Tuesday 27 August 2013

67. Lifestyle // Spending Ban Update

I am now 18 days into my Spending Ban, can you believe it?! It's been tough - really tough - and there have been moments of weakness, temptation and a few slip-ups along the way. But overall, I'm pretty happy with how I've done.
 
First of all, here are my 'rules' on what I can and can't spend money on...

Source
 
What am I allowed to spend money on?
~ Bills
~ Travel
~ Cigarettes (within reason)
~ Socialising
~ Gym
~ Basic toiletries, e.g. deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, razors
~ Make-up/clothes when I've ran out, e.g. foundation, tights
~ Ingredients for baking/cooking
What am I not allowed to spend money on?
~ Clothes
~ Make-up / beauty products
~ Magazines
~ Unnecessary snacks / takeaways
~ Books and DVDs

So, what have I bought? Well, the day after I started the Spending Ban I set off to work in a dress, a cardigan and some pumps... within minutes there was torrential rain! I had to run into Marks and Spencer's and pick up an umbrella which left me £8.50 worse off... Now, I've been contemplating whether this is a cheat or not?! I mean; an umbrella isn't clothes, but is it an accessory  It was raining so I did need to keep dry, but could I have just held my bag over my head and saved some money? Oh, who knows! Either way: I bought something.

A few days later, I also bought two magazines and LOADS of snacks! Dammit  Snacks is something that I've found it impossible to resist... Although I have spent a lot less than I usually would, I've still probably spent about £15 each week on lunches, treats for the night time, bottles of pop, etc... so not great! But - as I always say - I'll do better next week ;-)

In terms of clothes and make-up, I've not bought a thing. Honestly. Not a single thing! No knickers, no foundation, no tops, not even any tights?! (Oops, I did buy some dry shampoo actually... but it was only 60p!) I am, however, running incredibly low on primer and so a sneaky purchase will need to be made within the coming weeks, although I did state in my rules that I can buy something when it runs out and I really do need it.

I've really enjoyed the Spending Ban so far; I've spent an awful lot less money than I normally would have done and I've realised that I really don't need to buy a new lip-gloss or nail polish or top every time I pop down the street. I've got enough clothes and - on the whole - enough make-up to keep me going for a while, so I honestly think that I can make it until October! 

Wish me luck!

Lots of Love,
Becci xo

2 comments:

  1. Whooo, keep up the hard work! I've been stretching my pennies as long as it takes me until I finally get to start my new job and have a steady paycheck coming in. Until then, up til today, I've only purchased Starbucks coffee for school (which is still a bad habit) but today I only spent $30 on my uniform for work. It's hard at first but I think eventually you'll get into the habit of saving and realizing that you can live without reading months of magazines :P Good luck and keep us posted!

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    Replies
    1. That's really good!! $30 on clothes is amazing too, I could easily spend so, so much more - you should be really proud. Xxx

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