NST April 2024: April appreciation
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Well done to Pip.I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.
Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb. ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.8 -
I'll do May apple, but I'm also going to do what someone asked for last month - a guide to writing a thread. NSK's last challenge looks a good place to start for basic rules and then I thought I'd mention some memorable themes she used. Hopefully that will give people enough confidence to volunteer in future months.12
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Well done Pip!
Yoga & Norwegian done. Felt strange not waking DS3 up to catch his bus, but he's on study leave, so not needed. DH stormed into his room to open the blind, forgetting he was still in bed 😂 so wasn't just me!
Dropped 2 bags off for CS on my way to work. Enjoyed my day with the teacher (job share, so only does a Thurs & Fri).
Noticed a message at dinnertime from DH - DS realised at 10.20 that he had an exam at 12.30 today!! So DH had to phone for a taxi - we're 12 miles away from his school, DH doesn't drive & no buses going in the right direction at that time! I was dreading to hear how much that'd cost!
DS met me after work, to say that the taxi driver hadn't charged him for the lift! Still trying to figure out why, could be cos he was 20 mins late/was feeling generous? Who knows? So that's saved £25.10 anyway 😃
Sat sewing after tea, now off for a soak in the bath with my book.
Grateful for DS realising in time that he'd got an exam, a free taxi ride, chats with colleagues at work, that DS1 hadn't been hit by an exploding aerosol can that his old lady boss had had in a black binbag she'd asked him to burn!!!Use it up, wear it out
Make do or do without!
If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours 😃
⭐⭐⭐⭐8 -
So glad that DS remembered in time about the exam @Thrifty_Taylor.I am a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on Mortgage Free Wannabe & Local Money Saving Scotland & Disability Money Matters. If you need any help on those boards, do let me know.Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any post you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button , or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own & not the official line of Money Saving Expert.
Lou~ Debt free Wanabe No 55 DF 03/14.**Credit card debt free 30/06/10~** MFW. Finally mortgage free O2/ 2021****
"A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of" Jane Austen in Mansfield Park.
***Fall down seven times,stand up eight*** ~~Japanese proverb. ***Keep plodding*** Out of debt, out of danger. ***Be the difference.***
One debt remaining. Home improvement loan.9 -
These are Kat's rules from the final challenge she set 'The August Farewell'
Bits in bold are my comments (this is to act as a guide for anyone who'd like to take on the job of writing a thread sometime)
The Rules.- The Challenge will commence on the 1st August @ 00:00 and end on the 31st August @ 23:59.
- Dates of challenge
- You will aim for 12 SFD’s (Spend Free Days).
- Days on which no money is spent
- Set your DFD (Debt Free Day) - and your ultimate goal. What are your plans once you are debt free?
- Kat was passionate about knowing your debt free date and how much needed to be set aside each month to achieve your target (See below)
- You will pay towards your debt FIRST and live on what’s left. Choose the amount now. When I was debt busting I have a 457 days DFD set in stone, I have to pay at least £800 a month towards this - I clearly never went out. How far are you willing to go to get rid of this debt..? (please keep it legal)…
- You will set your food budget adequately to prevent “slippage” into credit card usage this month. If in doubt add a £20 emergency fund and put it in a separate envelope. Mine is £130.
- Kat's food rules varied - reduce by a set amount or percentage from the previous month, donate part of your food budget to a food bank, live from your cupboards etc
- You will NOT use any of the following unless specifically budgeted for and money has been set aside; restaurants, cafes, work canteens, vending machines ( yes really), Starbucks, Costa, Nero or any other chain cafe!, nor shall you use the money of another to purchase your contraband.
- Set your other budgets before the beginning of the month - who are you visiting, who is having a baby, who is getting married, where are you going away for over-night, train fares into town etc… Set this money aside in envelopes.
- 'Nor shall you use the money of another to purchase your contraband
- Do a good deed and ask that person to PIO = "Pass-It-On". Do not expect or act in attempt to get something back. Let’s pass on good deeds and see if they come back to us. You choose what this deed it but let’s not make it something we would have done anyway - lets step outside our comfort zone and see who we meet!
- One of the things Kat insisted on was that we should include a 'random rule' in the challenge.
- Choose between 20-50 items to sell on eBay. This doesn’t mean they have to all be listed this month - but we are going to de-clutter together. And make money at the same time.
- Different ways of making extra money were a regular feature (overtime, side hustles, selling)
- I want everybody doing 30 minutes of exercise 4 times a week. Those with injuries are obviously exempt but we need to move ourselves a little more - lets fight off illness and fatigue with some fresh air. I don’t care how you do it - but lets get moving. Add again any other ways of burning calories - take the stairs, walk to the shop for bread and milk… lets get moving!!!
Kat was hardcore but never asked anyone to do anything she didn't do herself. She believed in a healthy mind in a healthy body and in 'giving back'. She took elements from many other challenges (spend free days. taking your lunch to work) and combined them in one super tough challenge. She would ask questions if people broke the rule and give advice on how difficulties could be overcome.
She made use of many themes - favourite books and films, mythology, quotes as jumping off points.
I hope I haven't scared anyone to death. If you were around for Kat's challenges please share your memorable NSK challenges.
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wow @grandmanerd thank you for posting that! It looks very strict, but I can definitely see the benefits of doing it that way. Today I had already set myself to be more strict for next month. I have put my salary into the relevant pots, and allowed myself a slightly higher "just in case" pot, as I want to completely avoid using the credit cards this month. In April I ended up using it only twice, and for minor things, and I really want to stick to this even more now.
Today it was an absolutely manic day at work, I finished work just about 15 minutes ago and thought of checking in quickly.
Yesterday I did sent the meter readings after writing here, and after sending them I checked the energy supplier app, and in the projection section they were recommending I lower the direct debit by almost £25 a month! This is the first time I see something actively going down rather than up in almost 2 years, and it made me really happy! It was too late to change it for the May payment, but will be reduced starting from the June payment.
I will now close the working stuff and put everything away, fold the desk and pick up the dress I'm crocheting, while I watch the third part of a famous trilogy filmed in New Zealand. One of my favourite comfort watches!
Hope everyone is having a relaxing evening!
And today it was NSD #15 out of 18, I might even be able to reach the goal!My debt free journey starts on 30/08/2023:
CC1 - 5,151.92 now 4,939.76
CC2 - 4,625.87 now 4,741.90
CC3 - 4,166.15 now 4,560.92
Current outstanding total: 14,242.58
Aiming to be debt free by Dec 2026.
May 2024 No-Spend Day Challenge - 11/17
NST May 2024 -
#21 1p savings challenge 2024 £188.11/£671.618 -
Didn't post yesterday, was due to be in Cambridge for work but it was cancelled last minute. I can't lie, I was secretly pleased. I also had a free coffee voucher at work so a good day all round! Treated OH to pizza so it was a spend day. I caught up with a colleague who's just handed their notice in, their insight really spoke to me and reaffirmed that I need to leave. Plans in progress...
I actually slept really well last night, I bought some really high strength cbd hoping it might help my pain, and tried it just before bed, probably just a coincidence but I'll take it!
Today I went for a walk first thing, popped to the gym quickly at lunchtime and now am on call for the evening. Not a very exciting day but am glad it's the end of the week!Save £3,000 emergency fund #79 - £2,073.28 as of 05/24
Pay off credit card by December 2024 - £0/£2,0009 -
Today I am grateful for making contacts at the PTA coffee morning at pip's school, for Pip being quite happy with his finished art exam work, for a visit from a neighbourhood cat, for a lovely long call with big sis, for my current audiobook Tourmaline.Thank you for posting kat's plan for monthly challenges grandmanerd. I had registered the request but not been sensible enough to do anything about it!NST March lion #8; NSD ; MFW9/3/23 Whoop Whoop!!!6
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Me too @beanielou!
Another NSD, could be #19, best monthly count in AGES!!
Yoga & Norwegian done. DS2 had used up all the cheese, so had to rethink my packed lunch. He'd woken me twice in the night too, so not the best start to the day. Work went well.
After tea, I made 3 birthday cards, then got my knitting out & started watching the series set on the group of islands above ours. WAtched the first episode when it first started, but gave it up, as didn't think the accents sounded authentic 🤣 there is a rumour that some of the crew have bought a house round the corner from us. Who knows?!
Grateful for a pupil telling me I'm her favourite teacher, working with the lovely teacher again, a night off from sewingUse it up, wear it out
Make do or do without!
If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours 😃
⭐⭐⭐⭐10 -
Morning turtles! My boiler lives to see another day, 'just' £160 to trace the leaky valve, fix it, replace some pipes, bleed all the radiators etc. I will look into the grant though @f0xh0les thanks for flagging that up. It clearly won't last forever!
Gosh that was a blast from the past @grandmanerd, I remember @NinjaSavingKat doing the research and prepping for her adventures at the same time as bashing the debt. It seemed to really help to have a bigger 'Why' if that's not too corporate speak 🤣 I lived a bit vicariously through her research as I had a lot of wanderlust but also sold responsibility for a small child and debt, so the possibilities of travel seemed a long way away!
I am happy to cheer lead a thread in June or July or August? The next few weeks are a crunch point for me on urgent life admin so I fear I'd be volunteering as a distraction!
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