13 - Unlucky For Some

aspella

Day 59 - spent £5.30 on bread, bread and more bread. Kingsmill 50/50 thick £1.50 and Allinson's The Champion £1.90.  Competitions entered on page 3 and 68. Unsubscribing from emails to avoid temptation and try and reduce how long it takes to check emails on a daily basis.

June challenges: 
NSD = 2/10
Minutes online = 348/3600
Minutes watching TV = 257/3600

Balance b/f: £3,546.08
Total spent: £5.30
Budget remaining: £3,540.78

aspella

Yesterday was a NSD. Competitions entered on page 4 & 64.

Day 61 - spent £2.90 on milk. Competitions entered on page 5 & 73. £6 worth of vouchers received today after complaining about an open packet of damaged biscuits contained within a twin pack of McVities digestives. 

June challenges: 
NSD = 3/10
Minutes online = 600/3600
Minutes watching TV = 435/3600

Balance b/f: £3,540.78
Total spent: £2.90
Budget remaining: £3,537.88

aspella

Day 62 & 63 were NSD. Competitions entered on page 6,7, 59 & 64.

Day 64 - spent £2.90 on milk. Competitions entered on page 8 & 63.WEM (winning email) received from Critical Popcorn telling me I've won a blu-ray; I'm looking forward to watching it at my next movie night. Free entertainment tonight - watched the Red Arrows display. 

Day 65 - spent £14.43 on a top up shop. Sainsbury's deli-style coleslaw has increased in price by 10p now £1.30 (Shoprite charge an extra 20p than Sainsburys), Allison the champion wholemeal bread 650g £1.90 (was £1.65 when I started purchasing this brand at the beginning of the year), milk £1.45, mixed peppers 3 pack £1.95, cheese 300g 2 x £3.00, cress £0.28. Co-op 3 pack of onions £1.05 & carrots 500g £0.50. Competitions entered on page 9 & 60.

Day 66 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 10 & 65.

June challenges: 
NSD = 6/10
Minutes online = 1200/3600
Minutes watching TV = 1,140/3600

Balance b/f: £3,537.88
Total spent: £17.33
Budget remaining: £3,520.55

aspella

Day 67 - spent £2 on some half price plants. Competitions entered on page 11 & 67.

June challenges: 
NSD = 6/10
Minutes online = 1315/3600
Minutes watching TV = 1,230/3600

Balance b/f: £3,520.55
Total spent: £2.00
Budget remaining: £3,518.55

aspella

Day 68 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 12 & 67.
Day 69 - spent £22.84 at Tesco & Co-op. Competitions entered on page 13 & 61.
Day 70 - spent £31.85 on phone bill & top up shop at Shoprite. Competitions entered on page 14 & 60.
Day 71 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 15 & 60.
Day 72 - spent £21.78 on bread & milk, 2 bath mats from TKMaxx & one book from the charity shop. Competitions entered on page 16 & 58.
Day 73 - spent £10 on paint & cheese. Competitions entered on page 17 & 59.
Day 74 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 18 & 60.
Day 75 - spent £3.63 on the basics. Competitions entered on page 19 & 54. WEM received. 
Day 76  - NSD. Competitions entered on page 20 & 54.
Day 77 - spent £26.20 at Tesco. Competitions entered on page 21 & 52.
Day 78 - spent £11.85 on two books from charity shop, duct tape & bits of food. Competitions entered on page 22 & 50.
Day 79 - spent £97.15 on bread and gas bill which is 58 days @ 16.0912p & 611.1898 kwhs @ 13.3153p. Competitions entered on page 23 & 53.
Day 80 - spent £3.35 on bread and milk. Competitions entered on page 24 & 52.

June challenges: 
NSD = 10/10
Minutes online = 2880/3600
Minutes watching TV = 2,600/3600

Balance b/f: £3,518.55
Total spent: £228.65
Budget remaining: £3,289.90

aspella

Day 81 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 25 & 56.
Day 82 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 26 & 52
Day 83 - spent £5.08 on bread & milk. Competitions entered on page 27 & 48.
Day 84 - spent £33.41 on food, two books and a jigsaw puzzle. Competitions entered on page 28 & 49.
Day 85 - spent £20.65 on petrol & baguette. Competitions entered on page 29
Day 86 - NSD. Competitions entered on page 30

June challenges: 
NSD = 13/10
Minutes online = 3600/3600
Minutes watching TV = 3,330/3600

Balance b/f: £3,289.90
Total spent: £59.14
Budget remaining: £3,230.76

aspella

Positive things for July:- 

• Came under budget for the month - average daily spend for the month works out at approx £11.29
• Got eight 500 pieces & six 1000 pieces jigsaw puzzles by swapping with individuals and at the library.
• Had fourteen NSD
• Harvested beetroot, cabbage, chard, courgettes, french beans, kohlrabi, lettuce & shallots from the garden.
• Reduced electricity usage compared to same period last year.
• Won a book which I'm looking forward to reading as it's a new author to me.

Balance b/f: £3,230.76
Total spent: £350.05
Budget remaining: £2,880.71

aspella

August is going to be awesome, amazing, abundant and austere

Positive things for August:-

• Able to fix fridge without having to call the experts out or purchase a new fridge. 
• Crossroads charity shop is still selling paperbacks for 10p.
• Harvested apples, beetroot, chard, courgette, french beans, lettuce, shallots, spring onions & tomatoes from the garden. 
• Had eleven NSD
• Instant win on Hobgoblin competition (received and gifted to relative)
• Swapped four jigsaw puzzles at the library plus four with people in the local area.
• Voucher I had covered the cost of some loppers. 
• WEM received so looking forward to receiving the prize in September.

Not so positive things for August:-

• Cases on the increase so I decided it wasn't a good idea to let cupboards go bare; thus went over budget on grocery challenge. 
• Dehumidifiers and lights have been switched on with all this gloomy weather. 

Balance b/f: £2,880.71
Total spent: £365.63
Budget remaining: £2,515.08

August Grocery Challenge £225.89/£160
No Spend Day Challenge 11/15

aspella

August didn't quite go to plan but onwards and upwards for September. September is going to be all about swapping, sharing, secondhand and making the most of the sunny weather.

I've decided to take part in a reading and jigsaw puzzle challenge whilst trying to do a low spend month so I'll have to put more effort into encouraging others to swap - seems to be a foreign concept nowadays, people either want things for free or want to buy. 

September Reading Challenge
Read a book where the title or author's name starts with the letter

• Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
• Erica James - Tell it to the Skies
• Pulse
• The Kite Runner

September Jigsaw Puzzle Challenge
Do a jigsaw puzzle (any piece count)  with something on it which you associate with 

• Title begins with the letter S - Sailing by the Lighthouse - Corner Piece
• Number 9 - Cat has nine lives - WHSmith Colourful Cottage
• Autumn
• Harvest 
• School - School uniform - Wasgij Catching a Break
• Book (International Literacy Day - 8th Sept) - My First Voyage to Southern Seas by W.H.G. Kingston - Corner Piece Nautical Tabletop.
• Coastguard, firefighter, paramedic or police officer (Emergency Services Day - 9th Sept)
• Roald Dahl - (Roald Dahl Day - 13th Sept) Fox - Gibsons Winter Cottages
• British Flag - (British Food Fortnight - 16th Sept) - Ravensburger Balmoral Castle
• Pirate - (International Talk Like a Pirate Day - 19th Sept)
• Mode of transport that isn't a car - (World Car Free Day - 22nd Sept) Bike - Falcon de luxe Bella's Bakery Shoppe
• Coffee (Macmillan Coffee Morning - 29th Sept) Sign with the word coffee - Gibsons Grandma's Treat
• Heart (World Heart Day - 29th Sept) - Heart motif on cushion - Falcon de luxe Animals at Home
• Swap a jigsaw puzzle or donate/purchase one from a charity shop (Secondhand September) Falcon de luxe Animals at Home purchased from Hospice. 

Balance b/f: £2,515.08
Total spent: £726.46
Budget remaining: £1,788.62

September Grocery Challenge £201.11/£160
No Spend Day Challenge 12/12

aspella

Like August, September didn't go to plan - quite a few unexpected expenses (car repairs, iron broke and I couldn't fix it despite changing the fuse). September wasn't all doom and gloom, I won a few small prizes. October is getting off to a good start with a NSD and it's dry outside so washing is out on the line. Fingers crossed it stays this way and the heating doesn't have to go on.

October Reading Challenge
Read a book where the title or author's name starts with the letter

• One True Loves
• Christmas for Beginners
• Three Weeks to Say Goodbye

Balance b/f: £1,788.62
Total spent: £793.30
Budget remaining: £995.32