by Carla Louise | Jul 25, 2012 | Thrifting |
Haha… 100 days of no spending… with the few weeks I’ve just had my resolve has been sorely tested. My bank balance is still looking a bit sad, but certainly better than it would have been if I’d been spending with complete abandon. Good.
Wedding week was a write off – I knew that when I started the challenge. Loads of expected and unexpected expenses, so just tried to be sensible. Charges still cropping up and my credit card bill is horrific. And I may have indulged in a magazine or three for the flight home. Oops.
Otherwise I’ve been very good – had one slip up for a grey maxi dress which I can wear to work, and have totally failed to keep my three-dinners-out-a-month rule – it seems more like three a week at the moment! But you only live once.
I’ve been exercising on skates and on the bike, both of which are free – and really looking forward to burlesque class tonight, I missed a week for wedding, skipped a week due to tiredness and there was a week with no class so it’s been AGES since I danced!
Camping weekend yielded much loveliness, most of it free/swapped – which is brilliant. By the end of this year Poppy will be sporting a badge-free exterior, a spoiler, red engine bits and maybe a twin exit exhaust. Excellent.
I have sold some makeup on ebay and will be adding more makeup, clothes and other things as I clear out, and the DF shop is slowly building sales too. Mainly in stationery, oddly!
I have also taken part in two craft swaps and the things I received were amazing – will definitely be doing more of these, it’s so lovely to receive presents and is challenging me creatively too 🙂 (my polka dot swap is yet to be sent to its recipient – that’s this weekend’s job!)
Not much on my wishlist – have been too busy to notice much besides the things I want for Poppy!
So overall for these first six weeks I’d give myself a 6 out of 10 for achievement and an 8 out of 10 for effort. Definite room for improvement – and I’m planning a nice gentle August!
by Carla Louise | Jun 19, 2012 | Uncategorized |
So I started the challenge as a way to try and get some stability back into my finances – and see where my money was escaping most often.
The first few days haven’t been as hard as I thought they might – I’ve bought food within reason, had dinner out with Lou and Julia (2 of 3 allowed for June, oops) and resisted buying all manner of bits and pieces I’d usually have bought without thinking.
Among these were Computer Arts Branding bookazine (£15.00), various fabrics at the Range (£8.50/metre so at least £17 saving), Fiji water because it was in a pretty bottle and umpteen small and ultimately useless things from exhibitions I’ve been to.
Have also resisted buying the $100 Startup book, although this I may give in to before the end of the 100 days.
I have acquired a bike and all the trappings, which I will collect next Sunday, and Mum bought me breakfast out at the weekend – which doesn’t count! The bike is going to help me stay healthy and get to the station faster (therefore possibly to work on time? A girl can dream…)
And instead of buying, I will be borrowing the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy from Em at the weekend. I am highly reluctant to read these, as I hate jumping on literary bandwagons, I’m conscious it started as a Twilight fanfic (and I’ve never been able to get into Twilight) and I keep being told there’s no plot, just sex scenes… but I’m also curious to know what all the hype is about. The most unlikely people tell me they sit up all night reading it – so I’ll have a nose and see. Might even review them if they’re worth it!
by Carla Louise | Jun 19, 2012 | Uncategorized |
I decided, a week or so ago, to start the 100 day challenge, in an attempt to level out and stabilise my finances, which are getting dire. (This is mostly due to my extortionate train fare to work, living on my own and having a sports car. In that order. The last is entirely non-negotiable!)
I came across it via a Twitter post from Sophia at the Tattooed Tealady blog, and having decided it wouldn’t be a bad thing for me to have a go at, settled down to write my list of things I can spend on, absolute “no” items, and exceptions during the period of the challenge.
Here they are:
| Spending allowed (“yes” items) |
|
Spending not allowed (“bad squishy” items) |
| Food essentials (grocery shopping, work lunches, etc) |
|
Books |
| Essential toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste) |
|
Cards & giftwrap |
| Reasonable sweet treats |
|
Magazines |
| Postage (personal or business) |
|
Stationery |
| Non-alcoholic drinks out |
|
DVDs |
| Birthday & anniversary presents |
|
Alcoholic drinks out |
| Bills |
|
Dinner out more than 3 times a month |
| Existing debts to people |
|
Makeup |
| Essential underwear |
|
Technology |
| Petrol & travel |
|
Clothes |
| Listing fees (Etsy, Ebay, etc) |
|
Jewellery |
| Craft fair entry fees |
|
Non-essential toiletries (perfume, random products) |
| Reasonable amounts of Pepsi Max |
|
Craft supplies |
| Medicine/tablets |
|
Mods for Poppy |
| Burlesque classes |
|
|
| Baking ingredients |
|
|
| Experiences (like the photoshoot, Alice bike ride, etc) |
|
|
I know, the “yes” list is longer than the “no” list – but the “no” list is full of the things that chew my money without me really noticing.
Exceptions include eating out while in Jersey for Julia’s wedding, makeup & other things I need for the wedding, and investment in stock if my ventures come to fruition during these 100 days.
I started the challenge on 16 June and will finish on 23rd September. Taking inspiration from other bloggers I’ve seen doing this, I shall take photos of things I want to buy, and perhaps create a wishlist page here to showcase them – and we’ll see how many I feel I can’t live without at the end of the challenge.
I wouldn’t say I spend money madly, but I do have a tendency to fall in love with things and feel my life would be incomplete without them – so wish me luck, I think I’m going to need it!
