NST Super September Scrimping challenge

mothernerd

Thanks for the challenge thrifty. As usual ny shortcomings are my own. Lost track but I am pretty sure I went over budget but I have managed to nudge my health up a notch or two. my sleeping pattern is hopeless but I feel more together and have succeeded in pushing my boundaries and got things done when I was exhausted or by keep chipping away at things that needed to be done.

Today has been spendy and not at all as expected which was supposed to be quiet and mostly stay home. At 9am mum rang to say she did not get to the Church heritage exhibition (on local pits - 25 years since the last of ours closed) but would like to go this morning. I got ready, went for the taxi, went to collect mum - she was still inside the house but I had told her not to come further than she was okay with as it was wet and slippy.

Spent a couple of hours at the exhibition, mum got to chat with a few old friends and we contributed to the 'memories' book. We were asked if any family members had worked in the mines. My uncle did briefly, one of mum's aunts was a Pit Brew lass (surface workers sorting coal after women and children were banned from working underground).

I wrote about my cousin whose father was killed down the mine (usual accidents not one of the disasters) before she was 2 years old, leaving her mother Marion a widow at the age of 19 - not sure about that as I worked it out by comparing respective ages of 3 generations, but no-one is going to contradict me. Marion subsequently married my uncle but insisted that he leave the pit.

I also wrote about helping as a voluntary advice worker during the miner's strike - if I am going to be history, I will have it recorded properly. There was lots of information about various disasters from the massive Pretoria disaster 4 miles away (344 men and boys killed on 21 December 1910, the largest disaster in the Lancashire coal field and the third largest in Britain) right up to the most recent at Golborne (3 miles in the other direction) when 10 men died in March 1979.

Came back from there and went straight to the library (gallery upstairs) to meet best buddy, discussed some of the books on display and went round the photographic exhibition "All Roads Lead To Wigan Pier". It is 80 years since Orwell's Road to Wigan Pier was published. These are contemporary photos but linked to excerpts from the book.

A photo of Steph, Lidl manager and Food bank Co-ordinator is accompanied by "The world is a raft sailing through space with, potentially, plenty of provisions for everybody, the idea that we must all co-operate and see to it that everyone does his fair share of the workand gets his fair share of the provisions seems so".

Told best buddy about the mining exhibition, again. He wanted to go but also wanted to go to buy meat in Bury. I have seen an internet video of the man he was talking about so I was persuaded that I should go too and we would meet again at the side of the library at 2.30pm.

So home, quick meal, found bags and money and off we went. Decided in the end to share a £50 pack between us (chiken fillets, chicken drumsticks, full chicken, chicken chunks with chopped chillies, sausages, bacon, gammon, small gammon joint, steaks, burgers, sausages, meatballs,mince, pork steaks, chops and duck eggs) with a large beef joint thrown in for free (my half is larger than any I've bought in the last 3 years). I will ahve to work out some method for incorporating these bulk purchases into my regular budget but am thinking it should be enough to last 3 months and it makes a change from cooking bacon and frozen chicken which is all I've dared buy recently. On the downside, we were queuing for an hour and it isn't a large shop - about half that time we were under an awning (small garage with open ends). At least we didn't get wet.

So I have divided it all and he is coming for his half tomorrow. Think I will also put together an order for fabric and threads I want for making Christmas/ ne home presents and will look at the jewellery I saw earlier in the week. If I see anything suitable to wear at DS1's wedding I will buy it and put it to one side (use the money mum gives me for Christmas to pay for it).

Arm is still aching (I need to treat it gently for a few days and let it recover properly) so I have taken 2 serious painkillers hoping they don't make me drowsy.

Today I am grateful for meat bargains, lots of heritage and culture and meeting lots of friendly people.

apple_muncher

Awesome meat purchases, mothernerd!

f0xh0les

FurryBeastOz wrote: »

Epic fail on most areas. I managed to read most days, but that was it.

All in all I’m not in a great place. Roll on October.

To misquote, Tomorrow is another month!

Sorry it went wrong.

bizzie

Final check in 30/30
NSD 15/18 so close and yet so far....
Food & spends budgets were over for the month but for the year coming in on target.
Thank you for running the month thriftylass now heading over to October.

Eager_Elephant

*Try and check in once a day with your progress ! - Will try. Failed

*! Write down everything you spend – I have YNAB to keep me on the straight and narrow!! Did this

*You will aim for 18 SFDs! – Gulp…will do!! Managed 16

*Budget to live off what is left! – Need to do my usual monthly money shuffle and that should leave me with £50 spending money for the month – need to pay £30 deposit for hen do next year. Spent all my wages within the first week on bills and other things, had to pay 2 deposits as a girl has dropped out and I put the whole group deposit on my credit card.

*Budget for food - £350. This is for 3.5 of us (DS at Uni but currently home for summer and won’t return until late September. DD starting a school where she can have 3 meals a day so they should help reduce it in future. Managed this.

*Try and eat everything in your cupboards and freezer BEFORE buying any more. – The cupboards are starting to look bare so may need to do a largish shop later this month. Did a medium shop and now the cupboards are bare again.

*Lunch to work every day. – Luckily(?) as I am intolerant to loads of stuff I can rarely buy lunch out. Lunch was either from home or from the supermarket (but no ready made sandwiches or takeaways)

*Plot the course of your social life – will allow £20 for meal out with bestie which will happen sometime this month. Met bestie and spent £20.

*Decide on your DFD!– my debt is on 0% as defaulted a few years ago and there just seems no rush to pay it off. Was hoping to clear £3k of debt this year – have cleared about £900 so far so need to get my butt into gear. Not getting anywhere close to this, my income doesn’t seem to stretch.

*Some sort of exercise per week, - dogs are walked twice a day for 20-30mins each time Did this every day.

*Beauty spends are not allowed to exceed £10. – eyebrow wax is £10 (£8 for wax and £2 tip) Just the eyebrow wax

*Make time for yourself this month – I take 30 – 45mins each evening after work to have a cup of coffee and read the paper, its so lovely to do as previously I have rarely taken time for myself. Did this everyday

*Keep the heating off - our house is pretty well insulated so we should be ok for September. No heating on in September.