NST March 2019: WINS against the debt

JoJo77

Please may I join? I’ve just read through February. Serial budgeter but then never actually check what I’ve spent so this will be a kick up the bottom for me. I sense NSDs will also be a problem as I only managed 4 last month!!

MarthaGwen

Hello, please could I join - this will be my first month

Waste management:
- Food waste – eat leftovers, don’t bin food (unless it could be used for a science experiment), buy only what you need – plan your meals before going shopping.
I am going to clear out the fridge and food cupboard, check dates and put a meal plan in plcae. My aim is to try and use up all the food we already have before going out an buying stuff we don't really need! I will then only shop for the essentials.
- Plastics – reduce what comes in to your house and recycle as much as you can.
totally on board with this.
- Utilities –cut back on how much gas, leccy and water you use.
Going to keep the heating off as much as possible - only on for the children in the evening and turn off lights and appliances that don't need to be on.
- Money – just don’t fritter it away. Be wise. Would stockpiling work for you and mean better food management? No spending unecessarily - stick to my budget!


Invest in yourself
- Do something every single day that makes you happy.
PADing makes me happy! Also, listening to a good audio book and sticking to a morning routine.
- Do something else every single day that takes you a little bit nearer to your long-term goals
walk 10,000 steps every day
- Learn a new skill or re-start an old one.
I am going to start practising the flute again and aim for grade 3
- Can you grow any food this year?
The children and I have bought all the seeds, need to get some pots and compost and get started


Needs not wants
- We all know Martin’s mantra. Be consistent in applying it. Learn to distinguish between what you truly need and what you want to have now and simply cannot ever live without…
- Appreciate what you have and enjoy it.


Simplicity
- Put routines in place that keep your life running smoothly and make things automatic.
- Simplify your stuff. Just get rid of the unnecessary stuff. Donate it to a charity shop. Freecycle it. Give it to friends and neighbours.
I am going to take one room at a time and totally declutter - too much 'stuff' that we don't use or need.
- Make space for yourself.
My conservatory, which I am going to aim to have a quiet cup of tea in on my own regularly.
- Cut out the extra noise in your life. This might be computer games, the Interweb, tv, radio, certain people. Allow yourself peace and quiet to simply be.
I have set a timer on my phone as a 'switch off your phone' - I spend too much time late in the evenings on my phone when I should be connecting with my husband!
- Be frugal in your needs.
No buying clothes this month at all, I have plenty and need to make do with what I have.

I am aiming for 15 NSD in March, it is my birthday and my DS birthday so going to put money aside for family meals[/CO

mothernerd

March plans
1 Revised my signature from a rather begrudging 'Accepting change' to a more active form (still not quite embracing change) and have dropped the sequins (not at all me) so

Changing to a Life of Simplicity and Serenity with added rainbows.

I am embracing the simplicity. After getting several large items out of my house and garden last week, I am now starting to wonder 'what is all this stuff, where did it come from and how did I end up with it. Only my hatred of waste prevents me getting a skip (or skips) and dumping it wholesale. I have set a target of halving my possessions and will keep chipping away at this.

W
Waste Management
Food - on it. Bought a seeded wholemeal loaf today with the express purpose of making up a batch of tuna butties to freeze. Will be eating my way through the fish mountain (doubled up on the 3 for a tenner offer last month). Have used up the breaded chicken and chips and will not be replacing them.

Plastics - have 3 old bins filled with 2l bottles. Have carried forward the unused 10 pounds from last month's diy budget to buy some bamboo canes and start threading them on. My ambition is to make a plastic bottle greenhouse but if I can eliminate the 2l bottle from my life those already threaded can be a vertical garden or mini greenhouse.

Utilities - since I mentioned it the other day, I have recommenced turning off all the lights left on by DS3 and (his) Beloved. For those unfamiliar with my story I live with two 28yo slobs (I had high hopes when Beloved moved in but he's dragged her down to his level). I am my mother's carer so spend a lot of time at her house and I have a number of health issues. I sprained my ankle before Christmas and everything just got on top of me. Last winter I snook downstairs and turned the heating off every time they put it on.

Money - will track faithfully. Have kept budgets as last month which was a 15 - 20% reduction of previous budget. I have been buying extra non-perishable/ long dated stuff both here and at mum's. I had identified shopping (which I hate anyway) was taking up far too much precious time and did several SM home delivery orders (using a SM trolley was aggravating arthritis in my right shoulder) which was immensely useful when the sprain left me hobbling about.

I
Invest in Yourself
Happy - reading, embroidery for as long as I can do it, music once the ankle gets better (was doing well with sitting on the bed dancing but then was tempted to stand up - No, don't do that again), baths (after months of sit on a stool showers)

Long-term goals - currently under revision but firming up. Trying to do 3 x 15 minutes housework (including decluttering and last week shifting large items) as the exercise part of my losing weight. Up to 4 average (3 on a difficult day, 5 on good days, eventual aim is 10 x 15 minutes including garden and diy)

Learning a new skill - does working out how to do all the things you used to do (mopping, picking things up off the floor, standing/ walking for more than 5 minutes) without falling over, screaming or crying count. It's not that bad - I have managed some adaptations very well and it amuses other people.

N
Needs not wants
A couple of days ago I was thinking about what needed doing but also thought "What do I need right now?". On the one side there is this mountain of things that 'need' doing which atm I am barely making an impression. But asking what I need is checking on my mood, prioritising the tasks I need to complete and spending some time on life enhancing stuff like reading. So that's a good question to keep asking myself.

Daily gratitudes will continue.

S
Simplicity (is more than a dress pattern)
Definitely need the routines (revise CBT literature - mix of essential, necessary and pleasurable activities).

I so need a lot of this stuff to go. Frustrated by my own physical limitations (hopefully the ankle will heal, the flu type bug is going) but will keep plodding on creating puddles of space which will one day all join up into a great lake of peace and tranquillity.

Noise - need to cut back on games (avoiding stuff) but always have the sound turned off. Need a gentle talk with mum (had a very strange day, mum is getting over the flu bug thing too but not very clear headed and flitting from one thing to another so I'm being asked to a) be a mind-reader and b) go in six different directions at once).

I will be growing some things (hopefully to eat if the slugs don't get them first). I have seeds, will try not to buy more.

Frugality rules.

Will aim for 15 NSDs.

Today (Thursday gratitudes) I am grateful for a long(ish) meandering walk with lots of sit downs, for seeing lots of flowers and looking at the patterns of bare branches and streetlights and for getting one thing done (mum's most important - for today).

apple_muncher

Good morning turtles!


Pinch, punch, first of the month. No returns.


May the month of March be a month of WINS for us all.

GlendaSugarbean

Hooray, it's March! My birthday month and the official start of Spring, my favourite season.

Thank you Apple for the challenge. Here are my goals:

Waste: getting better at meal planning, but sone stuff still slips through and has to be chucked. Will be on this. Doing my best to reduce the amount of crap coming in to the house, and recycling as much as possible going out.

Invest: thank you for the reminder that we need to look after ourselves as well. There's a free exhibition near work wfuch I've been meaning to go to for ages - will check the times and head over today if I can.

Needs not wants: a timely reminder as this month I'm planning to update my work wardrobe. It badly needs doing as I need to dress smartly for work and my current outfits are looking a bit bedraggled, but I need to get as much as possible in outlets/charity shops/on sale. Plus I need to review all my current clothes and work out which to bin (charity shop/ clothes recycling) and which to keep. Aiming for an easy capsule wardrobe. I have some cashback and vouchers pending which I hope will cover most if not all of the cost.

Simplicity: the last year has shown me I need very little to be happy: a stable home, my family, enough to eat and a few outs every now and again that we all enjoy. Everything else is negotiable.

Growing: this year we need to tackle our new-to-us garden, and I've already been working (with help from friends) on the allotment. Need to sort through my many seeds and work out what to start this month, also planning to get a mini greenhouse to start off seedlings at home. Very exciting!

Aiming for my first NSD today. Onwards!

apple_muncher

For anyone wanting to plant seeds and grow stuff this year, liddle will be selling compost on 7th March.

apple_muncher

Good morning.
You are a rare gem, an exclusive, a limited edition.

There is only one of you.
Have an amazing day!

JoJo77

Good morning Turtles. Very excited to be joining this challenge:j

Waste management:
Pretty good with food waste here. We are not a fussy family with food. Even LO (aged 4) will eat something new that he didn’t like as he know s I won’t cook it for him again. Failing that it gets given to the dog!
Plastics are tough. I have to admit to buying a plastic trowel yesterday for picking up dog mess so I can retrieve my nice one now the weather is better and I want to do some gardening with LO. It was £1 but the wooden and metal ones were £8. On the plus side it should last for ages as I won’t actually be digging with it!
Decided not to wash my hair this morning as I always wash it again at swimming later which is a waste (and probably not too good for my hair either). Also switched off the electrics in LOs room (on an extension lead). We have a camera set up in there but it’s on 24/7. DH says I’m wasting my time and it won’t make a difference to the Lecce we’re using but it must do, mustn’t it?
This will be my third month of actually tracking our spends. It’s been an eye-opener! Firstly I didn’t actually have everything that gets spent on the budget (and we’re still finding more), but because I wasn’t tracking it I had no idea where I was so was spending more that we had. We don’t have any unsecured debt but we did borrow heavily through the mortgage for work on our house and we’ve been taking money out of there each month:eek:

Invest in yourself
I subscribed to Headspace for my birthday and I really need to do that every day as it makes me feel much calmer
Since having my son I’ve developed a pot belly! I’m only a size 10 but my tummy really sticks out. I did see a physio (for something else) and she said I had abdominal separation and gave me some exercises (which I don’t do!!). So, my plan is to have a flat belly by our holiday in June. I will therefore commit to doing my stomach exercises every day for this challenge
Not sure about skills. I would like to do some sewing again but space is an issue (we’re in a static caravan). Will have to give this some thought...
Planning to grow lots of food this year:). Last weekend we replaced th broken glass in the greenhouse and made it safer for LO. The two small veg growing areas have been dug over, one with manure, and covered with plastic to stop further weeds and preheat the soil. Me and LO are going to tidy up in th greenhouse this weekend and plant some seeds. We are both very excited :j


Needs not wants
I’ve got very good at not wanting things due to our financial situation over the past few years. Tracking everything is making me even better
I am lucky to have my health, my lovely family and friends, good food to eat, warmth and safety

Simplicity
Need to work on some routines...
My plan is to get rid of one thing every day

Today should be a NSD

We owe £200,000 on our mortgage and £350,000 on the BTL mortgages (and I now earn so little I don’t even pay tax:eek:long story!). My real focus is to get out of this beep caravan and back into our house. We’ve been in here 3 years! We are short of £30,000 so that is where I need to focus any savings. Don’t feel comfortable yet with my budgeting to put any money in saving first yet though

Have a budget and am tracking it!

Don’t tend to spend on food when out. Don’t really go out! Usually take our own food if we do. LO calls them ‘car picnics’:rotfl:

Have a great day Turtles!!

apple_muncher

JoJo - 3 years in the caravan! Yikes! You must have the patience of a saint! Very pleased you have joined the turtles.:T

dolly84

Hi all. Welcome to the newbies.


Busy day today, pay day for me albeit a small one and next weeks will be the last till I find another job. Anyway my wage has gone straight into our house renovation fund.



Today I have stripped and aired all the beds, washed the bedding, dried it (some is on the line and some in the drier unfortunately), remade all the beds, cleaned the lounge top to bottom, walked the dog in the woods (I was the only one there it was beautifully serene) and made pizza dough - 1 portion for tea and 3 for the freezer. I've just finished lunch and am now about to vacuum and steam clean the kitchen, bathroom and hallway floors.


I need to call at the library on the way to get the kids and return the fascinating 'Fashion on the Ration' book, then pop into the animal feeds place and get dog food. Will walk the dog after tea then it will be a sit down with a glass of red.