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

misstara

Calling - I hope your sciatica is better today.

Westie - congrats on getting to 20 NSDs.

Fab news on everyone's debt repayments for the month and I just wanted to add a huge thanks for this challenge - tomorrow I will hit my stretch target and still have my monthly pay plus another pay from 2nd job before the end of the month so will be able to pay a bit more - without this challenge I wouldn't have pushed myself to pay so much.

So yesterday was a NSD 14/20 and today should be one too. I've made a small payment of £4.24 to the debt today and will make another payment tomorrow once I get paid from 2nd job.

dolly84

Bob - well done on your debt repayments - you are doing so well.

Fmess- good news about your car.

The Only Girl - good that you and your DH are on the same wave length, that makes this whole process so much easier.

I did the grocery shop last night, went to Lidl. We haven't been there in ages, we got everything we wanted apart from a couple of items and came in £15 under budget, plus we were in and out so quickly compared to other stores.

Today I am taking some shoes back to Asda but buying some shorts instead (should still get some money back though) then DD is going for a haircut, it's just a dry cut so not an expensive one.

Weather here was awful yesterday - rained most of the day. We are hoping for better today.

I will be having several beach days (fingers crossed) soon and am hoping the temperature warms up.

academiablues

Hi turtles! The Only Girl, great about the lunches - like Bob says, you could put that money in a jar and spend it on something really memorable (more memorable than a soggy sandwich, but maybe that's just where I work!! )
SFD today - got the Mr T shop coming later though (I'm unreasonably excited about this, or so my OH says - I'm just looking forward to the batch cooking!). Saved £16 off a £60 shop and hoping it will keep us going well into August. Haven't had a beach day but then there aren't many beaches up here - have been doing more walking outside though, to try to get my vitamin D levels up hope everyone's had a good Thursday - one more until the weekend (although I know some turtles don't stop)!

WelshKitty85

Hi everyone!

Today has been a spend day. Went to ald! first thing to stock up on school uniforms - £15 on top of what I have had to pay for the official jumper and ties is not too bad for 2 children. Only need shoes now but will wait until the end of the hols for those as little feet are bound to grow in the next 5 weeks!

Went to a dinosaur activity day in the shopping centre. Was all free and the littles ones met a 'real' dino, got glitter tattoos, made masks and coloured pictures, all for free!

Spent £20 in the butchers and got a big bag full of chicken, mince, sausages, bacon, pork chops, burgers... Made a big batch of bolognaise when I got home and have frozen it into 3 seperate portions. So, that's at least 3 nights that we will just need to boil the pasta and heat the bolognaise. Surely dh can manage that?!

Have had a provisional booking for my business and am just waiting for the deposit to be paid before it is confirmed. The booking is worth £50, but hopefully it will also be another advertising opportunity.

Bobarella

MissTara - Good for you! You sound like you have done really well this month to have that much still in the pot. Well done!

Dolly - Thank you, which beach will you be going to? As in what area? We used to go to the beaches in Kent a lot. Whitstable, Herne Bay, sometimes further afield Folkstone, Minnis Bay, Broadstairs. Happy days!

Academia - Whats on the batch cooking list for this time around?

Slow days trade, but had a really good conversation with a local Mum who I'd answered a post by on our local forum. She came to see the space & have a chat and a coffee. She did seem fairly keen, but I didnt hard sell it. She'll either go for it or not. If it comes off thats £100 deposit to come in....

My lovely old 92 year old customer came in for tea and cake this afternoon, bless her she is a real sweetie. She insisted on leaving me a 55p tip, for my little boy to have a treat

Not much to report other than that. I am planning a 3 day mini financial fast for the 3 days my family are gone. It will be so much easier without a child nagging me for sweets, a husband who needs travel card money, & all the costs a family has over 3 days, food mainly. As I work in a cafe (free food) & cycle to work anyway, I think I can make quite a difference. And as they are going to my OHs family, who always have loads of food in, and tend to favour days in their big garden, or walks on the beach for free, I wont be worrying about them blowing the budget in the mean time! I dont think I have been alone in several years so I cannot wait! Mean Mum/wife

Bob

Edit to say - We cross posted WelshKitty - Thats fantastic news about a booking already! Your business idea must be just the ticket! Sounds a great meat haul for £20 as well, and great batch cooking.

Fmess

Evening all,


Bob - sounds like your 3 days break will be a good chance for you to recharge your batteries.


welshkitty - that is an amazing amount of meat from the butchers!


Today has been another SFD :j and LTW :j Tomorrow is payday so should be transferring some more towards the debt, although technically its the start of my next financial month so I won't count that towards this target, but anything left over from this months pay, will count (if that makes sense).


Tomorrow is a day off from the summer job but will be a spendy day as the youngest dog is going to the vets for his op, to prevent unwanted puppies, I will do the food shop and my sister and I are going to share a takeaway for tea (haven't had one since the split nearly 2 months ago!).


Hope you've all had a good day

academiablues

Bob, this month it's butternut squash and spinach lasagne (will prep the inner bit and just make the lasagne up when I need to), chicken gumbo (with chicken and gammon), chicken pie mix, vegetable chilli, stew and dumplings, nasi goreng (some kind of fried rice with peanut butter and veg) and some pasties made with whatever veg is left over. This is a HUGE batch cook, and I am very excited/scared that the freezer will burst! Should last us a long time though
Everyone is doing so well towards their targets this month, I'm really proud of us all!

abundant1972

Last minte check in for today...

Seems people are surmounting the odds and still achieving their goals and targets by and large.

Wednesday was a Spend Day, but bagged a SFD today = number 13. Will try and make a concerted effort to do better...

I always find the second half of the month harder... funds dwindle because I overspend in the first half... I need to work on this... Any tips. I try envelopes... but then i see a bargain and overbuy. I need to be stronger.

Anyway - off to bed. Determined to get another SFD tommoz xxx

mothernerd

SFD yesterday and today. Thank you for being kind about my clothes spending. I did intend making myself new clothes (when I lose weight). However the sum total of things 'I am going to/ need to do' seems to be growing exponentially.

I meant to go to the other house to tackle the garden/ cleaning/ diy (another increasing list) but although I bathed and got dressed I fell asleep again. Slept most of yesterday and still slept better than usual last night but apparently I am not all sleeped out. I am not going to beat myself up as last week after the walk to hospital I struggled to do things and got very cross with myself - not productive at all. Must go back to noting when I do things as forget what I have done and then feel I have done nothing at the end of the day.

Did do lots of stairs on Tuesday in addition to the walking. I have checked a cc bill (and asked DS3 to check if his WTC payment has gone in - so I can pay some more off - done).

Today I am grateful for food in the fridge and freezer (still 1 portion of veg chilli, 2 veg curry and 2 veg lasagne), the little bushes in my garden and the library.

dolly84

Pay day today. Everything is calculated and I will report back later with what went where.

Bob - we are going up north for our beach break (further north than I already am) I doubt it will be bikini weather, the weather during the 6 week holidays has been disappointing for several years now.

academia - I hate batch cooking but do it because it is so worth it later.

Welshkitty - well done at the butchers, whenever I go to the butcher it is always so expensive.