NST February Challenge : A Winter Voyage

misstara

End of month review
NSDs - today should be 15/15
2017 goals - not great, I paid less than the monthly amount I need to pay to become debt free by the end of the year, need to work out my new monthly target amount. Running a 10k - well I've barely done any training this month and it's in 7 weeks time so really need to get moving. To be fair, I've not felt great for most of February so running has been the last thing I want to do.
Both need improved on in March. Just need to come with a plan of how I can improve.
Meal planning went really well this month so definitely plan to keep this up.

f0xh0les

End of month review

Managed 16/15 NSDs, strange that I didn't manage many more as soon as I reached the magic 15.

Achieved lots of DIY tasks I have been putting off. The clutter should now be greatly reduced and Ordnung should be restored (if you can restore something that has not been there before).

Menu planning went really well. Whiteboard a la carte menu working well. Nobody starved and nobody was sick.

XSpender

End of February Review

I started really well this month but I stopped following the basics around managing my food budget and have overspent massively and it has meant that I have failed to achieve some of my other financial targets.

Fitness has been good

Clear out - Have a small pile of shoes/clothes of DS to take to charity shop

Spends - £400 - £411.94 spent but £270 refund due to trip been cancelled due to Storm Doris.

Home Improvements - £500 - £191.23 with £380 to pay decorator so will be over budget as original decorator was £100 cheaper but cancelled on us

Food Budget - £320 : Increased from £320 to £415 due to big protein order and have spent almost double after not meal planning and trying to get away without a weekly shop for 2 weeks which meant we just bought more every day or other day. DH has also bought lunch every day for 2 weeks and had too many beers and takeaways. This is why my goals below have not been achieved.

Revisit 2017 goals:

1) Save £2000 - £600 - behind on this target
2) Clear £20,000 in debt - will aim to have a total of £2000 paid off by end of Feb - achieved £1690.47
3) Change my diet - fallen back into old ways this month
4) Fitness - achieved 7 classes, 1 run and 6/8 PT sessions
5) Stop overspending on food - massive fail in Jan and even bigger fail in Feb

February Goals

1) Stick to eating plan 9/23
2) Attend a minimum of 8 classes in Feb (on top of 2 PT/WK) 7/8
3) Run once a week 1/4
4) Raise an extra £150 income - £38.43 would have been better if I had sent the phones off :mad:
5) Pay £1380 off debt £1062.68/£1380
6) Arrange to visit Mum/Mum to visit - no free weekends in Feb
7) Shop at Lidl/aldi, meal plan, batch cook, use up stores and achieve grocery budget for once in my life - Massive overspend

thriftylass

Good morning,

spend day this morning. Paid some debt (only £1789 to go), paid a deposit for DD's birthday party (just the local soft play), booked a triathlon and used my last Amazon vouchers plus £2 to order some sporks for the kids. Booked a taster sport holiday club session for DS in April and paid some other bills.

Off for a swim later and today NO SNACKS. Week 2 of changing a habit a week. Alst week it was going to the gym 5 times, this week it's only healthy snacks no rubbish.

Thanks Cap'n Abundant for the excellent journey. See you on the other side

greent

End of month update (not that much different to mid month update!)

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 watched in half term (with the addition of DS1). Restaurant booked & visited 18th Feb - 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 within budget (missed 2 classes). £27 to school stuff. £40 on haircuts (for 3 - OH tipped!) Food spends as per sig - overspend of less than £30 - caused by stocking up on lots of chicken and lean mince for BC plan - this will be used in March, so should balance out (hopefully!). Toiletries and cleaning: £11.45/20. Personal spends £136.18/ 150 (signed up to Bodycoach plan)
[*]
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. - 14 NSDs - although I do not usually bother monitoring
[*]
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. Also lured by Subway one day - added to Grocery spends
[*]
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 and Bodycoach plan
[*]
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 4 x. Volunteered about 50 hours in total in Feb for small local charity. £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. Started Bodycoach plan yesterday - was shocked at my measurements I submitted!:eek::(

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 made although stocks seem never ending! - any space now being filled with prepped meals for BC plan!:D

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 - 2 items to CS, 4 to ragbag and 3 to fleabay pile. Loads of kids stuff donated to charity shop. Several books read and passed on. Sold lots of kids stuff at NNS and also on fleabay.

[*]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 - achieved 6. Min debt repayment figure for month set and smashed. Unwanted items sold on ebay and at 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)

Today's thankfulness:
* this challenge - has been absolutely great fun! Massive thanks to Cap'n abundant!:T:T:T:T
* just finding out DD is coming home from uni for the weekend :j
* DS1 being a helpful chap
x

short_bird

Thanks for the thread and the check ins, Abundant!

Well, I was aware I was stuck in harbour, plugging leaks for a good chunk of the month. But financial things are more in focus than they have been and I've made arrangements to spend less. Given the news last week, good thing the vessel has a few less leaks and costs less to run.

Now to set my sails toward the course of New Job Island, or Second Job Island if the commute is possible and the plunderin' is pleasin'...

mrshubbard

Just to finish the month off found out that the new mortgage deal doesnt quite cover the old mortgage deal as she'd worked out interest wrong so had to pay £165 extra to mortgage now to make sure it goes through without going through all new paperwork again :wall: Now more skint than ever next month as car's in, van's in for MOT and probably needs a tyre. Plus 3 family birthdays and mothers day. I've been budget tweaking though and nothing needs to go on the cc, all moneys accounted for and we should have a teeny bit spare. We'd usually put a family birthday meal on cc and also use it to go for a day out for my birthday but not this time! CC is staying at home. If we can't afford it we're not going out. :A Really hoping I get money for my birthday as it would definitely come in handy right now

Toni'sfriend

Last day of challenge. Have updated my signature with final figures. Thanks for the support. Off now to make my plans for the marathon. Hope to see you all tomorrow.

ilovetea

Thanks Abundant for a great thread.

Have updated my totals. Happy with the NSD and the amount I've spent.
Could have sold more things if I'd got myself more organised!!!!:mad:
AS for the loosing weight.......lets not talk about that.
ilovetea xx

apple_muncher

To summarise:

NSD 14/15 - my lowest number in many a month
Exercise 15/12- am pleased with this
I have read the quantity that I challenged myself to
I have done my morning stretches almost every day

Money has been a little more fluid than usual - obviously linked to fewer NSDs.

I have my marathon plan in place, linking it in with Lent. February's challenge has been a great foundation for my ambitious March plan - thank you abundant!