NST - Amazing Aperire

Calling14

ME wow such much info feeling knowledgeable now. Thanks EE can I have no 13 if available please.

XSpender

Count me in for April please x

greent

Count me in too please, EE x

thriftylass

Hello,

my steam/motivation/time to catch up here sort of fizzled out towards the end of March but I'm up for April again. I'm out of the country for the first week though (taking DS "home" to his grandparents in Germany - same price as holiday club) but have holiday money ready. Plan to get the garden/seeds etc ready when back, so, perfect challenge.

crazy_cat_lady

I'm in and going to give it my best in April

f0xh0les

I'm in too please...... I will aim for the full 16 NSDs as I will be in the A33-end-0f-nowhereville.ie for 9 days over Easter visiting the rival groups of over 70's (worse than children) bickering jealously over who is entitled to get more of my time.
Will be sure to actually arrange to meet up with people I like when I return, as a kind of a present to myself.

Will plant the seeds I saved in Autumn from DS4's school science projects - a green beanstalk and a sunflower. They both did ridiculously well, considering we only have a small yard out the back, but it faces south and we were thinking of maybe a grapevine out there, long white wall for it to wander across and the kids would love it.

Eager_Elephant

Thanks for joining me - I have numbered you all up to here.

abundant1972

Thanks EE for running the challenge for April... Count me in!

:j <--- Full of the joys of Spring (I hope!)

greent

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Welcome to April’s NST challenge – it is believed that the word April comes from the Latin word Aperire which means to open. .

- I had never heard this before - thank you - I like bits of info like this

Thank you for this month's challenge, EE :T

Rules:

Aim – for at least 16 NSD’s (unless you want to set your own). - - I will monitor, but am not setting a target - as long as I stay in budget I am not fussed too much on NSDs. Plus Easter hols, DS1's birthday and 2 extra people (DD + bf) for 2 weeks will make for enough of an interesting challenge!

Plan – it’s a new financial year, everyone needs to write a new budget taking into account increases in bills. Do you plan ahead for annual and non-regular spends? - we have an instant access savings account where monthly budget amounts for things go (eg: water, car tax/ mot etc) and then the bills are paid from here as they come in. Have today revised some of the amounts transferring across each month in view of expected increases.
Our first OP to the BTL mtge (int only) will be going out this month - have waited for the start of the new tax year.
In April I do need to check out energy suppliers (our fix comes to an end 30th April) and look for a new deal - and also car insurance (both cars due 1st May)
Some budgets:
Food £500 - increasing due to extra people - 2 hungry teenagers for the full 2 week break (DD + bf home from uni), plus it's the Easter break (more snacks, usually) and DS1's 17th bday.
Fuel (me only - OH's covered by expenses) - £60 (full tank)
Gifts - excluding DS1's bday - £50
Debts - repaying Sainz loan in full by Monday, so the only other payments due out will be £302 (OH's car) + £150 (tax credit op) - both by DD. Extra monies will now be saved towards car debt - new instant access account opened specifically for this purpose - sto set up for 2/3 of Sains loan pymt amount (keeping other 1/3rd at mo for DS1's bday and to ensure school residential trips are fully paid for)
Will be looking to make extra money again (Mar quite successful with over a dozen fleebay sales, a facebook sale for £30, Ziffit of c £7, a customer service payment of £30 after making a complaint, £15 in high street vouchers from a product trial, being asked to go back on RM Survey (free stamps each month - use them for fleebay post) and several claims of payable cashback from quidc0 and tcb - oh - and £350 in total from jobs 2 & 3 I do not expect this to be the same in Apr, but hopefully a few more fleebay sales and more RM stamps at the very least - oh, and a bit of pay from job 2 (no hours worked for job 3)


Rest – make some time for yourself this month to just rest and recuperate. - - am not making ambitious plans for Easter break, to ensure rested (suffering with chesty cough thing atm) Hopefully more reading (7 books read in March, another started tonight) and some pottering in garden

Invite – I would like everyone to arrange to meet up with family/friends this month. - meeting cousin and her kids on Sun (1st) - out for afternoon tea with mum & aunt on 8th and will def arrange to see sis in hols (she's a teacher)

Love – I want everyone to love their garden this month. Back in September when I did the challenge everyone had the task of putting the garden to bed for winter – well now we are going to get the garden out of bed!!
- will plant seeds in Easter break (start off sunflowers and pumpkins with children) - lots of salad leaves and nasturtiums. Need to weed flower beds and add some compost from bins to them. Strawberry bed needs some attention, too. Patio needs cleaning (may be ambitious to try for that) and fence painting.... I have £45 in vouchers to spend at local GC, so plenty available for some new plants

SkintTeacher

oooh I love that I got the number 6 - my birthday is the 6th April so very apt!