No Spend November

[stracci2000]

@stracci2000, right bagged lettuce is expensive but what boggles my mind is that they are taxing ANY kind of salad. Some older folks depend on that bagged salad (maybe arthritis means they can't chop or make their own) and now they have to pay 7.35% tax on that salad, same. Salad should not be taxed at all. I hardly ever buy it but I would like others to still be able to afford to buy it if they want to.

I just looked at this tax in your state. They are taxing all convenience-type foods sold in grocery stores, as if it were restaurant food. Because it is pre-made. And only in smaller, single serve sizes, like 8 oz bags of salad, or a single slice of pie. Just another way for the state to get more money from the little people.

out of curiously what country are they taxing salad in ?
in the winter i think bags of salad or salad leaves are just the best value so i find this sad when the powers at be are usually pushing for healthy eatting @StephanieLynn. @stracci2000 how much is tax on other food ?
we have across the board 15% GST here in NZ but i beleave im Australia fresh fruit and veg is exempt ?
or is this about the salad coming in plastic packaging ?

off on a tangent but how does one keep an unwrapped lettuce crisp - i have a new fridge and i use the crisper drawer but i find i still have to wrap them in cling wrap

Where I live, in New Mexico, USA, there is only tax on restaurant food, not grocery food.
There are always rumors that they will start taxing food, but It hasn't happened yet.
And I don't believe it will happen with our current governor, who is a democrat. She is far too kind to do that to us, I hope!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Right so they will tax for example one bagel but not six, they will tax you if you buy a single piece of pie but not a whole pie, and a smaller bag of ready made salad or lettuce but not a larger bag. IMO salad should not be taxed EVER, it's interesting that they don't tax processed food but now if I want to buy a single cup of Chobani yogurt for example it will be taxed at 7.35% but a multi-pack doesn't get taxed. It seems just crazy to me, anything to get more money @stracci2000

 

[stracci2000]

Well, I do buy single cups of Chobani yogurt, because my employer pays for my lunches when am out of town. I visit grocery stores for my job (food vendor), and since I am in several each day, I will grab my lunch there. But when it is my money, I buy the big containers of yogurt to have at home.
Taxing food in any capacity is just horrible. And now my state is taxing on-line purchases, as well, 5.1%.

 

[marcy]

@stracci2000, LOVE butternut squash! I bake that stuff in the oven with some EVOO and pumpkin pie spice and it is soooo good. That soup sounds amazing and I'm definitely going to give the bulk meat a go.

@marcy, it's always something right? Like you decide not to spend money and then the universe just decides to mess up the whole plan. At least you were able to recoup and regroup.

@AprilBaby, no doubt not easy and honestly I have never done a no spend month so this is going to be quite the endeavor! Think of it like this, even if you just did one week that is still an accomplishment.

StephanieLynn, you are so right. We usually decide to buy something then all of a sudden those unexpected expenses start rolling in or oh I forgot that bill way coming due.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

It will not be a no spend November for me/DH.....because it is my Birthday month!

cheers--Sharon

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Happy Birthday @canuk-gal!

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

I'm inspired by your post Miss Stephanie Lynn. I stopped myself from purchasing a jewelry item after reading your post. I really don't need it but want it so bad which means it's an emotional purchase.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@LisaRN, I'm glad in inspired you but boy this is soooo hard. I feel your pain too because I found an amazing jewelry treasure today too, my size and all but no, must resist!

 

[lambskin]

I usually try to get Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. Work and family gifts and dinner costs are a killer. I try to shop smart (a/k/a cheap) and the selection, prices and crowds are usually better before Dec 1. Just spent BIG BUCKS on a new roof and thinking about making cookies for work and neighbor gifts. But time is $ and I think I would probably spend nearly as much on packaging, materials and ingredients for cookies and end up looking cheap anyway. So Steph I will join you for 'Nov. no spend" with limited exception. I will try to use my canned and packaged goods in the kitchen and not be tempted by sales and coupons. (Nov. is a great month to stock up on baking basics such as flour, sugars, chips, nuts etc- as they do have great sales.) I will use up all of the shampoos, creams and soaps etc without buying new. I will try to avoid buying new clothes and shoes for myself. I will buy no new Christmas decorations, paper, bows, etc as I have a lifetime supply of the stuff.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@lambskin, the best part about this is it's not make or break, you can be hardcore or you can have some exceptions. I'm with you on shopping for the holidays, we have money in our PayPal which I consider the holiday budget but wouldn't hesitate to buy gifts this month because it was already planned for, plus a lot of times you can get some good deals.

We ended up having to accommodate for a few things, our oldest son wans to go out for Thanksgiving and I already told him we would before we started so the compromise was if we don't eat out all month then we can go. Figure the cost of one meal out on a holiday is less than eating out once or twice a week all month. There is also a toy show DH and DS planned on attending so again we told DS we can either use the entertainment budget or save it for the toy show and he opted to save it!

I know some that do this are super hardcore but there is no fun in that, IMO it should be challenging but still enjoyable.

 

[baby monster]

I did a low spend earlier this year after watching lots of minimalist YouTube videos.

What I did was inventory all of my fridge, freezer and pantry items, including shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, detergent, cleaning, etc. Then I made meal plans to use only items on hand. Obviously, milk, eggs, fresh produce needed to be purchased but cooking out of the pantry really saved a lot of money. I used up a lot of food that needed to be rotated out anyway.

Still using up household items although I did buy some new shampoo for myself just to try something new.

We also cut back on eating out because the prices went up dramatically and food quality went down. I'd rather buy good ingredients at the store and cook myself a nice dinner.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Wewechew, good on you for putting that money you would otherwise use into savings, it really adds up.

@baby monster, eating out of the pantry is great because you use up all those food items that may have been overlooked as you buy more groceries. In our house I have to watch the yogurt drawer in the fridge, if I buy yogurt every week the kids only eat their favorite flavors and the rest get left behind. An inventory list is so smart as well, I think doing that before I go shopping on Fridays could save quite a bit.

 

[ame]

Gah a no buy.... I've tried and failed many times.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@ame, it is so hard, I think it helps to set yourself up for success rather than being so stringent that you're destined to fail. While is admirable the folks that commit and don't buy one thing all month, it's just not realistic for many people. Also my husband is not participating (he gets breakfast and coffee every morning) which is fine we are still saving something by forgoing all the other little purchases.

 

[baby monster]

@StephanieLynn . If your kids like only certain yogurt flavor, buy a big tub and portion out single servings in reusable containers. It's a big money saver because those individual yogurt containers really add up. These containers don't leak and have a handy insert to add granola to mix in later.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H0FLOFW/

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Great idea @baby monster thanks so much!

 

[OdetteOdile]

@lambskin, the best part about this is it's not make or break, you can be hardcore or you can have some exceptions. I'm with you on shopping for the holidays, we have money in our PayPal which I consider the holiday budget but wouldn't hesitate to buy gifts this month because it was already planned for, plus a lot of times you can get some good deals.

We ended up having to accommodate for a few things, our oldest son wans to go out for Thanksgiving and I already told him we would before we started so the compromise was if we don't eat out all month then we can go. Figure the cost of one meal out on a holiday is less than eating out once or twice a week all month. There is also a toy show DH and DS planned on attending so again we told DS we can either use the entertainment budget or save it for the toy show and he opted to save it!

I know some that do this are super hardcore but there is no fun in that, IMO it should be challenging but still enjoyable.

StephanieLynn I think talking to your kids about money and budgeting is fantastic! The more they know about how money works, the better off they will be as adults! Empowering your son to make the decision about spending money for entertainment versus the toy show is a great idea!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Thanks @OdetteOdile, I was proud that he made the decision to save the money for the more special occasion, they have really been looking forward to it.

 

[KKJohnson]

All of my money so far keeps going towards my mother, she just keeps having bills pop up and needs my help. I’m hoping next year will be better

 

[missy]

All of my money so far keeps going towards my mother, she just keeps having bills pop up and needs my help. I’m hoping next year will be better

That's so lovely of you @KKJohnson and very selfless. I don't know many people who would sacrifice that much for their mother. You are an angel on earth to your mom.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

She is lucky to have you @KKJohnson !

 

[missy]

Gah a no buy.... I've tried and failed many times.

A girl after my own heart.♥

 

[dk168]

I am planning to get a pair of paved diamond earrings, nothing too expensive, and perhaps set one of CSs, again, nothing too expensive, both are for daily wear rather than special occasions.

How about everyone else? What have you planned to spend money on in December?

DK

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@dk168, next month will be all about buying stuff for our kids and the other kids on our list. Which is fine, I do enough shopping for myself through the year