NST March: Marching to a different beat

greent

Thanks for this month's challenge, apple x

The non-negotiables:

• · The challenge runs from March 1st to March 31st
• · for the plodders: 15 NSDs 0/15 so far...
• · Set your budgets before the challenge starts
  * Food - 58.10/420
  * Fuel (me) 0/65
  * School 0/25
  * Social 0/50
  * Clothes 0/75
  * Toiletries 0/10
  Bills are on DD. Lump to savings on sto 2nd monthly. Extra money (cashback, flebay etc) will go to OH's 0% CC
• · Be generous !!!8211; there are many who are far worse off. Do not forget to give to your choice of charity. - monthly DD. Will also donate to foodbank/ animal foodbank collection at supermarket
• · Note down every single spend in a notebook and analyse where the pennies go
• · As ever, always take your lunch to work, and drink and snacks when out and about
• · [FONT=&quot]Pay towards your debt first! .[/FONT] 'General' CCs always paid off in full. Car and min pyments to 0% CCs paid by DD. Extra monies then go to OH's 0% CC. ETA: checked OH's tcb - £51.90 payable, so claimed it and sent £55 to his CC :T
• · Plan. Look ahead to the month and what your commitments are. Are you working late and therefore unlikely to feel like cooking when you get home? Make sure you have a portion or two of homemade ready meals in the freezer. Freezer currently stuffed full...
• · Check in every day.

Half a snow day today (all 3 boys' schools closed after lunch) and a confirmed snow day tomorrow.
Today I am thankful for:
* topping up on shopping in Tesc0 - meaning no need to go out for anything until Sunday at earliest
* all 4 of my children being home and safe & warm (DD's student flat is cold at best of times - and is in Cardiff where a red alert is due to hit)
* having more than enough
* having the ability and funds to have a warm house
* the snow - my youngest can't remember proper snow (as in enough to play in) - so am hoping it is enough to play in tomorrow

Stay safe and warm , turtles - and keep an eye out for neighbours, friends and relatives
xx

Toni'sfriend

Hi Turtles

First NSD of the month. Did have a hairdresser appointment but no way could I get there with the snow so I cancelled it. If this weather continues I won't be going anywhere anyway so it can wait for another week.

I am so glad the freezer is full. No need to go to get anything. So breakfast and lunch from stores and steak pie from freezer for tea with potatoes and brussel sprouts.

I have been trying for months to log into my online gas and electicity accounts without success. Going round in circles trying to change my email address. Finally managed and sent in up to date readings. Changed the tariffs. Result - £54.00 a month better off. Good start. Can I ask how often I should submit readings !!!8211; monthly? My next task is to see how I can reduce our consumption. I'm sure we're using too much electricity. Any tips will be gratefully received.

Also free month of council tax so £119.00 better off with that this month.

Plans for this month:

Some proper tidying and decluttering
Meal plan using what we have (mostly)
Get back into reading rather than watching TV (got lots of books for Christmas)
Try to make myself look more presentable (no excuse apart from laziness and lack of willpower !!!8211; need to loose weight (how many times have I said this!)

So, still deep snow up here although beautiful blue skies at the moment. Freezing though and a wind picking up. Advice is not to travel so all three of us are at home snug and warm. Take care, everyone and stay safe.

missyv30

Can I please join I am just about to update February can’t believe how fast the month has gone

Bebelles_2

little late in the day but can i join? Just found this!

LavenderBee

Not a NSD day here. Hubby was allowed to come home from work last night (he is away all week every week) pending the worsening weather, so we decided to do our shopping on foot during the day.

Pros
- Got us out of the house
- Restricted spending as we only bought what we could carry

Cons
- What the hell was I thinking?! I have PGP and SPD, was in so much pain the whole time I was competing in endurance sports last year... I still can't get my head round the fact I cannot do anything more than essential walking
- We didn't have capacity/didn't think it was sensible to carry bananas and apples which would have got battered. This means we'll have to go back out another day, which will mean I lose a NSD

Budgets:
Diesel - 0/120
Groceries - 18.89/200
Personal spends - 0/110

NSDs - 0/18

Tasks tackled - this wasn't on my list because I didn't think it was possible, but a tradesman *offered* to come round this morning and fix something that's needed doing for yonks. Paid for out of money put aside for work on house. I'm delighted

Embarrassing moments - couldn't get zip on my coat to do up over my bump when trying to leave the shop.

Grateful for - hubby being allowed home and arriving safely; my office being closed means I've saved a small fortune in diesel working from home.

Kerry_Woman

Planning for 18 NSDs.
Have set my budget.
Will donate to a charity.
Will note down in a notebook my spends. Will really have to keep an eye on my general spends this month.
Will be taking my lunch to work, also whenever I go out.
I have no debt, but I am saving.
Have planned what I am doing for the month.
Will check in each day.

Today was a spend. Had to send my Dad's post to my brother. Paid for postage had put all the post in a big envelope.
Where I am temping the school was shut for the day. Only found out when I turned up. Always go in early so I can have a mug of tea and chill out before I start work. Gave my mobile number to the head.
At least not working today, I helped out my brother as he lives in Somerset. Going round my Dad's to sort a few things out, picked up my Dad's ashes(will keep this at my flat until my brother comes to pick it up) and sent post to my brother.
Grateful for:
Having a day off work.
Being able to help my brother.
Having a chilled out afternoon and evening.
Having a good night sleep.

apple_muncher

pocketfluff - can you hang a curtain at the front door? We use 2 fleece blankets bought from primarni and hung over a sawn down pole with safety pins, hung up with big cup hooks. In our entrance/hall, the ceiling is millimetres higher than the doors, so no chance of one of the fancy door-curtain-hangers that attach to the door (because thy rise up as the door opens and we have nowhere to rise to!), so the curtains are just pulled closed.

Not starting with an NSD. Had a snow day (yay!) so did some shopping that would have been done tomorrow - gf df stuff from sains, coming to £22 - yikes, and another £21 in aldee (mostly for work so will get it back but had to lay out the money initially) and £30 on my oyster.

But I did get a workout done, posted a letter that had been hanging around for a few days already and sorted out the gas check for my mum's house.

indigowarrior

:hello:
Hope everyone is safe in this horrible weather.
Budgets are set. Just sticking to basics for the next four months except one thing. I need to buy my daughters a good buy gift as they are getting adopted in the next few months:( Today was a Spend day as need to stock up on basics.

Ladykernow

Me please! I want to complete at least 20 NSD.

lauradora

Thanks for putting me on the list Apple.

For the plodders: 15 NSDs. I will be well happy if we manage that as a couple. I wont be counting payments, DDs etc

Set your budgets before the challenge starts;
food £350
bills all budgeted
travel £200
activities still to be set
repayments all budgeted
holidays, need to set a budget for this as we will be going later in the year. Maybe not now though
treats still to be set
clothing still to be set
pets, they are all stocked up on things they need so am not giving them a budget this month
savings still to be set

Do not forget to give to your choice of charity. We will, probably a dog charity!

Note down every single spend in a notebook and analyse where the pennies go. This will be a challenge for me!

As ever, always take your lunch to work, and drink and snacks when out and about. Always do but do fall into the trap of buying extras, especially now heavily pregnant but MAT leave starts tomorrow so just hubbys pack up to think about.

Pay towards your debt first! All payments done already

Plan. Going to have a look at this over the next few days, will be keeping things to a minimum now i'm so far along anyway, I do have the energy to do anything whether or not it will cost money!

· Check in every day. Will do!!

Good luck every one