our forever patch challenge

sammy70

its a lovely sunny day, im about to peg a load of washing out, and commence house clean and tidy (much needed):o

In my defence, i worked a bit of overtime yesterday, and managed a gym session mon, tues, wed and thursday, as im determined to tone my wobbly bits and lose the pounds!

Not a lot happening on the money saving , other than usual meal planning/grocery list planning.Ive gone a little over for last two weeks, so this week im reining it in. I will have a full freezer audit wednesday, then im having a Aldi shop wednesday night.

Its pay day next week for hubby and i, so will do budget/savings organisation Friday night. It makes the hard work worthwhile seeing our savings grow. The months are galloping by , wont be long till we are paying off the mortgage, we get this house on market, and can start looking for our new home :j

Have a lovely weekend everyone :):):)

sammy70

Today is budget day, ive transferred £1400 savings to premium bonds, worked out next months shopping budget, petrol, spends etc, all direct debits paid..:T

Ive done online tesco shop, this will be a little higher again, as my son has returned from working abroad this week, im so glad to have my chick back! :j he starts back at his old job monday, so will be making his contribution each week to the household again


we are are a month closer to our country home!:j

sammy70

My poor diary is getting neglected lately! work has been frantic lately, with staff shortages, so extra work for the rest of us

On the money front, though im meeting savings targets, i cant help feeling as though i could do more, main down fall is because im tired from work i just dont seem to have enough 'get up and go' to be as efficient with watching the budget with grocery shop for example.:o

Also , same with exercise/diet, last few weeks i just dont feel enough energy left at the end of the day to go to more classes etc. i suppose i need to give myself a mental@kick up the ~#rse! :rotfl:

So on those notes, im setting myself a weekly challenge. This week, its 3 gym sessions, do more efficient meal plan/grocery shop/ and save £10- ive got a jar put aside for this!
I will report on my progress!! (another thing, stop neglecting mortgage free diary!:)

X Sammy xx

sammy70

weekly report

1

week commencing 16th March i intend to do the following-

meal plan for each day

3 gym sessions

have NSD, and any money saved into savings jar

lose 2lbs in weight my dieting over last couple of months has been a joke:(

Thats enough for week 1!

sammy70

Today i've achieved-1 gym session, stuck to my meal plan, and stuck to my calorie intake..:j

I had a trip to the library after work ,that is money saving too!:)

Nothing in my cash pot for this week, but im sure i will achieve something! that can be tomorrow's goal, a few pennies for the pot;)

Not a bad start to the week, need to keep my momentum up, its so easy so slip into non frugal ways!!!

XsammyX:):)

sammy70

Ive had a good week:)

Lost 2lbs:j

Stuck to meal plan

Not saved anything extra in my little jar

Had 2 classes at gym, and one swim :T

This coming week i want to try and use up freezers, sticking to meal plan and continue cutting back on calorific food to reduce my weight

Next week is our pay days, so looking forward to meeting/exceeding our savings targets. My goal on this is to have £30,000 in premium bonds this month. We currently have £28,400, so another £1600. With a little juggling we can do it!:j

Next month will be very little on the savings front, as expensive work on our car need (timing belt), along with mot/years road tax. We need our car to be in good condition to get us to work, so its a necessary expense

Off now to get house tidied, then its doggy walk with hubby, bath, scary film and treat night for us

sammy70

mmm. not a good week for diet:o in my defence ive been off colour for last few days, and still feel ill today, just run down or a virus i think. So i havent been watching what i eat, and i havent lost anything this week

Work has been mega busy, ive worked over a couple of hours every day nearly this week, so thats a lot for next months budget anyway:T

But good news-we now have £30,000 in our premium bond!:j

My plan is to continue saving bonds until we reach the maximum of £40,000, then start making large overpayments from the mortgage. My target is to have the £40,000 by xmas 2015

By August 2016 when our fixed rate ends we should have a decent amount , we are then clearing this mortgage, selling up, and moving to a more rural area, i cant wait!:)

So, this coming week, my mini targets are-

3 gym visits

meal plan

reduce grocery spends

save every penny i can!:rotfl:

ourcornercottage

Wow £30,000, how easy is it to keep adding to them? And how often do you win?

I like a diverse portfolio (haha that sounds posher than it is!) as I don't trust any of the financial institutions so premium bonds might be an option if I I can drip feed money in as I don't have loads to save but it does all add up over time.

sammy70

Hi , thanks for dropping by!:)

Premium bonds are easy to add to. You can set up an online account really easily, the easiest way to start is to call 0500007007, and ask to purchase your first amount (minimum £100). You can request online pin and password, and within about 5-7 days all paperwork is sent , with instructions on getting set up, your holders number etc.

After that, once you are up and running, just log into your account to buy more bonds. We buy every month, as we are using bonds as our savings. Once you have held your newly purchased bond for a full calendar month, they are entered into the draw on the first of every month. You get an e.mail notifying you of your prize, we have won 4 out of a potential 6 months, £25 each time. We have had bonds since september 2015.You can hold a maximum of £40,000.

We find it a fun way of saving, its exciting seeing if you have won each month! there are various prize amounts, and each £1 bond has a chance, my dad won 3X £25 last month!

I recommend them, give it a go, you have nothing to lose, you can cash them in and have your money back within 2-3 days if you change your mind!

Let me know if you have any questions, im happy to try and answer

sammy70

im looking forward to the weekend, and i have a whole week off next week :j

We plan to get lots done, and have a couple of countryside rambles and couple time.. cant wait:)

I have put aside a little to allow for a couple of treats while we are off, we work hard, and we all need a little reward to keep us going.:)