NST July - Bobs Bucket & Spade Boogie to the beach!

Bobarella

timetrade wrote: »

Also have made my £800 payment towards my loan, which I'm really happy about.

That is amazing, you must feel great???:rotfl::T:T

Bobarella

The_Only_Girl wrote: »

As Dave Ramsey says, let the friends and family laugh, insult and scorn or think we're strange. Who will have the last laugh when in the end we will end up with a healthier bank balance and they are still broke? He said "Don't even consider keeping up with the Joneses - THEY ARE BROKE!"

Sorry to chop so much of your post, but I just LOVED this part. What a brilliant & motivating sentiment. Thank you. :T:T

academiablues

Hi all feeling a bit flat today, was meant to be going out with OH to a work do but his boss (who was hosting) is ill so not going to happen. Feeling miffed at baking yesterday (and OH buying extra food to take) but we've bunged it all in the freezer to defrost when she's feeling better (otherwise we'll just eat it and then have to buy more!).
In terms of World of the Strange, I've been looking into getting rid of one of our cars for a while Bob. OH now works 2 miles from home, and whilst it wouldn't have been practical when he was 25 miles away, I don't see why I can't drop him off and then drive to work myself (20 miles for me, boo hiss!). I think some people do find roadkill weird, I'm forever picking up pennies! I'm also very careful about presents, particularly smelly stuff - I don't use much of it, so if I get a lot for Christmas/birthday (and it all comes at once for me, as my birthday's in December) I usually keep it wrapped up and save it to give to someone else
Hope all turtles are feeling okay today - not a SFD for me as had to buy a lunch for tomorrow, but made sure it was a YS sandwich (the crisps, alas, were not! )

Bobarella

Sorry you have had a bad day Academia. I think that's a great idea about car 2. You could always do a soft trial of it and keep the 2nd car for a month or two to see how you find it. How much do you think you'd save if you did take that step?

Also great WOTS entry with re gifting. No one else has mentioned that yet. I do that as standard too. I don't think I bought more than 2 or 3 brand new presents for all the class parties my son was invited to this year. He got so much at his party I just passed it all back on I'd estimate a saving of £5 per party for 10+ parties.

mothernerd

Had a lazy day. Put washing out to dry. Spent money as I went to buy more bedding plants (used the remainder of my bucket and spade money and took the rest from the food budget).

Please can you keep your fingers crossed. The lady who viewed the house at 2pm yesterday went back at 5pm with her husband. I couldn't do anything about it as I only received the e-mail today (sent this afternoon but only just turned the computer on). Who knew a posh pot with a geranium stuck in it could make such a difference - well I did because I have had them there before but all the fancy pots got put away in the shed as part of the clearing up process. No reasonable offer refused - I am making a loss on what I bought it for but just want to be debt free (and let mum have her ***** bungalow even if she's going back on what we have supposedly been working towards for the last two years).

Will keep going as I hope to do more cleaning/ gardening / spritzing and bring back some of the things in the shed (easier to move things on the first thing in the morning buses).

Today I am grateful for food (more lovely veg curry and using up slightly odd combos from the fridge), for lovely hot baths to ease my aches and get my joints working again and for improvements in my health (can kick, slide my foot along the floor and a few other new movements).

apple_muncher

We only have 1 car. I work 6 miles away to the right, and dh works 20 miles away to the left and down a bit! He 'lets' me have the car when I work (3 days a week at the mo) and gets a bus and train. And it only takes him 20 mins extra that way (admittedly he goes super early). Whereas if I have to get the buses (up to 4) then it can take me 5x longer than in the car, or 2.5x longer than cycling.

So, on the days I'm not at work, all the errands are done on foot - or on the bus if it is a heavy shop. I try to maintain NSDs when at work, to free up the other 2 days to 'allow' me to spend.

Enough waffling!

Westie983

SFD 9/10...

yipee :-)

misstara

Since I had to get milk today, I got a few other bits we needed - only a small spend though. Have started the meal plan for next week so need to get that finished and a shopping list made up.

Payday today so I put £10 into the emergency fund and paid £16.17 off the debt. I should hit 50% paid off the debt this month

WelshKitty85

Hi everybody!

Sorry, I haven't had chance to read what you have all been up to yet.

Today has been a spend day as it was my graduation. Had a voucher for hairdresser so that was free but gave a £2 tip. Paid £5 to have my make up done in body shop, but for this I now have a discount card, free hand cream and £5 voucher on my birthday. also spent £25 for a take away to celebrate, and £60 for tickets for an event we are taking children to in August.

I am absolutely exhausted now so will have to look at my budgets tomorrow.

Good night all x

The_Only_Girl

dolly84 wrote: »

I'm the same with my children. We see their friends going on flash holidays and having umpteen ipads and iphones per household and I think I'm letting mine down. They are happy though, we go away 4/5 times a year in our caravan and usually once to somewhere else without it, we do loads of outdoorsy things, they are in lots of clubs, DD has a smart phone (I am very anti Apple so she'll not have an iphone), they have games consoles and tablets and tons more.

A lot of children in their school brag about their things and criticise what others have, not a nice trait in children or adults. Neither of mine ever do that they are happy with what they have and have a good sense of the value of money.

Today I have to pay £30 for a trip DD is going on with Guides, it was already budgeted for so that's OK. Yesterday was grocery shopping and the day before I bought some school uniform so not too good on the NSD front but I don't bother too much because it was all planned spends.

DS passed his piano exam, the poor little mite was so nervous he couldn't eat. DD got her SAT's results yesterday and got a Level 6 in everything, she was chuffed to bits but the rest of the girls in her class were very mean to her for the rest of the day, she is used to this and we are hoping when she starts Year 7 it will change, she is going to Grammar school so all the kids should be at a similar level. Downside of going there is they have the most expensive school uniform out of all the schools in our area, it is costing me a fortune.

I am glad I am not alone when it comes to kids and things and experiences, etc. i am lucky that both of my kids are not into brand names and gadgets and materialism in general. It could be tough for them at school coz as you said some of their classmates and friends like to brag about what they have, especially on Christmas, luckily my boys aren't bothered about what people say or think. My son was just telling me about his friends' reaction when he told them he is budgeting his spending money for their school trip to Italy next week and some of his friends thought he is "tight." Some said they don't need to worry about that because when they run out of money their parents will just send them some more. I don't think some children have real concept of money. I think because of the way we do almost everything digitally, money is not a physical concept. Do you know what I mean?

Congratulations on your kids' achievements. You must be very proud of them. :T