OliveOyl's NS June

OliveOyl_2

I had my LB moment in December, but only fiddled about card tarting and modestly cutting back. In April OH & I totalled up our debts properly and snowballed and it was a shocker:eek: £46,299.82, but with our fairly good income we would be debt free April 2011, but what an expensive way to live! We're now aiming for June 2010 (someone will be 50 then....)

We ran up our debts fighting (and failing) in court to see OH second son and living the good life with our 3 accumulated teenagers. We didn't stint ourselves, but not a good lesson for our young people.

Anyway all 3 were home last week, reading week at uni, holiday etc. and they're busy repeating our mistakes. I've introduced them to MSE (I don't think they will recognize me from my board name but if so
They are now piggy-clicking, signing up for forums. And the biggie for us all STOPPING THE SPENDING. We have challenged each other to a NS June, and will probably see each other at the end of the month & find out.

Now usually my competitive streak kicks in, and I aim to win big time. (None of them would play Scrabble with me last week!) But here we are day 3 and I've slipped badly:

June 1st
New shoes for OH & dependant son £79.98
Mystery shop assignment (reclaimable, but sadly kitchen closed so drinks only) £7.20

June 2nd
Butcher/Baker/supermarket £30.35 (the week sorted!)
Florist (I know, I know, but I love cut flowers & it included 2 x fathers day cards @ 50 ea) £6.50
DIY store for replacement shelf brackets (& unusually for us Nothing Else) £7.98
Mystery Shop lunch £20.09 of which only £9.75 reclaimable, so a failure there.

In the evening a local fundraiser
£6.00 on tickets
£6.00 on wine
£5.00 on useless raffle tickets (if I'd seen the prizes beforehand I wouldn't even have bought my losing tickets)
So that was hardly a NSD

June 3rd
£1.40 on a newspaper - I'm going to have to give them up if I'm serious aren't I?

I wondered if I could move the goal posts a bit & start on Monday?:o
It feels that the only way I'm going to stick to this is to be perfectly public about it. So feel free to ignore my NS June, but I shall post here for public pilloring (sp?) to try and re-motivate myself.

hypno06

The main thing is that you recognise it as being something you do not want to continue whereas 12 months ago you would simply have carried on regardless.

So, pick yourself up, brush yourself down and start all over again! We won't tell :shhh:

OliveOyl_2

you are SO right.

When the pub told us the kitchen was closed, that would have been a takeaway no hesitation. This time we hesitated, and went home for pasta instead.

hypno06

See, all small steps heading in the right direction.

Keep going, you will get there x

OliveOyl_2

Today is finally a NS day in my goal for June.:j
Nothing spent. Not even 1p, not even a cup of coffee at my evening class. I came home parched.

OH spent £2.70 on his lunch. I have suggested packed lunches, but if he eats at his desk he doesn't get a break, so I've had to relent.

Have also taken on board Hypnos idea for cleaning a room a day for a while. I don't even have the excuse of children underfoot for my mess. And I should have a Head start as yesterday OH cleared the utulity room, so today? ... Zippo. I see a pattern here, I rise to a challenge and don't start it on Day 1 but Day 3. I think my NS July might start on 28th June so I can get a run at it.

blackangeluk

Good luck in your challenge, it's amazing when you have to second think every penny you think. It's really good though that you have your family all on board to do it with you, will make it more motivating.

Happy NS June

*zippy*

Love the username, good luck with your challenge :T

oliveoyl

well i just had to come into this thread!

hello other olive

well done on your nsd. only another 25 to go :eek:

OliveOyl_2

When I got home from class last night I was very excited to be able to post my NS result, but OH said "oh you're not going on there again are you? You've only just got in" which utterly deflated me. I posted & left.

Then I sulked, reading my new Thrify Ways book (bought in May) rather than watching Dalziel & Pascoe with him.

I hadn't realised that I had used a name already in existence, I'm so sorry. Can I change it? I'm really more like Wimpy than Olive anyway

Skint_Catt

Good luck on your challenge! There are so many threads on here to motivate you. Have you read the Frugals Diary of not buying anything for a year?

C xx

OliveOyl_2

I thought one month would be a more achievable goal. I haven't really managed that yet have I?

This month also contains my birthday, and many months ago (before LBM) we agreed to go to Royal Ascot with friends for it. I'm not sure how that goes with a NS month. (I'll borrow a hat, but what about bet money? How do I get that?) I'm secretly hoping that the friends who were getting the tickets haven't managed it, as due to retirement neither of them are working. They haven't mentioned it for a long while.....