2007 Olympic Challenge

jet77

I'm all ready for my car boot tomorrow - car loaded, picnic made and clothes laid out!! Just going to have my hot chocolate, set my alarm and off to the land of nod for me.

Hope everyone has a happy MSE day 2moro.

Luv Jxx

finallydebtfree!!

good luck jet!! look forward to hearing about it tomorrow xxx

jet77

Your v. nearly over the 200 mark fdf :T

EagerLearner

FDF - soooo close!

I will only be able to add more on Mon/Tues as is next time some clients pay invoices. Good news is that each week in April I have already put away my enire bills allowance for May (but I don't count that in this challenge, as it's 'bills' money), therefore any money that comes in now is technically *mine* - some of it will be saved towards our deposit, presume I can count that too? I put in £100 in Feb towards it but forgot to ask anyone in here if it counted - what do you think? Still money saved, just not for me...

Sea78

I think it can go towards the challenge - it's still money you might have not saved if it wasn't for the challenge?

Hope the carboot went well today Jet - looking forward to hearing about it.

Sea xx

moxie_2

A quiet week for me, just £20 interest from my mini cash isa from last year to add. Have updated my sig.

finallydebtfree!!

well I have ordered my next voucher from consumer pulse which technically will put me over the £200 mark, the only problem I have is that Im saving it to buy my cousin baby stuff that she wants from argos, although if I budget the £10 into this months allowance and save the voucher then perhaps I can count it, what do you think?

The thing is I was going to put a little away each month anyway as she cannot afford alot of stuff and was hoping to help her out and spend around £25-£30 on something that she needs rather than baby clothes and she said there is loads of stuff from argos that she wants to get so then I thought ahh consumer pulse will probably pay out that over the next few months (and I have until august!!) so I can use that and put the money into my pot!!

finallydebtfree!!

Does anyone else feel like this challenge has become a way of life now? cant believe how much money Ive acumulated (sp?) over the last 3 months (not as much as some but Im happy with what I have)

what with that and the fact that I am no longer wasting money on stuff I dont need I not only have my challenge money but Ive also saved over £1500 since the new year!

I am absolutely horrified at that fact that pretty much all of that money would have been frittered away on bits and pieces normally! and I dont feel as if Im going without as I still treat myself to nights out, have cut back on the amount of clothes and stuff I buy although I did go and spend £100 on clothes last weekend but afterwards I felt awful at spending that much! now Ive had time to think though it wasnt that bad just so long as I dont do it too often!!

Karmacat

Just reading through - about this thing of what to count, I think people should be including what feels right to them. That might mean some people include things that others don't - I don't see the problem with that (uh, I know thats not how others (possibly the majority) see it, just my opinion. Yes, there's a competitive spirit here to urge each other on, but its not a *real* competition, its in the spirit of helpfulness, like Martin says at the top of the boards.

I, for instance, am hopelessly behind - I *still* haven't started my spreadbetting (tho my virtual account is in profit, goodie), I'm reading about matched betting but not doing it yet, and the only things I am doing are little bits and bobs, that don't amount to much at all. I've also had to let go even that stuff recently - my mother is travelling half the country to see me next month, and my priority has been to make my house more liveable for her (not helped by the fact that the front door (to the porch) fell off its hinge on Thursday, and can only be opened *very* carefully. Builder comes round Monday morning..........

Anyway (deep breath) at least I saved £10 last night. Rail services round me were on replacement bus services for the weekend, there was the possibility of the driver letting me off at a point where I could walk home instead of getting a taxi from the centre of town (£10 saved) - and he did. Thanks driver! And today I *will* get back to surveys, and *print* the matched betting stuff so I can read it outside in the sun.

Good luck for everyone's efforts today - I am full of admiration for what people do.

finallydebtfree!!

thats a good post karmacat, Ive been thinking the same! my total may not be that great compared to others but if I had been including my leftover money at the end of each month I would have already reached bronze and be well on my way to silver and almost definately would reach gold by the end of the challenge.

Ive considered including it as its money I would have spent but then to me it would feel like money I could spend rather than my savings! at least now I have around £250 in my pot (this challenge and the original money for nothing challenge) that is mine to do what I want with, whether its to fund a nice purchase, use for my holiday money, or just put it alongside my savings.

Ive set myself a personal challenge to save as much as I can over the next 3 years so if I did include it Id get a bit confused (doesnt take alot :rotfl:)

also if I cut back on stuff ie my mobile contract that needs changing and my car insurance, the money saved on the monthly bill would go towards my savings but any cashback I would include in the challenge

hope this makes sense, but if it doesnt hope you get the idea!!