The Super September 'Back to School' NSD Challenge!

kerri_gt

t2rry wrote: »

NSD #8 for me yesterday. Bought 2 birthday cards but they are necessary and out of gift budget so not counting it!

Also - on the topic of Christmas, £5 per month would never be enough for my decorations!!! I reckon I will limit this years spend to £200 which I'm sure will horrify some of you but that's just the way my Christmas rolls!

Plus Nargle, you should see my current collection of pine cones for my wedding...I literally have about 1000!!!!

Yikes, I'm not sure I have £200 worth of decorations full stop :eek: actually, I prob do thanks to a lovely mulled wine set i have, but i love it. And got it cheap(ish) from achica. Most of my decs are either inherited from my mum (stuff she gave me for car boots), bought in cheapy shops (but nice pieces that don't look naff) bought in the sales or from Tk Maxx - love some of their Xmas stuff.

Still, everyone enjoys spending on diff things, which is good, else we'd all be fighting over the same things :rotfl:

Perhaps you can repurpose some of those pine comes into Xmas decs for the future, that way you'll have some unique items with a memory attached x

t2rry

I think I most certainly will do Kerri! I do spend a lot on xmas decs but really that will stop after next year. I had my own little flat to decorate a few years ago (first time I moved out from the parents!) so got all nice things then that I knew would last a lifetime - I spread the cost then but still think I probably have in excess of £500 worth of decs.

This year we're in our first owned house and the decs from the flat will look insignificant (it's basically just a tree so far!) so I will want some things for the hall. And next year the dining room...so again I'll buy nice things that will last forever and I won't get bored of!

Marmite - I have just re-read through the latest posts - you have 40 savings pots?! I thought I was starting to go overboard with my 6!!!! Maybe I need to up my number then....especially as I don't have a pot for clothes (we're just foregoing new clothes atm, which we have been for a long time time!)

What makes up your 40 if you don't mind me asking...we have:
1. Wedding fund
2. Honeymood fund
3. Car expenses
4. Gift fund
5. Home Insurance
6. Hair cuts

Literally the only other I can think of is clothes. That said, I do think I should separate out Christmas gifts from other gifts...else the pot may get so big during the year that I go overboard on birthday gifts!

marmiterulesok

kathy I hope you don't mind me asking,but why have you had a wage drop?How annoying having extra shifts cancelled.

t2rry so,you need to bugdet £200 a year or £16.66 (or round it up or down -£15 is a nice round figure) a month For C decs.Does that sound do-able?Much less painful than having to find £200.

I have quite a few decorations that last and last.I don't put a tree up,as my flat is tiny,but I usually put up loads of Christmas cards on the wall in a nice pattern (sometimes Christmas tree shaped).I keep all my Christmas cards from one year to the other.

t2rry

marmiterulesok wrote: »

t2rry so,you need to bugdet £200 a year or £16.66 (or round it up or down -£15 is a nice round figure) a month For C decs.Does that sound do-able?Much less painful than having to find £200.

I hope so for next year. I suspect all our budgets may be significantly altered next year though and priorities may change slightly...if you catch my drift...! That's a scary thought I'm not worrying about yet as I am so looking forward to debt being gone and the £1,140 that goes towards future spends/debt at present being available to save in a positive way! £1,140 - That's insane!!!!

marmiterulesok

t2rry wrote: »

Marmite - I have just re-read through the latest posts - you have 40 savings pots?! I thought I was starting to go overboard with my 6!!!! Maybe I need to up my number then....especially as I don't have a pot for clothes (we're just foregoing new clothes atm, which we have been for a long time time!)

What makes up your 40 if you don't mind me asking...we have:
1. Wedding fund
2. Honeymood fund
3. Car expenses
4. Gift fund
5. Home Insurance
6. Hair cuts

Literally the only other I can think of is clothes. That said, I do think I should separate out Christmas gifts from other gifts...else the pot may get so big during the year that I go overboard on birthday gifts!

This is my budgeting list:
1. heating bill -paid x1/year
2. travel pass x1/year
3. emergency fund
4. presents -Christmas and birthday
5. medication bill for one drug (1700 CHF/year)
6. other medication bills/doctor's appts etc.
7. holidays
8. 3 year train pass (gives me half price 2nd class travel within Switzerland)
9. house and contents insurance
10.electricity bill
11. cat food
12. vet
13. TV licence
14. fire insurance
15. TV set fund.My TV is quite new,but I don't want to have to find a big sum of money to replace it when it no longer works,which hopefully won't be for a long time.Also my TV is really my only entertainment so-to-speak.
16. breadmaker fund see above
17. toiletries
18. household -washing powder etc
19. haircut
20. pedicure -not very often,but for me it's essential
21. clothes and shoes
22. electric toothbrush (same as for TV and BM)
23. dentist
24. swimming subscription x1/year
25. new mattress fund (same as for TV etc)
26. bank sub (so if cards lost don't pay anything to have them replaced etc)
27. &28. donation to charities 1 & 2 (seperate) -x1/year
29. tax declaration x1/year.No way I could do this myself.
30. subs for renters' rights association
31.one sub for an ill health support society here in Switzerland (I don't want to name my illness!)
32. printer cartridge
33. OAP association,as I get a small pension.I had to drop my hours due to ill health.I work for the state,who take very good care of their employees.I'm very fortuanate in this respect.
34. Pilates class -not sure if I'll be able to carry on at once a week.
35. computer fund -as for TV
36. vacuum cleaner fund -as for TV
37. I take out and save 5 CHF a week from my food budget-this means that at the end of the year,I have enough to pay for 4 weeks groceries,so it's almost like I get one month of groceries free
38. 2 CHF a week savings for treat when I'm 50 yo (in 2017! :eek:).This is also taken from my grocery budget.
39. groceries
40. gardening (seeds,vegetable plants etc).This is a new one.

Rent is seperate,and any other savings are seperate.I also have a supscription for having my legs waxed and a facial,and that's seperate.I try to stretch these out too.

Some savings pots are just 2-5 CHF a month,but I just can't not do it otherwise now.
The amount I put aside every month usually varies,and I will raid different pots if I need the money for something else,so often BM,TV funds etc. are at zero.

I think that that's it.

What started me on budgeting for everything was that in 2009 I completely forgot about the heating bill,which is paid once a year.It was just over 500 CHF,and somehow I managed to find the money.I can't remember how.I'm not sure I had any savings at that point.I was so mad at myself,and vowed never to be caught out again like that.
I opened a seperate account for this budgeted money.From that I gradually added holidays,presents,TV licence,and it just grew and grew.I keep a tally in a notebook.
I don't know how I managed before,honestly.
I always paid off any cc bills fully at the end of the month,which I still do.I keep a tally of what I'm due to pay,and keep that money aside.I often pay for budgeted items by cc,then transfer whatever the sum is to cover the bill.I started doing this because now I'm only allowed to transfer money from that account once a month.If I do it more often,I have to pay charges.

So t2rry,if you have any questions,just ask.

marmiterulesok

t2rry wrote: »

I hope so for next year. I suspect all our budgets may be significantly altered next year though and priorities may change slightly...if you catch my drift...! That's a scary thought I'm not worrying about yet as I am so looking forward to debt being gone and the £1,140 that goes towards future spends/debt at present being available to save in a positive way! £1,140 - That's insane!!!!

The thing to remember is that budgets can be flexible,so you can prioritise,depending on your needs.
£1,140 - wow,just imagine when you're not forking that out anymore. :j:j

Do you have a debt-free date?

marmiterulesok

We have a super-dooper total of 236 nsds!!!

We have 38 nsders actively taking part,which means an average of 6 nsds each!

marmiterulesok

Who will be next to reach target?

kxc798,donna dynamo and Munchin are just one nsd away from their total.

As usual,to celebrate this momentous occasion,the winner will have a slap-up meal prepared by Chef Igor! :eek:

PS If anyone feels like doing an update,feel free. :cool:

Sundaysgirl

Nargleblast wrote: »

No need to spend a fortune each year on decorations, just have a tradition where on the first of December (or whatever day you choose) you go to a big store such as Mr Lewis's emporium and buy just one really nice Christmas tree ornament that means something special to you. You can inscribe the year in a discreet place on it, and every year you get a new one until you have a really nice collection with a load of memories attached.

We do this - a great way to build up a beautiful collection and has so much more meaning as a result, I love it when we get out the decs in early December and I get to reminisce a bit!

Sundaysgirl

I'm bagging NSD #12 for yesterday. Today was a little bit spendy