NST; January Challenge- The Money Saving Game

Calling14

SOA sorry to hear, better luck next time, all valuable interview experience.

Well another SFD for me today, was going to run around lots of shops, getting bits of food. Instead done a monthly shop with Sainsbobs as had a #8.00 off $40.00 spend with them. Probably works out cheaper in the end as meal plan better like that. Will count in Feb food spends as usually few days before it hits my bank act.

Thrifty well done on yr ebay mini targets are the way forward. I need to dig out frocks I never wear and list them.

Off this afternoon, clean kitchen cupboards and wet dog walk planned. Snow not arrived here as yet. Phew as I live about the snow line. It is trying to.

Count me in for Feb whoever is doing it, in for the long haul.

Debtdrowninglondongirl

Hi everyone,

Final stretch to go!!

I am over by £4 on my food shop but under on the socialising so still within budget overall.

I am on day 16 now and hope to not spend anything for the rest of the month so should hit my 18 days!

Need to pick up on the exercising as well....and more so for next month.

I have also sold more things on eBay and plan to sell a few bits more for next month.

A little bit worried cause I am still looking for a job to be confirmed so making sure I don't spend anything now until I know where my next pay cheque is coming from. Scary times!

Positives are:

- I have had a lot of interviews for jobs so hopefully something should come up soon
- I have spent the last few days with some good friends and felt very lucky that they are in my life
- Even though I am currently without a job I know I will get one soon and very excited for what I will be going into

Hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday

mothernerd

Site went down as I was posting last night. Not a clue where I am up to, congratulations to Stewby and Fmess (I have seen your multiple payments on the paying all your debt thread). Big hugs for Lilt and anyone else who needs them. Can't contribute to the dating chat - it's all ancient history for me and it always felt like trying to learn a game when you had never been taught the rules and were pretty sure that the other person was cheating/ making up rules to suit themself as the game progressed.

Spent yesterday cooking - (lentil and) bacon soup, lamb curry and lamb stew, cooked the remaining sweet potatoes in a steamer on top of one of the other pans and boiled eggs to have egg mayo (scraped the jar out) and watercress sandwich.

DS2 turned up (his payday was yesterday, my birthday was last week) with a card, lots of chocolate and a video. He ordered takeaway, went round the corner for soft drinks and we sat and watched the video.

We have snow, so stayed in and not venturing out in search of bargains, so SFD number 20. Not planning to go out tomorrow unless it is fine but lots to do here including writing next month's challenge - You shall have a challenge, little turtles.

Yesterday's positives
1) Food that is rich in flavour (hm and gifted).
2) Chocolate and presents especially late ones
3) Cultural exchange - had discussions on movies, music and video games with DS2 and DS3

Today's positives
1) Snow is very pretty if you don't need to go out
2) For DS3 showing me videos of people playing a computer game (very entertaining but glad it's not my sort of game - will stick with my favourites even if that rabbit upsets me when he steals my carrots)
3) For leftovers, for YS bargains and stocking the freezer with hm goodies. My hummus stack did supper with celery sticks, breakfast with carrot sticks and dinner spread on crispbread; the ready custard was divided into 6 portions, 5 in the freezer and one eaten yesterday with a defrosted crumble and a couple of handfuls of mushroom stir fry and lo green peppers from a freezer pack made one takeaway curry into two generous meals (only ate the starter last night and a couple of spoonfuls of the curry). Watercress and egg mayo sandwich was also delish and have enough left for at least one more.

CEW

Sneaks in guiltily.....

Sorry life in general seems to have got in the way this month. I have been reading every post but not managed to post for the last couple of weeks :eek:

Been busy decluttering and looking after OH who has hurt his back and shoulder quite badly. He never usually complains so I really don't mind looking after him but doing everything myself and running round after him does take up a fair bit of time. Still he is getting better so things should be back to normal soon.

Really pleased with my budgets as I am under budget on all of them apart from the pets. I could have come in under budget there too but decided to buy layers mash for the chicks yesterday as we were in the area anyway. It's about 20 miles from home so it made sense as we would have needed it early next week anyway.

So my totals so far are:

Grocery - £70.78/£100 - I do not need anything else in January as I have enough milk, fruit and veg to last until Sunday at least. I also did a quick meal plan for February just to see how much I would need to budget next month. I'm embarrassed to say that I still have enough food in to feed us for the month except for fruit, veg, milk and possibly a couple of herbs and spices to complete some of the meals. I will also ned some bread flour and the odd purchase of fresh yeast for making bread.

Pets - £35.59/£50 - still really pleased with this as included in this is flea products and treats for dogs and at least a months supply of layers mash for the chicks. I will need to buy some layers pellets for them and some food for the parrot next month along with food for the dogs but getting this under control again now.

Social/Birthdays - £26.30/£50 - forgot I had OH's birthday in January but we don't tend to buy presents for each other. We tend to just have a nice meal either out or the non birthday person cooks a special meal for the birthday person. So as requested by OH I cooked for him and the cost came out of our grocery budget.

SFD - 18/18 - Reached my target today and have no plans to spend anything in the next couple of days so hopefully will reach 20 SFD's

Doing well on my goals. Every week or so I transfer the value of ALL savings I make in the supermarket (multi-buy, BOGOF, vouchers) into my online savings account towards my cash neutral Christmas 2015. So far I have just over £38 in the account plus a further £13 oin Love2shop vouchers from a cashback site with more pending. I also have some gift cards that may be kept for Christmas too.

I am working away at the decluttering and have joined the KonMarie thread. So far I have decluttered all my clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and OH has too. We have also decluttered all our books and I am just starting on the paperwork. It's great that OH is on board too as it makes it so much easier when there are two of you.

Hope everyone is safe and well in this cold miserable weather, although we are having lots of sun here between the rain and sleet showers. No snow yet but I'm sure it's on its way.

Chez x

WelshKitty85

Good evening everyone!

Hope you are all safe and warm. No snow here thankfully - I hate the stuff!

Had a horrible night last night. Woke up cold and couldn't get back to sleep. Couldn't face getting out of the blankets to turn the heating on so I just lay there cold. Needless to say I am very tired today.

I have been in work again today. Had breakfast before I left home and took lunch with me. Was a spend day though as I have done weekly shop. It will be coming out of next months budget.

Have just got off the phone to Santander about a complaint I made when they failed to set up my direct debit on my loan account. They have offered me £20 compensation, but have gone away to discuss it further with complaints manager and are going to get back to me tomorrow. Not sure if that means they will up the compensation offer but any I get from them will go into my savings account.

Day off tomorrow and apart from sorting car insurance and taking meter readings I don't have much planned, so hoping while I have no deadlines looming to just be able to relax and enjoy my day off.

Today I am grateful for
Hubby having food ready when I got home from work and shopping.
The hope of compensation payment.
Newspaper vouchers.

Synonymous

Hi everyone, thanks so much for all of your kind words, I've been in a whirlwind of research (and snow!) since I last posted, but have just had a good catch-up snuggled against the radiator! We've had tonnes of snow and it's freezing over now, wasn't sure if I would make it home last night after my research, and had to abandon the car a few streets away.

Congrats for the various successes; uni apps, debt payments and everyone doing well with SFDs and budgets, hugs to everyone who is having a hard time or getting grief from less skilful people.

I'm just reading 'The Millionaire Next Door' and they learned the saying 'Big hat, not cattle' from Texans describing the flashy folks who put everything on credit, which made me think of the Jam and Spam sayings you guys mentioned! That book is all about the anonymously rich and their spending habits, really interesting so far. I don't have a big hat, but I'm hoping to increase the heads of cattle in my herd over time

Have had the odd sudden bout of sadness since the weekend, but been with family and good friends and generally just getting on with things. My friends want to manage my online dating - they are all married and curious about my horror stories! I'm doing a residential meditation retreat just up the road from me this weekend which is just what I need and means spending is unlikely for the rest of the month, payday tomorrow too :j - It's so sad, but I can't wait to do my February budget. Stewby, I have an A4 notebook for finances where I write out my budget/state of affairs at the start of each month and analyse it at the end. It's really easy to flick through and see how things have changed. I really like having it on paper too in addition to my spreadsheets, sadly it is in my abandoned car so I will have to wait

Hope everyone is keeping safe and warm. I'm not sure if the Feb thread is up and running yet, but can I be included please mothernerd? I only look at three threads at the moment so I miss when new ones pop up!

I was wondering, I went in Asda today to look for YS bargains (nada) and looked in the freezer aisle which I usually miss out completely. Am I missing any bargains down that aisle? I don't buy any frozen processed food, but I'm wondering if I am missing a trick and there are some healthy frozen bargains to be had? Does anyone have frozen food essentials?

Big hugs everyone x

Synonymous

Forgot my gratefuls and have updated my sig.

Today I am grateful for:
- Good walking boots in the snow
- 2/4 of my tutees turning up and saying I had really helped them
-community spirit when it snows - chatted to someone walking up from the abandoned car who took my number, carried my shopping and invited me for tea - shame it wasn't a fella! :rotfl:

liltdiddylilt

Evening all!!

We have snow!!! Shame it started to come down just as I left work for a 2 mile trek home. By the time I got back we had a good thick covering that even car tyres weren't killing off. Jelly made a snowball from the windowsill and refused to throw it :rotfl: puddles in the living room...

I am showered and in bed. I am about to turn on some music and start a meal plan. I wonder if I can plan the whole of February. Probably not. I am tiyud!!

mothernerd thank you for your hugs it sounds like you had a fab time with DS2 & DS3! Lol at the suspicious silence until payday. At least he didn't go into debt for it

Night all xx

thriftylass

Watching "eating well for less" and my jaw is already on the floor after 10 min. The kitchen is full of food and they just spend 150. I can't watch that :rotfl:

liltdiddylilt

Forgot my positives:

Snow!!
My lovely warm comfy bed
Being perfectly content with what I have right now

Syn the things I get frozen are usually veggies. Especially chopped mixed peppers and mixed peas/sweetcorn/baby carrots. Other than that I don't really do freezer stuff, just freeze fresh stuff!