Spend Nowt, Buy Nowt, Owe Nowt

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  • XSpender
    XSpender Posts: 3,811 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    edited 25 October 2017 at 7:10AM
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    This Month’s Goals

    • October is all about damage limitation - we have spent so much less than usual this month
    • Reduce planned food budget by £150 (£350 instead of £500 for a 5-week month) £353 for 4 weeks and have decided to do over 4 weeks rather than 5 to fit in with DH pay date
    • Go sober for October – DH and I are not drinking this month so this should save an additional £100 - DH gave up after 6 days I am still going strong on day 23
    • Meal plan and shop from freezer and cupboards, check what we have before go shopping - yes, yes and yes and used up random bits from the freezer
    • Credit card only to be used for additional decorating materials and Christmas Eve event (if we decide to go). If I can cut the food budget enough I could cover the decorating from this month’s budget as we are only going to buy a tin of wood primer this month. Only bought planned items on CC
    • Use dinner allowance to buy groceries and food gifts for Christmas (1 chocolates, 1 sweets, 2 big boxes of nice biscuits)
    • Keep downstairs tidy - kitchen, utility and conservatory kept clean and tidy, living room not so much as has contents of hall and coat cupboard in it while decorating
    • Arrange low cost dinner with friends and don't commit to any other social events - not done
    *Have lost 10lbs in total on SW (and got my half stone certificate) - got my half stone certificate but haven't been for 2 weeks and not really kept to plan so expecting a 2lb increase at weigh in tonight

    We ended up using the £15 Mr T voucher along with my club card vouchers as DH wanted to buy a game with his money and we used the vouchers to get 2 Christmas gifts for no cash and a gift for DS for Christmas as we have found a cheaper alternative to the main gift we were getting him which I can almost cover with vouchers.

    I have £60 worth of amazon vouchers and £33 worth of M&S vouchers and will be buying the rest of my Christmas gifts at the weekend when DH has been paid. I will still need to buy 2 boxes of biscuits and 4 boxes of sweets and this will be covered by my dinner allowance as I am away so much in November. This is going to end up being the cheapest Christmas in Years! :money:

    We have spent £353 in 4 weeks (ending Friday) on food, laundry etc. I had said I wanted to spend under £350 for 5 weeks but this was always a tall order. We were averaging about £115-120/week on food and really struggled to get it anywhere near £100 which was my holy grail and over the last 4 weeks we have averaged £88.25 which I am over the moon with. One week did go over £130 when I had to replace a lot of laundry and cleaning items but a couple of weeks were under £70. This includes some takeaways and booze for DH too :) There is still plenty in the freezer and cupboards as I have used items from them but haven't lived out of them so I feel the £88.25/week average is achievable going forward.

    I will end this months budget on Thursday and start the new month on Friday as this will make things neater with DH new pay date. Next month I will be aiming for £80/week or £320 for the month. :)

    This week's Goals - I am on holiday for 2 days with DS
    • Complete all work before go on holiday
    • [STRIKE]Take handles back to Mr S as overcharged by over 100%[/STRIKE]
    • Return wireless thing to Mr T
    • [STRIKE]Book dentist for me & DS[/STRIKE]
    • Use free vouchers for movie with DH and DS on Friday
    • Use 50% off voucher for pizza on Friday or happy hour at local restaurant
    • Use up all perishables
    • [STRIKE]Deep clean our bedroom[/STRIKE]
    • Order stair carpet once estimate has been done - will be next week now estimate appointment is Saturday
    • Clean living room again!
    • Sort out coats and shoes in under stairs cupboard
    • Fill holes, box up mat well
    • Finish downstairs glossing and emulsion
    • Complete most of Christmas shopping on line
    • Go for a run
    • Go to the gym
    • Redo budget once DH has been paid
    • Buy a dress
    • Stay on SW plan all week - Tuesday (tick)
    Save £10,500 - £2673.77 - 25.5%
    Pay off £7000 - £1743 - 19.4%
    Make £2021 extra income - £99.75
  • apple_muncher
    apple_muncher Posts: 14,710 Forumite
    First Anniversary Mortgage-free Glee! First Post Name Dropper
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    That is one successful month. Well done for sticking to it.
    NST March lion #8; NSD ; MFW9/3/23 Whoop Whoop!!!
  • XSpender
    XSpender Posts: 3,811 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
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    This week's Goals - I am on holiday for 2 days with DS

    Complete all work before go on holiday
    [STRIKE]Take handles back to Mr S as overcharged by over 100%[/STRIKE]
    Return wireless thing to Mr T
    Book dentist for me & DS
    Use free vouchers for movie with DH and DS on Friday
    Use 50% off voucher for pizza on Friday or happy hour at local restaurant
    Use up all perishables
    [STRIKE]Deep clean our bedroom[/STRIKE]
    Order stair carpet once estimate has been done
    Clean living room again!
    Sort out coats and shoes in under stairs cupboard
    Fill holes, box up mat well
    Finish downstairs glossing and emulsion
    Complete most of Christmas shopping on line
    Go for a run
    Go to the gym
    Redo budget once DH has been paid
    Buy a dress
    Stay on SW plan all week

    Weigh in yesterday and I put on 1.5lbs in 2 weeks, not surprising as we have been eating a fair bit of comfort food lately and even had 2 puddings last week which we never have :o It would have been nice to have lost a bit having given up wine for the last 23 days but I suppose I would have put on more if I hadn't.

    Carpet estimator man coming today to give us a price for the stair carpet and let us know the amount of metres required for the bedroom carpet. We will order the stair carpet at the weekend as we want to double check the 2 shades of the same carpet again as we may go with the darker shade instead.

    Bedroom got deep cleaned last night and DH had a better sleep. I have decided against painting the wardrobes as the wood is very dark and there are darker coloured lines in the mouldings and I don't think we will achieve a good finish. We will hang on until we can afford to get the whole room done if DH asthma improves. Everything in the room needs to be replaced including the bed and it will need re-plastering once the paper is taken off so I would rather wait if we can. Even the spot lights need changing as they have large, ugly and damaged surrounds.

    We will change the bedding more frequently and vacuum more often and see if this helps as well as replacing the pillows and spraying with dust mite spray again.

    Once the hall, stairs and landing is decorated and new flooring/carpet laid we will replace switches and sockets and save up for 2 new light fittings and 5 doors downstairs including one for the awkward shaped under stairs cupboard by Feb. We will get the 5 upstairs doors replaced later on.

    I am going to start up my bullet journal again to see if it helps me get more stuff done. I don't do the arty farty style as I have no artistic ability, I use the original list version and some coloured pens ;)

    Today's Mini To Do List

    Make dentist appointment for me and DS
    Cook the chicken breasts I defrosted yesterday (stuffed with quark, garlic and herbs and wrapped in bacon) with mini roasties and lots of veg (Free on SW)
    All meals and snacks on SW plan
    Tons and tons of work work
    Sort out coats and pack away summer ones
    Clean living room and dining room
    DH to prepare and base coat awkward door frame
    DH to rip up landing carpet to paint skirting boards
    Ask the carpet fitter for advice on laying wooden flooring over the slope between the living and dining rooms (DH has finally seen the light and is favouring wood over carpet :T)
    Save £10,500 - £2673.77 - 25.5%
    Pay off £7000 - £1743 - 19.4%
    Make £2021 extra income - £99.75
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 10,040 Forumite
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    Well done for reducing the food spends so effectively!

    Laundry liquid etc. can be costly. I've started to use Astonish concentrate which is about £1.99 for 28 washes (from the £ shop) - it seems to do a good job though we don't generally get things very dirty. B&M is also a very good source for cheaper laundry products if you have one within reach.
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2024: Trainers 5 coupons. 5/68
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
  • XSpender
    XSpender Posts: 3,811 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
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    Cherry I usually buy all my cleaning and laundry products (and toiletries) at Aldi or buy Tesco or asda own brand but will have a look at B&M as there is one quite close to me.

    Quick update on today's list:

    Make dentist appointment for me and DS Done but not this week
    Cook the chicken breasts I defrosted yesterday (stuffed with quark, garlic and herbs and wrapped in bacon) with mini roasties and lots of veg (Free on SW) Done but DH was still starving afterwards so had a sandwich!
    All meals and snacks on SW plan So far, so good
    Tons and tons of work work Done
    Sort out coats and pack away summer ones Put in a spare room for now
    Clean living room and dining room Tidied up a bit and vacuumed
    DH to prepare and base coat awkward door frame
    DH to rip up landing carpet to paint skirting boards
    Ask the carpet fitter for advice on laying wooden flooring over the slope between the living and dining rooms (DH has finally seen the light and is favouring wood over carpet ) He was off sick so rearranged for Saturday

    We haven't spent any money today and I found a pound in the bedroom :) The 2nd hand electronic item we are buying DS for Christmas has been sold but I have seen another one for £40 less and can cover it all with amazon vouchers :) Will order it on Friday as I have a couple of things in my basket and don't want to use the CC to pay the balance.

    DH is really knackered at the minute, hence why the painting hasn't been done tonight. I'm not sure if it is the dark nights, his new job or he is coming down with something but it is definitely not like him.
    Save £10,500 - £2673.77 - 25.5%
    Pay off £7000 - £1743 - 19.4%
    Make £2021 extra income - £99.75
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 10,040 Forumite
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    XSpender wrote: »
    Tons and tons of work work Done
    Just like that! The power of understatement. :)

    I found B&M cheaper than all but the basic lines at T3sco but I don't know how it compares to Ald!.

    Hope your DH feels better soon. Maybe it's a combination of the effort of getting stuck into a new job, plus the usual autumnal germs and a new germ-pool among his new colleagues. Anyway I hope it soon passes.
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2024: Trainers 5 coupons. 5/68
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
  • mumof3.12kindebt
    mumof3.12kindebt Posts: 1,474 Forumite
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    hi I have just caught up on your diary.

    Don't be embarrassed that your debt has risen. You are still here and fully aware of your financea and thats fab.
    I'm also on a Df journey. It's tough at times and like you my debt has risen again over the last month or two. It's hard not to feel like giving up when that happens but the important thing is that your in control. Like you said you know where it's been spent so I wouldnt worry to much. Just continue to make small steps and you will get there. Good luck. I'll continue to read your diary.
    June 17 £16,000 debt ~ nov 18 DEBT FREE •June 21 £16,308 debt / july 22 debt free •Original mortgage free date 01/06/2059 current mortgage free date 01/05/2046
  • XSpender
    XSpender Posts: 3,811 Forumite
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    Cherryfudge wrote: »
    Just like that! The power of understatement. :)

    I found B&M cheaper than all but the basic lines at T3sco but I don't know how it compares to Ald!.

    Hope your DH feels better soon. Maybe it's a combination of the effort of getting stuck into a new job, plus the usual autumnal germs and a new germ-pool among his new colleagues. Anyway I hope it soon passes.

    More of the same again today Cherry as I am off for the rest of the week.

    Had a real wobble with my job this week as my team were been given some very challenging (unrealistic :mad:) objectives and as a consultant if you don't hit 'em you're for the chop!:eek: All resolved this morning and now much more realistic to achieve. I can put my job hunting on hold again ;)

    DH is much better today. His asthma is improving since we sorted the bedroom and I think his afternoon out on Saturday, even though he wasn't legless or anything, took it out of him.
    mumof3.12kindebt wrote: »
    hi I have just caught up on your diary.

    Don't be embarrassed that your debt has risen. You are still here and fully aware of your financea and thats fab.
    I'm also on a Df journey. It's tough at times and like you my debt has risen again over the last month or two. It's hard not to feel like giving up when that happens but the important thing is that your in control. Like you said you know where it's been spent so I wouldnt worry to much. Just continue to make small steps and you will get there. Good luck. I'll continue to read your diary.

    Thank you for reading and for your encouragement. Our debt pay down should get back on track now DH job has changed. We could cut 12 months off our DFD if we lived on fresh air and never went anywhere and didn't do any work on the dooer upper house we bought but I am not prepared to do that. We will continue to manage our spending and avoid becoming victims of lifestyle inflation with DH new wage.

    Have you got a diary? I will pop over for a visit if you have :)
    Save £10,500 - £2673.77 - 25.5%
    Pay off £7000 - £1743 - 19.4%
    Make £2021 extra income - £99.75
  • Cherryfudge
    Cherryfudge Posts: 10,040 Forumite
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    XSpender wrote: »
    More of the same again today Cherry as I am off for the rest of the week.

    Had a real wobble with my job this week as my team were been given some very challenging (unrealistic :mad:) objectives and as a consultant if you don't hit 'em you're for the chop!:eek: All resolved this morning and now much more realistic to achieve. I can put my job hunting on hold again ;)

    DH is much better today. His asthma is improving since we sorted the bedroom and I think his afternoon out on Saturday, even though he wasn't legless or anything, took it out of him.

    Grr to unrealistic work expectations. :mad: My work situation is very different but the same can happen to us and it's downright unfair - and penalises the ones who are trying to deliver. :( So I have lots of sympathy and am so pleased you have a week off!

    You have reminded me that I need to do our bedroom ceiling. :( As soon as the temperature drops, the mould tries to come back. :(
    I think a bit of sunshine is good for frugal living. (Cranky40)
    The sun's been out and I think I’m solar powered (Onebrokelady)

    Fashion on the Ration challenge, 2024: Trainers 5 coupons. 5/68
    20.5 coupons used in 2020. 62.5 used in 2021. 94.5 remaining as of 21/3/22
  • XSpender
    XSpender Posts: 3,811 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    edited 25 October 2017 at 9:55PM
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    This week's Goals - I am on holiday for 2 days with DS

    [STRIKE]Complete all work before go on holiday[/STRIKE] :)
    [STRIKE]Take handles back to Mr S as overcharged by over 100%[/STRIKE] :)
    Return wireless thing to Mr T
    [STRIKE]Book dentist for me & DS[/STRIKE] :)
    Use free vouchers for movie with DH and DS on Friday
    Use 50% off voucher for pizza on Friday or happy hour at local restaurant
    Use up all perishables
    [STRIKE]Deep clean our bedroom[/STRIKE] :)
    Order stair carpet once estimate has been done
    [STRIKE]Clean living room again![/STRIKE]
    [STRIKE]Sort out coats and shoes in under stairs cupboard[/STRIKE] Kind of, it is much tidier now ;)
    Fill holes, box up mat well
    Finish downstairs glossing and emulsion
    Complete most of Christmas shopping on line
    Go for a run
    Go to the gym
    Redo budget once DH has been paid
    Buy a dress
    Stay on SW plan all week - Tuesday :D, Wednesday :D

    There is a bar of Terry's Chocolate Orange in the kitchen I am trying to resist :eek: :EasterBun

    Mr S are having a double point doo dah at the end of the month and I have almost enough nectar points to get DS Lego set for Christmas for free :j

    DH came home with a free Alessi wine opener man today. I love Alessi :heart2:

    I have been crunching some numbers and have worked out that the net figure we have added to the debt after this super tight month, covering £75/week fuel, wooden flooring, decorating materials, Christmas Eve event, some Christmas bits for DS, work clothes for DH (and probably something else I've forgotten) is £582.55. I am pretty chuffed with this. My friend owes me £100 for the event too which I will have at the weekend and will pay off a CC which makes it £482.55.

    This doesn't include the BT fee which hasn't gone through yet.

    The only thing going on the CC next month is the stair and landing carpet. If I didn't have the balance on a BNPL to pay by December and Christmas coming it would be paid for out of salary. I am expecting a bonus this month and if I don't get it Christmas will be going on it too!:eek: I might as well be honest about it :o

    Average weekly food bill has just tipped £90/week which compared with £130/week last month is a vast improvement and the lowest I can remember it been in the last 3 years :o There is definitely more room in the freezer. I have been meal planning, buying less and wasting less. It helps that I have been working from home a lot more recently.

    YNAB has all been updated and everything balances. There is even money left in the pots!!!:eek::eek:

    I have felt much more in control of our money this month and will hopefully keep that focus going forward. I seem to do better when we are skint :o

    DH and I are going to each open a 2nd bank account (with the opening bonus) to use for our personal spends. This means DH cant overspend as he tends to go through cash at an alarming rate and it means mine doesn't get used to subsidise the account if we are short and I can save it up.

    DH should get his payslip tomorrow and we are excited to see what it will be and it isn't even a full month and wont have any bonus on it. :D

    Plans for tomorrow include:

    1) Using up half a pot of quark to make frosting for some SW carrot cakes we will be baking
    2) Building one of DS many sets of lego
    3) Playing monsters
    4) Playing in the stream with our wellies on while walking the dog
    5) Reading some more Mr Stink together, drinking hot chocolate and eating carrot cake

    I can't wait :)
    Save £10,500 - £2673.77 - 25.5%
    Pay off £7000 - £1743 - 19.4%
    Make £2021 extra income - £99.75
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