NST December Challenge - Festive and Frugal

Calling14

Hi folks sorry didn't post yesterday but it was another SFD 3 in total so far. Today bought xmas cards and a cake oops feeling tad low.
Coffee & S. Hope you're alright hun.

Still trying to think of what I have achieved this year.
1. Kept my sanity after yr from hell, losing 3 family members really throught I was getting close to breakdown mode in summer.
2. Cleared nearly 4k off the debts
3. Finished my garden. love it now.
4.Heaps of money thrown at the house, new doors, carpets, painted outside and decorated bedrooms.
5. ?? realise that next year get out more, do exercise and enjoy life. !!!

Trying to think of a good deed will work on one soon.

Hope everyone is feeling better, my back is not as painful today woo hoo.

Spent 15 mins on the phone harrassing M & S for my free 125.00 vouchers for switching bank on their way. Hope I get them before xmas.

Thank all folks x

Calling14

Just reading yesterdays posts.

VB how heartbreaking for you. Hope you son comes around eventually. Brilliant achievements.

sazzlebgood sounds like a major op for your DD hope is recovering well.

Aphidgirl- we need to get winter woolies on now winter has arrived. Essential spending in my books. Can't cope without gloves in this weather.

Synonymus - fingers crossed on the car front, 3 broken down on my road yesterday morning. causing chaos.

Well hometime and a nice fresh dog walk for me. Have a good weekend everyone.

Synonymous

Thanks Calling14 maybe it's just the cold.

Finally done my budgets:
Food £50 (for just me)
LTW everyday I go in, and walk to work (WTW) at least once a week.
Xmas pressies just £100 as we do a family secret santa mainly.
Travel/petrol £80 guessed, but should be less.
Outings £100
Exercise once per week, meditate six days per week, physio every day.

Will work on Achievements for 2014.

speakingofart

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been AWOL but have had the most ridiculous week ever - fmess, please find my budgets and goals below, with profuse apologies for being a bad turtle! On the bright side, term is now finished and I only have one more to go before I'm fully qualified. WOOP WOOP!

Budgets:
Groceries £0/ 16.54 till 15th December
£0/£150 15th december till 15th January

Petrol £0/ 60 15th December till 15th January

Christmas 0/£60 (nearly there!! finally....)

3. Pay towards your debt first. No exceptions, just because it’s Christmas, it doesn’t mean your debt isn’t still there. If you are debt free, put aside some money for savings first. £100 put into savings for my MOT and £24.50 for my car tax - will have enough in January to buy 12 months upfront for the first time ever. £198 saved altogether

4. SFDs: 1/15. It's been a bad week. I will achieve more

5. £5 in donations to your local food bank/homeless charity – perhaps you could donate food to be served at a homeless shelter over the festive period. Will do - my tescos doesn't have a bin, but the larger one does so I will make my way over there.

6. Plan all your outings for the month now and make sure you have included them in your budget, including travel. Then, resist the temptation to accept those last minute invitations (unless they are free). Think about how each outing/spend impacts on your ability to tackle your debt – I know that a cheap takeaway costs me the same as paying off about 0.1% of my debt and a night on the town can cost that same as paying off 0.5% of my debt. This always helps me turn down events!

Trip to see Mockingjay tomorrow, which I have STILL not seen, see above re: ridiculous week. Trip to friends on 20th Dec for dinner, free except for petrol, pub on christmas eve. Also bonus random expedition as many of my friends are home over christmas.

7. Take your lunch to work every day – no exceptions. 5/15 so far - finish work for Christmas on 19th december and don't go back until January.

8. Keep all spending to a minimum – no coffee shops, canteens, vending machines etc. Will do.

9. Do a good deed – maybe you have an elderly neighbour that requires help with their Christmas shopping, maybe your local school could do with an extra volunteer at one of their Christmas events – I’m sure you are more imaginative than me, so let us all know what you are planning. Will do.

10. Write down 5 achievements that you have accomplished in the last year – these can be any achievements; personal, educational, occupational, financial etc.

1. Gained a Masters in Educational Leadership
2. Finished the first year of my CIPD qualification, simultaneously with said masters. Yes, I am insane.
3. Lost 3 stone and dropped 3 dress sizes
4. Paid off an overdraft of £1800
5. Took a holiday I'd promised myself for about 10 years

Not such a bad year when you look at it like that... bring on 2015 after a festive and frugal december. :T

mothernerd

Another NSD. Not feeling great - bug has moved from chest to throat, I croak if I try to speak. But the downstairs willow obelisk is decorated and I have hacked away more of the ivy - green bin will be full when it goes out on Tuesday.

Bad Estate Agent phoned to suggest dropping the 'offers over' price - to £20,000 less than I want. Politely but firmly declined - boy was he surprised. Will give them notice soon, but not well enough to be badgered atm. Think I am stuck with them for the first twenty weeks or I incur penalties but the moment it finishes they are out the door.

DS3 has filled bottles of water and left them near the stove (and kettle) so hoping I can make soup and possibly turkey stew at the weekend.

Just washed as much of myself as I can get at (was far too cold this morning) and dressed in several thin layers - thick jumper didn't help as temperature kept going up suddenly. Smothered myself in sun tan cream (change from E45), added lavender perfume and a slide in my hair (pony tail ring not helping headache) and planning a nice slow weekend. If I am not better after that will have to consider going to the doctor, but reluctant to pay for taxis and a bit frail for the bus.

Let's hope gargling with bi-carb, resting and hm soup and stew do the trick.

Today I am grateful for Christmas lights, the library delivery service and simple, easy food (had a hm chilli for tea, one of the few things I managed to do before I went in hospital).

CEW

H All,

Small spend day today so still on 3/15.

Not sure if I need to spend anything over the weekend but if I do it shouldn't be much, unless I do the Christmas shopping.

Going to my old company on Saturday as I am taking my neice and her oldest 2 children to the Children's Christmas Party. Should be fun 110 kids all playing games and seeing Santa - noisy but fun :eek:

Working on the house renovation project but have been asked if we are willing to sell. They are having a second look tomorrow then we will sit down for a chat. Could be good news, have to wait and see.

Really do need to start my Christmas shopping as I have absolutely no presents at all yet. Large online shop due me thinks :eek:

Off to bed for an early night as I think I'm going down with a cold or something.

Night all

Chez x

apple_muncher

Today has ended up as a spendy day. I had a check up at the dentist, all was fine, so only had to pay the £18.50 check up fee. Also saw the doc - blood results ar fine, he found nowt wrong with my ears, and he printed out dd's next prescription for when I'm ready to use it.

Returned a library book, paid in £11 of coins, found a bear for dd's bday for £1 (it's a polar bear that moos!!!), and nipped to aldee to seek out their ski wear: got dd a set (trousers and jacket) for £15. The trousers are rather long on her, but her previous ones were half way up her calves! I also got her some ski socks which she plans to wear tomorrow to soft play!

I know ski wear and debt/mortgage busting don't really go hand in hand, but her big sis lives in the Canadian Rockies, so decent ski wear bought now will still fit next time we go out there.

This afternoon I wrapped most of her bday presents so that I can hide a boxful, rather than have the presents 'hidden'in my drawers, from whence they could pop out at any moment. Am impressed with the frozen wrapping paper I got in aldee a few weeks ago - and very pleased I got it there and then!


Today I am grateful for good coffee, for floss, for plenty of walking, for dd having fun on her bouncy hopper, for cheese scones.

sazzlebgood

Going to claim a nsd even though I had to buy a exercise step but got it for DD2 new physio programme. Managedto fit in plenty of physio today and then went to the local church where lots of different companies and charities had designed christmas trees. The best was one designed by a local school that had painted lots of egg boxes green and arranged them in the shape of a tree and decorated it with lights.
5 achievements this year.
1) enrolled on a OU course to do a degree in environmental studies
2) feeling more confident
3) lost 3/4 of a stone
4) started to keep a closer eye on what we spend.
5) still sane

liltdiddylilt

Hi guys

Avoided a Burger King meal today and had a pasta and sauce from the cupboard. Feeling very rough with the cold and did not feel like cooking. Also nearly bought a 'print' as a gift for friends xmas whilst on offer at £5. But have actually found a picture, and created my own version. Have a friend who is an artist and high end card maker putting together 6 options of rme with her whizzy photoshop skills!! For free!! Love her.

So SFD rescued. And as it turns out, I am able to claim back my travel fare from yesterday so have done so which would have made a yesterday a SFD too if I hadn't pledged £5 to charity!! That donation will only come out if they reach their target on Christmas Eve though so it is tempting to claim it anyway

3/5 SFD now or 4 if the other counts feeling happy - will need some basics tomorrow so will pop to get them and any other gifts I need

I never mentioned. I always always take LTW or I would starve/pay a fortune for overpriced rubbish food. I also always WTW which is 4 miles a day

Off to bed. Cold really getting me down now

Night guys. Hugs to C&S and anyone else who needs them!

Fmess

Evening all

When done on your achievements soa and sazzlebgood

Today was another hectic one. I was going out for the work xmas do so combined this with the weekly shop and bought a car!!!! Whoops! Though technically it is OHs expenses, it is just on my credit card. Really pleased that budgeted correctly for the work do, came in 30p under budget

Will do a more deta catch up tomorrow. Hope you've all had a fab day