NST February A FOREST ADVENTURE

DawnW

Update - :

NSDs 2 / 18
Decluttering - 7 / 28

Budgets:
Groceries - £27.07 / £260
Toiletries and cleaning products - £1.60 / £30
Diesel - 0 / £65
Presents - 0 / £50 (more family birthdays, most come close together in the early months of the year)
Anything else - £33.68 / £200 on CS children's books for grandchildren and items for my garden

No takeaways, coffees out etc, and none planned. I must be a bit odd, I don't actually consider a takeaway a treat The items for my garden are treats for me, that, and saving for a service for our elderly camper van

Grateful for:
A longish walk with OH and dog today (OH has had a nasty back injury, and this was the first time in several months he has managed a longish walk :T), but it was bitterly cold :eek:
Cheap, easy,tasty recipes, mixed bean chilli and potato wedges tonight
Our cosy wood burning stove, with a kettle on top to provide hot water

dolly84

Igamogam wrote: »

I work with young children under 7 and when we go in school trip we say no more than £2 spends. All the money is collected in and a member of staff goes into gift shop and asks for X number of bags to be made up with pencils, keyrings, ( useless tat really) to the value of £2 which we collect when visit is finished.........all bags exactly the same no arguments and no nightmare supervision in gift shop. Seems a bit harsh but it works for us and no one has complained. Any child who doesnt bring money is given the exact same bag which is paid from school funds - nobody is none the wiser.:D

I just completely disagree with them needing any money at all on a school trip - total waste of money and I hate plastic tat.

dolly84

Me and DH cycled this morning but other than that we haven't left the house. DD is moaning that we haven't been anywhere but she is old enough to organise her own entertainment imo. I have spent most of the day listing things on ebay again.

greent

Always pay to debts or savings first, live on what is left. - car & 0% CCs on direct debit. 'Regular' spending CC cards always paid off in full by start of month. Once kitchen/ workmen fully paid for this month we will know what (if any!) we have left and that can go to OH's 0% CC. Any extra monies will also go there

First of February until the 28th, inclusive.
Organise your budgets before the start of the month and stick to them.
* Food 71.84/450 - OH popped into Tesc0 again - we're very much getting little bits here and there at the mo - will be better later in the month
* Diesel (me) - 0/65
* Toiletries - 0/10
* Clothing - 0/100 (DS1 desperately in need of new jeans)
* Social - 0/50
* Half term - 0/75
* Money in - 0/50

Reserve a small portion of your budget (cash or goods) for the food bank or charity of your choice. - ok. Monthly DD to WWT. Should be attending a charity coffee/ cake morning mid month. Also £1 in aid of charity for non-school uniform last week (and will have another this week)

Environment Be aware of your surroundings and use all your senses. Be alert to danger but also to beauty. -
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Stock take your cupboards, fridge and freezer. Base your meal plan upon them and your shopping list on what is needed. Stick to your list. - desperately in need to top up supplies once kitchen is in!

Takeaways are forbidden (unless as part of family entertainment night/ birthday choice). Coffee shops, vending machines, works canteens etc are also banned (pastoral exceptions). may have family takeaway as social if budget unspent elsewhere

Always take your lunch to work and snacks and drinks for outings or appointments (may excuse one trip with children or allow ice creams etc if part of the experience). - have half term budget- will take lunches if applicable but something like ice creams may fall into budget here

Do something different. If nothing changes, nothing changes. We want to see small positive changes which become habits and then just part of who you are. Pick 2 or 3 things you want to change. Start with one small change and after five successful days, add another.

Valentine Who? after 30+ years together we don't really do Val now (although I may buy some of the flowers for myself afterwards if they have been reduced

Exercise 5 times a week please. It should be commensurate with your abilities and current state of health (be careful after flu/ viruses). Getting outside helps with mental health too. - 3 weeks into flu/ post flu chesty cough/ fatigue/ poor breathing. Not doing any cv exercise until much better.

NSDs are staying at 18 this month. that is still 10 days available for necessary shopping. There would be far fewer opportunities in the forest. Exceptions for medical care, petrol (should be within budget), bus fares, ys bargains and milk for greent. 1/18 - not one today. Small Tesc0 shop re packed lunches and some easy food until oven is sorted.
Throw it away. We should all be aware that there is no such place as 'away' and recycle or donate appropriately but we all have too much stuff and even if you are ill, getting the rubbish and recycling helps slow the descent into chaos. - looking to remove 150 items this month - whether sell/ donate/ recycle/ bin - couple more bits recycled today 8/150

Use what you have. Fix something (for free if possible). we need to update our house to do list this month - some jobs are being done as we have workmen in for the kitchen so are having them do some other bits whilst here (more cost efficient ) My main focus is a big clean and tidy- lots of dust spread everywhere from the works Oooh - OH did some minor repairs to our BTL property with stuff we already had in the garage here

Refuel properly. Feb is a month of re-charging for me

Elephants and Frogs. .Am sure I can find some frogs. An elephant I need to tackle is getting OH's co accounts for the year ready for the accountant


Have been cleaning appliances in the kitchen today, ready for the delivery of new kitchen tomorrow Also done 2 x loads of washing and now have a mountain or ironing - will ensure there is uniform for everyone for the morning and then do some during the day tomorrow - I fancy a rest tonight with some catch up tv once smalls are in bed

Tomorrow sees us with the kitchen delivery & 2 kitchen people, a plumber and a plasterer..... party central in my kitchen! :rotfl:

apple_muncher

DawnW - good to hear that dh got out for a walk. His back has been bad for a long time now.

Today I am grateful for hm lemsip, for dd enjoying kids klub, for seeing a mum at church to give her son a bag I'd made for him (bonus - he loved it!), for warm buses, for dd eating well, for a plan for the week ahead, for doing a workout before feeling grotty, for more daylight, for a few ideas on how to improve the house without spending - it is rather shabby.

Kerry_Woman

Was a spend day today. Paid a guy who does house clearances to get rid of some bulky things in the flat. They were not great to go to a cs. Phoned him today, was going to come next Saturday, then phoned me later on saying he was coming round today. Booked a cs today to come to pick up a computer table in a couple of weeks during half term. Will be easier for having more space for when I decorate the flat. Also my brother was going to help, but he has so much on his plate at the moment. One less thing for him to worry about.
No exercise today.
Forgot to say that yesterday I made a donation to a mental health charity for the challenge I did in January.
Grateful for:
Having a very chilled out day as going back to temp work tomorrow.
Getting things ready to go back to work.
Self care.
A bit more space in the flat.

misstara

Budgets are set
- food £150, £31.70 spent already
- petrol £75, £30 spent already
- social/presents, £20.38 spent already

Today my only spend was petrol so now on 2/18 NSDs.

Went to the gym yesterday and for a run today so a good start on the exercise front

apple_muncher

Hope tomorrow goes well for you, Kerry Woman, and isn't too exhausting. Well done on all the clearing.

DancingDragons

I'm here, I'm here.
Mum has house drama. Friend has life drama. I'm trying to help them both. Now I have potential house drama and I have been trying to do sums to get a mortgage. Its backward, and I can't give you the whole story - but otherwise we may have yo up and move towns to afford the rent. With the debt we have I think my chances are bob and no hope, but I have to try.


I haven't stock taked or budgeted yet, not using any plastic though so when the money is gone, its gone. Have paid to savings/debts I'm just catching up on everyone's threads.
Throwing away/ousted: Plenty of electronics that no longer serve, and a chest of drawers that had lost its chest. Why I was even keeping that I don't know.

Dry January ended, I'm watching for bad habits to creep back. The haven't yet.

Exercise - so far so good the days I don't get to gym I walk. Took the kids to the baths today, that counts -almost.
Lost 1 NSD paying for DD2 eye drops from chemist. I didn't see the point in taking her to doctors for what I knew to be conjunctivitis. Yes I could have got it for free too.

Currently at 1 NSD.

mothernerd

Dancing Dragons the eye drops were medical - you can keep your NSD as medical costs are exempt. I have done similar when the children were young - when you factor in the time spent going to the doctor, the hassle of getting there, especially with babies/ toddlers in tow and what else you could be doing with that time. Not judging you but if you catch the conjunctivitis early enough, wiping the eyes with cotton wool dipped in boiled water (I put the pieces of cotton wool on the edges of a saucer and poured the water in the middle to sterilise them), works as well. Had to do it with the kittens a time or two as well.