Well this year I have decided to set myself a January challenge. This Saturday marks my return to work after a lovely long 8 months maternity leave and also marks the start of a new year with good intentions. This January I plan to embark on a month of what I shall call #NoSpendJanuary.
My challenge to myself in 2016 rather than saying that I am going to give up chocolate or carbs or all the other failed resolutions of years gone by is to try and go the month of January without spending a single penny on the non essentials. Yes that does mean those little purchases in the January sales will not be happening this year, nor will my weekly...ahem daily Starbucks or Costa that I love to partake in during work and my beloved lunchtime "nips" to Waitrose will also be a no no. I will warn you, if you've got a birthday in January and you're expecting a pressie chances are you'll be getting something homemade, or baked. I won't lie it will be tough, offensively tough.
I am crap at budgeting. This month alone I dread to think of how much cash I've wasted on stuff that I really did not need and that's on top of Christmas which we all know is hideous when it comes to outgoings and I am pretty confident that I am not the only one who thinks this.
Mary Poppins once said "In every job that must be done must be an element of fun. You find the fun and....Snap! The jobs a game" and that is the way that I shall look upon this challenge this month. It's a job that needs to be done and I shall make it fun!
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| "In every job that must be done must be an element of fun. You find the fun and....Snap! The jobs a game" |
Ok.... so here are the allowed spends this month....
- Food (I am going to budget £450 this month and with some savvy shopping around this will be possible and that's to include nappies, washing poweder blah blah blah, you know the usuals)
- Petrol / Diesel
- All our regular outgoings/direct debits including insurances, rent, bills, childcare etc
- My Slimming World weekly subscription (I have a countdown that's already paid for so that's allowed)
What's NOT allowed....
- No big pre New Year supermarket shop to stock up the freezer
- Take aways
- Meals out
- Buying lunches whilst at work
- Coffees, hot chocolates etc from ANY coffee shops
- Trips to soft play or paid for activities with the children
- Impulse purchases for the children or me
- Nails (OMG how am I going to do this?? Will Harriet at Clay Hair, Oxshott's manicure that she did
for me on the 23rd December last until the end of next month?!?!?)
- Amazon prime purchases (you know the cheeky ones that slip into your online basket at stupid o'clock in the morning when the baby has woken you up and you can't sleep, yeah you know the ones, they are a no no.)
We shall go in search of free fun with the children. I shall be inventive in my meal planning and cooking. I am pressing the reset button on the 2016 finances, I will do it and I can't wait.
So, will I make it through the month? Who's with me?
Keep on track of my progress via my instagram @thissurreymummy and use #nospendjanuary2016
Big love,
This Surrey Mummy x
