Goals for w/c 26 March 2006?

scottishspendaholic

Hi everyone,

Gosh its early and we've lost an hour! I am babysitting all day today, starting at 6.15am, hence being up at this crazy hour (earning money though)!

How has everyone done this week? Here is a link to last week's thread - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=168699. I think I've done okay.

My goals for last week:-

*4 no spend days (Tuesday-Friday) - Managed two I think so not pleased as I did spend a week bit unnecessarily on chocolate/breakfasts etc
*Write and submit copy for big deal magazine that wants to feature me (and will hopefully bring in some business - DONE! Submitted article and coming round to photograph me for the feature on Tuesday
*Send samples to person interested in selling my work on - DONE!
*Set up my eBay shop - DONE (but not much in it yet)!
*Keep up with eBay orders - DONE!
*Look into insuring my friend for my car on Saturday as going on a BIG round trip in the one day - but if costs lots then don't do it - DONE - but didn't go ahead with it as took OH's car (more reliable)!
*Have a low spend while visiting Darlington on Saturday to wave goodbye to a close friend who is emigrating to Oz - DONE (ISH)! Spent £31 but saved on lunch (friend paid) and resisited lots of lovely things - I normally would've had my purse out in a flash. The £31 was something I really needed for this week.
*Write and send prelimenary bank charges letter - DONE!
*Make and put up 5 x babysitting flyers locally - NOT DONE (been so busy!)
*Do shopping list/forward week's meal plan and work out receipes for making on Sunday once we finally have some food (cupboards a bit bare this week) - DONE/DONE/DONE!

My goals for this week:-

* Find out cost of bus pass from home/work, and possibly purchase- normally take car/train so researching cheaper options
*Keep up-to-date with eBay quotations and orders
*Four no spend days
*Go to library
*Work hard at impressing children and family today when babysitting so get more work potentially coming up this week (inc. possibly two lucrative stay overs)
*Keep costs low when on a friend's birthday day trip to Isle of Bute on Saturday
*Be chilled out with OH and don't snap at him/ask him to do too much - just 'cos I'm so busy (its not fair on him)
*Keep my cool/don't be bullied by job share partner who is back at work tomorrow after long holiday

Good luck everyone!

scottishspendaholic x

themaccas

Hi Scottish, Hope the kids are good for you today! I have had an ok week, here goes:

- 2 no spend days - ONLY ONE THIS WEEK
- pay another £350 off our debts - YES! ACTUALLY MANAGED £550 SO REALLY PLEASED WITH MYSELF
- Pay the car tax before the budget to avoid any increase - PAID ON wEDNESDAY MORNING, NO INCREASE MADE THOUGH!
- Encourage DS1 to use his mobile less or we'll take him off the contract! - HE IS NOT HAVING ANY POCKET MONEY THIS WEEK OR NEXT TO PAY FOR THE EXCESSIVE USE!
- Go to the Halifax this week and check out their savings accounts, just found out our current liquid gold savings account is only giving us 0.95% gross. That is appalling, I can't believe that is right! - HAVE AN APPT ON WEDNESDAY

This weeks challenges are:
- 2 no spend days
- List loads on ebay to raise money for DS1's school trip next year to Bolivia and Peru, hoping for around £200-300, still loads more to raise!
- Find cheap free things to do for DS1 and DD as they are off on Easter hols now.
- Keep up my spending diary for this month and next. Money is still frittering!! WHere is it going?
- Be calm, they're only off for easter for 4 weeks!!!!!
- Get the debt down to sub 30k!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best wishes to all you ms!

JAMIEDODGER

morning all.

goal for last week:

list one thing on ebay.......done
have 2 no spend days......did 4
trans money to savings accounts.....done
new trainers for DS1....bought on cc, have money saved so will pay off cc when bill comes in
book app at optitions.....failed
find library book and return....done


not a bad week!!!!


this week i intend to:

1) have 3 no spend days
2) list one thing on ebay
3) transfer money to savings
4) pay off credit card (capital one in full)


that'll do me!!!!

emylou

I've been reading this thread for a few weeks and think it's a fab idea, so I thought it was about time I joined- then I have to not only answer to myself next week but you too if I dont achieve anything!
1) Have at least 3 no spend days (Have managed a few no spend days already recently so hopefully this wont be too hard, but I do have MOT and car tax due)

2) Call Capital One to double check that the account has been closed- paid it off about 2 years ago but they've started sending me statements again- thankfully nothing's on it!

3)Make an appointment to see halifax re. getting a mortgage and doing the keyworker housebuy scheme ( has anyone had any experience with this?)

4) Put more things on ebay (also, find out whether selling on amazon is any easier/more profit making?!)

That'll do for me this week. Hope you all have a great week!!
Em

Ali-OK

Morning everyone :wave:

Goals last week were:

1. Phone Sky and get reduction deal. DONE - Reduced to £15 p/m package, then I saw the light and cancelled the whole thing! :rotfl:
2. Bank refund Next cheque of £3.50 DONE
3. Bank £10 of 20p's DONE
4. Close 13 yr old dorman Nationwide account DONE
5. Use 2-4 to throw at CC. DONE, took off additional £19.66!
6. Find out about A&L Current Acct - thanks to Kathfisch on pointing me in the right direction. Though I hear the £50 is going down to £25 and I can't move until 15th April :mad:
7. Have 3 No Spend Days MANAGED 4 plus won't be spending anything today either! WOOHOO!

In addition, cancelled phone contract and moved to PAYG. Just waiting for new free SIM. Looked at cancelling Life Term Assurance policy, but it has critical illness cover, so think I should keep it. Still debating with myself! Got some washing dry on the line for the first time in ages, instead of using the T/D!

Goals This Week:
1. £15 grocery challenge
2. Start reading Martin's updated Money Diet book (tricky with a 5 year old about!)
3. Prepare for Stop Smoking Day (Sat 1st April)
4. Have 4 No Spend Days again
5. Buy some microfibre cloths and start cleaning OS (got my Stardrops, but can I find microfibre cloths anywhere? No! I must be looking for the wrong thing!)

Glorious day here so far and going off to visit family later.

Good luck to everyone for the coming week.

Chortle_2

Okay, been quite a good week this week...

4 No Spend Days - managed 5

£250 off of debt - actually managed £293.38 , so slightly over

List 10 more things on eBay - 13 more things listed

Send the 'Letter before action' to my bank on Friday if I haven't heard back from them re my bank charges! - Well, the letter is written, but I didn't get a chance to get to the PO to post it. Will go Monday.

Spend no more than £20 of my £40 weekly 'me' money (to make up some of this weeks overspend on the vets!) -£17.68

My mobile contract ends in just over a month, so call to get the PAC code, and cancel it - done, got a new PAYG sim card, just waiting for the end of this month before I switch, as the contract actually ends end of April

Next Week -

3 no spend days
Post letter before action to bank
Get overall debt below £7k :beer:

claireiom

Well this is my first ever post on here and I thought that I may as well start with setting myself some goals to work to! :eek:

1: Contact Halifax and close Credit Card (balance at nil but never closed) and also dormant bank account (no money in there, but temptation as £250 o/d)
2: Pay car tax - £96
3: Stay within budget for todays weekly shopping (£15 allocated)
4: Allocate £2.00 on Monday for tea at work, meaning no need to keep breaking money to pay the 10p a cup.
5: Have 3 no spend days this week (not including the tea as this is allocated)
6: Spend no more than £20pw on 'me'
7: Be proud of myself for attempting to live a less expensive life

Claire

bizzy_lizzie

I find I keep forgetting what my personal challenges were so this week introducing a system of recording them is top of the list.
4 no spend days
list one item on ebay (failed to list 10 3 weeks in a row so moving my sights a little lower)
Update all budget spreadsheets from most recent statement
List contents of food cupboard & freezer before shopping & make an effoprt to use up some of the weirder stuff (2 large jars of pickled ginger spring to mind)

Good luck everyone

:j

LookingAhead

Wow, there's a lot of success going on up there on this board! Well done you guys! And good luck Claireiom with your first week of goals (and welcome to DFW!)

OK so these were my goals for last week:

1. Add to all three savings pots - whatever is realistically possible. Done! But I did have to raid the £2 pot during the week but it's saved me having to go further into my OD so I am ok with that.

2. Find at least one more thing to list on EBAY and/or Amazon. Done! Listed four! Haven't had any bids yet though :rolleyes: but still 4 days to go I guess. Oh and I listed a book on Amazon & it sold within three days!

3. Use washing machine 4 times MAX & tumble dryer ONCE only this week. Hmmm
I didn't use tumble dryer once...however it was impossible to keep to the 4 times. I used it 7 in the end. However it was a big wash week with towels and bed linen etc as well as all the usual gear. Yesterday I had to get two loads done simply so I could close the wash basket lid :rotfl:

4. Do not top up with credit on PAYG unless it's an emergency. Use free online sms or email. (I must wait until pay day to top up.) Done! Still haven't topped up and made the most of excite.co.uk free sms!

5. Make appointment with hairdresser for about 5/6 weeks time so I can claim £10 off my next treatment with the recommendation vouchers I have filled out. Done!


6. Try my best to have at least one no spend day YAY! Done! :T So pleased about that...my no spend days plans were becoming pie in the sky!

7. £5 on balance of fresh groceries for the week. Done! Actually I spent just over £5 (literally pennies) but that included something apart from the balance of groceries which I got the money back later (or something like that - can't remember exactly!) so I was actually quite a bit under £5.


So then, this week:

1. Use tumble dryer once only if at all
2. Try again for no more than 4 loads of washing
3. Try and shorten my showers a bit or at least start turning the taps down a bit so it's not coming out so quick when I'm just shaving my legs!! :rotfl:
4. Get paid on Thursday - still do not top up PAYG till then at the earliest
5. Have (at least) another one no spend day
6. Spend no more than £3 on balance of fresh veg groceries at end of week
7. Give out all 5 of my ING direct vouchers (£10 for me & £10 for friend who opens new ING account - with a pound I think!)
8. Try and find something to list on Amazon.
9. Going out on Friday night (for the first Friday in ?????? months) and want to spend no more than £30 - which includes a bite to eat, gig ticket & getting home - no public transport after 11pm where I live :mad:

Woah, think I'd better stop there! :eek:

Good luck everyone!

john_kent

1) Try my best to get a job SUCCESS. Start Next Week
2) look at shutting my small pointless savings account at HalifaxEmailed them but no reply how OI go about closing it. £2.30 in there
3) List a bit ,ore ebayAll liste don Turbo Lister . Just waiting for 5p day
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 labourCouldnt get booke din for oil change. Will put off until easter whne it will hopefully be a bit warmer

This week

I plan to do the following

1) Chase Halifax for account closure
2) 5 no spend days
3) Try and get extra hours at part time job
4) Bag up thr 3 quid in 1 and 2 p pieces I have and get rid at bank or in shop

LookingAhead

john_kent wrote:

1) Try my best to get a job SUCCESS. Start Next Week

:j :beer: :T

Fantastic news! The last I heard, you were put forward for it but hadn't got it....I am so pleased for you JK!