Goodbye September! It seems to have been such a long month, does anyone else feel that? There was one thing I was most anxious for in September, and that was that Alfie started school! I was so worried about him starting as he seems so little but he has absolutely taken it in his stride. He says goodbye and gives me a kiss and goes straight in. I think it helps that he loves his teacher and he’s made some friends. I’m so relieved it’s going well. In fact just this week he’s been starting to read in full sentences! I can’t believe it – so proud.
If you read my September aims post at the start of the month, I was aiming to do a No Spend September. Mainly to get our finances back on track after a somewhat disastrous August. And, in some ways, I have definitely succeeded! There have been a couple of things I didn’t foresee having to spend on – a new microwave being one – but on the whole No Spend September has been a positive for our finances. It has helped me to feel in control of my spending and I am loving my cash envelope system, which I also think helps.
My Financial aims for September were:
– Have 20 No Spend Days (NSDs)
– Overpay our mortgage by £185
– Put £600 into savings
So, NSDs. I have struggled so much with No Spend Days as of late, so to put 20 down seemed like such a daunting task. However, with the help of No Spend September and my trusty NSD tracker, I have managed an amazing 21 NSDs in September! I don’t remember the last time I managed to have such a high number. Very pleased with this 🙂 our mortgage overpayment is also fairly substantial; this is a combination of reduced spending and tidying up some of my savings accounts. So, in September I overpaid our mortgage be £1,252.82 which is amazing. If only we could do that every month! Finally, our savings aim is the same and will continue to be I think; I have put exactly £600 into savings this month. For the first time in a long time, I have hit all 3 financial aims for the month!
My Personal Aims for September were:
– manage my time better
– get ahead with posts for on here.
I have been trying to be better with my time. Getting to bed at a reasonable time has been up there on my priority list for ages, as lack of sleep really makes me feel rubbish about all areas of life. So, getting more sleep and generally trying to be more efficient is helping us to stick to our routines. I’m not saying it is easy, at times it really isn’t, but I am trying to do this and will continue to do so going forward. And I’m not ahead with posts on here, at all. Oops!
The top 3 posts on The Frugal Cottage during September were:
How has August been for you? What has been the best thing that has happened to you during the month?
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Thanks for sharing, love your posts and feel the same with the bedtime thing. As my kiddies are getting older it’s harder as we only have from 9:30 really and probably soon they’ll be up past us!
Thank you! I can’t imagine having children that go to bed later than you – I guess it’s something I will have at some point 🙂