NSK July: Back to Basic’s.

speakingofart

Checking in - back from Cornwall slightly sunburnt but had an amazing time with good waves, so what more can you ask for? Total spent on holiday: £3 (you've gotta love a family holiday, even a compulsory ones!). So I've clocked up 4 more NSDs, and my grocery budget is £89.95 to last me till 15th August, petrol budget is £19.85, but I have a full tank so hopefully that should be plenty. I'm ready to finish my July month (I get paid on the 15th) in style and join in the August challenge <sob> for one last round of !!! kicking.

liltdiddylilt

Evening peeps!! Its end of July eve!! Today I hit 15 SFD's! I walked another 4 miles, and added to my total of monthly exercise by 2 lots in the last 2 days, but haven't updated.

My totals now stand at:
SFD's: 15/15
Grocery budget: £185.06/£180
Exercise: 18/14 sessions and at least 50 miles walked in this month!
Illegal spends: £30.70 (tut)
Taxis: 1/0 - I am happy with this considering it was a doctors appointment on a work day. Every other morning/night I have been disciplined and walked to/from work, even whilst crippled.

Tomorrow should be another SFD. I've £2 to pay the egg man, but that has been sat waiting for a week and a half for him. Nothing else required!

Sounds like everyone has had a good day.

Amazing news on debt-busting Abundant! Well done you
SOA - sounds a lovely holiday and very cheap indeed!

Tiptoes... I couldn't agree more. There is only 1 NSK!

shyspender

Spend day today...but...it was a thought out spend.

Had 6p per litre on my tesco clubcard for petrol, and with the drop yesterday/today it made sense to top up. I could have done it tomorrow, it was valid until the end of july but I made arrangements to do it today.

Other than that, nothing much to report. That brings my SFD to 19 for the month, nothing to get tomorrow.

Bring on August!!!

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful to live in a country where charity shop shopping is acceptable, for the paddling pool (again!), for ripening raspberries, for bumping in to a lovely work colleague, for getting great fabric to use for crafting.

Planning my August Austerity... Bring it on!

Fmess

Spend day today as got the final plant pot and compost for the garden, as well as lots of reduced gluten free meat products in coop this afternoon

Looked at my budgets and if it wasn't for keeping the money to one side for the electrician, I could have afforded the garden renovations this month Its nice to know that as the debt goes down, I have more free money to enjoy life and improve our surroundings.

I've walked for an hour and a half and done a LBT class

I am ready for bed now!

speakingofart

Last check in for July, and my mission for today is to have a NSD to finish off the month with! Food shopped yesterday when I got back so this is totally achievable as I'm back at work (boo!) so probably won't get much time to spend anyway. See you all in the Farewell challenge!

NinjaSavingKat

"It's the final count down............."


Oooooh it's the last day of the month. I have been paid today and will be transferring some serious funds to my travel account......ahem.... and my CC....... :mad:

So how have we all managed this month. It's been hard for some of you I know, others have drifted though quite well...

I wanted to weigh myself yesterday, geared up for it and the scales at my gym weren't working. ... so tried my jeans on at home - still tight, too tight to be worn in public. Gutted but will be starting August with a new tact... do stretchy jeans shrink in the wash..?

CEW - are you an animal rescue person for real or do you just go out looking for creatures to nab..?

Fmess I read your message wrong the first time and got a little :j:j thinking you already lived on Old McDonalds Farm ...:(..Picture of the garden please when it's complete or when you are happy to share.

I am SO sleepy today. GYM sessions are taking it out of me. Bike playing up and have been quoted £40 for a new sprocket and chain, also need wraps for the handle bars (£15..??) and new gloves..(£10)... found them all yesterday at my local cycle shop. Forgot purse at work.

I think I also have a puncture. My tyre was flat when I got to it yesterday at my station, pumped it up at the bike shop and this morning it was relatively flat but not a pancake if you know what I mean.

Will be changing that bad boy myself....:T:T:T

Anyway.. more from me to close this month and open the next. Hope everyone has a splendid warm and sunny start to their day!

NSK.x

MagicCat

Hello all on this last day of July!

Hope you are all OK. Some few drops of rain on my way in to work, so looks like normal weather service is being resumed after all the sunshine!

CEW - hope work meeting goes well.

Fmess - well done on nearly finishing garden, it sounds lovely!

Tiptoes - take care of yourself, and take the time you need - whatever plan you make this weekend, you can always re-adjust or adapt bits that don't end up working so well.

NinjaSavingKat wrote: »

"It's the final count down............."
So how have we all managed this month. It's been hard for some of you I know, others have drifted though quite well...

Short answer to this is 'not great' - but I did better than I ever have on the grocery spend, so I think that's a plus! We were away for a couple of long weekends, which helped - but also I planned for this, so didn't over buy like I usually do.

SFDs were rubbish - I usually do a weekly grocery shop at weekends, but not being able to do this meant I was popping in quickly to places after work, it was all planned and budgeted for but I was spending on more days.

Exercise - OK. I haven't weighed yet, must do that tomorrow - I have a sad presentiment I'll be exactly where I was at the beginning of July. Pants.

TV - this has been interesting - I have realised I don't really watch much, but nearly always have it on! I've stopped automatically putting on the TV when I get in, and I have to say, I haven't felt I've missed out. I've downloaded some audio books from my local library (for free!) and have been listening to them instead, which has been really nice.

We got OH's phone bill after the hassle in Ireland with MIL (many calls trying to placate and find her, calls home to OH's brother in London to try to get him to contact her etc) and it was 192 :eek: . Am so annoyed.

One thing I have noticed doing the challenges over the past few months is my spending on other people. Birthdays take up a huge part of my spending, and now lots of friends have kids so even more spends, and all of the times we've been away/eaten out have been because a close friend/family member has had a celebration, birthdays, christenings, wedding. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to be invited and they have been lovely times, but I know I need to reduce these spends somehow but not sure how?

Oh dear, sorry for the immensely long post, will stop waffling on now!

See you all on the August challenge xx


SFD 9/15 (4 days away spends from holiday budget only)
Groceries 167.62/160
Petrol 143.99/120
Exercise 23/25
House 19.08/25
Birthdays 37.10/25
illegal spends 22.65/0 (charity raffle tickets/goddaughter magazine/taxi/facewash/toothpaste)

liltdiddylilt

MagicCat - My entire family has a pact. Once you have had a child, spending on birthdays/Christmas is allocated to your sproglet rather than you. My mum gives me nominal little gifts, but brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles... all spend on her rather than me. I prefer it that way. I chose to have a child, she is my gift. That does not mean that their spending should double! I am sure family would understand if you went down the same road...

Kat - my month was not terrible, but not a rip-roaring success. This month coming I intend to do MUCH better!

MagicCat

Thanks Lilt - it's really helpful to hear what other people do, I've been thinking along the same lines but don't want to look mean! If it was me with the little ones, I would be fine with that - and tbh would be more than happy not to receive pressies from friends/family who I'm sure must be finding things are hard to pay for as we are, but it's hard to bring up though!