The October Awakening!

thriftylass

Re Cat food. We used to feed ours Felix pouches but they are so expensive now and Go-Cat dry. I now changed to the Asda "Tiger" range (dry and wet), looks pretty much the same to me. Unless you go proper premium food I don't think there is much of a difference as I think they are all quite low in actual meat content. Correct me if I'm wrong. But the cat looks healthy and has shiny, clean fur. Although, she get's some meat scraps from our dinners too.

fyggy

NSK- Re cat food. I bulk buy 12-20kgs at a time, along with kitty litter (she's an indoor cat) all from Zooplus. Works out cheaper on both counts (£4.35 p/kg for Royal Canin- still premium brand I know).

1st-31st
SFDs- 3/20
27th-26th
Food- £65.50/£140 Weekly shop yesterday came in just under £25
Fuel- £70/£100. 15litres stuck in my car yesterday, a half full. I'll probably need the £30 before the end of the month.
Cash generating- £50/£100. I had a look on Ama.zon re selling/trading in books and they really don't offer much, that's if they offer anything at all! Need to sit down and decide what to do with them. I have a box full of DVDs and books to sell. May look at the Music Mag.pie sites again. Had a non-paying eB.ayer, so will relist that once the dispute has gone through.

Must update my diary thread! Shower first though.. Sweaty beast following a solid effort at the gym!

Kaybeebop

Didn't manage to check in yesterday but did manage a SFD but not today. And it was a belter.

DD loves a bike from Halfords & they'be got 10% off so picked it up on way home from work, the money's all by for Crimbo anyway. I knew that swimming fees were due for DS but forgot about DD's gymnastics and the fact that her dancing shoes were so tight the were like a medieval implement of torture. So DM was sent off with £80 this morning! Worst is i think I'll owe her more. While I was at it put tenner of petrol just in case I manage a SFD tomorrow.

On the subject of cat food we used to buy dry Purina one cos that's what he got at CPL but DH moaned so much about cost he's now on whiskas & felix the cheapest pouches which is 2 for £5 in asda just now (doesn't like the more expensive AGAIL anyway.) just re-read &sounds like I feed DH cat food!

Aiming for SFD tomorrow & Sun but not sure how it'll go.

SFD 2/20
Lunch 2/7
Food 68.84/280
Travel petrol 19.80/75
Misc 102.50/200:eek: might need to revisit this ESP with school hols
Toiletries 0/10
FB 0/3

Everhopeful09

Evening All, checking in with SFD for Wed and Thurs, today nearly was but forgot a friend invited me for drinks and its budgeted for, so will go, enjoy myself and try to keep cheap. Eh xx

KittyBoo_2

Well, I have been looking at ways to sort my finances and debt out and have contacted Step Change. I put all my details in and have agreed to a DMP rather than pay my creditors a token payment.
There was money in my budget to enable me to be debt free in 8.5 years rather than it taking 100 years, just paying the token payment.
It feels a bit scary but I've faced worse things in my life than this. I'm determined to really reign in the spending, I know I can do it.
Thanks to Kat for starting this thread because it has really motivated me to get on with it and look at where my money is going.
Thanks to all fellow posters too because your stories and support are what's got me going.
Back to today. Another no spend day for me.
Had porridge with stewed apples and blackberries I picked whilst out walking the other day. Think they taste better when they're free.
Made homemade lentil and veg soup and a loaf of homemade bread. Yummy.
I'm going to put my debt and debt free date onto my signature later, now I've confronted the demon.
I'm hoping for a no spend weekend as I've got all the shopping in.
Forgot to mention, I've switched energy providers and saved £78 for the year too.
Weekend will find me cooking meals from scratch and freezing and also selling some stuff on ebay.
I've no time to go out spending. x

shyspender

Checking in.

Missed checking in yesterday due to a stinker of a headache that I'm only just getting rid of now. Decided that as I'm trying to be better with my budget can't be buying cola, which means I'm kind of detoxxing, and have had a two day headache because of it.
Spend free and alcohol free day yesterday and managed to rustle up some noodles in hoi sin sauce for lunch.
Today was my planned spend day, needed to get some fresh food and some snacks for the next few weeks at work. Went shopping after work, drew my budget of £400 (can't get £5's out so will see if I can shave that off) out and away I went. I wrote a rough list and went round with my phone calculator adding up as I went.
I was working on a spend of £35 or less, which I now realise I worked out for Oct being a 5 week month, but my budget is for four weeks, and with my 20% discount, and a voucher for £2.70 came in at 27.70.
I've got enough fresh stuff to make decent meals for a week or two, two two pints of milk in the freezer, and a big bag of muesli to make flapjack type munchies for work.
Due to the headache I didn't make lunch for today last night. I was so determined to keep the money I had in my pocket, in my pocket, that instead of giving in and getting a baguette, I ate the last of my ryv1t@'s and made do.
Should be a spend free weekend, because I have nothing planned, other than an unscheduled trip into work on Sunday, maybe.
The observant amongst you may notice that my AFD count is ? out of 32. This is because I started the challenge on Monday to make things kind of rounder.
I'm loving reading this, as always, and keeping up with how everyone is doing.

Fmess

Wow Kittyboo being able to pay your debt off 91.5 years earlier must feel amazing,

Also I agree, free food tastes better! I often eat blackberries whilst walking the dogs and today got a free lunch at work which was delicious

abundant1972

Evening everyone!!!


Amidst storms and rain showers - today was SFD number 2.

Thanks for the rice recipe Foxy - that sounds yum!!! And beats plain old wholegrain rice that I seem to live off these days!!! LOL Kat re. your millet stockpile!!! Isn't that what chickens are fed? Lol. Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to find a delicious recipe using said grain!!! Ha ha.

I'm having an evening in and a cheap home made dinner with a friend. Have a lovely evening!

clippy_girl

good luck on kicking your coke habit shyspender

SFD 3/20
Toiletries- £0/10
Food- £11.79/80
Food bank- £0/3
Lunches- 4/23
Extra earnt- £24/100
Social events- £0/75
Sugar free days- 4/31
Gym visits- 0/20

so was a spend day today. £1.80 on look mag (to get the free eyebrow wax) and £11.79 in tesco on weekly shop. made another £2 selling an item at work.

need to unblock my bath drain as its really slow to drain. looked at stuff in tesco and it was £3! didnt buy it so will look on old style board

Superdopsa

clippy_girl - try soda crystals to help with your slow draining bath. You should be able to get them for about £1 in most supermarkets - and I think the bag is a kilo. I do my bath and the bathroom and kitchen sinks on a monthly basis.