Goals for week commencing 19 March

nabowla · 19 March 2006 at 9:30AM

Thought I'd get the thread started this week as I'm sitting here reviewing last week's goals over breakfast.

(Last week's thread can be found at http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=164979&highlight=week+goal)

Last week:

1. £10 spending week (not including groceries or monthly season ticket that has to be bought this week). Realised that this was over-ambitious for week 1 as I had a number of financial commitments left over from my old life. Managed to stick to £10 during the week (including my travelcard fiasco) and then set strict limits for the old commitments. Came in under budget for the old stuff so quite pleased overall.
2. Take packed lunches to work every day. Achieved.
3. Investigate options for reducing mobile bill. Achieved. Cheapest option turned out to be switching from pay monthly to PAYG so have ordered a PAYG SIM card. Might have to wait up to 30 days for the card to arrive.

Also set up online banking so that I can monitor my finances regularly, cancelled unnecessary/old direct debits, submitted old expense & overtime claims and joined the £2 savers club. All in all, not a bad week.

This week's targets:
1. Sell at least two items on Ebay.
2. Start of DFW Holiday at Home (Weds). Aim is to have a 10 day holiday at home spending an average of £5 per day on entertainments etc. Need to finish off list of cheap/free activities and then start enjoying myself!
3. Find cheap place to eat out on Mon night - £10 limit.
4. Check bank account online three times this week.
5. Take library books back before the due date, not after.
6. Sort out a few books and either sell via Amazon or swap via ReadItSwapIt.

mom23 · 19 March 2006 at 9:41AM

This weeks gone so quick!!!

My goals last week were:
Do not use tumble dryer. Think this must be my 4th or 5th week of this one still not used

List more on ebay. Done this plus got OH to clear some of his precious books!!

Cut smoking down by 50%.

!!

Will have to think of some more cos these are quite boring now!! (although the tumble dryer is a good one can't wait to see if it has saved much on leccy!!)

Good luck to eveyone!!

Chortle_2 · 19 March 2006 at 10:47AM

Yep, this week has gone VERY fast!! I love these threads though, it reaffirms that I am getting somewhere with my debt, and remotivates me if I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall with it! (and I normally only start feeling like that at the weekends, so it's well timed too

)

4 No Spend Days - Managed 5 :j (although one of my 2 'spend' days set me back more than twice my weekly budget on a vets bill!)

Pay another £100 off of credit cards - actually paid off another £160 :j

Get limit on one of my credit cards reduced from £9800 to £4000 - yep :j

Sort out the £100 refund the Inland Revenue owe me! - yep! still waiting for the new cheque, but letter sent, and having spoken to them on the phone, it should be here soon :beer:

Lodge my appeal against the DLA decision before the deadline on Thursday - yep, posted by special delivery, so I know it got there :beer:

Next Week....

4 No Spend Days

£250 off of debt

List 10 more things on eBay

Send the 'Letter before action' to my bank on Friday if I haven't heard back from them re my bank charges!

Spend no more than £20 of my £40 weekly 'me' money (to make up some of this weeks overspend on the vets!)

My mobile contract ends in just over a month, so call to get the PAC code, and cancel it

Lucifer · 19 March 2006 at 10:59AM

For this week I hope to achieve the following:-

1. To update Microsoft money (from my spending diary).

2. To have 4 no spend days.

3. To start sorting through old stuff to sell on ebay (need to learn how to do it first).

Good luck to everyone with their goals for the week.

Lewby · 19 March 2006 at 11:07AM

This is the first week that I've posted on here so I don't have any from last week to review but there are a few things that I did following the advice given to others on here.

Joined the 20p Savers Club - Bought a packet of Smarties and have 60p so far.
Have some 'No Spend Days' - Managed to have 2 last week.
Register on here so can meet everyone - Joined yesterday and was made very welcome.
Set myself a Grocery Challenge - This month set myself £250 for all spending but not doing too well as only have £29 left... but have food in the house and obviously need to practice!

This week I will;
Have 3 'No Spend Days' - Should be OK as long as I take lunch to work with me.
Take lunch to work everyday - Will prepare each evening for next day.
Use food already in my overfull cupboards - I used to buy far more food than I needed out of habit but this new DFW life means I will be planning our meals and shopping for what I need.
Bring OH round to the DFW lifestyle - This will be my biggest challenge as he thinks I've gone mad - buying Smarties just because I want the tube for 20p's!!
Try to get the Alliance and Leicester to give me the £50 introduced by a friend bonus before I send back the paperwork - Does anyone have an account and want to be my friend to get their £50?

Won't see my debt reduce much this week - I will update it on a monthly basis as my statements come in at different times of the month. I'll do an update in the first week of each month which should give me inspiration! :T

JollyNolly · 19 March 2006 at 11:16AM

I've got an A&L account if you would like me to recommend you. BTW, how on earth are you going to clear £90K of debts in three years??

Chortle_2 · 19 March 2006 at 11:19AM

Lewby, there is a huge thread on the referrers board about A&L recommendations - people are offering to refer you, and send you around £45 of the £50 they receive for the referal! Worth a look, as you can get £95 for opening the account instead of £50

fairylights_2 · 19 March 2006 at 11:20AM

Cheers for starting the thread nabowla! It really keeps me on track.

Last week's update first:

1. Try for three no spend days I managed this (JUST). I did buy something at the make up party, and also got a haircut. Friday's no spend was destroyed by a small bag of yogurt covered raisins for the kids and our lack of bread ruined Thursday, otherwise it could have so easily been five days :eek:
2. Keep our big fortnightly grocery shop under £60 - and get a big tesco points bonus code to use! - OH's turn to pay, too. Came to £57 inc delivery, with a whopping 1057 points - woo hoo!
3. Sell more than £750 of books this week (lots more lovely commission for me!) this week went well, but again I don't know the totals until I collect the orders this week.
4. Add three more £2 coins - see if we can pass £50 this week! This I have achieved hands down (with some help from my work money) - A MASSIVE £86 in the pot so far! :T

This week's goals ... hmmmmmm...

1. PAY OFF THE DEBT!!!!! :rotfl:
2. Three no spend days (more than that i don't think I can do this week - we're going to Edinburgh for Mother's Day on Sunday and I'm not sure OH can afford to pay for it all!
3. List some stuff on Ebay - or at the least, get the photos done to be able to list it all ... I've been saying I'm going to do this for ages and not doing - I'm just a bit sad to be letting some baby stuff go in case we do decide to have more. You have my permission to slap my wrists if this isn't completed next week :rolleyes:
4. Get some more cds on amazon. We've sold nearly £400 of stuff since the end of January, and we're nearly clear on everything we wanted to go - all money going into the Canada spending pot!
5. Oooh! Just thought of another one - Call Barclaycard and threaten to cancel my card - see what they'll offer me to stay put

Good luck all!

tired_mum · 19 March 2006 at 11:25AM

hi first time weekly save list so hope this is right!!

will have packed lunch 5 days this week
will have 2 no spend days
will try to list 2 things on e bay this week
will try to smile even when i feel like killing my boss{this will be the hardest}
only 4 small things to start but from small acorns
lol and good luck

john_kent · 19 March 2006 at 11:43AM

My Goals for Last week

1) Try and be more econonmical with Washing machine. hang stuff out if its nice. Kind of tried. Hanged stuff in Bathroom , Saved 4 spins I think
2) Sell spare fridge (Its empty now). Sold £20
3) Find more part time work. Local company wants parcel delivery people. Applied for a couple of part time jobs , but have two interviews line dup fo rthis week
4) Five No Spend days. Four. But my only spend on the 5th was postage for an application form for some part time work

This week

1) Try my best to get a job
2) look at shutting my small pointless savings account at Halifax
3) List a bit ,ore ebay
4) Service car. Its due and doing myself. Garage to do oil changa as its hard to get to. But plugs and air filter and ignition leads will do my self save 30 quid on labour.

Lewby · 19 March 2006 at 12:42PM

JollyNolly wrote:

I've got an A&L account if you would like me to recommend you. BTW, how on earth are you going to clear £90K of debts in three years??

Hi Jolly, thanks for the offer on the A & L. I'm going to have a look at the A & & Thread and will be glad to get back to you if you're on there.

My actual DFD is Nov 2010 as that's when the last of my loans finishes but if I snowball correctly then I will have almost £3k going into my debt towards the end and should be done by Dec 2009 (according to the snowball calc)! Am so determined to do it we will not be having many luxuries over the next 3 years or so!!

Goals for week commencing 19 March

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