NST March TURTLES ARE TOUGH

mothernerd

NST MARCH

TURTLES ARE TOUGH

:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j:j

March starts with Mother's Day (6th) and ends with Easter (GF 25th) and then there's also the 17th. Some of you will have holidays booked (please feel free to join the challenge suitably adjusted). Have you extra childcare needs/ expenditure? Food budgets may need to be adjusted if people normally eat elsewhere. School holidays should include as many free/ low cost treats as possible (for adults as well). I mention it now as some events have limited numbers. However otherwise it is

Time to get tough. Time to get serious. Time to stop procrastinating. What have you been putting off? What have you been avoiding? Are there any areas where you are falling down?

U will avoid coffee shops, pie shops, sandwich bars, vending machines, canteens and takeaways

Reduce your food budget by 1/15th (divide this month's budget by 15 and take one off). This means that those with large family budgets reduce by the same amount as lone turtles.

The challenge runs from 1st March to midnight on the 31st March.

Lunchto work every day. Also to appointments/ other regular activities and if possible on outings.

Exercise. 4 x 30 minutes a week. Please exercise with caution if you have been ill. Break it down into 10 minutes sessions if you need to. Those who already have more developed regimes, continue as usual.

Savings or debt repayments come first. live on what is left over.

Audit your cupboards, fridge and freezer and meal plan before going shopping. Make a meal using something that has been in the cupboard for a while.

Review your annual budget. Next year's Council tax and Water bills will be arriving. The big energy switch has just taken place. These bills have greater impact on those on lower incomes but everyone needs to factor them in (don't go overdrawn). Are all your renewal dates in your diary so you can compare ahead of time? Are there any annual/ occasional expenses which you tend to forget?

Eat Well. Give your brain and body the fuel they need to do their jobs. Eat more veg to boost your immune system - particularly important for those who have been ill recently. Remember the standard portion of meat should be approximately the size of a small matchbox.

Tough. This is my aim this March. Deviations from the rules may be questioned. Alternatives will be suggested. This means that I must be tougher on myself then on you as to do less would be hypocritical. If you are putting yourself on the naughty step could you take a duster or wet cloth and give it a wipe when you are there as I am still finding it difficult to reach?

Others as ourselves Donate to a food bank or charity of your choice (time, goods or money). Someone somewhere is worse off than you.

U will aim for 16 Spend Free Days. Remember this is to help stop impulse spending, the 'went in for two things and came out with a basketful' syndrome. Also helps with small spends which can become expensive habits. A small chocolate bar won't kill you but when you get to 11 am and you are expecting that chocolate bar (and then eating tit without any awareness). If you prefer to chart your spending in line with your budget (ie half way through the month/ less than 1/2 spent) this is fine.

Get ready. the clocks change at the month end. Spring is officially upon us. Time to get fit - physically, mentally and moneywise.

Home. This will be my main focus for March, making up for years of neglect and patching up.I would like you to make up a 'snag list'. Go round your house one room at a time and list all the jobs that need doing. You can add 'niggly' jobs if you like - the drawer that never gets sorted. Sort into things you can tackle (or think of ways to tackle them) and those you might have to pay for. Start with the no cost ones. If it's something that would take less than 5 minutes, just do it (you are allowed to put it on the list and tick it off afterwards - I know how satisfying that can be).

So are you tough enough for March?

mothernerd

Reserved for Contenders

1 Mothernerd
2 Fmess
3 Calling 14
4 apple muncher
5 misstara
6 dolly84
7 XSpender
8 Stewby
9 Bobarella
10 angelicious
11 crazy cat lady
12 clippy girl
13 *snow*white*
14 LINKYPIE2009
15 nannygladys
16 Eager Elephant
17 FunBrum
18 greent
19 doingitanyway

stewby

Hi mothernerd.

Hoping to get back on track in March. We are possibly having a massive financial rejig in order to sort out our money.

The only one we might struggle with is reducing the food budget. We have been overspending on our food budget for a couple of months now. Once we have sorted out our finances, we plan to increase our food budget by £20 each (bringing us up to £160 a month).
I hope this is okay, If not then I will cheer from the sidelines for the month as I don't want to break rules.
If I can still participate then could I have number 8 if possible??
:undecided

All other rules shouldn't be a problem.

Fmess

Me please, thanks for running it mothernerd

Calling14

Count me in Mothernerd armed with a duster for cleaning cobwebs off naughty step.

I promise to be a tough turtle and try my hardest. feel as if I am taking Bownie Promise here and warning never made it to Guides !

Great challenge need to do so much with house, fence, sort leaks and then re decorate. Would be nice to get done before summer so I can just laze with my G & T on my sun lounger.

I haven't done a big food shop( home delivery) one since xmas so may do one at the end of March. Hopefully see if I can hang on till April.

Fab challenge Mothernerd as ever.

apple_muncher

Me too please!

Thank you.

mothernerd

stewby wrote: »

Hi mothernerd.

The only one we might struggle with is reducing the food budget. We have been overspending on our food budget for a couple of months now. Once we have sorted out our finances, we plan to increase our food budget by £20 each (bringing us up to £160 a month).

:undecided

All other rules shouldn't be a problem.

This is fine Stewby - your financial re-jig sounds like reviewing your annual budget and if you have been having problems with the food budget then it's sensible to sort it now rather than failing each month because it isn't adequate.

If anyone has a problem with a particular rule and declares it at the start, I will consider it as long as it is reasonable. I am going to try being more like Kat when people break the rules, but that means that I have to be very very good.

misstara

Thanks mothernerd, sign me up please

Fmess

Looking forward to you being like Kat mothernerd! Feel free to be strict with me, I need it!

dolly84

Thanks for the new challenge mothernerd, please count me in,

XSpender

Count me in for March please mothernerd.

Thank you