NST March: Marching to a different beat

f0xh0les

pocketfluff wrote: »

.We have £140 to pop into gas and electric which is a godsend as weve been spending a fortune on heating the house and had to have no gas days and wrap up instead. Very hard when your front door is bent like a banana and lets all the heat out

Can you put up a door curtain? They are a godsend in draughty houses and you only need two nails and one of those curtain cords.

pocketfluff wrote: »

Tomorrow morning Im meeting my friend at Costa for a coffee and a catch up then were going to the retail park for cleaning products. As its payday it will not be a no spend day and not really sure how to save on the coffee!

C0sta are doing a promotion on cafe lattes at the minute- go on their website, they are giving bonus points on them this week - not exactly money saving, but it will mean a free one quicker.

x_raphael_xx

pocketfluff wrote: »

Tonorrow morning Im meeting my friend at Costa for a coffee and a catch up then were going to the retail park for cleaning products. As its payday it will not be a no spend day and not really sure how to save on the coffee!

Sign up to the costa rewards card, won't save you tomorrow, but will eventually get you a free coffee. I don't have costa very often, but they rack up slowly.

RhiBi wrote: »

I am doing the Payment a Day challenge, so can I not include that in the NSD's? If so, I'll sign up to the challenge!

You're not wasting it on rubbish, so I would say definately not a spend day

laurenh1 wrote: »

I made it in to work :T:T Very proud.

I live opposite work, so nothing stopping me going in BF had a half day yesterday, and has been told not to go in til Monday, jammy b.

• · For the striders: 18 25 NSDs 1/25 achieved today. Not left my pjs, let alone the house!
• · Set your budgets before the challenge starts Budgets set. [STRIKE]I need to pay for a music exam this month[/STRIKE] After a closer look, I don't need to pay for the exam til next month, so bonus!
• · Be generous !!!8211; there are many who are far worse off. Do not forget to give to your choice of charity. As usual, my charity of choice is the local C&D home.
• · As ever, always take your lunch to work, and drink and snacks when out and about Day off today. Leftovers for lunch.
  
• · [FONT=&quot]Pay towards your debt first! £100 paid to mum, planning to scrape a little more by the end of the month.
  [/FONT]
• · Plan. Look ahead to the month and what your commitments are. Mum should be down next week, got a coffee date with a couple of friends, maybe a trip to Bristol Zoo.
  

laurenh1

the run if bad luck is back... engine has started cutting out... It really has just been one thing after another!!!

Debtfreewannabme

Hello I would love to join in. I am a serial spender who has recently had a massive wake up call. My husband and I have been saying how we would love to own our own home ever since 2014 - there have been so many opportunities that we missed out on because of my spending and debt habbits. Well this Jan I started CBT for anxiety and my spending came up. I realised I was using it to make myself feel good enough when truth be have it..money just doesnt buy happiness. So finally things clicked into place. I took over £200 of boxing day sale items back and we have been focusing on wising up with money. Well I have, my Husband just nods! Anyway, after realising that we needed to pay off debts before saving, I stopped spending. I signed up to this forum, did some research, shifted debts to 0% cards, accessed our credit reports, totalled the debts up to £6657 and we have paid off 46.5% since Jan. I am slowing getting better at budgetting and currently finishing Marchs. I can't describe the freedom I feel already, knowing that we have paid off almost half our debts. Finally we are huge steps forwards towards our goal and I'm really excited. Sorry for the essay. It's helped to get it all out. I need all the help I can get and already feeling inspired by all of you - thank you. xxx

DawnW

Spend day today, we decided to do the shopping this morning to avoid having to go out in the worsening weather I also had a hair appointment, which I half expected to be cancelled, but the salon was open so I got that done - just a trim.

Budgets set for March:
Groceries - £31.81 / 250.00
Pet food - 0 / £10.00 (he is only little )
Diesel - 0 / £65
Presents - £0 / £80 (family birthdays)
Toiletries and cleaning supplies - £2.50 / £30

All spends recorded and spreadsheet updated accordingly

Bored with snow now - it is supposed to be spring!

Nicky_Noo_Na

Can I jump back in for March? Just about sorted after the burglary with new alarm, locks and lights etc. We took the opportunity to buy a newer and bigger car by combining some savings with insurance money so got to pay ourselves back in effect but DD free nursery hours from April should help with that and then we can push on with bathroom renovation!

Need to save as much as poss these next few months really. Started well with a NSD today! Aiming for at least 15 and hoping to keep food bill down this month.

Jonesy88

Hello!

Checking in with my first NSD so 1/18.

Budgets have been set, although I get paid on the 15th of the month so i'm half way through.

I already donate to an Alzheimer's charity so i'll continue with that.

f0xh0les

Right, today was not a NSD as I did all the veg shopping and a Mr M shop as I knew he owed me a free £5 voucher. Ended up spending less than £25 and the fridge is full of veg and the pantry is full of, well, practically everything known to man.

Cashed out a £15 amazon voucher on V.O, it can be put toward birthday presents as needed.

Made DH a replacement photo mug (a la Martin's newsletter)for £3.50 inc delivery. It is a photo of an illustration from a moomin's book of the philosopher muskrat in a hammock reading a philosophy book - pretty niche market. I accidentally smashed the other one last week, so the discount of £8 was serendipitous.

Remortgage has gone through, so I have just saved 4 and a half years (time travel!!) and huge amounts of £s.

Filled car with petrol, paid off cc. paid into DS2s school residential (£200 left to find)

Pasties made for 4 x lunchboxes tomorrow
All food will be from stores

Schools here are still open, my bedroom at 2am was 10 degrees. All kids sent to bed with hot water bottles and fleecy blankets, although they do not use them and end up naked anyway.

Bought two very posh bakeware tins from a charity shop - individual bundt cakes, one with the hole in the middle, the other with swirl indentation on the top. The sponges came out and when they were iced they actually looked like something from a cake shop. Not bad for £1.50 each.

Had to use de-icer and a scraper to prise open my fuel cap door. Blimmin thing was totally iced shut. Got deicer on my fingers, by the time I had filled the tank I could not feel them. Took ages to regain feeling, and got beeped at by the driver behind me for not driving into oncoming traffic on a roundabout.

Thanks for providing the inspiration Abundant, poor headless abs man !

DancingDragons

Feb allowed us to cut more from the debt, more in the savings (secret stash for xmas and such) but it also revealed just how much I need to carve out even more time to plan out weekly spends and food budgets.
Sunday I was able to look at the mess and spot the things that keep tripping me up.
In my current malestrom of a life keeping lists and notes and books just aren't working. I'm being pulled by family in all directions and I simply am not good enough at finding yet more time at the end of my day to write out plans and such. I even tried getting up EARLY to do so. If I am awake, someone wants something. I have to accept this - it costs money to hide from it. (coffee shops sometimes, libraries more often.)
So.
New plan - Totally account for all incoming £$£. Assign it to places by DD/SO- (Fuel, pay to debts, saving accts, et-al) Shopping budget will be cash, out of which will also come all the "niggly" stuff.
In essence this is what I've been doing, but failed to go totally cash. When that cash is gone, they'll all just have to wait for it to "reload" the following week - the family have proven they are capable of "fridge empty" drama well enough thanks to Beast From the East.

Budget wk1
Shopping £45.85/£80
Fuel: £25
Debt & Saving £95
Bills and Boring stuff £320


....
Only one at school today - that caused a fight! But the fact that it was World Book Day (we ended up as Wonder Woman - yes based on the book, not a graphic novel) soon cheered her up. Good Deed of the day was seeing an elderly wanderer back to safety and warmth of home, (after having to leave her in the reception office, and going to get the car) informed police (Social care is dire here and not a "NHS "thing") as relative wasn't in the country until next week.
Lovely lady who got herself totally lost because of builders blocking off ancient walkways.


Gratitudes:
Helpful police - going above and beyond to keep us (society) safe. Safe is a wide and varied concept.
Pilates - I always come out feeling so zoned and relaxed - completely different to hitting the gym


Hope you are all safe and dry. Hugs to those who need them, Digi Hot Choc to all.

Debtfreewannabme

It really is inspiring reading all the posts. I forgot to say that I'm aiming for 18 NSDs.
I think it was apple who posted about consistency - thanks for this. It's my sisters bday coming up. I brought all the bday cards for the yr in Jan and sent a msg to all famiky and friends to say we are cuttibg back so no pressies.. but despite this I'm fighting not to buy her something out of guilt. Deep breathes though as I need to stick to my word. My kids will 'make' her a nice painting and that will be enough. Budget still not complete. I've wasted too much time on MSE for tonight haha in attempt to avoid the mess downstairs ( I'm a Mommy to two children under 2). Wish me luck.... xx