A woman saved £4k in just six months by going "no spend" - and cancelling subscriptions and ditching alcohol and meals out.<br /><br />Mia Westrap, 26, decided to overhaul her finances when she was unable to afford to embark on a long-distance relationship with an Australian man she was dating.<br /><br />When her former partner of six months flew home, Mia said the pair went "cold turkey" and didn't communicate because she wasn't able to afford flights to Australia.<br /><br />As a health and social care worker - earning £2.1k-a-month - Mia says she realised she was spending too much on socialising.<br /><br />She would easily spend £200-a-month on eating out and £100-a-month on alcohol without giving it a second thought. <br /><br />At the start of her "no spend year", Mia set herself the target of saving £4k in 12 months but hit her target in June and has now upped her target to £7k.<br /><br />Mia, from Southampton, Hampshire, said: "My goal for 2024 was to save £4k as that would be three months worth of living expenses.<br /><br />"I hit that in just six months and have now set my target to £7k.<br /><br />"I look back and wonder how I was spending £500-a-month on nothing material.<br /><br />"I had nothing to show for the money I spent - my money went on food, drinks and maybe on clothes but I already had plenty." <br /><br />Mia had heard of people doing no spend years but it wasn't something she was interested in or found relevant.<br /><br />But, after a major abdominal surgery in January, she thought it was a perfect time to start.<br /><br />She said: "I realised that I was going to be housebound for the first month of the year so I thought why not give it a go.<br /><br />"I have been finding it quite easy through the winter as I don't want to go out at the moment anyway.<br /><br />"I will be interested to see how difficult it gets in the summer when I want to go out for meals and socialise with friends."<br /><br />Mia says she didn't live an extravagant lifestyle beforehand and it was the little purchases that would creep up on her - such as coffees, meal deals and Pepsi Max.<br /><br />She said: "I didn't have many holidays really, I grew up incredibly poor.<br /><br />"Going on holiday was something I was not used to.<br /><br />"I was addicted to Pepsi Max - I was spending £3 to £4 every day which amounts to £1,424 a year.<br /><br />"When I took a step back to see where my money was going, I realised it was these little costs that I couldn't account for."<br /><br />Usually, during the summer, Mia says she and her friends would go to beer gardens or out for meals but this year they have been doing picnics and dinners in - to save money. <br /><br />She said: "My friends have been really supportive, we have been having a lot of dinners in or going for picnics.<br /><br />"Usually we would go for meals out every time the sun came out or go to beer gardens.<br /><br />"My summer has been really good and I haven't felt like I have missed out on anything."
