The October Awakening!

Maisie_M

• You will aim for 20 SFD (Spend Free Days). Hope we can manage this although not today as had to get bread.
  
• Pay off debt first. have just done our budget so will see how we go this month but hoping if everything goes to plan we will wipe out some debts this month.
  
• You will create a spreadsheet and budget EVERYTHING. done.
• Get a small spend diary will do this on my phone.
  
• Set your food budget now then reduce it by £20. Budgeted £300 for the month - £20 = total left £280.00
  
• Clear out your cupboards of food before buying more. Already working on this and the freezers as I like to clean them all out before xmas.
  
• Out of your allowance £3 of food will be donated to the local food bank. I noticed Sainsburys were doing this last week when I did a shop so will sort that out.
• Budget for outings, My birthday this month so a Chinese takeaway will be bought (£20) and OH and I will be going out for a meal on our own which we last did in March!! have a Gr0upon voucher so meal paid for just drinks and we are going at lunchtime so just softies.
  
• No eating out, only the one as mentioned above.
  
• Bring your lunch to work everyday. We both do this anyway.
  
• Choose a DFD - a Debt Free Date! This will be determined by how things pan out in the next couple of weeks as we are planning to rent DH's old home (been on market 2.5 years and not sold) so that will give us some income and free up other payments. Watch this space lol !!
  
• Use up all your beauty products BEFORE getting any more. Don't think I need anything. Very well stocked having been addicted to B00ts over the past few years:o

Bit about us. Married with 2 kids (9 & 2). We have been trying to sell OH's house for 2.5 years but no takers so now decided to rent. Don't want to do a third winter with it empty so now looking at renting. Mortgage and loan on house reorganised on to a better rate so savings there and it will also free up an endowment we can then use to pay off some things. Hopefully it will get rented and that will pay the mortgage, plus we won't have to pay council tax or electricity bills - well that's the plan anyway!


We will still have 2 mortgages and a couple of cards to pay off but at least going in the right direction. DFD to be worked out when endowment cashed in and house rented so we know what our new incomings and outgoings will be.

Avogirly

Spend free day one is under the belt.

Thanks for the advice everyone re debt and savings. I do have interest on my debts and I think I will work out if by putting the savings monthly payment towards the debt then how much it reduces my dfd. I just need to be brave and not have any rainy day money.

I am away now until Sunday so will be quiet, but will check in every day.

TiptoesDB

oo, and today was a sfd... start as we mean to go on!

angelicious

Thanks cottage retreatist, donated my £3 to Trussell Trust there x

Pinkylds

Can you count me in please. I've got an expensive month this month but determined to keep my spends as low as possible x

Will update with my targets tomorrow.

MrsGSR

I'm going to trundle down to the church in town which has a food bank collection box. I've been collecting stuff anyway but just not got round to delivering it.
I'm quite excited (yet scared) by this challenge!

MrsGSR

cottage_retreatist wrote: »

wow! MrsGSR - tell us all how you got 50 quid cashback on your shop - was it from saved vouchers or do you have a secret?

Can you tell us? Please?

xx

Ah no, sorry if I misled anyone. I just asked for £50 cash when I did my debit card payment so no, no special tricks or secrets I'm afraid!

nanell

Hi everyone,

Late as ever, back from hol yesterday and too far gone to check in. Ended September £50 over budget, but I took this from my "annual pot" which I put into every month to cover car, holidays and professional fees over the year.

So..... October, I've been budgeting for a few weeks for this, I was struggling to be honest, but as if my magic, two social events have been cancelled! The bonus is that I don't look like the baddie as I wasn't the one who cancelled lol!

So now I can fit everything else in comfortably. Had an email my professional insurance is due, feeling very smug that I can pay this out of my annual pot! This has been the best bit of budgeting I've ever done, simply adding up those chunky outgoings we all ways know are coming up every year, dividing by 12 and putting away every month!!
As I've said before, I'm lucky enough to be without debt, and participate in these challenges as I need to save a large amount. This. Payday I have put away £932. Because I don't like funny numbers, I really want to push this to £1000. So I'm really pleased for the rule to make £100. Looks like I'm spending Saturday ebayinv then......

Right off to update signature....

Superdopsa

Evening all and welcome to October!

I have set my budgets for the month as follows:

Food - £80 (was £100 last month)
Petrol - £50
Misc - £150 (this includes paying my ferry fare to France for a trip which was organised before this challenge)
Car Tax - £175 (money already stashed for this)
France spending money (otherwise called food money and wine money - going on a booze run to stock up)

As predicted have spent money today - £40 on my monthly bus pass, £2 at craft club, and £13.46 on food.

Am aiming for a run of SFDs over the next few days and want at least to get in double figures this month!

Will make my packed lunch in the morning (have plenty of bread and fillings), and have already taken out a dish from the freezer for tomorrow's tea - think it is curried mince - but not entirely sure until it is thawed out completely!

My office is starting 'fat club' tomorrow and we are all going to weigh in weekly from now on, so hopefully this will help me to exercise more, and not buy so many naughty snacks when I go food shopping!

Check in again tomorrow.

rosiecheeksblossom

Evening all,
Well this thread is flying, came on this am and it was page 5 now page 9..... cant read quick enough, but Im picking up good vibes and some useful tips. Thanks:T
SFD no 1 completed