The 2 Year Freedom Plan & 2015 Beat The Budget Challenge

I_want_a_baby

Another good day here

We have 6 crates of apples we picked a few weeks ago, unfortunately they have been kept in a room that was too warm and have all gone wrinkly and soft.

I peeled, cored and diced 3.5 crates of them. I know have two tubs of stewed apple, three tubs of stewed apple and sultana and a huge batch of apple butter in the slow cooker (about 5 jars worth).

I've also been washing and tidying. Doing full loads and drying on the airer.

I've not used the car today either, my mum in law went to town so she got a couple of bottles of milk which we needed so should now be able to stay in for the next few days too!

Tea tonight is homemade chilli con carne enchiladas with salad. Using one portion of homemade chill from the freezer, an out of date packet of wraps and salad that needs using up!

All in all a good day x

I_want_a_baby

Morning All,


Savings have been made here which always makes me happy!


This week (so far) I have saved:
42.46 Child tax credit
0.43 Save the change


So the balance now in savings to repay debt is £1049.14! This is 8.38% if the total debt.


Wahoo!


Debt is still at £12519.35 and no official repayments have been made yet. This less the savings figure is £11470.21.


I need to embrace make do and mend during November. I need my thrifty hat on and I want to increase my savings account!


I think it is time for a little mini target to add focus during November... so I have decided.


By the 30/11/2014 I would like the balance after savings to be £10,999!


This means there is £471.21 to find less the 1st regular payment of £300 which will come out on Monday. So I need to add £171.21 to my savings account in November!


Challenge set, frugal pants on, thrifty hat on, make do and mend mindset achieved - LETS DO THIS!


I am to make savings from my monthly budget, spend the minimum on food shopping (which will help run down stores ready for xmas food shopping), spend nothing on the house with the exception of replacement firebricks (already saved for). I am going to think before I spend, make do, recycle, borrow or anything else I can do before parting with money. Any wants can go onto a wish list which I can re-evaluate if I get any Christmas money.


Does anyone else fancy doing this pre-Christmas push? Naming a target to achieve in November?


So far I have made a meal plan until the 13th, I know I have extra meat and things in the freezer which could last beyond this so now is the time to use it up & stretch it out!!


I will be back VERY soon,


IWAB x

I_want_a_baby

Had a great start!

Had our second scan of the baby today, I'm 19 weeks. We were due to pay £10 for the scan photos but as the baby was being difficult to scan and the pictures were not that good they said don't worry about paying. I personally can't see much difference between these photos and ones we have had before so I am very happy.

Hubby suggested using the £10 to pay for a McDonald's but I managed to persuade him that we should come home where I cooked sausage sarnies with things I had already.

The net result is the £10 is still intact and can be the first part of my savings towards my November target!

So we are now at £10/£171.21

IWAB x

I_want_a_baby

Morning All,


So this morning I tackled the job of organising contents insurance for our new home.


I had saved up £161.10 as it was time our buildings & contents was renewed just as we left the last house. But now we just needed contents insurance.


I checked the cashback amounts available first.


Then I did a confused quote which I should get £2.10 cashback for doing.


The cheapest quote was Legal & General which came out at £62.48. So I went back through topcashback to do the quote and buy it. This meant that I could take the £161.10 I had saved less the £62.48 and transfer the difference of £98.62 to savings!! WAHOO!


Also by going back through the cashback site to order the insurance I should be able to get £31.50 cashback as well.


Lets not forget the little pennies too as I had 53p of save the change go into savings as well.


Savings for the November target are now at £109.15/£171.21


Of course if the cashback tracks, when I receive it this will go to savings too!


Now off to eat from the mealplan x

I_want_a_baby

Well the £2.10 and the £31.50 haven't yet tracked. Let's hope they will in the next few hours.

We had lunch with the in laws today, a delicious feast of jacket potatoes, cheeses, ham and salad.

Tea tonight will be pulled pork with salad in pitta breads.

Yesterday was a NSD and all being well today will be a NSD too!

Tonight I need to update our budget spreadsheets now I have my husbands net pay figures. Hopefully I will be able to find some savings too.

IWAB x

I_want_a_baby

I have just updated the bank accounts and budget spreadsheet.


Savings made are as follows:
£27.00 using money set for 'retirement' savings for debt repayment.
£20.00 Not playing the lottery
£5.00 reduced the amount saved for contents insurance
£50.00 don't save for a holiday whilst in debt
£7.20 leftover in monthly budget
£0.28 rounding
£109.49 transferred to savings.


Due to the massive amount saved earlier this now means I have now saved £218.63/£171.21


So I am going to increase my target to £271.21. (reduce debt to £10899 by 30.11.2014).


Therefore £218.63/£271.21 = £52.57 to go.


All the big savings for the month are done now unless I magically receive some cash back or sell something so I am going to have to really try to find the rest of this!


IWAB x

I_want_a_baby

Morning all,

Good news, at 6am this morning the £2.10 & £31.50 cashback tracked! Yey!

Aiming for another NSD today.

I have a huge to do list that I need to achieve today. This should keep me busy!

I also need to start making plans for my sons 5th birthday and our bonfire night party in the next couple of weeks.

Hopefully a day spent planning will mean more thought about events and less money spent on them in haste.

Nov events include:
Bonfire night party we are hosting
Mums birthday
Friends wedding reception
Sons birthday
Brother in laws birthday
In laws 40th wedding anniversary

Plus if I am organised I could make some Christmas crafts for an upcoming craft sale. To try and raise a few extra pennies.

So I shall report back with my money saving & money making ideas later.

IWAB x

Plus It looks like a gorgeous day doesn't it!?

DawnW

Love your diary IWAB, you are always so positive. I am sure you will achieve your goals

I_want_a_baby

Thankyou DawnW, so lovely to get a comment x

Always look on the bright side of life :-)

Had a lovely day today, carving pumpkins with the kids, getting errands done and trick or treating with the kids.

Still trying to get a good deal for TV/broadband/line rental which is not easy in a village! We budget £50 a month but I would like to try and use some of this for savings :-)
Currently the best we have got all inclusive phone calls (except mobiles) for £7.50 per month and unlimited broadband which is £18.99! We can't get bt TV as there are faults on the line and sky is to expensive so we may buy a freesat box?

BT are just infuriating!

Anyway I had a fab day of organising today, no big plans for the weekend. Let's see if I can save a £ or two xx

Night all x

I_want_a_baby

Having a great start to the weekend!

Things happening today:
Borrowed a digger from a friend to remove two hedges, take down a long wall and dig two borders. We shall give him some thankyou money/money towards fuel. It's saved us many hours of manual work and the cost of hiring one.
Sold a TV to another friend for £65 - we are now a one tv household. This makes me very happy. A little step towards our simple life :-)
Had bacon butties for lunch provided by mum in law while we worked.
Identified lots of 'good' wood to be split into logs or kindling for our open fire plus lots for our bonfire too.
Got two loads of washing done and dried on the line, hung mum in laws out while she was doing the butties :-)
Managed to resite a few bushes and plants that got dug up rather than waste them.
The kids had lots of fun taking it in turns all day to sit on daddy's lap on the digger - I swear money couldn't buy those smiles & giggles.
Our friend had a little baby boy thus morning - happy times.
Tea from stores tonight.
No spending today.

I shall try and update the spreadsheet and check our banks tonight - I may even possibly find a saving or two :-)

IWAB x

P.s I have no idea why there us an angry face at the top of this post! Lol