This month is the beginning of No Spend November. This challenge has been around for some time, but this is the first time that I am taking part. Money has always been something that I am incredibly open and honest about. My history with cash has now been straight forward. I know that so many other people out there also have a changing relationship with money, that is why I think it is so important to talk about. In this blog post, I am going to share with you why I want to do No Spend November. Not only that, but I will make myself a note to check in with you guys later in the month to tell you guys about how I got on. However, I will start out by explaining my relationship with money and why this is so important.
My previous history with money.
I have shared here on my blog that my childhood was very bizarre when it came to money. My parents were separated. My mum was a single parent to my sister and I. Every single spare penny that she had was spent on me and my sister. With that, she had no money. We would like pay cheque to pay cheque and things were really hard. I hate to use the word because it would probably make my mum cry, but I think others would have certainly seen us as poor. While my dad remarried, never had more children, but lived a luxurious lifestyle with his new wife and we would experience that on a weekend.
How my relationship changed when I started working.
For me, I wanted to get straight into work and luckily I landed on my feet after my degree. For a very long time, I squirreled away the money that I was earning. I spent the bare minimum and I accumulated a large amount in the bank. With that I could help my mum and it felt amazing to repay what she did for us. Granted as a young adult, I shouldn’t have been thinking like that, but I had to and I loved doing it. It meant that within a short amount of time I could buy a car, a house and everything just seemed to change for us.
Where I have been recently.
When it comes to money in the past couple of years, things have really changed for me. By that I mean, that I spend it like there is no tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong, I am still careful with it. I always have a healthy amount in the bank, I never spend more than I earn, nor do I get in debt. But I do now treat myself. There is nothing wrong with the occasional treat, but I got to a stage where I felt like I was trying to keep up with this unattainable lifestyle. I was buying Chanel and Hermes bags without a second thought. I bought myself a £50k car and I had to step back and just say to myself, “What the fuck are you doing?”.
How I would like things to change.
I feel like after I bought my overpriced car, I had a realisation. I was only buying these things because I wanted to flaunt what I had. No longer did I want people to think of me and my family as the people with no money. I want to show people in a very obvious and external way, look at me, I have money. After that realisation, I realised that I just didn’t want that. Nor did I want people to look at me and think that I am some flash cow. I understand how it could very easily be preserved as that, even though I started out with the best of intentions, buying luxury items because it is a passion of mine.
What I am going to do during No Spend November.
The main reason for me why I am doing No Spend November is because I need to learn when to spend and when not to spend. Such as, if I fancy a steak on a Tuesday night, I will go and spend £40 on two steaks for us, but we have a fridge full of fresh produce. Or if somebody asks me out, I instantly buy a full new outfit, but not only that, I will probably buy an overpriced pair of heels or a handbag to go with it. I need to realise:
- People don’t care if you are wearing brands, they want my company, not my money.
- It can be preserved in a negative way if I flaunt what I earn.
- I do not need to continually spend money on things I do not need, i.e. wasted food, excessive makeup, £200 coffee table books, etc.
I hope that you guys liked this blog post. Honestly, I know that not everybody is keen on speaking so openly about money, I understand why. Money is a very private thing, and we don’t want the world to know what we are earning. I did a blog post a couple of weeks ago about whether money can make you happy or not. My conclusion in that post was that having cash in your account does not help to make you happy, but it can lighten the load. I am currently trying to make plans for my future so that money will never be a concern to me or my family. I feel lucky to be here and making big plans, as I know so many other people cannot. On this subject, I would love to hear your opinion and if you are doing no Spend November.
