Nst; fearless february

parsniphead

Thanks for the welcome apple muncher.

I have lurked from the beginning but the one time I tried I struggled because of the DMP. I guess I'm a control freak and really want to take things into my own hands, which I can do now.

I have been looking at my budget. It interesting when writing down all the little things like nursery fund donation, etc. I think an hour with the diary is needed this week to make sure I don't miss a thing. I have also decided to do a monthly shop this month on Friday. I usually do it fortnightly so I will need to be more organised. A little will be kept aside for fresh stuff needed.

I do get a free lunch at work but I'm trying to lose weight so have been taking porridge. I will get them upfront so as not to slip up.

More planning ahead.

Dizzy_Imp

Hi Parsniphead I'm a "semi-lurker" :shhh: who is learning the ropes this month in order to really join in during March, as I'm determined to get a grip on things! Look forward to seeing you posting next month

apple_muncher

kat used to always talk about planning ahead and being prepared. Wise words!

Hello Dizzy Imp too! I lurked for a month or so before joining in. There is a LOT to get your thinking around with these challenges as they encompass many elements that merit a thread all to themselves for many people.


Today I am grateful for dd enjoying Kids Klub, for Kondo-ing dd's drawers plus most of mine, for the resulting mound of clothes for the ch shop, for dh making lunch, for dd snorkelling in the bath.

mothernerd

Sorry Fmess, it was you congratulating someone else but I'm sure you deserve a line of dancing smilies. Enjoy your concert.

Happy belated birthday wishes Stewby.

soa good luck with the writing and just keep plodding,

Welsh Kitty similar weather here, sleety snow for the first half then rain after. very brave to venture out, I was tempted to shut the curtains as soon as I opened them.

Welcome parsniphead and hello again Dizzy Imp, hope it's been helpful.

Didn't write the e-mail to futility as today is switch day (thought it was tomorrow). Wish I had found out before I was nearly at the tearing my hair out stage with 3 different e-mails open and 4 different notebooks with notes I have previously written and all the supporting evidence. Got DS3 to read both meters and photograph them (photos now on laptop) and sent to new supplier. Futility now has six weeks to sort out my final bill (not holding my breath) and refund all the money they owe. Have submitted a read for the other house and will write that e-mail in the week (comparatively simple).

Had a quick walk across the car park to check opening times for the MP's advice office - it's probably worth printing off the whole sorry saga and going into the office as they are usually very helpful.

Blood tests in the morning. Undecided as to whether I opt for an early night or stay up late to have a snack before my eight hours fasting - need to take food and pills with me so I can eat straight away afterwards.

SFD and will try for as many as possible this week.Will try to walk to hospital in the morning and for Friday's appointment but don't think I can do both ways yet so both will be spendy. Have got a few more jobs done (ironed quilt cover and marked centre lines), weeded out a bit of paperwork. May try for a hm sandwich meal every day to free up some more time for other tasks.

Today I am grateful for leftovers and ys bargains (lots of bits for sandwiches),carrots (ate a bagful of chopped up ones and went back to cut more) and DS3 (moved heavy boxes and got the ironing board out, did the readings, went back to take photos and put them onto my computer).

LoveaDove

Hi all,

Just to let you know that I have not fallen off the face of the planet. I apologise for my absence and will have to continue to follow the challenge a little more from the cheer leading line. I have been so immersed in trying to find somewhere new to live in a somewhat frenzied manner, I have not been doing much else other than working and sleeping!

YNAB has helped me track my spends and I am up to 12 SFDs, having it on my mobile has really helped as I have managed to wring bits of money from different budgets over the last week and sent them into savings for the pending move. I have researched so many different avenues: renting alone, renting a room, shared ownership, rent to buy schemes etc...my brain feels like it just might implode. Looking at owning in this moment in time would not be viable, with my potential return to academia next year, unless I get an incredible job and pack away a cushty amount of savings to see me through a couple of years living on a bursary... I am discovering limitations on what I can get rent wise at the moment, based on my current salary- do they not know that I have ninja money saving skills of the turtle and am capable of making my money go so so far? It looks like if I truly want independence, I will need to get a second job on top of this full timer, that or a pay rise, or may be just accept that I can only afford somewhere little for now.

I hope you are all doing well, I have missed my check in's with you all! I am in no doubt that mothernerd is guiding you through this month fantastically! I can't wait to have a proper read up on all of your adventures. Less than a week until the end of the challenge, just keep swimming, Turtles!!

x

parsniphead

Morning everyone

I sat for a long time last night looking at figures, planning shops, looking at appointments, etc. With careful planning I should be able to put an larger amount than I thought towards the debt next month which is good. I haven't felt this in control for a long time and I'm looking forward to hitting the debt hard and aging more time to do mother things rather than rushing around like a headless chicken.

Roll on march.:)

thriftylass

Good morning,

Had a great weekend. DS now doing great on his balance bike, suddenly just clicked. Also took them for a first splash in the pool and together with friends to a soft play restaurant where they could make their own pizza.

Done my final shop of the month and busted my budget. Was doing so well and then..... However I got my stats ready for our grocery spends. Here it goes. We spent about £300 again for 2 adults, a three year old, a 11 mo old and a cat.

20% (53 quid) went on meat and cold cuts which is roughly a £13 a week. As we eat so much meat and have sandwiches to work I can't see that coming down. Although I might try taking 40 quid to the butcher at the start of the month and see where that gets me. According to the programme eat well for less it should be cheaper and better qulity.

14% (£40) went on fruit alone, don't really want to compromise on that as the kids and I love them.

13% (40 quid) went on mainly baby milk. So that will stop next month as she'll turn one.

10% went on veg, catfood respectively and

7% on booze. Which is only a fiver a week.

£14 went on snacks for the kids but that includes mainly rice cakes, cheese strings and raisins for DS lunch box

£12 went on yogurt (and that's mainly cheap LIDL yogurt, DS just loves that stuff) and

£10 on cheese and butter.

We never waste any food, mainly shop in Aldee and Lidlle, cook from scratch and freeze left overs. Apart from the unnecessary booze I can't really see a way of lowering the grocery bill unless we start eating mainly mince based dishes and a lot less fruit. Maybe I just have to accept that is our bill now. I think sometimes I still think in 2008 prices for only two .

So I think based on this, which works out about nearly £11 a day I maybe try and get it down to £9 a day for March.

HH and other is over too. That was £49 for DD's passport that I thought OH would pay, a impulse spend of £27 on seeds and seed potatoes, and about £30 on days out that are always spontaneous and I can't always decline or let other people pay. I just need to have a contingency in my budget for that and accept that I can save less but have more realistic budgets rather than always going over despite not being spending frivolously.

MagicCat

Hello everyone,

Hope you are well and had good weekends - well done on all the frog eating that have been happening! Sorry for going a bit awol over the weekend - my brother was home for a visit (he lives abroad) so I was at my mum's for hte weekend - some spending on Saturday, as we all went out ofr a meal to celebrate the Christmases/birthdays that he hasn't been there for - so spent 42 for me and OH - I know this was against the rules this month but a special occasion so I think it was worth it! I need to get groceries today, but otherwise I am nearly on track to get all my SFDs by the end of Feb, which I am suprised by pleased by.

Speakingofart - good luck witht he work.

Welshkitty - :jfor creditcard payments - my maths is rubbish but if you are 1/5 of the way there I think that's 20% which is fab!

Hello and welcome parshiphead.

Loveadove - sounds like a lot of decisions about where to live, hope it all goes well and you find what suits you.

Payday is Thursday for me, can't wait.

SFD: 12/15
Groceries: £209.80/£200 + 8.99 superdrug
Dentist/optician £5/£20
Petrol and travel: £51.05/£110
Birthdays: £25.76/£30
Social: 42/£40
Food bank donation - done
15 mins/day - this will be decluttering or mindfulness meditation 7/28
Exercise 11/25

MagicCat

Thrifty - sorry, I think I cross posted with you and didn't see your post! I don't think your groceries sounds bad at all, especially with your little one on baby milk.

It is very interesting to see your percentages, I think I will track that with mine for next month - I'm already over where I should be for just two of us, and need to get things for the next few days tonight, so will end up spending even more. I find it really hard to get things lower - I'm sure there is room for spending less as people do, but I'm embarrassed to say I can't seem to, maybe knowing where I'm making my biggest spends will help. I for see much time spent with different highlighters and my receipts!

mothernerd

Weekly Mini Challenge Week Four

FOCUS, FINESSE and FINISH on a POSITIVE NOTE

Not a task, just a number of points for you to consider. I don't expect you to implement them all this week, but if any are useful, note them down for future reference.

This challenge has a number of elements.
FOCUS on what is important. Kat's rules about setting your debt free day (or an intermediate target if that is too far off) paying the debt first, budgeting for everything are all about getting to a debt free future.

In Week One I asked you to consider what areas of your life needed attention (focus) and give it fifteen minutes a day.Many of you followed lilt's example and opted for more sleep, a little pampering and more me time with very positive results. Will any of you be carrying on with the new habit you have adopted or is it something that might be useful to try again later?

Last week I jotted down five things I needed to do and tried to do one really important thing each day as sometimes the routine tasks take up so much time that the essential task gets lost (especially if it's a frog).

FINESSE We are all very busy (except me but each of the small things I do takes ages so I never seem to have enough time). Sometimes I am guilty of 'busy work' - keeping myself 'busy' but maybe not doing the right tasks.

There are several reasons for this :-
1) some jobs I am not yet well enough to do yet (couldn't have mopped the bathroom or ironed the replacement quilt cover if DS3 hadn't moved things for me. I might have managed to move the things but would then have been too tired to do the actual task)

2) some problems I can't do anything about atm (anything that will only be resolved with the sale of the other house). If I let myself think about what I am trying to do then fear can take over (fear is the mind killer) and I would end up sat in a corner unable to do anything. So I use 'work' to distract myself from the big problems and keep me calm.

3) Procrastination. Some things are more pleasant than others, some are easier, require less effort. This is the one I need to tackle.

I need to focus on my long-term future. Focus on the things I need to do, then use my fifteen minutes a day to do the steps I need to take me from here to there.

I need to make time to do this. So I (and you turtles) need to focus and finesse my routine. Are there any time savers you can use - Synonymous's Soup Spreadsheet, aiming for a free soup week, that's also a week when the time used for soup making (and buying and bringing home the ingredients) is also gained. It may not be much but if free soup is useful, so is free time.

Are there any areas where standards can be dropped, can some housework tasks be done less frequently, have you a larger pan that will cook eight portions instead of six. If you have always wanted to learn a language, is there something you can download and listen to as you walk or commute to work. Can you add exercise as you cook (biceps curls with a couple of bottles whilst the kettle is boiling, doing a circuit of the kitchen drying individual pots to put away, putting on music and dancing round the kitchen). But remember, sometimes it is good to stop and do nothing for a few minutes.

FINISHING on a positive note. We have reached week four, February is nearly over, for many one of the hardest month's of the year (sending positive vibes for cupcake queen and all other turtles who have been ill or down this month).

One of my exercises for optimism month on my Year of Happy journey is to spend fifteen minutes imagining an ideal future with no restrictions (no monetary or health constraints, just think about where and how you want to live and what you do). Apparently doing this daily for two weeks makes you more optimistic. The more detail you can fill in the better.

One of the TED talks I watched last week suggested doing this but drawing your ideal future (only in cartoon form) and drawing where you are now (because we take things in more if they are presented in picture form). The next step is to outline all the steps you need to fill in (working backwards was suggested by the TED speaker) to get to your ideal future.

I haven't done the exercise as often as suggested yet, but it is becoming obvious that one area where my ideal future sharply diverges from reality is something I am drifting along with atm because it is what something else wants. This is something I identified in my 15 words for 2015 plan which I drew up in December and I need to take steps to tackle the problem now.

I recommend you try the exercise at least once.

Hope that all makes sense turtles.