NST July - Own your choices

Bobarella

dizzyblnd wrote: »

Hello turtles. Scored myself my first nsd of July. Woohoo! I'm aiming for 15 this month as last months aim of 20 was far fetched. So 1/15. Took lunch to work n other than that tried to stay away from the rain. I swear it's rained for months on end. Where is the summer sunshine???

Its nice here today at the moment. But the weather has been very unreliable hasnt it.

Bobarella

Eager Elephant hope you feel better soon. That sounds horrible.

Julie Glad you got a free feed. The hair thing is more of an example of something we habitually spend on that potentially could be done at home.

apple_muncher

Thank you for the coffee, bob - currently on cup #2 of black hobtop brewed loveliness!

clippy_girl

Here are my goals for the month!

1. This month I want you to have a good think about what your biggest financial failing is.

Like others have said, wasting money on food. My two biggest downfall areas- ignoring the healthy snacks I have and buying sweets/cakes/chocolate from the shop at work or the corner shop and also buying pizzas or chips from the chip shop as I don't fancy what I have in.
The is needs to stop. I am going to leave my purse at home during the day (just take planned spends money). I am also going to ensure I only batch cook meals I really love.

2. This month I want you to set your own NSD target, but would hope for most to say 5 or higher.

I will aim for 15 NSD

3. We are 6 months till the end of the year now. What decisions did you make back in January and how have you done with them so far? If you've gone off the rails, tell us now how you plan to sort it out. No more vague hopes for better futures the way to success is tight organised planning.

I planned to loose weight and get fitter. See point 1 as to how that has gone! I am doing sugar free July (only having natural sugar and alcohol). Also aiming to go to the gym 3 or 4 times per week (I am paying but not going!). I aim to loose 8 lbs in July and to continue trying for 2 lbs per week until it's gone.

4. Most of us have an idea of what perfection looks like. Dont be scared to visualise what that is for you. Tell your fellow turtles what you want from the future and how amazing it will be!

I would like to be very happy with my house (just need to do kitchen), be at my ideal weight and feel a lot healthier/fitter. I would also like to find a man!

5. Choose to get active. Can you leave the car at home completely and cycle or walk to work? A lot of our behaviour is habitual so challenge those negative reasons for not choosing a more active life. Worried you will be late? Set the alarm 30 mins earlier.

I have two days per week where I cannot park at work. If I can I work at home but I usually have to go in. I now walk to work on those days (approx 45 mins each way). Was very surprised when checking fitbit how many calories it burns! I tend to walk everywhere I can anyway as parking round here is scarce and extortionate!

6. Consider doing more for yourself. Do you need to pay £10 an hour for a cleaner when taking up a Flylady routine will mean your house is clean and you get a free work out. Or why not consider cutting your partner or kids hair with clippers & putting the saving to debt?

I do everything myself at the moment but will shortly be getting a window cleaner. I have massive sash style windows and the rod thing I bought from Aldi is not doing a good job!

7. Report in daily with your updates and tips for others. Cat hit gold with her frugal daily frugal tips idea so do keep those coming if you have them.

Will do!

8. Choose kindness. There are many people out there who need our kindness. Find ways throughout the month to make those around you happier some how.

Will do!

clippy_girl

Morning all,

First check in from me!
Yesterday was going well, had no sugar or spends. Unfortunately I then bought a DVD as I just finished series 1 of Chicago PD and am recording the 3rd season but season 2 is not on box sets. Spent £11 but will resell once watched (naughty clippy )

Today will also not be a NSD as doing my weekly shop, need a kickboard for my new fence panel and also need to pick up a cheap black out blind as my eye mask is not cutting it!

I get paid on the 19th and budget for my food in cash. There is just me and I budget £140. No idea what I really spend as I buy non food items like sun tan lotion, buy breakfast and toiletries and flowers for my airbnb guests and then buy all my junk from my 'spends' rather than food budget. I also dip into the food budget if I'm short for other things. So this month I am going to keep a log of all grocery shopping and also how much of that is on my airbnb stuff. I also need to repay the food kitty if I buy non grocery items. I have about £60 in there so that should more than last until payday.

I also have about £60 left in my personal spends. need to keep spends to a minimum as i have a hen do day out the weekend before payday. I don't think this will be enough as I also need to pay for the train. May to have advance myself a little bit as I overspent at the beginning of the month due to poor planning

Hope everyone has a lovely day, I am off to the gym now for body combat class to get my workout out the way. Will have a swim and sauna as well

TrushTush

1. This month I want you to have a good think about what your biggest financial failing is. The best way to do this is to go to your bank records and work out what patterns emerge. It might be that you start off with good NSD intentions but fail to plan meals properly and so end up with 5 trips to a supermarket per week instead of 1. Or do you draw money out of the cash machine and then fritter it away with nothing to show for it?
You then need to tell us all here what your weakness is and how you plan to address it.

Our biggest thing is not meal planning and not writing proper lists for when we do go shopping. Far too many top up shops where we don't actually buy the extra things we need. I have set a budget of £300 for the month for groceries and my challenge is also to use up as much of the freezer and cupboards as possible.

2. This month I want you to set your own NSD target, but would hope for most to say 5 or higher.

My NSD target is 10. This is a very high target for us, and I have a pretty good feeling I will not achieve it, but I want it set high so that even if I don't succeed it will still be a big achievement for us!

3. We are 6 months till the end of the year now. What decisions did you make back in January and how have you done with them so far? If you've gone off the rails, tell us now how you plan to sort it out. No more vague hopes for better futures the way to success is tight organised planning.

In Jan we decided to start saving for Christmas, we have £400 saved up now so I am really proud of that, however in other parts we have been really crappy with our money, frittering it away on nothing at all and not clearing our debts as quickly as we could. Which is why I am here now!

4. Most of us have an idea of what perfection looks like. Dont be scared to visualise what that is for you. Tell your fellow turtles what you want from the future and how amazing it will be!

My idea of perfection is no debts other than the mortgage,(and the car lease) which will be higher as we will have bought a new house for our parents. Hopefully we will get there!

5. Choose to get active. Can you leave the car at home completely and cycle or walk to work? A lot of our behaviour is habitual so challenge those negative reasons for not choosing a more active life. Worried you will be late? Set the alarm 30 mins earlier.
I have no choice but to drive to work and school, and that's pretty much my day full. I do need to do some kind of exercise but it's finding the time and opportunity!

6. Consider doing more for yourself. Do you need to pay £10 an hour for a cleaner when taking up a Flylady routine will mean your house is clean and you get a free work out. Or why not consider cutting your partner or kids hair with clippers & putting the saving to debt?
We don't have a cleaner or anything really. I cut my own hair and my daughters whilst she is growing out her pixie cut, can't cut the boys' or husband's hair as they don't just have clipper cuts. Don't really have any other expenses of this type

7. Report in daily with your updates and tips for others. Cat hit gold with her frugal daily frugal tips idea so do keep those coming if you have them.
Ooops, already not doing so well here, but with work, the kids and my degree I will struggle here. I will try to aim to log on e very other day if I can

8. Choose kindness. There are many people out there who need our kindness. Find ways throughout the month to make those around you happier some how.
Yes, I love this. I give to charity and will not be cutting this. We sponsor a little girl in Nepal which I love, but I will endeavour to see what local charity I can support, even if not monetarily

TrushTush

1/7 Update - NSD 0/10
* Weekly shop done: £39.49
* New Mudguards for husbands bike (essential as he cycles to work and his uniform gets too dirty): £6.99
* New Shower curtain hooks as old ones have gone rusty and are staining the curtain: £2.99

2/7 Update NSD 0/10
* Monthly Meat Order: £55
* Pet supplies (dry food; cat litter in bulk): £34.98
* Swimming (husband and kids) £3
* Top Up Grocery shop: £7.37

Fmess

Bobarella wrote: »

Is there any way of bringing down the cost online for the trainers? Have you looked at ebay? But to be honest being comfortable is so important to overall well being that I would spend money on good shoes too.

I searched online and the £57 ones were £3 cheaper on Amazon but couldn't find them cheaper than that as they are a brand new style. I have been to the discount sports retailer (and endured their horrendous customer service) and managed to get a similar but more basic pair of the same type for £39.99. I'm taking that as a kind of success as its roughly a third cheaper. I looked online and could get others for another £5 cheaper but as my feet are so oddly shaped, I didn't want to risk it. They are the most comfy shows I have ever put on (except the ones yesterday which were even better) and have memory foam insides I will however keep an eye on ebay for the pair I found first and see if I can find any that someone else doesn't want I can see I'll be wearing these every second that I don't have to wear my work shoes


I'll be back later to do my start of the month update but got to carry on with the marking for a few more hours first.

Florence_J

Not a NSD, we're having a BBQ today (it is finally sunny, yey) so spent 8.72 on BBQ things and a few things for the house, made 90p back on my shopping through shopitize.

Tip for the day, stockpiling is definitely a good thing to do, as long as you aren't doing it because you have a shopping compulsion. There's a fine line between buying something because it's cheap to save money in the long run, and buying because you like buying things. I have to remind myself to be more of the former and less of the later.

XSpender

I have caught DS cold and did not post last night as was chilling out and reading my book. Here are my goals for the month:

1. Financial Failings

I have 2 financial failings, overspending on food/supermarket and not saving enough.

I have simplified my budget so that all supermarket spends come out of my £100/week budget. This is for everything except clothing and if we buy anything at the supermarket classed as personal spends. I have also started on-line shopping again to help stick to the budget as it is the popping to the shop for a beer and something for tea because we are tired or I am late home that sends us over budget.

According to the budget we do have enough room to put a reasonable amount away each month but often it gets spent. Now we have moved and the mortgage is much bigger DH is focussed on saving a large emergency fund, something he hasn’t been interested in doing before as we could manage OK on one income. I have a SO in place for part of the budgeted amount and will use YNAB to keep tabs on the rest.

2. This month I want you to set your own NSD target, but would hope for most to say 5 or higher.

I managed 7 last month after 2 weeks of daily spending with the house move. Will aim for 10 this month.

3. We are 6 months till the end of the year now. What decisions did you make back in January and how have you done with them so far? If you've gone off the rails, tell us now how you plan to sort it out. No more vague hopes for better futures the way to success is tight organised planning.

We had planned to move but I didn’t expect to have built up some unsecured debt again! Our first priority is building up the emergency fund (30% there) and then snowball the 3 smallest debts.

I had also planned to run in a lot more events but having got out of the habit for the first 6 months of this year this hasn’t happened. I have a half marathon and a 10 mile trail run before the end of the year and the training will get me back on track.

4. Most of us have an idea of what perfection looks like. Don’t be scared to visualise what that is for you. Tell your fellow turtles what you want from the future and how amazing it will be!

I want financial security with a good emergency fund, no debt and to have cleared my new mortgage in 10 years instead of 20.

I want to change my diet to eat clean and more plant based meals and run on a regular basis. I ran for 6 months last year, stopped for 6 months and am getting back to it again.

I would also like us to change our lifestyle as a family which is already beginning to happen having moved to a new location. We will do more activities as a family and see more of our friends.

5. Choose to get active. Can you leave the car at home completely and cycle or walk to work? A lot of our behaviour is habitual so challenge those negative reasons for not choosing a more active life. Worried you will be late? Set the alarm 30 mins earlier.

I am training for a run in 10 weeks’ time! I also commit to walking the pooch every day I am at home. I may also look into taking the yoga class I used to do a couple of years ago on the weeks I am at home on that day.

6. Consider doing more for yourself.

I could wash my car myself rather than paying for the car wash though when possible. It is a co car and has to be clean all the time. Also, ensuring that I make DH lunch and not someone else at a fiver a go would certainly help our budget.

7. Report in daily with your updates and tips for others. Cat hit gold with her frugal daily frugal tips idea so do keep those coming if you have them.

Will check in daily and will share anything that may be useful to someone.

8. Choose kindness. There are many people out there who need our kindness. Find ways throughout the month to make those around you happier somehow.

Will put some thought into this.