I want adventure in the great wide somewhere

NoOneAround

liltdiddylilt wrote: »

Sorry NOA worded that like a plonker. She is in the NST - September Squirrels thread on Debt Free Challenges. Or the October Triathlon

She is very inspirational indeed, and yet still I just had a fry up

Phew -searched and couldn't see where - was going to try again later...after munchies.... to find it. I guess the reason I've been stuck for 4 months is 7am - toast and tea 9am Eggie bread (comfort food!), 10.30am cereal as craving something sweet, 12.30 sandwich with leftover spicy veggies as filling, just now - cereal as craving something sweet ......:rotfl:

MissLaura

belleandthebudget wrote: »

Just made my first credit card payment since starting this diary! :T

Also, in my first week of tracking I lost 2.5 lbs! Huzzah. I think I'll add that journey to my signature as well so I can keep an eye on the lbs as they disappear.

More ££s and less lbs please! :rotfl:

Woohooo on all counts! This is fantastic news, well done you. :T

Keep on totalling those £ and losing those lbs. Awesome.

belleandthebudget wrote: »

My CC payment isn't actually due until the 22nd October but I always worry about leaving enough time to clear so didn't want to do the lot together just in case.

I like to think of Credit Card dates as due BY as opposed to due ON because I think it completely alters your thinking. Encourages you to pay them as soon as possible, as opposed to at the final hour.

It's always recommended to have a direct debit set up for the minimum and then make over payments as and when you can to ensure that you never miss one. If that's possible, it saves a lot of stress.

If not, then paying well in time will be helped with YNAB I'm sure.

You're doing awesome. :j

Shelbi

Hi Belle, am really loving your diary, massive well done on the weight loss 2.5lbs that is incredible :T keep up the good work hun & paying the credit card payment early, with an extra payment to follow, really impressive hun...that credit card will be brown bread before you know it!! xX:D

belleandthebudget

MissLaura wrote: »

I like to think of Credit Card dates as due BY as opposed to due ON because I think it completely alters your thinking. Encourages you to pay them as soon as possible, as opposed to at the final hour.

Thanks Laura, that's a great way to look at it actually. Because I get paid on the 20th it's always tempting to wait but you're right - just need to hammer down that balance ASAP! :A

belleandthebudget

Shelbi wrote: »

Hi Belle, am really loving your diary, massive well done on the weight loss 2.5lbs that is incredible :T keep up the good work hun & paying the credit card payment early, with an extra payment to follow, really impressive hun...that credit card will be brown bread before you know it!! xX:D

Thank you Shelbi, it means so much that all you lovely people are cheering me along. Definitely not so scary and lonely as the debt was before I joined in here. :j

I think a big part of it is seeing everyone else's journeys too and the fact that it's mutual support!

belleandthebudget

So, I've managed to consistently take my lunch to work and eat dinner from what I cooked a week ago. Huge improvement for me! By last night though I was a little tired of the same rotation of meals. I had to pick up some bin bags in the supermarket anyway so I had a nose around the reduced section and found... crispy chilli beef yellow stickered from £3.90 to £1.90! One of my favourites. (And I had rice in the cupboard to go with it) :j

That little treat, rather than a take away or huge junk food blow out, has really made me feel committed to fridge/freezer/cupboard eating for the next week. Should only need to get some fresh veggies in.

I have a couple of meals out at the weekend but they were budgeted for in advance. It's a bit of a last hurrah as when the proper budget kicks in next pay day there won't be nearly as many meals out allowed. One or two maybe - depends how far I can stretch my £50 entertainment budget!

Paid the council tax today and scheduled the rent payment and everything else is direct debit so already taken care of!

I'm still waiting for some expenses to clear from work but everything is looking good until I get paid in 2 and a half weeks. Not much left but hopefully not much that needs bought!

Have been trying my hand at Swagbucks but seriously bored already. I don't see how anyone gets close to the amount of points required? It takes me 10 minutes to earn 2 or 3!!

Nectar Adpoints has been better but not sure I'll even hit the 250 weekly cap because I only have 4 ads with points attached and I've seen them all about 3 times already. Can't bear much more of them!

The survey sites all screen me out as soon as they realise I'm a 20-30 year old working female in London. I guess there are plenty of us. I don't mind answering surveys but I got stuck in a loop with Crowdology for 25 minutes where I just answered five minutes of questions before they screened me out and then tried to find another survey for me that then screened me out. Infuriating!

Wow, this is a mammoth post! I shall retire for now. Going to have a cup of lemon and ginger tea and see if I can face watching a film trailer for the fifth time for 4 nectar points... :rotfl:

liltdiddylilt

I am so impressed with your committment to the eating plan Belle... Cooking your own rice to go with the chilli beef... Wow.

I have just (finally) mastered the art of really tasty authentic egg-fried rice. Let me know if you would like the know-how as it has stopped my takeaway hankerings quite a few times! And is not as bad for you as you think. Sesame oil, soy sauce and white pepper, an egg and plain white rice is all that is required!

I feel your pain on the Nectar points. I put my music on and the volume off on the laptop while I watch. I basically stare, waiting for the little clicky thing to appear and jump on it. My mind wanders off to another land while I do it

Surveys - I do them in fits and starts. PennywisePoundstupid does a LOT of surveys and I see her cashing out £100's a year. I just can't do it!

Keep going, you are keeping me motivated!!

financially_exposed

@belle: this approach to food

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

worked wonders for me, it's essentially about limiting refined sugar and starch (breads, pasta etc) as much as possible, while everything else is permitted - even full fat cheese and yoghurts and red wine

good luck!

belleandthebudget

liltdiddylilt wrote: »

I have just (finally) mastered the art of really tasty authentic egg-fried rice. Let me know if you would like the know-how as it has stopped my takeaway hankerings quite a few times! And is not as bad for you as you think. Sesame oil, soy sauce and white pepper, an egg and plain white rice is all that is required!

Ooh, yes please, this sounds delicious!

belleandthebudget

financially_exposed wrote: »

@belle: this approach to food

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf

worked wonders for me, it's essentially about limiting refined sugar and starch (breads, pasta etc) as much as possible, while everything else is permitted - even full fat cheese and yoghurts and red wine

good luck!

Thanks, FE! I'll have to look into it. I don't eat a lot of meat and I'm not supposed to eat dairy (whoops?) so I'll have to see if they have a way to modify for those things!