NST: December 2016: A pared back Christmas

dolly84

WantToBeSE - our local hospital has it's own charity specifically for cancer patients in our area so maybe yours has something similar.

Toni'sfriend - have a lovely holiday you lucky thing.

We are making our charity donation to a local animal shelter, not one of the big ones just a teeny one run by two lovely ladies. I will drop off a card with the cash and a treat for the ladies on Saturday.

abundant1972

Happy 01st December!!!

Lovely post stoplurking - and yes - I have fond memories of our time on the NSK threads! As you say - the spirit of those threads has been admirably carried forward by the turtles who all do an amazing job!

So it's great to be back on board again. I hold myself up as a prime example of someone who got debt free then slowly bad habits crept in... Luckily - my now in-built debt-o-meter :eek: kicked in (albeit a little late haha) and I rejoined to help me blast that debt into oblivion!

So I have some on a credit card to clear (at 0%) and so I am adopting the frugal lifestyle to bring myself back into balance! I loved the military style option from last month and as I don't really celebrate Christmas, December is kind of a normal month... So... Without further a-do...

NSD Target 22
Grocery Budget £80.00
Spends £20.00

I've not included my regular spends like gym and fuel as they're already accounted for. I've got some food in my cupboards and freezer so I'm using this up at the moment... (mmmm... fish AGAIN for dinner!!! I can hardly wait haha!). This is going to be a real challenge as my food spends this year have been crazy! So much so I earned £42 in Tesco clubcard vouchers!!! They've got a year on them date wise so I can use as an emergency.

Today = NSD number 1

December here we come!!! Fight that Christmas commercialism and be creative! Batch cook and be prepared.

:T

indigowarrior

I did it. No money spent. My bank will be wondering whats up with me haha

mothernerd

A pared back Christmas.

My Christmas is fairly pared back already but will have a go. Have had a little chat with DS3 and Beloved. Beloved has been invited to her parents for Christmas and is going but only on the 23rd and not staying long. DS3 will not be going - he is staying here to be chinchilla daddy (was very indignant when I suggested Beloved gave me the feeding instructions as well). DS3 will probably be sulking or skyping whilst she is gone so I can please myself.

DS2 still has my decorations so decorating will wait - I have asked if they want a tree in their room (I have two willow wigwams for growing peas up and use these as my 'Christmas trees'). Will try to build some new traditions in starting this year (may make them a first Christmas together/ in new home decoration) but they are already planning cinema visits etc. DS3 surprised me by playing 'Wish it could be Christmas Every Day' at 10 minutes past midnight. He had set his alarm for midnight but it didn't go off. Getting his retaliation in first as I am addicted to Christmas songs and music of all types (Carols/ Nat King Cole/ theme to Donnie Darko) and he frequently complains - I have a dreadful voice and am not allowed to 'sing along' but who can resist The Pogues).

I have offered beloved use of my ribbon, gift wrap and Christmas cards (I have enough cards for approx 5 years and no use buying double and then needing to store it all year). :money:tip - when the children were younger I would buy some Christmas wrap and some 'neutral' (craft paper in plain bright colours but also spots and stripes) to mix with it. The neutral paper could be used to wrap birthday gifts all year. When they were very small I would iron out all the large pieces of gift wrap to re-use.:rotfl:

DS2 is also short of money so have told him not to buy expensive gifts for anyone, then amended it to not buying gifts. Will offer him Cards when he visits (no point him spending cash on things I have).

I have already had one invitation. DS1 wanted me, my mum and her partner to visit him for a meal but when I explained the ramifications of various illnesses he switched to cooking a meal and taking it to mum and her partner. I negotiated for the 2 dates he had given me but we have now changed back to my suggestion of waiting until January in the hope that mum and I will be feeling 'better'.

I spent last Christmas dishing out pills, soup and sandwiches to a very poorly mum, 'sleeping' (until her partner got up at 4am and put the light on) on the bed settee and then taking a taxi on Boxing Day so the people buying my old house could measure up. Anything has to be an improvement on that.

Budgets and Targets

NSDs - aiming for 20, hoping for more. Do not want to shop so a battle between need and desire.

Food - will leave at last month's £80 and trying to stay under £60. Can squeeze a few more meals out of the fridge and freezer but have no fresh fruit and only one onion, a cabbage and a past it's best celery. Will try to eat healthily and buy ys veg to base my meals upon. I have a ys 1/2 leg of lamb. Would like a turkey crown and some prawns (may leave those for my birthday) but will allow myself duck rolls, breaded mushrooms and blackcurrant cheesecake as Christmas treats. Planning a baking session.

Travel - I have put this back up to £20. Following last night's slip-up ( lovely purple bruising down my left side - there goes my chances of 'pulling' at the office Christmas party:rotfl:) all plans are being revised. The Christmas cards will not be going out this weekend for starters. Will probably need a few bus hops but may wait and buy a week long ticket and combine card and present deliveries plus the cemetery and crematorium visits (maybe go and look at the Christmas Continental market?).

Christmas Presents. I am allowing £100. I have spent a little bit but not counting that (already included in regular spending). I have bought toiletries for mum (consumables as requested) but have passed these on during the year if she had run out of something. Have a couple to wrap up plus a shovel (do you know how hard it is to buy a coal shovel these days - mum couldn't understand why the 'girls' kept bringing plastic dustpans).

Main expenditure will be a super king size duvet and cover for DS3 and Beloved. Duvet will be £27/ £36/ £55 depending on which one I buy. Quilt cover has yet to be located. Will also buy him some socks (his request, special purchase as he needs size 13-15) and chocolate and see if I am allowed to buy a little something for her - has been forbidden so far (google Sheldon/ presents/ spock dna for full explanation but extend to families gift giving). Not planning to buy for other sons and will ask them not to get me anything. Will try to include and purchases for cemetary in this or the food budget (or make something - red velvet poinsettas maybe?).

Think (as of one month ago) I have finally got mum to agree not to buy 'something to unwrap' for me. She gives us money but then buys bits (usually from Church events/ old lady catalogues/ some secret place that sells all this tat). I offered to wrap her presents last year (had done it for the 2 previous years) and she kept saying it was okay. Cue December 23rd and frantic wrapping of piles of undescribable tat for myself and my brother, brother's ex-wife (raffle prize), my dead brother's ex gf (ex as of 3 years before he died), her lodger and the lodger's daughter. Had to wrap up 'my' present with my eyes closed and then wait to wake up my brother and doing a midnight run to deliver presents and outstanding cards. Will check and get that done early, if required.

Donations - I will give another 12 items to the food bank (reverse advent calendar) and am also planning to send chickens or a goat to Africa via Oxfam, probably from my Christmas gift money. I am making some things for other people at crafts to give to others (baby gifts) and am going to give some things to the centre (where the counselling and the craft session happen amongst a lot of other things) to use for fundraising. If other people at crafts give me cards I will give hand made ones in return and may give them little hand made gifts as well (don't want to embarrass anyone by 'over-giving'.

So using what we have, making as much as we can, 'no gift' pacts where ever possible. I have candles (halves of big ones left from last year), music, lots of books to read, snowman kitchen roll - what else could I possibly need.

Today I am grateful that the extra weight I am carrying probably prevented broken bones/ damage to internal organs when I fell yesterday, that DS3 has decide to embrace my love of Christmas music and that Beloved is letting me share her advent calendar (well known candle people).

Sorry for mega post.

ilovetea

1st.December,1st NSD.:j
Going for 15 this month.
Have cancelled going to staff Christmas night out.Menu didn't look very exciting.
Charity. I work a couple of shifts at the local hospice shop.Friends funeral wants donations to the Heart Foundation rather than flowers. I'll also be sending a donation to the Donkey Sanctuary.
Put money inti savings. Pension goes into the bank every fortnight so it makes budgeting a bit difficult at times,but I've got the hang of it
Not sure what I'll be spending on Christmas groceries yet.Usually go away to family but this year stopping at home,so might push the boat out and get some tasty treats
Have asked people what they would like for Christmas,but nobody has any ideas.Think vouchers will be ordered.
Do shop locally when I can. Only have a greengrocer/florist/butcher.all under one roof. Not counting the c0-Op.
Toni'sfriend. have a good holiday.Pretty cold up here so pack your thermals!
ilovetea xx

swimminginaseaofdebt

Evening everyone,

A bit of a spendy start to the month for me. £3.50 to the supermarket and £10 for a space at a Christmas party for the little one.

Signed up for two supermarket mystery shops to be completed Mon/Tue. Both are a little out the way but I have a bus pass that’ll take me there, the fees will total £16 plus I’ll get reimbursed for £6 of groceries (or equivalent) so couldn’t really say no. All the little amounts help me chip away at the debt.

On the downside I spent over an hour completing four surveys on swagbucks only for error messages to come up on the last page meaning I didn’t get my SBs.

Fmess

I'll do a full budget post tomorrow but today was a spendy day. Night all

lcc86

Okay so here goes:

Set your own NSD target of 12 or more. - aiming for 15
Make a donation to a charity close to your heart… or an equivalent value of your time if more appropriate for you. - the day I signed up to this challenge I got a letter through for the Sally army so going to take that as a sign and donate to them
Pay to your debt/savings first. - done on payday, which was Monday
Work out what you expect to spend on Christmas and then knock £20 off this. - budget was originally £300 so I'll budget £280 but expect to come in well under this
Turn down at least one festive invitation and work out what you have saved in doing so. - I've had 3 invites which I accepted months ago so won't turn any of these down, but any further ones I will
Spend responsibly, think about small local businesses, charitable/ethical organisations etc rather than lining the pockets of big organisations who care about no-one. - went to a local tea room today to treat my ma, will bear this in mind for any future spends
Try to get partners/family on board and do something free and fun together. - not sure if I'll ever get OH on board but I'll try!
Set your grocery budget including any festive extras. Try to come in £20 under it. my grocery budget is £220 for the month - £60 spent so far. I REALLY struggle with this every month but will try!!!

I won't get a NSD for the first three days of the month as I have 3 social events planned which were already pre-planned. Will check back in once I have more progress.

Eager_Elephant

NSD – I will aim for 15 this month

Donation – I will donate to a Bull Breed Rescue

Debt/Savings – all debts paid by DD. Savings are moved manually and will do tomorrow.

Xmas Budget :santa2:– Xmas is usually about £400 for presents and then my kids have December birthdays – we usually spend about £350 each. Will reduce Xmas presents by £20

Invitations _party_– I have a work party on Saturday, this has all been paid for and as I am driving will be soft drinks only so either free (boss does a tab) or cheap. I have a team xmas meal next week which has just been organised so will cost about £30.
Relative has his sheltered accommodation xmas party next weekend and he has invited us and will pay so will be free.
If anything else comes in I will decline.

Spend responsibly – I use the local greengrocers for all my xmas fruit and veg. I don’t really do gifts for family – usually something cheap like socks and a scratchcard. Gifts for the children are usually clothes, trainers or computer related.

Grocery budget – I still keep the same budget of £350 for December. We rear our own turkeys so that’s one big expense we don’t have plus we have pork/gammon and chickens in the freezer already. Fruit and veg will be about £50 but will last into January. Mainly it is fizzy drink and some crisps I will need to get on top of the usual shopping. Xmas desserts have been purchased already and are in the freezer. Will aim for £330.

Posting – will endeavour to post every day.

Eager_Elephant

Reporting in my 1st NSD of December.


Need to get sorted this weekend and get a Xmas list written and get the presents ordered.