NSK July: Back to Basic’s.

Fmess

We are a busy lot aren't we!

I love the taught of you as a turtle NSK, I have a hanky of thinking people resemble animals anyway so would have loved to see that!

Today is a SFD. I'm waiting in for my new phone (got a lower priced contract, better phone and more minutes/texts/data than before). It definitely pays to shop around, I found a great deal online and none of the shops could match it! So I'm quite chuffed. Also hoping to sell my old handset when I next go to town so that'll be some more money towards the debt.

On the garden front, we've decided we could do with some bamboo type screening to cover the ugly parts and some slate/pebbles to cover the soil. Bare soil is not a good match for 5 dogs and the bark just keeps getting ate(!) or rots down, and they we have to buy more. Saw 4 tonnes of pea shingle going free on freecycle last night but the dogs would just swallow the tiny stones so need to keep an eye out for something bigger.

Did anyone watch Kirsty's Fill Your House For Free? It's fantastic, I'm going to be on freecycle and gumtree daily from now on.

Hope you dry out quickly NSK

NinjaSavingKat

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/66123757#Comment_66123757!

liltdiddylilt

What a busy bunch indeed. Thanks for the new challenge Kat. Looks like a good one, and I am definitely in. I will have to set myself a new challenge and join the (some not all) snoots on the NSD for September. I am determined to get myself a decent savings cushion built up.

I cleaned my keyboard. It is amazing how much easier it is to type/press keys when there isn't a few years worth of crumbs, chocolate, hair and fluffballs under each key! Surgical spirit, cotton buds & an eyebrow brush... I am almost so proud I feel the need to instagram it. :P Is anyone else a weirdo like me who showcases the inside of the oven to anyone who visits after it has been cleaned? And the kettle, after descaling? * eery whistling sound* just me then :rotfl:

Today will be SFD 14! Tomorrow 15, & Thursday 16 by hook or crook, and mainly by virtue of the fact that I have no money AT ALL. Can't recommend YNAB enough for focusing the mind

MagicCat

Hello everyone,

Sorry to disappear for a couple of days - laptop/internet at home is playing up, and I've had n awful cold (really? in this weather?) so feeling a bit fed up and sorry for myself and not got it sorted. But has this stopped me spending? Sadly not. Gorceries, work parking on Friday, sending parcels, toothpaste and some paint for the house. All needed, but not great.

Hope you're all OK.

Dolly well done with savings on grocery budget! Weirdly I've done OK on mine this month, I'm usually way over - keep worrying I've forgotton to count something as it's only a few pounds!

lilt - I love that you got all the change from the taxi driver! I agree about tipping - a small tip is fine, but I've had taxi drivers look annoyed as I ask for change for a ten pound note for a 6.50 fare!

Loveadove - good luck for hte job hunt, an interview lined up already is a really good start!

Fmess - yay for all the garden work - its really satisfying when you feel you're making a difference!

applemuncher - thanks for the update on the acv/bicarb. I think you have been really good to try it! I keep meaning to give it a go then chicken out!

kat - hope you have warmed up after your journy this morning! You are such an inspiration with the cycling. I am keeping up with the gym this month, but need to start monitoring steps and getting my day to day activity - weight still creeping up so something isn't working for me!

SFD 8/15 (4 days away spends from holiday budget only)
Groceries 167.62/160
Petrol 143.99/120
Exercise 20/25
House 19.08/25
Birthdays 27.10/25
illegal spends 22.65/0 (charity raffle tickets/goddaughter magazine/taxi/facewash/toothpaste)

shyspender

Today makes SFD 17 and more than likely the rest of the month will be too.

Just under budget on everything, little bit of shrapnel in my pocket to get me through, just in case.

Still no news on moving, but on the brighter side, OH is coming up on Sunday for three days then back home then back the following Sunday for up to a week. We are going to France for two days, one night, the second visit. Going to get some bits from there but nothing specific.

We just want a little trip away and she is trying to learn french so I thought it would help her to hear it spoken, even if she doesn't know what they are saying. I can understand more than I am brave enough to say but where we are going, Dunkirk, we should be able to get buy.

This is budgetted, or will be, I just need to work out spending money and stuff. Really really looking forward to it though.

Looking forward to the August challenge too! The last two months I seem to have forgotten it's the end of the month though and miss looking for it.

It's payday for me the week before I go to France but, all of my normal August expenses are accounted for due to getting paid four weekly. Just checked my account and YNAB and everything for July is paid and there is still mueller (sp) in the account, enough for August and if not some of September. When I am off in August I will double triple check everything. Only getting one day a week off at the moment due to holiday cover and stuff so I don't really have the time.

TiptoesDB

sorry for missing yesterday's post.... huge row with DH last night which started about money and ended up with us sorting a lot of things out. It was really about me grieving my dad I think and things just being so hard at the moment for both of us. But, we have agreed to make some short term changes about our debt repayments. I think we are being too hard on ourselves at the moment, and I am worried it is going to damage our relationship with everything else we are dealing with. I don't seem to be very good at finding balance at the moment. I don't know what anyone else thinks about this? We have agreed to keep paying minimums (which we have set to higher than the actual minimum and as our debts are all interest free do make a big dent and equal over £500 per month), plus £700 per month on the car loan, but allow ourselves some treats ( a meal out / having my hair done) to keep ourselves sane... I feel weird about the decision, but think its the right thing. We never argue, but seem to have been arguing about money a lot recently.

Anyway, today was a NSD, and totals are looking good. I even did a run today (despite Monday always being an exercise day off) so I can hit my totals. I did a 30k bike ride yesterday with my clip in cleat shoes and DIDN'T FALL OFF!!! yeay!

• 15/15 SFDs
• £193/£160 food
• 17/20 Exercise

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a lovely catch-up chat with my dad, for fun walking home from the shops with dd + brollies + pelting rain + blustery winds, for clean eating, for a working washing machine (thank you dh xx), for discovering a spare Oyster to give to my niece.

CEW

Hi All,

SFD for me today which brings me bang on target of 15/15. Tomorrow will be a spend day but hoping that the last 2 will be SFD's.

My finance budgets ended yesterday as I go from payday to payday. Mixed results but overall not too disappointed:

Grocery - £166.05/£120 - This was a disaster but I really had a bad month as I had to stock up on some bits and spent too much on a weekend of BBQ's when stepson came to stay :mad:

Animals - £59.01/£60 - High budget this month as needed start up bits for the new rescue chicks which included some expensive anti worming medication. Still slightly under budget though so pleased with this :T

Petrol - £200.54/£120 - This looks really bad but most of this was used on charity work for which OH will be reimbursed. He is currently owed just over £200 for the month. We have decided that in future I will no longer budget or pay for fuel. OH will take care of this as I don't actually drive although I do benefit from a personal chauffeur (OH) to take me to and from work, shopping etc. One less budget for me to worry about and as OH gets the expenses this seems to make more sense

Personal spends - £37.89/£50 - This isn't too bad but I would like to lower this. Thinking maybe a £10 budget for August so will need to stop buying myself the little treats I don't really want and definitely don't need :eek:

Illegal Spends - £32/£40 - Needed new footwear for work so set myself a small budget. Managed to get 2 pairs of leather boots in a sale for the £32. I always wear trousers to work so like to wear boots as they are more comfortable. :T

Still working on the non financial challenges as I report on these by calendar month.

On or over target on all 3 of these :j :T :j

SFD - 15/15 :T

Exercise - 22/15 been walking a lot and using stairs at work :T

TV - I think tonight the TV was on for the 5th day in July and I think I watched about 20 minutes of the Commonwealth Games - OH did watch a little more but only an hour or so :T

Chez x

stewby

Well... July was a kick in the teeth. I think I had lulled myself into a false sense of security and was a bit cocky... so it's only fair that I got sent back to earth with a bump.


I have three days to get three spend-free days which might be do-able. I am working tomorrow and Wednesday so that gives me two definite days... and I am incredibly stubborn so that should give me the third one.


Food budget went out of control. I think I might have spent about £100 over budget. No excuse apart from poor planning.
:embarasse

Petrol budget went a bit pear shaped but I did have a course which involved 120 miles plus travelling around with OH's dad when he was up.
August will be back to normality... hopefully.


As well as going a bit daft with the food budget, I have also done a fair few illegal spends.
These were completely unnecessary and will most definitely not be making an appearance in August. To help me, I think I am going to be keeping illegal spends a topic for August.


The diet and exercise thing went a bit awry too. Starting again in August and I am going to be determined and stubborn about it.

So not really a fantastic July but the main thing is that I learn from it... and hand my dad back the credit card. I clearly still can't be trusted with my own finances.
It's a bit of a deflated feeling to think that I am 30 years old and still can't manage my own money.
:sad:

However, August is another month and I will try again. I have a couple of surprises up my sleeve and my debt free day will not be changing.
I will have paid off the credit card by December 2014 and I will start saving for our wedding in January 2015.
There are no ifs, buts or maybes... this will happen.

Hugs to everyone and apologies for the lack of posting.

NinjaSavingKat

TiptoesDB wrote: »

..... but allow ourselves some treats ( a meal out / having my hair done) to keep ourselves sane... I feel weird about the decision, but think its the right thing.

You are right. You MUST have an outlet otherwise it's way to hard! This is good choice! I have the cinema membership AND a gym membership which together was £50 to keep me sane...

AND on the note of bike pedal clips I nearly toppled off mine into on coming traffic on Friday night.. I stumbled at the lights ready to turn right.. but wasn't balanced properly and nearly fell right into the path of a 4x4... I saved myself the embarrassment as my foot was properly wedged in there..... oh the shame.....