NST; January Challenge- The Money Saving Game

liltdiddylilt

Hi guys

Welshkitty please don't look at me like I am some model mum who spends so much time with Jelly. I am VERY LUCKY AND BLESSED to be able to afford some balance in my life. I don't have debt. I don't live in my own home, nor will I ever afford one. We don't have a garden. I send Jelly to nursery for 3 full days a week (9-3) as of last week (previously she was 2.5) and I decided that since she goes Monday & Tuesday & I am lucky enough to be off, I can spend some quality time with her at the weekend and ignore the housework as much as possible, and then spend Monday cleaning and Tuesday on a bit of me time. It is my choice, and I make sacrifices in a lot of material areas to make part time work. It makes my job very stressful because I still do 5 days of work in 3. Today I had to go in for training which messed up the whole system and I am ignoring the washing up and tip that is Jellys bedroom right now in favour of trying to warm up! And there are weekends that go by where the play dough doesn't make it out of the tub and cbeebies is on ALL day and I struggle just to find the time to read a book with her. It is a choice I can make, that doesn't impact on my lifestyle badly as long as I am happy cramped into someone elses 2 bed flat for the rest of ever

thrifty I hear you on the bills/income and expenditure. Men are hard wired to do as they please even after kids, whereas women always sacrifice and try to make things work for the kids more. I remember my mum going without proper shoes for months, and my dad at the pub week in and week out when he was home from work.

Hope your swim helps

Not a SFD today as will need to go and pick up some milk and soya milk before we run out. Will grab other bits whilst there, but making a list before I go.

Got to get myself moving but am SO COLD. Barely slept due to a midnight visitor getting into bed with me and forcing me out of the covers and onto the edge of the bed. I couldn't move her as she is poorly and didn't sleep well the night before either! Need food and coffee and to wash pot mountain and sort some washing and still fit in a trip to the shop... sigh.

See you later all xx

Bobarella

Hi All

Hugs to those that need them today, it is Blue Monday after all (yep its a thing. Time since Xmas minus time till payday, were all doomed)

So, I was moaning about the food bill & switching the travel budget to cover it if I need to. Well it got me thinking, & I took action! I contacted my bank and had them put up my savings DD by £40 a month, which is the cost of travel for me. I cant save that this month but in Feb, I will do. So I am really pleased about that. If I find I cant keep cycling/walking everywhere I will review it.

NSD 10 in progress, dont see a reason I will be breaking it. Tummy full, legs functioning. Off we go on the school run!

Bob

blubella

Hi fellow turtles...

Sfd today up to 13/18 ...5 more days to go..yay!

Had a bit of a spring clean today, decluttering, freecycling - (getting rid not accumulating), ebaying, walked the dog, have not found a penny roadkill!! Undercoated my mirrored unit and raided the freezer for food... so no pennies spent!

Discovered £8 something in my Paypal account (going to pay towards my debt..not much I know but it all adds up right!?)

A productive day all in all! :j

Grateful for:

Blue skies.
All the wood my Dad dumped on me last year which has seen me through winter.
The sun shining on my face.

LoveaDove

:j Happy End of Monday, everyone! :j

Sorry I missed my check-in yesterday! Had an amazingly lazy day with the OH, watching movies and tv series, but had to venture out for a small top-up grocery shop. I have nearly £17 left of my budget for the month, so hope that a couple more mini top up shops will suffice! Just need to make sure I use up what I have got, I eat so much more in winter, always hungry! However a lovely hot bev helps to keep the cravings a little at bay!

My 3 positives for yesterday were:

• Lazy day with OH, spending quality time together not rushing around for a change.
• A lovely roast dinner at OH's and some homemade soup to take home for my lunch today!
• Finishing my Uni Personal Statement! Just need to work on my CV and chasing my referees up to submit their references for me.

Lilt - Of course I shared fish with the kitties! Although one is so fussy, he will only eat chicken breast- I swear cats are spoilt from the unnecessarily diverse food range they now have! Oooo your bread sounds yum and a money saving win to boot!

Bob - Very prepared planning your meal outings for next month already! :cool: Oh no, I fancy fish and chips again...Oh and your budgets are most certainly 'fluid' as Lilt put is so beautifully.

Debtdrowninglondongirl- What an amazing start to 2015- Keep going! It is so rewarding! :T:T Oh and I love the spontaneous messages of love from your friend's what a lovely idea! I think I may have to try this!

angelflower- Please do join us for the February challenge, you can start off by reducing your SFD aim to make this more achievable, and not making such drastic cuts on your budgets. Just setting budgets and planning for your spends is a great first step in the right direction! Hehe, roadkill indeed! Out of context, we do all sound like we have some very obscure hobby! :rotfl:

Samiszel- I can't believe you are replacing the panda onesie!!

apple- Great news about DD and your niece!

mothernerd- I have been wearing 5 layers of top half clothing today- only 2 layers on the bottom half (leggings and trousers), oh and have kept my bobble hat on around the house! Layers are for winners! :T

WelshKitty85 - Please do look after yourself, hun. Breakfast and lunch should be included in your meal planning. I make my lunch for the next day, as soon as I get in from work the evening before. I am terrible for being organised in the mornings, but doing this leaves me enough time in the morning to grab something for breakfast and just chuck my lunch into a bag. It sounds like you have got a lot on your plate at the moment, it's great your OH is looking after you and that you had an early night last night. I hope you are feeling much better today!

shyspender- It sounds like you had an amazingly productive day yesterday! Hehe, pretended to have a lie in- I am exactly the same on my days off!

stewby- What fantastic savings!! :T

Thrifty- Hope your swim cheered you up! You certainly need a chat with OH regarding his surplus income and the way it is spent! Well done for keeping on with your dry January though! :T

blubella - Surprise money is always welcome! Well done on relocating that swiftly to your debt! :j

So today I have reached: 11sfds

I am layered up to the max and very much looking forward to Broadchurch at 9pm.

My positives for today are:

• Singing my heart out to the Lion King Broadway Musical Soundtrack in my car and much to the amusement of other drivers!
• A great team at work who always manage to make me laugh if I feel stressed or low.
• Tea, layers, bobble hats, slippers and a good ol television drama!

Hope you are all keeping warm, have a lovely evening! Keep those SFD's rolling in, sharing those positive thoughts and saving money! :money:

Charly27

Hi all we are now O/D free with Nat West. We were given one of those Terramundi pots when we got married 3 years ago and began saving £2 coins. The dream was to go away for the w/end; mini break when it got full. The coins weren't going in without a good shake anymore and DH said it didn't make sense to have an overdraft with over £600 sitting in a pot. So - deep breath - we cracked it yesterday and he paid £628 into my account and I've just transfered £500 as it's payday so that account is now IN CREDIT. So frugality will continue and I had SFD's Thursday/Friday/Sunday/Monday so I'm plus 4 this month. Under budget on the shopping Saturday and we've eaten from the freezer most of last week bar Monday. Lunches made everyday:j So I'm not blue today.

Samiszel

Today I am grateful for:
1. My snug coat
2. Finding more items to declutter- though when I look around in the attic, it does still feel like I've got nowhere!!
3. Buying my first slow cooker off Gumtr33 for £5. So many of you talk about the delicious meals you make, that I thought I must be missing out

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for a lovely friend looking aftrr dd for me before school today, for dd's Sylv Fam subscription thingy arriving just 5 days after we posted it (second class, too!), for some glorious sunshine, for a beautiful morning frost, for an easy tea of leftovers.

WelshKitty85

Good evening everyone!

Loveadove I have the Wicked soundtrack in my car at the moment and often wonder what people must think when I am singing along at the top of my voice!

Thanks everyone for the concern. I feel much better today, just a little tired. Well...exhausted actually but no funny turns with my vision again! I have 2 assignments due to be handed in next week so once they are done I can relax a little - until the next lot are due. DH still has the restaurant voucher as we didn't go the day DS was in hospital, so think we may go out and use it this weekend. Will be good to take a break from my studied and spend some quality time with the children. As of May I will have finished my degree and will only be working 3 days a week until I find another job, so I plan to spend lots of time with the little ones then and make up for all the weekends that mummy has been working or busy doing homework.

I definitely need to get more organised with lunches again. The daft thing is I have been planning what everybody else will eat and then just thinking oh, I will find something in the cupboards for myself. I don't usually eat breakfast anyway as I am not really a morning person and don't have much time in the mornings anyway, but I am going to try and make an effort this week.

SFD today and followed meal plan.

I am grateful for:
- my amazing mum who helps out with school runs
- left over Christmas cake I stored in the freezer
- living in a beautiful place

traveller

Thrifty, I know I've been where you are now. Remember, right now your hormones are still all over the place, which amplifies everything. I too didn't have help, so I know how just being able to go to the loo without someone yelling or coming in with you is a treat! And mothernerd wrote something I'll never forget regarding men and their attitudes to responsibility,when this was discussed before, they often don't feel obligated like we do. Just take everything easy And try to take care of you

Synonymous

Hi everyone,

I have calmed down since my Natwest rant! Thanks for listening Hope everyone is good, Samiszel I've just started my slow cooker journey too, so I'll be interested to hear what things you try out and what works. My best thing so far is a whole roast chicken (then making stock with the bones and curry with the leftovers), but I haven't tried any other meats yet.

I had budgeted for going out with a friend this weekend, but it wasn't to be, so quite a non-spendy time on the allotment and going to see my bf who is in the middle of exams. I took him a small survival kit of food out of my stores, food for tea from the freezer, a crumble, and a fruit loaf made in the BM. Decided to get a tin of custard for the crumble and bagged a massive bag of YS pastries and needed an ice scraper for the car. NSD on Sunday brought me to 13 in total.

I've spent today on a book - second hand at £3.40 inc postage, and coming out of my paypal slush fund. It's to help me learn about saving and investing for retirement, and how frugal lifestyles facilitate this, as I would like to try and set a tough savings target for myself and retire really early. I don't have a high income whilst I'm studying so I'll have to compensate by really cutting back on spends in this way! I'm really thinking about my values at the moment, and a simple life that allows me to work less and appreciate what I have more is something that is becoming more important for me, but it does mean a lot of hard work in the next 10 years.

Today I am grateful for:
-Good weather to spend an hour or so on the allotment cutting back the hedge before sunset (and being able to actually see the sunset now there's a 'window' in the hedge!) - might do this every day this week.
-The wisdom I've gleaned from these boards stopping me from doing my next food shop just because I'm almost out of milk. I'll have toast for breakfast and go a few more days using up the fresh veg before I stock up.
- The person who had my allotment before me planting willow - I've cut some today to have a go at weaving a basket in the future.