NST February Challenge : A Winter Voyage

Lauralozzle

Reporting for duty

Plan your shore leave - Work pub quiz on 3rd February / planned get together on 4th February as my friend is moving to Australia for 6 months! / other half is playing a gig on 21st Feb. I think that's all.

Pay debts/savings first - already done - £850 straight yo joint account and £100 to wedding fund

Personal Budget - £300 for food/dog food/toiletries. Hoping I will be well under this as we are nicely stocked up. Spending money - this is going to be really tough! After all debts/direct debits and £50 fine :eek: are paid I have £8.00 spending money a week. I clearly need to save this up for when I'm out.

NSD - aiming for 15 again. Today has not been one of them!

Stock check - supplies are pretty full -should have enough meat for the month. Cupboards are looking good too. Need to do a meal plan though.

Clear Out - I have a few bags to go to charity shop so will do that this weekend. Friend is stopping over so also need to sort out spare room - I'll have a clear out whilst I'm at it!

Goals - 2017. Financial goal is to Save! Save! Save! Wedding is in November - more we save is less on credit and that's only a good thing! Health goal - get back to 10 stone. I'll be honest - my diet went to pot in January! February goal - pay off credit card which should happen this month, I have already made an overpayment and once the direct debit goes out that should be it! :j:j Lose 4lbs.

Lucky Charm - so something that reminds me why I'm doing this/why I'm trying so hard this year and spurs me on, gives me hope. It sounds a little soppy but my ring - I'm doing this because I'm getting married. My ring reminds me why I'm trying so hard, gives me hope - and it won't take up all my cabin space!!!

Today I'm grateful for:
1) Tom is making dinner tonight
2) It's nearly the weekend
3) Asda and the yellow stickers they put on lots of bakery products, which may have gone in the basket. Breakfast sorted for the month!!

Bobarella

Thank you SeasideGal & Calling

apple_muncher

Ccl - kidney bean hummous?

crazy_cat_lady

apple_muncher wrote: »

Ccl - kidney bean hummous?

Thank you - I will look into it

greent

crazy_cat_lady wrote: »

#10 reporting in for duty Captain.
I have just completed a massive batch cook of butternut squash soup and am searching recipes to use up 3 bags of kidney beans I have.

Jack Monroe's kidney bean, carrot & cumin burgers? Can also make them falafel style https://cookingonabootstrap.com/2015/01/31/carrot-cumin-kidney-bean-burger-9p/

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for like-minded shopping with dh (we have 4x £3 off a £30 spend in sainz, had made a very specific list, added it up as we went along and it came in at £30.35); for the cashier adding on 600 points instead of 300; for a good chat with dd's teacher and the Dep Head; for cutting out some bunnies (oh, how I have missed making them!); for savoury flapjack.

x_raphael_xx

[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]First of the month...time to set some targets...[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Plan your shore leave. If you want to meet with friends – log the dates now and don’t deviate once we have set sail.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]My dad is down on the 12th, I will have my usual Thursday gossip fest with my bestie. I'll squeeze in a visit to my friend, and persuade BF that it's probably time to visit his friend. We haven't seen her for a month![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Pay your debt repayments first, and budget separately for birthdays, car expenses, travel, bills.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]I have a little pot for birthday gifts and one for car expenses (I pay insurance etc yearly but save monthly towards these bills).[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Bills come out of a separate account, so they are always budgeted for.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Due to the seller pushing up the price, I will now owe £4000 to the Bank of Mum & Dad, who have generously loaned us the extra the seller wanted. I haven't had the funds yet, and won't need to start paying until after we're in, but I am trying to put a little aside ready.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]I have £1600 set aside for fees that will need paying imminently, (they've had their first £400) I won't count these towards spend days as I will have no control over when fees will be asked for, and they are budgeted for.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Plan your personal budget with what money you have left. Set aside an amount for essential rations and an amount for personal spending. Rations: I want to try and keep to £120 this month again, I was only just over in January by, which was £15 down from my usual budget.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Personal spends/treats: I have a cinema trips planned, which will be free thanks to a friends vouchers. I also will need to pay for a carvery when my dad visits, and my monthly comic, so I'm budgeting £30 for my personal spends/treats.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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. I want to try for 20 again this month. I really want to cut back as much as possible. Today was NSD no.1
[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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!).[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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. Lunch is always taken into work, I don't take money in, so I'm never tempted. I even tend to refuse the bacon sarnies on Tuesday the boss buys for everyone too! [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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? I want to buy nothing apart from my comic, I want to save as much as possible for fees and my loan.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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. I am going to plan a free rest day. I will pick a day when I have time to myself, I will switch off all electronics and read.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]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. I'll do my usual dog food donation.
[/FONT]


[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Re-visit your goal(s) set last month.
2017 aims:
Lose weight
Aiming for 1lb a week on average. Last month I lost 3.6lb over the month. This months aim is another 4lbs.
It's been raining this week, but when the weather clears (and now that my hours match BFs) I will get BF to drop me to work and I will run home.
Buy a house
This was a goal for the whole year, so last month was a great success! Our offer has been accepted, we now have 8-12 weeks of paperwork and legal things. (We of course are hoping for 8 weeks). I can't wait to move, I can see the house from the window in work. Looking forward to a 3 min walk rather than a 30 min drive through town.
[/FONT]

lozzy81

Day 1: NSD... week days are easy as i don't spend any money at work, no canteen and only 40 mins break so i don't get time to go shopping!! I will therefore aim for 20 NSD. House budget money is kept separate from "fun" money so will look at what i will budget...

Looking forward to finally joining the crew!! :beer:

misstara

Happy anniversary for tomorrow Bob

Shore leave - February is going to be an expensive month, 3 family birthdays and a wedding plus a few catch ups with friends planned. I'm budgeting £150, £80 for the wedding (it's in London, flights and accommodation are paid for so this is for food/drinks over the weekend) and £70 for the rest. Presents are already budgeted for.

Will aim for 15 NSDs and food spends £135. Last month I spent less than £90 on food but we had a lot leftover from Christmas. I'm working a late shift so will do a stock take of food in the morning.

Goals for 2017
- pay off all debt. I need to pay off £216.32 a month to achieve this goal. I got an unexpected council tax bill of £277.98 which needs to be paid by end of February so this month I'll mostly be saving towards that. Once I know how much I'll manage to pay towards debt in Feb, I can adjust my target monthly amount. I'm determined to be debt free by the end of the year
- run a 10k. I've entered one in April and ran fairly regularly last month. I need to build on this and start running for longer periods of time.

misstara

Did a shop today which I'm hoping will see us through until next weekend other than some fresh stuff.

Today I'm grateful for a good day at work, the weather staying dry for walking home and a yummy tea