Eager Elephant's Effective Everyday Excursion ...

Eager_Elephant

In my mass tidy up in September I think I threw away my paper budget spreadsheet!!
I have looked everywhere and cannot find it - luckily I had saved a copy to the computer which I have now printed and will start again from October.


I do use YNAB but I like a paper copy to glance at while I do my transfers each month and can then tick off.


Just done the budget for October - things will be a lot different as now DS is off to Uni I lose his child benefit and also his maintenance. These were used for some of the food budget but also for anything the kids needed.


DH and I will put more into the food budget from now on and we will see if we can live on £350pm for 3 of us - of course we should be able to but the reality is sometimes we can't. Keeping away from the shops is key, if I take DH and DD it always costs a fortune - will do smaller bits and pieces while I am at work as I am not as tempted as they are!!

Seasidegal58

Hope you hear re RTB soon EE.

Loved your NSD September list. Was hoping to join for October but I think I've missed the boat as having been away. Will definitely try for November as it seems to keep everyone so focused.

I'd try and go food shopping on your own if I was you.............:D

Eager_Elephant

Had a phone call in the week from the Estate Agents who have been asked to value the property - the lady rung my mobile and said I had not answered my home phone all week and they had been given my mobile number. I told her we work full time otherwise how else would we get a mortgage??
She wanted to send someone out the next day to value but once again I told her we work and weekends would be best - she said they don't do weekend appointments and could I leave a key with a neighbour!!


Luckily DH is changing his hours in a few weeks, he will do all his hours in 4 days so he gets one day off a week and his first job will be to let the valuer in!!


Also got confirmation of my RTB in the post, just a notice to confirm I have been accepted.
Once we have the valuation they will write again to advise of this and also how much I can buy the house for.


So things are moving along albeit slowly.


Never too late to join the NST in October - people start whenever they like.


No food shopping this weekend as have enough in the kitchen to cover lunches etc. may need milk by the end of week though.


All ticking along nicely here, DS has settled into Uni and seems to be enjoying things so far.

Seasidegal58

Good news on the RTB.
Will be joining October NSD thread tomorrow!

beanielou

All sounding good ee
Do you have a ink for the NSD thread please?

Savvy_sewing

Good luck with it all EE

Eager_Elephant

This is October's Ninja Saving Turtles Thread - https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5532832


Hope to see you over there

Eager_Elephant

Here's my scores on the doors for October's NST's:

Set all budgets - before the start of the month, think ahead for any birthdays, outings etc. Am currently stressing as my paper version of my budget which covers a year at a time is missing, presumed chucked L. Luckily had kept the Excel spreadsheet so have just redone it. I also use YNAB but I do like a paper copy in front of me. Now is the optimum time to redo budget as income has changed with DS going to Uni.
Have a few outings this month, one is a local Harvest event and the other is a visit to a brewery but that should be paid for.
Set my budget and kept to it all month – didn’t do the Harvest event but did do the brewery tour.

Aim for 15 NSD 15 NSD’s seems doable.
15 NSD’s achieved!!

Extra cash – share any ideas which work, trawl the other threads for something you haven't tried recently. I do RM postal survey and gets stamps every month which I don’t use so I keep saying I will put them on ebay but never do so this month I will get them all on ebay.
Will also try to keep up to date with surveys etc
Sold stamps on ebay and have about £70 made from that. Have been doing some surveys as well – not as many as I hoped but enough.

Learn something new. Ooh interesting, need to think of something to learn.
Fail – did not learn anything new.

Food budget - Should be set realistically. Base your purchases around basics range and yellow stickered items. Budget is £350 per month for 2 adults and a hungry teenager!! Budget stuck to!

You will NOT use any of the following; restaurants, cafes, work canteens, vending machines, takeaways, Starbucks, Costa, Nero or any other chain cafe! I tend to keep away from coffee shops generally so not to hard I hope. No takeaways…..eek!! Fail – nothing from coffee shops but had 2 takeaways!!

Lunch to work everyday and plan for appointments and days out. This shouldn’t be too hard as generally I take lunch 19 days out of 20. It’s so hard to buy decent gluten free food on the go.
Lunch taken every day.

Travel budget – petrol or public transport for work, leisure, hospital appointments. Can you walk/cycle? Can you combine journeys – shopping/ work/ gym? We allow £200pm for petrol/diesel which covers 2 vehicles. Sometimes I use public transport but later this month DH is going to start working 4 longer days so he will be there at home time saving on buses which is just as well as fare has gone up.
Kept within budget for petrol/diesel.

Healthy eating – Up your fruit and veg. I definitely do not get enough fruit and veg. My veg intake is better than my fruit intake but now is the right time of year for clementines so I will be visiting M&S for these on Monday.
Upped my fruit intake but need to keep this up.

Donation - Make a food bank donation (3 items or £3) or alternative charity if preferred Next time I am in a big supermarket I will donate to food bank.
Fail – I must do extra for this month.

Exercise - 5 times a week. Have to walk the dogs and sort animals so each morning I do one or the other and in the evenings we do both together so that is about an hour a day.
Achieved.

Eager_Elephant

Valuation has been done and just waiting on paperwork to confirm price - the wheels are turning slowly!!


Made a boo-boo on my 0% c/c - statements are online and I only print them off occasionally but at the start of the month I noticed my payment was £70 + rather than £10 so printed off my statements and saw I had lost my 0%, I thought it was because I went over the limit buying some stuff for the charity event this summer but turns out that because I paid off the stuff for the charity before the statement date I paid off the 0% instead!!!
I should have waited for the statement which would have shown them and then paid it off but I didn't.
Who knew you couldn't pay off what you have spent without this happening??
Then for some reason in Sept my DD bounced but I paid it as soon as I realised so I got charges etc until my minimum payment was so high I thought 'Uh oh!!'.
Rung them and a lovely lady has sorted me out, she has removed all charges and some of the interest and then created my 0% so I can continue with it!! Phew - I don't mind paying some interest as it was error and I should look at my statement regularly.


I checked my Noddle in case the late payment showed on there but it hasn't so that's a relief as don't want to jeopardise my mortgage application.


Not kept up with YNAB this month - have been vegging out more and just enjoying the lack of committee work which means I haven't been on the computer much.
Need to get a better grip for November although doubt I will spend much as the Turtles are going military style and I probably can't spend all month!!!

jvr

Hi EE


Read all your diary (been working through a few very long ones for a while) its amazing how far you have come and had to deal with. It really helps to see people deal with set backs and keep going as that is normally the point I give up and think there is no way to sort it out so what the point! Thanks for the inspiration and well done on your targets.