NST November: battening down the hatches!

shyspender

Pops in just to to say hi

Been watching and keeping up to date with everyone's efforts.

This month is turning out as I expected, pretty much pants! But, I'll survive and keep going. The not moving is going great guns right now, one day I might get to actually move!

Kat landed safely, has found a few moggie friends along the way and looks to be having a fantastic time. She's even managing to find good vegan foods. The pictures look amazing.

Keep swimming turtles, you are doing great, x

Fmess

Thanks for the update on NSK shyspender

Thanks for the nudge stewby and traveller, I've signed up for the £1 a day saving chellange


I too am struggling for SFDs. Planned spend today for my monthly visit to a beautician (£15). It isn't any kind of luxurious treatment but I did decide that this one treatment a month was important for me.


Not much else to report, no SFD, no exercise, but did take lunch to work. Nothing decluttered today but looking forward to spending Saturday doing the office.


For some reason I have £50 left in my food budget envelope but only about £20 on my spreadsheet, so something has gone amiss.


Good news for today, I remembered that last year I bought some items through Qu1dco however they took so long to be paid that I had forgotten about it. Just checked and had £15.06 available to be transferred to me within 5 days


Also got offered another tutoring job today... in a bit of a dilemma as the money would be great but I already work every evening of the week and one weekend day on school work and tutoring/tutoring prep. Thought I would be doing to the right thing turning it down, then OH said, just think what you could do with an extra £100 a month, and now its got me thinking...

vintagebrighton

Quick update no2 (lost no1 somewhere). Another NSD today, working tomorrow morning but should be a NSD again. I buy my bus passes at the beginning of the month and I'll be back home for lunch.

Had one outing with friends but only spent £10 out of my £50 monthly budget. I'm hoping to have money left from that pot, if I do I'll buy Christmas food/choccies with it.

The family centre will be benefiting from my declutter when I finish it, hopefully over the weekend (ready for the next challenge!). Also not done the donation yet but will do next week. It's the last week of my financial month as we get paid on the 20th. Only £30 left in the food jar but I'm sure it'll be fine.

Sorry to hear about your redundancy traveller, but you sound as though you're rising to the challenge, unwanted though it may be!

Have a lovely evening all

VB x

sazzlebgood

thriftylassbrillant tip about cucumbers. Another nsd so up to 5.

liltdiddylilt

Hi guys.

Just to say I have to bow out from the challenge this month. I will still be following it and sticking to everything but my laptop has carked it and so I cannot post.

Good luck everyone xx

Calling14

Howdy turtles.

Been so naughty will be chained to the naughty step rest of the year. So I bought tickets for Fleetwood Mac today and booked London Hotel. Actually feels good to have something to look forward to next year, this year has been grim, 3 family members passed away not using that as an excuse but need something to lift my mood. Sinking last few months into depression never been like that ever.


Tomorrow spending again day off, lunch friend and a gig evening.

Will try and claw back next few months to cover naughty spends today.

My email account got hacked today sent out emails to all my contacts , not sure how many friends I will have after weight loss email lol.
Changed all passwords and apologised on Facebook.

Shyspender Kats food pics looked gorgeous. How dare she get sunburnt I have windburn and fed up of rain.

Is it me cucumbers aren't lasting lately going for celery instead.

Have a good weekend folks not about next few days to check in.

LoveaDove

Hi everyone!

Sorry to hear about car crime and run ins! So frustrating! Glad you're all ok!

traveller- Loving your positivity! You are doing great!

Not sure why I missed check-in yesterday, but I acquired another SFD yesterday and today- 4 in a row now. Bringing my total to= 8Sfds

thrifty - Does the cucumber storage trick work with cucumbers which have an end chopped off? Or is it only effective with whole cucumbers?

stewby- It's great rounding down those annoying lil extra £s and pennies!

lilt- Thought you had gone a lil quiet! Please pop in when you can!

calling - Definitely sounds like a good investment to me. Sometimes it is good to have things to look forward to and feel like you are working towards something!

I am on annual leave from work tomorrow and Monday and have a long weekend with my OH's family up in Glasgow. Looking forward to meeting the rest of his family and having a break from the ol' 9-5! I have a fixed budget for the trip, but I reckon this will be spent each day over the next few days, so no chance of any more SFDs until next week!

Not sure if I am taking my laptop up with me, my mobile is dire for using this site so I may be a lil quiet for a few days if I leave my computer here...but i'll still be reading!

N'night all, it's nearly Fri-YAY! x

speakingofart

Morning turtles! lilt, sorry to hear about your laptop - hope you get it fixed soon! I'm leaving you on the list as you'll be with us in spirit!

fmess - that's a tough one, isn't it? I know what your OH means about the money, but I always found tutoring almost harder than teaching a class, because it's so intense, so I guess it's a balancing act!

stewby - I haven't even written my list of christmas cards yet, so you're well ahead of me. I've been telling myself that I'll get presents sorted first, but the truth is that I'm just procrastinating it!

Payday today, so have spent half an hour with YNAB, filling all my categories and shunting as much towards rainy day funds as possible, so updated totals till 15th December are below. Wish we got paid at the end of the month so I could play these challenges properly! I still can't believe how far my salary goes when I budget it properly, as opposed to just spending randomly and hoping for the best. Wish I'd found YNAB and MSE years ago, but never mind!


£0/ £150 groceries till 15th December
£0/0 petrol till 15th December
£0/ £36.70 spending money till 15th December
NSDs 5/20 (till 30th November)
8/20 exercise sessions (lunchtime walks, till 30th November)

Today will be a spendy day as I have bills coming out, need to do a shop and get some veggies and also need to fill up my car. Hoping for SFD sunday, saturday I'm going to a German market with a friend so will be spendy!

thriftylass

LoveaDove wrote: »

thrifty - Does the cucumber storage trick work with cucumbers which have an end chopped off? Or is it only effective with whole cucumbers?

I basically keep mine (whole or half eaten) in the fruit bowl :cool: with the apples, tomatoes etc. on the counter (bananas are kept away from that tough). Some go a bit limp after about 4 days or so, but most last a wee bit longer. So no trick really. I find they go off quicker when I put them in the fridge but I've actually not tried the paper towel/bag option yet. But I geuss it also works on cut ones.

Today should be SFD number 10 :T, half way to my goal.

We planned on going for a giry lunch on the 22nd, 10 of us. Really looking fwd to catch up as I've not seen some of them for months or since the wedding. I expected sth cheap and cheerfull, a pub or sth. They booked the 4pex hotel :eek:. I'll only be having a main then (10 quid) and a water.

[Deleted User]

Sorry to hear about tour computer lilt, I hope it gets sorted soon.

Weekend here again and this has been such a good week for us food wise. The food plan I did for this wek has worked really well so I am hoping to do the same this week and only spend a max of £30.

I need to get myself better organised for christmas. I normally have everything bought by now. I may have a look at writing some christmas cards this afternoon.