Don't Panic!

twiggy86

Pleased you're feeling positive! Do you meal plan? I've just started doing it and have spent quite a bit less on my good shop since. Plus it's easier than trying to come up with a meal from random stuff! Hope you had a good time last night!

please-let-me-be-lucky

Perhaps a week of frugal eating will help the supermarket bill? Pasta with a tinned tomato sauce, beans on toast, that kind of thing? Xx

October_Starter

Hi everyone!

Well last night was a blast! :beer: It ended up with just girlies (all the OHs either bailed or had other commitments and the male member of staff just didn't turn up!). Well we were giggling like a bunch of school girls all night. Good conversation, good food, good drink and we even went to a pub with a live band so good music too! Got home at 3am :eek: On a school night too. Had to be in work at 10am this morning. Was sooo hard to get up. lol.

twiggy86 wrote: »

Pleased you're feeling positive! Do you meal plan? I've just started doing it and have spent quite a bit less on my good shop since. Plus it's easier than trying to come up with a meal from random stuff! Hope you had a good time last night!

I have started meal planning and it is really good! It really does help with the shopping budget!

please-let-me-be-lucky wrote: »

Perhaps a week of frugal eating will help the supermarket bill? Pasta with a tinned tomato sauce, beans on toast, that kind of thing? Xx

I have a lot of things in for dinners but it's the lunch things that run out so quickly. I make 4 ham rolls every day for lunches for me and OH. I always seem to run out of them faster than I realise. I buy the 3 packs of 6 for £1.50 from Mr A's. I can't buy more than that as I have no where to store them. Then I get the Smarties price ham. I am getting sausage rolls now too. I think they are 10 for £2 in Mr A's. I have a mixture of one ham roll and some sausage rolls today for lunch as OH made it and we only had two rolls left.

I have to admit though, it is a lot lot easier now I know exactly what we are having for lunch every day and what I am doing for dinners. I have also noticed I spend less time stressing over what we are going to eat. I am still no further with my shopping budget though. I was going to try for £40.00 a week. Just not sure if that will be enough. Going to try it out next month and see how it goes.

I have been very good. Yesterday and the day before were NSDs. Today won't be as I need to get more rolls, ham, milk, sausage rolls and yoghurts. There are probably a few more things but they will come to me.

I was sooo good yesterday. I saw this gorgeous skirt in Mr As. Black with white flowers, £12. I was headed to the check out when I remembered that I was determined to make yesterday a NSD. I turned on my heel and put it back. Not buying it at all as I will make do with the millions of clothes I already have! I figured if I wanted something a bit different for my friend's bday at the end of the month, I should get my sewing machine out and all my little bits and bobs and adapt something I already own!

I am hoping to sort out my wardrobe this coming week but it depends on what OH is up to as he just gets in the way when I am sorting :rotfl:. I want to get some of these clothes onto E of Bay.

Anyway! Happy Sunday Everyone! :j

October xx

October_Starter

Hello Diary and Diary Readers!

Yesterday was a day off but I spent a lot of it sleeping.. I got up really late and then went with my bestie to the doctors. Then we went shopping . To be honest, I was only getting things to restock the freezer and to help in the long run with meals. I also got some padded envelopes from the 1p less than £1 store ready for E of Baying. I think I have everything to last me the week. So really just need to survive the next 8 days. Not sure what my balance stands at now. OH has given me the money for the added phone bill. Still feels wrong but what can you do?

Well it is arctic today. Two jumpers, two pairs of trousers and I still feel like a block of ice. Temperature in the office is 14.C and that's with my little oil radiator on. Planning on going home this afternoon and doing some chores to warm up. I have Thursday off and I don't want to spend it doing chores at home. So on a mission to get it all done today and tomorrow. I have seen many of you write to do lists on your diaries and I think I will do it too to spur me on or shame me if I havent done it! :rotfl:

1. Finish the laundry - Put the clean sheets on the banister to dry, put away dry and folded clothes and put a dark wash on.
2. Tidy away the rubbish and taking it downstairs to the outside bin.
3. Hoover around.
4. Clear away any dirty dishes and fill the dish washer.

That will be most of the housework done and then on Thursday I can start looking at E of Baying my clothes, job hunting and making sure my CV is up together and ready. If I have time I might try and do some baking/sewing.

I am a naturally lazy person so doing anything but sitting on my butt is always a challenge. :rotfl: Hopefully I will get my lists done instead of constantly saying what I am going to do, I can say this is what I HAVE done!

Hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday!

October xx

October_Starter

So this post is mostly my thoughts on spending and things which I didnt want to clutter the forum with but thought people might enjoy joining in with etc.

Why do we feel the need to spend money?

For me, NSDs are a serious challenge. There always seems to be something I want/need. Today is a perfect example. Currently I have my lunch all prepared and ready to eat. I know what I am going to have for dinner today and tomorrow. I have all the ingredients. Yet I still feel the desire to go to a shop and buy something. I think oh.. maybe a coffee from Maccy's.. Maybe a bottle of water from Mr A's. Perhaps a wander around Mr A's incase I need something. Why is that desire there? Why do we feel a pull towards spending money?

I feel the most frustrating thing is that when I do manage a NSD, I feel so elated and proud of myself. The frustration comes from the fact that these emotions do not stop the desire. Is it a kind of addiction? One that must be fought constantly.

Do any of you feel the same or is it just something that is trying to me alone?

October xx

please-let-me-be-lucky

I think most spending comes from either habit or boredom. Today, I knew it couldn't be a NSD because DH was going swimming with his paramedic mate, to a different pool than the gym which is paid for, but I still planned to not spend anything myself. I had to go into work to sort out some copy payslips but the girl I needed to speak to was on a break so I had 20 mins to kill. Work is a supermarket so guess who spent £19 wandering round killing time?!?! I did get a bra for £6 though Xx

twiggy86

I know exactly what you mean! I just had to talk myself out of stopping at the shop for a can of drink - it really was a battle! And I only won because I don't have anything else to buy so didn't want to ruin it! But if it was a "spend day" I would have bought one and probably had a wonder around "just in case"!


You may think this sounds silly but maybe you should reward your NSDs? Like buy a really nice jar of coffee (if that's a treat for you - I cant stand the stuff!) but you're only allowed some if you either have a NSD or only have planned spends? Or if you reach a set number of NSDs you treat yourself to something small? Just ideas to try and motivate you!


As I've managed to spend much less than the food budget I'm using the money to buy the fixings for the shower glass so I can finally have a shower (rather than baths - I haven't just not been washing!) That has been a real incentive for me to keep spends low!

twiggy86

October_Starter wrote: »

I have seen many of you write to do lists on your diaries and I think I will do it too to spur me on or shame me if I havent done it! :rotfl:

I use the small things thread for this as well as money saving bits. And I update those that I've done or haven't done. Really makes me feel accountable even though no one would actually judge me if I don't do some things!

October_Starter

October_Starter wrote: »

1. [STRIKE]Finish the laundry - Put the clean sheets on the banister to dry, put away dry and folded clothes and put a dark wash on.[/STRIKE]
2. [STRIKE]Tidy away the rubbish and taking it downstairs to the outside bin.[/STRIKE]
3. Hoover around.
4. [STRIKE]Clear away any dirty dishes and fill the dish washer.[/STRIKE]

Yay!!! :j I did most of my list and a bit more besides which is why it got a little too late for hoovering.

please-let-me-be-lucky wrote: »

I think most spending comes from either habit or boredom. Today, I knew it couldn't be a NSD because DH was going swimming with his paramedic mate, to a different pool than the gym which is paid for, but I still planned to not spend anything myself. I had to go into work to sort out some copy payslips but the girl I needed to speak to was on a break so I had 20 mins to kill. Work is a supermarket so guess who spent £19 wandering round killing time?!?! I did get a bra for £6 though Xx

I know what you mean. I think most of my wanting to spend today was because I was bored and cold. 8 hours of not being able to feel your fingers just isn't fun

twiggy86 wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean! I just had to talk myself out of stopping at the shop for a can of drink - it really was a battle! And I only won because I don't have anything else to buy so didn't want to ruin it! But if it was a "spend day" I would have bought one and probably had a wonder around "just in case"!


You may think this sounds silly but maybe you should reward your NSDs? Like buy a really nice jar of coffee (if that's a treat for you - I cant stand the stuff!) but you're only allowed some if you either have a NSD or only have planned spends? Or if you reach a set number of NSDs you treat yourself to something small? Just ideas to try and motivate you!


As I've managed to spend much less than the food budget I'm using the money to buy the fixings for the shower glass so I can finally have a shower (rather than baths - I haven't just not been washing!) That has been a real incentive for me to keep spends low!

That's a good idea. I did manage to have an NSD today so I am super pleased about that. Might have to think about it.

Thank you lovelies for spurring me on today. I actually wanted to not bother but it felt like I would have been letting everyone down. :T

October xx

October_Starter

Hello Diary and Diary Readers..

Well today has consisted of a 12hour shift at work and wow has it been filled with the over dramatics.. Honestly sometimes, things at work seem to get ridiculous. I can't go into full details unfortunately but it appears to me that when management get involved everything gets over thought and the end result (after millions of phone calls) is more work for me to do. As I said before, I have a day off tomorrow. I was looking forward to a lie in with OH before getting on with things but now I have to be up early to call my staff and make sure things are sorted out. Not to mention a conference call at 2pm.. I might [STRIKE]purposely[/STRIKE] accidentally forget that one. :rotfl:

So today hasn't been an NSD but that is because I bought brekky from Maccys and got lottery, some mints and a bottle of water. Which was all good as I wasn't able to take a break until 4:30pm!! It has been a relatively LSD today though.

I am making a batch of Spaghetti Bolognaise tonight, one for dinner and one for the freezer. I am really looking forward to it and considering getting some garlic bread to go with it. What do you think? (£1 from Mr A's)

I am yawning like a trooper and so ready for my bed already. Still got an hour of work and then home for cooking.

I hope you are all feeling well and you all get good, peaceful night's sleeps.

Goodnight, sweet dreams xx

October xx