Nst; fearless february

traveller

Morning all and a warm welcome to our newbies Well I shop monthly so my shopping for the 5 of us Plus kitten averages out at 290 per month. I always take lunch to work, so that be OK. The only thing throwing a spanner in the works is daughters tutoring. My Christmas Money is now finished, so a lot will need to be juggled. I ended up paying 400 instead of 500 this month towards my debt for the first time but I have had 30.00 back from quidco due to me and I have various card refunds due to me for stuff, so hopefully I can sneek in another 100. Exercise, will start up again and is well needed,lol. This month will be extremely frugal to say the least.

Bobarella, totally agree with the checking in with family thing! Is it a London thing? I find I'm mum on duty most of the time apart from when we are on holiday. Everyone is busy, I'm busy slash exhausted. I just want to make each day count so my 15 mins will be touching base with my family, sorting out my house, exercise.

Dotty you've done well and have a lot to contend with, what better a person to help you through than this months thread leader:D


I had the best nights sleep in a week now kitten is here. I did forget how much kittens leap about though,lol. He was extremely active, while I was trying to sleep

Well have a good day everyone and take care :T

[Deleted User]

Have read up, mothernerds opening post nearly made me cry. Forgot how much I missed you all! Glad to hear others who have had it tough are holding their nerve and hanging in there. Mothernerd - inspiring as always! I hope your hip op went well.



DFD – am moving this to the end of June, awaiting exact total on family payback (hopefully I can bring it forward again then). Before it all went a bit wrong for me, it was the 15th April 2015, so I’m aiming for a window between these dates!


Aiming for 15 SFD’s. I travel a bit for work at the moment and am not going to count claimable expenses as breaking my SFD’s or my no cafes rule! Making the most of having the odd meal on the firm, even if it is a zillion miles away from home in a random train station caf!!


Food budget. I’m going low, based on a trip to top up yesterday which bought for the week ahead, and the fact I’m away from home for at least 4 days at the end of the month. We have half term in the middle, but I’m aiming for £45. Most of that should be fruit and veg.


No to cafes etc – happy with this one! I have some enforced caf! visits as per SFD above, but will only stick to claimable items. To be honest, I get frustrated at how much everything costs anyway, even when its not me paying!



LTW – this is standard for me, and I keep a carton of cereal there for the days when I forget or am over hungry! Packed lunches for all half term trips (we have a couple of walks planned with friends, so should be able to stick to that!).


Fuel – this is up considerably from my last visit. Have just dusted my bike off – it might need some TLC. Goal is to cycle 2 days a week from tomorrow. Logistics might make this tricky but its worth trying! £60


Other budgets: a large misc this month as DD needs some specialist kit for her sports (she is competing at regional level now, very proud), we both need new shoes as re-healing hasn’t worked, and I have a voucher towards a work wardrobe update which I am planning to supplement. My profile has gone up at a lot at work (whilst I was away – how crazy is that!) as some projects I was leading have come into their own. Unfortunately my wardrobe mainly dates from pre-DD (she is now a teen).. and I was a student when she was born, so you can imagine what suits me and my role might have moved on in that time!. Literally things are bursting off me or falling apart, so I’m going to get 2 smart outfits that can cope with my new life! Plus, we have pre-planned some celebratory catching up with friends to say thank god, this last round is over. So…£400! Eekk!


My 15 minutes has to be physical activity :j whilst checking in with family.



FB/£5


Exercise 5 x week. Off to start that by, er, getting dressed!

mothernerd

WelshKitty good start with the budgets (everyone's budgets are looking good and you've obviously put a lot of thought into it, but WK was first in with hers).

Bobarella has first claim for a SFD. Have you any preferences for good/bad months in terms of running the thread Bobarella.

A warm welcome to all turtles new and old. Yell if I have missed giving anyone a number (post#2 if you want to include it in your signature). I have included a couple of people who said they would be away this weekend but still have a nagging feeling I've missed someone.

Welcome back crazylady2009 sorry to hear your bad news but glad you are on the way to recovery. My operation was fine, gave up painkillers a week after the op. My hospital is supposed to be the best in the UK for this op - staff were very tough, you have to drag yourself around from the moment you wake up but it works.

I am noticing little improvements all the time but have to remind myself to focus on what I can do and ignore the rest. I am 'allowed' to climb into the bath in another two weeks and have so been looking forward to it but now think it might not happen. My knee only comes up about six inches so far. I could sit on the edge of the bath (or on the toilet) and swing/lift my legs up and then into the bath but no idea how I get into (or more to the point out of) the water from there. May try practicing on the floor first but had enough trouble getting up from a stool without arms last week (had to hold/pull on the back of an armchair for at least five minutes). When I can get as far as the floor that is. It will happen, when it happens - stood on one leg on the operated leg for the first time last week and it felt so natural I nearly didn't notice it.

First mini-challenge will be up later today.

liltdiddylilt

crazylady welcome back!! You have been very missed. Feels like the old gang is back together now you and abundant are back!!

Sorry to hear your bad news, but glad 'this round' is over. Have you been having chemo? Mums starts on Weds for 6 rounds, then 15 of radiotherapy. I hope you are feeling much better!

My 15 minutes shall be spent pampering & sleeping. Hear me out. I spend my days playing with my daughter, cleaning up, budgeting, catching up with friends and speaking to my mum, not to mention working 3 days a week. I have been going to bed later and later to fit it all in. I am tired, and my skin has taken a hit as has my weight. So I plan on eating better as mothernerd has said, and then I plan on getting on top of my skin and getting my proper skincare routine back and then I want to be in bed earlier by 15 minutes each week until I am at a proper bedtime!

So today has all the potential to be 1st SFD, but am debating buying a rucksack I need, and some books for Jellytot and doing the online shop. Hmm decisions decisions. Back later guys xx

apple_muncher

Welcome back crazylady - good to have you back!

abundant - yes, gluten-free food is extortionately priced! When I had to become g-f, as diagnosed coeliac, I decided to eat differently rather than substitute with g-f alternatives. So I mainly buy 'normal' food at 'normal' prices. Since dd was also diagnosed, I get things for her on prescription, as they're free. As she lives on toast, at £3 a loaf - and only 2/3 of the size of a 'normal' loaf - we are getting good value!


NSD 1 claimed and a good start to the exercise. I even got it done BEFORE my morning coffee had brewed, I'm that dedicated! It was a ZWOW: 3x: 8x jump lunge + burpee; 20 each arm 8k KB swing; 20 each side side crunch. Took me about 16mins :T.

I spent a few mins cleaning the sink and drainer this morning. Since dh used it to kneel on whilst checking the boiler, the drainer gets a pool of water sitting on it from the dripping washing up. Which then forms limescale round the edges. Very satisfying to clean it properly! Though the gunk was probably fortifying our immune systems...

thriftylass

Welcome back crazylady and abundant.

Thanks welshkitty. I think we eat more meat. Cold cuts etc on the weekend and for DS lunches and the amount of especially fruit. I now also shop at aldi mainly and am fine with the big shop even with the kids. Having oh there for "small" top up shops is the problem I think. Will definitely keep all ny receipt and analyse our shopping behaviour more closely at the end of the month. Thank you

abundant1972

Thanks everyone for your welcome backs

Thanks applemuncher for info on gluten free stuff. Maybe I'll keep a food diary for a month and then I'll have something to show my GP if I go to get it investigated.

I had a re-jig of my spends, and have ammended my monthly budget/spends to £25 per week/£100 for the month. I technically bought some stuff in a few days ago so my cupboards are pretty full.

I also didn't budget for fuel. That said - I'm going to try and increase the amount I walk in to work. Now I moved it's only 30 minutes away which would be good exercise, and save me some money on gym membership. Need to get into packed lunch mode of operation too!

[Deleted User]

Thank you also for my welcome backs!
Done all my sums and checked in with the folks. Over the 3.5 months I've been off kilter, I've managed to keep chipping away at the debt more than I thought - it must mean that all the good habits I've learnt from you guys are becoming ingrained! It stands at just above 1.5k now, so I have bought my DFD to them back to my April payday. :)

I was averaging £500 paid to my debt fairly consistently, but sticking to the DFD is still a huge ask as there is an additional £500 on a CC at the moment (although a chunk of that is expenses I have claimed for but wont get back for a few weeks, AND couple of hundred pounds in a tax bill (long story) AND car and house insurance are due just before the DFD AND in March we have our annual holiday, though we have made it as cheap as we could, by house swapping etc, and it is basically a long weekend.

So close! But not there yet! In other news, inspired to sort out my shed, whole heap of junk that is on its way to the tip now, consider this money saving as doing so identified a couple things I have now listed on FB for sale, and some bits for the car (oil, screenwash) that I had thought I might need to buy. Knowing what you have is a important part of being frugal I think! I also sorted my bike out, discovered it is in need of some TLC ahead of becoming my regular commute-horse again, so have booked it in with a chap who services them from home. About to venture up, up, into the loft to sort a few more boxes out. Feeling pretty proud as rescued what could have been a really lazy day (I was not inclined to do much at all this morning).

sazzlebgood

claiming 1st nsd. We went to sing a long a frozen, tickets were dd2 Christmas presents took a pack lunch, sweets, popcorn and drinks and car parking was free.:j Looking forward to tomorrow as iis my wedding anniverary and oh has taken the day off aiming to spend very little. will be back with budgets all in my head at the mo.

Bobarella

Mothernerd -would it be helpful if I took August? I see that there is no one allocated for that so far.

Traveller -maybe a London thing maybe just a busy people thing I don't know. I only have my OH and 6 year son but it feels like kids have busier lives than I did at the same age.