NST February Challenge : A Winter Voyage

greent

Mid month update (just 'cos I'm feeling like doing one )

Plan your shore leave. If you want to meet with friends – log the dates now and don’t deviate once we have set sail.
- Shore leave requested for cinema this weekend (cheap tickets obtained!) for Trainspotting T2, cinema in half term (Batman with smallest greent), Meal out with friends 18th Feb and also a Nearly New Sale 25th Feb - possible bargainous clothes for small greents to be found there - T2 watched. Batman being watched today. Restaurant booked for Saturday - all as planned [*]
Pay your debt repayments first - direct debits set up but money also set aside for extra payment to one on day of DD (messes it up if I do it now) Min£845 to be paid,
- most bills on DD. £24 budgeted for Zumba, £50 for fuel (mine only - OH's covered by expenses), school trips etc £25 (will pay this off summer school trip for DS2 if not used for anything else), Scouts/ Beavers/ CAdets - £15, Toiletries/ medicine/ cleaning stuff £20, Kids items at NNS £25, Haircuts £45 (4 x male), Food £400, Personal spends £150 (may join BodyCoach) - £1845 debt repayment this month - inc repaying OH's PO CC fully. Extra funds now being saved for another extra payment to Sains loan next month. Nothing spent on fuel yet. Zumba £12 so far. £3 so far to school stuff. £40 on haircuts (for 3 - OH tipped!) Food spends as per sig. Toiletries and cleaning: £4.51/20. Personal spends £136.18/ 150 (have signed up to Bodycoach plan)
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Plan your personal budget with what money you have left. Set aside an amount for essential rations and an amount for personal spending. .
- see above[*]
Aim for 15 NSDs. I am giving you each 12 flares. Use them wisely. Fire one off and you can get supplies (have a spend day). That’s 3 flares per week – use them wisely. - NSDs going really well - although I do not usually bother monitoring
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Look out for Dolphins (a.k.a Yellow Sticker produce). These DO NOT count as a spend day. If you see them break the waves – give thanks, and grab a bargain (as long as you’ll use it!).
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Beware Pirates! They come in many guises and want to steal your booty! Make your lunches for work, and take in your own coffees – avoid shop/canteen bought convenience food which tends to be overpriced.
- spent £1 whilst out and about on a cake - added it to grocery spends
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Beware Sirens! High Street retailers that tempt you in to buy buy buy!!! Before any purchase – ask yourself... ‘is this going to bring me nearer my goal or push me further from it?’… Is it a ‘need’ or a ‘want’…? Can I afford it or will it leave me broke? - the lure of Matalan and aldi bulbs - personal spends used on wanted (not needed) cute teatowels & flowers for garden
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Mid Voyage we will be stopping off at the Isle of Aphrodite – an enchanted place, and a welcome rest from our travels. This is a free day. Put aside £10.00 if you can afford it and a bit of time for yourself. More details to follow. -may use Saturday coming for this
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Remember those lost as sea – try and give or do something charitable. It could be a cash or food donation, or giving of your time if you don’t have a lot of spare money.
- monthly DD to WWT. Bought RND wristbands for smalls. Dropped off at CS twice so far this month. Volunteered about 20 hours so far this month for small local charity. At least the same amount still to volunteer this month. £3 donated to school pta funds re non uniform day & disco photos

Re-visit your goal(s) set last month . - Two goals. 1 -to lose min 20lbs and get fitter. Didn't weigh myself! Did go to Zumba 6/7 in Jan. Feb - I think I'm available for all 8 sessions unless I get offered additional hours or illness/ injury strike. Considering BodyCoach plan. 2nd goal - halve non mtge debt. Set 10k target, which is 46% of £21711 balance. Paid 17% of the 10k in Jan. Feb will bring this to 25.6% min. Extra money made in Feb from eboy sales, items sold at NNS, cashback etc all to go to debt (to be paid in Mar) - Debt reduction going well. Have paid for Bodycoach plan - filling in questionnaire/ diary this week - hopefully will start next week

1) Take a quick stock-check of your cupboards/fridge/freezer. Be thinking of things you can cook up from these before you buy more. inventory done. Gaps noted. Have made considerable efforts in past 2 months to use strange things up, so stocks considerably reduced now Although I still need to make lots of apple and pear based puddings to use up the vast frozen supply...... - puddings being made although stocks seem never ending!

2) You can't be taking everything on-board with you. Go through your drawers and wardrobes - is there anything you never wear and can give away? Lighten your load and hit your charity goal this month all in one go! - wardrobe recently done - am a KonMari fan - wardrobe redone this week - 2 items to CS, 4 to ragbag and 3 to fleabay pile

3) Look around your house and find something small that you can carry around with you... something that you think of as lucky... . - still need to find something
[*]Your map tells you how and when you'll get there. This is your Action Plan. This could be a written budget, a debt management plan, an exercise routine or a food diary. Whatever your goal – break it down. Need help? Ask away! - Action plan for goals. 8 Zumba sessions pledged. Min debt repayment figure set. Unwnated items listed on eboy and priced up for NNS - monies received to go to debt (unless they are non-clothes items belonging to the children - they get the funds from their books and toys)

Early gratitude today:
* my mum taking the smalls out this morning, freeing me up to do some volunteering
* an unexpected cake (yummy) awaiting me at volunteering
* being able to make a lump reduction off debt this month
* DS1 wanting to come to cinema with me and DS3 today

Calling14

Hi quick update from me.

Managed a SFD after yesterdays spendy day 5/15 must do better.
Food 40.64/80
Petrol 40/40
Going out 94/100 and I haven't been out once yet - gig tickets for future. Will recover 25 pounds off friend when I see her next may not be till May!
Not sure I set a ME budget but spent 52 on clothes.

I now have sparse looking cupboards, have paid as much as I can to debts for the moment. Will use my M & S vouchers next week for some food.
Going to try and get some SFD's in this week. Next week half term so will have a day off then. Plan another NT day out as they have events on.

Grateful for
Warmer weather
Surveys
Only working until 3pm

thriftylass

Hello,

shuffled some more money around and revised my money plan for the year. I will now be able to pay one family loan of next month and then all that's left is another family loan of £1350 after that. I did a sort of snowball thing i guess by which I thought it'd feel better to get rid of 1 (CC) and 2 completely. So that there is not 3 debts to chip away at but just one. After number 2 is paid I give myself till September to pay off 3 so we still have enough money to save for visiting my parents, the garden etc.

Also had a look through my survey sites etc. to see which ones are worth keeping and pursuing a bit more to make the target.

Another SFD today and most likely tomorrow.

Tonight I think I'll start painting the guest bedroom as I'd like to have it finished by the weekend.

Toni'sfriend

Afternoon Shipmates

Weigh in day. Lost a pound (in spite of yesterday’s lapse with the Chinese take away) Well, at least it’s going in the right direction and I said I would be happy with a pound a week. Cabin boy has given me a really accurate set of digital scales which he had when he flat shared. Think they’re a lot better than my slightly wonky bathroom ones.

Gaps were appearing in the freezer until I bought lots of YS sticker mince today. In my defence we do use a lot as the Cabin boy loves his spag bol and mince and tatties. I am doing quite well using things up, though. Chicken wings (lots of them in the freezer as well) for lunch and pork for dinner. Cabin boy is having chicken drumsticks as it’s a gaming night. Some of the potato mountain will disappear tonight as well. Was supposed to be going our for lunch tomorrow with some relatives but that’s been cancelled so should use some more things tomorrow.

Been really lazy with getting the vessel ship shape. Must get back to that. Does anybody hate housework as much as I do?

Today I’m grateful for;

Loosing weight (every little helps)
Snowdrops and crocuses beginning to flower in my containers
Reading a good book

Bobarella

Well done on being under £3k Calling

Greent wow enormous debt repayment!

dizzyblnd

Just thought I'd pop in and say hi. Missing the group but struggling with energy at the moment. 22 weeks pregnant and thought I was supposed to feel all energetic at this stage. I really need to sort my life out and get 'back on the wagon'

crazy_cat_lady

Toni'sfriend - I absolutely hate housework. With a passion. I begrudge every single second I have to spend clearing stuff up.
Sorry again for being so quiet the past couple of days. Mondays and Tuesdays are beyond manic for me at the moment and I'm quite literally getting in and going straight to bed in the evening. On the plus side, I've chalked up 2 more nsd's (almost inevitable as I'm so skint and still a fortnight from payday).
Nothing much to report - I'm staggering towards half term in desperation now. I feel exhausted and have an almost permanent headache for some reason.
Today I am grateful for:
My health, and the health of my loved ones.
Having fantastic work colleagues
Not having any kids club runs to do. :j

SkintTeacher

Today I am grateful for
1) my aunty randomly texting to say shed put £100 in my bank account for 'half term fun'
2) my mum having my little boy for an hour so I could have a cat nap
3) an amazing session with my personal trainer

Bobarella

dizzyblnd wrote: »

Just thought I'd pop in and say hi. Missing the group but struggling with energy at the moment. 22 weeks pregnant and thought I was supposed to feel all energetic at this stage. I really need to sort my life out and get 'back on the wagon'

Hey that's great news Dizzy!:T:beer:

Calling14

Thanks Bob.:D

Well done Laura, Thrifty and Greent on your payments. ::T:T:T

Excited more baby news Dizzy how exciting :j

Simmering here walked a friends dog for over a week and hasn't even texted me to say thanks so won't be doing it again :mad: