NST June – Just Keep Jousting!

shyspender

Tete_en_l'Air wrote: »

Hello, I was looking for the No Spend Day challenge, is this what it's evolved into in the (long) time since I last took part? Looks good, can I join please? I'm not in debt but I've chosen to make myself unemployed at a time when that's not an advisable thing to do, and it's starting to sink in that I'll probably have no money coming in after August...

PS what does NST stand for?

Tete - you are more than welcome to join this challenge but it isn't the one that you are looking for. We do Spend Free Days rather than No Spend Day's.

NST stands for Ninja Saving Turtles!

liltdiddylilt

Tete en l'Air - you're more than welcome to join in, although the No Spend Day challenge is still running separately to this one!! You could always do both sounds like you have a challenging few months ahead. Are you looking for a new job? Sorry if that is beyond nosey. I've thrown the towel in at various jobs over the years despite contrary advice. I am sure you will be fine! xx

NST is Ninja Saving Turtles. Named after our fearless leader Ninja Saving Kat - we are a band of warriors fighting debt and overspending from every angle

Day 1... of JUNE! Can you believe this? At the end of this months we are already 6 months done of the year...

Not a NSD here, as I needed to pay the nursery fees. So I also did a click and collect for the weeks shopping, went to Savers and got all toiletries and household stuff for the month and collected my prescription. As always a spendy spend day but hopefully should be able to rack up multiple SFD's now this week!!

My budgets are floating a bit free at the minute. I still have not got to grips with the actual cost of my diet food. It is high, but as with all foods completely devoid of anything processed, it is fresh, doesn't last particularly long and is vastly more complex to cook with and cover myself for work. It also neatly stops me from having any take aways, take out coffees, fast food, snacks whilst out that are just bought from the shelf... and since none of my food bar condiments comes from the cupboards, that is saving me money there!

Will be back later when I have reconciled May and seen the damage. What a mess... xxx

wishus

Morning Turtles! I've got me armour - pass the Brasso.:p

Aiming for my first SFD of the month today. No spending over the weekend, apart from for medical emergencies. We were at the in-laws, who live in a coastal town in Lincolnshire - one of those places that has lots of retired people and not many tourists, more walking sticks than sticks of rock.

What's great about a bleak seaside town like that is that there are so few temptations. We trawled a local bric-a-brac, hoping to find a quirky 40th birthday present for a friend, but couldn't find anything that wasn't held together with glue. Lots of 1950s souvenirs from other seaside towns, crystal bells, old bottles of Avon perfume from the 80s, with dregs of the original fragrance still inside and gone a bit reeky. So, no money spent there.:T

OH and I had a lovely walk along the beach. We should have bought our wetsuits and gone for a swim! There's also an outdoor lido, but it's more for kids and quite shallow. There were quite a few fishermen out, and we were curious and went for a chat. Was there a competition? No - just a lads' weekend away. Then we watched, bemused, as a fella caught a sizeable whiting, showed his mate the fish, then just put it back in the sea. Why go fishing on the coast if you're not interested in catching your dinner? You're supposed to put back the fat carp you catch at managed lakes and that, but not good eating fish! :laugh:
I picked up a lovely white oyster shell, worn quite flat, which seemed to already be very suited for making a necklace from, just needs a polish and a hole for the lace.

The purpose of the visit was to take OH's dad a wheelchair he had acquired from a charity shop. They are much cheaper our way than they are in the shops round by them. We spent £30 on a chair, and now his dad can leave the house, which he wasn't inclined to do because he can't walk very far. He was really pleased with it.

On the journey there and back, we spotted lots of red kites, buzzards, kestrels and even a sparrowhawk. Good to see birds of prey doing so well in our countryside now.

Turtles, my biggest job this month has to be trying to find the joy in things, because I feel as bleak as that seaside town right now. I will get to do a bit of wild camping later this month, and I hope that helps perk me up. also, making more time for my own writing, I missed it this morning.

thriftylass

Hello and happy first of June!

Budgets are all set but already dipped into badly. Done a massive Aldi shop plus two smaller shops that are typical of our weekends and that are usually the culprits that break our budget. Told OH I won't spend anymore money apart from a jug of milk till Saturday and then we're going over to FIL's. My excuse was I need to defrost the freezer (which I really do) so weird and wonderful recipes towards the end of the week. So I hope I should manage 5 or 6 SFD this week.

Also hoping for loads of exercise again, maybe three runs, two swims and one cycle, most during lunch in prep for the triathlon. Also started having healthier lunches and cut out the chocolate and crisps, replaced with big salad with beans, HM houmous, celery and similar.

Started reading novels again and watching a lot less telly after dinner (well was usually only and hour or two anyway). But I need to find my happy place again too and reorganise my days and priorities. Some days it drives my b0nkers that with two small kids and and OH the house is never clean or tidy. Inconvenient to hoover now, oops kids are in bed definitely can't do it now etc etc etc. The daily drag of work, feed the kids, play, bedtime, our dinner, dishes, main chores like laundry don't leave much time for extra. But I need to rethink the way I do things and make it work more efficiently freeing up time. This weekend was typical. Not really being able to do nothing and relax but also not really getting anything done. At least the kids had fun .

Anyway, rant over. The sun is out, time for more positivity:)

Calling14

Well I am in crabby mood today. Don't seem to have any money this month so budgets will just be bare minimum, the freezer( needs defrosting as well) will be empty come 1st July and my car tax will be paid without using my credit card.

Tired and bosses are just being so annoying and selfish as ever. I have have already binged on a large packet of minstrels.

Today will be a SFD will put off petrol buying until tomorrow - I am confused - do you not lose a SFD for this anymore?

Sorry I am grumpy, annoyed with myself for eating chocolate already. Big walk later as kiddie free today. Hopefully before forecast of 60mph winds and heavy rain arrives.

Thrifty putting me to shame. All that exercise and healthy eating. Got heaps of fruit here and healthy lunch so will try to change. Left over chicken dinner for tea so no cooking. woo hoo.

Off to update signature, tidy bombsite of desk and get budgets set in stone. DETERMINED.

thriftylass

Calling14 wrote: »

Well I am in crabby mood today. Don't seem to have any money this month so budgets will just be bare minimum, the freezer( needs defrosting as well) will be empty come 1st July and my car tax will be paid without using my credit card.

Tired and bosses are just being so annoying and selfish as ever. I have have already binged on a large packet of minstrels.

Today will be a SFD will put off petrol buying until tomorrow - I am confused - do you not lose a SFD for this anymore?

Sorry I am grumpy, annoyed with myself for eating chocolate already. Big walk later as kiddie free today. Hopefully before forecast of 60mph winds and heavy rain arrives.

Thrifty putting me to shame. All that exercise and healthy eating. Got heaps of fruit here and healthy lunch so will try to change. Left over chicken dinner for tea so no cooking. woo hoo.

Off to update signature, tidy bombsite of desk and get budgets set in stone. DETERMINED.

I hope your day improves soon. Don't fret about the bag of minstrels, there is hardly any chocolate in them . I only go for this full steam because I was stupid enough to sign up for this triathlon a week ago. If I skip one lunch break exercise I'll find an excuse the next and so on. As for the healthy eating. Again just lasted a week so far and I really miss my chocolate and crisps. Wonder when I cave. But saying that I still smoke a few rollies and enjoy my drink on the weekend so not all that good.

DETERMINED. There you go, mind is set.

P.S. I think petrol always came under required travel cost (if used wisely and efficiently) and didn't count as you have to go to work and some don't have the choice to walk/cycle.

mothernerd

Big hugs for all turtles.

Had a financial crisis last month as my figures didn't add up (since November the only money I can count on is £53-35 a week, that's the new figure it was less than that). Still paying bills on two houses until the other one sells, so filled in a Stepchange form. Was on the brink of going back to process the form (was the time of no internet so had to keep doing bits at the library) but changed my mind.

I have moved nearly £5000 of the debt onto a 0% card for a year (gave me the credit increase a few months ago but wouldn't allow balance transfers then). This means that some of what I pay will actually reduce the debt rather than disappearing in interest payments (will take a while to show as I have fees on top of the existing debt). DS3 now qualifies for WTC so is going to pay that to me for his 'keep' and use earnings from games sales and commissions to pay down his student overdraft. Should be enough income to keep us afloat and have paid another £100 off the debt.

After nearly a month of rubbish service DS3 made them send us an engineer and we got the internet back and then he phoned them again to claim a rebate (as suggested by one of the managers). Between myself, DS2 and DS3 we got the boiler working without calling anyone out, so hot baths to celebrate.

I was frustrated at the lack of physical improvement last month but am now back to celebrating what I can do and ignoring the things I can't. I have started walking outside without crutches and am more flexible. I still get tired easily, can't kneel or get on the ground (those skirting boards will just have to wait for me).

DS2 moved again (the woman he was renting a room from has moved her bf in) so reclaimed his washer and my old fridge freezer plus lots of bits. Kitchen will look much better (still have to put back all the things I moved to make a clear path through) and the equipment I was lent for post-op use should be collected soon.

I've budgeted £100 for food (hoping it will be less) and have spent £28.93 last week on stocking up. I have £20 for extras - this is the guilt free treat money but considering my small income £20 is an enormous sum so will be using it for any bus fares/ extras as well (new toilet seat last month).

De-cluttering is going well. I tried to do the one month challenge (give away one thing on day one, 2 on day 2 etc). Only made it to day 26 but that is 351 things gone.

My weight needs attention (strange bulges all over my stomach). I was hoping to blame the weight of the armour but probably resorting too often to little treats to get me through no money, no internet, no hot water (really felt like a failure ).

There are 30 weeks left in this year (probably 31 but we are allowed a little holiday break) and even 1lb a week loss should make a big difference so time to start saying no and embracing the salad and all things healthy. Need to run down the tall freezer (lots of fish and veg) so I can look what is behind it (under the stairs).

There are lots of things I need to work on but I'm so glad to be back with my turtles.

Calling14

Thanks Thrifty don't feel so guilty now.

Petrol could walk to work but uphill walk home and collect grandson he wouldn't be able to manage it. So will lose a SFD tomorrow.

Might give up on the saving for Xmas noticed someone off here has and to be honest, don't spend that much on pressies and throw the cash at debts instead.

Welcome back Mothernerd to the fold. Laughing at tummy folds not hidden by armour. I need to get healthy too.

apple_muncher

wishus - sometimes I think we just have to let the bleakness wash over us, as we can't force it away. Hope it goes soon x

Welcome Tete - do stay! And welcome back mothernerd - you've had a rollercoaster of a month of May/year. Your decluttering for May was AWESOME. Good luck with al the exercise, thrifty. And Calling - hope you don't get blown away in the wind...

shyspender

This is the pic I wanted to post earlier!

I think it is perfect for us, I don't like the new slightly harsher version of the TNMT's.

So it's day one and we are officially off and running! It looks like we are all getting prepped and ready to do battle.

I've just reconciled May and set my budgets for June. I'll get them in my signature at some point, maybe. I didn't fail May but I did stop keeping track. I set my budgets high again because OH was still with me for a week or two but since she left I've barely spent a thing.

Scaled the budgets down for June but they may need tweaking still a little. Sadly got a funeral to cater for, but I don't know the details yet. I think it will only affect my fuel budget but I might do a night in a hotel for the wake etc.