January's Big Financial Freeze!!!

Learning2Budget

In that case i am well on my way to NSD 2!! Hopefully sold an item on fb so that's 10th pound towards my sales target and an overtime shift means I'll have clocked another £161 so that's £171 & its only the 2nd. Yahoo. L2B.x

wannabee_in_credit

beckyboo1980 wrote: »

Hi
I have a really cheeky question - I noticed on your signature 'back on the slimming bandwagon'. Am i right in thinking I read in one of your earlier posts you are a slimming world member. Reason I ask is because I have just joined slimming world too and am wondering how you find cooking SW friendly on such a tight budget. Have been on old-style money saving weight loss thread, but was wondering specifically about making a budget be slimming world friendly. Hope you don't mind me asking?!?!?!?!

Hi :wave:

Don't mind you asking at all... I find SW on a budget fairly straightforward as long as I plan well. I only buy value brands of fruit and veg (unless I'm treating myself to some nice tomatoes when they're in season), so it's lots of fruit and veg for not much money. Also always have 2 bags of frozen veg on the go (usually brocolli and something else). I think that if you're really looking to budget then green or extra easy days are more straightforward - you can bulk food out with lentils etc. Unfortunately I do red days, I have a slight resistance when it comes to my body dealing with carbs so I lose weight better on a protein based diet. I am very lucky in that I have a friend who is a butcher - he's struggling to stay in business so I don't get mates rates but I do get lots of advice on cheaper cuts of meat. I spend somewhere between 15 and £20 a week with him and that gives us plenty of meat and eggs for the week ahead.
Personally, I find that the stuff that hikes the cost of the food shop is the stuff that we can do without. The hubby loves stuff like pizza and curry meal deals (and has a really expensive habit for luxury ice cream). The kids like their chocolate and crisps, and of course any alcohol for me or hubby adds more.
I have found that if I go to @ldi and buy their super 6 (base my meal plans round that for the week) I can do my shopping in there for less than £20 easily (plus my meat).
Sorry to waffle, and hope to help - just ask if there's anything else

lilian1977

Good morning all - hope some of you have managed to wangle a few extra days off work; me, I'm in today and tomorrow and I really don't want to be!

Not much to do though so will crack on with Swagbucks etc. Nothing new on there though, or on Nectar Adpoints, argh.

Have to brave the M&S returns queue today to return stuff MIL bought me for Xmas that is unsuitable. Will put the credit notes towards a cabinet we want for the bathroom.

So, I will declare today NSD2 as I will be straight home from work and won't be buying anything in M&S. I did get a Starbucks but it was money already loaded onto my card in December (£10 voucher for £15 on LivingSocial) so I'm not counting it as a spend - is that ok? I won't load more on when it runs out.

Hope you all have good days xx

ETA - getting 2 days overtime this week so that's an extra £60. Should get around £250 extra mid January. Yay!

poodlegal

Hello just checking in! Today should be a no spend day as DH taken car to work and still eating xmas/NY food. Going to take the xmas tree down and try to reclaim the living room. Paid my Jan amount to CCs but will hopefully have some cash left over at the end of the month to make extra payments thats if I can find some ebay stuff I need to get started on that later and reaquaint myself with ebay selling rather than buying :-P Hope everyones having a motivated day!

poodlegal

Just a question- does postage to send an ebay item count as a spend as technically its kind of covered in the item payment?

citizenkitten

oh dear, not so good start to my month. i spent yesterday as some stupid woman indicating incorrectly on a speedy roundabout almost crashed into my car and then proceeded to drive with her headlights on full beam down the road blinding me as i have a very low car. so i slowed down because i couldnt see the road, when she took her lights off full beam i then continued my journey but then she started to reflash me and i had to pull off to not be blinded by her.

I was so scared and cross as she was completely in the wrong and then continued to endanger my life !!!!!!!!!!!!

the roundabout is notorious there are three lanes and three exits, she was using the third outside lane indicating right, but what she meant was she wanted to take the 2nd exit...!!!

i was completely shaken as I have not been driving long as i gave up driving after some scary events happening to me and stopped at the petrol station to calm myself and buy myself and my other half dinner.

this is not the first time at this roundabout and I am going to write a letter to the council.

anyway brand new day, brand new start! had left over soup and mashed potato for breakfast and my oh half of yoghurt. got some mince defrosting and a couple of tin toms in the cupboard. comfort spag bol for dinner.

searching_me

Just checking in ... going to be a nsd waiting for the council come to fix the vent outside my house then dentist to book an appointment as my jaw hurts alot .. all food for dinners sorted for the next couple of days ... dropping oh at his sisters as hes looking after his nephew while shes in hospital ... looking forward to getting myself sorted ..., good luck to you all and i'll pop by later to let you know how my day went xx

Marylea

Greetings!

NSD for me yesterday, apart from pre-planned/already paid for trip to the theatre, we took our own sweets and drinks which were purchased out of food budget!

Hopefully a NSD day today too, I have my lunch (Chillie and Rice,l out of the freezer, batch cooked before Xmas) and fruit with me.

Tonight I will be doing some cooking.......for lunches and dinners and for the freezer (I can hear the freezer groaning, it is already full to bursting!) I'm going to try and make a tortilla, as I have eggs, potatoes, ham etc. and something that involves gammon as I have a massive piece bought reduced at the weekend. Any ideas for gammon anyone?

I am also busy gathering together stuff to E-Bay....I hate photographing/listing it seems so time consuming, so I have set my self a target of 3 items at a time, and I'll try and do that once a week, twice if I find the experience not as bad as I think it is!:mad:

I've already made a hefty dent in my food and fuel budget £148/350 and it is only the 2nd January! :eek:
To stay in budget will require a lot of discipline.......I have half a tank of fuel and enough food to feed the street so hopefully all will be good.

Onwards!

Marylea

poodlegal wrote: »

Just a question- does postage to send an ebay item count as a spend as technically its kind of covered in the item payment?

I would say 'Not a Spend' ! I hope not anyway, because I will be doing the same !

lilian1977

poodlegal wrote: »

Just a question- does postage to send an ebay item count as a spend as technically its kind of covered in the item payment?

Definitely not a spend as long as the postage you pay is equal to or less than the amount the buyer paid - and that when you withdraw the money it is paid back, ie if you pay the postage on a credit card you pay the postage amount back onto your credit card.

That's what I do anyway!