NST December Challenge - Festive and Frugal

sazzlebgood

fmess thanks for advice

apple_muncher

Very proud of my dh and dd today!

Dh for doing his tax thingy - the one with the 31st Jan deadline - and getting a rebate.

Dd (6) - who had £10 to spend, from neighbour for Cmas - coming out of the Disny Store AND toysrus without buying any of their tat! She eventually found the item that made her go 'wow!' in tkmaxxx and is super happy with it.


Today I am grateful for my family, for Star Wars, for g-f pizza, for time with a good friend, for every month allowing for a fresh start (not just January).

CEW

Hi All,

Sorry I have been AWOL for much of this month. A little thing called Christmas along with a complete lack of preparation on my part are to blame. I think not working has thrown everything out of sync :eek:

I originally set a budget of £750 for Christmas presents etc but forgot a couple of people and miscalculated the total. The actual budget when recalculated was £880 :eek: The good news was that so far the figure has come in at under £700 but I do need to repay a family member for a couple of presents that they purchased and delivered for me so will not know the exact figure until New Years Eve when we meet up. Really pleased with this :j

I think all other budgets should be under budget but will confirm when I have added everything up. I'm a little behind on the spreadsheet updating.

Lost it totally on SFD's but I did need to do all of my present shopping in December so this was inevitable.

My goal for 2015 are as follows

1) Become debt and mortgage free
This is realistic as we have sold our renovation project STC. once this has completed we will be able to clear all debts and use the balance to renovate our own home prior to selling it and moving away. Cheaper properties with more land will enable us to be mortgage free. * the only debt we will be left with is a BTL mortgage on our other investment property.

2) Have a 'cash neutral' Christmas in 2015
I aim to achieve this by using money made selling items on eBay etc, completing surveys for cash or vouchers, using loyalty points, putting the equivalent amount of any money off vouchers used or multi buy savings into an account and any cash back earned. I already save a change pot and save ALL of my £2 coins so this will also be included.

3) Look after myself better
This will consist of eating better, exercising more, taking time out to relax and learning to put myself and OH first more often. Like many on here we need to learn to say no more often. I always like to help others out but when some one with 2 dogs asks if we can walk them every day when we have 5 of our own to look after does seem to be a little much particularly as there is a green that the little dogs can be walked around literally just opposite their house. Sorry for the rant but this one just got to me a bit :eek:

4) Not spend or buy unnecessarily
This one is thanks to reading a thread recommended by someone earlier this month on this thread (sorry I can't remember who off hand). The thread aims to stop all non essential spending. I know with the house move and property renovation there will be lots of spend this year but they will all be essential and considered spends.

I think that is enough for me to be going on with and hope that I can make some progress in all of these goals.

Off to sort out my meal plans for January using up all the items in my fridge, freezer and cupboards.

Night all

Chez x

mothernerd

A NSD -hopefully more to come. Lovely quiet peaceful day, DS3 has still not returned from gf's. Every day a bonus. Reading, going through posts on here, eating sensibly and slowly (savour every mouthful). Tidying off the year by finishing off an old notebook, ticking off odd bills to pay, transferring information over (already done the phone number from this year's diary). feeling in control.

Today I am grateful for good food, good books and quiet time for thinking.

Caeraugirl

Hope you all had a good Christmas! Sorry have been missing for a good few days, too much eating, drinking and generally vegging out - at least have managed SFD since Xmas Eve and although back in work Monday and Wednesday, hoping for a couple more before the end of the month.


We are now desperate for a new mattress, both DH and I have backache most mornings from our old one, so plan to shop for that on Tues when we both have a day off and my mum is still here to look after boys (they hate shopping with a passion, trained them both well). The only good thing about our current mattress is that it makes us giggle when one of us turns over and we hear a random "doinnnggg" noise from one of the knackered springs! May splash out and get a whole new bed, as we have a pine base at the moment that has seen better days. Other than that and possibly a new table and chairs sometime next year - our table's battered but still in one piece, but the chairs are gradually falling apart, have been reglued several times, and have never been very comfortable to sit on - I have been inspired by the Not Buying It! thread on these boards and want to embrace the challenge as fully as I can and throw as much as possible into our mortgage offset account next year, particularly as I hope to change career in 2015 and could take quite a pay hit if I'm successful.


I have a good idea of my goals for 2015 but still haven't got them fully planned out yet - will try to get them posted before this thread ends, but one is definitely to declutter!

traveller

Hi everyone:) well I have spent nothing since Christmas! I attempted getting back into the 30 day shred and it didnt go too well I'll try again tomorrow. I cant believe next year, I will be debt free. I so cannot wait. My card bill for this month is very heavy, but I will try to weather the storm and get on with it! Can I also be signed up for next month please?

Vintagebrighton, I hope your daughter gets better soon, I had that it's awful :(Sazzle, glad everyone is OK with the eexploding kettle :eek: Welongate a good evening everyone and take care.

liltdiddylilt

Rookie that I am, I just lost a post.

VB, hope DD gets well soon.
Apple - you must be very proud of them, as are they of you. A moneysmart little family!
Chez - Yay for being debt & mortgage free. Lots to look forward to this year

SFD #17 acquired. And this means I have had 6 SFD's in a row :j tomorrow I must crack. So I am doing a list now.

Got a right headache. List may have to wait. Night all xx

stewby

OH's parents are shattered so off to bed which means I have been able to nip online properly.

Sazzlebgood... we bought our ones from a local garden centre but found these (the exact same but £3 cheaper) on 3b4y.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/170982476964?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&chn=ps&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

I love taking pictures and even OH had fun picking which photos to put in them.


Spend Free Day today. This definitely takes me to 15 (miscounted yesterday). Hooray!!
:j

Should be a Spend Free Day tomorrow too as I am at work all day. OH is taking both sets of parents up north.
:undecided

Doing my usual end of month thinking and planning... It's quite scary all this being an adult malarky.
:eek:

Sleep well and see you all soon (hopefully).
Hugs.

Fmess

Evening all

SFD number 15 achieved :j not much else to report as stated home all day ony pjs, even walked the dogs in my pjs (just with clothes and wellies on top). Tomorrow will be a spendy day as think I just saw a flea �� I don't actually know if it was a flea, I've never seen one before, but it was on one of the dogs. I've put a flea treatment on him and just researched online and found a cheap supplier so I'll order enough to do all the animals tomorrow and buy some spray for the furniture and carpets. Makes me itch just thinking about it

stewby

Going to be nosey... OH's parents have given me some money for my xmas and I was thinking about getting a fitbit zip.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/laptops-netbooks/ipad-tablets-and-ereaders/tablets/tablet-accessories/fitbit-zip-activity-tracker-charcoal-19393602-pdt.html

Does anyone have one or what do people think??
:undecided

I am really competitive and I desperately need to lose weight. I am thinking that by using one of these, it may help me as it challenges you to do better and achieve goals. I am looking for people's opinions??