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No spend *year*!

post #1 of 85
1/14/09 at 10:30pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone want to join along? Here's what we will not be buying this year, in order to build up savings/pay off a bit of debt:

clothes and shoes for dh and I
furniture of any kind, new bedsheets, towels, etc.
electronic goods
books/music
toys, except for bdays, and modestly
kitchen gadgets
services: car wash, gardening, etc.
new pets
eating out, except for birthdays and our anniversary
vacations, even small ones
movies, amusement parks, etc.
zoo, museum memberships



Here's what we need to buy this year:

Food (obviously)
Medical
Clothing for our oldest dd
Car maintenance, home maintenance
Gardening stuff to grow our own food


Little luxuries:

netflix subscription
museum, zoo visits (limit once a month)
camping in the summer

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post #2 of 85
1/14/09 at 11:21pm
I don't think I have the ambition to join you, but wanted to post and say what a great idea! I would love to read about your successes and your challenges along your journey! Come back and share how you are doing!!!
post #3 of 85
1/14/09 at 11:31pm
I'm in! We are planning a big move in 18 months so this will be good for us.

What we won't buy:
Movies/books
Large scale furniture/electronics
Eating out
Computer stuff
Toys/gifts


What we will buy:
Food
Dental/medical
Car maintenence
Clothes and shoes for DD1 and DD2
daily/monthly bills
School payments

Luxuries:
Netflix
Yarn/fiber
School stuff for DD1

Ok I think that's it for now. This is the first time I've been on a thread like this so I'm still learning the ropes.

ETA: I went and started a blog about it. I figure it'll help keep me motivated. Theoretically.
post #4 of 85
1/15/09 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by USAmma View Post
Anyone want to join along? Here's what we will not be buying this year, in order to build up savings/pay off a bit of debt:
Quote:
zoo, museum memberships
Quote:
Little luxuries:

netflix subscription
museum, zoo visits (limit once a month)
camping in the summer
I don't know about your zoo, but for all of the ones we've lived near, an annual membership paid for itself if you went more then 2-3 times a year. Ditto for museums... so joining one zoo and one museum would be cheaper than visiting a zoo or museum monthly, plus you could go more often.

Dar
post #5 of 85
1/15/09 at 1:38am
Not to be critical, but I don't understand how you can cut out so much but still keep Netflix. I guess to me that seems like a waste. Personally I'd MUCH rather continue buying books, which you have on your "no buy" list.
post #6 of 85
1/15/09 at 1:58am
Wow, that will definitely be a challenge -- very impressive!

A&A, the Netflix vs. books decision would obviously be a matter of simple personal preference, but I'd opt for Netflix over purchasing books, too. For $9/mo, I can see as many movies as I want. It's like a paid library service. For $0/mo, I can read as many books as I want from the library. Owning the book usually isn't that important to me, so yep, I'd go for Netflix over book ownership.
post #7 of 85
1/15/09 at 2:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by msjd123 View Post
Wow, that will definitely be a challenge -- very impressive!

A&A, the Netflix vs. books decision would obviously be a matter of simple personal preference, but I'd opt for Netflix over purchasing books, too. For $9/mo, I can see as many movies as I want. It's like a paid library service. For $0/mo, I can read as many books as I want from the library. Owning the book usually isn't that important to me, so yep, I'd go for Netflix over book ownership.
yep... If i was dedicated I would choose the same...
post #8 of 85
1/15/09 at 1:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by OtherMother'n'Madre View Post
I'm in! We are planning a big move in 18 months so this will be good for us.

What we won't buy:
Movies/books
Large scale furniture/electronics
Eating out
Computer stuff
Toys/gifts


What we will buy:
Food
Dental/medical
Car maintenence
Clothes and shoes for DD1 and DD2
daily/monthly bills
School payments

Luxuries:
Netflix
Yarn/fiber
School stuff for DD1

Ok I think that's it for now. This is the first time I've been on a thread like this so I'm still learning the ropes.

ETA: I went and started a blog about it. I figure it'll help keep me motivated. Theoretically.
Cool! What's your blog URL? I'll post about it on mine, too.

I should add yarn to my no-buy list this year. I have way too much and I need to use it up before I buy more.
post #9 of 85
1/15/09 at 1:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by A&A View Post
Not to be critical, but I don't understand how you can cut out so much but still keep Netflix. I guess to me that seems like a waste. Personally I'd MUCH rather continue buying books, which you have on your "no buy" list.
What PPs said. Our library has a good selection of books and audiobooks. Dh bought me an Ipod shuffle for our anniversary (my first Ipod!) and I have been enjoying putting audiobooks on it from the library. I enjoy books more than music. Now I can knit and read at the same time.

Our library has a very limited selection of movies, and I've seen most of them. They have a lot of classics and oldies but not many new releases. The kids movies have scratches on them most of the time, too. Right now I have the 3 movies at a time subscription from Netflix because my SIL is visiting from India. After she leaves I'll go back to 1 at a time.

The no eating out thing is easy-- two of us have Celiac Disease and one has multiple food allergies.:
post #10 of 85
1/15/09 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dar View Post
I don't know about your zoo, but for all of the ones we've lived near, an annual membership paid for itself if you went more then 2-3 times a year. Ditto for museums... so joining one zoo and one museum would be cheaper than visiting a zoo or museum monthly, plus you could go more often.

Dar
In the past I had membership to both our zoo and our science center. The SC now charges not only admission (which membership covers) but they charge extra for many of the exhibits and for the planetarium, which they didn't before. I decided not to renew. We have a zoo membership until February and by March it gets too hot to go anyway, until late fall. By then dd2 will be starting K. There are not any museums here that I'd want to visit more than once a year. I wish we lived in a place with an aquarium or something.
post #11 of 85
1/15/09 at 4:48pm


I'll be watching to see how you do and hoping you are successful!!

I laughed when I saw "new pets" on your list of things not to buy. Is that something that tempts you frequently?
post #12 of 85
1/15/09 at 5:29pm
: We honestly may not have much of a choice
post #13 of 85
1/15/09 at 6:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by A&A View Post
Not to be critical, but I don't understand how you can cut out so much but still keep Netflix. I guess to me that seems like a waste. Personally I'd MUCH rather continue buying books, which you have on your "no buy" list.
I have a feeling the things she chose was because they were spending too much and netflix is an easy pleasure. I have been known to cut things out that are too much of a bad habit no matter how great. If it takes too much money, it needs to go.
post #14 of 85
1/15/09 at 6:40pm
Count me as another who is choosing Netflix over books. I am an avid reader but between the library, paperback swap, and my own overflowing stacks, I am vowing to spend $0 on books this year. Amazon was becoming a bad habit for us, and its very, very easy to drop $30-40 a pop there. I don't think TV/movies are better than books its just that in a cable-free house and with a library that has a poor DVD selection, the Netflix is a good value for us.
post #15 of 85
1/15/09 at 6:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngelBee View Post
: We honestly may not have much of a choice
Same here.
post #16 of 85
1/15/09 at 9:04pm
my list is similar to yours, with our luxury being netflix as well

I clicked on this post, because I'm also vowing a no spend year. So I'm with you!
post #17 of 85
1/15/09 at 9:19pm
I just talked to dh about doing a no-spend year and he laughed, 'Isn't that what we do already?' Yah, it kind of is our normal way of living.
post #18 of 85
1/15/09 at 9:27pm
I will be the first to admit I could NOT do this, but kudos to you. I think that is awesome that you are going to do this, best of luck!
post #19 of 85
1/15/09 at 9:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl View Post
I just talked to dh about doing a no-spend year and he laughed, 'Isn't that what we do already?' Yah, it kind of is our normal way of living.
We kinda do, too, but I tend to splurge at Target and it adds up. Last year my goal was to redo our home on a budget, make it look more like I want a home to look with some simple changes. Those changes do still add up though.
post #20 of 85
1/15/09 at 9:49pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crunchy*VT*Mom View Post


I'll be watching to see how you do and hoping you are successful!!

I laughed when I saw "new pets" on your list of things not to buy. Is that something that tempts you frequently?
Well . . . last year we had two budgies, then found one, bought one more. Then they had babies and we found ourselves with 14 of those over the summer!! We had to buy cages and food for them until we rehomed most of them. We have eight left and plan to keep them. Then I just *had* to buy a parrot. Found a deal on Craigslist for sweet one, but she still was a splurge. So no more pets for awhile! Home-bred or otherwise.

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