No Spend April

1 April 2015

I've only been back from the USA for a whole month, (all of March). But looking at my spendings on my Spendee app I'm pretty ashamed of myself to say the least. Not only did I spend a significant amount of money overseas, of course, but I went a little nutso as soon as I got back, on various accessories and decor. But don't even get me started on how much I spent on plants. I'll put up a post on that soon enough.

I googled "No Spend Month" and browsed it on Pinterest and there is no way I am or can do it to the extreme that some people seem to be doing this. Basically they are not buying groceries and just living off what is in their home. So as I have only recently moved out and into my home we have hardly anything built up.

My Current Strategy

I am already super organised as it is when it comes to money. I get paid from my 2 jobs on a fortnightly basis, and on the same day a large chunk is automatically withdrawn that covers 2 weeks worth of money for a variety of things that I need to put money away for.
So of my fortnightly pay, $550 comes out straight away. Divided by 2 that's $275 spent on all necessities a week.

Broken down that's approx $50 a week for groceries. $125 for rent, $25 for petrol, $30 for utilities (gas/electricity/water), $18 for my phone bill, and $25 for internet. There are a few more little costs here and there as well. I go halvies with everything with Josh, except for my own phone bill, private healthcare and petrol. He has a few of his own expenses as well.  So after that $550 comes out, whatever I have left, divided by 2, is what I have leftover for whatever during the next fortnight.

So that has to cover all activities, snacks and clothing purchases that I wish to complete, and I can save an amount of that too.

Want or Need?

Lately I've honestly been working too much to actually spend my money on activities which is a tad depressing but oh well. I've been using that money on plants. This "No Spend April" is going to be used with the leftover money after all the necessities have come out. 

Josh & I are guilty of buying random snacks/lunch/dinner foods when we have something at home. So this needs to stop. I can make a sandwich for lunch, I don't need a cheese naan. I'm also super bad at buying a Banana Smoothie (Brekkie to GoGo) from Boost, every time I work at my clothing store job, as it is right near it. I drink the smoothie on the 35 minute drive back home.  Because I am often starving. But these dang smoothies are $6.50. I often buy muffins from my other job, they are only $2 but this adds up when I have food at home that I could be bringing with me. 

Coffees are also unnecessary things to buy. Unfortunately we live 1 minute away from a large large amount of cafes. But we do have coffee at home. So that will have to do. 


House wise, I have bought a lot of plants this month. April can be about actually looking after them all and not letting them die. I have quite a lot of them right now anyway. Also something sweet is that Bunnings has a perfect plant promise, and will give you your money back if your plant dies. It's a 12 month guarantee! (One I hope I don't have to use though).

I already save any money that is leftover when my next paycheck comes through, but I hope to save money on top of that as well. 

100% no clothes, accessories, shoes or random pieces of decor for the house this month. That's where a lot of my spending goes. So that will be halted this month!

Activity wise, I have a dinner with friends coming up on Friday so that will still be in place obviously, I'll just eat cheaply. (I don't eat too much anyway). Also Easter is this Sunday. I'm sorry everyone I think you'll survive without Easter treats. Have you seen how much they cost?? Hell to the no. 

Josh and I like to go to the cinema occasionally, we are big movie buffs, so this is an activity that I definitely won't be cutting out. Plus the new Avengers movie comes out this month! 

I'll Try My Best!

It's April 1st, and I bought myself a heatbag this morning. But I'll count that as a necessity because it's something that I needed and had actually been meaning to buy. It's also payday! So that will be the truest test of my willpower!

Let me know if you've ever done a no spend month! How did you go? Are you going to try a no spend month in the future? It's the first today so it's the time to begin! 

Cya! xx



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27 comments

  1. Haha, this sounds like an incredible idea! I'm trying to limit my spending too...I've been spending too much lately and I know I could do well. The Spendee app sounds cool! Definitely will check it out <3

    Btw, love your blog! It's so wonderful! Definitely following it on bloglovin <3

    xx Bash | Bash Says Hey | bloglovin'

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  2. Go you! Good strategy :)
    I too cut out buying coffees and it's a great way to save pennies (especiallt if you can convince work to provide coffee sachets or something similar!). Good luck!!

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  3. I spend SO much money buying lunches every day at work... I really don't want to think about the many thousands of $$$ I would have sitting in the bank or invested if I total this up over the year but I think it's high time that I did...
    Great Post!

    C O C O N I C O L E

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  4. I've been doing the 100 day no spend since January 5th! It's been tough and I have ended up buying a couple of things here and there. It's day 87 now so hoping I won't go mad as soon as day 100 is up!
    I need to start saving better, I waste money on lunch and coffees all the time.

    Lucy x
    Yellowicing.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. Okay calm down 100 days is too many haha. I like shopping too much come on. x

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  5. This sounds like a good plan, hopefully you don't spend too much, good luck! x

    www.chontellelouise.blogspot.com.au

    xx Chontelle Louise

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  6. Sounds like you have a strategic plan in place already - you'll do just fine! I need to start saving my money more. I spend it on coffees here and there, on buses when I should be walking, buying lunch etc things like that. In fact, most of my money goes back into work when I'm buying things on my break. Haha. I haven't gone too wild this month I don't think... I've been spending it on other people mostly!

    Hannah x | hannatalks

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  7. Good luck! I'm attempting a sugar free April so we'll see how that goes :)

    Erin | Erin and Katherine Talk Beauty

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    Replies
    1. Naah man I have a coffee every morning with 2 sugars. There will be no sugar free months in my future! haha xx

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  8. Sounds like a pretty solid plan! I usually do a no spend month each half year - mostly June/July and November. This way I'm not completely broke when it is Christmas and can do fun things in the summer :) Good luck!

    xo Mel || Sketch & Scribbles

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  9. You're an inspiration! I don't spend much (except that one time I spent all this money on myself because it was my birthday haha. .), but forcing myself to NOT spend anything at all might make me rebound and turn into a shopaholic.

    That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

    www.rebekahkoontzsite.com // US Lifestyle Blog

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  10. In your defense, you can never have too many house plants. It's for the sake of your happiness after all. The Spendee app sounds pretty cool & definitely useful.

    :] // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

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    Replies
    1. I truly believe that, and the spendee app is so super handy! Love it. x

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  11. Love this idea! I'm learning about Thoreau and Emerson and their minimalist views in English and have totally been in the 'live off the bare minimum' mindset. It's so important to be financially aware and kudos for being able to talk about it on your blog
    xoxo
    Hannah
    www.frecklesandolives.blogpsot.com

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  12. Good luck! I didn't spend in January or March and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be x

    Josie’s Journal

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    1. It seems hard and then you're just like oh wait I don't really need this new dress for $90. And then you're okay! xx

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  13. Wow, that sounds intense! Aha, I don't know if I could do it...but it sounds like you're breaking it down pretty reasonably. I really need to be more aware of my spending, so I should do something like this...
    Great post! Good luck this month :)

    The Dragonfruit Diaries

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  14. Hard challenge, but I believe you will learn a lot down the road!
    Good luck and keep us posted!:)

    Oly | TLV Birdie Blog
    http://tlvbirdie.com

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  15. this is a really good idea, I'm constantly asking myself "do I really need this?" and I always try to find a way to say yes haha. Most likely though I don't need the things I buy. Good luck in this challenge!

    bethfreckles.blogspot.com

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  16. Hello Tegan,

    this was really honest post :) It's crazy how people can spend a lot of money without even realising it. Good luck with your saving strategy :)

    Cannot wait to read more from you!

    Have a nice day,
    Zuzana

    http://allquietonthedreamerfront.blogspot.com

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  17. Hello Tegan,

    this was really honest post :) It's crazy how people can spend a lot of money without even realising it. Good luck with your saving strategy :)

    Cannot wait to read more from you!

    Have a nice day,
    Zuzana

    http://allquietonthedreamerfront.blogspot.com

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  18. Not buying groceries for an entire month..... what are these people living on??!

    Personally I think your goal is very doable. I used to be a huge spender myself, but a lot of the times those items just end up laying around and not being used. So now, I always think about if what I'm getting is necessary, if I'll use it often enough to justify my purchase, and if I already have something similar. I've never been on a no-buy before so I can't say anything about it. But what I can say is that it's always nice to know that you have the extra money just in case anything happens!

    becky ♡ star violet

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  19. So good strategy and tips, I need to make that in my life hahaha. Lots of love. <3

    http://stylenflowers.blogspot.mx

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  20. I did a spending ban on beauty products last year and it was tough! I learnt how to make more use of what I already had though, so it was definitely worth doing. Good luck with yours, I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on :) xx

    Toasty

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Thanks so much for commenting everyone! I read and appreciate every single one of your comments! xx