NST OCTOBERFEST

beanielou

Happy holidays @Thrifty_Taylor. 

grandmanerd

Friday 11th October 2024

Eight OCTOBER Essentials
1   Know your Debt Free Date (add up what you owe, see how much you can throw at it)
2   Pay to your Debt or Savings first, live on what is left
3   All Budgets should be set before the start of the month (3rd October this month)
4   Spend Free Days - Minimum 8/ Try for a run of 8 days/ Spend only on 8 days (choose)
5   No takeaways, chain coffee purchases, vending machines. Lunch to work and appointments
6   Do a pantry inventory, base meals around what you have and batch cook 
7   Travel costs do not lose a SFD as long as you spend from your travel budget (meds too)
8   Regular check ins

These are the basics (mostly from Kat's time). A bit of explanation about why we do these things and how they are beneficial.

1   Debt Free Date
Getting out of debt (or saving for a home/ big improvements etc) is a long journey. This is like going on a long road trip. You need to know where you are going and how you are going to do it. How much do you owe? hopefully you aren't one of those people who ignore letter and just put them in a drawer but it can still be a shock to tot it all up. You need to do something. What can you do? How much can be put aside each month for debt. On a long journey you need to work out how many miles you can do each day, where you need to refuel (think ahead for areas where petrol stations are few and far between), work out where you need to refuel (buying sandwiches and picnic supplies from SM will be cheaper), budget places to stay when you need a break from driving. Enjoy the journey - don't cut all the little treats from your budget, you'll quit much sooner. Plan for a long sustainable journey and you will succeed.

2 Pay to your DEBT or SAVINGS first, live on what is left
Kat said that if you spend your way through the month and then put aside what is left at the end of the month towards reducing your debt (presuming you have already set up DDs for each creditor) you won't get very far. Set a realistic amount to be paid at the beginning of the month/ payday and then adjust your need to live on what is left. You can set harder targets as you become more experienced. If the problem is really serious, get help from a debt charity. Stepchange told me the amount I'd put down for daily living expenses was too small. I'd been living on far less for years -most of my money went on house repairs and getting 3 boys through to graduating from uni.

3   All budgets should be set before the start of the month
Having a budget is like telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went. There are excellent resources on here to help you work out what you are spending and what you can cut. Some things can be reduced bit by bit, some things you just need to bite the bullet and cut them out. Food, mortgage or rent, gas, electric, water, Council tax are mostly non-negotiable (you can shop around for the best deals but that's usually an annual thing). The monthly budget is a stepping stone to your larger goal. If it's the end of the month and you only have a few pounds left at least all your bills are paid.

4   Spend Free Days
There is a whole challenge based on No Spend Days (and a similar one on taking your lunch to work). Kat chose to build a tougher challenge incorporating these elements but adding so much more - they are 'tools' which can help. If you don't shop you won't spend anything. If you keep as many days as possible 'spend free', you avoid impulse purchases. Everything should be a need not a want (chocolate is medicinal when necessary). Try to get all the food you need in one weekly or do a monthly shop for basics (when I could still go to a SM I bought all the heavy and bulky stuff -cans, bottles, cat litter- once a month and had a taxi home. Petrol or a travel card from your budget does NOT lose you a SFD as you can't determine which days you will need to refuel and we don't want anyone stuck out in the wilds because they ran out of petrol (diesel, stopping at an electric charge point). Medical needs are similarly exempt because you should not delay seeking help when you need it. This month I suggested stocking up on generic cold/ flu/ D & V medication as it's much cheaper to have them to hand when you need them instead of buying from a small retailer near to home or work because you can't walk any further.


I'll do the others later. If any regular turtles want to add any points please do. I'm sure I've not said everything I was thinking.

beanielou

Delighted to report I am on a roll. This is NSD 10. 

So 10 days in a row. 

apple_muncher

Bravo, beanie!  I do trust you are eating...!?

Today I am grateful for the difference a couple more hours of sleep made to pip, for him having an enjoyable day, for dh finishing his week of stupid long hours, for getting stuff to the tip, for my gym session, for finally making a packing list for going away on Monday.

laura_lau

Wow, 10 days in a row is really good!
 I had an unexpected NSD today because Mr and Mrs Decorator decided it was better to come back tomorrow instead of today, to ensure all the filling was completely dry before finishing painting, so I will pay the remaining amount tomorrow. 

I had a good look at h the bedroom and it already feels much bigger, even if it still needs painting. My sore throat progressed into a cold today, but I don’t feel too bad. I’m off to make myself a new ginger tea with honey, OH bought me a new jar of honey today, and I will watch some vlogs before going to bed. Today I’m grateful for OH taking care of me, for ginger tea with honey, for it being only 1 day away until we can start moving things out of the living room and being able to look out of the windows again. 

Betharooni

Missed out on NSD #5 today due to a £1.90 spend on parking while waiting for DB1 to finish a grief counselling session this afternoon 😢 Disappointing but should hopefully get another NSD on Sunday instead. Popping out for a bit of shopping tomorrow at DB1s request so might also pop to a couple of other places and get some other things I need all in one go. Will definitely need petrol as well. I have a lengthy list of stuff to do tomorrow, but most of it is not too taxing so should hopefully be able to get a decent amount of it done. 

Grateful for laughs with cheeky nieces, laughs with friends via messages and thermals.

dizzyblnd

Yesterday was not a nsd as I had a yummy lunch with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed a catch up. Haven’t seen them since before the summer so it was over due. Avoided a take away at night by freezer diving. 

Thankful for good laughs with good friends. A freezer with food in that cooks quick and wasn’t too difficult. 

dizzyblnd

beanielou said:

Delighted to report I am on a roll. This is NSD 10. 

So 10 days in a row. 

This is amazing! Well done 

Shrewbie

Well done @beanielou that is amazing. You have inspired me.

Hope you are having a lovely holiday @apple_muncher. I will let sis know to watch out for you hahahaha. I love that you have pink hair. i have a great image of you in my head now.

 I need to catch up with posts. Yesterday I had my boxes delivered from storage where they have been since March. Was joyous. My room, formally dubbed the "crypt", may have to be renamed as it looks cosy now with a few of my knick knacks and books about the place. I took a few choice items out of boxes, swapped summer wardrobe for winter, rearranged and re-taped up the boxes and updated my spreadsheet of what's in them. The rest of my life is now in ten boxes stacked in the basement. I now have a few winter projects, fixing a broken mirror frame, a torn bedspread and finding frames for some prints. 

I am grateful for housemates cooking me brekkie (French toast) for the rain, which meant the aerial parade for the annual military !!!!!!-swinging day was called off, which meant I didn't feel guilty for not getting outside to see it (I love the jets), for being reminded of some good memories when unpacking my boxes and for managing to get the resulting mess sorted out fairly painlessly.

Have adjusted my sig as I am 1k off from my savings target, but I have made a turbo savings plan and I will get to where I want to be soon!!!!

Flying_By

October is turning out to be a very expensive month for us. The gable end of our house is open to wind and rain coming up the valley from the sea and the bricks have become worn and damaged thus letting water drive into our property.  We tried having it re-pointed a few years ago but that wasn't a huge success so we decided to bite the bullet and have it re-rendered and painted.  The builder gave us a quote back in March and eventually turned up in September and of course when he and his mates did turn up it was reliant on the weather.  Hopefully all should be finished by the end of this week fingers crossed.  To make things worse I've just had an MoT on my little car!

Grateful for my lovely brother who is my rock and for us getting on with sorting out Lasting Power of attorney regarding financial institutions step-mum has dealings with.

 2nd single duvet washed and on the line this morning
I'm going to have a nice hot shower and then a huge pile of ironing to be done - at least it will keep me warm