NST Joyful July

Lauralozzle

So, today has started off well.

Overtime done and dusted this morning. I've cancelled my direct debit to spec savers and cancelled my contact lenses subscription. I have some still leftover which I will save for the wedding! But otherwise I'll just keep wearing my glasses as I have been doing recently.

Car is booked in for MOT on Tuesday and I've sorted out my car insurance, cancelled my renewal with quotemeyouknowwho and switched to first central. Never heard of them but they quoted me £268 for the yr which was £50 cheaper than anyone else! I've paid for a full year with the money from my credit card (this is why I took up another 0% deal as it is cheaper than the interest added on with monthly payments. I'm also going to pay for MOT with this money too and then use some of my overtime to make extra payments to get rid of it as soon as possible. In the long run I think this is a more sensible solution.

I've had a busy morning really. Got first load of clothes in the washer and the rest of the day will be spent cleaning - we may go shopping today or tomorrow. Might go today as today won't be a NSD after the £268 I've just spent on insurance!

EDIT: We have decided to do the food shopping today. Fridge is looking much healthier and we grabbed some fantastic yellow sticker bargains at Asda - salmon fillet (large) - £1.60 each (originally £3.00 each) so we stocked up and grabbed all four of them!

PlaysNicely

:wave:

Please may I join in?

Where we're at: Since September 2014 everything's been about being proactive in the face of an impending sh*t versus fan moment with my OH's job and institutional bullying. With plenty of support from the very helpful frugallers, money managers and challenges across these boards, including filling our [then] home with students, so the finances would be in place for a swift move as needed, we were able to make the major downshift last year to a tiny home to rid ourselves of the mortgage, as of course the craptacular moment happened right on cue.

However, the impact it all had on my OH's health and well-being means he is now not permanently employed although he's currently doing some exam board marking to help things out a bit. Overall he's undecided whether to put himself back out there (he was really put through the ringer with the old job) or whether to try early retirement, although he's still got a bit of a way to go until his pensions kick in ... I've got a lot longer to wait before I can stop working (self-employed freelancer).

Next moves: as it's now 6 months since we moved, we've reviewed our current situation and have decided that:

We've been a bit spendy lately (essentials related to house move & garden - place had been empty for 3 years, so you can imagine :eek:). Now that the essentials have been put right and the pot we had put aside has been (more than) emptied, we need to rein things in a bit. Our monthly budget is doable, but just won't support any extra spending ... it has to stop now. and anything extra must be budgeted for.

We'd like to take a special holiday in the Autumn next year (partly to celebrate his 60th and partly because we've gone without for a very long time) but if we're to manage that, then I've really got to focus on the finances again, with the same pro-activity as before, but in much happier (and healthier) circumstances!

I've already gone back to some of the challenges, to help get the ball rolling on saving for expected spends (Xmas) and possible holiday, but I'd also love to join in on here to help with the not-spending side of saving money, if that's cool?

My July aims are:
1) 4/7 no spend days per week (to fit in with the NST 16 days goal)
2) At least one store cupboard menu week this month.
3) Try to up my own income in some way (legally, of course)!
4) My NST health goal: 10,000 steps a day (may have to manage this as total of 70,000 a week though)!

... all of which should help us keep on track for the remainder of the year.

Today my simple pleasures are:
Keeping our fierce cat away from the baby sparrow that just flew into the window, until it felt able to fly away.
Organising new spreadsheet for the next 6 months (with colours, of course).

NSD 1 / 16 today as eating out of fridge and OK for milk, bread etc.

Hope you're all having a good weekend,

PN x

indigowarrior

No spend day 1 complete. Went for a walk into town and still managed to not spend a penny. My friend bought me an icecream as I wouldnt buy one lol. Aiming for tomorrow to be a nsd as well.

mrshubbard

Hiya Looking forward to getting stuck back in to the debt busting with a vengeance this month. I have a really good reason for absconding in June, honest! My little boy arrived 7 weeks early so budgeting kind of went out the window. He's been in NICU the last 3 weeks and came home yesterday so trying to undo some of the spending we've been doing so I can still clear the cc I'd planned to this year. We've spent over £100 on petrol backwards and forwards, luckily got a parking permit which saved us £100 in parking fees. There's also been a lot of takeaways and meals out. I have to admit the food should've been a lot less but I felt like we deserved a treat and didn't think till after the bigger treat would be to not have extra money on the cc. We also bought a monitor with movement sensor as I couldn't sleep without knowing he's ok as he had apnoea for a while and it scared me.

I haven't done as well a I'd hoped so far this year either mainly due to losing momentum and willpower and feeling like I deserve a foodie treat for having a bad day/week/etc and all those treats add up. We have no problem sticking to our other budgets apart from the food which we both love. I used to love cooking so need to get back into it and batch cooking too so we can still feel we're not missing out but aren't eating out to try something different or because we've not planned ahead.

Joy I have been letting myself dwell on the negatives recently so getting back to listing the good things will def help me get back to a positive mindset. At the moment I'm grateful for my little boy being home and doing really well after seeing on the neonatal unit it could be much worse. I'm also grateful for all the help we've had since he was born.

Organise We've already done our July budget and it's looking healthy. Hubby needs a couple of tyres but other than that no big expenses. Hubby went shopping and went £2.66 over our weekly budget but got a load of ys stuff for the freezer so next week we won't need so much. I'm doing batch cooking this week as we're not allowed out with little Fluff yet ready for when hubby's paternity leave finishes so we don't fall back on takeaways.

You I think I'm good with figures and working out budgets and lists and plans but I fall down on my willpower in not following them through and not involving hubby enough so he understands how all the little bits add up and impact on our debts.

Frugal I had a nosy at the link. I think the big thing I can take from it is feeling I need to treat myself and buying things like coffee and cakes I can make just as tasty and cheaper myself.

Use I need to do another stock check of my cupboards and freezer. There's lots I probably need to use before it goes out of date. That's ging to be my job for tomorrow along with batch cooking and freezing.

Look after you I definitely feel in need of this right now but on a budget. I've already earmarked some of my £60 spends budget for a haircut, badly needed - can't see through my fringe. Mainly though I'm going to take time while my hubby's off to spend a bit of time in the morning doing a proper beauty routine, half the time I wash and go. Also taking time to sit and read a book each day. Hubby's taking little man to barbers across from the library tomorrow so will ask him to get me a few books.

July Will make it to the end of the month this time!

Unless We are out for a belated father's day meal week after next and my brother's birthday at the end of the month. Other than that no meals out.

Little and often I'm looking forward to getting back to exrercising but it will be slow and steady at first. Plenty of walks and going to look for a second hand postnatal exercise dvd to start off with.

You will aim for 16 NSDs Today was food shop day but shouldn't be anymore spends for the weekend I can think of.

Good luck this month everyone x

mothernerd

Welcome PlaysNicely. Congratulations mrshubbard and yes do take care of you. Glad your little one is safely home now.

greent

Count me in please, mothernerd

Congratulations, mrshubbard - glad new little one is now home and I hope he is doing well x

I was rather useless at being a turtle in June - promise to do better in July. Will sort out targets and budgets etc later. Plan on eating up random things from cupboard and freezer before school breaks for the summer and whilst OH is still working away in the week
x

apple_muncher

Yay! Congratulations to all in the hubbard household. Well done for being able to post a coherent post already.

mrshubbard

I think my posts might get less coerent as the month goes on Apple muncher! I was getting sleep while he was in nicu, think that's not going to be the case now

Calling14

Awww welcome baby Hubbard. Hope you're both well now :beer:

Day 1
Exercise 13.6k so far, settled down for night might get to 14k.
Had a walk along beachfront and popped into Morrisons minus car so didn't overspend. Total spend today £13.01 salad, veg few snacks.

GKs here this afternoon. Baby chicken pox spots healing up nicely she trying to sit up now. So much changes in a week. Gs delighted with pressie I brought him back, rocks with crystals exposed. So chuffed they are getting taken to school. Joy today was him running to fetch me to show seeds we planted next week sprouted already. Simple things are fun.

Happy to report Quidco tracked home insurance £50 cash back making my buildings/contents insurance cost £65.

Used veggie lasagne from freezer bulk cooked last month.

Meal planning and cupboard clean out tomorrow.
Debts will be looked at detail Monday easier on desktop computer.

Tonight look after me tonight. A bath and sort my dry feet out. Tend to have showers lately and my feet are missing a good soak, plus pedicure time.

indigowarrior

Congratulations Mrs Hubbard!