The October Awakening!

his_missus

A quick check in:

SFDs: 0/20
Food budget: £0/£240
Donation: £0/£3
Planned outings: 0/3 - carvery meal with bessie, night out at other bessie's, prepaid meal with Hubby (voucher deal)
Take lunch to work: 1/20
Beauty spends £0/£10
Make £100: £0/£100

Not a SFD, £1.90 for hospital parking. I've been lazy and done an online grocery shop this week with quite a few convenience foods in it so will be more expensive than usual shop. Just don't have the time this week to shop and cook from scratch with overtime, visiting dad in hospital and trying to get straight after the hols. Soooo much washing and ironing to do!

busybumblebee

Ok, first day checking in:

• You will aim for 20 SFD (Spend Free Days). Gosh I need my head panning in already! I went onto autopilot this morning and ended up nipping to Tesco for breakfast cereal, I ended up spending £8.63, what is wrong with me!!!!!!!!Head firmly in gear now....
  
• Pay off debt first. – I get paid mid month, so my debt amount will be paid off in the middle of the month – but I will stick to the amount I’ve committed at the start. This month it will be £350
• You will create a spreadsheet and budget EVERYTHING. Has anyone got a spreadsheet they use to get me started? If you don’t mind sharing please PM me, I’m bound to miss things
• Get a small spend diary – started today.
• Set your food budget now then reduce it by £20. I’m going for £200 for me, OH and 2yr old (first month doing this, so no idea if that’s realistic)
• Clear out your cupboards of food before buying more. I definitely need to do this, I have 2 freezes full of food!
  
• Out of your allowance £3 of food will be donated to the local food bank. Does anyone know how to find out where my local one is?
• Budget for outings, birthdays, £40 for OH (includes mine and son’s present), £15 for neice birthday. £30 for 2 meals out with friends (already arranged before I committed to this)
• No eating out - I can do that
  
• Bring your lunch to work everyday. I did manage this one today!
• Choose a DFD - a Debt Free Date! 15th July 2014
• Use up all your beauty products BEFORE getting any more. £3 this month, I don’t need anything other than deodorant at some point
• And just for the “regulars” who might be a bit too comfortable in these challenges.. this is my first month, but I’m going to aim to make £50, I have a pile of stuff in the corner of a room that needs to be sold, it’s been there for months…. This month it goes!

Good luck everyone and thanks Kat for being such an inspriration, I can't believe how much you've paid off this year, that is amazing!!

gien

I'm not joining in - I'm off on holiday next week, but just wanted to say that I follow your trial and tribulations in lurker land and I can only admire you all and the huge effort you make.

Maybe I'll come and join you in November, but good luck everyone.

xJOJOx_2

busybumblebee wrote: »

Ok, first day checking in:

• You will aim for 20 SFD (Spend Free Days). Gosh I need my head panning in already! I went onto autopilot this morning and ended up nipping to Tesco for breakfast cereal, I ended up spending £8.63, what is wrong with me!!!!!!!!Head firmly in gear now....
  

Thats the most expensive cereal Ive ever heard off!! :-)

stewby

So... erm... my fist spend free day has failed.


My shower is leaking so I had to go and buy sealant. Spent a fiver on that but my bank is now missing £231!! Don't panic though. I gave £200 to my dad, £20 into my "holiday fund pot" and my shopping came to a much more respectable £11.04. This includes two lots of chicken goujons which I can split into roughly three meals a packet. So six meals in that lot.


Disappointed I failed my first challenge but we can't really have a leaky shower (it came through the roof of the kitchen). Thankfully, it was just a little bit so my Dad says we will just repaint it when the roof is dried. Definitely need the shower sealed... don't think £32.50 will cover replastering the kitchen ceiling.

clippy_girl

Hello,

Bit about me- on my own with a lodger but we cook separately. Also have a new cat


SFD 1/20
Toiletries- £0/10
Food (I will do this 19/10- 18/11)- £0/80
Food bank- £0/3
Lunches- 1/23
Extra earnt- £0/100
Social events- £0/75
Sugar free days- 1/31
Gym visits- 0/20

I give myself £40 per week for spending on whatever I want in my budget so will try and limit that to the three planned events and will buy the beauty stuff out of it if needed. My planned outings are- £25 night out friends bday, £30 for evening out (mainly for taxi and two drinks as meal paid for) and £20 lunch with mum when she comes to visit.

Goal wise by the end of Oct I would like to have the £1200 I need saved for my remortgage and pay £200 off my cc. This should be doable based on overtime and mystery shopping I have due to be paid in Oct The money will come in dribs and drabs through the month as I work for quite a few MS co's and I will pay it off as soon as it arrives :A

All of the savings made will be put to one side and used to buy some new clothes once I have lost weight Linking in with that I am going to try and cut out all non naturally occurring sugar for the month (except booze!) as been eating way too much! Also going to aim for 20 gym/swims this month. Unfortunately I have come down with a cold yest so not really up to gym atm but hopefully will be ok in a few days! I have added these onto my goals.

All extra income earnt will go towards paying more of the credit card off

So today I have had a SFD and took my own lunch. No sugars yet either :j Was very mse on way back to car and filled one of the pots in my lunch bag with blackberries. Just made a banana and blackberry smoothie. Unfortunately I just broke the smoothie maker as it made a horroble noise and when I poured it out I noticed the rubber seal was wrapped around the blades :eek: Must have fallen off when washing and I probably just stored it in the jug for safe keeping but forgot! Have unravelled it and its stretched a bit. Will try and trim it and sellotape it back together! :doh:

Also relisted a few items on my work intranet and one sold already :T Went for £5 but wont update until I get the money tomorrow

NinjaSavingKat

Hello... I have managed to make pasta and sauce for work tomorrow. I have attempted some vegan rice puffs thingies... good thing I tested it before sticking it into the freezer to set. Disgusting. I think my quantities were out a little, my rice puffs were a little too soft and I don't think my heart was in it as I didn't have all the ingredients but NEED something to eat at work to stop me craving junk....

Maybe round two when I get back from the steam room........... Hmmm steamy...

kayester

Can I please join?
will update signature when i get a few minutes later
You will aim for 20 SFD (Spend Free Days). Nice, ile try my best at this.
Pay off debt first. – want to clear credit card of just under £500 (exact figure to be posted tomorrow)
You will create a spreadsheet and budget EVERYTHING. ide like a guideline on this aswel if possible? im new to all the threads on money saving and want to try my best
Get a small spend diary – whats this? i havnt read full thread yet
Set your food budget now then reduce it by £20. £350
Clear out your cupboards of food before buying more.im going to make a list....lots of lists!!
Out of your allowance £3 of food will be donated to the local food bank. ok great
Budget for outings £20 (im guessing school will be doing something for halloween) will update if anything else to do with school pops up
No eating out - easy peasy im gunna like all this planning
Bring your lunch to work everyday. will make OH dinner everyday
Choose a DFD - End of this month when credit card paid...then saving for a deposit on a house
Use up all your beauty products BEFORE getting any more. thats easy i barely spend anything on myself. just deodrant as and when i need it

sorry if i missed out anything, i will read through and start planning once children go to bed

:beer: hello everyone

shyspender

Checking in at the end of the first day.

Thank you to all for the kind welcomes. I feel like I know some of you already from lurking for the last couple of months.

So, first day of the challenge and so far so good. Lunch to work done, first SFD done, first AFD done.

Like NSK I'm trying to eek out what I have left in the cupboards until payday on Friday and I can go shopping. I do have staples, pasta, noodles, sauces etc. I have to create two lunches for Thurs and Fri though and my fridge only has half a jar of chutney in it.
I haven't exactly done a stock take of my cupboards and freezer but I know pretty much what is in there, the shop on Friday will be getting some things to make my supplies into meals.

This is fun!

clippy_girl

just done to do a donation to my local foodbank and they do it via localgiving.com and it said minimum donation is £5 :mad: will have to try and find the local drop off point and buy some stuff