NST November: battening down the hatches!

ilovetea

Sorry I haven't posted over the weekend either. No excuse.
Going back to Saturday. Hospital visiting ,again. Quick shop to buy bread and veg £2.45.
Sunday NSD. Put a few bits on e-b*y.
Today .Went and posted e-b*y sales,but I'm not counting the postage as the buyers paid.
Tomorrow will be a spendy day as Tesc* is coming.
Love the mid month challenge. Thank you.
Decided that I want to raise £1,000 by May. Save and sell.
Sounds good .Now to put it into practice!!.
Received £200 cold weather payment at the weekend,not to sure if I should add that to my total. (The total I haven't started yet)


Mothernerd hope you are feeling o.k.


Congratulations to those who are getting Christmas sorted.Hardly got anything sorted,but nobody knows what they want ;-(


Off to work on my plan

ilovetea xx

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a working car, for cheerful colleagues, for the rain holding off during my lunch duty outside, for dd's chatter, for some good conversations with dh and my sister.

speakingofart

Very quick check in as it's a uni day for me so I need to start work earlier. Hope everyone is well, glad to read about some ideas for focusing on debt/ building up savings - I knew you'd all be more creative than me

£33.00/ £150 groceries till 15th December
£40.85/£60 petrol till 15th December
£28.75/ £36.70 spending money till 15th December
NSDs 6/20 (till 30th November)
9/20 exercise sessions (lunchtime walks, till 30th November)

sazzlebgood

fmness / applemuncher i go to both sainsbo's and tesc! check when the use by dates are and then plan to shop when they reduce stuff. Pays off about 50% of the time. Do this for meat and milk also as we try to eat an organic diet. Only way we can continue is to buy it reduced.
Focusing on getting essay finished today.

vintagebrighton

Morning everyone, just had a quick catchup ~ you're all doing brilliantly :T

Not been on for a few days (again). I just don't seem to have an awareness of time anymore and my short term memory is shot to pieces so it's not a personal thing.... just I'm a bit rubbish at some things

I have been plugging away in the background tho! Finished the shopping money so nothing now till Thursday. We won't need anything though. Had another 2 NSD's which I'll update in a minute. Walking every day still but no weight lost. That's always my downfall. I gave up smoking years ago, I've managed to get my budget under control, but weight? Never permanently managed it:mad:

Still not finished the last challenge (sorting) but I promise, by the end of the challenge, I'll have sorted one room (or even a cupboard would be good). Not sure about this weeks challenge, will have a think.

Lilt, sorry about your laptop, hope you get something sorted. Applemuncher, your lists of appreciation always make me smile

Off to update

VB x

thriftylass

Hello,

sorry never manage to check in over the weekend much and was off with the wee man yesterday. On to SFD number 11 today, but had a spendy weekend, hence the budget are done or over. Groceries (nothing fancy, just needs apart from a few drinks, think I underestimated our budget, don't want to compromise on the amount esp fruit and veg we eat though), day out at the Edinburgh zoo (entry free with membership which was a gift, but bought food as day too dreich for a picnic). Left them a bad review about their restaurant though.

Was off with the wee man yesterday, so didn't get as much done as planned but some cleaning and tidying. Had a surprisingly TV-free day and spend our time, playing, pretending and crafting. Rather enjoyed it.

Car went in today for the body works, will prob find out on Thursday what the damage, lol, is.

Calling14

Hi folks sorry had a busy weekend so not been on here.
Lovely day off Friday, cute village, nice gig evening. Saturday another gig. Sunday Grandson taken to local nurseries see xmas display - seeing his face that is what xmas is about. He's 3yr old, so understands it all now.

Stewby is it Download Festival?

Coffee - sorry to hear car costs and Lilt hope you can manage to still get on here. Pity you don't live nearer got lots of screens here. These little hiccups are sent to try us. I smashed my back tooth into pieces on a fruit pastille - dreading how much that will cost - private dentist !

Well done Fmess a mattress you deserve it lasted so long with the old one.

Hope Mothernerd is doing alright.


Well changed my goals as will not make 20 sfd so target now set at 15.
SOA like the new challenge
Aiming to reach target of 6K on my credit cards by end year. Not sure what else I can cut back on. Food eat too much, exercise not going well, tonight got grandson after work, not going to be long dog walk in the dark later. Only allowing myself in shops few times rest of the month - buy so much on impulse this time of year.

Anyone seen the news this morning there could be a chocolate shortage because of growing demand. I am doomed lol

Have a good day folks.

liltdiddylilt

Hello guys

Sorry not been around. Jelly was poorly yesterday and is off nursery today so my usual routine is shot to pieces. Still we have had a nice day, been to the park and had a hot chocolate but she isn't well as took herself off to bed with the hot chocolate before 1pm and haven't heard a peep since. Quite nice knowing that I don't have to charge out in half an hour to pick her up!

2 more SFD's to add to my total. Groceries budget shot to pieces. I really need to meal plan for the rest of the month and buy nothing but bread and milk for the next 2 weeks. Cupboards, fridge and freezer still groaning so just need to actually make some proper meals.

Think I have to take stock of my groceries budget and say that I am setting it too low each month. Between the dairy free bits and pieces I buy, and the 10 pints of cows milk Him gets through on the 3 days he is here, plus all the meat and lunches for work, I have to be serious and set it for £150 and try and keep within that.

Hope everyone is ok! xx

ETA: Calling, fmess & co thank you all for the kind thoughts. I am using the horrifying prospect of no computer to stir me into action to find the money for the new one quicker. These things are sent to make us stronger

CoffeeandStitches

I'm creeping in to put myself on the naughty step. I've just gone out and spent the car money I had saved (and a bit more) on a new sofa. BUT - before I'm banished for good, I shall explain......

We bought a new sofa earlier in the year, and it is a massive pile of toot. DO NOT ever buy a sofa from Argoose thinking you have nabbed a bargain. Anyway, after 6 weeks, the stuffing is gone, it's uncomfortable and rubbish. So we politely ask - 'Can we get a refund please? you can have it back' and get told no, a furniture technician has to come round. 4 week wait. He will let us know what options, if any(??), we have. Well, looking into it, it seems we will be given new cushions and the whole process starts again when 6 weeks later they go flat. We prepared ourselves for a long and drawn out battle.

After discussing it at great length, we decided to let the technician do his thing - and to get shot of it, and just get a new one. In the mean time we would keep out eyes peeled for a replacement, whilst sitting on pillows from the bedroom on the sofa.

Well, as is the way of the world, I walked past a home store, getting rid of this seasons display stock, and found a 2 seater at 33% of the price it should have been. I cried a little inside, spoke to DH, and purchased it. In the spirit of MSE, I genuinely do believe that we did get the most for our money though.... no excuse I know.

I know it's not a justification, but it means that whilst we eat our less that £1 a meal dinners, watching freeview, with the heating off and not going out because we have debts, at least we will be doing it on a sofa that doesn't feel like you're sitting on a paving slab. Small mercies?

Anyway. I'm hanging my head in shame because it was only yesterday that I made the declaration that I wasn't going to end the month worse off than we started. Now I'm going to have to amend that to I am determined to not finish the month a lot more worse off than we started.

I really hope that we are going to be able to recoup the majority of the original sofa cost, either by sale or by refund. The difference between the two was £40. And now, I'm off to go and sell more things that aren't nailed down to do some damage limitation, via the naughty step of course.

Someone give me a slap on the wrist whilst I'm there.

stewby

Hey Calling. It most certainly is. We take the bongo (our campervan) down and stay for five days.
The line-up for us so far includes: Slipknot (my fav band); possibly black stone cherry (another fav band but they clash); five finger death punch (OH's choice); judas priest (probably); faith no more and marilyn manson.
So we have 6 out of 9 bands so far. Pretty great line-up for us.
:j

Due to living in the back of beyond, it is generally far too expensive to travel down to Glasgow (if they even head this far north) or London (more likely) so Download is like all my gigs into one weekend.


Aw, lilt. Hope jelly gets better quickly. There is a bit of a "lurgy" type thing on the go just now. My nephew was feeling a bit rotten a few days ago.


Don't worry... I bought my sofa using a loan. New kitchen, new bathroom and a new sofa... now that is what you call naughty step spending.


Before anyone panics, it was several years ago not since my LBM.


Spend-free day today. Number nine of fifteen!!!!!!!


Hope everyone is keeping well.
Hugs.