Just Say NOvember 2013!!!

AutumnLeaf

Ugh. Have truly tumbled off the NOvember wagon. Came down with a rotten cold yesterday and sneezed my way through all the tissues in work this morning. Also, got intensely hungry and ate my lunch by mid morning.

This necessitated a trip to the shops for a. tissues [arguably a medical spend] b. A sandwich, drink AND crisps [definitely not medical] and c. a cake for me and my co-worker [she's fab and we've got a long afternoon]

Total damage: £5.10 and I lost a NSD and a NLD. All fine within weekly spends budget but am annoyed at having spent £3.50 more than I needed to. :mad:

Right, off to make an own brand hot lemon drink and get over myself!

ALx

PheoniX

:wave: hi all!

Checking in with a SFD today after a spend day on Monday and yesterday! For my birthday I was kindly given a pamper voucher by friends and decided on a 2 hour knot blitzing back massage by a therapist who has always given discounted rates to encourage custom. However at the end of the session I was told that the price had increased by £20 since my last visit! :mad:My fault for not asking beforehand but it turned into an unexpected £20 spend which I felt guilty and annoyed about

It had crossed my mind whether to put my birthday cash toward debt repayment or even to buy Christmas presents but I feel that this is probably wrong. Has anyone else been in this situation and spent it on other things than treats for themselves?

I'm another one who loves scrutinizing my Black Book and the figures obsessively! I make a brew, the calculator and the highlighter pens come out and the scheming begins! I work out how many days til pay day, how much money I'm likely to get, how much overpayment I can make based on that prediction, how can I cut down even more on what Im spending, are there less expensive ways of being in debt? lol..
There have been times where Ive got sick of looking at the Book and the frustration it causes in seeing slow progress.. But its always progress no matter how slow.

I think I'll take a look at the 'accounts' now to see if I have ways of clearing this debt quicker.. Kettle's on!

See you later!

EyesWideOpen

Hi all,
I have a total of 9 SFD's now as yesterday was a spend free day but today has been a spend day. I've done some Christmas shopping and got some milk (and chocolate, shhh don't tell!) today. I see to update my budgets but with the milk in I should be fine for groceries until a further spend day next week.

I second everyone else's experience of the challenge helping to change habits and curb unnecessary spending. Saturday last for instance I went in to a grocery shop for just a box of Weetabix and came out without it but with a whole lot of other bits to tallying 20 odd quid... So planning is key, as is being flexible (e.g. finding something else to eat other than weetabix - though trying to tell a five year old their routine must change is not done lightly) and quite simply staying away from the shops. This challenge is therefore the right one for me!

Hope the sun is shining where you are brightening the mood!

thriftylass

PheoniX wrote: »

It had crossed my mind whether to put my birthday cash toward debt repayment or even to buy Christmas presents but I feel that this is probably wrong. Has anyone else been in this situation and spent it on other things than treats for themselves?

Depends on how much it is, could you do all? Also would you feel happier having paid off debt, avoid further debt by using it for presents or buying a treat for yourself. Maybe just don't tell the person that gave you the money that you paid off debts with it of bought their present .

I had spa vouchers before and ran out of time/ couldn't be bothered to go to a treatment. So I went into the spa shop and bought lotions etc that I then used as gifts. I didn't miss the treatment but felt goodfor being able to give posh smellies without spending a penny

lilian1977

Weirdly, since deciding to bow out of this challenge this month, I have had 2 SFDs! Still only 5 this month, but I might try and jump back in and see how I get on.

I have to go to a conference in London tomorrow and Friday, I don't know how much I will be able to claim back (train and hotel covered) so will try and find out then take advantage of the stuff I can claim on and scrimp on the rest! Already got a chilled latte and a pastry for on the train.

NinjaSavingKat

Good Day Chickies....

To answer a few questions...

• No I shan't turn up on your doorstep if you faileth the SFD part of this challenge. I can just press a button and zap you from here.:T
• Milk storage / buying dilemmas were not the reason I went vegan. The real reason is a tad long-winded.
• As of the 31st of this month only £102.57 will come out of my wages towards the debt. The rest is already covered. Albeit there will be £15 of interest added. I can live with that.:)

Lilyanna - well done for getting over your toothpaste demons.

Pheonix - I treated myself to some vegan goodies that I wanted with my birthday money. I think the rest of it got lost in payments for things that weren't treats. Silly me!

Eyeswideopen - did I hear you say CHOCOLATE??

AuntumnLeaf - naughty naughty naughty... but jump back on that wagon. I am driving so you will be ok...

PiggyBankShaker - Yup that's fine. He ain't in on the challenge so it's his cross to bear not yours. Any drunk children? What a weird venue for a party.

MrsGSR - I like the idea of a Henry. He smiles at you while you work....and while you beat OH round the head with the blunt end...:rotfl:.. hope the Dr's work out ok and it's nothing serious.

HM - Hope he cleared up after himself....

Stewby - have you bought any clothes recently... perhaps sell 'em and stop making yourself feel so depressed. DE-CLUTTER...? And spend the money in Disneyland...? Then when you are super slim and debt free you can buy some planned-for, pre-budgget clothes that make you feel amazing?

Well I am on for another SFD today and yesterday was one as well so I am wracking them up now cause it will be embarassing if I had to deduct any therefore I won't spend... whoop!

Colleague telling me her frend and the OH nearly split up over his obsession with geo-caching. He HAD to find 20 a day and nearly left his wife over this cause she wouldn't join in. He was back within a day apparently.... I know there is someone on here who does this - idenitfy yourself and tell us why you love it?... Although I guess the hide and seek elemant has got to be thrilling especially if it's a difficult one on serious bad terrain...:)

I think I need a hobby. I will be going back to my kayaking days with a friends husband ( all legit don't worry) after the new year. He is an aid worker so currently in Burma/Myanmar and off to the Phillipines soon so this isn't high on his list. It also give me time to get DEBT FREE!!! ..Roll on pay day...

Can anyone recommend a gift for my 87yr old Granny who although likes to read doesn't do much else...? I have a book about the girls during the Belfast Blitz ready for her... but I wanted to add something else... scarves are too obvious, eyes are to bad for stitching/knitting and my Dad won't let her win at Scrabble so another board game will wind her up...? Or perhaps another one that can entertain them both since my Dad has to stay with her during the week for his work...?

I have realised that despite having to move etc and all the jolly great expence that goes with it I REALLY want to buy my family gifts this year. We hardly EVER do gifts but my Gran has started to buy some really good ones in the last few years for me and I want to treat them... so I shall be making a box and sending it over prior to my arrival with strict instructions that Daddy ( the big kid ) is not allowed to rip them open until I get home.....

And I have two more overtime shifts this month in order to help with the costs... Although it's a little worrying how cold it is on the bike in the early hours... Brrrr!

Anyway - enough waffling from me... I am still at work until late tonight...boo hiss!


Onwards an Upwards!!!

PurpleJay

Hi All

Put fuel in today £41.07 (meant to be £40 but I think I nodded off!). Be interested to see how long it lasts.

Lunch/snacks today were a variation on the usual - cheese triangles, crackers, apples, cereal bar and mug shot. This is saving me a fortune. Haven't ventured in the deli near work all month. I had developed a minimum twice weekly habit in the month previous!

Tea is a random selection of boiled potatoes, sliced egg, value savoury rice with sweetcorn, tomatoes, ham (reduced last night in co-op to 60p from £3(!) for the carnivores), grated cheese and salad cream. There is bread if anyone needs extra food, will see how much there looks to be on the plates! Rather looking forward to it, it is almost ready

No other spends today so am declaring SFD no 8 :j Won't manage the full 25 but going to do as many as I can (lol at NSK zapping us from her sofa!).

thick_tom

good luck on that one

shyspender

I'm a little disappointed in myself today. I was all on track to having another spend free day. Day off and I had made an appointment to view a house, and also to see a mortgage adivsor. The mortgage advisor was first in the 'new' town. I rang my best friend to ask the best place to park. Got there, and it was a pay and display. I put a £1 in and could have claimed it back in the supermarket, but, I wanted to get some groceries today using points. I hadn't been in that supermarket in the last 12 months so couldn't use my points there.

So I sacrificed a pound and because it was for the new house, technically, it wasn't going to come out of this challenge. Saw the advisor, saw the house and then had a good catch up with my bestie.

Drove home and went to my local supermarket. Went a little off my list, with some technical bits I needed and a box of sweets for work for Christmas and a bag of sugar for the tea drinkers. Well, it would seem the bag of sugar was the straw that broke the camels back. Even though I had double the points needed for my total, there is a limit on how many can be spent in one go. I didn't know that. So I had to spend £1.14 to pay the difference, grumbles.

NinjaSavingKat

thick_tom wrote: »

good luck on that one

Which one?