Just Say NOvember 2013!!!

Fmess

Morning mrsGSR, my parents always had a limit of about £60-£100 that they would spend on each of us and we loved the gifts we got. Lots of our friends got a lot more spent on them, including my OH, and they can barely remember what they got as they had so many items. How would your OH react if you just spent the £200 he saved and you used the Am4zon vouchers and your saved cash on something else?

PurpleJay

Hi All

Not been on since Friday morning so thought I had better catch up although I have updated my totals.

No more SFDs to report unfortunately although I am hoping for one today.

Friday - Mystery shop was good, had a lovely time in the shop and bought the required clothing item for which I will be reimbursed. I did the report when I got home and already have positive feedback. Accidentally bought additional clothing items though... oops Really love them and am now set for Xmas. I was planning to buy an outfit in December and the money is there so I just bought it forward a bit. I had allowed £6 for lunch and spent £4.95 on a 'french breakfast' in a lovely cafe consisting of warm baggette, croissant, butter, jam, coffee and orange juice. Lovely, filling and good value I thought. Will add here that the jeans/top I bought on Thursday will be returned for a refund as they are a bit to big and I don't want to spend the extra cash.

Friday evening I went out (this was my planned night out) and spent £27 of my £30 budget so all good. The food was lovely, thought not cheap and the spend included drinks and a share of the taxi home. Very enjoyable.

Saturday we went to a cafe/church thing in the morning which is organised by some of the families with whom M is at school. We aren't really church people but I very much appreciate the sense of community. The get togethers are at a local pub where coffee and cake is provided free They have a quiz, guest speaker and discussion. The children do the quiz too and then have separate activities. This week the subject was fostering and was really interesting. Other subjects have included food banks, sponsoring children abroad, fair trade (you get the idea).

We stayed for lunch, planned but not really thought through nor in the budget.Cheap enough at less than £10 for me and M with drinks I now need to review my budget and will budget for the December one (they are monthly). I have a lovely chat with friends and M enjoys playing with his mates. They have free run of the pub and there was about 20 of us for lunch. Lovely.

In the afternoon I went to mums and then popped to do a top up shop and get bread and paper. Spent about £18 here. Was going to go to a Winter Market at church but decided against it as we had been out all day and I didn't really want to spend anymore, so it was home for Dr Who, Strictly, quorn enchilladas and puff pastry apple turnover (madewith apples and pastry from the freezer). Husband has started commenting there is no food in the house (a complete exaggeration) so my running things down a bit must be working!

Today has been a lazy morning so far. I have read a book about adoption and we have been watching a bit more Dr Who, eating toast with jam/peanut butter and drinking lots of coffee.

We might go to the cinema today. I have vouchers for admission and popcorn and a drink from my tesco clubcard points so shouldn't need to spend Might take some sweets from home too.

Happy Sunday people x

fyggy

Fmess wrote: »

So after discovering yesterday that my budgets were wrong, and I had effectively already spent all my money until 25th, I have made myself a super dooper spreadsheet. I was previously using a spreadsheet on my iPad, but it just wasn't good enough, so have swapped to the laptop where I feel more comfortable using excel

I use an app on my iPad called HomeBudget. I love it. I think it's £2.49 but totally worth it.

Today hopefully should be a SFD. Yesterday I broke my run of 5. DH and I went for a cheapo meal and drinks out in Wetherspoons- our planned outing for the month Afterwards I was like, I have some bits to get in Tesc0s and I don't wanna waste another spend day, so off I trotted there, half cut, to get the few bits we needed and had vouchers for. Otherwise I'm a L1dl girl. Got what I needed and didn't buy anything else.

Yesterday I had a letter through from the Student Loans Co saying I've overpaid and due a refund. They didn't say how much I'm owed and I'm not surprised by this, they were useless switching from taking the money from my wages to the DD, so I had months where it was taken twice or taken and they didn't count it towards my totals. Fingers crossed it's more than a few pence! I won't be able to call them until Weds though as I'm working Mon Tues 13hrs each. Suspense!

So here are all my totals:
SFDs 12/25. Hopefully be 13 by the end of the day.

Money making- £95/£80. Two good sales in 2!
and job. Got some DVDs to go to a MusicM@gpie type site. DH said he'd do some bank (extra work where he works (NHS term)) but has decided against it as they want to pay him less than his usual pay per hour. Annoying as it's the first time he's said he'll try bring in more money:mad: He also said he'd sort his bike and try to sell it. So far he's done nothing.

Charity donations- 0/20. I have some books to go to my GPs surgery and clothes to go to the charity shop. Just waiting for DH to look through and pop some clothes in he doesn't want.

Food bank- I give a regular charity donation so as with previous months I don't do an additional one.


The following budgets run 27th-26th (our paydays)
Fuel - £125/£150. I doubt we'll need more fill ups.

Planned outing- 1/1. As mentioned. Date night with DH.

Food- £103/£140 Planning another shop on Weds which will take up us to payday. With being away a week we've only done two big shops and two odds and sods shops. 4 bulbs have gone on me this month randomly!

Beauty spends. I have only bought medicinal products from Superdrug type shops this month. My consultant kindly prescribed me a very good moisturiser as my new super duper acne blasting medication makes your skin shed like a snake. I have however prior to this found loads of half full tubs and pots of moisturiser! Hanging fire on my hair to see what colour it ends up- dyed it before hols with a pack in the house and the sea and sun has sent it a sorta strawberry blonde, sandy brown colour. Hoping to grow out my natural colour now I've given my hairdresser the chop (pun intended!):rotfl:

Lunches- All. As mentioned I work 13hr shifts, days and nights. So I take in two meals and two snacks plus my tea I drink. Always prepared food and drink wise!

That's enough from me. Been looking at and planning Decs budget. No Xmas gifts bought as yet. Just seen an ad for the new Hunger Games. Made me think of you Kat!:T

apple_muncher

Oh me, oh my!! I've just been to Ald1 for milk + my food donation purchases and it was horrible! The traffic getting there was solid, the overflow carpark was 2/3 full (only those pesky tight spaces left) and the shop was heaving!

Now, I'm al Ald1 fan, but the only good thing about today's visit was that I'm home in time to watch the rugby!:j

I've put the food donation in a box and although I got 9 items, it does look rather pathetic! Think I'll get more stuff when I next shop, as it's such a great idea, NSK. I have a roof over my head, warmth and food, family around me, a job and so many more possessions than I need. When it rains or is cold I can choose to stay inside, I don"t have to be careful of every penny just to survive, or choose between food and paying the bills. I am blessed indeed!:)

Maisie_M

Food £289.59/350
Petrol £180/250
Local food bank 6/6 (missed last month so will double up today)
SFD 11/25
Lunch to work 11/21
emergency lunch fund 0/£10 (two of us)
Declutter 0/20
Extra money earned/made 0/£80
Christmas shopping £13/£250
Outing 0/£20
Coffee shops etc 0/0
Beauty £8.73/£10

Spendy day yesterday. Went into town and got onsie for DS1 changed as the one I had got was too small. Two pairs of jammies for xmas hamper for DS1 & 2. Socks for OH. Then to aldi and tesco for the shopping plus got a few xmas things. Need to sort out food and xmas budget updates when I have looked at the receipts but pleased with what we got.

[Deleted User]

Hi All
Just checking in; haven't managed to update until today as OH has been off work and managed to have some time together. It's been lovely and he has been helping me around the house. But unfortunately we have had spendy days whilst at home (OH doesn't realise I am doing this challenge). We have overspent on my weekly budgets but may be able to pull it off on the overall food budget by using up food in the cupboards and buying just essentials.
OH is away nest week for two nights so me and the kids will eat my cottage pie I made a few weeks ago and froze. It is easier when OH is at work; I can control monies better and the food!!

Hope everyone is well; I will try and read though the rest of the thread, I am upto page 38 at the moment.

MrsGSR

Fmess wrote: »

Morning mrsGSR, my parents always had a limit of about £60-£100 that they would spend on each of us and we loved the gifts we got. Lots of our friends got a lot more spent on them, including my OH, and they can barely remember what they got as they had so many items. How would your OH react if you just spent the £200 he saved and you used the Am4zon vouchers and your saved cash on something else?

Hi Fmess,
We had a chat about it as we looked at stuff in the city, we wanted to see things "in the flesh" he has decided to withdraw the £200 as cash then put it to one side while we plan what to get them then we will see what we can get cheaper online or in the shops. I'm still going to get them the craft things as I know they will get so much out of them.
Both of us grew up in families where money was tight and our parents would spend a set amount, we remember the gifts more because we really wanted them and didn't have loads of things.

MrsGSR

A good day today, although when I walked into work I was immediately asked if I could stay an extra hour, normally I would but DH was picking me up so we could go into the city so I said no.
We looked at the laptop I looked at buying to see what it was like but we are still undecided, (this is a purchase we have savings for but still researching our options)
We got a few ideas for gifts for the children for christmas but need to see if we can get cheaper online first. We also had a look in the icey place at christmas food so the menu is sorted for then as I have a list of what I would like and have priced it up.
Got a freebie today from 02, some chocolately things from Smiths, also I got a £5 off £20 voucher AND some golden arches vouchers yet I didn't spend a penny.
Then it was off to £land for some lunchbox snacks and cleaning products at £6.
So two spendy days in row BUT under a tenner and it was mainly top up bits.
I'm hoping the next 5 days will be SFDs.

cowboymum

Another nsd today - church this morning and then home for a quiet afternoon of homework, housework and cooking! Just made a gluten free loaf and spelt rolls,plus got a roast dinner in (frozen beef slices from a roast we had a few weeks ago) plus apple crumble.

Also cooking up some soup in slow cooker using veg peelings - not sure whether that's going to be tasty or not?!

Realised we have pretty much used up our shopping food budget. We have quite a lot of food in freezer so will eat our way through that and just get fresh stuff, so hopefully should be ok.

apple muncher - can your daughter eat oats? I know some gf people can and some can't. We look after a little girl who is gf but can eat oats so we get lots of oat cakes (rough) ones which are not so expensive as the gf breadsticks. Plus masses of rice cakes! I do dabble in a bit of gf baking but haven't bothered with breadsticks.

kangadoo

Currently cold, a bit lonely and fed up as I'm a bit sniffly, so having a bit of a wobble and craving junk food I don't have in the house (chocolate, pizza, halloumi, anything processed...) I only live a five minute walk from Sainsbury's so it's a real temptation but I've updated my signature to 13/25 NSDs in the hope that's enough to put me off spending! I've had my last remaining biscuit and will have a comfort-food tea of (value) beans on (value) toast and (value) cheese (feeling sorry for myself much?! Never!) and stare at my spreadsheet until I feel better!

In the past I would have ordered Dominos - just realised the cost of one order of one pizza and drink is now almost a quarter of my monthly food budget :eek:

In better news two eBay items sold today and have already been paid for, so I'll pack them up for their new lives and send them tomorrow, and I realised that the Scottish Power DD that has been reduced to £2 so a refund can be used up will come out of this month's budget (last day of the month) so I get to claim the remainder of the budgeted amount as "extra" money this month instead of next and give my spreadsheet a boost!