The Ultimate February Challenge

[Learning2Budget]

Me. I NEED THIS!!! Will sort figures later. L2B.x

[fairy3]

Me please!!! looking forward to battening down the hatches but will post targets tomorrow.
Was looking for the original quote for 'Onwards and upwards' and there are about four....liked this one though
"And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ere long. With courage, born of success achieved in the past, with a keen sense of the responsibility which we shall continue to assume, we look forward to a future large with promise and hope. Seeking no favors because of our color, nor patronage because of our needs, we knock at the bar of justice, asking an equal chance." Mary Church Terrell (born 1863)

Thank you everyone for the great support it has been appreciated......x

[lionheartedgirl]

count me in please thanks Kat X

[CandyCupcake]

Count me in Kat

Candy

x

[wiggysgirl]

I'm in

Will work out my budget and update later

[nannygladys]

Hi everyone, Kat count me in on this one please, I will also update with targets later.

Thanks for the January challange, took some doing but I mostly made it

Jxx

[dottydoodle]

i'll have a go of this please, 1 friends birthday this month so a night out and a meal is already planned so i will include that in this months budget..

• total food budget for me and the kids £150
• SFD - with various kids activities and needing to pay for them on the day i will only be going for 15 sfd's
• Ebay - only just got my account up and running again so hoping to sell a few things so put me down for £50 and we'll see how close i get!

This is going to be interesting as i seem spend money almost every day, this will be the biggest challenge for me i think

[Marylea]

I'm in please.....January started well, but is now looking pearshaped, but I am learning as I go!

[poodlegal]

Originally Posted by fairy3

"And so, lifting as we climb, onward and upward we go, struggling and striving, and hoping that the buds and blossoms of our desires will burst into glorious fruition ere long. With courage, born of success achieved in the past, with a keen sense of the responsibility which we shall continue to assume, we look forward to a future large with promise and hope. Seeking no favors because of our color, nor patronage because of our needs, we knock at the bar of justice, asking an equal chance." Mary Church Terrell (born 1863)

Love it very apt for us Barbarian Zombie slayers!

[Everhopeful09]

Hi All,

Kat please can I get a number?

January I fell off the NSD wagon, but back to start afresh for February!

Eh xx

[km1977]

Me tooo I want in, in fact I will have to have had my hours cut at work grrr have just had my pay slip and only just have enough to cover my bills :-( I get some ct and wt credits but I am defo in will work out a budget later have to go to work now have lots of food in so will work my way through that first and just get fresh veg and bread etc we are also on a gas and electric meter so have to budget that in to will walk to work too or bike to save on the pennies £3.40 a day is a lot to save 3 days a week neeeed another job with more hours but then I get taxed more so dont really know what to do arrrggghhh at least I have one just wish it was for more hours :-(

[Happybeingme]

Hi,

I've set my budget at £310 for everything (Food budget is £260 for 5, I don't drive and am planning one outing during half term. This budget also includes the £10 'end of month treat').

I don't do ebay so won't be joining in with that one ~ hope that's ok?

I'm aiming for 20 SFDs

Thanks

[nannygladys]

Hi everyone, well I have done the budgets and following my sucess in January (if you take the OD out of it) Im going to go for a really tight month, I live on my own, have quite a lot still in my cupboards and freezer (realise now that I hoard food - must have been a squirrel in previous life) and as far as I know I havent any do's planned with the family and if there is they can treat meso the upshot of all this is wait for it .....£67 for the 4 weeks, I arrived at this figure cos its the amount of cash I have in the house, so Im aiming on NOT using the bank account for anything, its going to be sooo.... hard but Im determined to get that OD down.

Im also going to cut the amount of electric and gas I use and read my meters everday to make sure - I read them once a week so I know how much I use at present, cos I only pay £50 for both of them so I have to be careful - well Im going to be even more careful

I know it sounds a bit extreme, well it does to me but whilst Im all fired up I'll have a go at it. I also only want to go to the shops once a week so I will have to be ultra organised on the food front and hope I dont need anything urgently

And finally, I will have a look at ebay, I have a few bits to get rid of but ebay doesnt really do it for me, but when needs must.... so here we go, looking forwards to February and I will update my sig soon.

Jxx

[karmachilovething]

Originally Posted by mayfair1985

I've just crunched the numbers.... I feel a bit sick

Everything that is going out has been accounted for but I really don't want to post figures because it looks so completely ridiculous! I was on such a high but now i feel, well... blah. Not good. I don't want to have to rearrange the whole month and we will have physical money to cover it all and still make a dent in the debts just not as big a figure as last month. Someone send some positiveness my way please? And remind me that it is okay to have a life as long as you're still paying off the debt and not using credit?

Mayfair.

I was pretty shocked by my numbers too, but it's just an expensive month for me. March should be A LOT better as I will explain . . .

So . . . I pledge
20 SFDs
And total budget of £446

But this includes:
£60 for food (£10 less than last month)
£50 for petrol (hopefully less, but that's a tank)
£120 for social I'm hoping I won't need all this but I have a friend who's leaving work, my housemate is leaving, a friends birthday, and two friends who are moving to France. Each of these has a separate event. Work do might be cheap (management buy a few rounds ) and might not make the French thing . . . we'll see. Better to have the money spare than the other way round!
£50 to rent a van and £156 for storage: My lease is ending and I'm going to stay at my parents for a while. The storage is paid 3 months in advance, but is absolutely the cheapest in the area, half the price of anybody else.
£10 Treat

I knew February was going to be a expensive month, but I didn't realise that bad! But the other way to look at it is that before NSK a month like that would mean serious additions to the debt (as most of it would go on the credit cards), whereas now I know I have the cash. I won't have much cash for overpayments but I know the debt won't get worse either

[squinky]

Please could you count me in for this one J

I will be on holiday from 4th-14th but won’t count this as it’s all already paid for, all inclusive and I have got my spending money. I am a sucker for cosmetics so will just have to ‘shop my stash’ instead of buying more! I have already downshifted my hair appointment, I would previously spend £100-£120 on my hair but have found a new salon with a great offer and even with a tip should only spend £55, my appointment is on Saturday & I have the taken the cash out already to pay for this. As long as I plan well, lunches shouldn’t be a problem and I am sure if I was honest with myself I could find some things to sell online too.

Right so I only have £50.50 in my bank account, I get paid again on 25th and so will add an extra £5 a day until 28th and hopefully will get back the £25 I am owed making my budget for this challenge £95.50 (or £150.50 if you're counting Saturday's trip to the hairdressers?!)

Thank you!

[rosiecheeksblossom]

Hello MSErs,

Just being sitting trying to sort figures for feb budget and feel pretty carp about it. Everyone else's budgets are way lower than mine.....
I have left my food and petrol the same as Jan, as they were only a few quid out give or take. My going out is slightly more this month but a weekend away arranged and Ive not spent a 1/3 of Jans budget which is good. Presents is a smidge more than Jan and Ive given myself £20 other. My car is also due it's 1st service which Ive allocated £30 for as already pay a special DD for this.
Blooming number crunching, will have final total tomorrow hopefully.

TTFN xx

[mayfair1985]

Originally Posted by karmachilovething

Mayfair.

I was pretty shocked by my numbers too, but it's just an expensive month for me. March should be A LOT better as I will explain . . .

You sweetie. You have made me feel a bit less dirty about this months budget. Ok, I'm coming clean......

£700.00. For two of us. To Include

Petrol
Food
Tobacco (don't shout, please. I know. I Seriously know. But it's a low cutting down process and this month a total of £9.00 will be spent on this.)
A payment on a Hen do
A 30th Birthday celebration & Present contribution (£50, and it's a must. This person has helped us a huge amount last year and we need to say thanks!)
A dinner party for the parents
A little valentines day treat (£20)
A new pair of boots because i can't ignore the hole in the sole that is giving me wet feet and in turn a hole in my soul....
A casino day at a friends that has been in the diary since before christmas
A baby shower
And a few other bits that are planned. The list goes on.....

So that's me. Pre-confession. BUT not a penny of this will be on credit. This time last year most of it would have been so it's a good step.AND we'll still make a dent in the debt. So even though the spends are I think i'm okay ish with it. And i'm ok with having a tight March to compensate.

[niksyg]

I have crunched some numbers so I have come up with a budget of £200.

That is to cover all food (for 2 adults), going out and incidentals (for me).
I have made up 4 envelopes ready for the 4 weeks - that way I can easily see what I have in the way of cash for the week.

I have worked it out so that I have a buffer of £50 left in my account incase of emergencies - that way I won't use credit.

Will update daily to help me keep track

[gien]

eurgh, I know that sinking feeling when the numbers don't add up!

So, I am in again with a very limited budget, as bad as last month really.

I have a couple of medicale bills I have to pay although I am waiting from my health insurance to reimburse them. They always take ages.

Food - 380€
petrol - 40€
kids lunches - 50€
speeding ticket (yes, I know,) 100€ (I could cry)

we also have the half term break this month which will probably mean we spend a bit more than normal, but We'll keep it as low as possible.
on the plus side, we really should be due some tax back but I have no idea how much or when.
we can't spend too much this month because we simply don't have it, and I'm not going to put anything on the credit card, so when the money is gone, it's gone.

thank goodness February is a short month!

[StressedSteph]

Count me in please Kat, Thanks for doing this.

Had my LBM three months ago, and am starting to feel the strain. Hope this challenge will keep me motivated.

Food Budget £200 (Family of 4)
Petrol £160 (Oh's van and my car)
Half-term - £30 I have Tesco vouchers for a day trip out but may need more Petrol etc.

I am going to go for 25 SFD's. Not too hard for me as I live in a quite an isolated area with 7 miles to the nearest shop, so not much temptation

Don't think I can buy a homeless person a coffee as I never see any.

Roll on February