The no-buy experiment

Okay, continuing on with the experimenting where other people have experimented before theme, I've started myself on a no-buy month. It's a little like a financial version of a diet, but instead of asking myself "do I really need these calories", I'm asking "do I really need these things". This question was triggered by another pair: "why is there so much unnecessary stuff in my house" and "what exactly am I spending my money on", neither of which I have a polite answer to.

So, for June 2008 (and this started on Monday already), I shall attempt to pay only for food and travel. Nothing else, although I may have to negotiate for essentials (list to go here: prescription medicine, for example). And every time I think about spending money on something, I'll list it here, possibly also with the reason I don't need it... so far, the list of things I didn't buy is:
* 1 book: my life as a quant. Recommended by my currently favourite author and possibly useful for future career. But I have plenty to read right now, and Hwsgo's and the programming books will probably be a lot more useful
* 2 t-shirts from my favourite t-shirt company. Can't remember the name, but they helpfully put their website address in my unicorn t-shirt. I have enough cute t-shirts: I just need to lose a little weight to get into some of them.
* 1 blue book (title as yet undetermined) to fill in a gap on Hwsgo's bookshelves. He has enoguh books, and there are better ways to be sweet (like delivering food parcels to the sick...)
* 1 whiteboard, for listing all the things I have to do at home. I've simplified the freezer and can use the freezer whiteboard for this instead.
* 1 cheap printer, for the 2-3 pages I need to print at home every month. It will only encourage me to print more at home, especially stuff I don't need to keep.
* 1 work top, because I'm currently failing to lose enough weight to get back into my shirts. Just lose the weight: that's what the gym subscription is for.
* 1 pair Foo Fighters concert tickets. I have the cds.
* 1 pair flower show tickets. I'd rather visit the RHS or the national fruit-tree collection.
* 1 pyrex cooking bowl. Very impressed by what Hwsgo can do with chicken. But I have a glass bowl; I just need to check if it's pyrex.

I expect this will hurt, and I'll forget I'm doing this at least once during the month. But it will be an interesting experiment nonetheless. Ah... already a modification: the list of things I did buy:
* 1 ticket for a day's paintballing with work mates. Prior commitment. £15.
* 1 train ticket to Wolverhampton to see little Bro household and the most evil cat in the world. £51.50 (of which £50 was the ticket, £1 the posting fee and 50p the card booking fee, neither of which were optional online).
* 1 ticket to mess ball with Sara £45 (to bring in tomorrow).

I think I may have a bit of an answer here already: the money seem to go on seeing my friends. Maybe I should persuade them all to take up cashless hobbies, like, say, long-distance cycling?