NST December Challenge - Festive and Frugal

Fmess

Thank you to everyone for sharing all of your goals for next year. For the final third of this month, I'd like you all to think about how you plan to achieve your goals.


A phrase often used in our school assemblies is 'perfect preparation prevents pathetic performance' and I like to think that we could adopt this on our quests for debt freedom, accruing savings and financial security. We all need some form of plan to pave the way towards our goals and save us from slipping off the path throughout the year. So, have a think and I would love to hear your plans, particularly the plans for achieving your financial goals, but feel free to share any plans you have for your other goals too

apple_muncher

I'm adding another NSD to my total - up to 12 now.:j

A good lie-in, a (final) nativity rehearsal in preparation for tomorow, and a lttle friend's party where we were royally catered for with g-f goodies. And a quiet, pottering afternoon. It has been a good day!!

Today I am grateful for good coffees, for a happy dd, for a pirate party, for the dances performed for me by dd, for having so much richness in all areas of my life.

liltdiddylilt

Hi guys

fmess I didn't add my 5 things so I shll add them and explain my plans here.

1. Start a New Regular Saver as soon as this one kicks out on 5th January. So ending the year with another £3600 saved in there and more hopefully besides.
2. Pay for everything up front, use my credit card as I have managed all of this year, paying for things that I could pay for in cash & would buy anyway then letting the DD take it in full every month to keep my credit history on the up
3. Teach Jellytot to read by the end of the year - she has started already but I would like her to read by herself properly to a decent extent.
4. Piece my family back together properly after the last 18 months worth of shenanigans & have us all live under one roof again and start building a proper future together
5. Move said family into a house rather than my (lovely) flat so that jelly can have a garden and there is hopefully room for tot #2 in the future/parents to stay over without sleeping on the sofa!

SO - how do I plan on going about it all?

1. I will call First Direct and set up the savings account the day that the other kicks out. The money will be taken immediately and so I should have it all kick out 1 day later in Jan 2016. I treat the £300 I put in there each months as one of the bills. It is a non-negotiable amount of money and so I don't think of it as 'mine' or 'savings' really. It just is
2. Carry on as I do currently. Use the card for one thing a month and pay it in full the next month. In reality this is just about not spending the money I put on the card on things that I can't afford. So basically this one is continuing my use of YNAB to master my finances.
3. Again - this might not seem like a big aspiration but she will be 3 in April so I want to continue the good work. She is already at school age with her numbers, so now she is working on the letters I enjoy the time with her so no hardship!
4. I thought this one would be a pretty simple 'when is my husband going to move back home' for the new year but things are on rocky ground again so I am just going to stand here and figure it out as I go along. What will be will be, my family may be 2 or it may be 3. Depends what happens but I will do my best to make sure that it is a lot more stable than it feels right now. For both my sake and for Jellys.
5. Well ideally I want a house but this may end up costing the £300 regular saver in extra rent a month so I will try and be practical. If it impacts too hard I have to stop and think is a garden worthwhile if it costs £300 a month

SFD yesterday but not today - finished all Xmas shopping so now tonight is wrapping those final presents with MOTD and some hot chocolate Takes me to 11 SFD's. I don't foresee more than 1 dy of spending before the big day now. I do have to do the giant xmas food shop but I have a list and I shall be sensible. There is a finite amount of money in the pot and people have been generous with chocolate gifts so no need for endless tubs

Groceries budget stays as is. Probably need 4 pints of milk and thats about it from that this year

Today I am grateful for my printer, for a lovely friend creating a fantastic piece of commissioned art for free for me, for making Christmas cards with Jelly that should make great friends smile when received and for the wisdom to say no to many tempting offers in the shops today because they aren't on the list!

stewby

Hiya.... will come back with a plan/explanation thing.

My current post is to tell you that I have another two spend-free days (yesterday and today). Gives me a grand total of 10!!!!
:j

Work has been incredibly trying but I have achieved a decent good deed. Someone was having car trouble and had become quite disheartened by everything going all wrong, so I contacted my cousin who went and fixed the car.
The person was so grateful, she came in today with a bottle of wine and a beautiful card. I have kept the card but gave the bottle to my cousin as a thank you.


I wasn't looking for anything. I just wanted to ease her distress a bit and she was looking so defeated. It was a lovely gesture though and I ended up tearing up a bit.
:embarasse

Have kinda calmed down a bit after our news. We are going to wait and see what January brings.
Thanks for the lovely warming thoughts. We were just struggling as it is the first time any of our parents have been unwell. Thank you for the support.
:smileyhea

Will be back with the explanationy thing... probably tomorrow night as I am in the middle of a group of shifts so brain is not the most active.


Hope everyone is having a lovely, peaceful weekend before the chaos that is Christmas.
Hugs.

mothernerd

A NSD. DS3 left at abut 11am so very quiet. More tomorrw

speakingofart

Spendy but lovely day yesterday - takeout only ending up costing £5, and got vegetables etc for not too much. Hoping to have a SFD today and start the immense studying I have to get done for uni, about to go into town and help with the first of many food shops so will do that first, then study later. It's gone a lot colder as well so may reluctantly have to switch on the heating!

Groceries £25/£150 15th december till 15th January
SFDs: 6/15
Petrol £34/ 60 15th December till 15th January
Lunch to work: 15/15

mothernerd

Sorry laptop was playing up last night. Had a quiet and peaceful day after DS3 left. Have started tackling his room - much washing done, bags of paper and recyclables and a 1/2 full binbag of rubbish (bulky but not very heavy, but unsure how long some of the things have been in there so its gone out of the house. Will put his quilt and pillows out n the line later (quilt needs washing but I wouldn't be able to move a wet quilt).

Will go through goals later but need to get this stocking finished - stayed up till 3am, want to get it delivered (only two streets away) before it gets dark. Still worried about it not being strong enough - having to do everything by hand as can't use the machine yet.

Want to sit chopping and cooking but the kitchen needs a little more wiping and re-arranging first, otherwise all sorted. Loving my satsumas and made berry jellies yesterday. One drawer in the freezer jammed but used the free calendar (came with DS3's last takeaway) to push the problem item further back in the drawer so it would open enough to get my hand in.

See you later, have fun and if possible, stay away from those shops.

Fmess

speakingofart wrote: »

It's gone a lot colder as well so may reluctantly have to switch on the heating!

You are only just putting the heating on? I feel so bad, mine has been on all evening every evening for ages now My excuse is that I need to dry the clothes and stop the house getting damp...

Fmess

SFD number 12 today Might squeeze in one more before Christmas but think Christmas Day will actually be a spendy day as we are going to the pub for the first time ever.


I did a swim yesterday and a 5km run/walk/jog at the gym today.


So, my plans to achieve my goals are...


1. Be 80% debt free by the end of the year.


Thanks to grassgirl on another thread who posted how much she needed to pay off her debt every month, week and day for the next 12 months, I have come to the realistic figure of 80% or £4842 to pay off this year. This would mean paying £403.50 a month (or £93.16 a week or £13.27 a day) off my debt, which is perfectly do-able. I looked at the figures for 90% and 100% but realised that I would be stretching myself too thin on the months where I cannot get extra work (tutoring only happens between Oct/Nov and Apr/May). This year I made my target too high, as I based it on the months when I did have tutoring work, and I fell short of my target, which has felt horrible. It has been really motivating and focussed my mind, knowing exactly how much I need to pay off every month. I have updated my spreadsheets accordingly, and needless to say, any extra I have/make will also get paid off the debt.


2. Pay £60 a month, every month into the savings/emergency fund.


I have set up a FD regular savers account (high five lilt) and have set up a DD of £60 a month. Would love to do it for £300 like you lilt, this is my aspiration for 2016.


3. Be more appreciative for everything that I have.


I have two tactics for this; firstly to mentally put away worries that I cannot do anything about, have not yet happened and may not happen, and secondly to remember that when I was little and everyone else said they wanted to be doctors, vets etc, I told the teacher I wanted to be happy, and I am – I have the things I have always wanted a fulfilling job, a brilliant family, a few true close friends, lots of pets and an OH who isn’t perfect but I do love dearly.


4. Get to 9st and stay there.


To get back on my healthy eating plan and stay on it. When I reach 9st, I will increase my calorie allowance a day to maintain the weight and not just have a free for all on food. I will also go to the gym at least twice a week every week, and every day (where possible) in the school holidays.


5. Do not adopt or buy any more dogs.


I need willpower for this and perhaps a reality check – my house is small, I have no physical room for any more, and I need to concentrate on loving and caring for the dogs (and cat) I have already taken in.


Sorry that turned into a proper essay!

liltdiddylilt

Good on you fmess - I don't have debt to pay towards - when I was paying it off, I paid absolutely zero into savings so I admire that you are saving an emergency fund at the same time! You will more than do the £300 when the debt is covered!

Today:

-SFD number 12
-Christmas presents all wrapped and just waiting for the big fella to arrive on Xmas eve now
-Have a Christmas food shopping list, but am going to be sensible and try and whittle it down by meal planning and seeing if I really will use all of it tonights job for later on, possibly with a tot of something warming as my throat is very sore and I have the beginnings of another cold

Tomorrow will be full on. Friend coming over to exchange gifts, with her 2 kids in tow. She has to be gone for 1-ish and then in laws will be over for final time until close to New Year or beyond depending on when the horrible nan from hell leaves their company and they are allowed to speak to us again.

Tuesday I may have to pop into work. I really hope not but if I do I shall make the most of it and go to the big Mr S. I have 2 x £4.50 off a £30 spend vouchers and lots to get from there. I will get a taxi home which cancels out the saving but doesn't add it it.

Today I am having an 'empty out the freezer' meal. Hash browns, fishfingers, chicken dippers, onion rings, & beans... :rotfl: - beats the takeaway I was sorely tempted by and I now have room for the party food

Night guys xx