Finally it is here the first pay day after Christmas, it feel like forever ago that I was last paid so it is safe to say the money hitting the bank today is much needed. It was so nice waking up to money in the bank account and this is now where I start to knuckle down and begin my low spend year. With January's pay I have a few gifts to buy with my Sister's birthday being at the start of February and my Nephew's birthday in March, I am even starting to get bits together for April's birthday's too with Liam turning 30. The budget has been set for the gift buying though and I am really hoping I can stick to this.

The plan is to really knuckle down from this pay day though and hit the ground running with my low spend year, which I am going to be tracking over on my social media to try keep myself held accountable. Before any purchase are made I am also going to be adding to my savings to make sure they are number one priority going forward. Here is what I am hoping to pick up with my bit of treat money though...

Jeans

I really want a new pair of jeans that are going to sit better on my walking boots or in my wellies for our upcoming adventures. The baggy / straight jeans don't cut it so I think I might end up going for a skinny pair just for these adventures. I am also looking for a pair that are a bit of a different colour to what I am used to too so I will be having a good look around to see what is going to be the best option. 

Joules Gilet

I have absolutely fallen in love with this gilet from Joules and I think it would be perfect for some adventures we have got planned in the near future. Joules has never been a shop I have considered shopping at however, it is now somewhere I can't stop searching the website for. I am also hoping Liam will get a men's version of this as it would really suit him.

Slow Cooker

The more I think about it the more I have been tempted to pick up a slow cooker to help me get on top of my nutrition. I really can't be bothered cooking after the football on a weekend so one of these could be ideal to have on whilst I am out playing as it could be cooking my tea for me and I have to do the bare minimum when I get home. I could easily leave Liam in charge of meals with this too so it could be a good investment all round.

We are trying to make a good start on the outdoor jobs so that when the weather does start to get better we can enjoy plenty of time out there relaxing rather than just doing DIY like previous, which still never got done. I am hoping to use a chunk of both of our January pay to get all the wood and screws we need to get our back garden finished off in terms of woodwork. We need enough to create a bit more of a fenced area, a gate and turn some planters into benches. We are really hoping to keep costs low on this but once the woodwork jobs are complete we can get on with the tidying up of the area in general and making it perfect for when the weather finally changes for the better.

I have seen some really nice inexpensive plant pots on the B&Q website and I think the plan with this months pay is to get a few to keep in the kitchen to grow some herbs in to see if I can make it work. I am wanting to grow some of our own vegetables and these plant pots are cheap enough for me to test with herbs before I go all out and convert part of the garden at the side of the house, which is currently what I am trying to convince Liam to let me go ahead with.

Obviously I need something to go in those plant pots I have just mentioned and I just want to buy a small thing of soil to fill the pots I buy which I guess is going to be reasonably inexpensive. I also want to pick up a few seed packets of different herbs to try grow before moving onto bigger items in the future. Hopefully I can do this on a budget and actually be successful in growing some herbs for us to add to our meals.

We are, fingers crossed, getting a hot tub fit ready for the weather brightening up however, Liam thinks we need to add a bit more privacy to the area it is being added to just cover us from the neighbors. We were going to do a bit of a wooden pergola however, we are currently tempted to just get a fabric awning that stretched across where the hot tub is going to be placed. We are definitely going to be shopping around for the best option for this so let's see if it gets purchased with January's pay or not.

Snack containers

I can't believe Home Bargains are selling snack containers for only £4.99 as we nearly paid £20 for these last summer on Amazon. I think the plan is to pick up two of these to help us with our healthy eating and stop us snacking on rubbish. These will be filled with cut up fruit that we can just dip in and out of. These will be perfect to take on our adventures with us too especially camping as they will make life much easier. Even just to have when we are sat in the garden they will be a brilliant addition.

New bedding

I am wanting to add a little bit more colour into the bedroom as literally everything is beige or wood so the plan is to start small and use this months pay to pick up a new bedding set. Liam is totally onboard with it as long as the new one is as soft as our current one so it is time we got looking around. So far I have a seen a few different ones in Asda that I really like so I might need to see if they have any in stock locally to see if they pass the softness test. 

Artwork for the Hallway

We are nowhere near ready to do the hallway as we still need quotes for bits we want doing however, I have spotted some artwork that I want for the walls so the plan is if we see them in-store we are picking them straight up and storing them until the hallway is done. I am absolutely in love with some pieces from Home Bargains as they fit the theme perfectly and are so cheap too. At £12.99 we are going to get a few and hopefully when we get the hallway done they tie the space together nicely.

There you have it those are the items I am hoping to use my January pay on. As you can see there is definitely a focus on the house for a change and to be honest with how we have 2025 planned out I feel like this could be the case for a while. I am also really trying not to buy new clothing as I feel like with a focus on my fitness journey, I will just be wasting money on clothing that doesn't last me as long as I would like it to. The plan with the main bulk of clothes shopping is to wait until I have done a wardrobe edit just before spring to see if I need new bits for the season or not.

I am hoping that if I have any money left out of the budgeted spend pot at the end of the month I can add the left overs into a savings pot however, I am also toying with the idea of rolling it over to February's pay day wish list so I can spend a little bit more, I guess only time will tell if I have left overs or not.

It really is time to start saving money and stop wasting it buy only buying what I really want or need each month. My lifestyle is changing and I need to make sure my spending and purchases reflect that going forward and the first pay day of 2025 seems like the perfect time to bring these changes in. I am really looking forward to trying to have a month of very little shopping and instead having plenty of days at home either cracking on with jobs, working on content or just relaxing playing some games.

Let's see how this goes shall we...

See you soon, 

Lucy