NST - Achievable August

plumduff55

Can you add me in for August please xx

crazy_cat_lady

Morning all :coffee: :hello:
Very pleased to report that I've already reconciled my budget this morning, and found 2 payments that I could cancel - which are now cancelled
I wish I always felt this motivated but I'm making the most of it while I can.

GlendaSugarbean

New month new challenge! Thanks EE

Flowers of the month: I'm concerned testing on strength as I tend to get a batted about by stronger personalities. Need to learn to stand my ground. Also August is a family month - holiday booked, summer activities with the kids, spending time with good friends.

Aim: very unlikely to hit 15 NSDs this month's with two weeks off work, a trip and two family birthdays! I'm going to aim for 10 but the main aim is to stay within my holiday spending budget when we're away.

Update: I finally have a complete view of all DDs coming out of my and DH's accounts. Bills all look ok and we've pared down where we can, but I don't have a DD for savings. Must start one as my savings pot tends to get raised for other stuff . Budget for this month is fairly tight, but I'll make a start by transferring £25 over to the ISA.

Get prepared: no Xmas savings yet! Will need to start next payday. I'll be making a few presents, but I'm pretty good at cutting back on unnecessary present giving. I don't spend masses on the kids, they tend to get spoiled by family and they have so much stuff already.

Use free activities: lots going on here over the summer, need to get more organised to make use of it! Will start by finding something to take youngest to later today while eldest is at a friend's house.

Saving tips: the only new one I've found is to check Groupon for activity vouchers - managed to get nearly 20% off our annual zoo passes .

Treat: hmm, given that I fell into Lush yesterday and bought unnecessary shower gel as well as the cleanser I was planning to buy, I may have already done this. Whoops.

August seems to be a tricky budgeting month for many of us, so good luck!

lcc86

This sounds lovely, count me in! I haven't done a challenge for a few months. Just going to share my moneysaving tip now - always check comparison sites for car insurance! I got my renewal through a few days ago, checked online and the same company was offering the same policy but £80 cheaper. I know most MSE readers do shop around but just a reminder that it's definitely worth doing!

indigowarrior

Aim – for 15 NSD’s this month. I will try. Its a pain when Amnesia is part of your mental illness. I dont always know whats happening. However determind to stick to it this month.
Update (Budgets) – All my DD's are new because I just moved and I have already done a budget for this month.

Get (prepared for Xmas) –I dont really do christmas anymore. Its not the same without the girls.

Utilise (free activities in your area) - Will try. Its bit difficult because a lot of the groups are difficult to get to..

Share (money saving tips) – Will think of one.

Treat (yourself) – This one has me stumped. Not sure I would treat myself to.
This month should be a reasonable month except I turn 30 on the 18th.

Onmyway2

Count me in, I've been spending way too much on food, take aways and wine recently

The flowers for August are the Gladioli and the Poppy which represents beauty, strength, love, marriage and family.

So for August we are going to pick one of the above to work on – if you feel you have let your skincare routine go, or you have been saying yes too often to things or maybe you need to start loving yourself (or others) then that will be your focus this month.I'm going to focus an my diet and fitness, more walking and less junk food/

Rules:

Aim – for 15 NSD’s this month. If you think you can do more that is fantastic
Medical spends, fuel or days when the only purchase is reduced items do not count as spends. Never counted NSD so 15 will be a good start for me, I have a festival and 2 days out (sun freebies) so that's 7 days I will end up spending.

Update (Budgets) – instead of just setting budgets for the month I want you all to look at any direct debits/standing orders/continuous payment authorities and check to see if you still need or use them. If you don’t get cancelling.
Also make sure you pay to debts first this month and also put some in savings.Already cancelled everything I don't need, aiming to reduce the grocery bill this month though and no take aways (Unless I want one on my Birthday after a 12 hour day)

Get (prepared for Xmas) – Xmas is only 5 months away so that is either 4 or 5 pay days for monthly paid people. Have you written your list of who needs a present? If you have can you cull some from the list? A lot of people buy over Xmas for others as it is what has always been done but are too frightened to speak up – well Turtles are not frightened of suggesting things!! Maybe a family Secret Santa would help save money. Once you have your list down to the minimum then you need to start thinking of ideas and then start looking for those things in the sale or even better for free.I've tried to suggest this stuff in the past but my family all have more money than me and don't understand so I am busy collecting points, tokens and vouchers. Plus I won a cook book today so that can definitely go in someones stocking.

Utilise (free activities in your area) - I would like everyone to find out about free activities for kids or adults in their area and attend one of these – obviously if its not until later in the year that’s fine, book now if you need to or if not get it in the diary and maybe rope some friends in as well.Good idea, I will look into this.

Share (money saving tips) – I would like people to post once a week with a moneysaving tip, you may have been doing it for years and think everyone knows about it but I guarantee not everyone will know about it so get sharing.Downloaded the TopCashBack notifier the other day, already got £6 pending for stuff I had to buy

Treat (yourself) – I would like everyone to budget £3 for a luxury item, I want everyone to treat themselves this month. Maybe it’s a favourite chocolate bar that you haven’t brought in ages, maybe it’s a nice soap/shower gel but is too expensive to buy for day to day use.
If your only spend on the day you buy this item is that item then you can count it as a NSD.

The challenge will run from 1st August 00:01 until 31st August 00:00.

Thanks to all Turtles for joining the thread this month - please post as much as possible to let us know your progress.

Toni'sfriend

Morning everyone,

Plans for August

Work on - Just over a week ago, having decided I was fed up looking like a bag lady, I started smartening myself up (skin care, hair, nails, etc, etc, etc.). So my first priority is to keep this up. The second is family. I only have my partner, son and brother in Canada as close family but I do have lots of cousins. I will make a huge effort to keep in touch especially with those abroad.

Aim !!!8211; I'll try for 15 days. Managed more last month but think that might have been a one off.

Update (Budgets) !!!8211; All DD and SO are needed but if I can get through I am going to ask Virgin to reduce the cost of TV package now we've lost channels and they've now lost the rights to Seria A

Get (prepared for Xmas) !!!8211; Don't have many to buy for but must start getting organised and start picking things up.

Utilise (free activities in your area) - Lots of parks and free museums plus we don't have to pay for bus travel. Just been too lazy to make the effort. Must make a point of doing this.

Share (money saving tips) !!!8211; Can't think of anything at the moment. Just do all the usual things that everyone else does but if anything comes to mind I'll let you know,

Treat (yourself) !!!8211; Have to think about this one as well.

Good luck, Turtles.

cuddlymarm

Good morning turtles

Aim !!!8211; for 15 NSD!!!8217;s this month. I!!!8217;m aiming not to spend much on food this month so I!!!8217;ll try for as many NSDs as possible but doubt I!!!8217;ll make 15

Update (budgets)
Also make sure you pay to debts first this month and also put some in savings. I!!!8217;ve started knocking as much off my credit card and also saving a little as I!!!8217;m now paid weekly.

Get (prepared for Xmas) !!!8211; Xmas is only 5 months away so. I need to make a list of how many vouchers I need. I!!!8217;m a bit loath to buy vouchers too early because you never know which firm is going to go under next. OH, my boys and me all write a list of what we would like and then we all buy something from that ( plus a couple of silly bits, sweets etc) so you get what you would like rather than something that!!!8217;s going straight to the charity shop.

Utilise (free activities in your area) - we live near the prom so tend to walk a lot but I do need to see what!!!8217;s on free or cheap. In our area

Share (money saving tips) will try too but I am a bit loath to since I started
a thread about Prepping for Brexit meaning making sure to have food, heat etc and it got hijacked by people wanting to argue about the politics side of it. I!!!8217;ve given up on there and left them to it.

Treat (yourself) !!!8211; I would like everyone to budget £3 for a luxury item. I!!!8217;m dieting so my treat will probably be a nice bar of soap or some body lotion. Nice to have a treat though, sometimes we are so engrossed in the money saving to treat ourselves.

Happy August money saving turtles
Cuddles

s1n25

The flowers for August are the Gladioli and the Poppy which represents beauty, strength, love, marriage and family.

So for August we are going to pick one of the above to work on !!!8211; if you feel you have let your skincare routine go, or you have been saying yes too often to things or maybe you need to start loving yourself (or others) then that will be your focus this month. Love this!! Skin care was one of the things i pride myself on but the past couple of month it!!!8217;s become really bad! (mixture of eating unhealthy, drinking too much alcohol and the odd cigarette, all of which I plan to stop/reduce moving forward) I plan to look after myself a bit more, facemask twice a week, we all need a bit of me time!





Aim !!!8211; for 15 NSD!!!8217;s this month. If you think you can do more that is fantastic
Medical spends, fuel or days when the only purchase is reduced items do not count as spends. 15 days is manageable (I hope!) this is one that I really want to make sure I achieve.

Update (Budgets) !!!8211; instead of just setting budgets for the month I want you all to look at any direct debits/standing orders/continuous payment authorities and check to see if you still need or use them. If you don!!!8217;t get cancelling.
Also make sure you pay to debts first this month and also put some in savings. Spreadsheets completed, DD/SO all set up, cancelled my Netflix & Gym membership. Debt payments all gone out today.

Get (prepared for Xmas) !!!8211; Xmas is only 5 months away so that is either 4 or 5 pay days for monthly paid people. Have you written your list of who needs a present? If you have can you cull some from the list? A lot of people buy over Xmas for others as it is what has always been done but are too frightened to speak up !!!8211; well Turtles are not frightened of suggesting things!! Maybe a family Secret Santa would help save money. Once you have your list down to the minimum then you need to start thinking of ideas and then start looking for those things in the sale or even better for free. This is one I never prepare for!! I get paid early in Dec and always end up using my wage to buy the Xmas food and some last min presents. I!!!8217;ve budgeted £50 this month towards Xmas, I!!!8217;ve taken it out of my bank and put it in an envelope so that there is no chance I can use my card thinking I have the extra in my bank. To do this month: right out a list of who I need to buy for and costs for dinner etc. So that I know how much I need to save between now and Xmas.

Utilise (free activities in your area) - I would like everyone to find out about free activities for kids or adults in their area and attend one of these !!!8211; obviously if its not until later in the year that!!!8217;s fine, book now if you need to or if not get it in the diary and maybe rope some friends in as well. Fab idea!! Will start looking.

Share (money saving tips) !!!8211; I would like people to post once a week with a moneysaving tip, you may have been doing it for years and think everyone knows about it but I guarantee not everyone will know about it so get sharing. I!!!8217;ve been lurking MSE for a while but never posted until now. Just reading posts from people really does help, you never know who is reading our posts! Will start to post tips more often.

Treat (yourself) !!!8211; I would like everyone to budget £3 for a luxury item, I want everyone to treat themselves this month. Maybe it!!!8217;s a favourite chocolate bar that you haven!!!8217;t brought in ages, maybe it!!!8217;s a nice soap/shower gel but is too expensive to buy for day to day use.
If your only spend on the day you buy this item is that item then you can count it as a NSD. I feel guilty with this one but do get my nails done once a month, it costs £25 but I budget for it every month and I don!!!8217;t plan on buying anything else for myself in the month. This is my one treat





My first month joining the turtles, feeling good and can!!!8217;t wait!


Good luck fellow turtles, we got this!! x

lcc86

Right, time to set my targets:

Aim - I'm actually aiming for 19 NSD's this month. Only a couple of days out planned and no kids or anything to worry about. I also only want to spend £20 max on toiletries and household items as I've been a bit spendy in this area in recent months.

Update budgets - I don't think there's any direct debits or standing orders I can cancel, but I'll have a look through and double check. We have no TV license, no gym membership, just the essentials plus a couple of charity donations.

Get prepared for Xmas - I haven't thought about this yet, so will start writing my list. I'll be saving from next month for gifts but always good to try and get the list sorted.

Utilise free activities - I'll have to look into this. A lot of the activities at the moment are understandably aimed at kids and families but I'll see what I can find. I did find a free sports festival in September so maybe that can count!

Share money saving tips - already shared one, will see what else I can find throughout August.

Treat yourself - I've ordered one of those small bottles of prosecco with the shopping delivery for later. I'm going to have that on Friday night in the bath with a face mask and a bar of chocolate (already have those in stock).

Overall the focus this month is on getting some annoying jobs done in the house, preparing for a trip away in October, and hopefully enjoying myself on a budget. I go back to uni alongside work in October so just want to enjoy the last two months doing things I like. I'm suffering from an undiagnosed allergy which I'm finding really draining so while I'm waiting for an appointment with an immunologist I just want to keep things ticking over and not beat myself up if I get behind with housework or whatever.