silly not to buy it when it's on sale. I'm buying things from markets and op shops so it's not really shopping. These are all organic, fair trade, ethical things that I'm buying so I'm actually helping people by shopping. This is a one of a kind, never going to find it again thing, I can't let it go.

Sound familiar?

Today I'm thinking about changing the definition of 'I deserve it'.

I deserve to be in control of my finances.
I deserve to have a healthy savings account and the peace of mind that comes with that.
I deserve to meet my financial goals.
I deserve to be a strong independent thinker who isn't at the mercy of advertising and mass marketing.

Yes. I deserve that.