Michelle's Big Push to Christmas Challenge

ajmoney

I would like to join in the challenge to give me something to work at.

Health
I have already started trying to walk at least 30 minutes a day so will do this as a minimum unless work hours get in the way (if I lose weight then that is a bonus), I also need to run regularly again but I am not going to set a goal for this yet.
I have also tried to be healthier during the day as DH is a bad influence on me, I may try to get him involved too.

Wealth
We have just moved so for now I want to sort where our money is going each month. I need to compare our energy usage around Christmas time when I know how much we are using. By Christmas we will be ready to OP again no matter what.

Up the ante
Finish unpacking the boxes in our new house
Cook more often which will mean we have less takeaways too.
Keep my new, clean, tidy home clean and tidy

Frugal Challenge
Minimise food waste from the house, use leftovers in other meals.
Budget for Christmas
Try and bring down food costs.

Picklepud

Can I join in please -

Health - stick to 1700 calories a day and fill in my fitness pal everyday need to lose 10 stone so need to sort it out
Wealth - Have 10 NSD per month until xmas (unheard of for me) and to use up what is in freezers etc
Up The Ante - Get on top of washing ironing/kitchen my life is a mess
Frugal - No more No more than 1 take away a month (at the moment its a few a week)

There is a hundred other things i can do but if I can start with these that would change my life!

B-J-D

omg! i was sat last night making a list of things i want to do/have befor christmas then logged on to see this!! brill!!

im a full time lurker of the mfw board but everytime i try to start to save towards over paying it seems to get spent! i will join in with the morgage free dream properly one day but for now i can join in with this...


wealth-have £2155 saved in isa against stooze credit card to be paid off in march
-not put any of christmas on the credit card, need to start saving now

health-go for a run with the dog every week morning when ds sons back at school
-get to my goal weight at slimming world to go for free
-conceive baby no 2 in wich case #1 will be a walk not run!! (thank god!!) and #2 can go straight out of the window!!! yippee! (i joined the slimming group because we have been trying for a long time and i needed to keep my mind busy with other things)

up the ante-make £80 on surveys
-make lots more effort to meet up with friends for a cuppa
-be extra organised for christmas, thortfull gifts not just bought at last minute, make very special for family esp ds

frugal fun-stick to my weekly budget
-monitor electric (try use more over night when its cheaper)
-have 14 NSD every month
-cook from scratch, healthy, cheap, filling meals. plan, use up and bulk cook to keep spends down


i am a sahm mum so with my ds in school full time i should have plenty of time on my hands to do this im looking forwards to being part of this x

cha97michelle

How lovely to see so many lurkers coming out to join in.

I guess if people find they are doing well, you can always add stuff later once you master the basics. Hopefully with so many of us really wanting to do somthing useful, we will keep each other really motivated.

haras_nosirrah

me too please

WEALTH

pay £2,000 in overpayments off the mortgage and put £2000 into savings.

HEALTH

Lose 2 and a half stone.
Do at least 7 hours excercise a week
No takeaways
No more than 1 meal out a month

UP THE ANTE

List on ebay and declutter the house.
No buying lunches at work - take lunch into work to save money and eat healthier

FRUGAL FUN

Try to stick to a £50 a month grocery budget.
No buying clothes - have too many already

usa1

Health
Try to lose an stone and comfortable fit into size 12s, I need to stay off the cheese, pasta and bread and re-train my taste buds to like salads

Wealth
Try and tithe 10% of wages, make over payments on the BTL. Pay more into to Zopa, pension, kids accts, try and maintain my `Make £10.00 a-day-Challenge`with surveys, product testing, MS and using Money-off-Coupons` Try and sell the house and think of ideas of money making/small business.


Up the Anti

I have to stop letting money control me, and rather me control money. I need to let go of my cash anxiety.
After years of frugal living, it has taken its toll on my wardrobe. I will now try and replace my clothes (with Next vouchers in the sale). I will stop comparing myself with other and be proud of my progress.

Frugal Fun
More home cooking,

Brodiebobs

Health- loose 1 stone.
* walk to work at least twice a week
* walk dog for at least 30 mins every evening (rather than sitting on bench in park and letting her off her lead :rotfl:)
*Join subsidised gym through work (see wealth)
*reduce takeaways + ensure stocked up on healthy meals.

Wealth
* pay at least £500 to mortgage
* start to make a dent in 0% card, £500 minimum
* try to make christmas as money neutral as possible (have £30 boots points, £30 river island vouchers saved) also cut down on presents as as mean as it sounds we always buy DH's family, who he's not very close to presents, but they never do for us. Time to get tough! :cool:
* urgh, do over time at work it will be worth it!!!! to make gym membership money neutral and help with OP's.

Up the Anti/Frugal Fun

Spend more quality time with the kids and DH, cheap days out, meals in etc as we have let this slide recently and need to do more as a family unit. Also need to organise meal plans to use the freezer we have full of meat, meaning food bills should be no more than £30 per week.

LilacPixie

I'm in too.

Health
Get well on my way to losing up to 7 stone :eek::eek::eek::eek: and see what difference it makes to my seperated stomach muscles
Do my tummy excercises 3 times a day

Wealth
return to work :rotfl:
Set some goals for 2012 and get the foundations in place for January
Pay off another small amount before end of 2011

Up the Anti
Declutter house and list anything worth it on ebay
Get a firm grocery budget and stick to it.
stop spending money
Decide what i'm doing business wise
Frugal Fun
Bake more

newgirly

:hello:Hello, my aims for the last part of the year are:

(sorry don't know how to do bold!)


HEALTH: Lose 25 lb,do sit ups everyday, only drink at weekends , eat better, and walk dog more-we are both getting podgy.

WEALTH: Start saving instead of oping, this procrastinating has to end, decision made to save for the loft and not move- target £500 by dec 23rd, should be more but big debts to pay at the moment.
Also open some savings accts in seperate "pots" at ing ready for next year.

UP THE ANTE: The most tricky one, never managed yet - to have everything bought and wrapped by nov 30th. :santa2:

FRUGAL FUN: Make kids sock monkeys for xmas, cook from scratch far more often, more importantly meal plan properly, bake bread everyday.
Try and make sure the kids have plenty of my time as they are settling in their new school and cook a romantic meal for dh at least once a month (instead of the usual once a year)

Thats all I can think of at the moment, probably enough for the moment though, good luck everyone.

Secret_Saving_Squirrel

It is Sep 1 and I have stuck to the plan so far! Think I need to add that I am seizing control of food shopping from oh who has an inability to look at prices..... Should reduce spending by about a third. He spends about £70' I can do it for £50 easily and £35 would not be too much of a push....!

Squirrel:j