Struggling along as best I can

nannygladys

Today I haven't braved the outside, it's very windy here and has been raining on and off all day 🙁
I have iced the Xmas cake so that is now ready to take with me tomorrow, I'll probably bring a couple of slices home with me to have. Eldest DD has been and collected her bits from my freezer and that's about it really. 
Decided what I'm wearing tomorrow and I've put all the bits I'm taking with me in one place ready to pack, so I'm about organised to go, I just have to remember to pack everything into the car! 
I've had a couple of Xmas presents delivered as well, so I'll open those before I go out tomorrow and send thanks. 
So that's about it, I just have to wish everyone Happy Xmas and I hope you all have a lovely day whatever you're doing, and thank you everyone for ready my ramblings 🙂
Nannyg 

Cherryfudge

Have a lovely Christmas, @nannygladys! Sorry about the brief inundation with waffle berry pudding.  

cbsexec

have a lovely Christmas with your family and I will look forward to reading your diary next year 

weenancyinAmerica

Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy tomorrow with the family. 

Moorviews

Merry Christmas 🎄 I hope you have a lovely time with your family 

nannygladys

I'm sorry everyone, I'm sure I did a post yesterday, hoping you had a very lovely Xmas and best wishes for the New Year but it doesn't seem to be here 🙁, so I apologise for that and just to reiterate I do hope you all had a lovely Xmas and thank you for the good wishes as well.
I didn't get to my youngest dds on the big day, I'm still full of cold (although getting better) and I didn't want to be responsible for the baby getting ill and to honest I was feeling so wretched I really didn't want to drive up to her house. Anyway it was fine and we are doing Xmas dinner on Thursday instead. So I haven't really seen anybody since before Xmas eve and I haven't seen Dgd either so I'll have her here for dinner when I'm better and she isn't at work.
So we are going towards a brand new year and I can't help wondering what next year will bring. I understand the standing charges are going up again so my budget may have to change again 🙁 
I'm going to attempt a low spend January, I don't know how people can do a no spend January, what happens when they run out of milk?? Anyway, all my bills and sinking funds will be paid along with all the pots I put money into, and as it leaves very little it's down to my food pot to try and knock some extra pennies off 🙂 so I'm going to allow myself £5 a week to buy the actual necessities!! And depending how I get on I might do it in February as well. I have quite a good pantry tin wise, and now both freezers are full - mostly the cheap veggies, so I reckon if I eat quite plainly and mostly beans and lentils I should manage in January and save a few pounds. I'll then see if I think it's worth it for how much I save 🤣 if it's not worth doing and I only save a couple of pounds and it makes me miserable I won't try again in February - but I know I have to cut back somewhere otherwise it's going to take ages to get enough together to do the few bits I want in 2024.
I still have the money to get the front room and bathroom sorted and also to pay for my new fridge/freezer, so that's at least something. And I will start with them in the New Year. 
Anyway, less about money things at the moment and I'm going to put the telly on and watch nonsense for an hour or two before bed 🙂
Nannyg 

Cherryfudge

I'm sorry to hear you're under the weather. This current cold/virus/whatever it is, is a real nuisance. I found I needed to rest more, so if yours is the same, perhaps you're doing exactly as you should to shake it off.

I don't really get no-spend January, either. The nearest I can get to it is either an already-spent-for January or going to stay with someone who feeds you for free. Or an allotment, though there's cost to that. I do remember a time when I was living off an overdraft and dependent on my then-boyfriend and meals supplied through work or church. Where I had to cater for myself, I had rice, and on alternate days flavoured it using a packet of seasoning mix. I wouldn't suggest going as low as that, but one or two favoured flavours can make a lot of difference, whether it's ketchup, herbs, chorizo, red wine... (Jack Monroe did wonders with a bottle of cheap red, adding interest to a number of meals if I remember rightly).

I'll continue to follow with interest as you seem to do a fantastic job with cutting your meal costs.

Sun_Addict

Sorry to hear you’ve been struck down with the lurgy this Christmas. These things pick certainly pick their moments! 

I don’t think people honestly do no spend months. When I was on the no spend challenge there were people on there with well over 20 no spend days every month while I rarely did more than 12. Turns out they weren’t counting buying groceries. I came off it because that’s still spending in my eyes 🤔 When I had a no spend day it was literally a day I spent nothing.

Cherryfudge

I agree, @Sun_Addict - groceries are one of the big spends for me and probably most people. After all, the supermarkets are all about persuading us to buy new tastes, buy ready-made (and pay extra for it), and there's a whole psychology to how it's all set out, isn't there? So not counting grocery spending is probably also not counting a lot of optional spending.

Baileys_Babe

I agree @Sun_Addict that people make all sorts of rules. When I did the no spend challenge I counted all spending except direct debits as I had no control over which days they were collected.

I could sort of understand if someone choose to disregard grocery spending if they had the rule anything bought that was not on their list counted as a spend day.

I still try to have no spend days and group the spending to days I have something unavoidable to buy or pay for.