*** This is Sparta ***

LoveaDove

Hi Spartans!

Happy Weekend! Nearly at the half-way mark now!! We can do this!!

I must remember to list items on ebay over the weekend and have a big sort-out of stuff to take to a car boot sale. I fear next month will be quite a spendy month, what with moving and 2 weddings to attend- so cutting back and trying to make as much extra cash this month as possible! Very Spartan! My friend kept showing me pics today of dresses she's thinking of getting for the 2 weddings we're going to (both at least £40 each), which made me cringe. I will be making do, revamping what I've got or pushing the boat out and charity shopping it for my dresses! August will also be a tight month- with my insurance renewal and MOT for the old banger coming up. That aside I must stay focused on June!!

I will be keeping my eyes out for more treasure on the floor- apparently my Nan pays for her phone bill with all of the 1ps/2ps/5ps etc.. she picks up off of the floor when she's out and about. Apparently a 5p is an exciting find, just wait until she finds out about my 20p!! She will be so proud!! (I really must stop obsessing over this 20p) Teehee

Have a great weekend, whatever your plans are. I do love reading about all of your mischief! Keep up the good work (and re-worked good work), also Jonesy88 Well done you on breaking away and starting afresh- Every cloud has a silver lining and it looks like the new job is just that!

Dove x

lionheartedgirl

LoveaDove, I found £4.50 on the floor a while ago, it was very early in the morning and it was scattered across the pavement while I was taking my dogs for a walk. I was beside myself for weeks :j :rotfl:

20p is very exciting!!

I felt a bit mean for picking it up as someone had probably had a few too many and and had it fall out of their pocket, but someone else would have picked it up if I hadn't. That's what I tell myself anyway

LoveaDove

*Faints at the Thought of a £4.50 Find* _party_

Siouxsie32

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I had it in my head I'd find 5p today but didn't I did earn 75p in Quidco check ins though!

Good to see you back Jonesy88. Good for you, and well done on getting a new job already! We spend so much of our life at work that it's just not worth putting up with anything less than we deserve. You've done the honourable thing :T

I broke the seal on the grocery purse today and shelled out £8.05, taking my monthly total to £22.54 (out of £50). I didn't buy very much, just a few tins of tomatoes, some veggies and peanut butter (you lot love cheese? I love PB!!). I also bought some watermelon because it was so hot and sunny and it looked all yummy and juicy! I didn't get very much, but there's enough to keep me going for a while. I still have my Tesco voucher to use by tomorrow so I'll pop in tomorrow and chase the yellow sticker lady around for a while!

thriftylass

Hello fellow Spartans.

The PPI cheque finally cleared and FIL is paid back in full. OH also gave me £250 which covers the money he borrowed plus half the petrol bill from the other day. He uses the car everyday and I never give him much petrol money but we do trips together to Glasgow etc so that's fair. OH should also be now almost out of his OD of about £1600 although it's still a week till payday for him etc but an OD of a just couple of hundred is still a vast improvement. Me = happy. Also talked future finances. Nursery is going to be £50 cheaper from next month, the car loan is finished (£>200) and few other things changed. So our debt prevention mission (i.e. getting the money together for the wedding, garden etc and maybe a wee addition to the family at some point) will be kicking of properly. X

krustylouise

Good morning all,

It's going to be a spend day today (but just a little one) as going on a first date tonight!! I'm quite proud and don't like guys paying for me so we have agreed I can buy 1 drink haha! I'm kind of dreading it to be honest, I've really embraced being single, I love being able eat what I want, spend what I want (under NSK's watchful eye ) wear what I want watch what I want etc. But then this guy seems nice so it'll be an evening out nonetheless.

I'm off to swimming lessons with DD shortly and then he is off to her dads for the night and be back tomorrow evening so I will have a great chance to completely gut the house

Hope you're all well and have a brilliant Saturday x

abundant1972

Morning everyone!

Hope you're all doing well...

Laughed at the finding money on the floor stories! The most I ever found was £1 I think. I do always pick up even pennies because I think that's 1p off my debts!!! Every penny counts!!!

Ok - so <once again> my budgets aren't looking too rosy!!! It's half way through the month and already my budget's are blown. So what's going wrong? Honest look time:

1) I'm NOT writing down everything I spend... habit slipped.
2) Expenses have gone up with fitness programme a lot.
3) My overtime has gone so income less.
4) Debt repayments have fallen a lot

On the plus...

1) I'm fitter than I ever have been and noticing changes
2) Diet is amazingly good
3) My money tin started at New Year is I reckon 3/4 full!!!
4) Still paying £375 per month off debts

So - I have to take responsibility and acknowledge that I've chosen to plough spare money into gym/diet/personal trainer/supplements rather than knock it off my debts...

Plan:

1) For the last 2 weeks of June: Look at exactly what I'm eating and spending on food and also socialising - I need to get back in the habit of this - retake control.
2) Look at my income and see how sustainable this current way of living *really* is.

What I don't want to do is keep coming on here and falling short and then making excuses which is what it feels like I've been doing! That's not productive and it feels like I'm not 'on board' with the rest of you at the moment <slap>

Am going to still stay on in June's Challenge and aim for my 20 SFD's (currently on SFD number 7), and check in and keep up with the goings on.

Have a good weekend folks!!!

abundant1972

Ok so I found some receipts from the last few weeks and have thought through what I'm eating each day and week. It was easy as my diet is pretty much the same most days!!! These prices are based on Sainsbury's so maybe not the cheapest place to shop... but this is what I eat!!!

As part of my new regime I have to get in a lot of protein, so as a for example... breakfast alone consists of a 4 egg omelette, tomato, 2 sticks of celery, 4 slices of turkey bacon, a bowl of porridge with nut butter and a cup of berries!!! And that's just breakfast. Lunch would be rice, fish and veg, and dinner chicken and veg. In between am drinking super shakes which are milk, fruit, spinach (really!), nut butter and omega oil (not listed below). Some veg is organic as is the nut butter. I know - sounds like an obscene amount of eggs - but they now say they are a source of good fats/cholesterol and the whole 1 a day recommendation isn't applicable any more (according to NHS etc).

1 Week’s Shopping!!!

Eggs x 28 (12 = £2.90, 28 = £6.77)
Lactose free Milk x 5 (£1.26 each = £6.30)
Turkey Bacon x 4 (£2.44 each, 4 = £9.76)
Tuna/Mackerel x 7 (£0.90 each, 7 = £6.30)
Chicken Slices x 3 (£3.50 each, Offer: 3 for £6.00)
Frozen berries x 2 (£2.29 each, Offer: 2 for £4.00)
Apples x 7 (£0.84 for 4, 7 = £1.47)
Banana x 7 (Varies each, 7 = approx £1.00)
Spinach x 3 (£1.50 per bag, 3 =£4.50)
Tomatoes x 14 (Varies each, 8 = approx £3.00)
Cucumber x 1 = £0.80
Celery x 2 pack (£1.10 each, 2 = £2.20)
Beetroot x 1 pack = £0.70
Carrots x 1 bag = £1.00
Whl.Grain Bread x 1 = £1.35
Quark x 2 = (£0.85 each, 2 = £1.70)
Cottage Cheese = £1.45
Brown Rice x 4 (£1.00 per bag, 4 = £4.00)
Oat Cakes x 1 box = £1.45
Porridge Oats - 1 box lasts 2 weeks = £1.00
Peanut Butter x 1/2 jar (1 jar = £3.19, 1/2 jar = £1.60)

TOTAL

£66.35!!!

So that's what I'm struggling with. My week's budget is now what I could get away with spending in a month... It *is* the healthiest diet I've ever had and I feel great for it - but it's not cheap... I could buy cheaper (e.g. regular bacon instead of turkey but the latter is so much healthier and lower in sat fats etc...).

At the end of my 12 month programme I'm going to look like either the incredible Hulk or the incredible Bulk! Let's hope it's nearer the former!!!

All hints, suggestions welcome on how I could do this more cheaply and still get in all the protein and vitamins and fruit/veg I need...

Phew.

Jonesy88

Thanks for all your messages

In relation to finding money on the floor - when i was about 5 my mum was walking me to nursery (who took me to school) when she spotted a £10 note on the floor outside a betting shop. My immediate response to this was "go halfsies?"

Think i must've been mse from birth!

Another SFD today too
I've also decided my treat money will be used to get my eyebrows shaped properly - it always makes me feel more confident

Siouxsie32

Eat lentils Wow, that's a lot of food Abundant! However, it's all good stuff and you're clearly feeling a lot better because of it. Did you say it's a 12 month programme? I guess if this is the path you're committed to then it's our job to help you scrape whatever you can off the £66.35 a week it's currently costing (I think I just heard Kat pass out!!).

Can you keep an eye on how much (if any) of this food gets thrown out? You could probably invest in some bulk purchasing to reduce the overall cost (my supermarket has a World Foods section which sells industrial sized bags of rice). Also, check out offers via Quidco etc from supermarkets offering, for example £12 off a £70 spend on your first online order which you could use when you bulk order. Oh, and it's a bit of a faff, but you could compare the price of everything on mysupermarket and split your shopping so that you trigger price comparison coupons. That takes a bit of dedication though and it sounds like your time is taken up by eating or cooking

I think your plan to write everything down is a great one. I find the tighter the reins, the easier it is to stick to budget. If I don't update my colour coordinated spreadsheet daily, I lose track.

I have the opposite issue with food - I started the 5:2 diet...fasting is free