NST February Challenge : A Winter Voyage

smallholdingsister

Thank you Abundant, for your wonderful support and attention to detail.

A very frugal month and I can be grateful for
* not getting a job in a place where I'm clearly not meant to work
* wonderful co-workers where I am
* pretty snow today
* bringing back the same number of sixth formers from a trip on Tuesday as I left with
* half term.

Toni'sfriend

Ahoy, Captain Abundant

Great post again. Have started my small emergency fund and am adding to it every week. Should help if any household items need replacing/repairing. My wombling total consists of savings on reduced items, vouchers, discount codes etc. Really just what everybody here does as a matter of course. I thought it might be interesting to see how it all adds up but it does make me think if I can get it cheaper before buying anything or if I really need it. Some people on the wombling thread save massive amounts of money.

Have a great shore leave.

Toni'sfriend

Afternoon Shipmates

Still not a NSD. Bought tomorrow’s lunch and items for Cabin Boy’s lunches as they were reduced. Should have enough to see him through for the rest of the month so hopefully less spending from now on.

Used the first of the chicken at lunch time. Toasted chicken sandwiches – very nice. Menu planned from Monday onwards using everything from the freezers.

So cold here today but still no snow.

Since we’ve all been granted shore leave by the Captain, I’m off to watch the rugby and read my new cookery book.

Today I’m grateful for;

Shore leave
My new cookery book
Warm jammies and fluffy dressing gown

Bobarella

Abundant thank you for the mini challenge, I'm going to put my thinking cap on! No I don't have a B&B, I have a long lease on a venue for hire.

Eager_Elephant

Thanks Abundant for being a fab leader this month and addressing us all individually this month.

EagerElephant – So… You use YNAB too? Is it really good? Your marmalade cakes sound AMAZING <thank you F0xh0les> - please send a shipment up to my quarters before I set sail tomorrow haha! Sausages and marmalade though??? Are you INSANE? Haha! Does that work? Really…? How is the new enforced ‘no evening cooking’ coming along? Has there been strike action yet? I hope the car/washing machine aren’t too costly. Do you have an EF (Emergency Fund) at all for such things? I keep flogging the 3-6month EF thread haha. Come join us! I don’t get commission I promise lol.

I love YNAB - I don't use it exactly as you should as DH and I have separate finances so instead of keeping everything in one account I have 3 main accounts - bills, mine and DH's.


Am hoping to make more cake this weekend - am thinking a marmalade one and also a lemon cake as have some lemons to use up.


I haven't tried marmalade and sausages but I will at some point.


No evening cooking is going well - I am cooking lovely things for me like bacon and eggs, DH has been having hot cross buns (fancy ones I found in M&S on my last spend day) and DD is pretending to starve and had an orange for tea one night and 1 slice of bread the next night (she actually eats when she gets in from school - pancakes (from scratch), cereal, pizzas etc so she is not actually starving!!)


Money is saved each month for different things so I have a car repair account and also a household account which should hopefully cover the bills although I paid the MOT a few months ago so the pot is low - maybe I need to put more in?
I don't have an emergency fund account although I should really but I do have savings accounts for nearly every eventuality because in my eyes the car going wrong is not an emergency but a known risk of being a car owner so should be saved for.
Sorry for the rant everyone but it's just how I see it - I guess the roof blowing off or something like that is an emergency although if I was a home owner I would hopefully be saving for repairs etc like that.


You also mentioned to someone else about saving for new cars - in the past we have panicked when cars have gone completely kaput and either used credit cards or loans. When I replaced my car in Oct 2015 I had about £1.5k in different savings pots and borrowed £2.5k from DH and DS.
As I am trying to be more responsible I have been saving £30pm in to a savings pot called 'Car Replacement' in the hope that when my current car is kaput I will have money saved towards the next one.
I appreciate it is not always easy to do this when you are paying back debt or if you have a low income or high outgoings.

Eager_Elephant

Yesterday was a NSD taking me to 6 so far.


Today has been a spend day as got food shopping in while we were driving through town enroute to my mothers to use her washing machine for our work clothes. Also visited relative so tomorrow we can stay in all day - Yay!!


Tomorrow should be a NSD.


Need to think about some me time before Tues - in the shopping I have got some GF biscuits so I might spend a few hours tomorrow with coffee, biscuits and a good book.


We are not drawn in to Valentines as my F-I-L died on Valentines Day 19 years ago.
We got married later in Feb so in the spirit of MSE all Valentines stuff gets reduced and I buy it for DH who feels super special!!!

mrshubbard

My good intentions went astray on the way home on my break, went to a butty shop my hubby suggested and got charged £8 for 2 butties and a pasty! Annoyed with myself for not being firm and saying I'll come home and make something. Ah well - it goes on my spends budget. Defrosted ys chinese chicken curry ready meal for 1 tonight which I'm bulking up with veggies so it does for 2 with rice & ys naans. Only about 10 ys naans left now. Pondering beans on naans? Uses up 2 things I've got loads of so will give it a whirl

I've just had a chill in the bath and a quick browse on t'internet before going back down to make tea. A nice bit of me time I needed as hubby has spotted today someones hit our car and scraped the bumper & light - not impressed!

3 things I'm grateful for:-

Hot baths
A day off tomorrow
Not needing to do a big weekend shop for a change

greent

Brilliant post, Abundant x

NOT a SFD today - flare sent up and went to Sains for rations - desperately needed milk, so couldn't put it off any longer. Spent £46.50 on them (rations) after discounts/ vouchers - but forgot plain flour - so will have to get some tomorrow now - grrr :mad: Also spent £2 on RN Day wristbands for smalls & £1.15 on household cleaning. Dolphins were thin on the ground - only caught one. Did manage to bag a triple points coupon for next time (when I also have £10 off £50 and shall use a giftcard which I bought at 5% off too) Today's receipt shows I have £78.18 worth of nectar points :T

2 of my ebay sales have gone and a third is ready to go to courier drop off tomorrow, along with a small box for Ziffit. The final ebay sale will go to the PO on Monday morning. Net result after all fees should be around £80 :T

Today I am thankful for:
* heating - we have had it on most of the day at background levels as it is so cold
* Sains discount vouchers
* tasty food for dinner (tacos (not from a kit)) :drool:
x

FurryBeastOz

Just had a post head into the ether. Probably just as well, i was feeling sorry for myself.

Abundant Wow. What a post. Yes I have budgets for Indulgence - me, and Joint indulgence (such as takeaway on Thursday) for us. Along with Eager E I also have monthly pots for 'car repairs, car replacement, household emergency' which I put something into each month and the balance in my real savings account grows by that much. Then I have the monthly budgets - groceries, indulgences, petrol etc. Which begin again each month rather than 'growing' - if there is anything left in these at the end of the month it gets to be 'extra' added to savings.

The Fat bit of the budget has taken a further hammering as the BD is still in residence. CBA to exercise so feel bad, so eat crap, so can't be ar*d to exercise.

So, meal planning today and leaving wallet at home is planned.

On a positive note - done six months worth of clothing repairs watching a rather good game of rugby.

x_raphael_xx

=I clearly can't count, yesterday was I thought was NSD no.5, today my spreadsheet says I'm actually on NSD no. 7 today.

I want to try and get rid of some clutter and try to slim down my possessions as (hopefully) we'll be moving soon, and less carp is less carp to move. I don't want to fill the new place up with rubbish I don't need.
Yesterday I ended up pulling all my clothes out of my wardrobe & chest of drawers and had a huge sort through. I realised I had been holding onto a lot of stuff that doesn't fit or suit me anymore, I'd been keeping it as most of it was fairly new. But I doubt I will ever wear it, even when I slim down again, so I have a huge sportsdirect bag full for donations.
It took me a couple of hours (especially as I broke for tea) but I can actually see into my wardrobe now, and a little weight has gone off my mind.

abundant1972 wrote: »

We are fast approaching the Isle of Aphrodite, and the moon is almost full. A way through the fog has appeared as legend foretold... and we will make the island my morning.

My plans for the next few days are as follows:

It occurred to me that February the 14th - Valentine's Day - has become something of a commercial affair - that encourages us to 'do something' - buy cards and flowers go out for expensive meals - and spend spend spend! I recall as a teenager, an overwhelming need to 'be with someone' by this day or feel a failure... a loner. Needless to say I always was on my own... and it was always a day I dreaded...

A few years ago, I promised myself that I wouldn't put myself through this every year... and I decided to use this day as an occasion to celebrate myself... After all... if I can't love myself... how can I ever expect anyone else to love me...

So - between now and next Tuesday - I would like you to try and set aside some time... a few hours... a whole day... to YOU. By all means, celebrate your marriage, your relationship, your partner... but try and do something that is just for YOU. For many - this may feel self-indulgent... but self-love/kindness is very different from that. This is about nurturing your soul... and recharging your batteries... so that you can go on, refreshed and with a better sense of your own needs - which are every bit as important as the needs of those around you.

1. So find some time...
2. If you set aside £10 - you can use it to treat yourself - guilt free. You don't have to spend anything though.
3. Find some activity that sings to your soul - it could be a hobby, or something you cast aside years ago because you didn't have the time.
4. Rest, relax and give yourself permission to just 'be' in the here and now.
5. Try and put aside your cares for that time. Maybe keep a note book at hand - so if your head does kick in and go into work mode - you can jot it down, and lay it to one side to sort after your break.
6. Try for a hot bath, oils, light a candle, play some music... indulge your senses and pamper yourself...

The Island is a haven. Celebrate the abundance in your life... look at what you have - all the great things and make a list. Look at the people in your life and the relationships that feed and nourish you... congratulate yourselves on all your accomplishments - not just on this forum, but in life as a whole.

You are all amazing - each and every one of you... You deserve this rest.

Captain's orders!!!

I've never been one to need constant reassurance that I am loved by a partner, especially if it's being shown by a piece of unneeded tat.
I only ever celebrated valentines day with my ex as I knew she would get arsey if we didn't prove our love by having a meal out or exchanging cards.
I'm glad my BF is in the same frame of mind as me and we won't even bother with a card. I know he loves me and he shows me everyday with little things like bringing me tea & breakfast in bed etc.
In fact on tuesday I will be assembling a flat packed bedside cabinet for a friend ( I enjoy flat pack, its like a big jigsaw, and she doesn't have a clue)

So instead I will be treating myself to a good few hours of gaming again.

abundant1972 wrote: »

X_Raphael_XX– Hey! You’re a gamer too!!! What game do you play. 8 hours!!! You’re a legend!!! I love fighting dragons as a pastime too - usually Wow, Hearthsetone and Diablo3. I find it a great way to unwind and get away from reality for a bit. My day to day life is full on responsibility and I need that outlet to just let go sometimes. Plus – it’s cheap entertainment!

Cheap if you don't keep buying all the new games luckily I have quite a few to get through.
I love open world RPGs, where you can just zone out and get into the storyline and pretend you're someone else.
I don't actually get a lot of time to play, the xbox gathers dust for a few months, then I have a bout of a couple of days when I will play all day.
I'd like to start playing more regularly, which sounds odd as most people try to play less and give it up! I'd like to try and play an hour ish a day, rather than have a big session. Although the type of games I play you can't really just pick up for a few minutes, as by the time you've sorted your inventory and reminded yourself of the quest you were on, it's time to log off!

abundant1972 wrote: »

AppleMuncher – How is the exercise going this month? I notice you say you do running? I’m hoping to get into it more… outdoor and on a treadmill. Could you recommend any brand of trainers you have found to be good?

I would definitely suggest a trip to a Sweatshop near you, they are very knowledgeable and will show you the best shoe for the type of running you like (I hate off-road & love pavement). A proper pair of running shoes can be expensive, but worth it to look after your feet.