Moving goal posts

Holiday
This year Mr No Spend & I have decided we would like a few days away.  We thought maybe going Dorset way & hire a cottage. To keep costs down we will see if my mum & sister want to come to.  Then that way we will have a base & can do all our meals at our base.  It will be lovely on the Jurasic coast & hopefully lots of walking will be done & beach combing & time spent on the beach.  We all need to decide on a date.  My sister will pay upfront & then we will pay our share.  Then its just a case of a some money for petrol & food. Before I know we are going I will search & find lots of free things to do.  Funding this little holiday will be my ebay sales so far £28.76 in the pot!. Need to get earning more!

Reflection Of Low Spend January
This month Hetty was purchased!. That was a big expenditure.  Over than that the biggest expenditure has been food.  Mr No Spend has done the food shopping & the food shop has been wonderfull. If anything the food budget was on the steep side.  We have bought blueberries & fruit in abundance & got through it all.  I would like less spent on food but then equally I love all the healthy stuff. Just do not mention the half peronni pizza I scoffed!.

Emergency Fund
The emergency fund is laying empty. The switch over to joint accounts has made everything up in the air & a few mix ups. Our joint account is overdrawn but then Mr No spends account was to start with.  I am going to use a Dave Ramsey baby step & aim for £500.00 in the emergency fund. It is a big bug bear of mine not to have a little emergency fund.  I guess as we have no savings either I would like a little to fall back on.  I know a lot of bloggers who probably earn more,but equally there a lot out there earning less who are very admired by me! with there thrifty ways etc. Bloggers who have turned things around out of debt.  
I would love to pay the mortgage of early. But once the cost of living is taken out it is not an option.    

Healthy Eating
Have really enjoyed all the healthy eating. Eating a lot fresher & healthier.  Need to fix those wanting something sweet cravings though! 

My Mind!
It was lovely to have the sun out a bit this week.  On Monday I will be going of for my appointment !. I will meet the person who I will be working with(poor person!). I spent some time with my neighbour  this week & we went to another town & she treated me to lunch out.  Did my little cleaning job to .
DD wound me up by prentending she had done something. I cannot tell the difference when my DD lies or tells the truth.  It was not funny & I told her that she was cruel to pretend that.
DD thought to tell me that she & 3 friends had stolen a car.  DD then thought to tell me she had drank & driven the car & been stopped by the police arrested, breathalised & then put in a cell overnight. Funny ? No I dont think so.  DD told the same to hubby who rang me from work & told me that he needed to go for a walk round the block after hearing the news.  Then DD texted me saying she was only joking. So not funny.  I then rang the foster mum & spoke to her who is a lovely lady( I feel a bit more at ease with her now I we have spoken more) Just to double check that DD was in her bed all night .  We had a long chat & she said that DD was a  walk in the park compared to some children she has looked after. It was lovely that she said DD was a real credit to us!.  After DD wind up it was hard to absorb that!. I did thank her for saying that. Slightly puzzled scratching my head thinking are we talking about the same girl!.  Still I guess sometimes they are always better for other people or other people just cope with things better

Anyway enough of my ramblings have a lovely weekend x x x

    

Hetty

I thought this picture was appropiate to me at the moment!.  I did not intend to be so sporadic in my blog posts.  My Januuary No Spend whet slightly pear shaped  due to a new addition to the family!. No not that, this!. This is Hetty she has been very naughty & gobbled up my hairband!.  Hetty cost £109.00(phew). I ummed & ummed. My previous cheaper hoovers both went to the hoover yard. I read reviews on Hetty and they were glowing. I must stay she does the job well & quietly to.  Then I went & bought a new bag from Asda as my bag was driving me insane ,where I could not find anything & bits were getting lost in the torn lining that I already repaired once!.  Food budget has be blown out the water!.  I must admit I am enjoying all the healthy stuff. Do not mention the Lindt Sea salt chocolate which is lovely, but not so that you eat a whole bar go to bed wake up in the night feeling really crook and then go and sit by the toilet with your head down it.  Serves me right really for being so darn greedy!.Apart from that I have been super good on eating healthy!.   

As you know Me & Mr No Spend have been switching over to a joint bank account.  We just thought it was a case my name would be put onto his bank account. Of course not!. They opened up a whole new bank account. We then had to switch all the direct debits over to the new account. They then said we could not have an overdraft. Not that we want one, but untill we sort ourselves out we need one.  We are still sorting bits out now!.  My emergency pot is empty. I think sometimes I get frustrated as I have such good intentions for us as a family.  Yet the cost of living is so high and sometimes it is hard to catch up with ourselves.  Apart from an odd carvery meal a couple of times a year. We are not a spendy family.  I would like to see my emergency fund start & perhaps grow!.I think that is the thing as a family we do not have loads to throw at savings etc and I get frustrated at the slowness. Or how I start a fund only for it to get used on something else that we need. I am doing a little cleaning job once a week for 3 hours which is good.  I do want to work more eventually but as you know need to sort myself out & feel better.  I went for the consultation at the Cbt place & will meet who I will be working with on the 30th of this month.  I always felt I should be able to sort things out myself. But no I am asking for help this time.  DD stayed the other night and was easy to be around. Sometimes if I think to hard it is a surreal situation not having my DD at home ,where she should be.  At the moment things are good even though we are living apart. Of course it does feel odd at times & if I am having a sad day I feel that she does not love her mum & dad. But I guess I am using the time to gather strength & make a start at healing my mind.           

I am still having a few problems leaving comments on blogs. I do not really understand why but I am sure it is something to do with settings.  Blessed Life blog I cant seem to leave a comment on your blog. But wanted you to know I am thinking of you x x.
Other blogs If I havent been on your blog & left a comment it is because I cant get on. Its a bit frustrating as I miss leaving comments.  I am there honestly!. It feels like stopping by without saying hello!. 

My Mini Goals Monday

• Make sure I keep my 5 a day fruit & veg up. 
• Keep my spending diary up(failed miserably)
• List a few things on ebay
• Read a few pages of my new book
• Do my pilates dvd twice this week
• Check on our online banking play, around with figures

Sold something on ebay for £9.99 which is what we paid for it anyway so got money back .
Also sold a mens shirt that I bought at a car boot sale for £2.00 that went for £18.76( was very surprised & pleased). I did buy the shirt for Mr No Spend but it was far to big for him.   


This is what I am reading(only just started) my mum bought it in the charity shop passed it on to my sister who has read it & now it is passed on to me. I really wanted to see this film at the cinema. I will read maybe 5 - 10 pages a day. It will take me a while to read!

Hey Bloggers

I have been trying on & off for a while to leave comments on peoples blogs. The page just keeps staying blank and the circle going round.  I have visited you all but cannot comment. I will keep trying even though I cannot leave a comments I am visiting.  I dont know why I cant. I know I always have to go through google chrome? who knows! I have not forgotton you x x x

In the name of health!

I ended up in the supermarket last night as Ds is making fruit salad today in food tech at school. I ended up spending quite a bit ggrrh. I will say I am trying to eat for optimal nutrition to help myself feel less tired & help myself feel good. I think going through this low mood phase in my life. I want to do everything I can to help myself. Even Mr No Spend & DS have been having granola & blueberries for breakfast with me this week!. We have got through a lot.
Anyway my shopping list went something like this

• orange juice 50p
• orange juice 50p
• pork chops £2.00
• sproutstalk £1.00
• jumbo porridge oats £1.28
• asparagus £1.00
• pak choi £1.00
• dried fruit £1.12
• baking paper £1.50
• lemon tea 60p
• cheese £1.00
• samphire £1.32(never eaten this before is some sort of coastal growing moss!)
• cucumber 80p
• dried fruit £1.12
• aubergine 75p
• green pepper 72p
• mackeral £1.00
• Sardines 84p
• skincare £1.80
• bathfoam 84p
• sardine paste 43p
• reduced carrots 10p
• soy sauce 58p
• linseed 90p
• almonds £1.41
• cous cous 68p
• kidney beans44p
• spring greens£1.00
• blueberries £2.00
• seeds 67p
• rhubarb rachels organic yogurt £1.20
• reduced rolls 20p
• spice jars£2.00
• glass kilner jar £1.45
• strawberries £1.00

In total I spent £37.41.!.  I bought some glass spice jars to decant my seeds into. Also I am making granola today!
Earlier on in the week I bought some granola from M&S it was lovely. I decided to make my own. I used this recipe but tweaked it a bit http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1590/goodforyou-granola. I was quite generous with the mixed fruit & seeds. I have a bowl in the morning with a handful of blueberries thrown on.  It is an initial outlay buying the seeds & fruit. I have loads of ingredients left to make more. I crushed a tiny dark chocolate bar into the mix as well.  I have to report it is much more delicious than M&S granola! Much more seedy & fruity!. It is also nice sprinkled on to yogurt .  I took my lovely neighbour a bag of it enough for a breakfast!. Luckily when I visited her she had not been up long at 11 0 clock!. So she had it for her breakfast & loved it.  We are going to have a granola making session soon !  
In an attempt to eat better & more healthily I have found I have really enjoyed my food more. I do not feel as bloated round my tummy either.

Lots of this is being eaten oatcakes,humous,celery.  Tomorrow I am going to try pak choi ( I have never eaten this before.  For my dinner tonight I had sardines,spring greens, carrots & new potatoes. Followed by DS beautiful fruit salad.

Most of my No Spend Challenge is going on food!.  
I did tai chi on wednesday morning.  I was having a bit of a low day & went with my mum to this once monthly craft group we go to. I did not want to go as I just felt unmotivated,tired & miserable!. When we got to craft group they happened to running a tai chi group in the other room.  I told the craft group I was defecting to Tai chi! as I wanted to try it out!.  Tai chi was very gentle a bit like a long warm up. If anything it loosened me up & made me feel a bit brighter.
I will catch up with bloggy reading soon. I am a bit behind with everything lately
take care x x
     

Changing what I eat...

Yesterday evening I popped in to M&S near where I live. As you know I am embarking/trying to eat healthier. Even though last week was a bit of a biscuit blip. Not to mention the 2lbs I gained ggrrhhh.  I did expect it though as last weeks diet was not exactly 100% brilliant.
When In M&S I bought

• Pumpkin seeds 79p
• houmous £1.00
• Rich dark chocolate (mini treat bars but good old dark chocolate) £1.99
• oatcakes 85p
• tiny brie 40p
• peanut butter £1.12
• sugar 92p( still need one in my tea!)
• blueberry smoothie 50p (son for breakfast
• 2 mini fruit salads £1.00 for both (50p each)
• granola breakfast cereal ( 100% beautiful tasting!) £2.19
• 2 diet florida drinks £1.50(son & hubby)
• 2 baby cabbages 50p
• Blueberries £1.99
• wholegrain bagels 80p

I bought these things as I wanted to have some snacky healthy bits. I know M&S is not the cheapest place to buy things. It is very nice though!. I am used to yellow label whoopsies. I guess I want to eat more healthy superfoods. I want to lose weight, but also feel good in the process. Shopping would maybe come to more. But I do like real food so much more(says hanging head in shame at last weeks biscuit memories scoff scoff scoff!.  I would like to be a bit more adventurous in what we eat.  Mr No Spend had a bowl of granola with blueberries this morning( he asked for some!!). He has got a cheek though as he usually calls my shopping bits rabbit food. Master No Spend is chomping through kiwi fruits which is good.

A while back I bought this book in the one pound shop the title appealed to me!. I think it was the appeal of just 4 ingredients & the variety of ideas.

I would like to eat as healthy as possible as a family. We have great room for improvement all round.  It will be interesting to see how it works with relation to food budget.

I ate really healthy yesterday. I do keep a food diary which you can find if you want to take a peek.

How is your healthy eating going ?

xx  

As far as No spends going. I have not been spending any apart from on food but Mr No spend went & bought food and did not keep receipts ggrrhhh!.

 

Just watching this film at the moment "500 Days of Summer "

This made me smile ......

Filling in forms

Yesterday Mr No Spend printed out the forms for us to have a joint bank account. We thought we would try & do it without having to go in to the branch to do it.  Seeing as it is at his existing bank anyway.  We hope we have filled it all in ok. As with these things there always seems to be some sort of problem a bit like those passport forms, we all know!.
It will be a bit different for us both sharing the one bank account!.  I think Mr No Spend may be secretly a bit worried as there is no hiding from me now!.  The way I see it is that it will have lots of positive benefits

• The fact that all money will be in one account.
• It will be easier to handle
• It will be more of a joint effort
• A main one will be for as long as I remember. Mr No Spend has always been overdrawn.  Not through wastefullness. Just through chasing his tail trying to make ends meet. Hopefully now things are pooled in one place

I am still playing round with numbers & figures trying to sort a budget out to stick to.That makes allowances for different things.
I am determind to get that emergency fund up & running as it is at zero again gggrrrhhh!

check this link out & you can get a free walking pedometer. Great for our pounds of the soft variety !
http://www.tescomagazine.com/competitions/get-your-free-pedometer.html

Busy Day

As you can see I have had a very busy morning!. Lots of changing things around. I am hoping that now all the direct debits & everything are coming out of one pot. I can keep a tighter reign on things. Mr No Spend is ok with money.But there is a lot of room for improvement. Not in the way of being wasteful but in the way of not keeping track of things. I think I/we have both lots of room for improvement!

As I am switching to a joint account with Mr No Spend. I had to use my emergency fund to clear my overdraft & to pay the Swinton car insurance till April & the buildings insurance. So pot empty! again.

Mr No Spends account is overdrawn by about £400.00 as well. This is first on my hit list! I will be keeping a tight reign on our finances now they are entwined!. I want to make things better for us.

2012 is going to be a year of change. I know Mr No Spend gets fed up with being overdrawn & chasing his tail. So hopefully if we can become better managers of our money together

Rang tax credits & gave them Mr No Spends bank details

rang child benefit get them to pay it into Mr No Spends

Gas & electricity sending me a mandate to set up payments to come out of Mr no spends

New gas amount monthly £42.00 Electricity £37.00 month gas (based on yearly usage)

Rang life insurance & will come out of Mr No Spends account (will send mandate first)

Rang buildings insurance policy & paid up as it finishes in February. I did not realise i was paying 91 pence a month for the privlige of paying by direct debit!. They will send me a new quote out before my policy ends & if I like it I sign. Being a money saver of course I will scout about for a better deal!. Currently it is £8.31 a month.

Rang Swinton car insurance. Paid £83.73 in full up till April. Found out that for the privlige of paying by direct debit last year it cost me £46.00 extra.

I got my repeat smear test letter through as I had an abnormal one. I rang up straight away to make an appointment & she said can you come in today at 5.10!. I thought may as well get it over & done with.  No one likes the dreaded smear test.  I do not like things hanging over me.

On another note I have rang up & have made an appointment next Friday to go & talk to someone. First appointment is for a consultation.  I am hoping to have cbt cognitive therapy.   I have always frowned on things like this?.  I guess though if you have a physical trauma you fix it, wether it be a broken leg etc.  I need fixing emotionally.  I do suffer from anxiety on a daily basis & low mood.  Dont get me wrong I am not walking around looking miserable, but there is a sadness inside me, a helplessness.  A feeling that I cannot cope with things, that I am fragile.  I want to get strong again.  Each thing that has happened with DD has just been continuous for a long time.  Most people could probably cope with odd things but a constant bombardment one after the other is harder.
It funny I want to work but when I do I am so tense. I want to contribute more in all ways.   
Thank you all for your budget advise & ideas to. You are all great x
Be back later ! x x

Mrs No Spend needs your help ...help.....

Right my frugal peeps I want you all to look at this statement of affairs. I want your help. 

• Can you help me organise my finances
• Can you help me to take into account for christmas, car funds, how much do you allocate for things. What would you do if this was your account?
• Do you think me & mr no spend should just have the one account that we share.As whats his is mine & vice versa?. Would that make it easier do you think?. Then I could just concentrate on the one pot so to speak.
• Our mortgage is £68,000. We have good equity home is valued at £250,000.  I would love to move to a different place where homes were more reasonable. I live in just a normal 3 bed bungalow & thats how much one costs . If you wanted a 2 bed flat they cost anything from £160,000- £200,000 & over.  My sister lives close by half hour away. My mum & dad about 20 miles away. One day I would love to ago to a different town & have no mortgage or asmall mortgage. Downsizing is not really an option as its not as if I live in a massive place. It has enough room but is not mansion size!  
• Can you help me with my soa(state of affairs!)
• Should I be ok living on this or am I just rubbish at organising our finances?. I thought I was ok
• How much would you save into an emergency fund monthly based on these sums 

Mr No Spends monthly wage after tax etc
£1279.52 +
Mrs No Spend - £513.16
Total  Incoming both of us combined £1792.68 Minus the fixed outgoings - £887.86
Leaves  £904.82 - which does not include water,tv license,food,petrol clothing & any other bits involved in the cost of living & things that pop up like car tax etc

Mrs no spend
Tax Credit £74.59 paid weekly
Child Benefit £134.80 paid monthly
Rent from renting out garage per month £80.00 paid monthly
Total in coming £513.16 per month             
£513.16 - total income Mrs no spend
£166.17   outgoings
£346.99    Left after outgoings come out



Outgoings per month- Mr no spends account
Mortgage - £334.14
Virgin mobile - £19.00(mr no spends mobile cannot be any cheaper)
Virgin mobile - £19.00(master no spends mobile instead of pocketmoney)
Virgin media - £48.26
Football season ticket - £73.09
Council tax £132.00
Loan - £85.80
pre - payment nhs card - £10.40
Total £721.69

1st Buildings Insurance £8.31
2nd Mobile Phone £20.00
10th Healthspan £12.95
27th Car Insurance £27.91
28th Gas £37.00
27th Electricity £50.00
28th Life Insurance £15.00

Total £166.17 Mrs no spends account


Will need to pay tv license in May(must prepare for that)
Also half yearly water  due in April need to prepare for that to

£887.86-total outgoings per month for mr & mrs no spend combined
Does not include petrol,food, clothing,gifts,car tax etc

Huge thank you! In advance x x x

Its not raining....

I hope everyone had a nice new years day.  I cannot believe how much it rained yesterday, it did not stop.
January 1st - Spent £1.40 on milk
January 2nd- No Spend day hooray !!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2081112/Foods-fight-stress-Changing-diet-overcome-anxiety-step-successful-weight-loss.html
I just added the above article as it makes good reading.

As it was lovely & sunny this afternoon. I thought right lets make the most of it.  Mr & Master No Spend had gone of to watch a football game.  I walked 2 miles to get to this greenery!.  I walked briskly & I also sat on a park bench in a beam of sunlight!.  Getting my vitemin D.  I took in all the fresh air & breathed it all in deep breathing.  It is so therapeutic greenery, fresh air & sun.  After about 10 minutes by bottom was getting a bit numb!. I then walked the 2 miles home quite briskly.  

This little cabinet is one I bought a few years back. I painted it & distressed it.  I thought I would show you it, as it is my work station where I put my things. In the silver tin at the bottom I have all my birthday cards & christmas cards.  My money folder on the bottom shelf. There is a bit of a theme in my home. That being the colour white. I like the colour white as to me it represents calmness & peace!.  Also I like the sea & the sea shore.  I also have a small filing cabinet which is very organised , it helps me to be as well 

When you open the bureau is has things like 

Envelopes

Gift tag hole punch

mini spending diary

filofax

card readers x 2 (internet banking)

pot of staples & elastic bands

post its

mini change purse

note books & local whats on leaflets

My mum got me this lovely diary for christmas. I use my filofax mainly.  While reading another blog they mentioned keeping a journal. I think one or two of you suggested that to me as well.  I am going to keep a journal of my thoughts & feelings. Things I want to do. I pretty much do that here to.  But perhaps it will help to write it down. I only get a little paragraph on each page so thats plenty!

 Remember those mugs I ordered last year for £2.00 each with free postage & packing.  Look at the packaging.  I flattened down all the brown paper to keep for ebay wrapping! What frugal things do you do to?!. I hope all your No spend January is going ok. Lets keep each other motivated!
x x x Take care all