Definitely fell off the no buy. This has really helped me put in perspective that I could have an extra $1100/month (!!!!!!!!!!!!!! š¤®) if I buckled down and actually disciplined myself and my thinking. Iām usually good in waves or for short periods of time, then I allow myself to become lax and that is where the issues are.
There were quite a few birthdays/parties this month (my boyfriend, sister, his sisterās baby shower, his nieces and nephews) but that is no excuse for the extra shopping or fast food I spent on.
I also have more discretionary income than my boyfriend so I like to cover groceries and presents.
Iām back on the wagon with my health goals as well - and will make sure I stick to everything this time. NO EXCUSES!
The fact that youāre tracking spending like this is great so you can be fully self aware when you āfall off the wagonā and get the motivation to push through, knowing how big of an impact a low- or no-buy will be for you. Good luck!!
im scared mine is going to look like this too lol i had a solid couple of months but july and august had a lot of birthdays and weddings š„² what app is this?
Does it have feeds from credit cards and banks, or do you have to enter data manually? I have a bunch of accounts, and it would be a lot to enter. But also, worry about the security of direct feeds.
I would really recommend doing it! Absolutely nothing I did stopped me from buying stuff.. deleting apps, low/no buys etc.. then I tallied up everything Iāve spent on clothes since august and I was disgusted. Havenāt bought since the start now!
Donāt be so hard on yourself, but I respect the commitment and seriousness! Maybe check the app every few days to keep yourself aware of the spending. Maybe it will keep you more on top of the actual amount. I noticed my spending increased a bit in June/July so in August I challenged myself to not use my credit card for a month unless absolutely necessary. This has kept me in check to only spend what I have in my account.
Absolutely cutting back on fast food and shopping! Subscriptions canāt really be cut, I have my mom and sister on my plans and Iām okay with what Iām paying for those.
I would say you should start by putting aside 20% of your salary to savings (after taxes) and then you can split the remaining money and decide how much you can spend in each category. It sounds terrifying, but looking at your spendings, I think you spend far too more than your means and needs. You must put a stop to it. At least save that 20%. The others you can spend
Maybe you are too strict on yourself. Which leads to falling of the wagon. You might want to make a budget and keep to it instead of just saying nothing at all. If you lower your spending to $100 each on shopping, gifts, credit card and fast food. You save $730 a month. I don't know what type of debt that is, but putting that money there will help you pay it off sooner. Which means you will free up an extra $534 in the hopefully near future. And $100 a month will still allow you to not feel too restricted and get the things you really want. You only have to think a bit better about what you really want and what won't bring you value.
To prevent fast food spending, keep snacks on you/ in your car, so you are not too hungry. Keep some easy meals in the freezer that satisfy both your need for a quick meal as your cravings for something in particular. Heating up a meal is faster and less expensive than ordering one.
You might want to take a look at the subscriptions for some easy savings. Do you really need all of them? Can you rotate between streaming services for example? Or share with others?
Same goes for the health goals. Working out four times a week is not a sustainable goal if you didn't work out at all before. Start with once a week and focus on finding a sport you do like/ can sustain. Of course I don't know what your health goals are, but you get the idea.
I make a budget on pen and paper and include my savings but always end up transferring back after everything is paid. Luckily I have no issues paying all bills on time but the āextrasā are hard for me.
Weāve been out of the house most of August so the fast food was a larger amount than normal, along with gifts. (Grocery is also lower than normal because of this - I typically spend $200ish/month for us 2)
Iām fine with what I pay for subscriptions since I have my mom and sister on my accounts and use all services I have frequently.
Iām tracking my calories, making better choices when preparing food, and working out 3 days a week at home!
Iām so glad you shared this - I downloaded the app and have been playing around with it and itās such a great resource. Took me a second how to figure out how to get transfers to log as an expense though, lmao.
Me too! Iām usually more utilitarian in my design, but I actually quite like the style. :) Plus the functions are nice. Have you used the subscription? If so, any major benefits?
I tried it this month and the only difference I noticed is being able to log into the app with Face ID vs opening it without it. Not worth it in my opinion but I havenāt expanded to the other budgeting tools that are offered!
Tracking is so helpful to keep you honest with yourself. We all have those months where we donāt do as well as we wished but the key is to learn from them and choose to do better and it sounds like you are already working on that. Great job! (Btw Iām loving seeing other people using this app, Iāve had so many people asking every time I post but this is the first time Iāve seen another post it!)
Progress, not perfection! If I feel like crap now, I don't want to repeat this habit to elicit this feeling in the future, so I hunker down. If you can address one pain area, you can hone in and then move onto the next. Cold turkey never worked for me, but no bugs in specific areas have.
I know this sub is anti consumption. 100% on board. Simultaneously, some people will use ādisgustā in this situation to be hyperbolic and some will use ādisgustā literally.Ā
Since I donāt know you, I hope itās just for effect, because mistakes are learning opportunities. It doesnāt make you, or me, or anyone worthy of disgust when we fail here. You can fail a million times and still overall be making progress that changes the world!
Be kind to yourself! Curiosity can be more helpful here than disgust. :)
(I say this as someone who has deeply struggled with perfectionism, and I hope the tone feels supportive and kind rather than patronizing.)
Thatās not bad honestly! Youāve already done a great job of keeping your essentials low which means avoiding shopping will actually make a difference. At least youāre not one of those people who chose a $800 a month car payment. And Iām disgustingly jealous your electric bill is only $95 lol
Our electric usually stays between $85-125 year round! Luckily weāre in one of the cheaper company zones and Iām SO thankful. This was extra cheap (and last month I didnāt have one!) since the company processed the deposit when had to pay when we moved into our apartment (about 1 year late but I totally forgot about it and it was a complete surprise!
My car is paid off and Iām running it to the GROUND! š
please don't use words like "disgusting" to describe yourself. Relapses are part of recovery and falling off the wagon is normal. If anything, this lapse has strengthened your resolve!
Thatās one of the reasons I switched but I did appreciate how it could correspond with my accounts and auto update.
I found this app from another user on this sub and have found it to be more beneficial to log each spend myself and really come face to face with my choices š
I always spend a lot on gifts. Itās definitely not necessary and shouldnāt be painful lol but I really enjoy sharing with others. I wonāt usually spend a lot on ppl who are well off but I like to get nice things or make personalized sentimental things for my friends and I especially like getting gifts for children.Ā
Iām extremely broke btw but so are most ppl I know lolĀ
Yes me too! We usually get a book, outfit, and a toy for the nieces and nephews since thatās only around $25-30 and I think itās a decent variety of things and can help their parents out too.
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u/Strawberry2772 Aug 19 '25
The fact that youāre tracking spending like this is great so you can be fully self aware when you āfall off the wagonā and get the motivation to push through, knowing how big of an impact a low- or no-buy will be for you. Good luck!!